Talent: B-002-Crimson Demon

Chapter 21: Talent B-002-Crimson Demon

"Shadow Scorpion" Aberk had used every trick in his book, but it seemed none of them had the slightest effect on "Red Demon" Golon.

Suren could also see that if this continued, the one who would suffer was definitely Aberk, whose figure moved like a ghost around the arena.

The outcome of the match had suddenly become hard to predict.

Clearly, this Grade A Fugitive with countless crimes to his name had realized that as well.

Just then, he suddenly withdrew and opened up some distance. Then, with one leg, he instantly drew a hexagram Alchemy Array on the ground. At the same time, the hand seals in his hands shifted rapidly, and he completed the Conversion Ritual in the blink of an eye. With a low shout, he said, "Implant: Release!"

The gamblers beneath the arena grew excited again when they saw Aberk's actions.

"Look, Aberk's getting serious!"

"That's his Alchemical Implant, the Blue Steel Scorpion Tail. It was supposedly forged from 'Mithril Blue Steel,' one of the hardest known alloys. Nothing can withstand it."

"Hey, he actually forced that guy to use his specialty. That big guy is in for a bad time. I once saw this fellow use that scorpion tail to casually kill an entire organized security squad."

"."

Suren had not expected Aberk to complete the release of his implant in such a short time.

He remembered that back at Storm Manor, Bald Ivan had seemingly taken several seconds.

Aberk, however, had taken only 1.3 seconds.

The instant the Alchemy Array dispersed, Aberk's clothes suddenly ripped apart. His body crouched on the ground like a scorpion, and a metal scorpion tail nearly three meters long appeared behind him.

This implant scorpion tail was assembled from sections of blue steel armor. Its lines were elegant, yet despite being forged from metal, it possessed extraordinary flexibility. It twisted at an uncanny angle as if it were alive. At the tip of the tail was a sharp triangular blade, making it look like a king cobra raising its neck.

Even from far away, it gave off an intense sense of danger.

With his implant released, Aberk gave his opponent no chance to react and still chose to strike first.

The Blue Steel Scorpion Tail began to move, producing a strange, fine metallic clacking sound.

This time, Aberk abandoned his previous circling style and charged straight in.

The metal scorpion tail looked even more like the head of a hunting snake as it shot forward!

"It can actually extend and retract?"

Suren, standing beside the arena, stared in astonishment at the suddenly lengthened scorpion tail, which stretched like a spring.

To achieve this, the structure of this metal implant was probably a hundred times more complicated than he had expected. It was not merely mechanically complex; it also contained countless profound runes.

It looked like a frontal attack, but was actually still a surprise assault.

The suddenly launched scorpion tail shot toward Golon's chest with lightning speed.

Sure enough, once the implant appeared, Aberk's combat power increased severalfold. Golon could no longer stand motionless, and the short blade in his hand was completely unable to block the scorpion tail's fierce momentum.

With a clang, sparks flew in all directions.

The ear-piercing sound of metal scraping announced that the two had exchanged a round.

Holding his short blade, Golon retreated explosively. Looking closely, he saw a smooth cut in the chest of his white shirt. Although there was no visible blood, that slash had been extraordinarily dangerous.

Aberk's assault clearly did not end there. After failing to land that strike, the Blue Steel Scorpion Tail behind him, capable of extending and retracting at will, stabbed out again.

The sound of it tearing through the air continued without pause, leaving layer upon layer of afterimages.

If they had been in an open area, Golon would probably have had enough room to dodge. But on the arena, especially one restricted by a Blast Shield, his available space to move had been completely fixed.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The short blade and scorpion tail clashed hundreds of times in an extremely brief span, dazzling everyone who watched.

No one had expected Golon, who looked broad-shouldered and powerfully built, to possess such nimble footwork.

Although the suited bodyguard looked battered, he had not shown the slightest sign of defeat.

"So strong!"

Suren was completely stunned.

The fighting techniques of these two men had gone far beyond his understanding. In his previous life, no matter how formidable a fighter was, they could not perform such exaggerated moves and footwork.

