The Shadow Knights didn't give Jade a moment to breathe.
The instant his crimson greatsword returned to its normal form, several of them raised their weapons.
Dark arrows materialized above their bows.
Then—
WHOOSH!
Dozens of arrows tore through the corridor.
Jade's crimson eyes narrowed.
He didn't dodge.
Instead, streams of destructive Blood Flames erupted from his body.
Crimson fire spiraled around him like a raging storm.
The incoming arrows entered the flames.
One disappeared.
Then another.
Then another.
Within seconds, every arrow had been consumed.
The flames continued forward.
They swept across the nearest Shadow Knight.
The creature tried raising its sword.
Too late.
BOOM!
Crimson fire swallowed its body.
Its armor cracked.
Its shadow essence evaporated.
The creature's body collapsed into black dust.
Jade landed on the stone floor.
His feet touched the ground.
The impact sent a faint crimson glow spreading across the floor around him.
Every step he took afterward left behind a faint radiance.
His aura had become oppressive.
The Shadow Knights hesitated for only a fraction of a second.
Then one charged.
Its enormous sword rose above its head.
Jade watched it approach.
He didn't move.
The Shadow Knight swung.
SHING!
At the last possible moment, Jade's crimson greatsword transformed.
The blade dissolved into crimson particles.
Then—
A massive red mirror appeared in his hand.
The Shadow Knight's sword struck its surface.
CLANG!
The mirror didn't break.
Instead...
The Shadow Knight's own reflection appeared within it.
A perfect reflection.
Armor.
Sword.
Shadow.
Everything.
Then the reflected figure moved.
The Shadow Knight watched in confusion as the reflection raised its sword.
SLASH!
The reflected Shadow Knight was cut directly through the waist.
Its body separated into two pieces inside the mirror.
The real Shadow Knight froze.
Its eyes widened.
Then it looked down at itself.
A crimson line had appeared across its own body.
Blood-black essence began leaking from the wound.
Its body slowly separated.
Jade stared.
"What...?"
The Shadow Knight collapsed.
Its body split cleanly in half before crashing onto the floor.
Jade remained frozen for a moment.
He stared at the crimson mirror.
He had never seen anything like this.
He had used the sword countless times.
He knew it possessed incredible power.
But this?
He hadn't known the crimson greatsword could reflect attacks back onto an opponent's own body.
The mirror trembled.
Then it dissolved.
Crimson particles gathered together again.
The familiar greatsword reappeared in Jade's hand.
He tightened his grip.
"So you have another secret..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I'll remember that."
The remaining Shadow Knights didn't hesitate.
They charged simultaneously.
Jade's eyes sharpened.
His body vanished.
The first Shadow Knight suddenly felt something behind it.
Too late.
Jade appeared at its back.
His sword didn't even need to touch it.
A thin crimson line appeared across its neck.
Jade was already gone.
Another Shadow Knight turned.
Jade appeared beside it.
Another crimson line.
Then another.
And another.
His movements became impossible to follow.
He didn't waste a single motion.
One step.
One flash.
One cut.
Another Shadow Knight collapsed.
Then another.
Then another.
Within moments, several heads separated from their bodies.
The enormous armored corpses crashed onto the ancient stone floor.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Silence followed.
Jade stood in the middle of the corridor.
His sword hung loosely in his hand.
His breathing became heavier.
Then—
Something inside him changed.
A strange sensation crawled through his Soul Sea.
Cold.
Black.
Rotten.
Jade's expression immediately changed.
"...What?"
He felt something moving inside his soul.
Something black was spreading through his essence pathways.
Corroding.
Eating.
Destroying.
Jade immediately entered his Soul Sea.
The crimson ocean stretched beneath the dark heavens.
But something was wrong.
The once-powerful crimson essence was almost completely depleted.
The vast Blood Sea had become shallow.
Nearly empty.
Jade stared.
His expression became grim.
"My essence..."
He looked deeper.
Almost nothing remained.
He had consumed too much.
The God Body.
The Blood Flames.
The greatsword.
The Shadow Knights.
Everything had drained him.
Jade slowly exhaled.
