Alex stood in the suffocating darkness of the [Master’s Domain], his senses strained to their limits.
The void around him was absolute, a black expanse that swallowed all light and sound.
He couldn’t see anything, no walls, no floor, no sky.
Just an endless, oppressive darkness that seemed to press down on him from all sides.
His left arm was gone, severed by Isolde’s relentless attacks, and the pain was a constant, throbbing reminder of his vulnerability.
[Destiny Shift], his usual lifeline, was useless here.
This domain blocked all skills, leaving him with nothing but his wits and the abilities he had activated before being trapped.
“Do you believe you can win?”
Isolde’s voice echoed through the void, taunting him.
The [Grand Mage Master]’s laughter was cold and mocking, a sound that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
Then, without warning, the darkness shifted.
Fwish! Slash!
Isolde emerged from the shadows, his [Staff Blade] gleaming with deadly intent.
This time, he aimed for Alex’s right arm, clearly intent on disarming him completely.
The humiliation was deliberate.
Isolde wanted to strip Alex of every advantage, to render him utterly helpless before delivering the final blow.
And in this domain, where skills were nullified, Alex couldn’t undo the damage.
Once it was done, it was permanent.
Alex had initially thought that [Master’s Domain] was similar to [Ultimate Abyss], the forbidden skill used by Varyn, the God of the Abyss.
But he was wrong.
The two skills were fundamentally different.
In the Abyss, Alex had been plunged into complete sensory deprivation.
He couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, and his stats had been reduced by a staggering 99 percent.
But at least he could still use his skills.
Here, in [Master’s Domain], the rules were reversed.
His stats remained intact, and he could still see and hear, albeit barely, but he was completely cut off from his skills.
It was a cruel twist, one that left him feeling exposed and vulnerable.
The only advantage he had was his heightened senses.
As Isolde’s blade came within centimeters of his right arm, Alex’s reflexes kicked in.
He twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the strike.
The [Staff Blade] sliced through the air where his arm had been just a fraction of a second earlier.
Isolde, momentarily off-balance, disappeared back into the darkness, his form melting into the void.
‘As I thought,’ Alex realized, his mind racing, ‘I can actually see him if he steps out of the shadows.’
‘In the Abyss, I couldn’t even see Varyn when he was right in front of me.’
‘This skill is less powerful in that regard.’
But that didn’t make it any less dangerous.
[Master’s Domain] was still a formidable ability, one that had been designed to trap and incapacitate its victims.
The fact that Isolde could activate it so easily, with the simple condition of being severely wounded, made it even more terrifying.
It was a skill that reflected Isolde’s cunning and ruthlessness, a testament to why he held the title of [Grand Mage Master].
Fwish! Fwish! Fwish!
Isolde struck again and again, each attack faster and more precise than the last.
Alex dodged and weaved, his movements fueled by sheer instinct and the faint glimpses he caught of Isolde’s form.
The timing was razor-thin.
A single moment of hesitation, a single misstep, and it would all be over.
Alex knew that anyone else in his position would have been dead already.
Even beings like [Arceus] and [Lord X], with their godlike reflexes, would have struggled to survive in this domain.
Without their skills, they would have been sitting ducks.
But Alex wasn’t just anyone.
His reflexes were on par with a god’s, honed by countless battles and near-death experiences.
He moved with a speed and precision that defied logic, his body reacting before his mind could even process the threat.
Still, he knew he couldn’t keep this up forever.
His left arm was bleeding profusely, the blood pooling at his feet.
The pain was a constant distraction, and his stamina was dwindling with each passing second.
“It will never end,” Isolde’s voice rang out, cold and merciless, “This skill cannot be undone until you die!”
Alex gritted his teeth, refusing to let the words shake his resolve.
He needed a plan, a way to turn the tables.
But what could he do?
His [Universal Orbs] were still active, but throwing them blindly into the darkness seemed like a waste.
He needed a clear shot, and Isolde was too fast, too elusive.
As he dodged another strike, Alex’s mind raced.
Two things stood out to him.
The first was Isolde’s reliance on the [Staff Blade].
Why wasn’t he using his magic?
In a domain like this, where Alex couldn’t see or predict attacks, magic would have been the perfect weapon.
Yet Isolde was sticking to physical strikes, as if he had no other option.
‘Maybe he can’t use magic here,’ Alex thought, a spark of hope igniting in his chest, ‘Maybe the domain consumes all of his magic, leaving him with only the blade.’
‘That would explain why the activation condition is so easy, he sacrifices his magic to create the domain.’
The second realization was more immediate, more crucial.
His [Blood Art].
It had been a while since he’d used it, thanks to his high stats and the safety net of [Destiny Shift].
But now, bleeding and desperate, he remembered its potential.
The [Blood Arts] perks weren’t considered skills or spells, they were something else entirely, a manifestation of his own life force.
If he could use them here, they might be his only chance.
‘Blood Blade,’ he thought, focusing on the blood pouring from his severed arm.
The crimson liquid began to shimmer, coalescing into a blade-shaped form.
It hovered in the air, a weapon born of his own pain and determination.
Fwish!
It worked!
The [Blood Blade] shot forward, homing in on Isolde’s position.
The [Grand Mage Master]’s eyes widened in shock as the blade closed in.
“How the hell—” he started, but the words were cut off as he swung his [Staff Blade], slicing through the [Blood Blade].
The attack was deflected, but Isolde was forced to retreat back into the darkness, his momentum broken.
Alex allowed himself a small smile.
He had confirmed it now: his [Blood Arts] could work in this domain.
That changed everything.
But he needed more than just a blade.
He needed something powerful enough to hold Isolde in place, even for a second.
Something that could give him the opening he needed to use his [Universal Orbs].
His mind raced through the possibilities.
[Blood Art Perks: #1 Blood Blades, #2 Blood Clones, #3 Giant Blood Blades, #4 Blood Mist, #5 Body Regeneration.]
He could probably use the fifth perk to regenerate his lost arm, but for now, he needed that blood.
None of the perks he had were useful, and though he tried to use them one by one right afterward, as he expected, Isolde either simply avoided them, slashed them, or didn’t leave the darkness.
He needed something new, something stronger.
Something that would require a terrifying amount of blood.
As he continued to dodge Isolde’s attacks, Alex focused on the blood pooling around him.
He channeled all his determination, all his will to survive, into a single thought.
He would not die here.
He would not let Isolde win.
He would protect humanity, no matter the cost.
His remaining arm spread wide, his eyes glowing with a mix of golden and crimson light.
The air around him crackled with energy as he summoned every ounce of strength he had left.
And then, with a voice that echoed through the void, he unleashed his new creation.
“BLOOD CHAINS!”
