Sloff's expression changed instantly.
Shock flashed through his massive eyes.
He hadn't expected a skeleton—of all things—to move with such terrifying speed, slipping past his charge as if gravity itself had failed. And that crimson blade aura…
It sent a primal chill down his spine.
Through countless battles, Sloff had faced monsters, elites, and killers who thrived on bloodshed—but never anything like this. His instincts screamed danger.
If that blade struck him head-on, he would be cleaved apart.
There was no time to retreat.
As Lin lan closed the distance in a blur, Sloff relied on instinct honed through years of slaughter. He swung both bear claws in a desperate arc, aiming not to dodge—but to seize the blade itself.
"BOOM!"
Steel and bone collided with a thunderous impact.
The force of the clash detonated outward, and both figures were blasted apart, skidding across the arena floor before regaining their footing.
Lin lan landed lightly, twisting the Bloodslaughter Bone Blade in his grip, posture calm and composed.
Sloff, however, dropped to one knee with a howl of agony.
Blood sprayed violently from his right wrist, staining his snow-white fur a deep, horrifying red.
One of his massive bear claws had been cleanly severed.
It lay several meters away, still twitching.
Sloff stared at the stump in disbelief—then slowly lifted his gaze toward Lin lan, fury and fear warring in his eyes.
Impossible.
His claws could rip through tank armor like paper. Hardened steel bent beneath them. And yet—
They had been sliced off in a single strike.
How was that even possible?
The arena erupted into collective disbelief.
Nearly a hundred thousand spectators gasped at once, the sound crashing like a wave. No one—no one—had imagined this outcome.
A skeleton.
The weakest, most disposable undead.
Had just maimed the Bloody Polar Bear—the most hyped rising star in the Dark Arena.
"This… this has to be a mistake!" the fat man from earlier stammered, his face drained of color.
"An accident," someone muttered weakly beside him, though even they didn't sound convinced.
Before the shock could settle, Lin lan moved again.
The Bloodslaughter Bone Blade carved a cold, elegant arc through the air, its whistle sharp and lethal.
Sloff's pupils contracted.
For the first time since entering the Dark Arena—
He retreated.
Step after step, the mighty polar bear backed away, something he had never done before.
Lin lan pressed forward relentlessly.
The crimson blade light hovered over Sloff like the edge of death itself, suffocating, inescapable. Every breath became labor. Every second felt closer to annihilation.
Fear crept into Sloff's heart.
No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free from Lin lan's pursuit.
If this continued, he would die.
Grinding his teeth, Sloff made a brutal decision.
Instead of retreating, he stopped—and charged forward.
Lin lan thrust without hesitation.
The bone blade pierced deep into Sloff's shoulder with a sickening hiss, driving nearly through his massive frame.
Lin lan twisted the blade, preparing to strike again—
And froze.
The weapon wouldn't move.
Sloff had locked it in place.
Muscle and bone clenched around the blade like a vice.
Blood poured from Sloff's maw as he grinned savagely, eyes blazing with cruelty.
"Your strength exceeds my expectations," he growled. "But you rely too much on that strange blade. Without it, you're nothing but worthless bones."
He raised his remaining claw, power coiling violently.
"Now die."
The punch came down like a falling mountain.
Lin lan didn't flinch.
Instead, he smiled.
"Is that really what you think?" he said calmly. "Then you're gravely mistaken."
Dark mist surged at his fingertips.
Death energy spiraled, dense and suffocating, forming the ancient character for Bind.
"Bind Soul—Restrain Spirit!"
The character 缚 shot forward like a black meteor, slamming into Sloff's body.
In an instant, something invaded him.
Not flesh.
Not bone.
But deeper.
The force burrowed into his existence itself, wrapping around his soul like an invisible net.
Sloff's claw crashed down mere inches from Lin lan's skull—then stopped.
Completely.
It wouldn't move another inch.
"What… what is this?!"
He tried to roar.
Tried to struggle.
Nothing responded.
His body no longer obeyed him.
Worse still—
His soul was no longer his own.
It was bound.
Trapped.
Like a beast caught in an inescapable snare.
"With or without the Bloodslaughter Bone Blade," Lin lan said evenly, slowly drawing the weapon free, "I am no ordinary skeleton."
Death energy surged into the blade.
The dim crimson glow reignited—sharper, deadlier than before.
"Die."
Lin lan brought the blade down.
"BOOM!"
The explosion ripped through the arena floor, tearing open a fissure three meters long and a meter deep.
When the dust settled—
Sloff was gone.
All that remained were scattered chunks of flesh and blood, strewn across the shattered stone.
Silence fell.
Absolute silence.
The arena was so quiet one could hear breathing.
Every spectator stared in stunned disbelief, minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed.
A skeleton.
A lowly undead.
Had annihilated the Bloody Polar Bear.
Who would believe such a thing?
And yet—it had happened.
Right before their eyes.
Slowly… someone began to clap.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Then thousands.
The applause swelled into a thunderous roar, shaking the arena to its core.
"A miracle…!" the referee shouted hoarsely, barely able to contain his disbelief. "An unprecedented miracle! In his very first appearance, the mysterious skeleton warrior from the East has defeated Russia's Bloody Polar Bear!"
His voice cracked as he roared:
"Let us cheer for the creator of this miracle—Lin lan!"
"Lin lan!!"
"LIN LAN!!"
"LIN LAN!!!"
The crowd erupted.
Even those who had lost their bets screamed his name.
In the Dark Arena, only one truth mattered—
The strong were eternal.
And tonight, a new legend had been born.