Inside Scarlett's kingdom, the Queen and Malikae watched Alixandre through a crystal ball on her desk
'It's been three months since he's gotten here, and he still hasn't controlled his bloodlust trance. It usually takes people a few weeks. He hasn't even hunted the beast around him. He's just been drinking out of the pools of blood for nourishment. Others would've died a lot earlier, and he's fine. This is a lucky find milady."
"Those black veins under his eyes tell me he's a nutcase. It might not be possible for him to have complete control of the trance. I only need him to be conscious enough to distinguish friends from foes. The fact that he has drunk so much of the blood of my slain enemies without dying is unusual. I couldn't drink much without my insides feeling like they were burning to death, but I endured it because it increased my power. I'm sure his stats are well past one-thousand with how much he's drunk."
*******
' Control yourself you, idiot!' Why the hell is this so hard?'
In the barren land of the kingdom, Alixandre was running around, growling and foaming out of the mouth.
'Calm down! What can I do to fix this? I'll try this.'
He tried his best to stay still. With his eyes closed, he began to imagine what he loved most, his family. Slowly, the black veins under his eyes began to fade, but the heightened powers remained.
" Why the hell didn't I think of this earlier," he said. " I wonder how much time has passed. It had to be a couple of days."
" Try three weeks," said a masculine voice.
Alixandre's arms rose and his fist balled as his eyes scanned his surroundings.
" Don't be a coward. Come on out. "I know you can't kill me," Alixandre said.
" I'm not here to kill you. I want to make sure the man who's going to give the Queen a baby is at least worthy," said the voice. "But if I wanted to kill you-"
Alixandre felt goosebumps all over his body as sharp objects pricked his back.
" I could've done it a while ago. I'll be your combat teacher. My name is Neymar."
Hearing the footsteps behind him, Alixandre turned around and saw the middle-aged with a sturdy build, dressed similar to a ninja. His hair was jet black and he had a scar over one of his dark eyes.
" You look like a red version of sub-zero," Alixandre said.
" You look like a tall pussy," Neymar said back.
Alixandre's face wrinkled a bit but he knew he stood no chance against the man in front of him, whose rich red aura took a large space around him.
" I was told you can use your blood aura to create special grade weapons. "
" It wasn't that difficult to learn to be honest."
" You would get your ass beat if you said that in front of anyone else. Kid, you're gifted. It takes years for people to develop a good blood aura, and ninety-nine percent of us will never be able to make special-grade weapons. You haven't been here for more than a year and you called it easy. I admit I'm jealous, but I'm proud to be the teacher of the greatest blood art prodigy.
Since you have control of the magic part of blood arts, we'll focus on combat. How would you describe your fighting style?" Neymar said.
" I duel wield these bad boys."
With a wave of both hands, his two long odachi's manifested.
" You created two special grade weapons!?" Neymar's eyes widened in disbelief. " Do you mind if I hold them for a second?
Wrinkles formed around his eyes - eyes that sparkled despite the gloomy atmosphere around them.
' He looks like a guy who enjoys weapons. He hasn't been a dick to me too much, so I'll make him a specialized one. He'll owe me a favor in the future.'
" Of course not. Here." Neymar swung the swords fiercely, causing a sharp gust of wind, cutting the ground around them.
'His face was so serious, but he looked like a child with a new toy swinging these swords.' Alixandre's thought while looking at him with a plain expression.
" Thank you for letting me use your swords. " He handed Alixandre his swords and gave him a light tap with his elbow. "You know, I have a daughter who is single. I wouldn't mind if-"
Noticing the man's tough face had turned soft, Alixandre's brows frowned.
' He's a tsundere.'
" I'm sure your daughter doesn't want to be married to a stranger. You don't have to do that anyway. I would love to make you one. I'm not sure if it'll be a special grade, but I can guarantee that I can make something strong."
" I would love that. As you know, the offer of marrying my daughter is still-"
" Hey man, get your hands off me. I don't go that way," Alixandre said while trying to fight off the nervous and awkward hands of Neymar.
*Ehm*
" I apologize for my behavior," Neymar said sternly. " Let's spar to see where your skills are at. He drew a long sword from his waist and infused it with his aura.
" I'm warning you Neymar. I noticed something when I was fighting those demi-humans. If you get cut by my swords, no matter how little, you'll bleed non-stop. The deeper the wound, the more blood that'll come out," Alixandre said.
" Thanks for the warning kid, but you won't have to worry about that. You won't be able to touch me. Come now!"
Alixandre wasted no time dashing towards Neymar. The power boost from all the blood around him gave him a little confidence, but still, he knew there was no way he was going to win.
' I'm not going to win, but I'm going to at least hit him once.'
His sword flew with the intention of taking his opponent's head off. Blood red swords came down from every direction. Neymar, with a hand behind his back, dodged them easily.
* Cling* *Clang* *Cling*
Alixandre jumped through the air and came down with both swords. Neymar parried it and kicked him out of the air. his body flew across the ground. Divine eyes were blocked by an unknown force.
Blood leaked from his nose and mouth as he barely stood to his feet. His body swayed uncontrollably, but his predatory eyes showed his resolve.
" I'm sure this isn't all you have. Let's see that bloodlust trance of yours. I'll allow you to lose control."
" Thank god. I hate fighting like this," Alixandre said as a sadistic smile showcased his mouth full of blood. Black veins formed under his eyes. With his swords stretched to his side and his head down, he dug his foot into the earth and shot forward causing a small creator in the earth.
"That's more like it."
He attacked from above. Blocked. From his side. Blocked. Frustration settled and his attacks became even more unpredictable.
' I can kill him. I just need to keep attacking. I'll kill him easily.'
His sword swung until he was exhausted. Out of options, he began to think.
Looking at the ground below him, he struck the dirt into the eyes of Neymar. Neymar stood in place with his eyes closed as the dirt caused a smokescreen around him.
" Good job on using the terrain to your advantage, but,"
* CLANG*
Alixandre's eyes widened as his attack from behind was blocked easily.
" These tricks won't work on anybody powerful"
Neymar turned around and caved Alixandre's chest in with a punch, knocking him a few feet away.
His body was curled in a fetal position as blood leaked profusely.
" Thank god for my regeneration abilities. Are you trying to kill me, old man!"
" If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it on your first attack. The good news is that you have a good base. Your regular self is ass at fighting, but your crazy self doesn't suck as much. I can work on this. We can start whenever you're ready."