The ground trembled.A low growl echoed through the air as six frost bears circled Oban, their bodies sharpness with shards of ice that reflected the pale light of the moon. The frozen battlefield was littered with shattered stones, claw marks, and trails of blood that steamed faintly in the cold air.
Oban's breathing was calm, his crimson eyes locked on the beasts ahead. Each of them radiated killing intent, their fangs glimmering like blades of frost. He exhaled once, his breath misting, and muttered,"Let's end this quickly."
The first bear lunged, claws wide. Ice cracked beneath its massive weight. Oban raised his hand and whispered a single command."Blood Shield."
A crimson wall of liquid iron formed in front of him, shaped like a curved barrier. The claws slammed into it, splintering frost but failing to pierce. Oban pushed forward, the shield bursting outward into dozens of sharp shards that skewered the nearest bear. It roared, rearing back as thick blood mixed with melting ice.
Before the others could react, Oban dashed forward, his Vampiric Blade gleaming. He swung it once—A clean arc of red light tore through the air.
The impact was deafening.Three of the frost bears were sliced apart instantly, their icy armor shattering like glass. Fragments rained down in slow motion as their corpses collapsed into mist.
But three remained.Their eyes blazed brighter, fury replacing fear. They roared in unison, shaking the frozen ground, and charged at once. The first bear swung its paw, aiming for Oban's chest, while the other two tried to flank him.
Oban crouched, his expression cold.
"System, activate combat assist."His voice was steady.
[SYSTEM ONLINE]AI Interface: Aurora Activated
Analyzing Enemy Speed: 142%.
Power Level Difference: -19%.
Suggested Action: Multi-Slash Protocol — 50% Boost Ready.
"Perfect," Oban murmured.
The bears came down like avalanches, claws flashing. Oban's blade blurred.Once. Twice. Then faster—until the eye could no longer follow.
A red haze filled the field. Every swing split into dozens of afterimages. His Multi-Slash Boost had ignited, doubling his attack speed. The system's hum grew louder in his head, merging with the sound of metal slicing flesh.
When the motion stopped, nothing but mist and ice remained.The six frost bears were gone—reduced to fragments scattered across the ground.
Oban stood silently, his blade dripping blood and frost.The system chimed again.
[Target Eliminated. Experience +9000]
[Blood Manipulation Level Increased: 4 → 5]
[New Passive Unlocked: Vital Absorption]
He sheathed his sword slowly. Across the field, Yuji was watching him with a crooked smile, the moonlight gleaming on his icy armor."So you broke all of them, huh?" Yuji said, stepping forward, his voice echoing through the frozen air. "Interesting… I didn't think that blade of yours had that much bite."
Oban tilted his head slightly, expression unreadable. "They were slow."
Yuji chuckled—a deep, unsettling laugh. Frost formed around his feet, spreading outward in a wave that froze everything it touched."Let's see if you're this confident against me."
But before either could move, the scene shifted.
Scene — Klein vs The Lightning-Flame Mage
Sparks lit up the night sky in another corner of the battlefield.Klein ducked beneath a torrent of blazing fireballs, his coat burning at the edges. The air was hot, suffocating, charged with static that made every breath sting. The enemy mage stood high on a broken pillar, hands raised, eyes glowing gold and red—the colors of lightning and flame fused together.
"You're still standing?" the mage sneered. "Impressive. But you can't dodge forever."
Klein's eyes narrowed. "Try me."
The mage laughed and hurled another ball of mixed flame and lightning. It screeched as it cut through the air. Klein moved—blindingly fast. His body bent and spun, barely escaping the explosion. The ground behind him burst open, molten rock splashing outward.
Klein landed, sliding across the frozen dirt, smoke curling around his boots. "That's enough playing around."
"Then die faster!" the mage shouted and clapped his hands together. A circle of runes ignited beneath him. Dozens of lightning arrows formed, each wrapped in fire, crackling and twisting like living serpents.
They launched all at once.
Klein felt the charge before they even hit—his muscles tensed, his instincts screaming. He raised his hand to his left eye. The iris flared with dark light.
"Blood Vision: Active."
Everything slowed.He could see the trajectory of every arrow, every spark. To him, they moved at a crawl.
Klein dashed forward through the storm of arrows, twisting, stepping between lines of fire and light with inhuman precision. Arrows whistled past his cheeks, grazing but never touching. He reached the mage in seconds.
The man's face twisted in disbelief. "Impossible!"
Klein smirked. "Not for me."
He flicked a card from his hand. It spun through the air, black and silver, and landed softly against the mage's arm. The man caught it instinctively.
