New Form

"Hehehe… That's us," Aebalar teased as she pulled James's right arm. At the end of the room, the male Demon and the Beastman equally stepped forward. Unlike James and Aebalar, they exuded a frightening aura which further enhanced their stern expressions.

"Disgraceful! How can a demon cling to the body of such a filthy creature? Have some shame!" Anoko sneered.

That Aebalar, a proud Demon like himself, would lower herself to grab the arm of a mere human left him infuriated.

Like most demons, he had a handsome visage enhanced by his athletic physique. Unlike Aebalar, he had a purplish-gray skin complexion. He wore a long-sleeved cotton shirt which he folded up to his elbows, matched with a pair of black pants and ankle-high boots. A long sword hung at the sides of his waist. Strangely, his ink black hair touched the hilt of the sword.

"Are you my opponent? You don't look really strong..." Aebalar retorted. With a teasing grin, she clung ever so tightly to James's arm.

Anoko, however, said nothing. He dismissively stared at James and Aebalar before turning his head towards his partner. "If you get in my way, you will die!" Anoko declared.

Jiro, the Beastman, nodded but said nothing. Although Anoko's words angered him, he wanted nothing to do with the Demon. Not after everything he had passed through in the Odon Desert. He knew all too well how ruthless the Demon was.

Jiro had the features of a man and a tiger and wore the conventional clothes associated with his clan. Unlike Anoko, he dragged a spiked club from its wooden handle along the marbled floor.

With just a few meters separating the two groups from each other, Cefero's voice echoed within the room, saying, "I have decided the order of your match up! Aebalar will face Jiro. Anoko will face Kaleb. There's no time limit. You may begin."

Scanning completed!

Name: Jiro

Age: ???

Race: Demon.

Rank: Student.

Level: 28.

Occupation: Sorcerer.

Path: Darkness.

"Human, I don't have time to play with you. Give up if you want to keep your head!" Anoko declared. He didn't bother to look at James. He believed James relinquishing his rights to the ceremony would save him the stress of a pointless battle.

However, silence greeted his words. And with each passing second, a scowl distorted his face. James's expression had changed too, a bright smile had replaced his previous casual visage.

At that same moment, Aebalar released her grip on his arm. However, she suddenly whispered into James's ears. Anoko and Jiro watched as a devious smile bloomed on James and Aebalar's lips.

'What the hell is wrong with them? Are they friends or enemies? Do they plan on fighting each other or what?' Jiro mused.

Earlier, James and Aebalar's closeness left him baffled. Although he didn't know much about the Demons, it was common knowledge that a Demon would hardly lower itself to befriend any other race. Especially a human.

"Since you have chosen death. I will send you on your way," Anoko said, causally cracking this knuckles. He suddenly turned his head towards Aebalar, "You're a disgrace to our race. For your sake, I hope you die here."

At that moment, the unique echo of a sword being unsheathed filled the arena. Such a common phenomenon, however, drew gasps from all over the arena.

Most of the youths watched with incredulity plastered on their faces as Anoko's hair wielded his sword. None of them had ever seen such a unique sorcery. That's if one could even call it that.

With Anoko making his move, a barrier suddenly covered the area the other youths stood. Freeing the arena for the combatants to do as they pleased.

"Beastman, I give you permission to finish her. Make sure it's painful. Do you understand?"

'This fucking bastard.' Jiro glared at Anoko but didn't dare to voice his inner thoughts. With a gentle nod, he acknowledged Anoko's order.

Meanwhile, Aebalar and James remained in the same position. They both wore mocking grins as they stared at Anoko and Jiro. Unlike the duo, they didn't resemble people ready to fight for their lives.

It didn't come as a surprise to Rowan and the survivors from the Oden Forest. None of them could ever figure out the duo. However, none of them harbored any concerns for their wellbeing. Most of the survivors from the other group, however, didn't understand James and Aebalar's strange actions.

***

"Hahaha... I can't wait to see how the battle turns out. We sure picked a pleasant one to kick things off." Cefero's voice echoed within a compact room which had dozens of glistening mirrors. Each mirror displayed images from the arena, with Cefero, Boufal and Henriksen watching with varying levels of interest.

