"How noble of you to sacrifice yourself like this." Wendy said mockingly as she raised her dual axes, ready to chop up the teenager before her.

'Sacrifice?' Adonis suppressed a chuckle.

Adonis's pupils sharpened as they dilated, his focus laser-like on the girl standing in front of him.

"What's so funny?" She raised her eyebrows.

"You know Wendy. Ever since I was born, or rather reborn. I've been faced with this constant question."

'Reborn?'

"Are these your last words?" She asked.

Ignoring Wendy's taunt, Adonis raised his right hand and whispered a familiar name under his breath, prompting a rapid beating sound to begin.

"Minnie."

PUPUP PUPUP PUPUP PUPUP

A black blur whizzed through the air until finally, a small bat-like creature, the size of a large rat, landed on his messy Russian violet hair.

PUPUP PUPUP PUPUP PUPUP

"Ksk Ksk." Happy to see his owner after days of absence, Minnie growled happily as he stared at Adonis's palm, fully aware of what he was signaling.

Wasting no time, Minnie began gagging multiple times until finally, he threw up a small silver ring with a small gem in its center straight into Adonis's palm.

"Minnie, go rest in a tree..." Dismissing his pet, Adonis turned his attention back toward Wendy, his gentle visage banished.

"Sorry about that Wendy, but would you mind humoring me for a bit." Putting on his spatial ring, Adonis spoke flatly, his luminous eyes flickering slowly.

"Very well carry on." She scoffed, slightly irritated. The only reason she cared to hear out the boy was out of slight curiosity and a growing sense of boredom.

"Every single time I was confronted with an opponent that threatened me or those I've come to care about I've been faced with this constant question..." Reminiscing about his previous battles, Adonis frowned.

"Is it really okay for me to end another's life? And my answer has always been no."

"No, because life is precious..."

"No, because no one deserves to die even if they made mistakes in their life..."

"No, because I wasn't raised that way..."

"No, because I have no right to play executioner...."

"No, because that would be evil..."

"No because...."

"Because..."

"Because..."

{You're a coward.}

"Yes, because I'm a coward."

"Because I'm scared, scared to change."

"Scared to become something that I've decided I'm not."

"Scared that I'd like it... "

"Scared that I'd enjoy murder and eventually get high off bloodlust. And possessed by an insatiable thirst for blood."

"This fear has made me make awful decisions, decisions that lead to Naomi losing her mother and decisions that resulted in the suffering of Veda."

"But I'm done." With the air around him chilling, the boy's silver irises dulled as if preparing to house something...

Something deep and sinister.

{Kukuku!}

"I'm done making these stupid decisions..."

"I'm done being scared."

"I'm done running."

"I'm done not acting."

"Are you done speaking as well, geez... Get to the point would ya?" She said irritatedly as she pointed her axes at the boy.

"What I'm saying Wendy is..."

"I'm going to kill you." As soon as the words escaped his lips, the air decreased by several degrees, resulting in Wendy experiencing a sharp chilling sensation that struck her all the way to the bones.

FEAR

An emotion Adonis had felt dozens of times, an emotion he frequently grappled with and was actively working to not only tame but completely eliminate.

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However, in the midst of this forest, during this school outing, it wasn't Adonis P. Vindicta who felt this intense chilling fear.

It was none other than his opponent, Wendy Carter.

However, this wasn't uncommon. Every single foe Adonis had faced thus far had experienced fear.

But Wendy's fear was different...

Every other opponent felt fear for various reasons...

Quin's fear was based on strength; he feared Adonis's power and potential and also feared losing his own strength and position of power.

The goblins had felt fear when facing Adonis, too, as they feared his overwhelming strength.

Wendy, on the other hand, feared death...

She was the first person to ever experience it...

The overwhelming bloodlust exuded by Adonis P. Vindicta, and she certainly wouldn't be the last.

DUMMMMMM

{Don't chicken out, Oizys.}

His silver eyes were dull, seeing nothing but the target in front of him.

His ears burned, absorbing every single sound that came his way.

The taste in his mouth was bitter, a representation of how he internally felt about the deed he was about to commit.

The leaves, soil, and water - every single thing that facilitated life in the forest - continued to make themselves known by giving up their distinct scents to him.

His chest, instead of feeling the usual burning hot sensation that usually assaulted him, was nowhere to be found, replaced by an empty coldness. His heart wasn't in the slightest heavy; in fact, it was light, eerily light, as if it was preparing to house something deep within it.

