CHAPTER 197: WORTHY TO BE CALLED A KING

The arena quaked as Aamir’s fist, wrapped in roaring blue flames, smashed into the beast’s claws. The collision rang like metal striking metal, sparks cascading into the air.

But the beast did not fall. Its talons dug in, stopping the blow with raw ferocity.

Aamir narrowed his eyes, heat radiating off his skin. "So... you’re strong. Very strong."

The beast bared its jagged fangs, voice dripping with hunger. "Stronger than you think, boy."

Aamir stepped back, shaking his hand loose. He knew it instantly—this was no fight to win barehanded. His eyes sharpened. "Hand-to-hand won’t do anymore."

With a slow breath, he extended his right hand into the empty air. Space shimmered—like reality itself was tearing. From within the dimensional rift, a shape emerged.

A blade.

The hilt black as night. The edge glistening with faint crimson lines, as if blood itself lived inside the steel.

Ashblade.

The black sword with red markings pulsed once, the sound like a heartbeat.

Aamir’s fingers wrapped around the hilt, veins glowing crimson-blue as the blade recognized its master once more.

He whispered, almost reverently, "It’s been a very long time... since I used Ashblade."

His eyes flickered, calm yet burning. "Because I never met a foe worthy of it. But now..." His grip tightened. "Now I’ll use it."

The crowd of vampires and werewolves fell silent. The atmosphere shifted. The moment that blade came out, it was no longer a duel. It was an execution waiting to happen.

The beast tilted its massive head, golden eyes narrowing. "Child... you are strong. That’s exactly why I want you. We of the Eclipse devour strength. We consume it... to evolve."

Its chest heaved, voice deep like thunder. "One day, I will evolve into something even the gods themselves will fear."

It leaned forward, claws scraping stone, hunger dripping from its voice. "And it will start with you."

Aamir raised Ashblade, its crimson markings igniting into a glow that seemed alive. His heartbeat thundered like a war drum.

"That’s never going to happen."

Then his entire body surged.

Adrenaline. Energy. Prana. All of it pouring into every fiber of his being. His skin radiated heat, his aura flared. The world bent under the sheer release of power.

His veins lit crimson. His flames turned blue-white. His bones trembled from the strain—then hardened.

And his heart... pounded faster and faster.

Crimson Titan Form.

The words echoed like a decree.

But Aamir didn’t stop. His voice thundered.

"Second Technique... Crushflow Barrage!"

The arena’s atmosphere collapsed under the weight of his declaration. A shockwave blasted outward, throwing sand and debris in all directions.

The beast roared back, answering with equal ferocity, its massive body charging like a tidal wave of muscle and claws.

And then—

They clashed.

Ashblade burned with power, purple energy swirling around its edge. The strange fusion of his crimson prana and azure flames wrapped the sword in a chaotic aura. But as it condensed further, another layer bloomed—a faint sheen of pink and orange, as if dawn itself had coated the blade.

The light of a thousand storms condensed into one strike.

Their collision was no longer a simple fight. It was a cosmic scream.

Stone shattered. Air split. Thunder erupted where steel met claw.

The audience—vampires, werewolves, and mortals alike—fell to their knees.

Not because of fear.

Not because of pressure.

But because of pure respect.

Even Zalmic, the Vampire King, who never bent to anyone, dropped to one knee, his crimson cape flowing behind him.

Beside him, the towering Werewolf King lowered his head, one knee to the ground, claws pressed to stone in reverence.

Seemus, still chained but watching in awe, whispered, his voice shaking: "Unlike us... he is a true king."

Zalmic’s sharp eyes glimmered. His lips curved in a rare smirk. "Yes. He is finally... worthy to be called a king."

The air burned, glowing with crimson, blue, and violet light. Each strike of Aamir’s barrage carved craters into the arena floor. The beast retaliated with furious swings, its claws generating shockwaves strong enough to rattle mountains.

But Aamir pushed forward.

One strike. Two strikes. Three.

Crushflow Barrage—Unrelenting.

Ashblade blurred, each swing glowing brighter, faster, harder. The sword sang with fury, like it too had been waiting centuries for this moment.

The beast stumbled, its hide scorched, blood dripping from deep slashes. Yet it roared defiantly, refusing to yield.

"YOU CANNOT KILL ME, BOY!"

Aamir’s aura flared brighter, eyes glowing with divine intensity.

He roared back, his voice shaking the world. "I DON’T NEED TO KILL YOU— I’LL ERASE YOU!"

The blade came down.

One final, crushing strike.

Ashblade screamed as its edge tore through the beast’s defense, purple flames engulfing its claw. The arena lit up with a blinding flash, swallowing all in its brilliance.

For a heartbeat, silence.

Only the sound of Aamir’s blade humming, dripping with radiant energy.

The beast staggered back, chest heaving, its golden eyes wide with something it had never felt before.

Fear.

And in that instant, everyone watching—vampires, werewolves, soldiers, kings—understood a single truth.

