Chapter 11: The Terrifying EMP – Section 3

The death gladiations continued, but not with the same intensity as before.
The world had long been dominated by the magic-based civilization. Pirates mostly used warships and mechs for plundering, so there was little emphasis on individual combat skills. If it weren’t for the tradition of death gladiations, there would likely be no close-quarters combat at all. Thus, the battles that followed lacked any real technical complexity—only bloodshed and violence.
Indeed, it was like two mindless beasts, only knowing how to attack and kill each other. The subsequent fights followed this pattern: two gladiators rushed into the arena, fought, and died. The winner stood and welcomed cheers, while the loser left behind their corpse.
This continued until Blood-Pup appeared on the scene.
Gladiatorial teams were organized by pirate groups. So even though Black Hair and Blood-Pup were both on the list, they could decide who would fight when it came time. After watching the previous battles, Black Hair had little interest in these muscular but simple-minded gladiators. Fortunately, Blood-Pup’s body had been greatly enhanced after the asteroid incident, making him perfect for the task.
“Go have some fun,” Black Hair waved his hand and said to Blood-Pup. After thinking for a moment, he added, “Take your time. I need to set the odds.”
“Okay,” Blood-Pup laughed and stood up.
He understood what Black Hair meant. After all, such physical combat relied entirely on skill and courage. With his abilities, those pirate fighters were no match for him. If he acted too quickly, his odds would plummet. Black Hair asking him to take his time was essentially giving those fools a chance.
“But…” Blood-Pup changed the subject. “Boss, shouldn’t you give me some compensation too?”
“What compensation?” Black Hair was puzzled.
“Hehe, last time I saw you fight, you seemed to have a pretty nice dagger. Boss, I’ve been with you for so long—we’re practically old partners. I don’t want a share of your profits, but at least let me see that dagger.”
“…” Black Hair gave a bitter smile.

What dagger? It’s clearly his own Type 5/6 triangular military dagger. It’s always been his favorite weapon. He had one with him since he started training in Huaguo. It’s 37 cm long, with a triangular blade and blood grooves on three sides. The tip is flat and not sharp, but due to its hard material, it’s virtually indestructible. There’s no cutting edge at all; it relies solely on stabbing. As long as it penetrates eight centimeters into a creature’s skin, a large amount of air will quickly enter the body through the three blood grooves, forming numerous bubbles that block blood vessels and cause rapid bleeding. It can eliminate a life in an instant—a truly practical killing weapon. It was banned by the Geneva Convention due to its excessive lethality.

It’s no exaggeration to say this is a weapon that shouldn’t exist in the world. Compared to this weapon, even a demon’s fangs seem cute. The requirement of blood-colored eyes made Hei Fa hesitate for a moment. But the next instant, his brows relaxed. He nodded firmly, clasped and separated his hands, and in a flash of black light, a slender triangular dagger appeared in his hands. The speed was so fast that even Blood-Eyes couldn’t see where he got it from.

“Borrowed from you. I’ll return it soon.” Sipping his red wine slowly, Hei Fa examined it intently for a while before handing over the dagger. Blood-Eyes immediately took it as if it were a cursed object, holding it closely and fiddling with it.

As an experienced assassin, Blood-Eyes could tell at a glance how terrifying this weapon was. Though it had no sharp blade or dazzling shine, the faint blood-red glow from its surface was enough to convey a fierce aura. He was momentarily stunned.

At that moment, people below began shouting Blood-Eyes’s name.

Entering the noisy arena, Blood-Eyes immediately saw his opponent—a short child barely one meter tall. Judging by his appearance, he still hadn’t lost his baby hair. He had big, bright eyes and fair skin, with long limbs. He wore simple combat armor, making him look very delicate. However, on his right cheek was a strange totem pattern resembling that of a raccoon. His weapon wasn’t a heavy axe or similar tool commonly used by gladiators, but rather a slender sword and a round steel shield.

“A Nomiq,” Blood-Eyes frowned seriously, his expression turning grave.

Like the Lan Giants, the Nomiks are also among the most combat-effective races in this universe. However, instead of relying on physical strength, they depend on various magic-like abilities. Though they can’t directly confront mechs with their bodies like the Lan Giants, they are top-notch fighters in one-on-one combat. Their chosen profession is exactly the same as that of the Blood-Eyed ones—assassins.

Blood-Eyed had long heard of this race. He knew that although the enemy before him seemed like a child, they were actually at least over a hundred years old. It was only their physiological traits that made them appear younger. Besides this, this combat-savvy race was infamous for their cruel and murderous nature. Sleeping on corpses and craving the brains of young girls—this wasn’t just a plot from a horror story; it was the true reality of these Nomiks.

“Damn it. Why is my luck so bad?” Blood-Eyed cursed under his breath. He reached for his waist, already gripping the triangular military dagger he had borrowed from Black Hair. The long blade reflected a faint blood-red glow under the bright lights of the arena.

Before the council above could announce the start, the Nomik already charged at him. His charging style was unique, somewhat like that of a running raccoon—almost crawling on all fours with his body low to the ground, minimizing his target area. Yet his speed was astonishing. In just a few leaps, he covered over 300 meters and arrived in front of Blood-Eyed. Without saying a word, he swung his slender sword, and a shrill screech instantly filled Blood-Eyed’s ears.

Such fast speed.

Blood-Eyed’s pupils contracted sharply, his face showing shock. But his reaction wasn’t slow at all. With a push from his toes, he retreated swiftly, as if something was pulling him backward. At the same time, he swung his triangular military dagger horizontally. With a clink, it struck the tip of the slender sword.

