Vex materialized in our close proximity, and I saw that her eyes were gleaming with unrestrained cruelty as she observed Kael and his impending doom from close up.
Perhaps the most sadistic grin I’d ever seen in my entire life erupted on her usually gorgeous features while she raised her microphone artifact close to hear tender lips and in a blissful, euphoric voice she screamed her verdict: “Denied!!!”
Kael’s expression twisted in horror. “W-What?! No! But I-“
She cut the stammering man off. “You’re not a contestant, no one said that the same rules apply to you. What do you think was the reason behind us not providing you with an armband that would teleport you to safety in case of a threat to your life? Because we were sure of your victory? No! Because if you are weak enough to lose here, then you are not worthy of the Vesper Consortium! We allowed an Eclipse Enforcer to enter the arena of the next generation with a whole century of level grinding and combat experience as his advantage, how dare you lose in a situation this stacked in your favor?! The only way this match will end is if Devil becomes incapacitated, surrenders, or you perish alongside the extreme amount of shame your entire existence turned out to be!”
The crowd erupted in bloodthirsty cheers. They loved the verdict. I could feel the weight of their attention, their anticipation of what would come next.
Kael’s panic reached a newer height as he struggled against the inevitable by summoning waves and waves of ice. The molten walls of the cage ignored his attempts as every single spell he materialized melted immediately from the intense heat that was constantly closing in on him.
He began getting drenched in sweat and before long, he turned in my direction, swallowed, and went down on all four to genuflect. “Mercy! I’ll become your loyal follower, do anything you want! I’ll fight for you until my last dying breath!”
I ignored his pleading and turned towards Vex, “you have my gratitude, future wife. I get to eat a good meal thanks to you.”
She turned her head to look at me and giggled before turning off her microphone. “You need all the XP you can get if you want to sweep me off my feet, future husband. You must eat well so that you can grow big and strong.”
I allowed a burst of jovial laughter to escape me at her response. Future husband, huh.
Vex was quickly proving herself to be a very smart woman, she knew that something inevitable was coming for her. Running or hiding was useless, she could only accept her fate.
I turned my attention back to the permanently begging and crying Kael. I examined him and made sure to etch his image into my brain. He was so smug, so arrogant throughout our fight. I had to remember that this could be my fate if I similarly decided to play with my food as he did instead of going for the kill when he had the chance.
He gave me too much time to observe and study his powers, and I somehow managed to come up with the answer.
I didn’t reply to his pleas with mockery or needless taunting. There was no need to.
He was already a dead man.
Kael’s pleas became incoherent as his sweat turned to steam that rose from his skin in large quantities.
His once-pristine battle attire began to scorch and blacken, curling away from his flesh as the walls drew nearer.
His hair caught fire first, and I couldn’t help but notice that the flames were leaping joyously as if tasting the feast that was to come.
The molten walls kissed his body and his flesh hissed before starting to melt off like wax under a flame.
His screams transformed into choking gurgles as his throat swelled from the searing air he was forced to inhale. His eyes began to boil in their sockets and then burst with a wet pop that sent rivers of gluey liquid streaming down his blistering face.
Finally, the molten cage claimed him entirely as his figure disintegrated into an unrecognizable mass of ash and molten remains. The cage shrank until there was nothing left of Kael but a smoking smear on the arena floor. Your journey continues on empire
The oppressive heat immediately subsided as the spell disintegrated alongside the other spell of mine, the orb with the gravitational pull, leaving only silence and the lingering smell of scorched flesh to mark my enemy’s brutal demise.
[You’ve slain Kael (Level 34). You’ve gained 30000 XP.]
… Holy fuck.
The amount of XP one gained depended on multiple factors, and one of them was the disparity of levels, or more accurately, overall strength. This was the reason why I didn’t gain much for killing low-level entities, however, this same law applied in the other direction as well.
Kai was two levels above me when I killed him, but I was a much higher existence despite that. The difference of power between Kael and me was greatly in his favor.
This XP amount meant that I’d overcome an insurmountable wall in this battle. That is to say, it was a fight I should’ve lost, according to the Soul Records, which was why my XP gains were bolstered to this degree.
*Shhh!!!*
A sudden bright light emerged from my sides, surprising me greatly.
It came from my saber that was resting in its scabbard since I elected to duel Kael from range.
I remembered the details it should show, which were as such:
[Sealed Weapon]
[Name: ???]
[Rarity: ???]
[Skills: ???]
To break the seal:
Bathe in the blood of a worthy adversary.
Submerge in the waters of a cursed spring.
Sharpen on the bones of a dragon.
As I examined the text with my primordial eyes, I noticed that the ‘Bathe in the blood of a worthy adversary.’ Had been crossed, marking it as completed.
… Really?
… How?
I didn’t even draw it from its scabbard during the entire fight because I was scared of going into melee range due to not understanding the limits of advanced tier magic.
I can already imagine some sketchy explanation coming from Björn, the primordial dude who crafted it, something like knowing when to not draw your blade is just as valuable of a skill as knowing how to use it masterfully.
To be fair, if this was indeed the explanation, then he would be correct. Once I unlocked the magma element and put Kael into a bind with the new spells, he started summoning an insane amount of ice in his close proximity, proving my earlier hunch that if I drew my blade and rushed at him, chances were that I wouldn’t be quick enough to kill him before he started overwhelming me with his sheer power.
Therefore, the only logic I can think of is that these challenges to unseal the saber were not meant to be accomplished by wielding the blade but by the one who owned it. The ‘how’ didn’t matter, only the end result.
He must be a bit of a poet because as mentioned, Kael’s blood didn’t touch the blade, it was not bathed in it.