Chapter 179: Nero Versus Blake
The coliseum faded into a shimmering white void. System prompts floated before Nero, instructing him to design his avatar. He hesitated for only a moment before choosing the simplest option—the mirror of himself. Red eyes, dark blue hair, and a plain but sharp set of armor, a longsword at his side. Unlike Blake or Lux, who had spent time fine-tuning their virtual selves, Nero merely shrugged.
[Avatar complete. Combat tutorial activated.]
Blake stretched lazily, his purple-haired, staff-wielding avatar spinning the crooked staff in one hand as if it weighed nothing.
"Don’t worry, rookie. I’ll go easy on you this round. Think of it as a lesson, not a fight."
Nero cracked his knuckles. "Fine. Teach me, then."
The countdown began.
3... 2... 1... Start!
The coliseum materialized once more, the crowd of AI-generated spectators roaring to life, cheering and chanting names that echoed like thunder. Nero gripped his blade with both hands, instincts telling him to rely on his real-world swordsmanship, he wouldn’t use his Law yet, he could use this game to further hone his swordsmanship skill.
Blake yawned. "Rule number one: distance. You’re a swordsman, I’m a mage. You have to close the gap before I burn you to ashes."
With a flick of his staff, a sphere of purple fire whirled into existence and shot toward Nero. His eyes narrowed—he dodged, rolling forward, boots scraping against the sandy arena floor.
"Good. Rule number two: timing. Attack when your opponent overcommits." Blake smirked, letting another blast of fire sear the air past Nero’s cheek.
Nero lunged, sword flashing, but Blake simply sidestepped and tapped him on the forehead with his staff.
[Player 2, Blake: Winner.]
Nero froze, blinking. "That... counted?"
Blake laughed so hard his avatar doubled over. "Hehehe! Yes! Lesson complete. Welcome to the basics of humiliation, my dear Nero!"
Lux and Adam burst out laughing from the sidelines, enjoying every second of the so-called "training match."
Nero exhaled, straightening his armor.
"Enough teaching. Fight me seriously."
"Oh? You sure?" Blake twirled his staff with renewed arrogance. "Fine then. Let’s begin the real fun."
The second round began.
3... 2... 1... Start!
This time, Nero charged from the very first second. His sword covered in flame carved a black streak through the virtual air as he aimed directly for Blake’s chest. But the Daemon Prince had been waiting.
"Rule number three: adapt or die!"
Blake slammed his staff into the ground. From the cracks in the arena floor, skeletal warriors clawed their way upward, eyes glowing purple as they rushed to intercept Nero.
"Summons too?" Nero muttered, slashing the first skeleton apart. But even as his blade shattered the bony frame, two more closed in from the sides. He spun, cutting them down with precision, but each kill cost him precious seconds. Seconds Blake didn’t waste.
"Shadow Lance!" Blake shouted, thrusting his staff forward. From its tip, a massive spear of condensed darkness formed and launched. Nero barely raised his blade to block, the force of the impact sending him skidding back across the coliseum floor.
"Damn..." He growled, blood pounding. Though virtual, the simulation faithfully recreated the weight of combat, making his arms ache with each clash.
Blake, meanwhile, looked like he was enjoying himself far too much. "Ohhh, this is cathartic! After that torture in real life, I get to be the one dishing it out. Try harder, Nero! Or you’ll never touch me."
Nero forced himself upright, sprinting again, weaving through another wave of skeletons. He reached Blake at last, sword slashing upward. The blade grazed the mage’s side—an almost clean hit.
Blake’s grin widened. "Not bad. But not enough."
He vanished.
"What?!"
Light warped around Blake’s avatar as he blinked behind Nero, staff glowing with pure darkness.
"Dark Burst!"
The explosion of shadows engulfed Nero before he could turn, sending his body crashing into the far wall of the arena. His health bar dropped to zero instantly.
[Player 2, Blake: Winner.]
The crowd roared again, chanting the Daemon Prince’s name. Blake took a dramatic bow.
Adam whistled. "That was brutal."
Lux smirked. "He vented all his pent-up frustration from training. Poor Nero."
Nero climbed back to his feet, dusting himself off. His eyes burned hotter now, pride refusing to let him accept defeat so easily. "Again."
"Hoho?" Blake licked his lips like a predator.
"Round three, then. But don’t say I didn’t warn you."
The final match began.
This time, Nero held his ground instead of rushing forward. He studied Blake carefully, recalling the patterns of his skeleton summons and the timing of his spells. When the skeletons appeared, he didn’t cut them down directly—he used them as shields, dashing between their frames, forcing Blake’s projectiles to risk hitting his own summons.
Lux’s eyes widened from the sidelines. "He’s adapting... fast."
Blake noticed it too. His grin faded slightly.
"Not bad. But still not enough."
Raising his staff high, Blake unleashed a storm of black spears raining down from the sky, the coliseum itself trembling under the barrage. Nero dashed through, his blade glowing faintly crimson as he struck down two, three, four of the incoming projectiles. He reached Blake again—this time their weapons clashed, sword against staff, sparks flying.
For the first time, Blake had to brace himself.
"Heh. You’re learning."
Nero’s blade pressed harder, his crimson eyes locked with Blake’s. "I’ll win this one."
But Blake’s grin returned, sharper than ever.
"No... You won’t."
With a flick of his staff, the ground beneath Nero erupted in a surge of shadowy chains, wrapping around his legs and arms before he could retreat. His sword froze mid-swing.
"Dark Bind."
Then Blake’s staff came crashing down across Nero’s chest. The impact shattered his health bar in a single blow.
[Player 2, Blake: Winner.]
Silence hung in the coliseum for a moment before the crowd erupted into deafening cheers. Blake raised his staff high, basking in the glory, before turning and striking a ridiculous victory pose.
"Hehehe! Supremacy, my dear Nero! This is the beauty of my way—the path of effortlessness!"
Lux and Adam burst out laughing, clapping at Blake’s over-the-top performance.
Nero, however, only exhaled slowly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Not bad... I’ll beat you next time."
Blake waggled his finger smugly. "Next time, next time, always next time. But for now, kneel before the master of virtual conquest!"
Nero rolled his eyes, but even he couldn’t deny it—the match had been fun, in its own twisted way.
’’Well, you forgot I haven’t even used my Law, properly yet right?" He threw those words which made Blake’s body to freeze.
’’Tch! It won’t change a thing. I’m an expert.’’