As the saying goes, longer means stronger, shorter means more dangerous. Although the slender sword was much longer than Blood-Eyed’s dagger, there was a huge difference in strength. The hard material and moderate length of the dagger allowed Blood-Eyed to maximize his strength, easily pushing the slender sword aside. Without hesitation, he then kicked upward.

“Boom!!”

A dull thud. Blood-Pupil felt a jolt at the tips of her feet, as if she had kicked against a hard rock. Instant pain pierced her heart. Yet her transformed body was incredibly strong; with a burst of power, she managed to kick the opponent away in one go.
It was then that Blood-Pupil saw clearly. The guy had kept his left steel shield in front of his chest while lunging forward. She must have kicked the surface of that shield just now. No wonder it was as hard as rock.
Still in mid-air, the Nomic had already performed several somersaults, like a agile monkey, and landed lightly on the ground. He crouched down again, his shiny eyes now blood-red.
“Hehe… hehehe…” The Nomic suddenly let out a nervous laugh. He lowered his head, examined his slender sword, then suddenly stuck out his tongue to lick it. His once delicate face was now twisted into a grotesque mask. Then, with a twist of the sword tip, it pierced his left arm with a soft *thud*.
“What!?” Blood-Pupil’s expression changed drastically. She could hardly believe what she saw.
Self-harm in battle. Was this guy crazy? Even though the Nomics were cruel and bloodthirsty, they wouldn’t go so far as to torture their own bodies, would they? Or was this some special tactic?
Slowly taking a fighting stance, Blood-Pupil narrowed her eyes slightly.
Seeing the Nomic’s action, the entire arena erupted into chaos. The pirates all stood up in a rush, their gasps of surprise sounding like bellows. Even the seats in the front row were filled with shock.
“Which team does this guy belong to?” The Alliance Chairman, sitting in a tall armchair with a frown, suddenly asked the person beside him who seemed to be a secretary.
“It’s the Red Bee Team,” the secretary replied respectfully.
“Red Bee? That crazy woman’s team? No wonder.” The chairman nodded and fell silent, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, the battle below continued.
“Ssshh…” Green blood gushed forth as the Nomic slowly pulled out his slender sword. The entire blade was covered in this green blood. Under the bright lights of the arena, the blood reflected a strange red glow. With a soft cracking sound, the entire sword suddenly caught fire!!

“Elemental Summoning, enchantment?” Blood-Pupil’s expression changed as he suddenly thought of a terrible idea. Without hesitation, he moved like a fierce cheetah, rushing forward in an instant. His agile figure covered the distance between the two of them in a flash. Swinging his arm, his narrow triangular spear flew toward the opponent’s throat with a shrill scream.

He knew that if he didn’t act now, he would likely be completely overwhelmed.

Elemental Summoning was a unique ability of the Nomics. It was somewhat similar to magicians in the ancient magic era, except instead of using elements to attack directly, it was used to strengthen oneself. Still, summoning elements was an extremely terrifying thing. This energy, usually used as the core power for large weapons, became even more terrifying when enchanted onto a weapon. Green flames, like parasitic worms, would spread throughout the body once they touched it, and ordinary means couldn’t extinguish them. Their power was so great that even the invincible Lan Giants would instantly turn into piles of ashes.

He never expected his opponent in the duel to be such a madman. In an instant, it seemed as though all the blood in Blood-Pupil’s body was on fire…

Yet the Nomics truly lived up to being the most skilled race in single combat in the universe. Facing Blood-Pupil’s fierce attack, he showed no fear at all. A deep roar came from his throat as he slammed his steel shield on the ground, launching himself over two meters high like a shrimp, just in time to avoid Blood-Pupil’s strike. Then he twisted his body in mid-air, turning his slender sword into a long fire dragon that slashed downward in a fierce arc.

“Boom!!”

A deafening explosion echoed, and the ground trembled violently. Under the stunned gazes of all the pirates, the green fire dragon, like an invincible divine blade, struck the ground with force. Its terrifying power tore through the hard rock of the arena, creating a huge pit over twenty feet long. The ground on both sides of the pit rose, sending countless rocks into the air before falling back down like rain.

After rolling desperately over twenty feet, Blood-Pupil finally managed to steady himself by gripping the ground. His chest heaved violently, and his slightly narrowed eyes were filled with horror.

What terrifying destructive power. If such an attack hit him, he would probably be shattered in an instant. Even mechs might not be able to withstand a force capable of lifting the ground. No wonder the rumors said the Nomics could be compared to the Lan Giants. The rumors were indeed true!!

So, he had no choice left…
In an instant, Blood Pupil seemed to make some difficult decision. He gritted his teeth. Reaching into his chest with his left hand, he pulled out a tiny syringe. The blue solvent inside glowed faintly under the light, like a beautiful gem. As Blood Pupil moved his left hand, this gem-like solvent quickly entered his body.
Blue Charm… This was something given to Blood Pupil by the Core. Though its name sounded nice, it was undoubtedly a terrifying potion according to its description—a substance that could burn up all the energy in a trained body and release it in an instant. As a price, the user would lose all strength within 24 hours and remain weak for the next week.
Originally, Blood Pupil planned to use this only when facing a strong enemy. But it seemed he would have to use it right from the first battle.
Damn it…
Feeling the world around him turn gradually red, Blood Pupil cursed violently…
A burst of intense black light suddenly erupted from the triangular military dagger in his hand!