Chapter 255: The Blood Giant of the Void

The air was thick with dread.

Duke William's elite knights staggered in their saddles, their eyes bloodshot, bodies bent unnaturally forward, as though crushed beneath an unseen weight.

"What's going on?!" William demanded, spinning around in alarm. "Why are you all—?!"

Suddenly, one of the cavalrymen vomited blood and collapsed with a thud. Then another. And another.

Within seconds, every single knight was thrown from their horses. Not one of them stood up. They clawed at the ground, gasping, pinned by a pressure they couldn't see or comprehend.

"What the hell is this?!" one of them choked out.

Then the earth beneath them split open.

A massive crater yawned wide, swallowing them whole. Screams erupted, but brief, deafening cries of agony, and then… there was silence.

William rushed forward to the edge of the pit. His eyes widened in horror.

The men he had led… were gone. Crushed. Shredded. Their bodies reduced to broken remains at the bottom of the crater.

Jon hadn't even moved. He had unleashed a single gravitational wave, and erased them all.

"This… This can't be real…!" William's voice trembled as he stared down at the massacre. His mouth hung open.

Then rage twisted across his face. He drew his sword and snarled, "You monster!"

"Monster?" Jon chuckled, slowly turning toward him. "If you know I'm a monster and you still draw your sword… are you brave, or just stupid?"

"I've slain dragons with this sword," William hissed, raising it high. "I'll send you back to hell, demon!"

With a flourish, he swung the sword. Sickly green flames burst forth from the blade, enchanted fire that writhed like serpents around the edge of the steel.

Jon raised an eyebrow. "Well… that's interesting."

With a roar, William urged his horse forward. The flaming sword slashed through the air, cutting toward Jon in a horizontal arc.

But Jon ducked easily, the blade missing by inches.

William's momentum carried him past. The two men turned, locking eyes once more.

"You know why they call me the Ghost Knight?" Jon asked quietly.

"I don't care what you are," William spat. "You're dying here, today, by my hand!"

Jon gave a slow, chilling smile. "Then let me show you what being the Ghost Knight really means."

He pulled on the reins.

Flames exploded from beneath his Igris's hooves, engulfing both rider and steed in an instant. A heartbeat later, Jon stood transformed.

He was a skeleton wreathed in hellfire, his bones glowing like molten steel. His horse had become a phantom beast, its eyes burning, hooves sparking infernal fire with every stomp.

William's bravado shattered in an instant. His eyes widened with pure terror.

"You… You're the demon from the Void!" he stammered, stumbling back.

The Void…

That word again.

It wasn't the first time Jon had heard it.

Not long ago, someone who claimed to be from the so-called Voidborn Clan had dragged him into that strange, nightmarish realm. What he saw there had left scars even he hadn't spoken of.

About a week prior, Jon had gone to Belith's cave with Viola and Pinocchio. They were ambushed by a man named Mecca, a Voidborn Clan member who blamed Jon for killing Belith.

Driven by grief, Mecca used forbidden Void magic to cast Jon into that dimension.

But it wasn't the endless black cosmos Jon had expected.

It was… something else entirely.

A blood-red realm. Floating stones. Twisting gravity. Abominations roaming the skies and crawling the ground. It was a separate world, a cursed, twisted mirror of reality.

Jon had materialized on the edge of a cliff. Below him was a vast sea of blood, writhing and bubbling. One misstep and he would've plunged straight into it.

And he wasn't alone.

All around him, creatures lurked. Aberrations. Things with no eyes, no faces, just massive gaping maws full of fangs. Others stood tall and muscular, their "heads" nothing more than writhing tendrils and hundreds of red eyes covering their skin.

All of them turned toward him.

And all of them began to advance.

Jon drew his flaming chains. He was ready for fight.

But then… something changed. A ripple spread through the blood sea below. Every monster froze.

Something ancient… was waking.

Jon turned to look.

The sea churned violently, boiling with huge bubbles, though oddly, he felt no heat. Which could only mean one thing:

Something massive was rising from the depths.

SPLASH—!

The blood erupted upward in a tidal wave. And from it emerged a towering titan.

A giant of flesh and blood, stained crimson from head to toe. Its eyes were pure white, no pupils, no irises. Just gleaming orbs of blank power.

Jon was dumbfounded. Compared to this colossus, he was barely the size of its nostril.

