Chapter 269: Symptoms of the Crimson Blood Price

Usagi stood frozen, her eyes widened as she watched the chaotic battle unfold before her. Her heart pounded so violently it felt as if it would leap out of her chest. Clutching the hem of her dress with trembling fingers, she muttered, "This... what kind of battle is this?"

Once again, Hayato leaped forward like a madman. His twin blades danced wildly around Rinro, each strike falling like a torrential storm. Rinro countered with his dragon claws, each swing carving through the air with a dull, powerful force. However, Hayato's attacks were not conventional killing blows; rather, his blades weaved through the air in erratic, piercing, and scraping motions, each one narrowly missing Rinro's vital points by mere inches.

Rinro let out a furious roar, spreading his arms wide as an intense blizzard erupted from his body, a frigid shockwave sweeping outward. Hayato faltered for a moment, his movements slowing as the freezing air constricted his speed. Seizing the opportunity, Rinro clenched his massive dragon claw into a fist and launched a devastating punch toward Hayato's chest.

Seeing the attack, Hayato showed no fear. He spun mid-air, bringing both blades down to meet Rinro's fist. Yet, when the twin blades struck Rinro's armored scales, they merely sparked upon impact, unable to breach his impenetrable defense.

Both combatants recoiled, the atmosphere turning tense and heavy.

Rinro gasped for breath, frowning deeply. As a dragon, his stamina was formidable, and a battle of this level should not have exhausted him. Yet now, his chest heaved violently, and his breathing grew labored as if something was interfering with his very being.

In the distance, a train thundered past once more, its cabin lights casting fleeting streaks of illumination over the dim battlefield, briefly highlighting their silhouettes in a flickering dance of shadows.

Fixating on the train, Rinro suddenly froze. Something felt off. The train's motion seemed sluggish, the wheels' rotation and the shifting glow of lights appearing unnaturally delayed. A dreadful realization struck him.

"No... it's not the train that's slowing down..."

A terrifying thought flashed through his mind—it wasn't the train that had slowed, but his own perception, reactions, and even his very senses that had dulled.

"When did it start?! Is this why Hayato's 'speed' seemed so fast...?" Rinro's mind raced, cold sweat trickling down his temple.

Just then, Hayato's manic laughter rang out. He stood motionless, his teeth clenched tightly, his eyes filled with an oppressive, mocking intensity. His very presence loomed like a blade suspended over Rinro's throat, suffocating and inescapable.

Rinro attempted to teleport away, lifting his foot to initiate the movement, only to realize the next instant—he couldn't move. His leg hovered in mid-air, as if bound by an invisible force locking his body in place.

Panic surged in Rinro's heart. His chest tightened, an unbearable pain swelling within as though it would burst open. Clutching his torso, he could hear the frantic rush of blood coursing through his arteries, its sound alarmingly loud in his ears.

"This..." His face turned deathly pale as a horrifying possibility surfaced in his mind.

"Crimson Blood symptoms?!" His eyes widened in shock, his breathing becoming increasingly erratic. The Crimson Clan possessed a unique bloodline, allowing them to control blood flow and enhance their combat abilities. But for outsiders, exposure to the Crimson Blood's influence would cause a violent surge in blood flow, overwhelming the organs, leading to vascular rupture—and ultimately, death.

Rinro's gaze snapped toward Hayato, his eyes filled with fury and fear.

"Who the hell are you?! You're not a member of the Crimson Clan! How do you have this ability?!"

Hayato remained motionless, the corners of his lips curling into a manic grin. His eyes blazed like fire, piercing through Rinro as though he could see through his very soul.

"Take a guess," Hayato smirked, his tone playfully sinister yet laced with an overwhelming cruelty. "Or better yet... why don't you let your own blood rip you apart and find the answer yourself?"

Rinro's fists clenched tightly. For the first time in a long while, he felt a fear that ran deeper than pain. Just what kind of monster was this man?

Rinro's enraged roar echoed through the frigid air, but Hayato didn't waver. With lightning speed, his twin blades danced again, striking Rinro's body in a rhythm both erratic and calculated, his attacks continuously targeting the same weak spots.

Each time the blades kissed Rinro's scales, sparks erupted, accompanied by a shrill, grating noise that made one's hair stand on end. Despite Rinro's best efforts to dodge, Hayato pursued relentlessly, each strike unnervingly precise, as if he had already deciphered the vulnerabilities in Rinro's defense.

"Damn it! The same spots again!!!" Rinro bellowed in fury, his chest rising and falling violently. His body grew weaker with each passing moment. His blood, now boiling like molten lava, surged uncontrollably, battering against his veins. Every heartbeat felt like a drum heralding his imminent collapse.

Gasping for breath, Rinro realized he was on the brink of destruction. His attempts to suppress his frenzied heartbeat were futile; no matter how hard he tried, the raging storm within his body showed no signs of abating.

"Damn it all!!!!" He slammed his fist into the ground, frost instantly spreading across the battlefield, yet it did nothing to mask the horror creeping across his face. A thin stream of blood trickled from his lips—a sign that his organs were nearing their breaking point. His draconic physique should have rendered him immune to such conditions, but even his formidable body was now succumbing to the uncontrollable rampage within.

"I need to end this quickly... I must... I must!!!" he gritted his teeth.

Rinro lifted his gaze, his eyes flashing with ruthless determination. He knew he couldn't afford to drag this battle on any longer. He would unleash his full dragon transformation and reclaim control of the fight. However, the moment he attempted to invoke his transformation, the chaos in his bloodstream surged beyond limits.

"Gah—!" A mouthful of blood spewed from Rinro's lips. Staggering back, his breath came in ragged gasps. Horror dawned upon him as he realized his body was actively rejecting his dragon transformation. Each attempt only worsened his condition.

"No... this isn't possible!" His wide, disbelieving eyes brimmed with both unwillingness and dread. He finally understood—his blood had spiraled completely out of control. If he forced his transformation, it would only hasten his own demise.

Hayato stood opposite him, that same maddening grin on his face, his sharp teeth gleaming under the dim light. He tilted his head slightly, his voice dripping with amusement. "What's wrong? Not going to continue?"

Rinro locked eyes with him, his voice hoarse as he growled, "What the hell did you do to me?!"

Hayato lazily twirled his twin blades in his hands, his voice carrying an infuriating mix of arrogance and mockery. "What did I do? Oh, nothing much. Just gave you a little something extra to worry about."

"You... you're not Hayato, are you?!" Rinro, overwhelmed by the drastic changes in his opponent, felt his rationality slipping. And yet, he was powerless to change the outcome. The agony in his chest grew unbearable, his very own blood raging like a beast tearing him apart from the inside.

"HAYATO!!!!!!!!" Rinro's voice was a mix of fury and despair.

Hayato cocked his head, grinning manically. "Scream all you want. Doesn't matter. You're dying either way. And I'll make sure to play with you until the very end."

Rinro's vision blurred, his body swaying. But he refused to fall. He had to find a way—one last chance to fight back. Yet, Hayato's twin blades never ceased, each strike slicing closer, ever relentless, ever deadly.

This was no ordinary battle.

It was a meticulously crafted execution.

And Rinro had nowhere left to run.