8 - The Principle of Bloodshed

As the three struggled to their feet, SteelArm scanned the battlefield before regrouping with the others.

"What the hell do we do?" Stiles gritted out, his voice barely above a whisper as he clutched his stomach, blood trickling from his lips.

Dante exhaled sharply, grinding his teeth. "...I'll hold him off. You three get the hell out of here." His grip tightened as he activated [Phantom Materialization], summoning a spear and armor once more. "Even if I die here... I'll buy you time to escape this nightmare."

Without hesitation, SteelArm and Kiera turned to run. But Stiles staggered forward, vomiting more blood before forcing himself upright. He gripped his twin blades with renewed fury. "Like hell I'm running. Even if I die, I'll hit this bastard with everything I've got." His voice was raw, blood dripping from his mouth onto the shattered ground.

SteelArm, glancing back, hesitated. He clenched his fists as an internal battle raged within him—then, with a resigned sigh, he stopped running and turned around. Stepping beside Stiles, he stood firm.

"We started this journey together, Stiles. If it ends here, then we end it together." His voice carried unwavering resolve as he dropped into his martial stance.

A weak chuckle escaped Stiles as a grin spread across his face. "Shit, alright then."

"You two are idiots," Dante muttered, though there was a glimmer of respect in his eyes.

Riven remained motionless, watching in amusement, allowing them their final words before crushing them.

Stiles glanced at SteelArm and nodded. "Time for that plan."

SteelArm nodded back.

At that moment, a radiant golden light erupted from SteelArm's body. The beads around his neck snapped one by one, his eyes glowing silver as his frame expanded. [Orc's Rage] surged through him, and with it, the dormant power of [Last Light of the Earth's Pride] awakened.

Stiles, still grinning, activated [Crimson Limit]. The pain in his body dulled, replaced by a raw surge of strength—his strikes now fueled by the brink of death itself.

"This is our final stand, Dante," Stiles said, his voice steady as he shot forward like a phantom.

SteelArm moved first, his now-massive form surpassing Stiles in speed. He closed the gap between him and Riven in an instant, his fist colliding with the tyrant's gut in a devastating [Colossal Blow]. The sheer force sent Riven reeling—until Stiles flashed behind him, twin blades slashing with [Relentless Edge], carving into Riven's weak points.

Riven recovered unnaturally fast. His fist lashed out at Stiles—a killing blow.

But Stiles was faster by a fraction of a second due to [Crimson Light].

At the last possible moment, he countered with [Bladed Reprisal]. The impact rippled through his blades, absorbing the force of Riven's punch before redirecting it—his counterattack doubled the strength of the incoming blow. The force sent Riven careening backward toward SteelArm.

Seizing the moment, SteelArm slammed the ground with a thunderous [Seismic Wreck], causing the battlefield to erupt in a violent quake.

Suddenly, the room pulsed with arcane energy. A glowing purple light flickered across the battlefield as enchanted ropes shot forth, wrapping around Riven, pinning him in place.

From the shadows, Kiera smirked.

Dante didn't hesitate. He shot forward with [Phantom Lunge], closing the distance in a blink. But just before impact, he forcefully canceled the skill and instead thrust his spear forward manually, piercing Riven's shoulder—then, with a brutal yank, ripped his arm clean off.

As the aftershock of [Phantom Overdrive] coursed through Dante's body, he clenched his teeth through the pain and activated [Phantom Replacement], switching Riven's position with a nearby rock—placing him directly in front of Stiles.

Stiles reacted instantly. With another [Relentless Edge], he struck at Riven's exposed weak points, triggering a 20% burst of speed and strength. Mana surged through his blades as he prepared [Luminous Rift]—the battlefield bathed in a deep blue glow.

With a single perfect horizontal slash, he unleashed a wave of energy, carving through Riven and tearing a hole into the dungeon wall—before the stone structure collapsed inward.

For a moment, silence.

Then, the ropes snapped as Riven flexed his raw power. Blood poured from his wounds, his chest heaving, his single arm shaking. Yet he stood.

"Fucking hell!" Riven snarled, his body suddenly glowing red. His blood sizzled as it dripped to the floor.

Kiera's voice rang in their heads. "It's a healing technique!"

Stiles' eyes sharpened.

Without a second thought, he vanished—his speed far exceeding his previous limit. He reappeared behind Riven, a small grin creeping across his bloodied face.

"This is for that beating you gave me."

SteelArm's hand slammed onto the ground. [Earthen Grip] erupted beneath Riven, hands coming from the ground binding him once more. The red healing glow vanished instantly.

Stiles dropped one of his blades. His remaining hand trembled as he forcefully activated [Silver's Last Pride]. The silver light coursed through his veins as he clenched his fist.

