Part A – The Swift Blade
The Blood Arena was never silent.
Even when no matches filled its pit, the space hummed with whispers. Blood soaked into its soil like roots into earth, and the very walls seemed to breathe with anticipation. Tonight, it was not anticipation. It was obsession.
The Crimson Shadow was returning.
Gu Kuangren stepped from the preparation hall, his towering frame brushing the arch of the gate. The crowd above thundered his name, voices beating like drums:
"Crimson Shadow! Crimson Shadow!"
He breathed deeply, crimson eyes sweeping the circle of the Arena. His long black hair swayed with each step, catching the torchlight. His arm, still hanging slightly askew from his fight with Garruk, swung loosely at his side. He hadn't allowed it to be treated.
The pain made him feel alive.
At the far gate, his opponent emerged.
A wiry man with lean muscles and sharp, hawk-like eyes. Twin short blades gleamed in his hands, reflecting the torchlight in quick flashes. Unlike Garruk or the spear-man, this one didn't roar or posture. He moved with fluid grace, his blades dancing in small circles, already preparing for the rhythm of combat.
The announcer's voice rang out from above:
"Tonight, the Crimson Shadow faces Kael the Swift Blade! Speed unmatched! Blades unseen!"
The crowd roared again, stamping their feet, eager for a clash of extremes: brute madness against lightning speed.
Zhu Zhuqing crouched in the upper shadows, her golden eyes fixed on Kuangren. She had seen enough fights to know Kael was dangerous. His stance was balanced, his footwork tight, his focus absolute.
This one won't be crushed so easily, she thought, her claws flexing against the stone.
But then her gaze shifted to Kuangren, standing utterly still, crimson eyes blazing, lips curled into that same hungry grin.
And yet… I can't imagine him losing either.
The horn sounded.
Kael moved.
He was a blur, streaking across the Arena floor with a burst of speed that drew gasps from the crowd. Dust rose in his wake. His blades sang, slicing toward Kuangren's ribs and throat in one fluid combination.
But Kuangren was already laughing.
He pivoted, letting the first blade graze his side, the second carve across his shoulder. Blood spattered the dirt. His grin only widened.
Kael landed behind him, eyes narrowing. "You're insane."
Kuangren turned slowly, crimson eyes burning through the haze of dust.
"Faster," he whispered. "Cut deeper. Let me feel it."
The crowd howled, half in horror, half in ecstasy.
Kael's teeth clenched. He darted forward again, slashing in rapid arcs, each strike faster than the last. Sparks flew as his blades met Kuangren's borrowed mace, the iron weapon moving with surprising speed for its size.
Each clash rattled the Arena. Each deflection was just barely enough. Kuangren took cuts along his arms, his chest, his thighs, blood staining his clothes crimson.
But his eyes never dimmed. His laughter only grew.
To Kael, it was unsettling. Every strike that should have weakened the giant only seemed to awaken something more dangerous.
High above, Zhu Zhuqing's breath caught as she followed the exchange.
He's not just brute strength, she realized. He reads the rhythm… the pattern…
Every time Kael shifted, Kuangren was already adjusting. Every cut he accepted wasn't clumsiness — it was bait.
Her golden eyes narrowed. He's turning the pain into opportunity.
At last, Kuangren let one strike bury deep into his side, the blade cutting muscle to the bone. The crowd gasped, some rising to their feet.
Kael grinned triumphantly — until he realized his wrist was caught in Kuangren's massive hand.
"Caught you," Kuangren murmured, crimson eyes blazing.
He yanked Kael forward, pulling him into a brutal knee that smashed into his gut. Air and blood burst from his mouth. Before Kael could recover, Kuangren slammed the mace across his back, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.
The crowd erupted.
"Crimson Shadow! Crimson Shadow!"
Kuangren stood over Kael, blood pouring from his own wounds, chest heaving. His grin stretched wider, his voice trembling with ecstasy.
"Yes… yes! Faster! Bleed with me!"
Kael coughed, dragging himself to his knees. His blades trembled in his hands. He had faced killers before, but never one like this. Never one who turned pain into fuel, who welcomed each cut as though it were a lover's caress.
And high above, Zhu Zhuqing's claws dug deep into the stone. Her golden eyes were wide, heart pounding. She whispered to herself, voice almost inaudible:
"He's… unstoppable."