Shadow Blood and Fire

Adrian's vision blurred slightly before darkness enveloped him, a darkness he could see through. The chair at the center was already occupied. Adrian could only think of one culprit—perhaps he had convinced him to take the seat, which would soon escalate as Riott never thought things through before acting. "Umm, Riott… what are you doing?" 

"Adrian, I'm right behind you," 

Adrian turned to see Riott, his natural blue hair a striking contrast to the usual hues. His hair, tousled and unruly, framed a face that was both mischievous and undeniably handsome. His eyes, a deep shade of blue that matched his hair, sparkled with a playful glint.

Riott's build was muscular, the result of countless hours spent in physical activity. Broad shoulders and a well-defined chest tapered down to a narrow waist, showcasing his athletic prowess. His arms and legs were strong and toned, each muscle clearly defined, hinting at his strength and agility.

Riott gave a naughty smile, and Adrian had a foreboding feeling. "If it wasn't Riott, then who?" "But he usually don't lift a finger."

Seeing Adrian's speculative look, Riott shook his head. "Who else could it be?" Riott gestured to himself, then to Adrian, and finally to the seat with an even broader smile. "In here, it's just me, you, and him."

*******************

The paralysis effect from the Reaper was slowly wearing off. As it did, Venok lifted himself off the ground to see what was happening. In the center of the arena, the area was lit by the small glow stone where Adrian stood. But he wasn't alone; multiple chairs from the arena surrounded him, and his blonde hair had turned black, as had his emerald eyes.

"How is he able to use the ability so well already? Even I would struggle to do something like this in top condition. Didn't he only copy my ability a while ago? Why is he using it like a level 5?" Venok wondered.

"You are really interesting. I hope you won't disappoint me and last a little longer so I can learn from your advanced battle arts," Adrian's voice projected directly into the Reaper's mind, further provoking it in its crazed state. The Reaper lifted itself off the ground, its figure blurring with explosive speed as it shot forward like a bullet, almost breaking the sound barrier.

Adrian lifted his hands and crumbling each of the chairs into several metal spikes that loomed above his head. When the beast was close enough, he repelled all the spikes in its direction.

More than 500 spikes covered every direction from floor to ceiling. Venok was dumbfounded. Level 5 ability users couldn't perform such feats, and even level 6 users would require time to create and manipulate so many spikes. To do it immediately was astonishing. "This bastard is a level 7," Venok thought.

He had already decided to kill Adrian after finding the portal. The thought of confronting this monster sent a shiver down his spine.

However, the beast didn't evade the spikes; it phased through them, spun around, and grabbed a spike, throwing it back at incredible speed.

"I guess a beast remains a beast. It's common knowledge not to use your opponent's element," Adrian's voice resounded in the Reaper's mind without him moving his mouth. He stretched his hands to coil the metal spike around the beast hands and change its weight to that of a mountain, but the spike remained unresponsive. A blue film wrapped around it, and its speed became insane, tearing through the sound barrier with a jarring sound. Caught slightly off guard, Adrian took a step back. Though it was hard to dodge something moving that fast at close range, he managed to dodge, but the spike left a bloody line on his left cheek, dripping blood as it slammed into a pillar, causing it to explode.

"Hahaha!" Riott laughed. "Looks like I really missed out on this one. Did you see how strong it was? I would have loved to deal with this guy. Adrian, you would have been killed within seconds."

The Reaper was already in front of Adrian, swinging its claw straight for his neck. At the last moment, the claw suddenly moved faster, but Adrian was prepared. He encased his hands by compressing metal in seconds and threw a punch at the Reaper's head. He was as fast as the beast, certain it was a hit.

"CLANG!"

The beast's claw slammed into his neck, punching him backward more than five feet. His body, already covered in metal.

Adrian's body increased in size and weight until he stood at the same nine-foot height as the Reaper. More importantly, he was a direct replica of the Reaper's frame, though he still looked human with a slightly hunched back.

"Let's see what's so special about your body frame," Adrian's voice resounded again in the Reaper's mind, provoking it further. The metal surrounding him flew into his hands, forming a metal javelin in seconds, which he hurled at the beast. A jarring sound akin to drawing on a scrape board with metal resounded. He had observed that the beast's ability to phase through things consumed too much stamina or energy, or both. He was certain the beast wouldn't use it this time, given its intelligence. The beast tried to dodge, but the short distance, speed, and javelin size made it impossible. The javelin penetrated the Reaper, pinning it to the ceiling of the dome.

[–15HP]

[10/750HP]

"Tsk… Tsk… Tsk," Adrian shook his head in disappointment. He had intended to mirror the Reaper's attack, even changing his frame, but he was still far from matching it. The javelin hadn't split the sound barrier, even after mirroring the Reaper's attack 100%.

The beast, no longer caring about the damage to its body, pushed with all its strength, allowing the spikes to go through its body. The hole marks quickly healed, allowing it to fight as if unhurt.

"This thing, why isn't it dead yet?" Adrian exclaimed.

He turned more chairs into metallic spikes and threw them at the Reaper again. This time, the Reaper dodged each spike with uncanny prediction and reflex. Its eyes were adjusting to the light, allowing it to see the spikes better each time.

"This beast possesses insane adaptability," Venok blurted.

As soon as the spikes left Adrian's side, the Reaper reacted, dodging each blow.

"Is it me, or did that thing just get faster?" Adrian said.

"This is bad. He isn't at full strength," Riott added. "If only there were two more ability users nearby."

The Reaper continued to move forward, avoiding every spike. When it was close enough, it swung its claw, deflecting the ones it couldn't dodge. In no time, it stood face to face with Adrian.