In physical fitness, strength, speed, and even neural reactions, both men had reached an unbelievable height.

The moves on the arena that seemed not to have caused any casualties were lethal to ordinary people, and even to formal "Professionals." The slightest mistake could result in death on the spot.

This death match had opened the door to a new world for Suren.

Unexpectedly, despite his opponent's razor-sharp assault, Golon continued to block with his short blade. Even though the suit on his body had been reduced to tatters and bloodstains had appeared, he showed no sign of "using his ultimate move."

Logically speaking, since they were both Tier 2 Professionals, could this bodyguard really not have an Alchemical Implant?

Or was he simply too late?

"Why hasn't this guy released his implant yet? What is he waiting for?"

Suren's eyes shifted, and he vaguely sensed that things were not so simple.

Just then, events unfolded exactly as he had expected.

Seeing that the battle on the arena had remained deadlocked for so long, someone suddenly lowered a sheet of one-way glass from one of the mysterious private rooms on the second floor of the Gladiatorial Arena. A slightly plump, middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache and a gold-rimmed monocle stared grimly down at the underground arena and shouted in a deep voice, "Kill that guy, and I'll give you your freedom!"

The mustached man had placed a heavy bet on this match.

It was clearly a guaranteed victory, and he could not stand by and watch it end in a "draw," or let that lowly bodyguard deliberately lose and cost him a huge sum of money.

His voice was not loud, yet it seemed to carry magic.

Everyone turned to look.

Someone recognized the mustached man and murmured softly, "That's the boss of the Batarov Wine Group, Mendesai Batarov!"

Old Lindun lacked clean water sources and did not have enough grain for brewing, yet demand was enormous. Thus, the wine industry, a hugely profitable business, had created one gold-swallowing tycoon after another. This Mendesai Batarov was one of the top tycoons in the Inner City.

At that moment, Suren immediately understood what Golon had been waiting for.

"Hmph!"

The moment the mustached man appeared, a cold snort rang out from the arena.

"Red Demon" Golon's entire aura abruptly changed. He was like a male lion waking from sleep. The calm numbness in his eyes vanished, replaced for the first time by a killing intent that seemed almost tangible.

The one who felt it most intensely was naturally Aberk, who stood on the arena.

This Grade A Fugitive, who had killed countless people, felt Golon's aura suddenly soar and inwardly cried out that something was wrong. That terrifying gaze stabbed into his body like needles, real and palpable.

He had originally planned to conceal some of his abilities and look for a chance to "escape from prison."

But now, he abandoned the idea of holding back his strength. He suddenly opened his mouth, and his lower jaw actually dislocated with startling exaggeration, revealing a pipe that gleamed with metallic luster.

Before the others could even see what had happened, a dense purple poisonous gas erupted and instantly swept across the entire Gladiatorial Arena.

The enormous Blast Shield instead became the best barrier for spreading the poisonous gas. In only a few seconds, the entire arena had become impossible to see through.

"What happened?"

"Looks like that guy Aberk sprayed out poisonous gas."

"This is bad. We can't see anything, and there's poisonous gas in the air. That big guy is probably in danger."

"This arena is far too advantageous for an Assassin Class Professional like Aberk. Damn, the 'Red Demon' I bet on is probably going to lose everything. I heard through the grapevine that this guy was really strong."

"."

Purple poisonous gas shrouded the entire arena. With nothing to watch, the gamblers began complaining.

But that was how cruel these matches were. Their ultimate purpose was killing, and everyone cared only about the result, not the process.

Suren watched with a deeply furrowed brow.

The poisonous gas Aberk had treated as his trump card was definitely no simple matter.

The arena had been sealed shut, leaving nowhere to escape.

No matter how powerful Golon was, the best possible outcome was probably that they would die together.

Looks like I'm about to lose a thousand.

Suren did not feel particularly sorry about losing the money.

At least he had witnessed such an incredible battle between Professionals. The ticket price had been worth it.

