Noxblade shimmered into Kai’s hand, its deep-blue edge glowing under a crimson moonlight aura. Lightning crackled across his body.

  "True Aura, huh?" Kai smirked. "Let’s see how mine compares."

  Royal-purple flames erupted around him, wild and untamed. Noxblade drank in his mana, its blade shifting hue as aura and mana fused into a weapon of pure destruction.

  With a thunderclap, Kai vanished, then reappeared mid-swing, his blade screaming toward Nerva.

  Nerva braced, shields stacked, silver aura flaring. He expected to block easily.

  He was wrong.

  Kai’s strike detonated like a storm, purple flames exploding across Nerva’s defenses. The impact hurled him back several meters, gouging trenches in the earth.

  Kai didn’t stop. He lunged, thrusting for Nerva’s shoulder.

  Nerva grinned, parrying with one shield while the other lashed out like a spear. The daggered edge ripped through Kai’s shadow armor, grazing his chest before Kai blurred back with another thunderclap.

  Kai retaliated instantly, "Poison Jet!" Dozens of venomous streams hissed through the air.

  Nerva activated a skill. Liquid silver surged over his armor, deflecting most of the attack, until he noticed something horrifying. Parts of his metal shell corroded, refusing to regenerate.

  Poison? Potent, too. What is this boy?

  He knew hybrids. Xarion was one. But this… this was something else.

  Enough defense, Nerva thought. Time to crush him.

  He exploded forward, the ground shattering beneath his boots. Both shields swung like hammers, fists of steel breaking the sound barrier.

  Kai slashed, sending crescent arcs of aura to intercept, but Nerva bulldozed through, closing the gap.

  Then came the storm.

  Punch after punch, shield after shield, each strike cracked the air, each blow heavier than the last. Kai’s moonlight barrier shattered. His water shield splintered.

  Now it was just him, his blade, and raw willpower against an unstoppable juggernaut.

  ***

  Meanwhile, Liliya unleashed a barrage of spells.

  “Frost Arrows! Freezing Ground!”

  But Umbra stayed one step ahead, guided by Scry’s calm voice in her mind; she dodged everything smoothly.

  "She’s shifting to wind mana now. Brace yourself. Wind Wall incoming, backed by Typhoon Spear. Take to the skies and counter with lightning!" Scry whispered.

  Umbra shot upward, wings slicing through the air. Above, storm clouds churned as she invoked Thunderhead Dance. The sky blackened, and bolts of dark lightning writhed like serpents, hungering for destruction.

  "Oh, wow…" Liliya’s eyes gleamed with greed. "That’s not a skill a Tigerhawk should have. And those wings… magnificent. I want her."

  The first bolt fell like divine wrath, shattering the Wind Wall and colliding with the Typhoon Spear in a cataclysm of wind and lightning. As the two forces clashed, Umbra melted into the shadows, sending forth clones wreathed in darkfire, each diving at Liliya like a predator.

  "Shadow clones? Cute. But you think I’m that easy?" Liliya smirked.

  The clones slammed into a diamond barrier, their attacks sparking harmlessly against its flawless surface.

  "This is the strongest barrier short of an Arch Mage’s. You can’t break it."

  "She’s right…" Scry muttered. Then his tone shifted, sly and sharp. "But we’ve got something new, don’t we?"

  Umbra understood.

  Shadows coiled around her, forming a dark armor that pulsed with killing intent. Her wings elongated, edges honed like blades, and her aura erupted, a storm of death and darkness.

  She was no longer a beast. She was a goddess of annihilation.

  Umbra moved through the shadows and struck. Her claws struck the barrier, and for the first time, it shook, and a claw mark appeared.

  "What?! Impossible! A Spirit Beast shouldn’t be able to leave a mark on my barrier!" Liliya’s composure shattered as she saw the truth.

  "Armor? Is that aura? What the fuck?!" Liliya lost her mind.

  Umbra’s grin was pure malice as she hammered the barrier again and again, small cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.

  “I’m sorry, but you need to be taught a lesson. I hope you survive this.” Liliya said. It was getting dangerous. She would not play with the beast anymore.

  Liliya’s eyes blazed. "Lord of the Earth, pass judgment! Soil shall punish the enemies of the world, World Breaker!"

  The ground convulsed as a colossal fist of stone and steel materialized above her, earth mana spinning with apocalyptic force around it. It plummeted toward Umbra like the fist of a god.