"Who do you think will win this round?" Cefero asked. He draped his arms over Boufal and Henriksen's shoulders. The imminent battle made him excited.

"I don't really care. They can all die if—"

"Don't be like that Boufal," Cefero interjected. His eyes suddenly lit up, "To make this more interesting, why don't we take bets? Hehehe... are you guys interested?" Cefero firmly grabbed Boufal and Henriksen's shoulders, his enthusiasm clear.

"Sounds good. What are we betting on?" Henriksen donned a sly grinned as he met Cefero's gaze. Although he said nothing, Boufal stared at Cefero with slight interest.

"Hahaha... I knew you guys would be interested," Cefero teased. Grinning from ear to ear. However, his demeanor suddenly turned serious as he said, "How about we use our Odon rocks as bargaining chips?"

Simultaneously, Henriksen and Boufal's eyes bulged with Cefero sporting an even brighter smile.

"Are you trying to ruining me? How can we—"

"That's what makes it exciting. What's the point of the gambling if the stakes aren't high enough?" Cefero interjected. He met Henriksen's gaze as he continued, "I know you have more combatants, to there's a chance you'll lose more than us. However, there's also the chance you'll earn more than us. Think about it."

"I'm in. Even if I lose, I won't be losing much anyway..." Boufal suddenly declared.

With Boufal echoing his thoughts, only Henriksen remained. Unlike his friends, however, he wore a deep frown as he muttered inaudible words.

'These bastards. Are they trying to set me up? Don't they know how scarce the Odon Rocks are?' Henriksen mused with his head lowered. He knew the importance of Odon Rocks to the inhabitants of Kynar.

'... but if I can win, I'll be able to get more. With that, I can definitely increase my Mana pool...' Slowly, greed gripped Henriksen's heart. The thought of adding more Odon Rocks to his collection was a chance he couldn't readily pass up.

"They're about to start, Henriksen. Are you in or out?" Cefero reminded. Waking Henriksen from his pensive state.

"Fuck it! I'll take you guys on! How many rocks are we placing on the first match?" Henriksen asked. He had decided and was prepared to live with the consequences.

"Hahaha... wonderful! I knew you wouldn't disappoint us. Let's start light. How about 2 rocks? So, who are you betting on?"

"Kaleb and Aebalar." Henriksen declared without hesitation.

"I'll bet on Jiro and Anoko," Boufal said.

"Hahaha... Then I'll go for Anoko and Aebalar... Just in time. They're about to—Huh? What the hell is that?"

The trio watched as a black mist suddenly covered seven of the glistening mirrors in the room. They all looked at each other. However, none of them could explain the strange phenomenon.

***

'What sort of sorcery is this? Is this their doing? Or is Boufal and his people behind this?' Jiro's brows creased while different thoughts flashed through his mind.

Just a second ago, he had prepared himself to assault Aebalar. Before he could take his first step, however, a black mist suddenly appeared within the room. Initially, he assumed James and Aebalar were responsible for it, but when he noticed the strange mist stunned them too, he believed Boufal or his companions had to have a hand in it.

'Do they want us to fight in the dark? Well, it doesn't matter. It's not like I can't see in the dark.' Jiro mused.

At that same moment, the mist had covered the entire arena. The mist did not affect the youths behind the barrier, however, they couldn't see anything happening within the barrier.

"Do you think this will save you from your impending death?" Anoko sneered. Unlike Jiro, he knew either James or Aebalar was responsible for the changes in the arena.

However, neither James nor Aebalar paid him any mind. Instead, they turned towards each other with devious smiles plastered on their faces.

"Five minutes, right?" James asked.

"Yup. After five minutes, then we can start. Don't die, okay? It has to be me. I won't be happy if you let someone else kill you." Aebalar retorted. She fiddled with her hair while casually poking James with her free hand.

Meanwhile, Anoko's eyes had turned bloodshot. In his years of living, he had never been so angry. Wasting no time, he charged towards James, his hair brandishing his sword in tow. It aimed it towards James's neck. However, Anoko had no intentions of giving James a swift and painless death. Instead, he would do everything within his power to ensure James suffered a cruel death.

