Bloody Odyssey

Chapter 98 98: Attention.

Dax moved like a shadow in the storm, twisting and turning through the ruined streets as crimson threads of blood pursued him relentlessly. The attacks had a sinister life of their own — curving, looping, and striking from blind angles like intelligent predators locked onto his scent. No matter how fast he moved, the blood followed.

With a sharp flip of his palm, Dax initiated the transformation. Cil responded instantly, shifting and reshaping in perfect synchronization with his will. In his grip, the weapon felt alive, humming with shared purpose. He treated the blade exactly as he treated himself: a weapon in the hands of a greater weapon.

"Inerous," Dax muttered, breath steady despite the chaos, "why does this attack behave like that? Don't tell me you haven't deduced anything yet."

Yes, Master. You are correct, the system replied in its calm, mechanical tone. Each strike carries faint traces of your own blood. It was crafted as the perfect hunting weapon in the Blood God's arsenal — designed specifically to track and kill you.

Dax's eyes narrowed. Of course. The bastard had planned this from the very beginning.

Far above the mortal plane, in a realm where gods watched the affairs of men like spectators at a coliseum, the Blood God's projection stood with his arms crossed. His presence radiated cold, ancient malice.

"I told you he was dangerous," he spoke to the empty sky, voice laced with venom. "A pest that should have been crushed long ago."

He turned his back on the carnage below, only for the void around him to ripple. Dozens of divine eyes materialized instantly — ancient, powerful beings drawn by the unfolding chaos in the City of Roses. Some glowed with wicked amusement, feeding on the violence like fine wine. Others watched with detached curiosity. But one pair burned with unrestrained, seething rage hus gaze unknown.

"Is it because he belongs to that clan that you push so desperately for our intervention?" A radiant goddess's voice cut through the darkness like golden sunlight. Her tone carried both suspicion and challenge.

Another presence emerged beside her — eyes vast and deep as endless oceans, shimmering with sorrow and barely contained fury. She gazed down at the blood-soaked streets where her followers lay slaughtered.

"My children…" she whispered, voice trembling with maternal grief. "How many more must die before you monsters are satisfied?"

The Blood God chuckled, low and cruel. "Satisfied? This is only the beginning."

—-

"Darling."

In the blink of an eye, a shimmering fragment of Madeka appeared beside Dax, her translucent form glowing softly amid the blood mist. Even as a mere projection, her beauty and power were undeniable.

"Are you still observing at a time like this?" Her fragment floated with him, matching his every evasive maneuver flawlessly. "I don't think now is the moment for quiet contemplation, my love."

She reached out, gently turning his gaze upward. To ordinary mortals, the sky would have appeared as thousands of stars clustered unnaturally in one place. But Dax saw reality for what it was — countless strings of divine energy, colossal bodies of light bursting with brilliance that could blind the sun itself. Gods were watching. And they were not pleased.

A cataclysmic attack descended without warning.

Madeka reacted instantly. She thrust her hand forward, summoning a crystalline mirror that bloomed into existence with a melodic chime. The mirror rippled like water as it collided with the god-level assault.

Crack… Crack…

The surface fractured under unimaginable pressure. Sharp pain exploded through her body, threatening to tear her fragment apart. Her arm trembled violently, and blood — even in ethereal form — trickled from the corner of her lips.

This is the price, she thought fiercely, gritting her teeth as the mirror continued to splinter. This is what it means to stand beside Dax. I refuse to be dead weight. I refuse to watch him fight alone while I hide behind i safety. Even if it shatters me…

Madeka poured every ounce of her strength into the mirror. The surface held for one final second before exploding outward, successfully deflecting the attack into the distant ruins with a thunderous boom.

While the clash raged, Dax prepared his counterstrike. World Ki surged violently through his meridians, flooding every cell, every vein, every fiber of his being. Inerous's notifications flashed rapidly across his vision:

-10,000 World Ki ×4

-Warning: Ki overload approaching critical levels—

Dax ignored the warnings. Power erupted around him like a storm. Two majestic halos manifested above his head — one blazing with pure silver light, the other a devouring abyss of black energy that seemed to swallow light itself. The ground beneath his feet cracked and sank.

Cil, now fully transformed into her scythe form, vibrated with insatiable hunger and lethal perfection. The blade sang, eager to taste divine blood.

Dax raised her high like an executioner's blade raised before the final judgment. For a brief moment, time itself seemed to slow.

Then he brought her down with all his might.

BOOOOOOM—!!!

An apocalyptic crescent wave of energy tore forward. The slash was not merely powerful — it was cataclysmic. It ripped through the Blood God's pursuing attacks as if they were fragile spiderwebs, disintegrating them into harmless crimson mist. The wave continued onward without losing momentum, slamming into the god's afterimage and erasing it completely.

The shockwave carved a glowing scar hundreds of meters long across the night sky. Buildings on both sides of the street collapsed instantly. The earth trembled violently as if terrified by the display of power. For several long seconds, the entire battlefield fell into a stunned, ringing silence.

Dax stood at the center of the destruction, chest rising and falling steadily, halos still spinning above his head. His eyes glowed with cold, unyielding resolve.

Madeka's fragment hovered beside him, breathing heavily but smiling with fierce pride. "That… was magnificent, darling."

Yet even as the dust began to settle, Dax's expression remained grim. He could feel it — the Blood God's real attention was now fully locked onto him. And the eyes in the sky… they were no longer merely watching.

The real battle was only beginning.