Such a Pretty Face—One Punch and You'd Cry for Ages!

Every era had its own main theme. In the Mystery Age, before the gods had bestowed their glory, the main theme was violence, plunder, and destruction. All living things fought over resources, wagering their lives on survival and reproduction.

But in this God Era, Igula believed the main theme was domination.

Dominating others, dominating organizations, dominating culture, dominating thought...

Large-scale wars had become difficult to wage, and people no longer expanded their territories. Everyone fought over resources that already existed. Social classes had solidified, institutions had become The Supreme, plunder had been replaced by more sophisticated exploitation, and every action had to abide by the rules of a game established a thousand years ago.

Crude, tasteless violence was no longer suited to the times. Only romantic domination of the mind could thrive in this world.

And when it came to domination, Mind Artificers were undoubtedly the best choice.

Although Igula was merely a Two-Winged Mind Magician, in the Blood Moon Country—where class was innately fixed, one's life trajectory was determined at birth, and the vast majority had no chance of entering the Void Realm—he was practically a beast at the top of the food chain.

The most dangerous and advanced knowledge was monopolized by the Blood Saint Clan and the Moon Shadow Clan. Ordinary Spellcasters had never even heard of the Mind School, let alone knew to guard against it.

Even Igula's mind knowledge came only after the Veela Bloodline within him awakened. He had successively found the two crucial Spell Spirits, "Resonance" and "Fulfillment," in the Void Realm, allowing him to undergo Metamorphosis and become a Mind Artificer.

On top of that, he had been a Contractor in the insurance industry and possessed the basic Spell Spirit "Contract," allowing him to combine them into a Miracle specifically targeting intelligent life—"Words Become Reality"!

Whether it was a joke or a lie, once someone reached an agreement with Igula, he could use "Resonance" to establish a connection with them, use "Contract" to seal their promise, then use "Fulfillment" to make them carry out their own words!

In civilized society, this Miracle of his was practically unstoppable. If he had not run into an iron wall, he should have been lying in a beachfront villa under clear skies, enjoying fine wine, instead of fighting in the Bottom Layer of this Prison surrounded by lake water.

But wherever there were rules, he remained the dominator. Prison was no exception.

Even though Spell Spirits had been disabled here, Spell Spirits were the embodiment of knowledge. Igula could still achieve his goals through indirect means.

Spell Spirits were like a bonfire used for grilling meat. Even if the fire went out, as long as one put in some effort to drill wood for fire, it could be lit again for grilling.

The three Spell Spirits, "Contract," "Resonance," and "Fulfillment," were all closely tied to verbal manipulation. Through the power of language alone, Igula could bypass the Microchip's restrictions and trigger Spell Spirit Resonance.

In his previous forty-five deathmatches, he had used the Miracle "Words Become Reality" to forcibly make his opponents agree to a deathmatch. Even after they lost, they would agree to a second, third, and fourth deathmatch, until Igula had squeezed every last Contribution Point out of them before he stopped.

He'll attack my left cheek.

"Weak, weak, far too weak!"

Igula easily dodged Ash's attack and taunted him freely. "Your fists still smell like milk. Who do you think you can hit!?"

He'll lift his foot and attack my left calf.

He wants to grab me.

He wants to throw a right hook.

Intense thoughts streamed endlessly from his opponent into Igula's mind. Igula gazed pityingly at the man, who resembled a trapped beast, the corners of his lips curling into a scornful smile—once livestock had chains placed around its neck, it lost the ability to hurt its owner!

This was a little trick Igula had invented only after entering Prison. It did not count as a Miracle. Through the connection of "Contract," supplemented by verbal guidance, he kept "Resonance" active between himself and his opponent, allowing him to obtain the opponent's attack intentions!

If he could leave Broken Lake Prison, perhaps Igula could use this to invent a Miracle similar to "Anticipate the Enemy."

But even this unformed little trick was enough to let Igula win forty-five matches in a row!

However, that streak would soon gain another ten victories—in Igula's eyes, Ash Hiss was already a lamb sprinkled with Cumin and ready for roasting! This deathmatch was merely the starting point. Next, Igula would beat him ten times in a row and completely take away his initial fifty Contribution Points!

That was the meaning of deathmatches: eliminate the weak and identify the livestock!

Crawl at my feet and let me trample you, livestock!

He'll throw a straight punch at my chest.

Igula dodged his fist and countered with a punch, teasing, "Come on, you almost hit me—hm?"

Although his punch missed, Ash swiftly lowered his head to evade Igula's attack, then closed in and raised his elbow.

Naturally, Igula quickly retreated to avoid it, but unease rose in his heart—this was the first time Ash had evaded one of his attacks.

One time did not mean much, but it was not a good sign.

I can't keep playing around. I'll knock him out directly.

With that thought, Igula shook the blood from his fist, shouted, and charged forward. He focused all his attention on catching Ash's intentions and aimed for Ash's vital points!

"Beautiful Beast, stop Wasting Time and finish it already!"

