"Our dark crystals are top-notch; you can make ten black flamethrowers with each one!" Viper threw one at Ray.
He caught it in the air; the crystal was like a dark egg. With 200 heart stones, one could make a crystal if they were precise enough to not waste more in the process. Barely anyone tried to make them due to the high cost, except those whose magic let them make it easier.
Running his magic through the structure of the crystal, its information entered his mind. "70 percent pure. For an underground dog, not bad. For a black flame thrower, you need 9 percent of its magic. You filthy liar." Ray's experience with crystals was way more than even the professionals in the field.
"Not bad, all are on the same level?" Ray threw back the crystal.
Viper took a chest from his squad member. There was a place for ten crystals all in it, with one missing. "Each stone for 10 million, we do it one after another. We have to check your money too."
Ray took out a piece of cash and threw it to him, Viper. They continued the process for some time with no problems happening.
As time passed, blind with money in their pockets, the group of three slowly took down their guard with each transition.
"Taipan, finish it." Viper gave back the chest to his right-hand man as he started to gather money in a small bag.
The distance between them was less than ten steps. Taipan took long steps; he was bored and just wanted to finish the deal and get back to the club.
A drop fell on his cheek; he raised his head toward the sky. "Is it raining?" He touched his cheek; it was red...
"It's raining blood?" He tried to take out his weapon, but a scythe cut his throat like a piece of paper.
In his last breath, he used his last remaining energy to yell, "Ki..."
Ray finished his work with another strike to his neck. Blood splashed from the wound on his cloak.
Viper's eyes were wide open from the sight; the kings themselves didn't dare to shed blood in the silent forest. Who was this guy?
"You fucking psychopath!" Viper summoned his weapon, a machine gun with infinite ammo, each bullet poisoned with his own magic.
The other person was not as fast as his boss; before he could summon his weapons, dozens of blood spears went for him.
He activated his armor; however, it was futile, as Ray himself came out of the blood spears. The armor was broken like it didn't exist, and the man's arms flew in the sky.
Blood Dancer allowed him to transform into blood and teleport into each of them; a single drop could be him or a whole sea. It also gave him the ability to change its color to gold at times.
The sound of the machine gun broke the silence of the forest; each bullet destroyed any tree in its way, and the body of his companion was also shattered in the path of the bullets.
Ray turned into blood once more, disguising himself in the drops of blood.
"You fucking monster, I can sense your killing intent." The aura around Viper changed into a green cloud; all the grass and the trees around him died in an instant.
Bullets traced Ray's shadow in the air; however, he was faster than the speed of his changing aim.
"He wants to waste time, not bad." His form returned to a human. His wings disappeared into thin air as he ran with his own legs.
Viper roared, "Who are you?"
"A soon dead man doesn't need to know who I am." Ray started his attack. Waves of blood rushed toward his opponent from all sides.
A flower appeared above Viper's head.
"Flower for dead."
For a mere second, the world itself stopped around them. When the ices of time broke around them. Viper was the center of the world, with everything around him fading away into ashes.
Ray's had gotten affected too, as Ray saw his fingers fading away, and a blood sword cut down his wrist. The cut hand faded away before it could land on the ground.
A skull was summoned on Ray's head too. Blood poured from the empty eyes of the skull on his head. The blood moved through his body to his gone hand. In a breath, a new hand was created for him.
Viper watched the sight with horror in his eyes. "He didn't waste a second to cut his own hand... I can't use the flour for five minutes!"
Once a forest, it had now turned into a bare land around them. Ray launched his body again toward his target.
A red aura appeared around his body before the machine gun could start shooting again. Ray entered the cloud of poison; his blood died and replenished itself around his body, constantly not letting the poison reach his body.
Viper dismissed the machine gun into a Claymore in one of his hands and a shield in his other hand.
"How long can you keep that shield around your body?" He smirked, pushing his legs to the ground.
One wing appeared on Ray's waist, giving him a boost in speed; his scythe got blocked by the claymore of Viper.
Both of their eyes were locked on each other; Viper's eyes had changed completely, turning into snake eyes.
"Long enough for you to run out of magic."
Viper pushed back Ray, and this time charged toward him. Another wing appeared on Ray's back, changing his direction, easily dodging the strike.
They went back and forth for a few strikes, with neither of them being able to get an advantage on the other one.
"You should be happy; you are going to witness my personal fighting style." Ray stepped back out of the poison cloud and opened his hands into the air. His shortage was time itself.
"The blood angel."
Viper was frozen by the sudden change of soul pressure.
The sound of bones breaking filled the area as wings grew from Ray's back, but unlike his usual blood wings, they were made of his bones with red feathers growing from them.
"They are glitching... Even the heavens are opposing his existence..."
Viper laughed from the bottom of his heart; a new emotion that he had never felt before rose in his heart. With his life on the line, he felt more alive than ever.
"I will play your game too."
His body absorbed the cloud poison around him. Cracks opened all of his skin; instead of blood, they were green like his poison. The tattoo on his head turned into a green vial of poison resembling a green viper.
Ray smiled as he said, "Let's dance."