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Chapter 8: The Crimson Arena
The sun rose red over Thalrion.
Its light struck the floating arenas above the capital like a crown of flame, casting long shadows across the marble balconies where nobles, warlords, and soul masters from every corner of the continent gathered.
Today, the Youth Tournament would begin.
And blood would follow.
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Suzan stood silently in the lower preparation hall beneath Arena III, his arms crossed, breath slow and calm. Around him, other young cultivators fidgeted nervously, adjusted armor, or rehearsed soul techniques in the air.
But Suzan needed none of that.
His Dark Soul was already coiled beneath his skin, purring like a hunting beast. His Sword Soul shimmered quietly in the back of his mind, waiting for blood to be drawn.
> [Level: 5-Star Cultivator]
[System Enhancement: Active – Bonus power when fighting stronger opponents.]
[Target: Survive the elimination rounds. Devour elite targets.]
He didn't intend to survive.
He intended to reign.
---
A sharp voice echoed from above.
"Contestant Suzan Elvador, Milon Empire. First match. Enter the ring."
He stepped into the arena as the sky opened around him. Thousands of eyes watched. The arena's floating platform shimmered with protective barriers and soul inscriptions—standard enchantments meant to keep the blood from raining on the nobles below.
On the opposite end of the platform stood his opponent: a tall, lean boy from a noble house in Vael Thorne, with a long spear strapped to his back and a snake-like Martial Soul swirling around him.
"Vayn Slithar, 6-Star cultivator," the announcer said. "Snake Soul of Illusion and Venom."
A few murmurs stirred through the stands.
> A 6-Star against a 5-Star? The Milon Empire is offering up their heir early?
Vayn grinned. "I hear you kill to grow. Guess that means I better not hold back, huh?"
Suzan said nothing.
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The battle began with a hiss.
Vayn moved first, vanishing into a blur, his spear flickering with green lightning. His Illusion Soul triggered, and five copies of himself darted around the ring.
Suzan's eyes narrowed.
> [Dark Sight: Active.]
To others, it was confusing, chaotic.
To Suzan, only one figure cast a true shadow.
He turned, side-stepped a strike, and delivered a brutal counterpunch to the real Vayn's ribs. Bone cracked. Blood sprayed.
The crowd gasped.
Suzan didn't stop. He called forth his Dark Soul, which erupted behind him, grabbing Vayn mid-air and slamming him into the stone hard enough to dent the arena floor.
> [Target weakened. Kill Threshold met.]
Vayn struggled, barely conscious.
Suzan walked toward him, raising a hand.
> "Devour."
Dark tendrils of soul energy surged into the boy's chest, ripping out his essence as he screamed.
> [6-Star Cultivator Devoured.]
[Level increased: 6-Star Cultivator.]
[New Ability: Shadow Chain – Bind targets with devouring threads. Duration: 3 seconds.]
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
Not just at the speed of the victory—but at what they had just witnessed.
Suzan stood over Vayn's unconscious form, his aura now more oppressive than before. The announcer hesitated, then declared:
> "Victor: Suzan Elvador."
---
In the observation tower above, Crown Princess Selene Arclight of the Zarephian Empire watched the match in silence. Her Lunar Phoenix Soul flared faintly behind her, reflecting golden flame in her eyes.
A robed man beside her—a high-level sage of her court—spoke carefully.
"His power grows exponentially with every kill. If he reaches 7-Star…"
"I know," Selene murmured. "He must not be allowed to reach 9-Star. That's when the ancient path activates."
The sage shivered. "You think he's one of the marked? The ones from the forbidden prophecy?"
She turned, voice low.
> "I don't think. I know."
---
Far away, deep within the Imperial Palace of Milon, the emperor sat in his high chamber—cloaked in silks, surrounded by soul lamps and ancient weapons.
Emperor Caldras IV, ruler of the Milon Empire, gazed into a polished obsidian mirror filled with swirling mist. Within it, Suzan's figure stood tall, his eyes glowing with raw power.
A cloaked figure stood behind the emperor, wrapped in shadow.
"Your son has grown too fast," the figure said, its voice like wind over a grave. "The boy carries both keys."
Caldras's face darkened.
"I didn't give him the second soul."
"No," the shadow replied. "But he was chosen. Reincarnated, perhaps. The System within him—it's older than even your throne."
The emperor gritted his teeth. "Then we must control him. Or destroy him."
The shadow said nothing.
Because it knew the truth:
> If Suzan reached 9-Star, the seal buried beneath the empire—the ancient gate locked under the capital itself—would begin to awaken.
A gate that Emperor Caldras had spent his whole reign guarding.
A gate that should never be opened.
> The Gate of Eternal Devour.
---
That night, Suzan sat alone in his quarters, staring at the glowing orb that displayed match records.
He was ranked fifth in overall performance so far, just behind:
1. Selene Arclight – Defeated a 6-Star alchemist in a single spell.
2. Ragnar Feralclaw – Killed a thunderbeast barehanded.
3. Xerian Hallow – A masked prodigy from a mysterious neutral nation. Martial Soul unknown.
4. Luna Virelle – A 6-Star soul singer from the southern tribes with hypnotic abilities.
Suzan's eyes lingered on Xerian's name. Something about that masked figure unsettled him. His Dark Soul twitched whenever Xerian passed by—as if recognizing a predator.
> He's not just another opponent, Suzan thought. He's something else.
The System chimed in his mind.
> [Warning: Foreign System Signature Detected Nearby.]
Suzan sat upright.
> Another system user…?
His enemies were no longer just nobles or beasts.
They were chosen ones like him.
And some of them... had already started watching.
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Next: Chapter 9 – The Shadow Between Stars
Suzan investigates the mysterious masked contestant, uncovers his first truth about his reincarnation, and faces an ambush that forces him to unleash a power even he doesn't understand.