Aamir was not just fighting.

He was ascending.

He was no longer a warrior. No longer a challenger.

He was becoming something greater.

A true king.

And perhaps... something even beyond.

Aamir’s blade shone with a brilliance that didn’t belong to this world. The strike wasn’t just a swing — it was a declaration, the will of someone who had surpassed the boundaries of mortal flesh.

The beast’s massive body trembled, its obsidian shell — once thought unbreakable — shattering like fragile glass beneath Aamir’s sword.

The monster’s eyes widened, its voice trembling in disbelief.

"I-It’s impossible... how can you... cut through me?"

Aamir’s shadow loomed larger than life, his aura pressing down with suffocating weight. He raised his sword again, his tone calm, but his words thundered across the arena.

"Let me tell you something. You are a beast... and I am the one who rules over beasts."

The sheer force behind his words made even the Vampire Lords kneeling in the distance lower their heads.

The creature stumbled backward, its vision faltering. For a brief second, it didn’t see Aamir anymore. Instead, it saw another — a figure cloaked in endless darkness, a presence it recognized from the depths of its creation.

Its voice cracked. "No... it’s you. The one who... who made me—"

Aamir’s gaze hardened. "No. I wasn’t the one who created you." His blade hummed, sparks of crimson energy running down its edge. "But I will be the one who destroys you... and your creator."

And then—Aamir vanished.

One blink, he was gone. The next, his sword had already completed the arc. A single upward slash followed by a downward strike, silent as a whisper.

The arena froze. The world froze. For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then reality split.

The beast didn’t bleed. It didn’t scream. Its entire body ruptured in two halves, but not sliced — obliterated from within. The arena cracked open like an egg, stone and steel folding apart. A massive crater spread outward, swallowing the battleground and ripping deep into the earth.

Dust filled the air. Silence devoured sound.

Then — thud.

The beast’s remains, little more than molten chunks of shell and flesh, collapsed lifelessly into the crater.

Aamir staggered forward. His knees buckled. His chest convulsed.

"Kh-hh!" Blood splattered from his lips, dripping down his chin.

The glowing screen of his system flickered before his dimming eyes.

[Caution: System Overload]

[Immediate Stabilization Required]

His vision blurred. His body felt like it was on fire from within.

"Lord Aamir!"

Strong arms caught him before he could collapse fully. Zalmic’s massive frame shielded him like a fortress, his crimson cape billowing in the dust. His voice carried both reverence and panic.

"Are you alright?!"

Aamir coughed again, his breath ragged. "Y-Yeah... yeah, I’m fine. Just... give me a minute. I’ll live."

But his face was pale, his body trembling as though every muscle screamed in protest.

The Vampire Lords approached, their once-arrogant expressions replaced with awe. They bowed deeply before him, none daring to meet his eyes.

But before relief could settle — something moved.

A faint scratching sound. Crawling. Slithering.

Aamir’s sharp gaze shifted to the fractured earth. From within the beast’s ruined shell, something squirmed out.

A small, parasite-like being clawed its way across the ground. Its form was grotesque — a withered body, yet its head... its head carried a human face. A familiar one.

Aamir’s eyes narrowed. "...Shamrock."

The twisted parasite smirked, his half-formed mouth splitting into a grin. His voice was faint but mocking.

"You... surprised me, Aamir. To think you could destroy even this vessel..."

Zalmic growled, his hand tightening on his blade. "Parasite...!"

But Shamrock only chuckled, a dry rasp escaping his broken body. "You may have won today... but remember this. I am not gone. I will return... stronger than ever. And when I do, I will devour not only you... but this entire planet. The king of beasts will bow... and all of you will drown in ruin."

His body quivered violently, glowing cracks spreading along his parasite form. Then — boom.

Shamrock’s tiny form launched upward like a meteor, piercing through the sky with terrifying speed. Within seconds, he vanished into the stars.

"No!" Aamir reached his hand up, but his arm faltered. His knees hit the ground again, blood dripping down his chin.

Zalmic gripped his shoulder firmly, his deep voice steady. "Lord Aamir... it’s alright. He is not invincible. We will hunt him. We will end him. But right now... you must rest. You have done more than any being in this world could ask for."

The Vampire Lords all lowered their heads. Their voices echoed as one.

"All hail, Lord Aamir — King of Beasts!"

The sound rolled like thunder, shaking the very air.

Aamir exhaled slowly, leaning against Zalmic’s arm for support. His body was battered, his system screaming, but his spirit — unbroken.

He glanced up at the stars where Shamrock had vanished. His voice was low but sharp, carrying a vow that even the heavens seemed to hear.

"Run while you can, Shamrock. Next time... I won’t just cut you down. I’ll erase you from existence."

The crater still smoked. The air reeked of blood and ash. But amidst the ruin, a fire burned brighter than ever — the fire of Aamir’s will.

The battle of the vampire planet had ended.

But war... war was only beginning.