CHAPTER 2: THE PAINFUL ILLUSION

"Pick your weapon"

There are five weapons laying on the ground but the katana was the one he was more attracted to. It is a one-edged blade and a slight curve blade with a square guard and a long grip. It can be wielded with one or two hands depending on the user of the weapon. Weirdly enough, the big difference from the usual katana is that it has 7 jagged spikes pointing to the front of the blade that can rend flesh and draw out blood. It has great slashing power, mediocre stabbing power, and quite hard to use against armored enemies. It has red runic symbols and red vine-like circuits that run along the blade.

'Take the katana, I'll take the spear. Remember don't lose hope and be determined' the teen said that rang inside his mind. He still doesn't know how he can do that but it was the less of his worries. Although he is attracted to the katana, it was more like ordering him to come to it.

Still, he started walking with heavy footsteps but with a determined look on his face. He bends down to grab the weapon only to find himself swimming in a red river. The sky is red while the trees around the riverside have black trunks and crimson red leaves. The ground is coated with the color brown-red. Some of the water entered his mouth only to discover it as blood. He tried to puke it out but the speed of the current suddenly accelerated. Moving him across rocks while the blood river starts to drown him. Blood started to enter his lungs only to stay there. A jagged rock facing him appeared and a split second. His stomach was stabbed through the rock. His eyes widened only to hear someone scream. Only to find out that it was him that is screaming. Pain course through his very being as his body screamed in pain. He tried to dislodge himself only to get hit in the back by washed-up trunks which stabbed him deeper to the rock only to feel like he was ripped apart. He is continuously being carried by the current only to find that there are no wounds in his body. Further ahead, a similar jagged rock appeared followed by a sudden acceleration of current that he was slammed to the rock, stabbing him and a similar trunk appeared and slammed his back further to the jagged rock. Screaming once again only to find himself without any wounds and a jagged rock can be seen ahead. With a helpless smile, a broken man can only laugh while slowly losing himself. "Didn't he say don't despair? I wish he was joking" he laughed maniacally only to be stabbed and slammed a thousand times more.

In the room where the red knight and the priests stayed. Two people are laying to the ground while grasping the weapon itself. "Those crazy bastards, even death is better than this" the red knight snickered.

"Sacrifice is a must. They can only blame their luck and i can only pray that they stop resisting so their pain can be lifted" one of the priests said while grasping both of his hands. "As long as you can control the ego, it's not my problem. I'm only here to facilitate the summoning" the red knight turned around and left the room.

"May the goddess bless you"

"Yeah yeah" the red knight waved his hand without looking back before disappearing.

"Please child, I pray that you stop your useless resistance and give up your body for the greater good" the priest muttered before gazing at the two young men collapse on the floor. After a thousand times of being stabbed, drowned, and slammed. The only thing in his mind is rage and anger that is unquenchable. His eyes have lost any light but he didn't despair. His anger to the people who subjected him to such pain and suffering is the only thing that can keep him sane. He fantasizes about ripping them to shreds, burning them, and even breaking every bone in their body before healing them again only to break it again.

His twisted smile can send shivers to anyone and his eyes are so full of bloodlust that it can send fear to anyone caught looking at his eyes. He feels that it has been months of continuous suffering that he can only remember small bits about the world. At one point, he was forgetting his name that he created another name only to forgot about it. His mind would have broken a long time ago if it was not for his vengeful trait. From a gentle young man has turned to a blood lust demon that can't wait to rip and tear anyone who hurts him. "I see you didn't give up" a voice echoed through, it has a feminine voice that sounded gentle and caring. Seemingly worried to Isaac. A small grunt escapes from Isaac's mouth as he was stabbed once again and smashed against by the wash-up tress before washing him away.

"Give up and offer me your body " the voice grew angrier and restless.

"Damn, just in time i was getting lonely here" Isaac smiled with his eyes losing any light and was replaced by a pure black iris. He was insane and his body didn't feel any pain or emotions. He's smiling not because he's happy but to make him seem more normal and gentle.

"You're insane, you know that right?"

"Huh? what do you mean?" Isaac smiled widely while tilting his head only to be submerged in the water but he didn't care. He was used to the feeling of drowning, being stabbed and slammed.

"I was merely bored, you know how boring this is right?" Isaac was stabbed once again with blood coming out of his mouth but he pointed to the jagged rock like it was a harmless thing.

"At first it was miserable but now, it's more like a chore. I'm getting tired of this, i tried moving my body to hit my head but it always hits my stomach" He laughed maniacally but it was stifled with the blood entering his mouth but he never stopped laughing.

"You!! you're already in despair and you will suffer forever so offer me your body human!" the voice shouted angrily that shakes the land and the river for a moment. It was so loud that his ears started ringing. Lightning descends everywhere and some of them even strike Isaac only for him to momentarily shakes but not a single sound escapes from him.

"Why would i? there are so many people that i wanna kill and you are just a mere weapon so weak that you needed to torture others so they will wield you. Pathetic really" Isaac snickered but the lightning strikes him continuously. The jagged rocks become bigger and the speed of the current of the blood river accelerated but Isaac only shrugged while spasming due to the lightning strikes.

