Chapter 31 – The Fang in The Dark
The final echoes of the tournament's last clash still hung in the air. Kai's Reality Severance had carved not only through Lysa's defenses but through the doubt in every spectator's heart. What began as whispers of the Emberlight Academy's black horse had now transformed into something sharper—something reverent. A name spoken in awe.
Kai.
Celebration swept through the academy like wildfire. The victorious banners flew, lanterns danced on the breeze, and disciples gathered in every hall. Even the usually stoic sect leaders couldn't ignore the storm this young martial artist had stirred. Vale and Ren stayed close to Kai, proud and wary in equal measure.
But while the light sang, the darkness watched.
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In a chamber deep beneath the Crimson Halberd Sect's pavilion, Auron Veyron stood like a shadow cast in fury. Blood still pounded in his ears—not from exertion, but from humiliation. His loss had not even registered in the crowd's memory. They only spoke Kai's name.
"You feel it now, don't you?" came a cold voice behind him.
His sect leader, High Lord Verrin, stepped into the light, arms crossed, crimson robes flowing like mist. His gaze was not scolding—it was calculated.
"I told you this would happen," Verrin said. "You let him rise. And now he stands higher than all of us."
Auron gritted his teeth.
"We can still act," Verrin said calmly, withdrawing a sealed obsidian vial from his sleeve. Inside, a small pill glowed—blood red and pulsing with unnatural energy.
Auron's eyes widened. "The Black Lotus… that's banned."
Verrin's tone turned to steel. "As is the threat Kai presents. You think he'll stop at tournaments? He's destined for the throne of legends. And we'll be corpses in his shadow if we don't act now."
Auron's fists clenched. "This… it'll destroy my foundation."
"You won't need a foundation if you're dead."
The silence held like a blade between them.
Then Auron grabbed the vial, uncorked it, and swallowed the pill without hesitation.
The transformation was immediate.
His body convulsed, veins bulging as his muscles expanded. His aura exploded outward like a tidal wave of black fire. Bones cracked, skin split and healed instantly, and a roar escaped his throat as if it came from something not human. His eyes burned crimson, his ki rising like a beast clawing at the sky.
The floor beneath him shattered. Crimson light danced around his limbs like flickering flame. Even Verrin took a cautious step back.
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Auron's Estimated Stats After Consuming the Black Pill
(Boosted to Mid Martial King Tier)
• Strength: 480
• Speed: 465
• Endurance: 500
• Intelligence: 205
• Perception: 320
• Willpower: 380
• Ki: 11,800
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Far from the Crimson Pavilion, Kai walked alone beneath the moonlit sky, his heart finally slowing after the whirlwind of battle. The Emberlight gardens were still and quiet, the glow of lanterns soft against the trees. He had left the celebration early, as he often did—preferring calm to cheers.
He thought of Vale's proud words. Ren's endless admiration. The silence after Reality Severance had landed. He had climbed a mountain, one only he had seen.
But then—
A pressure fell over the gardens like a storm cloud crashing into the earth.
The sky dimmed. Lanterns flickered.
Kai spun, instincts flaring—just in time to see a shadow plummet from above.
Boom!
Stone shattered as a figure landed before him, smoke curling around his boots. The ground cracked beneath him as if rejecting his presence. And as the smoke cleared, Kai's eyes narrowed.
Auron.
But it wasn't the Auron from before.
This man was taller, broader, his ki blazing like a furnace. Black mist coiled around him, and his eyes were glowing red, twisted by something unnatural.
"I'm done playing second to you," Auron growled, his voice warped and deeper than before. "You should've died in the ring."
Kai took a slow step back. His body was calm. His mind already analyzing.
"Auron… what did you do?"
Auron smirked, ki rippling off his skin like molten glass. "I accepted my fate."
His aura pulsed, shaking the ground. Trees bent from the force.
"I was told to stop you before you become something none of us can reach."
Kai's eyes hardened.
"So this is an ambush," he muttered. "And here I thought the celebration would last the night."
"No more games," Auron said. "No crowd. No ring. Just me. And you. And the end."
He launched forward, and the sky screamed.