Warlock of War: My Ares System

The drops of blood sprawled across the floor suddenly expanded into a large magic circle, catching the attention of everybody within this prison.

The guards, who were supposed to be just outside, weren't reacting, meaning the vampire duchess must've done something to get them to stay silent.

The blood mark on my forehead spread to my eyes, stinging them greatly before making their way into my mouth and wrapping around my tongue.

For the vampire, the same thing happened, and then she proceeded with the rest of the ritual.

"Now, I shall state my conditions first…."

I waited for her to proceed, but before I could even ask her when she was about to start, she cut me off and said, "Now it's your turn… speak it in your mind. If I hear it, then the contract will be null immediately."

I was a bit confused as to why this was part of the contract, but I just stated my details internally, not wanting to hear an explanation even further since this chance was massive to get the upper hand.

First of all, I had the previous conditions that I needed and then added my wants which would force her to help me find Aisa in this massive blood-filled city.

Soon, the blood marks all over my body sank into my flesh, not appearing ever again as the contract was finalized, and I felt a strange shiver run down my spine.

"You probably added a few additional terms as per the silent contract, but unfortunately, that's not how it works. The contract will balance itself out no matter what you or I do, meaning if you do add something, the original intent will be the only thing contracted,"

I had been caught in her trap to see if I was somebody suspicious, and I guess she could tell from the way I visibly and very harshly shivered.

My entire body practically quaked as she stared at me, her body slowly walking away, but her eyes still piercing through my skin.

"Alright… that's my bad. I thought you would've done the same," I rolled my eyes before sitting back down and watching the vampire poof away into a bat, swiftly and nimbly escaping this stone prison of mine.

…

[Side Quest: Colosseum Match Four]

[Description: Utterly destroy your opponent in this next match in order to reveal to the opposing settlers that you didn't come here to play around. Strike fear into the hearts of everybody watching and make sure your opponent doesn't come back with his sanity intact.]

[Reward: [Skill Book - Tarot: Twin Carriers]

[Penalty Upon Failure: Death]

[Time Left: 30 Minutes]

.

The name of the reward was pretty strange as I had no clue what it could've meant, so I decided to lock in for my current match, which already wafted a strong scent of blood.

My nose practically stung from how thick the stench of blood was, and of course, I had already expected this, but an already-turned gladiator was on the vampire's side and greeted me.

I could feel the blood-red eyes stalking me, a bit confused as to why I hadn't been turned into a vampire yet.

"So you're the freshie they want me to challenge… I guess whoever wins this match will be the one who goes with them," The woman with short white hair, blood-red eyes, and heavily scarred skin shook my hand.

Her body was toned, and her palms were so callused that I could barely even feel the flow of her blood spreading through her fingertips.

I'm… gonna lose… her stats are way above mine, and she probably just has a better skill set in general if she's already a vampire… fuck… I gotta use my head for this one.

[Breath of the Snowy Underworld] carried me into a trance as the announcer did his thing, but from my position, I could only hear the faint voices of his screaming.

The collective colosseum roar was obviously there, but was quieter than usual as I completely zoned in, nearly drooling all over the dirt ground.

This wasn't a fight to see who would go with the vampires… but a fight to the death, as per usual, just like how the colosseum likes it.

"Dammit… my neck already hurts, and I gotta do this shit," I groaned before injecting a few pieces of [Royal Blood Magic] into the ground and slowly spreading it deeper and deeper and deeper until I could barely feel its presence.

This was good insurance, for if I messed up badly, it would most definitely lead to my death or a severe injury that would lead to my death.

"[Close Your Eyes]," I announced, and the woman's eyes shut for just a moment before I dashed in, my spear practically zapping like a lightning bolt into my hand.

SHING

I swung, obviously missing, but the dug blood magic deep underground came shooting upwards, blasting past the woman's face as she just narrowly dodged it.

She then came face to face with it as it curled to the side, stabbing her through the throat but only causing her to unleash a sadistic smile.

"Slow,"

Her voice sent chills down my spine as my blood magic suddenly bent to her will, splitting into thousands of needles that shot toward me in an instant.

I blocked with my spear, but some managed to slip through, causing my muscles to feel a bit weaker, meaning she must've hit a few nerves or a pressure point at most.

The injury that stabbed through her trachea and esophagus was apparent as she dashed towards me, but in the next second, I saw it healing instantly, leaving me with my jaw practically dropped to the ground.

"What the hell," I spat out before swinging my spear forward, widening the distance between us as the two daggers she had made from blood were glistening in the sun.

"[Ruler of Blood Magic]," She smiled even wider as she tossed both daggers at me, causing them to explode into thousands of fine needles that I, this time, blocked by spinning my spear in a circular direction. "Once again… you're too slow,"