  Umbra smirked, ready to slip away.

  Then froze.

  "Not good!" Scry screamed. "She cast Space Lock! Dual-casting, damn it!"

  Umbra strained, but the air itself had become a prison. She couldn’t move.

  "Kai… this might be it," she whispered through their link.

  "Kai, MOVE! If you don’t get there now, she’s dead!" Scry’s voice cracked with panic.

  ***

  Kai staggered, blood dripping from his lips, his body screaming after Nerva’s relentless assault. Then he heard it, Umbra’s voice, soft and final, whispering her goodbyes.

  And Scry’s scream of agony.

  His head snapped toward the battlefield. Through the haze, he saw her, a small, blonde figure with pointed ears, chanting death above Umbra’s trapped form.

  Something inside Kai snapped.

  A memory surged like fire through his veins: “If the day comes when you can avenge us, so be it. If not… I will hold no grudges.”

  Vaelthar the Dawnbringer. His rage. His madness.

  Kai’s vision turned red.

  "ELDARI SCUM… YOU DARE!!!"

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  His roar split the heavens. Tears streamed down his face as his draconic heart thundered, shaking the earth. Mana erupted from him in a tidal wave, scorching the air.

  Behind him, a Winged Serpent materialized, vast, spectral, and roaring with a soul older than mountains. Its draconic presence slammed into Nerva like a hammer, forcing him back, boots gouging trenches in the ground.

  For the first time, Nerva felt it, fear.

  What… is that?

  White veins crawled across Kai’s face. His eyes burned crimson, slit like a dragon’s. His voice was a death knell:

  "Die, Eldari filth."

  He raised Noxblade, and the world trembled.

  "Soul Sword! Moonlit Dance - Dual Thread!"

  Twin arcs of moonlight spiraled from his blade, threads of annihilation weaving toward Liliya.

  He vanished in a thunderclap, reappearing mid-slash, aura screaming as he tore at the space lock.

  "Thunderfire - INGIS!"

  Flames roared like a dragon’s breath, cracking the prison of space just enough for Umbra to slip into the shadows.

  Liliya’s chant faltered as her nose and ears bled under the crushing weight of Kai’s killing intent.

  "What… what is this power?!"

  Nerva moved, fast as a storm, shields blazing silver.

  "Twin Aegis!"

  A colossal shield manifested behind him, his aura flaring to its peak. He caught the brunt of Kai’s attack, arms trembling, bones screaming. The ground cratered beneath him as he deflected the impossible.

  Liliya collapsed to her knees, terror hollowing her eyes.

  "Eldari scum…" The words still echoed in her skull, dripping with hate older than her bloodline.

  Before she could speak, Kai was already upon her. His draconic eyes pierced her barrier, seeing its flaw.

  "Kai, strike there!" Scry’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp with fury. "She will pay."

  "By command of Scry, highest of spirits, FIRE, bless this sword!"

  Noxblade ignited, a crimson inferno devouring its edge.

  "INGIS!" Kai chanted again.

  The blade fell like judgment, shattering her barrier through its weakest point.

  Nerva roared, summoning his deadliest art.

  "Unyielding Sentinel!"

  Mercury-like metal coated his arms and shields as he lunged for the kill

  And then, steel rang against steel.

  Xarion and Zara intercepted, their combined force barely deflecting Nerva’s strike.

  Kai froze, breath ragged, his attack... missed.

  If that blow had landed, he would be dead.

  He didn’t know why they saved him. He didn’t care.

  He staggered back to Umbra, shielding her with his battered body.

  "You okay?" he rasped.

  Umbra’s eyes softened, her voice a low purr. "Thanks to you… and that attack. Kai… that was something else."

  “What the hell are you two doing?!” Nerva’s roar shook the ground. “I’ll kill you with my bare hands!”

  Liliya sat on the floor, her life flashing before her eyes.

  "Father, stop! This was a misunderstanding, and we need the boy!" Zara begged.

  "The hell we do! He dies today!" Nerva’s aura flared like a silver inferno.

  Xarion stepped forward, fiery blades sliding free from his back. Ancient fire markings ignited across his skin, his mana burning like a living sun.

  "Brother… I cannot allow this bloodshed. Not against my kind."

  Nerva’s eyes narrowed. "Your kind? Have you lost your gods-damned mind?"