"Shut up! shut up! shut up!" the voice grew louder and louder as the air around him seems to suffocate and constricts his throat. Still, Isaac didn't care, his mind has been broken so he grew numb and emotionless. Worse he becomes sadistic as a wide smile appeared in his face. He dreamed of the time when he can finally escape and start killing those who put him here. His mind grew wicked by the day and either he still has hope or has already despair fallen to despair. He never cared anymore. Inside the darkness. A blonde youth can be seen sitting on nothing as he can only see darkness all around him. Still, he was calm and nonchalant about it. He stretched his hand before saying

"Dexulgth Ughtxltacw, show yourself"

"How? how do you know my name!" a demonic voice shouted from nowhere. The youth only smiled as his squinted eyes opened slightly to reveal a bright blue iris that resembles a diamond

"If you wanna know, be my weapon"

"Hah! look at you. I'm not stupid, i'll torture you and break your mind to get the answer" the demon behind the voice sounded haughty and confident. A hundred chains burst through the darkness and started wrapping around the youth which is tightening slowly.

"Gar fel darua se lap jako kal" bright blue light envelope the youth as the chains started breaking and loosening as the cracks appear in the surrounding darkness.

"You!! how do you know the demon tongue!! insolent being!" the demon's voice boomed loudly through the darkness but the youth stayed there unfazed with a smirk on his face.

"Your mine" with those words the darkness vanished and he returned to the room. Finding himself lying to the ground, he stayed in place without moving a muscle. For now, he must wait for the future blood emperor to gain consciousness.

Meanwhile, Isaac is still tormented by the relentless lightning strikes that hit every part of his body. This continued for months but he never once complained or even leaked a sound. He merely closed his eyes through the ordeal. On the outside, he seems to have given up but the truth is he was only dreaming and imagining killing the red knight and other knights.

He thought of every method of torture as he occasionally smiles before returning to a calm expression. His bloodlust radiating through the air and a mystical crimson red light shines all around his body. By the time he opened his eyes, he noticed that he was on the floor laying on the ground covered in sweat. He broke into a wide smile that almost reaches through his cheek. Still, he didn't move and make any sound while pretending to be still inside the illusion.

They might notice that he is not possessed by the ego and will try to kill him. He was able to piece this together when the woman's voice stated that she needs his body. There is a high chance that the torture is a means of breaking the minds of anyone who attempted to wield so the woman inside the sword can control the body. Quite a ruthless way to die but it has probably happened a lot since the knight and the priests seem to be calm and organized.

'I see that you are awake, congrats for surviving. Anyway, since the priests can't inspect us through magic. We are safe for a while so we can plan ahead and what to do' the youth's voice can be heard inside Isaac' mind. His serious and calm tone echoed through his mind. 'You do know we can't fight them yet. So relax for a bit~luckily i have a skill that allows us to escape but you need to run towards me okay~'

Even Isaac knows that they don't have plot armor. They can't magically defeat the priests who have been living here for a long time. Just because he has a strong cursed weapon, it doesn't mean he can fight while wielding it. He will just swing it like a bat since he doesn't have any experience and knowledge of swordsmanship.

'Ready?'

"Chaos magic: summon portal!" The blonde youth jumped up while shouting. Surprised, the priest still didn't know what's going on as they merely gaze at the black swirling wind. Isaac was already dashing as fast as he can towards the portal. The youth landed inside the portal followed by Isaac.

"Light Magic: Piercing Light" one of the priest casted with his staff pointing at Isaac. A light beam with terrifying speed pierces through Isaac's thigh as he tumbled inside the portal and safely escaped leaving only a trail of blood before the portal vanishes in thin air. "Track where the portal is! find them at all cost!" the old priest shouted angrily that veins can be seen protruding in his forehead with eyes full of murderous gleam.

In an unknown forest, a bleeding young man and the blond youth can be seen sitting on the patch of grass. Isaac's thigh is still bleeding but he seems unconcerned about it. His hands wielding the jagged katana while aiming at the youth with an uncaring look on his eyes. "Who are you and how did you do that?" he said but the blond youth waved his spear to shake off the katana while standing.

"Kyle Folman and for your second question. Take a look at your status" Kyle shrugged while taking a look around him, seemingly lost and unsure where he was. Isaac visualized the status which appears in front of him in the holographic view. He scrolled down until he sees the set of new skills he obtained.

Skills:

Pain Resistance (SS)

Blood Manipulation (F)

Blood Regeneration (F+)

Blood Control (F-)

Blood Magic Creation (F)

Isaac was confused for a minute but the skill's name is pretty self-explanatory. It also says that he can create blood magic. As a person who has never seen magic in his life, he didn't even know how to even control his blood.

"Magic huh..i thought i'm a swordsman since i have a weapon" Isaac said to himself while surveying the katana with weird jagged spikes similar to the rock spikes that were in the illusion.

"By the way, i don't have any mana left so if there's any enemies. We'll die~" Kyle smiled while looking at Isaac. Meanwhile, Isaac just nodded and contemplated what to do next. By the looks of it, both of them were teleported randomly so even Kyle doesn't have any idea where the portal has taken them but soon enough, he broke into a smile. Isaac gazed at the wound on his thigh but surprisingly it has stopped bleeding. There is still a wound but it doesn't look like someone drilled into it. Still, Isaac can't stand up so if there are enemies. They will truly die.