Kael stood motionless, his finger still resting against the shadow’s frozen fist as understanding slowly settled within him.
He had finally seen through it.
This entire place.
This endless sea of blood.
This suffocating darkness.
None of it was physical.
This was a mental realm.
The battle he had been fighting from the very beginning had never truly been about fists, kicks or martial skill. Those were merely the outward appearance of the conflict, the way this realm chose to interpret a battle between two opposing wills. Every exchange, every injury, every drop of blood spilled across this crimson world had simply been a physical representation of something far deeper.
The real battle had always been one thing.
Dominion.
It was a battle over ownership.
A battle over who had the right to exist.
Who would remain.
Who would disappear.
The shadow before him wasn’t merely an enemy.
It was his bloodlust given form.
A manifestation born from the countless lives he had taken.
It sought to replace him.
To become the true master of this body.
And for a terrifying amount of time...
It had been winning.
For a moment he began doubting himself.
The moment he started believing the shadow was superior.
The moment he subconsciously admitted defeat.
That had been the turning point.
Those crimson chains...
They hadn’t been some mysterious technique unleashed by the shadow.
No.
They were this realm’s judgment.
A manifestation of the Blood Realm itself.
This place obeyed only one law.
The superior ruled.
The inferior submitted.
The instant Kael accepted that the shadow was above him, even for the briefest moment, the realm itself deemed him unworthy. It bound him, not because the shadow commanded it to, but because his own wavering heart had given it permission.
And had he continued believing himself inferior the result would’ve been inevitable.
He would’ve lost dominion over his own mind.
His consciousness would’ve been sealed forever while the bloodlust inherited everything he possessed.
His body.
His strength.
His memories.
Everything.
What would’ve remained wouldn’t have been Kael.
Only a monster wearing Kael’s skin.
A creature driven by nothing except slaughter, bloodshed and endless violence.
A beast without reason.
Without restraint.
Without humanity.
A faint chill travelled down Kael’s spine despite the warmth of the blood surrounding his feet.
He had been frighteningly close.
Just a little later.
Just one more moment of hesitation.
And there would’ve been nothing left to save.
Fortunately he had understood at the last moment.
The instant he realized this wasn’t a battle of strength but one of dominion, everything changed.
He had reinforced his own conviction.
Strengthened his own will.
And the moment he did the outcome had already been decided.
A battle of dominion...
Wasn’t this something he had already experienced before?
His thoughts drifted toward Varek.
A Quasi-Transcendent.
A being whose existence far surpassed this insignificant manifestation before him.
Back then, he had stood against that overwhelming will and survived.
Yes, the Eye of Judgment had played a significant role by suppressing Varek’s cosmic weight, but skills alone couldn’t shoulder such pressure.
For that brief moment Kael himself had borne the crushing weight of a Quasi-Transcendent’s will.
Compared to that...
The pressure radiating from this shadow was insignificant.
It wasn’t even worthy of comparison.
The moment Kael released his own will the battle ended instantly.
The shadow froze where it stood, incapable of moving even a single muscle.
Its crimson eyes widened.
The smile vanished.
Its distorted face twisted into something ugly.
"You..."
"What have you done to me?"
Kael didn’t answer.
He simply smiled.
A satisfied smile.
Then he walked forward.
Slowly.
Casually.
If the battle of dominion had already ended...
Then there was only one thing left to settle.
The score.
His fist moved first.
BANG!
It buried itself into the shadow’s stomach, folding its upper body inward despite its frozen state.
Another punch followed immediately.
Then another.
A left hook smashed across its jaw.
A right cross crushed its cheek.
An elbow exploded into its throat before Kael spun on his heel, driving a roundhouse kick across the side of its head.
The shadow couldn’t dodge.
Couldn’t block.
Couldn’t even scream properly.
Its body remained imprisoned beneath Kael’s overwhelming will as every strike landed cleanly.
Fist met face.
Knee met ribs.
Elbow met jaw.
Palm met chest.
Kael unleashed every bit of frustration that had accumulated throughout the battle.
Every humiliating punch he had received.
Every broken bone.
Every moment of helplessness.
He returned all of it.
With interest.
The blood realm echoed with dull impacts as pieces of the shadow’s body were blasted apart one after another. Sections of its torso collapsed inward while entire chunks of its shoulders and arms disintegrated beneath the relentless assault. Its once imposing appearance slowly transformed into something pitiful, barely maintaining its humanoid shape.
Only after several minutes did Kael finally stop.
He took two steps backward before crossing his arms.
His eyes carefully inspected the miserable creature before him.
Its face was caved in.
Half of its chest had disappeared.
One arm hung by little more than strands of black mist while large portions of its body had simply ceased to exist altogether.
Kael slowly nodded.
"Much better."
Only now did he feel satisfied.
The shadow slowly raised what remained of its head.
Its voice trembled with disbelief.
"How..."
"How did you win?"
"I am superior."
"You possess no will."
"So... how?"
Kael merely sighed.
He honestly felt a little disappointed.
Even as a copy, it still possessed his pride.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as impressive as the original.
He shook his head almost pitifully.
"A copy will always remain a copy."
"You were never better than me."
"You simply convinced me that you were."
He raised his hand.
The entire Blood Realm trembled.
With nothing more than a casual wave...
The shadow exploded.
It burst apart into countless streams of crimson-black energy before rushing toward Kael like rivers returning to the sea. The moment the energy entered his body, a strange warmth spread throughout his entire being.
His bloodlust...
Had finally been consolidated.
Almost immediately, the entire Blood Realm responded.
The endless sea of blood rippled violently.
The darkness overhead pulsed.
The space itself seemed to tremble with excitement as though welcoming the return of its rightful master.
Everything acknowledged him.
Everything submitted.
Kael quietly looked around before a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Then...
The Blood Realm disappeared.
His consciousness faded from the crimson world, and the next instant his body sitting in the lotus position inside the throne room trembled slightly.
His fingers twitched.
His breathing steadied.
Then, before the anxious gaze of Varek...
Kael slowly opened his eyes.