The torchlight quivered as Russ lunged, shadows writhing around his body like a swarm of hunting beasts. The masked man didn't flinch—he simply raised his palm and whispered:
"Crimson Flood."
The air thickened. Rivers of blood burst from the cracks in the stone floor, swirling into a tidal wave of scarlet that roared toward Russ.
Russ slammed his foot down, sending out a pulse of Shadow Domain. Black tendrils erupted from the floor, weaving into a barrier. The wave crashed, hissing as shadow clashed with blood, each drop like acid on his defenses.
---
The First Exchange
The masked man appeared behind Russ in an instant, moving like a phantom. His fingers curved into claws, striking for Russ's spine.
Russ's Blood Step activated—a blink of red mist—and he vanished, reappearing above the man. His scythe came down in a vicious arc, coated in Qi Breaker Edge, a technique designed to rip through spiritual defenses.
The masked man raised his arm, summoning a Blood Armor that shimmered like molten ruby. The scythe bit into it, sparks of qi bursting in the air. The armor cracked—but didn't shatter.
"You hit harder than I expected," the masked man said calmly. "Good. That means I can stop holding back."
---
Blood vs Shadow
The floor ruptured as the masked man unleashed Thousand Vein Lance—dozens of spears made from hardened blood-qi shot toward Russ from every direction.
Russ closed his eyes for half a heartbeat. The shadows around him condensed, and his body became one with them—Shadow Mirage. Each spear that pierced him only struck afterimages, the real Russ weaving through the gaps like smoke.
He emerged behind the masked man again, this time plunging his hand into the man's side and releasing Blood Corruption Pulse.
The masked man staggered, blood around him boiling violently. But instead of panicking, he laughed—a deep, unsettling sound. "Clever… but my blood doesn't obey you."
With a snap of his fingers, Russ's own corrupted blood answered him, surging back through Russ's veins with a searing burn.
Russ dropped to one knee, gasping.
---
The Counterattack
Before the man could finish him, Russ slammed his palm into the ground, summoning Void Maw. A massive rift tore open, and black jaws of pure nothingness lunged upward, snapping at the masked man.
The man twisted aside, but the Void still caught his arm, tearing away a chunk of his armor—and part of his mask.
Half his face was revealed. Pale skin. Crimson eyes. The faint mark of the Talen bloodline.
Russ froze for half a second. "You're… one of us."
The man smiled grimly. "Not one of you. The first of you."
---
The Kill Zone
Before Russ could react, the man unleashed Bloodstorm Prison—blades of blood-qi spiraling in a cyclone, trapping Russ in a killing field.
Russ's shadow coiled tighter around him, merging with his qi and blood until his entire being pulsed with lethal intent. He whispered, "Let's end this."
The shadows burst outward with Oblivion Surge, tearing through the cyclone like a beast breaking its cage.
Russ charged, scythe in one hand, shadow spear in the other, twisting mid-strike to pierce both heart and throat.
The masked man caught the scythe with one hand, but the spear drove deep into his chest. Blood gushed, but instead of falling, he grinned.
"This is only the beginning, Russ Talen."
Then his body dissolved into mist, leaving only the broken mask on the floor.