"Damn it."
His crimson greatsword disappeared.
Then the God Body faded.
His golden-blonde hair returned to black.
His eyes returned to normal.
His skin returned to its ordinary appearance.
The overwhelming pressure surrounding him vanished.
Jade staggered slightly.
He caught himself against the wall.
The black corruption continued spreading.
His Blood Debt had awakened.
And this time...
There was no blood nearby.
---
Meanwhile...
Deep inside another section of the citadel...
Little Black was having the time of his life.
The tiny black cat sprawled across the ancient floor.
Jewelry covered its little body.
Necklaces.
Rings.
Bracelets.
Chains.
Small ornaments.
Anything shiny enough to attract its attention had already been collected.
Little Black looked extremely proud.
It had stolen most of the jewelry from the enormous skeleton's room.
The cat rolled onto its back.
A golden necklace slid across its chest.
Its eyes sparkled.
Beautiful.
It happily grabbed another ring.
Then—
It froze.
Something was behind it.
Little Black slowly turned.
The ancient skeleton was standing there.
The same skeleton that had previously been sitting motionlessly on the old chair.
Its black bones looked darker than before.
Its eye sockets glowed with terrifying red light.
Its jaw slowly opened.
There was no tongue.
No flesh.
No voice.
Only teeth.
And behind those teeth...
Pure darkness.
Little Black's fur immediately stood up.
Its eyes widened.
Oh.
The skeleton took one step forward.
BOOM.
Little Black didn't wait.
The tiny cat turned around and ran.
Fast.
Very fast.
Unfortunately—
The jewelry was a problem.
A bracelet wrapped around one of its legs.
Little Black tripped.
THUD!
The cat rolled across the floor.
It quickly looked behind itself.
The skeleton was coming.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Little Black's eyes widened.
It immediately activated its mind storage.
Every piece of jewelry disappeared from its body.
Gone.
Stored.
Then—
The cat jumped up and ran.
The skeleton raised one hand.
Darkness gathered around its fingers.
WHOOSH!
A stream of pure darkness shot across the room.
Little Black twisted sideways.
The darkness missed by inches.
It struck the wall.
BOOM!
The ancient stone exploded.
Little Black didn't stop.
Another attack came.
Then another.
Dark spears formed from the surrounding darkness.
They shot toward the fleeing cat.
Little Black jumped.
One spear passed beneath its belly.
Another grazed its back.
A third struck its leg.
Little Black cried out.
But it continued running.
It didn't know exactly where it was going.
It only knew one thing.
Away.
Away from the skeleton.
Toward Jade.
Master!
Master!
MASTER!
The cat sprinted through the corridors.
The skeleton followed.
Its footsteps shook the ancient citadel.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Everywhere the darkness passed, ancient stone cracked.
Little Black was injured.
Blood stained its fur.
Its breathing became frantic.
But it kept moving.
Because Jade was nearby.
And if there was one thing Little Black trusted...
It was Jade.
---
Back in the main corridor...
Jade staggered forward.
His head felt strangely light.
His body was burning.
His Soul Sea was nearly empty.
The black corruption continued eating away at him.
Then—
He heard something.
A faint sound.
Running.
Jade slowly raised his head.
"What...?"
A tiny figure appeared around the corner.
Little Black.
The cat was covered in wounds.
Its fur was stained with blood.
Its breathing was desperate.
Jade stared.
For some reason...
Something inside him snapped.
His throat became dry.
His vision changed.
The world suddenly looked different.
Every living thing around him became...
Blood.
He could smell it.
Feel it.
Sense it.
The blood inside the bodies of the Shadow Knights.
The blood inside Little Black.
The blood inside himself.
His heart began pounding.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The Blood Debt was taking control.
Jade's eyes slowly turned crimson.
His teeth sharpened.
His breathing became rough.
He wanted blood.
Not food.
Not essence.
Blood.
Pure blood.
Little Black finally saw him.
Its eyes widened.
Master!
The cat jumped forward.
At the same moment—
The skeleton appeared behind it.
The creature stepped into the corridor.
Its red eyes locked onto Jade.
For the first time...
