50: Which Blood I'm... {part-1}

"The rules of the duel are simple: Fighters will each receive a magic crystal, which they must protect while attempting to break the crystals of the opposing side. There is no time limit. Players cannot leave the dome; the moment they do, they will be disqualified immediately, and their crystal will shatter," the referee explains, speaking into a microphone-like device. "At the count of one... two... and go! Now fight!"

As the duel begins, Rubianna clashes her sword with Shuri's. They both dive into the battle, and unexpectedly, Rubianna seems to be holding her own, matching Shuri's pace. They take one side of the dome, while on the other side...

"Here I come, Samuel! Chille—" Void's chant is abruptly cut off as he suddenly spits blood. His body starts trembling, and then, as if by an invisible force, many parts of his body are slashed open, blood seeping from the fresh wounds. Before Void can regain control, Samuel charges at him.

"Divine Judgment!" Charles shouts, as a lightning strike hits Void, sending him crashing against the dome's wall. "The Winds of Calamity!" Leonard follows up, delivering a whirlwind-like strike that cuts Void's left eye, causing him to bleed heavily.

"Void! Weren't you going to show me what blood you're made of?" Samuel taunts, stabbing Void right in the chest. But as Samuel begins to revel in his victory, thinking he has finally avenged his past grievances, he senses something is terribly wrong.

"Why...? Why do I feel like something isn't right?" Samuel wonders, his gaze turning toward Void. What he sees isn't the face of defeat but a smile—one filled with fear, terror, and horror. "Why's he still smiling? I had Vivienne poison his food and sweets all this time... even if he realized it, he should be angry... why!" Samuel snaps out of his thoughts, starting to sweat when he hears:

"Chillerz Zone!" Void's casting not only creates a zone but also converts all the mana essence that had been cast so far. "Cryo Explosion!" A small yet powerful dynamic force forms an ice ball at the tip of his finger, which he shoots at Samuel. The impact sends Samuel crashing into the opposite wall of the dome.

Void stands up, removing his gothic suit and unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt. Rolling up his sleeves, Void walks forward again, his eye and many parts of his body still bleeding. "Sometimes, silence is enough for someone to realize they've messed up big time," Void says, taking Frostbane in his hand once more, but this time the blade glows differently.

In the blink of an eye, Void is upon Charles. Their blades clash fiercely. "Void... we both have the same mindset of being independent guys!" Charles shouts as they continue to clash swords. Their speed and mastery are so advanced that those below their ranks can only see the sparks from their blades.

"Shut up! I've never broken my promises!" Void retorts, delivering a 360-degree tornado kick that sends Charles flying aside. "What do you consider love, exactly, Void?" Leonard asks, charging two wind strikes at Void.

Void dodges both strikes effortlessly, then swiftly charges toward Leonard. As their blades meet, Leonard is unable to withstand the impact and is thrown back. Retracting Frostbane, Void starts walking toward Leonard.

"It's a complex emotion, and I might have never felt it nor can I understand it! But as far as I can describe, it's an emotion that makes you protective, caring, and understanding toward someone who means nothing to you. It demands faith, promises, and responsibilities!" Void says, grabbing Leonard with both hands.

"You're a freaking 5'12" tall guy, aren't you? Tell me, who was the one who threatened Vivi?" Void asks, a wicked smile spreading across his face. "I... tha... b..." Before Leonard can explain, Void throws him to the other side.

"Glacial Wrath!" Void charges a punch that creates a hole in the ground. Leonard coughs up blood. "What happened? You were the one who made false promises to Vivi about staying with her forever!" Void shouts, kicking Leonard, who was lying on the ground, sending him flying to the other side.

"This isn't over yet, Void!" Samuel yells, attacking from behind. His blade is inches away... but at the last second, Void disappears and reappears behind Samuel, kicking him at the back of the head, making him fall face-first with a far stronger impact.

"This is your speed? Are you challenging me with this? Do you really think I'm a natural mana user like you?" Void taunts, removing his foot and grabbing Samuel by the head. "Now, did you get the answer? Hmm?" Void throws Samuel upward; Samuel struggles to keep up with Void's strength.

"I trained myself hard. I'm at A-rank, a Grand-Master Magic Swordsman. Not just me—everyone—Shuri, Charles, Leo—we're all at A-rank. We are far superior to Void... and as I played my game of making Void stay in his room, it's not like he trained himself. Moreover, the poison must've cut his strength in half," Samuel thinks to himself.

"You know, I was going to play it easy, as I'm not interested in ranking up this fast, but now I'm going to beat you all to the point you regret why in the world you messed with me, Samuel!" Void says, his voice spreading terror throughout the stadium.

Void shifts himself upward to where Samuel is and starts throwing punches at him. "Glacial Wrath!" First... second... third... fourth... Samuel groans in pain. Void delivers one last punch, thrice as powerful as the others. The punch sends Samuel crashing to the ground.

"No, please... don't... Please, spare me! I'm sorry! You're a noble... an honorable one... Please stop making the Prime Minister your enemy... If you hurt me..." Samuel begs, crawling on the ground, desperate to quit, to forfeit. "Shit... shit, shit! Shuri, please help me!"

Void resummons Frostbane and starts charging at Samuel from the air. "Glacial Vortex!" "At first, it was my mistake that I hit you back then, but now you've crossed your limit, Samuel Tristella!" Void growls. He is inches away from Samuel, his blade about to strike when suddenly...