Kieran's boots struck the cracked stone floor of the **Bloodshade Citadel's throne hall** with measured force. The **Bloodshade Sovereign** sat upon its jagged throne, crimson mist swirling around its semi-corporeal form. Its skeletal face twisted into a hollow grin, its jagged fangs glinting faintly in the violet light of Kieran's **Dominion Core**.
The entire chamber seemed alive—the walls pulsing faintly with a **heartbeat-like rhythm**, veins of crimson energy snaking through the black stone. The Sovereign's presence corrupted the very air, making it heavy and suffocating.
**[Bloodshade Sovereign – Level 48 – Territory Ruler]**
**[Danger Level: Extreme]**
The Sovereign's hollow voice echoed across the chamber.
**"You tread upon cursed ground, mortal. Your power will be mine."**
With a motionless gesture, the **crimson chains** embedded in the walls lashed out violently. They writhed like serpents, surging toward Kieran with blinding speed.
But he was ready.
---
Kieran's **Dominion Core** flared violently, unleashing a pulse of violet energy that shattered the incoming chains. The fragments disintegrated midair, their blood-red shards vanishing into faint embers. Without hesitation, Kieran surged forward.
The **Hollow King's Glaive** manifested in his grip, its jagged edge wreathed in crackling violet energy. With a sharp twist of his wrist, he slashed diagonally. The glaive's edge screamed through the mist, carving a glowing arc of Dominion energy toward the Sovereign.
The Sovereign merely flicked its bony wrist. A wall of **crimson mist** coalesced before the blade, absorbing the blow effortlessly. The Sovereign's voice was both mocking and disdainful.
**"Is that all you possess, invader?"**
The mist **burst outward** in a wave, forcing Kieran to leap back. The moment his feet hit the ground, the Sovereign blurred, moving with a speed that defied its size.
Its bony claws slashed horizontally, leaving a trail of black and crimson energy. Kieran barely sidestepped, the Sovereign's claws grazing his side, leaving **deep gashes in his battle-worn coat**.
A notification flashed in his vision.
**[Health Reduced: -2,400]**
But the pain barely registered.
**Kieran's eyes narrowed coldly.** He activated **Dominion Surge**, and his entire body became a blur of motion. In an instant, he was behind the Sovereign, his glaive already descending in a vertical arc.
**[Dominion Severance – Release a cascading wave of Dominion energy with each strike]**
The glaive's edge **detonated with raw force**, the impact sending a wave of violet energy crashing into the Sovereign's back. The skeletal creature staggered forward slightly, but it did not falter. Instead, it turned with **unnatural speed**, and its skeletal fist struck out.
Kieran barely had time to react. The **crimson impact** smashed into his chest, hurling him across the throne hall. He struck a pillar with bone-crushing force, the stone cracking under the impact.
**[Health Reduced: -5,600]**
Kieran rolled to his feet, blood trickling faintly from the corner of his mouth. But his violet eyes glimmered with **cold defiance**.
**"Good,"** he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. **"You'll make this interesting."**
---
The Sovereign, clearly enraged by Kieran's resistance, **let out a guttural roar**. The entire chamber shook violently as jagged **crimson spires** erupted from the ground. The spires pulsed with corrupted energy, creating a deadly web of spikes around the hall.
Kieran's **Dominion Core** pulsed violently in response.
**[System Notification: Territory Assimilation Ability Available]**
**[Bloodshade Requiem – Temporarily claim partial control over the corrupted domain]**
Without hesitation, Kieran stretched out his hand, seizing hold of the surrounding **Dominion veins**. The obsidian crystal within his core flared violently. The **crimson spires wavered**, then twisted unnaturally, bending to his will.
**The Sovereign's eyes narrowed.**
With a flick of his wrist, **Kieran turned the spires against the creature**. They shot forward with blinding speed, lancing through the mist-like form of the Sovereign. The spikes **pierced its torso**, temporarily pinning it in place.
Kieran didn't wait.
He activated **Dominion Overdrive**, and his glaive became wreathed in unstable energy. He surged forward, slashing with violent precision. The **first strike** cleaved through the Sovereign's arm, severing it from the socket. The **second strike** slashed diagonally across its torso, sending a cascade of fragmented bones scattering across the chamber.
The **creature shrieked**, its mist-like body destabilizing slightly.
But it was not done.
---
With a guttural snarl, the **Bloodshade Sovereign** **shattered the spires impaling it**. Its crimson mist coalesced violently, and with a downward slash of its remaining claw, it **ripped open a dimensional tear** in the fabric of the chamber.
From the jagged rift, **Bloodshade Wraiths** emerged—semi-corporeal beings of swirling crimson mist, their glowing eyes burning with relentless fury.
**[System Notification: Bloodshade Wraiths Summoned]**
**[Danger Level: High]**
**[Number: 12]**
The wraiths lunged toward Kieran in a relentless swarm, their clawed limbs slashing with ethereal precision.
But Kieran's smirk returned.
He **activated his cheat ability**—**Domain Siphon**. The **Dominion Core** flared violently, and in an instant, he siphoned the **essence of the wraiths**, devouring their energy. Their forms shuddered violently before **collapsing into violet motes**, absorbed into his core.
His **Dominion Points surged**.
**[Dominion Points: +1,200]**
The Sovereign's hollow voice echoed in fury.
**"You dare consume MY domain?!"**
But Kieran was already moving. His form **blurred with violet energy**, closing the distance. With a final surge, he thrust his glaive directly into the Sovereign's chest.
The **Dominion Core** flared violently, channeling raw energy into the Sovereign's form.
**[Dominion Nova – Point-Blank Execution]**
The blast detonated, obliterating the Sovereign's mist-like body in an eruption of violet light. Shards of bone and crimson mist scattered across the chamber as the creature **let out a final, agonized shriek**.
The Citadel's throne hall fell into complete silence.
---
A new notification appeared.
**[System Notification: Bloodshade Sovereign Defeated]**
**[Territory Claimed: Bloodshade Citadel]**
**[Dominion Points: +10,000]**
**[Experience Gained: +35,000]**
**[Level Up: 39 → 41]**
The throne hall began to **shift violently**, the once-corrupted territory bending and reforming. The **blood-red veins faded**, replaced by streaks of shimmering violet light as Kieran's Dominion Core **assimilated the Citadel's power**.
He strode toward the twisted, jagged throne and placed his hand upon it. The throne **shimmered violently** as its corrupted essence bent to his will. The Citadel was his.
With a faint smirk, he sat upon the throne. The Sovereign's once-corrupted domain was now under his rule.