"It's rare to get a newcomer. Don't break him so quickly!"

"Beautiful Beast, you have so many Contribution Points. Why not let me have some fun too!"

"Beautiful Beast, use a knife in your next match. I want some chewy thigh meat! Lang Na, don't you dare fight me for it!"

The prisoners in the stands laughed and joked, but Lang Na, who had been drawing circles over her boyfriend's chest, suddenly said, "Even if I don't fight you for it, you won't get any."

"Hm?"

The prisoners were slightly startled. Looking closely, quite a few of their expressions changed. "This kid... is this what a follower of the Four Pillar Gods looks like...?"

Ash's movements were still clumsy, but the efficiency of his defense was visibly improving step by step. Earlier, every punch Igula threw had landed. Now, it was impressive if one out of four punches connected, and even that one might be blocked by Ash's arm.

It was not a sudden leap in physical ability. It was more like he had developed combat instincts.

Ash had not become faster. He had even slowed due to exhaustion and pain, but his movements had become sharper. It was as if he had completely become shaped around Igula; whenever Igula so much as raised a hand, Ash knew how to respond.

Honestly, Igula was not considered strong in the Deathmatch Club. He did not even count as second-tier. His strength lay in his ability to skin the weak alive, bypass Prison rules, and thoroughly drain the losers. Yet everyone had to admit that Igula had a sharp eye. He always found weaklings he could bully, and his forty-five consecutive deathmatch victories proved it.

When Ash and Igula had stepped onto the arena, everyone had thought Ash would lose all his Contribution Points and become a regular guest of Blood Moon Judgment. After all, Ash had shown no talent for fighting. He looked like a pretty boy too, making people seriously wonder whether this so-called Four Pillar God Heresy was actually another name for a Rich Woman matchmaking club.

Yet after only a few minutes of fighting, Ash had undergone Metamorphosis. He had changed from a greenhouse flower who did not even know how to take a defensive stance into a calm, seasoned man-eating flower of the Jungle, even faintly gaining the upper hand!

"Old Tiger, looks like he's your type," someone laughed. "Who would have thought Igula got played by someone pretending to be weak?"

"No."

Tiger, the white-haired old man who had always been accustomed to playing cowardly, wore a grave expression now. "He wasn't pretending to be weak. He really was weak before."

"The body doesn't lie." Lang Na straightened up as well, sitting on her boyfriend's thigh. "His body has never been tempered by battle. One look tells you he's a pampered scholar. I brought him in, and I saw it clearly. None of his physical reactions resembled someone who had received combat training. He was worse than a child."

"Judging from his defensive posture at the start, this might even have been one of the few close-range fights he'd had in recent years."

Someone muttered, "How is that possible... Doesn't that mean..."

"That's right." In the darkness, Lang Na sighed. "The wrong person, in the wrong place, awakening the wrong talent. What a... waste."

Smack!

Igula blocked Ash's fist with both hands. It was his first defensive move since the fight began. Compared to the spectators in the stands, Igula had a deeper understanding of Ash's rate of improvement—it was simply a change from a silent piece of livestock awaiting slaughter into a piece of livestock awaiting slaughter... that roared quite fiercely.

"What adorable fists. They're even softer than a baby's." Igula grinned viciously. "You're tired, aren't you?"

Ash remained silent, circling Igula in confrontation as he searched for gaps in Igula's defense.

"I have to admit, I did underestimate you. Your learning speed has far exceeded my expectations. Is it a gift from the Four Pillar Gods? Or a talent you just discovered? I admit that you have what it takes to break free from being livestock, but your physical condition is simply too poor. So poor that all I need to do is stall until you collapse from exhaustion!"

"Consider the one Contribution Point you wagered your Redemption Money for transforming from livestock into a person. Be grateful, Ash Hiss. You are the only piece of livestock capable of breaking free from its chains, but that is all. Once this deathmatch ends, I will have nothing more to do with you. I will not accept any of your challenges, and under Prison's rules, you will not be able to take revenge on me."

"Understanding the rules, using the rules, dominating the rules—that is true strength. As for that little combat talent of yours, at best it will turn you from a piece of livestock into a... beast!"

"When you are swallowed by power and sent into Blood Moon Judgment to struggle, I will sit somewhere safe, drinking red wine as I enjoy your ugly appearance. That is the difference between you and me, the distance between the dominated and the dominator!"

Just then, Ash suddenly said, "Don't cover your face."

Igula smiled disdainfully. Only an idiot would listen to you—

"You're quite good-looking. I want to look at you a little longer."

"You're quite good-looking. I want to look at you a little longer."

Ash's words and his true thoughts arrived at the same time, causing Igula to freeze for a moment. It was the first time he had heard such praise in the arena. Driven by the instinct to show off, he subconsciously lowered his hands—

Smack!

A heavy punch that had been gathering force for a long time smashed fiercely into Igula's face, knocking him unconscious on the spot.

Ding ding ding!

"Victory Decided! The winner is Ash Hiss!"