Nameless King



The explosion that had nearly destroyed the Colosseum, and that definitely would have happened if not for Alucard and Liang's intervention, had nearly dissipated.

The darkness dissipated just as the dust settled to the ground, revealing a majestic silhouette behind the shroud of darkness.

Upon seeing Gael, some of the onlookers were stunned, covering their mouths with obvious fear in their eyes. 

Gael's body was covered in a cascade of lacerations, bleeding heavily in all places. Unlike the light injuries inflicted by the phantoms, this was the real deal. Anyone below the Transcendence Stage would definitely die after being in the epicenter of such an explosion.

"Well, well, it looks like he definitely lost this time." Alucard smirked, looking at his friend whose body was still emitting smoke along with vapor.

The ground next to Gael was covered in cracks, spreading all over the colosseum, only the scarlet and white threads were able to keep this structure from collapsing. 

Liang nodded, ''Yeah, I didn't expect the explosion to be so powerful... It's likely that even I would be very ill after something like that. Ereg doesn't act at all like I expected."

"Hmm?" Nila gave him a questioning look.

"Ereb is a Beastfolk, so everyone knows you prefer to act aggressively and quickly. However, Ereg uses tactics, defenses, tricky techniques like with phantoms, and even delayed attacks like in the case of this sphere of darkness." Liang shrugged.

"Yeah... but that means something everyone's forgotten about for some reason. Or maybe it just seems that way to me." Nitra entered the conversation as she pointed at Gael, "He hasn't shown anything yet. Ereg is using his arsenal because he realizes that his opponent is strong, and he's already lost once. However, I think it's obvious to everyone that Gael is capable of the same, if not more."

Alucard and Liang nodded silently, casting their gazes at Gael who looked down. His gaze was not visible, and it was unknown what he was thinking right now.

Wain smirked, "Well, well, looks like it's time to move on to something more serious than a few tiny or small scars."

"By the way... Do you know how many scars Gael has in total?" Marlis asked, turning to him.

Wain shrugged, "I'm not sure. I doubt even Alucard knows the exact number. However, I do know that he only has a few large scars. By 'large' I mean those that can cross his entire chest or back. When he reveals at least one of those scars, this fight will come closer to the finals, not immediately, but gradually."

Sven nodded, "Yeah, this ability is unique and even somewhat romantic. The more he fights the stronger he becomes and it's not just experience or skills, but something physical."

"Agh, I wish I possessed something like that too." Osvald sighed. He was a true fan of fighting, perhaps he loved fighting even more than most Beastfolks. Gael inspired him, as much as Liang did, Osvald respected anyone who possessed great strength.

"We all have our own strength, there's no point in envying anyone. You don't have magic scars like Gael, but you have amazing destructive power. Many would like to be like you." Wain uttered with a calm expression as a slight smile appeared on his face. 

Osvald nodded, looking at Gael carefully.

At the same moment, Gael raised his head, glancing at Ereg, who stood confidently in his seat. Darkness was gathering around him as if he was ready for another intensification and complication of their battle.

"That wasn't bad... Honestly, I didn't expect an attack of that type and so powerful... You outplayed me, I'll admit that as well as defeat in this round." Gael said calmly as the space around him distorted like a mirage in the desert.

His aura became much weaker as medium-sized scars shone brightly all over his body, about a hundred in total. The scars were on every part of his body, be it his back, arms, legs, or even his head. 

In his long life, Gael had fought thousands of battles, so the scars that stayed with him forever were his eternal trump card. They contained enough energy to change the course of a battle in an instant, and often in Gael's favor.

Ereg was wary as he took a step back. He knew that Gael still had plenty of scars since medium-sized scars were only the middle of his journey, but Ereg didn't want to intensify in response.

'Hmm, it's probably a rash and foolish decision, but I can afford the risk. After all, this isn't a fight to the death, so... I have to figure out how long I can hold out against him now!" Ereg internally exclaimed, accumulating darkness around him.

No new ghosts appeared behind him, nor did the runes in his amber eye, it remained at the same level, but he could accumulate enough darkness to prepare for Gael's attack.

The darkness turned into dozens of arms surrounding Ereg and creating several protective barriers around him. They didn't cover him completely, but at any moment they could turn into a solid protective layer on one side.

"You've changed since the last time we fought, but you're still the same in some ways... You're always trying to know your limits, even though you haven't gotten to them yourself yet." Gael muttered before taking a step forward.

Whoooooooooooooooooooosh.

In a heartbeat, Gael appeared right in front of Ereg with a stare as cold as ancient glaciers. His sword was already moving straight towards Ereg, who barely had time to react to such an attack. 

Dark hands moved forward, coming between Gael and Ereg, forming a barrier of hundreds of hands, dense and powerful enough that the dragon couldn't even scratch it. 

However, there were no barriers for the ashes of the Ashens Progenitor.

Crackle.

The sharp tip of the sword, with particles of ash, easily passed through the dense barrier that should have stopped any attack.

Gael moved freely and casually, as if Ereg was no longer a threat to him, it couldn't be said that he was wrong, as they were now on completely different levels.

'Shit! That's impossible! I didn't stop him for even a split second!" Ereg internally exclaimed before crossing his six claws, hoping to defend himself.

In the next moment, Alucard and Liang's eyes went wide from the scene that unfolded before them.

Ereg was ready to block the attack, but in fact, when his hands came into motion, about to cross his six claws, Gael was no longer in the same place as a moment ago.

In a heartbeat, Gael found himself behind Ereg, holding his sword poised forward while dark drops of blood ran down the long sharp blade. It wasn't much, but it was the quality, not the quantity, that mattered here.

A crack.

A massive spurt of blood came out of Ereg's right side as he promptly fell to his knee, holding the wide wound.

Even after a few seconds, the cut was slightly, getting wider, allowing more blood to flow outward.

Ereg's face creased in pain and incomprehension. Unlike Alucard and Liang, who watched the fight from the sidelines and were able to discern Gael's movements, to Ereg it looked as if Gael had stopped time.

In one moment, Gael was right in front of him, while his sword gradually passed through the barrier of darkness, then, Gael disappeared, leaving behind only a bright, searing pain.

"ARGHHHH!!!" Ereg cried out in pain, accumulating darkness in his palm and creating a dense veil over the cut. Ereg similarly strained his muscles to the limit to narrow the cut and stop the bleeding, but despite this, the pain on his face only grew worse.

"Something's wrong..." Nila muttered with a worried expression looking at Ereg, "This cut was executed perfectly, but is it enough for the King to behave like this?"

Liang frowned, "It's not as simple as it may seem at first glance. The cut is most ordinary, though it was executed at incredible speed and with must skill, however... it's not Gael's real attack."

"Agh...? What do you mean? Tell me!" Nila exclaimed, clenching her fists tightly. It was obviously difficult for her to watch such savage suffering of her King whom she had obeyed for decades. 

Liang pointed at Gael's beside which particles of ash were floating.

"They may look safe, but these are the ashes of the Progenitor of Ashens, the strongest Ashen in general and the strongest Ashen who followed the path of ash rather than flame. Every bit of flame in his hands is a deadly weapon, near him, they float like snowflakes, but against enemies, they become deadly blades." Liang said with a serious expression.

Then, his gaze fell on Ereg, suffering in agony, "In a way, it's natural that right now, these particles are cutting Ereg from the inside. His flesh, blood, muscles, and organs, I doubt they will stop before they kill their target."