The skies over southern Greece churned with ancient fury. Thunder rumbled not from weather, but from the sheer presence of divine will—a pressure so thick it bent the air. Beneath this heavy sky, an old man in a long coat stepped from the shadows of a crumbling ruin.
Isshin Arima, silver-haired, cloaked in the silence of a predator, had arrived.
The site was a forgotten battlefield of the ancients, where bones and broken weapons still whispered of blood spilled centuries ago. Magic clung to the stones like ash. In the center stood a figure clad in crimson bronze—muscles taut, spear in hand, eyes burning like twin suns.
Ares, Heretic God of War, turned slowly toward the intruder. His smile was a grim curve of amusement.
"You are not one of my children," Ares said, his voice deep like an avalanche. "Nor a believer. What are you, old one?"
Isshin gave a short bow, formal yet mocking.
"I am a businessman," he said softly. "And today, I've come to negotiate with your corpse."
Ares laughed, a sound that cracked the air. "A mortal with death in his mouth. Tell me your name, fool."
"Isshin Arima. Owner of Arima Holdings. And the next Campione."
Lightning struck behind them, as if to underline the declaration. Frostmourne at Isshin's side pulsed with a cold hunger, and the veins beneath his skin darkened, crawling up like vines.
[System Notice: Initiating Combat Mode]
[Awakening Stage I – Vampire Devil Fruit: Activated]
[Soul Extraction: Enabled]
Ares raised his spear. "Very well, Arima. Bleed for me."
And so it began.
Ares charged with divine fury, the ground shattering beneath his feet. His spear blurred through the air like a red comet. But Isshin was faster than he looked—he vanished in a haze of shadows, reappearing behind the god with his hand outstretched.
CRACK!
Isshin struck Ares's back with a single palm, not to wound, but to siphon. Dark tendrils coiled from his fingers, sinking into Ares's divine aura, draining vitality directly.
Ares staggered, snarling, but spun and countered with a vicious slash of his spear. It tore through Isshin's coat, spilling a trail of blood—but the old man grinned through the pain.
"I see," Isshin muttered. "You bleed like the rest of us. Good."
The two danced in brutal motion—Ares with relentless physical power, Isshin with precise, parasitic strikes. Each blow Isshin landed stole fragments of divine essence, weakening the god slowly, subtly.
"You leech," Ares spat, driving his foot into Isshin's chest. The impact sent Isshin flying into a broken pillar. "You think draining me will be enough? I AM WAR."
Isshin pulled himself from the rubble, eyes glowing a deep red. His fangs had emerged, and his body had begun to change—less human, more predator.
"No," he replied. "But it's a start."
[Life Force Absorption: 11%]
[Combat Duration Bonus Active – Power Amplified]
Ares roared, charging again, and the earth split beneath his fury. This time, Isshin didn't dodge. He caught the spear in both hands, blood erupting from his palms as divine energy tried to burn through him.
But he held.
With unnatural strength, Isshin twisted the spear away and pulled Ares closer, face to face. "The more you struggle," he whispered, "the stronger I become."
With his forehead pressed to Ares's, Isshin triggered a surge of vampiric drain. The god's eyes widened as he felt his strength seep away—stolen by a man who refused to bow.
And in the storm-lit ruins, the god of war realized:
This mortal wasn't here to challenge him.
He was here to consume him.