Vampire With A System

Chapter 35: No Competition

’Clean the arena floors! Moving directly into the fourth match! Step forward, the silent Evan! Facing off against the Singer... Bruce!’

Even as the names bounced off the towering stone , the spectators in the colosseum stalls weren’t fully listening.

The arena was practically only thinking about the lingering shock of the previous fight.

Thousands of people were still frantically whispering, their eyes darting between the exit gate where Kyle had vanished and the place where Hannah had went to after winning the match.

’Did you see that? A fledgling pulling out a permanent Nightmare Path Blood Worm?’ an older cultivator muttered in the mid-tier rows, shaking his head.

’That probably isn’t academy training... no it definitely isn’t. She has to be a hidden variable. I bet she is a secret disciple of Elder Darcy.’

Up in the pavilion, high above the roaring masses, the man in question sat reclined in his ornate jade chair.

Elder Darcy, a figure wrapped in flowing, charcoal-gray robes that seemed to swallow the ambient sunlight, heard the rumors drifting up from the lower tiers.

A slow, thin smile crept across his weathered face. free𝑤ebnovel.com

It wasn’t his usual cold, calculating smirk.

it was an genuine, admiring smile aimed directly at Hannah’s tactical restraint and sudden brutal execution.

He appreciated a cultivator who knew exactly when to spring a trap.

Sitting a few seats down, Levi was practically vibrating with pure, unadulterated excitement.

His eyes were locked onto the arena floor, anticipating the raw violence of the upcoming match between Evan and Bruce, but the surrounding gossip was too loud to ignore.

He leaned over the polished wooden armrest, looking toward Darcy.

’Elder Darcy! The whole lower ring is placing bets that the girl belongs to your hidden court. Is she truly your disciple? Did you teach her that emerald serpent technique? I don’t think a Fledgling can use a Nightmare Thoughts Blood Worm... leave using it, how can she know about such a fantastic thing... shopkeepers don’t give these type of blood worms to anybody.’

Darcy let out a low, gravelly laugh that echoed like grinding stones, waving his hand dismissively.

’The world loves to give me credit for a genius I haven’t bought, Levi. Let them wonder,’ he said, not answering the latter question.

Before Levi could press further, the heavy silk curtains at the back of the pavilion rustled.

The ambient temperature in the VIP box plummeted instantly, a sudden, heavy pressure announcing the arrival of two formidable figures.

Steping through the threshold were the two legends whose names carried immense weight throughout the sect, the Adept Vampire and Core Disciple, Harry, alongside Lord Elder Wu Xuan.

The elders in the pavilion shifted, a quiet wave of respect passing through the room as everyone turned to greet them.

Harry stepped forward first, executing a fluid, perfectly measured bow.

He was in a midnight black robe that seemed like a liquid shadow with every step he took.

But what drew everyone’s eye, and instantly sent a cold shiver down the spines of the weaker cultivators (the guards of the elders) was the object secured tightly to the right side of his waist.

It was his signature ivory porcelain mask.

The mask was a masterpiece of haunting craftsmanship, its pristine white surface intricately etched with vine-like black filigree that twisted across the cheeks like creeping winter frost.

The eye sockets were sharp, hollow voids, and the lips were painted a stark, unnatural black, creating a terrifyingly static, doll-like visage.

It was an object of profound, paradoxical beauty.

Every time someone looked at it, they felt a chilled spine from its pure creepiness, yet they couldn’t look away, utterly fascinated by its artistic elegance.

’It is an absolute pleasure to be in the presence of the Lord Elders today,’ Harry said, his voice smooth.

Wu Xuan, walking beside him with the steady, mountain-like presence of a true master, laughed the formal greeting off with a chuckle.

’Save the courtly politics for meetings, Harry! We’re here to see blood and talent.’

The newcomers took their seats, their powerful gazes instantly dropping down to the sand below, where the atmosphere had turned incredibly hostile.

Down in the ring, Evan and Bruce were already standing face-to-face.

Between them stood the veteran referee, a seasoned expert who had been in over hundreds of death matches.

Yet, as he looked at the two young men before him, the referee felt the hairs on his arms stand up.

A thick, invisible cloud of extreme killing intent was radiating from both combatants, clashing in the center of the ring like grinding iron plates.

Bruce, his aura thick with aggressive rage.

Evan, who stood completely still, his hands resting loosely inside his sleeves, his dark eyes void of emotion.

It was the clash of a raging wildfire against a bottomless freezing abyss.

The killing intent was so dense it was practically choking out the referee, well almost.

Bruce spat into the sand, a cruel smirk twisting his scarred face.

’I’m going to break you, boy.’

Evan didn’t flinch.

He slowly pulled his hands from his sleeves, his dark eyes locking onto his opponent with a freezing, dead stare. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

’Many have tried,’ Evan whispered.

’All of them are dead,’ he said thinking of all those half-deads

Back in the dim shadows of the competitor tunnel, Hannah and Santiago stood shoulder-to-shoulder, watching the final preparations.

Hannah was still catching her breath, the residual warmth of her Qi Nourishing worm stabilizing her aperture, but her eyes were glued to Evan’s rigid back.

’Santiago,’ Hannah whispered nervously, clutching her robes.

’Bruce is a monster in long combat. His Musical cultivation is famous among the outer disciples, people say he could be a Peak Stage Awakened by now and yet he still chose to be here, and his killing intent is insane.’

’Who... who do you honestly think is going to win this?"

Santiago didn’t look at her.

His gaze remained fixed entirely on Evan’s solitary figure standing out in the glaring sun of the arena.

His posture was perfectly straight, his noble face reflecting an absolute, unwavering devotion.

A faint, cold smile touched Santiago’s lips, and his voice carried a chilling certainty that left zero room for doubt.

’Who else could it possibly be, Hannah?’ Santiago replied softly, his eyes flashing with dark pride.

’There is no competition. The victory belongs to Evan.’