The roar of the Colosseum was deafening. Thirty thousand students, nobles, and faculty members screamed for blood.
"Kill the traitor!" "Burn the trash!" "For the Ice Queen!"
Kaelen stood in the center of the sandy arena, listening to the chants. He wasn't wearing armor. He wore the same tattered, blood-stained uniform he had climbed out of the Abyss with. His only weapon was his father's Mithril sword, held loosely at his side.
Opposite him, twenty meters away, stood Rian.
Rian looked like a god of war. He was clad in golden Sun-Forged Armor—a gift from the Headmaster, no doubt. His sword wreathed in magical flames, distorting the air around him.
"It's not too late to surrender, Kaelen," Rian shouted, his voice amplified by wind magic so the crowd could hear his 'mercy'. "Admit you lied. Admit you were corrupted by the darkness, and I will make your death quick."
Kaelen looked up at the VIP box. The Headmaster sat there, stone-faced. Beside him, Elara watched with a handkerchief pressed to her mouth.
And in the front row of the student section, standing perfectly still as ordered, was Seraphina. She looked pale, her eyes locked on Kaelen.
'Connection check,' Kaelen thought.
[Passive Activated: Soul Echo.]
[Vassal Status: Synced.]
[Mana Reserve: 100%.]
"You talk too much, Rian," Kaelen said, his voice cutting through the cheers. "The Abyss was quiet. I preferred it."
"Then go back there!" Rian roared.
BOOM.
Rian launched himself forward. The sand exploded beneath his boots. He was fast—Level 15 stats boosted by high-tier equipment.
"Flame Arts: Blazing Cross!"
Rian slashed twice, sending two arcs of concentrated fire hurtling toward Kaelen.
The crowd cheered. It was a lethal move. Unblockable.
Kaelen didn't block. He stepped forward.
Slip.
He tilted his head to the left. The vertical slash singed his ear. He twisted his hips to the right. The horizontal slash scorched his ribs.
He moved with the minimal economy of motion he had learned dodging Scavengers in pitch-black tunnels. He didn't waste a millimeter.
"Is that it?" Kaelen asked, stepping through the dissipating flames.
"You got lucky!" Rian snarled. He closed the distance, unleashing a flurry of strikes. The golden sword clashed against Kaelen's Mithril blade.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew. Kaelen was being pushed back. Rian had the strength advantage. Every blow sent a shockwave through Kaelen's arms.
But Kaelen wasn't trying to win the exchange. He was analyzing.
'He overextends on the overhead swing. He leaves his left flank open when he casts. He fights like a duelist who expects the referee to stop the fight if it gets too dangerous.'
"You fight like a child," Kaelen taunted, parrying a thrust and slapping Rian across the face with the flat of his blade.
Smack.
The sound echoed across the arena. The crowd went silent.
Rian stumbled back, clutching his helmet. The disrespect was palpable.
"I am the Hero of the Fissure!" Rian screamed, his face twisting in ugly rage. "I have the S-Rank Talent! I am the sun!"
"You're a flashlight," Kaelen deadpanned. "And your battery is running low."
That broke him.
Rian's eyes turned white. The mana around him began to spiral out of control. The golden armor glowed red-hot.
"Die! Just die, you cockroach!"
Rian raised his sword to the sky. The temperature in the arena skyrocketed. The sand began to turn to glass.
"Talent Activation: Solar Flare!"
A massive sphere of plasma, resembling a miniature sun, formed above Rian's blade. It pulsed with enough energy to vaporize a tank.
"He's going to kill him!" a student screamed. "Headmaster, stop the match!"
The Headmaster leaned forward, but he didn't intervene. He wanted to see if the 'Sin Eater' burned.
Kaelen stopped moving. He sheathed his sword.
He stood there, arms open, as if embracing the execution.
'Now,' Kaelen commanded internally.
[Soul Bond: Maximum Draw.]
In the stands, Seraphina gasped. Her knees buckled as her mana was violently ripped from her body. It flowed invisible through the air, snapping into Kaelen like a lifeline.
Rian brought the sword down.
The sun fell on Kaelen.
ROAR!
The explosion shook the foundations of the arena. A pillar of white fire erupted, consuming Kaelen completely. The heat was so intense the front row of the audience had to shield their eyes.
"Kaelen!" Seraphina whispered, slumping against the railing.
Rian stood panting, sweat dripping from his chin. He smiled. "Dust. Nothing but dust."
But as the fire began to fade, a shadow remained.
Standing in the center of the molten glass crater was a figure. His clothes were gone, burned to ash. His skin was charred black, cracking like dried mud.
But he was standing.
And under the cracked, burnt skin... a golden light was pulsing. Seraphina's mana, fueling the [Sin Eater's] regeneration at hyper-speed.
Crack. Snap.
The charred skin peeled away, revealing fresh, unblemished muscle underneath.
Kaelen opened his eyes. They weren't violet anymore. They were hungry.
"My turn," Kaelen rasped.
He vanished. [Shadow Step].
Rian didn't even have time to widen his eyes.
Kaelen reappeared directly in front of him. He grabbed Rian's face with his left hand—the hand of the Abyss.
"No... how..." Rian gurgled, paralyzed by the sheer killing intent flooding into his brain.
"You cast the fire," Kaelen whispered, his thumb pressing into Rian's eye socket. "Now pay the cost."
[Ding!]
[Condition Met: Survived S-Rank Attack directly.]
[Condition Met: Target is in a state of 'Total Defeat'.]
[Ability: Sin Eater fully active.]
[Consuming Target's Talent...]
Black mist erupted from Kaelen's arm, engulfing Rian's head. Rian screamed—a sound of pure, primal terror as he felt something being ripped from his very soul.
The golden light of his armor flickered and died. The fire in his veins turned cold.
[ERROR.]
[Talent is incompatible with Host's Physiology.]
[Initiating Mutation...]
[Success.]
[Stolen Talent: Solar Flare (S-Rank) -> Mutated to: Abyssal Sun (S-Rank).]
[Description: Generates a flame of pure darkness that consumes light and heat. Burns the soul, not the flesh.]
Kaelen released his grip.
Rian fell to the ground. He was alive, but his eyes were vacant. He looked at his hands, trying to summon a spark. Nothing happened.
"My magic..." Rian whimpered. "Where is my magic?"
Kaelen stood over him, the black flames of the [Abyssal Sun] igniting around his fist. It didn't give off heat; it made the air freeze.
"I ate it," Kaelen said loud enough for the entire silent arena to hear.
He looked up at the VIP box, locking eyes with the horrified Headmaster.
"The duel is over," Kaelen declared. "The trash has been taken out."
He didn't kill Rian. Killing him would be mercy. Leaving him alive, powerless, in a world that only valued strength... that was the true punishment.
Kaelen turned and walked away, the black fire extinguishing as he calmed his mana. He looked at the stands, finding Seraphina's exhausted face.
He gave her a single, sharp nod.
'Good work, battery.'
As he walked toward the exit tunnel, the System chimed one last time.
[Ding!]
[Reputation Updated: The Monster of Celestia.]
[Warning: The 'Church of Light' has marked you as a Priority Target.]
Kaelen smiled.
Let them come. He was still hungry.