At the same time, as he stared at the poisonous fog, his expression grew strange. If that fellow had unleashed this when he first stepped onto the arena, wouldn't everyone in this gambling hall have been buried with him?

The important figures in the private rooms on the second floor could probably escape, but among ordinary gamblers like them, few would survive.

Tsk, this world was dangerous.

Suren felt that without supernatural power, a person could really die from an accident at any time and in any place.

The poisonous gas spread, making it impossible to see.

The enormous gambling hall fell silent, interrupted only occasionally by the gamblers' hushed whispers.

Is it over?

The gamblers were mentally prepared and waited for the result of the match to be revealed.

But just then, suddenly!

A strange noise caught everyone's attention.

With a loud boom, something seemed to crash heavily into the Blast Shield.

Then—

Another harsh boom came from a different direction. They vaguely saw a shadow slam into the glass shield before instantly disappearing again.

"Is it not over yet? What happened inside?"

In an instant, the enormous gambling hall fell completely silent.

Every gambler stared into the poisonous shield, trying to figure out what had happened.

Just then, a roar suddenly rang out.

"Roar!"

The sound was like a terrifying monster raging. Even through the glass shield, it made everyone's heads spin.

Then came a dense series of booms, like hammers pounding against the ground. The entire gambling hall trembled along with them.

Before long, the noise stopped.

Everything returned to silence.

The Blast Shield filled with poisonous gas still stood before them.

The gamblers throughout the hall stared in utter confusion.

They looked at one another, as if their eyes all expressed the same question: What had happened?

"The match is over. Red Side wins!"

Amid the gamblers' bewildered expressions, the organizers suddenly announced the result.

The casino seemed to have a special method of confirming that the gladiator from Blue Side had died.

Just then, the automatic ventilation system beneath the arena activated as well, and the dense purple poisonous gas was sucked into the ground in the blink of an eye.

As the poisonous fog dispersed, the view gradually cleared, and everyone saw what had happened.

On the arena stood a huge, red-skinned monster radiating murderous intent.

"Is that... Hellboy?"

Suren stared at the red-skinned, muscular monster, and the corner of his eye twitched.

But clearly, it was not. This fellow had no horns growing from his head.

On the ground lay a mass of scarlet flesh, no longer recognizable as human. The indestructible Blue Steel Scorpion Tail had also been broken into sections of metallic fragments.

The entire arena was a complete mess.

Clearly, the corpse on the ground was "Shadow Scorpion" Aberk.

Then that red-skinned, muscular monster had to be "Red Demon" Golon.

As if time had frozen for several seconds, someone finally cried out, "Oh my god! I thought it was only a nickname. I never expected that guy's awakened talent really was Grade B, the B-002-Crimson Demon, said to be one of the strongest close-combat talents!"

A super close-combat talent reputed to possess greater combat power than most Grade A talents!

Beside the arena, as he looked at the imposing red-skinned "Hellboy," a strange emotion that made his scalp tingle surged up from within him.

He had guessed that "Red Demon" Golon was powerful, but he had not expected him to be powerful in such a brutal manner!

Once his ultimate move was unleashed, it had been nothing short of a crushing victory.

The gap between the two men was so great that it was hard to believe.

Why was every random bodyguard from the Inner City so strong?

Could it be merely because of their talents?

Doubt rose within Suren.

Looking again at the mass of "gray mist" on the corpse below, he grew even more expectant.

At some point, Captain Kai had also squeezed his way beside the arena.

Looking at the situation on the arena, this newly advanced Professional sighed with emotion and muttered to himself, "The Inner City gathers over ninety percent of Old Lindun's alchemical resources, houses the highest-grade Cursed Objects, and possesses the most advancement sequences, alchemical blueprints, and rare talent holders. That's why so many powerful people fight desperately to get into the Inner City."

P.S. This isn't filler; this is a supporting character with a storyline. Brothers, send those votes~

Thanks to "Zero-Desire Memory Forest" for the 4,000-coin reward, as well as "Damn Pear Cool" and "I Have a Library." Thank you all three for your rewards and support.