The sorounding fell silent as Mark stepped forward, his katana gleaming under the pale sunlight. Across from him stood the same man who had humiliated him before—taller, broader, his armor etched with the scars of countless battles. The crowd of 500 squad leaders, all at Mortal Rank, watched with mocking grins.
**"You again?"** the man sneered, cracking his knuckles. **"Didn't learn your lesson last time?"**
Mark didn't answer. He exhaled, steadying himself, then—
***Wind Blossom Dance.***
He shot forward like a storm, leaves swirling in his wake before dissolving into mist. The man barely had time to blink before Mark was upon him, katana flashing.
**"[Blood Slash Mastery 11 → 12]."**
Five crescent of crystallized blood ripped through the air. The man twisted at the last second, causing two attacks to grazed his shoulder while the other attacks missed, the two attacks was deep enough to draw blood, but not enough to slow him down.
The man ran in, but was suddenly hit out a 1 meter long wind serpent and was sent flying in the ground, as a chuck of his HP was like it was eaten away.
**"Pathetic,"** the man spat, countering with a brutal kick that sent Mark skidding back.
The crowd erupted in laughter.
**"A Mortal rank thinking he can challenge Leo that's almost reached Mortal Ascension Rank?"** one jeered.
**"Look at him—already wheezing!"** another taunted.
Mark ignored them. He lunged again, katana meeting the man's gauntleted fist in a shower of sparks. Blow after blow, he was pushed back, his arms trembling from the force. A vicious uppercut sent him crashing to the ground, blood trickling from his split lip.
The man loomed over him, boot pressing down on Mark's neck. **"Stay down, Bitch."**
Mark's vision blurred. His neck screamed. His grip on the katana faltered.
*This was it.* The brink of death.
Then—
***Crack.***
A sound like breaking bone echoed through the arena. Mark's body *convulsed*, his veins igniting with crimson light. His silver hair darkened to pitch black, his irises drowning in red. A single, twisted horn erupted from his temple, gleaming like bloodstained obsidian.
**[Lesser Blood Demon Activated: All Stats +25 for 00:59…]**
The man's smirk vanished.
Mark moved.
One second, he was on the ground. The next, his katana was at the man's throat, the edge drawing a thin line of scarlet. The crowd's laughter died in their throats.
**"You talk too much,"** Mark growled, his voice layered with something *other*.
The man staggered back, but Mark was faster. A slash—the man's pauldron split in two. Another—his breastplate screeched as the blade carved through steel. The man barely blocked the third strike, his arms shaking under the force.
Mark raised his katana for the killing blow—
***Thud.***
A fist slammed into his stomach, lifting him off his feet. The world spun as he crashed into the dirt and was send flying 20 meters, his demonic form flickering. The commander—the one from the platform—stood over him, his knuckles smoking.
**"Enough,"** he said, his voice cutting through the silence.
Mark's vision darkened. The last thing he saw before unconsciousness took him was the commander's cold smile.
**"Welcome Mark, the bloody demon of the East."**