Bloody Odyssey

Chapter 100 100

The two domains collided in a cataclysm of holy light and corrupted blood. Golden calligraphy burned across the sky while the Apostle's crimson domain spread like a plague, each trying to devour the other. Shockwaves rippled outward, shaking the ruins and drawing fresh blood from everything caught in their wake.

In the heart of this violent struggle, a battered figure flickered into existence behind the Apostle.

Sching!

A blood-soaked blade slashed across the Apostle's shoulder, carving a deep gash. The Fifth Apostle jerked forward with a grunt of pain and surprise.

"You're still alive?" the Apostle spat, turning slightly. "I'm sure I pierced deep enough to kill you."

Ever Sword stood there, swaying on unsteady legs. Blood drenched his entire body, dripping steadily from countless wounds. His face was pale as death, yet his eyes burned with unyielding resolve. A faint, defiant smile tugged at his lips despite the agony.

Beneath his feet, a large puddle of blood rippled unnaturally. From its depths, grotesque child-like figures began crawling out — twisted, blood-soaked abominations with hollow eyes and jagged claws. They unleashed frantic, mindless attacks at Ever Sword, clawing and biting at his legs and torso with horrifying hunger.

The captain gritted his teeth and swung his blade in wide arcs, cutting down the blood children even as more emerged. His breathing was ragged, but he refused to fall.

The Apostle turned his back fully on Ever Sword, focusing once more on the greater threat. His eyes locked onto Nadia, who stood firm amid the golden radiance. In her grip was the same broken, mocked blade.

Nadia's voice cut through the chaos, cold and filled with unshakable conviction. "This broken sword… shall sever your head."

The Apostle laughed mockingly, but his eyes showed a flicker of irritation.

In the distance, Alfonzo clenched his fists, sweat pouring down his face. He desperately tried to circulate his mana, but the newly awakened power inside him felt foreign and unstable. His body urged the energy forward like always, yet it resisted, twisting in unnatural ways.

If only I could manifest that gun…

Frustration boiled inside him. He felt useless, left behind while others fought desperately. Doubt clouded his mind — shallow but poisonous. Am I really worthy of this power?

Then, in the middle of his chaotic thoughts, a calm and oddly familiar voice echoed in his head.

You already know what you are.

Alfonzo looked up. Floating before him was the true image of the gun — ethereal, alien, and pulsing with dangerous blue energy. Their "eyes" met.

That single moment of connection triggered everything.

Alfonzo's pale skin began producing translucent scales that shimmered like liquid glass. His skull split with a sickening crack, reforming as two thick, powerful tails emerged and swept the ground, moving with eerie consciousness. His pupils turned digital, glowing with pixelated precision. At the center of his forehead, a third eye slowly opened, radiating cold mechanical intelligence.

His new form felt… right.

"This is way better," Alfonzo muttered, his voice layered with an unnatural resonance.

He flicked his finger. The Blue Death manifested instantly in his hand — a sleek, otherworldly firearm with curved, dangerous needles pulsing with lethal energy.

Without hesitation, he raised it and pulled the trigger.

BOOM!

An intense kinetic blast tore through the air, screaming with raw destructive force and tenacity. The projectile left a visible trail of distorted space behind it.

The Apostle sensed the sudden danger and whipped around. "Another ant—"

His words died in his throat. His eyes widened in visible disgust at the sight of Alfonzo's transformed body — the scales, the twin tails, the digital eyes, and the grotesque third eye staring back at him.

"What… abomination is this?" the Apostle snarled, pure revulsion twisting his features. "You dare show such a filthy, unnatural form in my presence?"

His outrage was immediately interrupted.

"Where are you looking?" Nadia's voice rang out coldly.

A devastating barrage of golden light exploded from her palms. The Apostle was forced to block the holy assault, grunting as the impacts pushed him back.

At that exact moment, space glitched beside him.

Kakarai appeared out of thin air, his body flickering and stuttering like a broken video feed. He unleashed a relentless series of hundreds of kicks in the span of seconds — each one glitching through time and space, striking the Apostle from impossible angles with bone-shattering force.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

The Apostle roared in fury and disgust, blood spraying from fresh wounds as he tried to fend off the chaotic assault. "Enough of this filth!"

Yet even as he raged, a dark, crimson delight began to bloom deep within his eyes. The more these insects resisted, the more entertaining their eventual suffering would become. His lips curled into a sadistic smile even through the pain.

