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Chapter 21 - Chapter 21 | Zendrell The Monster

Jinn felt it—the dreadful pressure of standing before a being whose presence distorted the very air around him.

It wasn't just intimidation, nor fear in the usual sense, but the soul crushing realization that he was facing something—or someone—monstrous.

The weight in the atmosphere bore down on him like invisible chains, thickening with every heartbeat, and clawing at his will to resist.

His body wanted to shudder, to flinch—to yield to that primal urge to survive.

Urging him to fear.

But he didn't.

His jaw clenched, firm and stubborn, a defiance born of pain and fire.

His eyes didn't waver.

Not once.

Not even the blink of an eye betrayed him.

"Apprentice?" Jinn repeated, his voice low with disdain as a dry scoff escaped his lips.

"I'm no one's apprentice."

His brows lowered into a grim furrow, the anger swelling just beneath his skin.

"And Venedix—she's my enemy."

The tension thickened as whispers began to erupt like wildfire all around the area.

Shocked murmurs filled the encampment, weaving among the slaves and onlookers alike.

"A member of House Sorellia… That's Zendrell…"

"That's the crimson-haired slave—rumored to be Venedix's apprentice!"

The air buzzed with curiosity and anticipation.

And amidst the building murmurs, the noble that Jinn had struck earlier finally staggered upright—blood dripping from the corner of his lip.

His hands trembled as he rubbed them together nervously, approaching Zendrell with a mix of desperation and fake indignation.

"D-Damned brat!" he spat, his voice still trembling from humiliation.

"Master Zendrell, this boy dared to strike me—he must be punished in the name of the empire! He must die!"

Zendrell, still keeping his piercing eyes fixed on Jinn, didn't even acknowledge the noble with a glance.

His expression twisted into annoyance as he exhaled deeply through his nose, as if swatting away a fly.

Then, casually—almost lazily—he tilted his head and cracked his neck to the side.

*crack! *crack!

"Let's see," Zendrell muttered, voice smooth yet brimming with challenge,

"if you truly are—or are not—her apprentice."

His hand moved deliberately, reaching over his massive shoulder and wrapping around the enormous hilt of the blade strapped to his back.

In one fluid motion, the giant weapon hissed as it left its sheath, and its crimson-gleamed steel caught the pale light like blood glinting in moonlight.

With one hand, Zendrell raised the sword high above his head, flexing the muscle in his arm as if to test the weight—

*HISSSSS!!!

before bringing it down in a sudden arc that tore through the air with a high-pitched whistle.

"Tch!" Jinn clicked his tongue, reflexes kicking in as he raised his own blade, both hands gripping it tightly in anticipation of the blow.

*CLANG!!!

The impact was explosive.

Crimson steel clashed with crimson steel in a cataclysmic clang, loud enough to pierce the ears of everyone nearby.

A shockwave burst outward from the collision, sending dust and wind scattering in a violent ripple that forced the surrounding slaves and nobles to recoil.

Even Jinn's friends—Ophelia, Vox, Verhedyn—were momentarily stunned by the sudden, thunderous clash.

The strength of Zendrell's strike sent tremors through Jinn's entire body.

His ears began to ring.

Blue blood seeped from his nose and ears from the sheer force alone.

Yet despite it all, his hands refused to release the sword.

His fingers dug tighter around the hilt, bones grinding, muscles locking.

"Kill him—kill the brat!" cackled the old noble, his voice echoing with vicious glee as he laughed, reveling in what he thought would be Jinn's final moments.

Zendrell stepped back slightly, lowering his sword with a smirk, seemingly giving Jinn a moment to recover.

But it was only a moment.

Then he laughed.

"Haha! Let's see how many of these you can take!" he roared, lifting the massive blade again.

*HISSS!!!

The second strike came down with even more weight and ferocity.

*CLANG!!!

The clash rocked Jinn's arms violently, nearly ripping the weapon from his grip.

His knees bent and gave way,

*Thud!

slamming into the ground as he gasped through clenched teeth.

"Urgh!" Jinn grunted, trying to regain his footing, but the blood dripping down his face only thickened.

His arms quivered violently—fighting the shock that coursed through every nerve.

