Chapter 679: Terror of the Twinruins (1/2)

The whole stadium was silent for a few seconds before it erupted in raucous cheers.

Zac gazed at his Tool Spirit with rapt attention until the bloodstorm swallowed Verun whole. It was back in his axe a moment later, the first fractal on his handle dimmed down.

“Amazing! What a Tool Spirit! Even I am getting a bit tempted to get my hands on a beastcrafted axe. Who would have any regrets when walking into battle with a companion like that?!” the announcer screamed. “Of course, we know that any such tricks won’t work for the final round.”

Zac snorted, but he knew that what the announcer said was true, and he cracked his neck as he readied himself. This final stage was why the rewards for the Trial were so good, why it could provide both flat and increased attributes. Until now, the battles could only be considered a warmup. After all, the final battle had special rules, rules enforced by the System.

No consumable items, no skills.

Just your body, your weapon, and your Dao. It was a real test of one’s fighting capabilities, where external things were blocked. Every cultivator in the world could get skills for free from the System, but that didn’t make you a warrior. Talent and comprehension were both needed to become a true gladiator of the Big Axe Coliseum.

To get anywhere on the road of cultivation, really.

The minutes passed as Zac prepared himself. This would definitely be his hardest challenge so far. He didn’t fear death since the remnants were just like his Specialty Core, considered a part of his body. But he wasn’t sure that his actual skills were up to snuff. He had cultivated for less than five years, and his general fighting style had been to rely on his superior attribute pool.

He had chosen this test as a challenge for himself, an opportunity to hone his path and hopefully make a breakthrough in the heat of battle. A golden shimmer finally appeared in the arena, and Zac frowned when he saw a humanoid standing in front of him. The final challenger was actually a cultivator?

“It happened! The Heavens really brought out a [Twinruin Bloodstalker] from the depths! We only get to see these terrifying beasts when they leave their nests for their baptism of blood. This one is an adolescent, just shy of having formed its core! These beasts are the perfect killing machines, and even Monarchs would think twice before entering their nests!” the Announcer shouted, and the excitement in his voice didn’t seem feigned. “This is what we have been waiting for! The deathmatch of the year!”

Zac listened to the announcer with rapt attention. It was actually a beast? Humanoid beasts were extremely rare. They normally moved away from the heritage of the Beast Progenitor to instead become integrated as cultivators over the eons. In fact, the last humanoid beasts he had encountered were the imps back during the Demon Incursion.

Humanoid beasts often had superior affinities to most normal beasts since their bodies were made for cultivation. It was often a bestial bloodthirst that overpowered any burgeoning sapience that kept them as beasts though. From what Zac understood it was almost impossible for them to reach Atavism, the process where high-grade beasts could keep their bestial path but also take humanoid form and embark on the path of cultivation.

But the few who did manage to transform were all terrifying powerhouses that small sectors like Zecia couldn’t contain.

The [Twinruin Bloodstalker] was roughly the same height as Zac, and it looked a lot like a beastkin with fur covering its whole body. Its proportions were pretty similar to a lanky human’s, except slightly longer arms and a sturdy tail that was reptilian rather than simian in shape. Its hands were larger than normal too, and it had long sharp claws whose sharpness Zac could feel even from a distance.

Its feet reminded Zac of the Torrid Demon’s though its claws were longer and more distinct. Its face was the only part without any fur, and it looked pretty terrifying. Its skin was pitch-black like its fur, except two red orbs for eyes that screamed of malice. It had no nose, but a wide mouth full of sharp teeth.

The beast looked in Zac’s direction and immediately released a roar as its aura started climbing. It was extremely condensed, and its killing intent even put Zac’s own to shame, especially now that it had been weakened after three years of inactivity.

But that didn’t mean Zac wasn’t up to the challenge, and he rushed forward with his axe at the ready. The ground cracked beneath the bloodstalker’s feet as its thin form turned into a blur, and it was upon Zac before he knew what happened.

Danger screamed as four sharp claws ripped through the air, aiming straight at Zac’s throat. Zac narrowly dodged as he countered with a quick and furious swing with his axe, but he didn’t even get the chance to land the hit before a thick tail slammed into his thigh with enough force to make him lose his balance. The bloodstalker used the counterforce of the collision to reverse its spinning momentum, and another swipe aimed for Zac’s eyes just as he managed to stabilize his form.

Zac growled as he intercepted the swipe with his free hand. A burning pain erupted in his arm as two deep lacerations appeared, but he ignored the hurt as he thrust forward, aiming to push the beast off its balance to land a killing blow. However, the beast’s tail actually slammed into the ground and acted like a pillar that kept the beast upright.

A high knee appeared out of nowhere before Zac had a chance to react, and Zac realized that it actually used its tail as only support while spinning mid-air. The beast tried to keep him in place with a vise-like grip, but Zac forcibly lifted his right arm with a roar. A painful attack slammed into his shoulder, where his head had been half a second ago.

It hurt like hell, but Zac knew he had finally found an opportunity as the beast was mid-air while he was primed to attack.

A murderous edge infused with the Fragment of the Axe cut down, aiming to disembowel the beast in one quick go. The beast screeched and a dangerous aura started to leak from its body. It was definitely some sort of murder-related Dao at a level that matched Zac's own, but Zac wouldn’t stop from something like that.

Axe met flesh and the ground shook an instant later as the bloodstalker was slammed into the ground.

Normally that would be the end of the battle, but Zac frowned when he saw that the beast was pretty much fine. It had managed to block Zac's swing with its forearm and almost looked like it bounced off from the ground as it backed away a few steps. It looked like a thick metallic bone hid right beneath its furred skin, and it had to be extremely durable to block out Zac’s attack like that.

The beast's hand shook a bit from the impact, but it mostly seemed infuriated rather than hurt from the counter. Zac sighed, but he had known that the final challenge wouldn’t be so easily overcome. He knew he’d be able to end everything with an Annihilation-sphere, but that wasn’t why he was here. This was a real challenge where he would be pushed to the limits.

The wound hadn't weakened the bloodstalker at all. It rather looked like it possessed some sort of inherent berserking bloodline where the wound had turned its killing intent and aura even more congealed. It shot forward, its claws aiming to rip Zac’s midsection open and Zac answered with a cruel strike of with his own.

Just activating his Dao was not enough against this target. Zac did not only continuously activate Fragment of the Bodhi to allow his body to endure the extremely forceful strikes, but every single swing was imbued with the Fragment of the Axe. But the beast was just too nimble. It almost felt like it reacted before Zac's attacks even begun, like they were following some sort of choreographed dance without Zac knowing.

Zac fought with everything he had, and his aura slowly transformed as he followed his instincts to incorporate his Dao Insights into his combat style once more. However, even as he desperately fought for his life his mind kept turning back to the brutal melee between Verun and the [Twinruin Tyrant]. That battle between two apex predators wouldn’t have been out of place out in the forests of the Bloodwind Planet, or anywhere else in the desolate wilderness.

Wasn’t nature ultimately the source of the most ruthless wars of all?

Endless living creatures fought not only with each other for survival, but also against the elements themselves. Any weakness would be destroyed and discarded, replaced by something new. As the seasons passed those suited for survival would thrive, while everything full of imperfections would be left by the wayside.

This was the fusion he was looking for, the fusion between nature and war.