Then, he activated [Bladed Reprisal] once more.

With a final, defiant roar, he punched his own blade, triggering the counter, sending all of its stored power surging into his attack. His weapon gleamed with a divine silver glow.

And then—he plunged it straight into Riven's chest and dashed away.

A moment after the blade connected—

It detonated an explosion causing the room to become deafening.

Riven stood amidst the wreckage, his body broken yet unyielding. Blood poured from the gaping hole in his stomach, and his severed arm left a crimson pool beneath him. But even in his battered state, he refused to fall. His breathing grew heavier, each inhale seething with raw hatred.

Then, without warning, his remaining hand clenched into a trembling fist, and a violent explosion of red mana erupted from his body. The shockwave blasted outward, shaking the very foundation of the battlefield.

"I hate... I hate... I hate you all!" Riven roared, his voice echoing with unrelenting fury. "ALL OF YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A PLAGUE THAT I WILL ERASE!"

The more he shouted, the wilder his mana became, crackling like a living storm. The gaping wound in his stomach pulsed with unnatural energy, and before their eyes, the flesh began to mend itself. The bleeding from his severed arm ceased as dark crimson mana wrapped around the stump, solidifying into an eerie, translucent outline of his lost limb. His once pained expression twisted into something far more sinister—a face of absolute, unyielding wrath.

His mana no longer just radiated—it burned. The ground beneath him darkened, as if the very stone feared his presence. The oppressive aura thickened, suffocating the air around them. His red eyes gleamed with unrestrained bloodlust.

SteelArm's fists tightened, his instincts screaming at him to move. Stiles, despite his injuries, took a stance, his twin blades vibrating in his hands as his muscles tensed. Even Dante, as drained as he was from [Phantom Overdrive], felt the sheer force of Riven's rage pressing against him.

Kiera, standing in the distance, bit her lip. "His mana is running rampant… This is bad."

Riven let out another roar, his red aura igniting like a violent storm. "I... I WILL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!"

His breathing became heavier and louder as his eyes twisted into black. 

Before they could even register a single movement, Riven vanished. There was no shift in his stance, no warning—just an abrupt disappearance, followed by a sickening sound of flesh being torn apart.

In the next instant, he reappeared in front of Kiera.

Her eyes barely had time to widen before his fist drove straight through her stomach, bursting out from her back in a spray of crimson. The force of the impact sent a violent shockwave rippling through the air, her body jerking as if time itself had frozen for a split second.

A choked gasp escaped her lips, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth as her body trembled around the monstrous wound. Riven's expression twisted into one of pure, unfiltered hatred, his glowing eyes burning into hers.

"One piece of shit down," he growled.

And then, with a brutal flick of his wrist, Riven tore his arm free from Kiera's body. The motion was merciless, widening the gaping wound as flesh and muscle shredded apart. A grotesque splatter of blood followed, painting the ground beneath her in a deep crimson.

Kiera's body convulsed as she collapsed, her legs giving out beneath her. A sharp, gurgling sound escaped her throat as blood flooded her mouth, choking her with every desperate attempt to breathe. Her trembling fingers clawed weakly at the floor, her violet eyes flickering in shock, as if her body was still trying to process the sudden devastation.

Riven barely spared her a glance. His burning red aura crackled wildly, his rage far from satiated. His bloodstained fist clenched tighter, his hunger for violence only growing.

Then—he moved again.

In an instant, he appeared before Dante.

Dante, still sprawled on the ground, barely had time to register the shift. His body was drained, his muscles screaming in protest from the aftershock of [Phantom Overdrive]. Every breath felt like fire in his lungs as he forced his head up—only to see Riven looming over him, a towering specter of rage and malice.

"Pathetic," Riven spat, his voice laced with pure contempt.

Before Dante could even lift his weapon, a brutal kick slammed into his ribs. The force sent him flying, his body skidding across the stone floor like a ragdoll, bones rattling from the impact. He came to a jarring stop, coughing violently as blood dripped from his lips.

And then—Riven was there again.

A crushing weight pressed against his chest as Riven's foot bore down on him, grinding him into the cold, unyielding ground. Dante gasped, his ribs groaning under the sheer force, his vision swimming from the pain.

"You thought you could kill me?" Riven's voice dripped with venom, his crimson eyes burning like embers of hatred. He leaned in closer, his breath heavy with fury. "You're nothing. Just another worthless human playing hero."

The very air trembled, thick with the suffocating weight of Riven's mana. Sparks of red lightning crackled around his clenched fist, a maelstrom of raw power surging as he raised it high.

"And now... it's—"

Before he could finish, the torches lining the walls began to flickering and Riven's eyes widened as he noticed this.