Evakhell, watching from the shadows disguised as the warden, narrowed her eyes with concern.

Her gloved fingers flicked quickly at her earpiece, making contact with an unknown voice—her backup.

But before she could finish her sentence—or before the person on the other end could reply—Zendrell raised his blade once more, this time—

gripping it with both hands.

"Grip your sword tightly—boy!" Zendrell bellowed, voice deep and thunderous.

Then came the third strike.

*Crack...!

*Tssssssszzzz

*TZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!

It slammed into Jinn's blade with monstrous force,

*BAAAANG!!!

shaking his entire body as the vibration thundered through the metal and deep into his bones.

Jinn's vision blurred.

His grip faltered.

Pain radiated across his chest, into his spine—every fiber in his muscles screaming.

Then…

something happened.

As if in response to the overwhelming force and the certainty of death—something within Jinn awakened.

A deep, burning light.

Crimson red energy burst from Jinn's body, wrapping around him like a living serpent, crackling violently like lightning and heat.

His heart thundered.

His breath caught.

Blood boiled.

The strength that had nearly faded returned in a surge of raw power.

"YARGH!" Jinn roared, his voice guttural and untamed, erupting from the very core of his being.

With an explosive lurch of power, Jinn pushed against Zendrell's sword—

*Kzzzzzz!

grinding his own blade upward and shoving Zendrell's back inch by inch.

Zendrell's expression shifted, eyes widening in amusement.

Then he smirked.

"More! Show me more!" he shouted, anticipation dripping from every word.

Then, with a blast of light, Jinn's energy exploded outwards—

*Crack!

*BANG!

a shock of crimson energy cracking like thunder as he struck Zendrell's blade away completely.

A loud crack rang out as the power discharged around them, and Jinn dropped to his knees—blood dripping from every orifice on his face.

His breath was ragged, his eyes wild and unfocused.

"Satisfied, asshole!?" Jinn spat, wiping the blood from his mouth while glaring upward.

Zendrell just laughed.

A booming, hearty laugh that echoed across the encampment.

"That was Sunder Surge!" he roared in delight. "You've inherited it… You've inherited Venedix's Eidra!"

But just as he said those words, something caught his attention.

A glimmer from the skies above.

In a flash of sound and fury—

*CRASH!

a figure crashed into the battlefield like a meteor of crimson light.

Blades drawn.

Energy surging.

Venedix had arrived.

Her dual swords collided with Zendrell's in a brilliant clash of red sparks, stopping him cold.

"Well, well, well," Zendrell chuckled, stepping back slightly.

His expression shifted, becoming more serious as a dark crimson aura crackled around him like a wildfire.

"Speak of the devil."

The energy radiating off of him was so oppressive that even the nearby slaves trembled.

The pressure from both combatants warped the air itself.

"Your apprentice did well—sister!" Zendrell declared, gripping his sword tighter, eager for battle.

Venedix narrowed her gaze.

Her eyes briefly flicked toward Jinn—bloodied, exhausted, and kneeling.

Then, she turned back to Zendrell.

"That child…" she said, voice sharp as steel.

"Is not my apprentice."

She pointed one of her blades toward Zendrell.

"Yet."

A breathless silence followed.

Gasps broke out from both the nobles and the civilians alike, the implications crashing over them like a wave.

The declaration had been made—from her very own lips.

She had claimed him.

Even if not now, she would train him.

In time, Jinn would become the apprentice of Venedix.

As the crowd buzzed with disbelief, the old noble from earlier once again dared to raise his voice.

"That child struck me! He must be punished! He deserves death!" he yelled, red in the face, stomping forward like a petulant child.

Zendrell rubbed his brow in embarrassment. "Shouldn't have said that, idiot."

Before another word could leave the noble's mouth, Venedix moved.

In one elegant, blinding motion—both her swords flashed.

*crack!

One blade severed the noble's head cleanly.

*CRACK!

The second sliced his body in two, splitting it like paper.

*bzzzt!

It was over before he could even scream.

His corpse collapsed with a sickening thud.

Blood pooled quickly around his remains as silence reclaimed the arena.

No one dared move.

No one dared speak.

Jinn, still breathing heavily on his knees, stared at the pool of blood.

This was only the beginning.

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