Martial Destiny

Now that he only had a single enemy to focus on, Julius was able to pay more attention to the madman with the axes in front of him.

He was a tall man, at least over 1.90 meters, with a muscular and well-defined body. Additionally, his hair was long and messy, his eyes glowing yellow like an animal's, and his nails sharp like a beast's claws.

'He's using some kind of ability.' Julius had no doubt about this. The avatars in [The Gates] were identical to the real bodies of players, and there was no option to change that.

So, obviously, no human would have such physical features, leaving the only option being something related to the game.

'Damn it, I don't have enough mana for another ability. I don't know if I'll be able to defeat this guy with just my raw stats.' He was trying to think of what action to take next, but the more he analyzed, the worse the situation seemed for him.

'I don't have many options besides facing him with just my raw stats!' The swordsman decided to save his last 10 mana points to attempt a blow with [Energy Slash].

'My sword is almost broken too... I can't use it to defend against the axes, I'll have to rely on my agility to dodge.' He couldn't help but think it would be extremely useful to get into that state again, but no matter how many times he tried to imagine the flame, he couldn't maintain it long enough to immerse himself in it.

"ARGHHHHH!" A chilling scream of pain came from MadDog's mouth, making Julius wonder what was happening.

The madman's pale white skin had turned even paler, making the dark veins running through his body like a spider's web more visible.

The dark foam and slime stopped pouring from his mouth, but now all of his teeth were completely dark. The whites of his eyes were entirely black, contrasting with the bright yellow of his irises.

Once MadDog stopped screaming in pain, he now looked at Julius with an unparalleled hatred.

'Damn it!' Julius didn't know what those changes were, but he knew it wasn't a good sign for him.

RUN

With a frighteningly fast speed, MadDog crossed the 10 meters between him and Julius in the blink of an eye.

RIP

Julius tried to dodge the axe coming toward him, but it was so fast that a diagonal cut slashed across his chest.

"Arghhh!" Julius groaned in pain, instinctively reaching for his chest.

Crimson red painted his hand.

'Such excruciating pain!' Julius had no time to process the incredibly realistic pain before MadDog swung both axes toward him again.

RIP

RIP

RIP

Small cuts were scattered across Julius's body. Fortunately, none of the attacks hit his legs, or it would have been practically a confirmation of Julius's defeat!

'I haven't had a chance to strike back yet! If this keeps up, I'll bleed out!' He could already feel his body getting lighter, and his head was becoming slightly dizzy.

TIRED

By reflex, when he saw the axe approaching him, Julius used the remainder of his sword to defend.

Which proved to be a terrible idea.

Now, the rest of the blade that remained on the hilt was on the ground, and Julius had nothing left to attack with.

"Arghhhh!" MadDog let out another scream of pain before kicking Julius in the stomach, forcing him to take several steps back.

Blerr Julius spat blood and saliva from the blow he received.

'I'm going to lose on the first day!?' He was starting to lose hope when he realized where the enraged man had thrown him.

[You found a treasure]

[Do you wish to equip the 'Star Devourer'?]

[

Name: Star Devourer

Type: Treasure

Grade: Epic

Description: Forged with a mysterious material, the Star Devourer is a sword that acts like a black hole, absorbing mana from the environment into itself. Its blade is so dark that it seems like no light reflects off it, but at the same time, the stars within it make it look like a universe.

Mortal Seal:

Star formation: Can absorb and store Mana within the sword in the shape of stars.

Supernova: When expelling the stored mana, an explosion occurs, dealing damage to the opponent of the wielder. The strength of the explosion depends on the number of seals unlocked and the number of stars used. (Other objects can also be unintentionally pulled into the sword)

Evolved Seal: ???

Enhanced Seal: ???

Perfect Seal: ???

Stars: 1/7

]

Julius used the black sword, which was almost as tall as him, to lift himself up.

[Do you wish to equip the 'Star Devourer'?]

The system asked again, and this time, Julius quickly responded.

"Yes."

MadDog was already running toward Julius with both axes raised. It didn't take long for him to easily close the distance between them.

Even with the stat bonus he was receiving, MadDog was now struggling to fight evenly against Julius.

This time, with a real sword in hand, Julius could easily use it to defend. He wasn't just on the defensive.

'I can't drag this battle out, my mind is already quite confused.' He thought as he struck again at MadDog, making the enraged man groan in pain.

"ARGHH"

Both were now completely bloodied. Julius still had several wounds on his body and blood from the other player on his skin, while MadDog now had numerous small wounds scattered around his body.

'I need to use [Energy Slash] and [SuperNova], but I need to be careful with the new ability. I'm not sure how big or powerful the explosion will be.' Julius was afraid the explosion might affect him too.

While MadDog was still in his frenzy, something strange happened. Still in the midst of his attack,

'What?' Julius was surprised when he saw a ghostly wolf emerge from MadDog's body, causing his features and animal-like traits to return to a normal human appearance.

[Energy Slash] unintentionally, Julius seized the opportunity and ran toward the enraged man with his sword glowing white and slightly blue as well.

MadDog tentou usar um dos machados para se defender, mas assim que as durmas armas se encontraram. 

*STASH*

The crazed man didn't have enough strength to hold the axe and ended up losing one of the axes in that exchange of blows.Now, without the ability to give an even greater status bonus,the man was unable to match Julius.

Especially now that he was without one of his weapons, the man had no chance at all.

Previously, he was under the effect of two abilities that enhanced his status. And that was exactly the reason why Julius was having difficulty facing MadDog.

One of the abilities was that of the white wolf, which seemed to be possessing his body; the other came from the outside demons.

But now that one of the abilities had stopped?

'My stats are still slightly higher than his!' Julius thought as he slightly dominated the crazed man.

*RIP*

Julius managed to pierce MadDog's chest, reaching the other side. With a sword through him, MadDog had stopped moving and just looked down.

[Supernova] Julius used the last star of the sword to completely finish off his opponent, but he never imagined what would happen next.

*BOOM*

MadDog's entire chest exploded, causing Julius to be covered in entrails, organs, and blood.

'What?' He was surprised by the force of the explosion and the state of his opponent's body.

The explosion had caused MadDog's arms and head to be violently severed from his body, leaving his lower half standing alone.

*BLERG* 

Even in his army days, Julius had never seen anything like it. Despite his higher tolerance for gore than most people, this was too much even for him.

Unable to hold it in, he ended up vomiting in the middle of the battlefield.

Luckily, despite all the chaos, no other enemies seemed interested in Julius.

But it seemed like this wouldn't last long.ma por uma.' Depois de limpar a boca, Julius teve um pouco de tempo para analisar o seu redor e não ficou surpreso com oque viu. 

'The unaffected people are falling one by one.' After wiping his mouth, Julius had a moment to survey his surroundings and wasn't surprised by what he saw.

The "demonic" side was completely winning over the other side. Julius had been the only one able to handle two enraged opponents at the same time.

The rest of the players needed two or more to deal with just one enraged opponent.

The problem was that from the beginning, Julius's side had fewer members, making this battle doomed to defeat from the start.

At least, that's what he thought.

"What's all this commotion in my village!?" The village elder had finally come out of the tent...