This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Main Arena – Supernova College Waiting Area, 30 Minutes Before the Match

The lights were dimmed, but not for dramatic effect. They had to be. Any brighter and the thing in the corner would get…aggressive.

It was curled up now, coiled in on itself. The Hemogloom Slagbeast didn't blink even once as it stared at the tense Supernova College students waiting nervously for the match to start—not that it could if it wanted to. Its eyes were just open sockets—blood-filled and pulsing—watching, waiting.

Rather than the upcoming match, it was that bloody gaze that unnerved the students more. Well, except for its owner who was cooing and feeding it like it was a cute puppy.

Nikolai knelt beside it with a small crate.

Inside: a handful of squealing, panicked field mice. They thrashed violently against one another, sensing what came next.

"Don't you dare open that here," muttered one of his teammates, a tall second-year with a steel-pierced ear and a grimace already forming. "You could've done this outside. Like, far outside."

But Nikolai didn't acknowledge him. The kid was from a noble house far inferior to his own. Honestly, it would be a disgrace to even call that fallen house as part of the nobility. Naturally, his words were like air to Nikolai.

Nikolai, ignoring him, undid the crate's latch slowly, deliberately, like peeling off a scab just to feel the sting.

A girl on the team—noble background, pretty in that delicate glass figurine kind of way—stood off to the side, arms folded tightly.

She winced as the first mouse hit the ground, squealing.

And then winced harder as the Slagbeast surged forward and devoured it in a wet, crunching slurp as the mouse's screams were cut off by the sickening crunch of its tiny bones.

"…Why does it need to be living?" she asked, voice small, hands half-raised to shield her face.

"It only accepts fresh blood," Nikolai replied casually, picking up a second mouse. "And the more fresh blood the stronger it will be."

The girl looked like she might be sick. "Then why here? There's a training yard. Or an alleyway outside. Or literally anywhere but—"

Nikolai turned.

His crimson eyes locked on hers, unsettlingly intense. His voice dropped just above a whisper, but it carried too easily.

"I like to watch you squirm like a little mouse," he said.

Then, with perfect timing, he tossed the second mouse into the air.

The Hemogloom Slagbeast caught it mid-squeal.

The girl froze, a full-body shiver running down her spine.

But instead of flinching or storming out… she ducked her head slightly.

And blushed.

The male teammate from earlier gawked at her. Then at Nikolai. Then back again.

'What… is that vampire rizz or something? Handsome guys really can get away with saying the most insane shit.'

One final squeal. One last mouse gone.

Nikolai wiped his gloves on a black cloth and stood.

The Slagbeast stirred again, its body twitching like it had just been electrified.

"Now it's ready," he said calmly. "When you compare its performance on stage to during training, you'll see why fresh is best."

None of them asked for further details.

They just hoped they wouldn't have to see the likely disgusting future scene that resulted up close…

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The National Tournament—Main Arena, Stage 4

The moment Kain stepped onto the stage, the atmosphere shifted. There was a high degree of both tension and anticipation in the arena as Kain opened up the match for the first time in the tournament.

Nikolai was already present. Already waiting.

The cheers didn't fade. They roared louder.

"Although the Sanguine family is a little creepy," PrematureFinisher said, "I could almost kiss him for being able to draw Kain out."

Bromance: I always knew you were sus Premie. Can I add some Premie X Nikolai fanart to my collection 🤨

BloodLetter999: They're doing this again?? IN ROUND ONE???

VoidMancer: Kain looks sharper than last year. I predict that he'll win again. Anyone want to make a bet?

RedLineRoyal: Nikolai won't lose twice. He can't.

CuteButTerrifying: If the creepy wraithe from last year comes out again I'm muting my screen.

Both sides now stood still—two legacies on divergent paths. One, trying to prove that last year was not a fluke. The other, desperate to reclaim his lost pride lost in front of the nation.

The referee began listing the rules aloud. But neither combatant listened. Not really.

Their attention was already locked onto each other.

"Begin summoning!" the referee called.

Nikolai moved first.

A crimson tear split the air as his Crimson Wraith emerged—part shade, part vapour, part living spite. It hovered behind him, like a long, tattered black cloak made of tentacle-like tendrils writhing about.

Next came the familiar Blood Flame Hound…A major source of Kain's trauma last-year. It drooled molten heat, the scent of iron and ash thick around it. Even from a distance, some of the front-row viewers flinched as its aura hit them despite there being a transparent barrier surrounding the stage.

And then came the last. And, unfortunately like Kain anticipated, it was not the same serpent as last year.

The Hemogloom Slagbeast appeared for the first time in front of the nation, and for the first time, the crowd reacted to Nikolai with as much noise as they did Kain—although it was mostly negative due to the appearance of the beast.

The Hemogloom Slagbeast lumbered forward, each step sticky and wet, despite the stone beneath it. A quadrupedal creature with a semi-molten hide of dark crimson ore and jagged bone ridges, it looked like something unearthed from a cursed forge. Chunks of its body pulsed as if filled with thick, molten blood—but its most disturbing feature was the ribcage. Instead of a mouth, its torso split open vertically, each side peeling back like a set of flesh-forged doors to reveal a gaping, blood-lined hole. Sluggish, viscous blood dripped steadily from the ribcage bone's 'lips' around the open cavity and flowed… upward. Defying gravity. Threading into the air in strings that hissed as they curled back into its chest. The air warped faintly around it, like heat rising off metal—but the pressure felt wrong. Like it bled into you just by being nearby.

Nikolai turned to the audience, spreading his arms with the flair of a noble born for war.

"I hope you all remember this moment," he said smoothly. "Because I'll only be fighting once today."

This was a very clear declaration of him and Supernova beating Kain, and the rest of Dark Moon College, in only two matches—the 1v1 and 3v3. No need for the 5v5. Hence, his proclamation of only fighting once that day since the 1v1 participant usually would not participate in the 3v3 unless the 1v1 was extremely easy.

The boos and cheers mixed, but Kain didn't respond to the obvious jab. Once Nikolai loses, he'd look like a clown for that declaration anyway.