With Anoko making his move, Jiro followed closely behind. Unlike Anoko, who moved with nimble grace, he charged towards Aebalar with sprints akin to that of a vigorous tiger in search of its next meal. He raised his club, readying it to smash Aebalar's fragile looking head. He had no intentions of dragging out the fight; he hoped to end it as swiftly as possible. From his experience, he knew that was the best way to eliminate a Demon.

With a few inches separating the two groups from each other, James and Aebalar increased the distance between each other. However, Anoko and Jiro closely followed.

"You want to fight me alone?" Anoko sneered, a cruel smile played at the sides of his lips. "I'll make you regret the day you were..." Anoko's words suddenly trailed off. He came to a screeching stop with his eyes bulging in disbelief. The seemly ordinary human of a few seconds ago had suddenly turned into an aberration from the very depth of hell.

Detecting Changes to Title - Grim Reaper.

Congratulations!

Flames of the Netherworld Detected!

'Flames of the Netherworld? How come I don't feel it?' The sudden system's message confused James. He didn't feel any different in his Grim Reaper form.

'Could the Mask of the Dead be hiding the recent changes?' James mused. Without a second thought, he removed the Mask of the Dead.

At that same moment, a baleful gust of Mana exploded within the arena. With James the epicenter of the explosion.

Detecting Changes to Title - Grim Reaper.

Congratulations!

Beginning Changes to Title - Grim Reaper.

At that same moment, the armor which made up James's Grim Reaper form crashed to the floor. Leaving James in his skeletal form. Before James could comprehend what was going on, it exploded into dust.

'What the hell is going on? Why did—?'

Mid-thought, hundreds of thousands of wraiths, damned souls and beast souls appeared in the spirit realm, not interfering with the physical realm. They charged towards James with eyes full of hatred. They wanted nothing more than to devour him whole. After thousands of years of suffering, they had finally gotten freedom. They had to take revenge on their tormentor.

"You want to attack me?!" James shouted in a tribal tongue known to no man or beast. Although thousands of souls charged towards him, he neither felt afraid nor intimidated.

The Mask of the Dead suddenly turned into a scythe, ready to devour the approaching souls. However, just as the scythe appeared, it disappeared. Leaving James confused and stunned. The horde of souls had already surrounded him, with some already reaching for his skeletal body.

"Burn them all!" James summoned the Hell-Fire and Soul purifying flames. However, neither responded. They remain flickering within his empty eye sockets.

'What the hell is going on?' For the first time, James showed signs of concern.

At that same moment, he felt the touch of a damned soul on his shoulders. Before he could respond, however, another deafening explosion rocked the spirit world. The damn soul which had touched James combusted, black flames readily destroying it.

Like a plague, the strange phenomenon spread to all the souls. Their pitiful shriek and cries echoed in all directions. However, there was no one to show them mercy. James, however, stood in awed and confused silence. The sudden turn of events surprised him. Like an aberration condemned to the depths of hell, he stood within a sea of black flames.

Just then, the flames rushed towards James's body. Instinctively, James wanted to flee. However, his body didn't listen. Within seconds, the black flames wrapped around his body. A beastial scream escaped from James's lips. For the first, he felt pain in his Grim Reaper form. And it surpassed anything he had ever experienced in both lifetimes. He could feel his bones slowly melting and reforming within the flames. He could neither see nor sense anything. He felt as if someone had tossed him into a void.

For the first time in what seemed like a lifetime, James heard the system's notification within the flames.

Congratulations!

Changes to Title - Grim Reaper, Completed!

An even viler concentration of baleful Mana dispelled the black flames. Standing at the center was a being wrapped in a thick black cloak whose ends burned like a raging inferno. It had a skeletal body as white as snow, while two familiar flames burned in its empty eye sockets. However, a flame darker than the night itself, burned on the skull of the eerie being. It wielded a scythe as pure as its bones, further amplifying its menacing demeanor.

At that same moment, the spirit world disappeared. Once again, James found himself within the arena. The smog caused from his Mana Manipulation still churned. His gaze then fell on Anoko, who stared at him with widened eyes and on trembling legs.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let us begin!"