Evolution of the Ruined Heir-Chapter 155: Rapid

Malakai yanked the blade out in a single motion, black ichor spurting from the wound. As the haze cleared, the beast crumpled to the earth with a heavy thud.

Unmoving.

Across the region, a deafening silence gripped every viewing hall.

No one roared.

Everyone stared, stunned, as the screens displayed a single scene, a crimson-haired boy slaying a massive darkness beast.

The footage was programmed to cut in only when a battle was about to begin. The competition had literally just started.

And already, all screens had flickered to the same image, a crimson-haired youth, facing a bear like darkness creature.

People expected a brutal clash. They expected blood. They expected something.

But only one attack had been made. And the beast was dead.

The crowd didn't cheer. They stared, speechless.

"Hey! Isn't that the Ninth Vein?" someone shouted.

Another blinked. "The Ninth Vein?"

"Yeah! The Ninth Vein of the Sanguine Clan!"

"The child of Valerian? The genius pulse that died?"

"Yes, that one! I heard he recently evolved, but… what the hell was that? Is he really that powerful?!"

Chatter erupted like wildfire.

Many already recognized the faces of the veins, and now, more and more began identifying Malakai.

And as realization dawned… the roar erupted once more.

"Hey! I want to change my bet! Place a quarter on the Ninth Vein!"

Inside the great hall, where the high ranking Sanguine elites were gathered, the tension rose even higher.

The Highbloods stared at the screen, visibly shaken.

Drennos and Varnel stared as well, gazes cold enough to freeze oceans.

And the sovereign… smiled.

"Hey, can I borrow some money?"

Laila turned sharply toward Rhett, narrowing her eyes. "So you can gamble it away? No thanks."

"C'mon!" Rhett grinned. "I want to bet on him!"

He pointed toward the screen displaying Malakai's figure, still standing beside the fallen creature. Around them, captains burst into discussion, their voices rising in disbelief.

"He's Valerian's kid. There's just no way he won't win this."

Laila hesitated. He had a point… but it was hard to trust Rhett with money. She'd lost count of how many times he'd wasted it all.

Rhett noticed her expression and smiled.

"Look, our squad's broke, right? We need to look good if we're going to welcome him. And wouldn't Valerian be happy to know we trusted his son enough to bet on him?"

Laila's face twisted. She knew he was manipulating her, but she couldn't bring herself to refute him.

She stepped close and whispered, "If we lose this money, I'll cut off your dick."

Rhett gulped. "You worry too much, haha…" Sweat beading on his forehead, he pressed his lifeguard to hers, accepting all her credits, and rushed off to place the bet.

Across the region, as the people reeled from one youth's performance, the screens began to flicker again, one by one, shifting to showcase other battles from across the forest.

And the roars returned once more.

…

'20 points.'

Malakai's gaze was locked on his lifeguard. He had just accessed the rankings to check the points he earned from slaying the darkness creature.

Malakai Von Sanguine – 20 pts.

He was currently in first place, but Malakai knew it wouldn't last if he stayed put.

Still, before moving on, he wanted to note everything he had just learned.

'A grade one gives about 20 points, more or less. A gradeless would be lower than that. But a grade two…'

They were all assumptions, for now. Assumptions that would be confirmed the moment he killed one of each. He wasn't even sure if there was a grade two in this hunt, but knowing who the organizers were, he had no doubt.

Still, that wasn't what truly caught his attention.

'I'm being watched.'

It was faint. Subtle. But the sensation was there.

The last thing the clan wanted was for their geniuses to die in a competition meant to strengthen them. So, to prevent death while making the experience feel as real as possible…

They were all being watched.

'They'll only show themselves when a life is in danger.'

Malakai concluded, eyes narrowing.

As the thought settled, he exhaled and turned toward the dead darkness creature at his feet.

'No time to take its core.'

The vita core of a grade one darkness creature would still be useful to him. However, if he stopped to collect the core of every creature he killed, it would cost him precious time, time he couldn't afford to waste.

'I have to kill as much as I can, as quickly as I can.'

He glanced at the timer on his lifeguard. 'More than a minute has passed.'

Malakai closed his eyes and focused. He tapped into the feeling, searched for the chill. The one that made his skin crawl.

And just as he felt it…

He moved.

The entire region roared as the live feeds lit up the screens. Cheers erupted in waves across every hall.

After Malakai's shocking display, the other main characters had started moving. The veins of the Sanguine. The young elites of the Aurelius and Glandis clans.

Their figures now dominated the screens, darting through the forest like predators. They clashed with darkness creatures, steel met fang, and after a few sharp exchanges, the creatures fell.

They didn't linger. They moved quickly, seeking out more prey.

While many other youths appeared on the screens, it was the veins and the geniuses who drew the loudest roars.

And just as the crowd began to wonder where the Ninth Vein had vanished to…

The screen flickered.

Their eyes locked onto it, like it was the only screen that mattered.

Malakai surged toward a boar-like grade one darkness creature, his scythe in hand. He closed the distance in a blink. The blade flashed once…

Its head flew into the air. Black ichor sprayed.

Before the head could even hit the ground… Malakai was gone.

The crowd froze. They were silent for a second before exploding into another thunderous roar.

And then, another screen flickered. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Malakai appeared again, approaching another darkness creature only seconds after the last. One strike. Another head fell. Malakai, gone again.

Another screen.

One strike. Another kill.

Another screen.

One strike. Gone.

Another. Then another. Then another. Rapid successions of screens flickering to life, each showing the same thing, a head falling, a crimson blur disappearing.

The roars faded. And silence spread.

People stared, mouths agape, as the impossible unfolded before them.

Malakai moved like he already knew everything, where the enemies were, when they would appear, how to reach them fastest.

From one target to the next, he surged through the forest, severing heads in single blows.

He moved like death itself.

And the entire region… fell silent.