"What's this?!"
Klein's grin widened. "My trick."
The card began to glow. A thin line of blood shimmered across its surface, and then—boom.Black flames erupted from it, crawling up the mage's arm. The man screamed as the fire devoured him, not burning skin but draining life.
"What have you done!?" he shrieked, trying to cast a spell, but nothing happened. His body trembled, sparks failing to form.
"Cursed blood," Klein said quietly, walking closer. "You touched my blood without permission. That's the price."
The mage's eyes widened as realization dawned. His magic—gone. His veins pulsed black.
Klein didn't hesitate. In a single motion, his hand turned into a blade of crimson energy and sliced across the mage's neck.The head fell, rolling to the ground with a dull thud. The cursed fire faded slowly into ash.
Klein exhaled and looked at his hand. "One less problem."
Then he turned toward the distance—where the sound of clashing frost and steel echoed. "Oban…" he murmured. "Don't die before I get there."
Scene — Return to Oban and Yuji
Frost mist hung heavy around them. Yuji's smile had twisted into something wild. He held out his hand, and ice coalesced into a heavy Frost Mace, its surface engraved with runes that pulsed cold light.
Oban tightened his grip on his sword.The system's glow flickered again beside him, a faint red hologram forming like a floating ghost.
[SYSTEM STATUS: ACTIVE]HP: 84%
Blood Energy: 72%
New Ability Detected: Blood Manipulation — Phase 4 Healing Factor]
Auto-Healing Initiated…
Crimson energy wrapped around his body, closing small cuts across his arms and neck. Oban could feel his strength returning like a tide of fire.
Yuji tilted his head. "A healing ability too? I'm almost jealous."
"Don't be," Oban replied, stepping forward. His voice was low, almost gentle. "It won't save you."
Yuji swung first. The mace came down with terrifying speed, freezing the air itself. The impact exploded in a shockwave of frost. Oban blocked with his blade, sparks flying as red met blue. Ice cracked beneath their feet.
The sheer force pushed Oban back several steps, boots grinding against the frozen soil. But he didn't break.
Yuji smirked. "Not bad."
Oban said nothing. Instead, he whispered,"System, enchant blade with blood resonance."
[Command Accepted.]
[Infusing Blood Energy — Output 43%. Warning: Overload Possible.]
The Vampiric Blade glowed deep crimson, veins of energy crawling up its surface. When Oban swung again, the air itself seemed to tremble.
The two clashed once more—steel and frost colliding in a storm of energy.
Yuji spun, his mace sweeping sideways. Oban ducked, countered with an upward slash, carving a red line across Yuji's armor. Frost cracked but didn't break. Yuji's grin widened."You actually scratched me."
"I'll do more than that."
He stepped in close, his movements fluid, every strike guided by the system's rhythm.
[Predictive Combat Mode: Engaged.][Enemy Next Move Probability: 83%. Counter Window: 1.2 seconds.]
Oban moved just before Yuji did, dodging the mace's return swing and stabbing forward. His blade grazed Yuji's arm, drawing blue blood that froze before it even fell.
Yuji jumped back, laughing. "This is getting fun!"
He slammed his mace into the ground. A wave of frost surged outward, freezing pillars of ice that shot up from the earth, forming a battlefield of jagged spikes. Oban weaved between them, his boots crunching ice, cloak trailing behind him like blood smoke.
Yuji charged again, swinging in wide arcs that shattered his own ice pillars in the process. Every blow could break mountains. But Oban met him strike for strike. Their weapons screamed against each other, echoing across the battlefield.
The frost storm thickened until even the moonlight blurred.
Finally, Yuji pulled back, panting. "You're strong, Vampire. Stronger than I expected."
Oban wiped frost from his cheek, eyes gleaming red. "And you talk too much."
He raised his sword one last time. "Let's finish this."
Yuji smirked, lowering his stance. "Gladly."
The wind howled around them. Their auras flared—red and blue, fire and ice. For a moment, everything went silent.
Then they moved.
A blur of color, a clash of steel, and the explosion of power that followed could be felt across the entire frozen field.
The battle had only just begun.
And as frost met blood in the heart of the battlefield, the system whispered quietly in Oban's mind:
[Warning: Blood Resonance Limit Reached.]
[Recommendation — Engage Phase Five Soon.]
Oban smiled through the storm. "Phase five, huh? Let's see if you can handle it."
The night exploded again with light and sound.
And the chapter ended—with Oban and Yuji locked in the heart of an icy inferno, blades drawn, eyes burning with the promise of destruction.