Adonis had successfully prepared himself for the deed; he had created an adequate amount of space for IT.

A void.

***

Wendy instinctively leaped backward, gulping nervously, her fear palpable.

"Nature magic: Freyr's Mayhem!"

Channeling mana through a green magic circle on the ground, Wendy unleashed a devastating magic spell.

Upon the announcement of the magic spell, multiple plants erupted from the ground, ranging from wild vines adorned with deadly thorns to blooming bright flowers with sharp petals, all the way to thin roots that threatened to constrict anyone who dared to come near.

Oddly, despite facing grave danger, Adonis didn't even bat an eye. Instead, he used his spatial ring to summon his chokuto - a straight, single-edged Japanese sword with a flat onyx wooden handle.

CLICK

After unsheathing the blade unceremoniously, Adonis dashed forward, his sandals leaving deep dents in the soil he stepped in.

Without bothering to cover the blade in Earthly Aura, Adonis struck the wild vegetation, treating the effects of the dangerous spell as nothing more than mere weeds.

SLASH

SHING

HACK

With a solemn expression plastered on his face, Adonis tore through the foilage like a menacing whirlwind.

When a large root approached his head, threatening to ensnare him for the rest of the vegetation to attack, Adonis utilized a vertical slash to cut straight through.

SHING

'He's strong!' Feeling further threatened by Adonis' strength, Wendy involuntarily took another step backward as she summoned a blue magic circle above her head.

"Water Magic: Aqua Bullets!"

Emerging from the magic circle were four small water projectiles, all exiting at frightening speeds, heading toward Adonis's head, stomach, and legs.

Exhaling sharply, Adonis shifted his gaze toward a large petal that rotated rapidly toward him, threatening to divide him into two different sections.

As soon as he noticed the bullets heading his way, he sighed tiredly before easily dealing with the flower, dissecting it into five different pieces using his silver blade.

Seeing that he had more vegetation to deal with before addressing the bullets, Adonis acted swiftly.

He coated his sword in Earthly Aura and slashed casually, causing Wendy's initial spell to be dismissed.

Since he had held off on engaging the water bullets for a long time, they were dangerously close to him, threatening to pierce through several parts of his body.

Increasing his pace, Adonis dashed forward, analyzing the trajectory of every single bullet, predicting their path, and acting accordingly. His movements were precise, his responses lightning-fast, as he deftly avoided each oncoming projectile.

WHOOSH

WHOOSH

WHOOSH

WHOOSH

"What?!" Her composure now shattered, Wendy panicked and summoned a brown magic circle on the soil in front of her as Adonis approached.

Using Earth Magic, Wendy erected a thick wall of stone straight out of the ground. The spell was designed to separate her from the bloodthirsty boy, giving her time to think over her strategy and possibly retreat.

"Earth Magic: Jord's Protecti-"

"Supreme Devil Art..."

"Divine Divider!" Holding his blade in a reverse sword grip and steadily supplying it with a generous coat of Earthly Aura, Adonis horizontally cut through both the wall and Wendy as if they were mere sticks of butter.

{Kukuku...}

Unable to hear the menacing chuckles of the Devil God within him, Adonis commanded his blade to disappear into his spatial ring.

Having killed his opponent, he was forced to deal with his thoughts once more...

DRIP DRIP DRIP

Adonis's solemn expression hardened, his eyes growing duller by the moment as he absorbed the deed he had just committed.

With tears running down his face, Adonis looked down at the severed human before him, the blood and intestines of the girl causing a twisting sensation in his stomach.

"..."

{Well done Oizys. You did well.}

GROWL

Hearing the shrill growl coming from his right, Adonis rotated his neck, setting his gaze upon a pack of White Rank Sonic Wolves who lacked an Alpha.

The Sonic Wolves, who had been minding their business, smelled the scent of blood and followed, obeying their animal instinct. Despite the corpse at Adonis's feet, they showed no interest in the deceased Wendy. Instead, they directed their attention towards the alive Adonis.

They wanted fresh meat, and they wanted to kill it themselves.

'Please don't make me kill you.'

"LEAVE!" Adonis commanded as he exerted a sharp burst of Earthly Aura designed to fend off the magic beasts.

DUMMMMM

Despite the terrifying aura of the silver-eyed boy, the beasts' will to kill overwhelmed their instinctual fear.

GROWL

"I won't warn you twice," Adonis said menacingly, exuding his bloodlust once more, preparing to engage in battle once again.