The battlefield had become complete chaos.

Ever Sword fought desperately against the blood children at his feet. Nadia maintained her radiant domain with burning determination. Alfonzo stood transformed, Blue Death humming in his grip. And Kakarai continued his glitching, relentless barrage.

The Fifth Apostle bled from multiple wounds, yet his aura only grew darker and more terrifying.

—-

High above the raging battlefield, untouched by the chaos below, two figures hovered in serene silence.

Dax floated with his hand gently interlocked with Madeka's. His posture was relaxed, almost casual, yet his sharp eyes missed nothing. He watched the brutal struggle unfolding beneath them like a strategist studying a living chessboard. He had no intention of intervening. Not yet.

Instead, he observed. He analyzed. He took careful mental notes.

"Nadia is drastically stronger than her past self," Dax murmured, his gaze tracing her every movement with clinical precision. He watched how she commanded the golden domain, how her broken blade danced through the air, and how she refused to yield even an inch against a superior foe.

Madeka's translucent fragment remained close by his side, her beautiful eyes fixed on the battle. For the first time, she offered genuine praise.

"I don't know her past self… but that woman is definitely something special."

"Her domain is still incomplete. Against a fully formed domain, it won't be enough to decide the outcome by itself."

Madeka turned her head slightly toward him.

"You don't see everything the way I do," Dax replied calmly. His thumb brushed lightly over the back of her hand in a rare gesture of affection. "Look closer."

He remained utterly composed as he watched Nadia's dangerous frame below. Moonlight poured down upon her like liquid silver, rays bending and streaming into her body. She absorbed every particle of lunar energy, converting the cold, radiant light into pure golden power to sustain her high-level spell. The sight was both beautiful and terrifying.

Even from this great height, Dax could see the determination burning in her eyes. The elegant precision in her stance. The way her golden domain pushed back against the Apostle's crimson corruption with stubborn brilliance.

"She's not merely fighting with power," he said softly. "She's fighting with purpose. That single factor changes everything."

Madeka studied Nadia for a long moment before nodding. "She's risking everything. Burning through her mana reserves at a frightening rate. Most would have already collapsed."

Dax's expression didn't change. "She knows the cost. Yet she still stands. That kind of resolve is rare."

Below them, the battlefield continued its violent symphony. The clash between the golden Calligraphy of the Unwritten Sun and the Apostle's bloody domain sent constant shockwaves rippling through the ruins. Golden light and crimson mist fought for dominance across the night sky.

Kakarai flickered in and out of existence, launching glitch-like attacks. Alfonzo, in his newly transformed alien form, fired devastating shots from the Blue Death. Ever Sword struggled against the blood children crawling from the puddle beneath him, refusing to fall despite his grievous wounds.

And at the center of it all stood the Fifth Apostle — bleeding, enraged, yet growing more dangerous with every passing second.

Dax continued his quiet observation, committing every detail to memory.

"The Apostle is still holding back," he noted. "He hasn't used his full power yet. He's enjoying this too much."

Madeka squeezed his hand gently. "Will you truly not step in? They're fighting for their lives down there."

"Not yet," Dax answered, voice steady and resolute. "This is their moment. Their growth. If I descend now, I would only steal the tempering they desperately need. True strength is forged in fire, not handed down from above."

He narrowed his eyes as Nadia poured even more moonlight-converted mana into her domain. The golden calligraphy in the sky grew brighter, pushing the Apostle's crimson mist back several meters.

"Besides…" A small, dangerous smile touched Dax's lips. "The real threats are still watching from the shadows. Rushing in blindly would be foolish."

Madeka leaned closer, her fragment glowing softly against the night. "You always see further than the rest of us."

Dax didn't respond immediately. His gaze remained locked on the battlefield, analyzing every variable — Nadia's mana consumption, Kakarai's unstable mental state, Alfonzo's new transformation, and the growing presence of reinforcements rushing toward the area.

He was calm.

He was patient.

And he was ready.

The night wind howled through the ruins below. Golden light and blood-red energy continued their violent dance. Screams and explosions echoed across the City of Roses.

Yet high above it all, Dax and Madeka hovered like silent gods — hand in hand, watching, waiting, and preparing for the moment when the scales would finally tip.

That moment was approaching faster than anyone below could possibly realize.