The skeleton stopped.
It sensed something.
Something ancient.
Something dangerous.
Jade didn't notice.
He only saw the cat.
Blood.
So much blood.
Little Black desperately jumped.
"Finally!"
The tiny cat landed directly on Jade's shoulder.
It wrapped its paws around him.
Jade's hand immediately closed around the cat.
Little Black froze.
It looked up.
Jade's crimson eyes stared directly into its own.
The cat's expression changed.
Master?
Jade didn't answer.
His mouth opened.
His fangs sank into Little Black.
The cat cried out.
Pain shot through its body.
Jade began drinking.
Blood entered his mouth.
Warm.
Rich.
Powerful.
The effect was immediate.
The corruption inside his body slowed.
The black veins spreading across his skin began retreating.
Jade's breathing became steadier.
His hunger became quieter.
But the pain didn't disappear.
Little Black felt everything.
And because of their connection...
Jade felt it too.
For a moment, he almost stopped.
Then the taste of blood overwhelmed everything.
The hunger won.
Little Black's eyes widened.
Then—
Its consciousness entered Jade's mind.
The moment it arrived...
It froze.
Jade's mind was nothing like it expected.
Darkness.
Blood.
Broken memories.
Twisted corridors.
Countless dead faces.
A crimson ocean.
A black sky.
Something enormous lurking beneath the surface.
Little Black felt fear.
Real fear.
This wasn't simply a mind.
It was a battlefield.
A prison.
A monster's nest.
Little Black immediately fled.
It escaped Jade's consciousness before the darkness could touch it.
When it emerged again...
It wasn't in Jade's mind.
It appeared inside another Soul Sea.
A beautiful Soul Sea.
Golden light shimmered across a peaceful landscape.
Soft clouds floated beneath a radiant sky.
The atmosphere was warm.
Safe.
Little Black looked around in confusion.
Then it realized where it was.
Aviana's Soul Sea.
The cat quickly hid there.
Back in the corridor...
Jade suddenly felt the connection disappear.
He frowned.
He didn't understand where his victim had gone.
But he had already consumed enough blood.
The effect was working.
The black corruption retreated rapidly.
His hunger weakened.
His crimson eyes slowly returned to normal.
His fangs disappeared.
His black veins faded.
His hair changed back.
The monstrous pressure vanished.
Jade's skin returned to its ordinary color.
His body finally relaxed.
Then—
His knees gave out.
THUD.
Jade collapsed onto the ancient floor.
Unconscious.
The skeleton remained several meters away.
It had not attacked.
It simply stared at Jade.
For several seconds...
Its red eyes flickered.
Then the skeleton slowly stepped backward.
One step.
Another.
And then—
Its body dissolved.
Darkness swallowed its bones.
It vanished completely.
---
Far beyond the citadel...
Beyond the Spiritual Realm.
Beyond worlds that ordinary beings could never perceive...
A vast void stretched endlessly.
There was no sky.
No ground.
No stars.
Only darkness.
The skeleton appeared within that void.
Its body was kneeling.
Before it stood an incomprehensible deity.
The deity's presence alone made the surrounding void tremble.
The skeleton lowered its head.
Its voice was ancient.
Cold.
"Blood King's heir has been born."
Silence.
Then the deity finally spoke.
Its voice carried no emotion.
"Finally."
A pause.
"The last heir I can bless."
The deity's eyes seemed to glow within the darkness.
"The others died fruitlessly."
Its voice became colder.
"This one..."
"...must not fail me."
The skeleton lowered its head further.
"What are your orders?"
The deity raised one hand.
"Bring forth his body."
The void trembled.
Something enormous began moving in the darkness behind the deity.
Something that had been waiting for a very long time.
The deity looked toward the distant Spiritual Realm.
Toward Jade.
Toward the boy lying unconscious inside the ancient citadel.
And for the first time...
Something resembling anticipation appeared within its voice.
"Let us see..."
"...whether this heir can survive where the others failed."
The darkness swallowed everything.
And somewhere inside the citadel...
Jade remained unconscious.
Unaware that his awakening had been witnessed by something far older than the gods themselves.