Chapter 17: So What?

High above the roaring bloodlust of Bloodforge Arena, within an elegantly arrayed booth isolated from the common rabble, sat the six monarchs of the current generation—the top 6 rankers of Bloodforge City.

Dark velvet drapes muffled the surrounding chaos. A translucent barrier filtered the din of millions below into a distant hum, allowing those within to observe the battle with absolute clarity.

Uriel, seated with one leg crossed over the other, wore the air of a monarch disinterested in petty scuffles. His aura—quiet but fathomless—shrouded him in mystique. Draped in obsidian robes trimmed with gold, his violet eyes remained half-lidded, unreadable, as Malikai plunged his arm into the fallen Void Serpent and tore out its beating heart core.

Agiel, seated not far from him, let a flicker of surprise dance across his sharp crimson eyes. His bare arms, thick with demonic runes, flexed subtly as he narrowed his gaze on Malikai's bloodied form. The glint of interest did not escape the others. Unlike Uriel's distant aloofness, Agiel's silence bore weight. A dangerous kind.

Kaelrith—icy-haired, indigo-robed, and sharp-eyed—tilted her head only slightly. She leaned on her fist, crystalline eyes half-lidded. Her expression was unreadable, lips sealed, thoughts locked behind the glacial serenity of her bearing.

But Zerion stirred.

Golden feathers shimmered faintly behind. She leaned forward, eyes narrowing dangerously at the scene below.

"That was excessive," she murmured, her voice like the edge of a dagger wrapped in silk. "He won the match. Fine. But desecrating the corpse of a divine beast, taking the heart core... it's an insult to the Divine Beast Alliance."

Her golden eyes flashed. "Among our kind, the heart core is sacred. Even a Core Formation beast has the right to rest with it. Without it, there's no chance of future resurrection. We safeguard even our weakest—because one day their bloodline might matter."

Before she could continue, a low chuckle broke the tension.

Agiel stood, rolling his shoulders with an audible crack of bones and muscle. His demonic wings flicked open slightly behind him, casting crimson shadows.

"So what if the heart was taken?" he asked, voice calm but laced with menace. "What are you going to do about it?"

He stared at Zerion with a crooked smile and a dangerous gleam in his eye.

"Divine beasts like to talk of bloodlines and honor, you think yourselves untouchable?" he continued, stepping forward slowly.

The booth grew heavier.

"Perhaps I should start harvesting divine beast heart cores too," Agiel mused, almost to himself. "After all, I have slain a few in my time."

Then he vanished.

Not with sound, not with flair. One blink, he was there, the next, he was not. His departure left a sharp silence behind.

Kaelrith said nothing, her expression unchanged. But she stood next, glancing once at Uriel, who still hadn't moved.

"I'll take my leave," she said, and followed Agiel's lead, slipping out like smoke on the wind.

Zerion clenched her fists beneath her robes, feathers rustling with restrained fury. Vaelion gave her a single, unreadable look before vanishing in his own silent manner.

Uriel finally stood, adjusting his gloves without a word. His gaze flicked once toward the crimson-stained arena, and then he too disappeared.

Back in the Doominy clan,

The oppressive weight of blood and glory faded.

Malikai sat cross-legged within his personal chamber. Incense burned low, and the faint hum of formation runes echoed through the walls. A soft crimson light spilled over his bare skin, still marred with half-healed scars and gashes. His wings—repaired by his freakish healing—twitched lightly behind him.

His breathing was deep, his thoughts silent.

The heart core of the Void Serpent rested in a sealed crystal beside him, its pulse now stilled, its power waiting.

Iris stood near the door, arms folded, eyes on her young master with a mixture of relief and wariness. She said nothing, only let herself breathe now that it was over.

The fight was done. But the ripples it created had only just begun.