"Another human?" the Blood Giant rumbled. Even though it spoke softly, its voice still thundered in Jon's ears.

"Have the Voidborn Clan begun banishing prisoners here again?"

It leaned forward, staring at him.

"Wait…" the Blood Giant muttered. "No. This one is different… This human is… strong. Very strong."

For the first time in its immortal existence, the Blood Giant felt awe from a human.

Jon hadn't even drawn a weapon. And yet… the pressure he exuded was undeniable.

"Who are you?" the Blood Giant demanded. "Why would the Voidborn Clan send someone like you into the Abyss? No… did you come here of your own will?"

Jon raised a hand, waving him off. "Easy there, big thing. Could you keep it down a bit? You're shaking my eardrums."

The Blood Giant straightened and replied with respectful deference. "Hmmm."

Jon looked around at the twisted landscape, curiosity sparking in his eyes.

"I didn't mean to come here," he admitted. "But now that I have… I think I want to stay a little longer."

The Blood Giant nodded. "If you wish to return to the mortal world, I can send you back."

Jon narrowed his eyes. "What I'm wondering isn't how to leave…"

He paused.

"…It's whether I can ever come back."

"Tell me about this world," he said. "I want to know what I'm dealing with."

"Yes, of course," the Blood Giant replied respectfully. "This place is called the Bloodrealm. As you can see, the skies bleed red, and every creature here is born from a single source, the Heart of Demonblood."

Jon arched a brow. "You mean you don't reproduce like humans?"

"No. We are not born of flesh and union, but conjured from the essence of the realm itself. Our existence mirrors that of your witches, conjured, not conceived."

The Blood Giant's voice rumbled with reverence. "Creatures of this realm are forged in battle. From the moment we crawl from the Heart, we are tested by violence. The weak are enslaved. The strong take all. That is the law of our world."

"For millennia, we survived like this. Until one day, a rift tore open, a gateway to another world: yours. It was an accident, a moment of unstable era, but it changed everything."

Jon listened silently as the giant continued.

"The moment our world touched yours, a wave of cursed energy surged through the portal. That was the origin of your curses, werewolves, vampires, all the monsters born of that dark seed. But nature answered. It spawned a counter-force. The Source of Nature. From it, witches were born, your world's natural defense."

"And this rift?" Jon asked.

"It was opened by a man," the Blood Giant replied. "A human mage named Orthis. Obsessed with arcane mastery. He believed our realm held the key to ultimate power. So, he forced the gate open. But the cost was steep. His portal couldn't sustain large transfers. Only weak creatures could cross. Or humans like you, if your magical energy isn't too strong."

Jon raised a brow. "Then why was I able to cross?"

The Blood Giant paused, then said, "I wondered the same. But perhaps your strength lies hidden, buried in a force that the portal cannot detect."

Spirit of Vengeance, Jon thought.

The Blood Giant continued, "When Orthis realized he couldn't bring our warriors across, he turned to cultism. He formed the Void Church, gathering those who shared his vision. Over time, they evolved into what you now know as the Voidborn."

Jon exhaled sharply. "So, they're the bridge."

"Exactly. Through them, we learned about your world. They studied us. We studied them. One day, we will open the gate ourselves. We're close. Even I can now send creatures across, weak ones, for now. But progress is progress."

Jon's tone darkened. "You just told me you plan to invade my world. Aren't you worried I'll go back and warn everyone? Burn the Voidborn to the ground?"

The Blood Giant chuckled, the sound deep as thunder. "If you succeed, then perhaps we deserve it. Weak creatures have no place in this realm. The Heart will forge stronger ones."

"You're that confident I can't stop you?"

"Not confidence. Just understanding. You need us to send you back. But if you survive, if you return, and if you destroy us, then so be it. That is the will of strength."

Jon clenched his fists. "You're insane."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps this is simply nature, raw and cruel."

Jon turned to go. "Open the gate. I'll be back. And when I return, I'm bringing Hell with me."

"Then we await your return," the Blood Giant said, bowing.

A swirling portal opened behind Jon. Without a backward glance, he stepped through.

***

Back in the mortal world, William could only stare in horror at Jon's blazing form.

"The Void," Jon said calmly, his voice echoing like judgment. "How do you know that name? What ties do you have to the Voidborn? And that sword of yours, where did it come from?"

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