  "If you insist… then we fight to the death." Xarion’s voice was calm, but his killing intent was absolute.

  "Father, please!" Zara’s voice cracked, tears streaming down her face. "Trust me, let him speak!"

  Nerva froze, her desperation piercing through his rage. With a grunt, he slammed his mana into the ground, cracking the earth.

  "Talk. Before I change my mind."

  Xarion took a deep breath. "He is the son of Arthraxius, the rightful ruler of these lands. We attacked him first. Let me speak to him."

  Nerva blinked. "What? Son of a dragon? He’s just a boy with a weird snake."

  "Not a snake. A Draconic soul," Xarion said firmly. "And I can feel it, his mana, his body, his soul. They belong to our race. Purer than mine. There are almost no true dragon heirs left in this world. Please… let me protect him."

  Then Xarion did the unthinkable: he knelt.

  Nerva stared, stunned. Xarion never bowed to anyone. Seeing his sincerity and knowing they had started this fight, Nerva finally pulled back his aura and knelt beside Liliya to check her wounds.

  Xarion rose and walked toward Kai.

  ***

  Kai gripped Noxblade tightly as the lizard-like warrior approached, blade still shining with aura as he stood in front of Umbra, not willing to risk anything.

  But he didn’t strike. This man had saved his life once before; he was willing to hear him out.

  "Not a lizard, you fool," Scry whispered in his mind. "A Dracorious, descendant of dragons. He probably smelled Arthraxius’ bloodline in you."

  Xarion stopped a few steps away, then dropped to one knee.

  "Xarion of the White Dragons greets the son of Arthraxius, Dragon King of the South."

  Kai froze. His aura flickered out. His skills deactivated.

  "What…?"

  "I’m sorry," Kai said quickly. "But I’m not his son. I’m human."

  Xarion tilted his head. "Human? Take a look at your eyes."

  Kai, confused, conjured a globe of water and stared into its reflection. Two deep crimson, draconic eyes stared back. His breath caught as they slowly faded to brown.

  "What… what was that?"

  Xarion smiled faintly. "So, the lord didn’t tell you everything."

  "You inherited his bloodline, didn’t you?"

  Kai hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. I did."

  "Then hear this: after inheriting the blood of a High Dragon, especially Arthraxius, you are no longer fully human. You are draconic. Your power will grow as you ascend. When you reach Seraph or Archon level, you will awaken the true bloodline of the Dragon King. Only true dragons will surpass you."

  Kai exhaled slowly. "That’s… insane, but stop bowing."

  "As you wish, Dragon Prince. Please forgive us for our attack. We are searching for the one you fought the days before. We think he might have something to do with the beasts going insane in these parts."

  "No. Just Kai. And… I don’t want your apology; I want an apology from that blonde bastard.” Kai said while staring at Nerva, his anger still seething.

  “I did notice that the beasts were oddly scarce in these parts. But if you are hunting Florian, you need to stop; that monster needs to die by my hand." Kai added, his mana twisting still.

  "Naturally, Lord Kai. But we share the same goal; it would be best if we helped each other." Xarion wanted to persuade the son of a dragon to join them.

  Kai’s gaze hardened. "I'll think about it. What about the Eldari? Will she be a problem?"

  "She’s not a true Eldari," Xarion said. "Half-blood. Disowned by her kin. She has nothing to do with them."

  Kai grunted. "Fine. But I’ll be watching her." Memories of Eldari slaughter burned in his mind.

  Xarion nodded and gestured for Kai and Umbra to follow. Together, they walked toward Nerva and the others. Xarion hoped to bury the hatchet before the valley drowned in more blood.?

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  VAMPIRE NINJA

  He’s a vampire. He’s a ninja. And he’s here to kick ass.

  Rick never believed in vampires, until one drained him dry the same night he just wanted to boot up his brand-new game. Dying should’ve been the end. Instead, it was the tutorial. Now he’s isekai’d into a game world that feels like a Souls-like nightmare, with a special class modification that turned his choice into something unique: Vampire Ninja.

  With Gabriella, a fiery cleric carrying secrets of her own, Rick will carve through monsters, duel cult fanatics, and grind for the XP that might just keep him alive. The stakes? Higher than his Blood Level.

  Dark, brutal, and laced with sharp humor, Vampire Ninja is a LitRPG where every level-up is written in blood.

  “LET THE BLOOD SPILL!”