BLOOD & SIGILS

Chapter 69: The Alpha's Arena

The jungle floor was littered with corpses.

Some half-eaten.

Some torn apart.

All forgotten.

And at the center of it all—

The Alpha Mana Beast stood waiting.

The battlefield had been chosen.

The students had been lured in.

And now?

The hunt was over.

It was time to kill.

Kael Veyrin – The Challenger Enters

Kael's crimson eyes burned as he stepped into the clearing.

The moment he arrived, the Alpha turned to face him.

No words.

No hesitation.

Just pure, predatory instinct.

Behind him, Lucian Eldoria and Darius Zephyrion emerged from the jungle.

And from the other side—

Mira Valcroft.

Selene Duskbane.

Evelyne Grimthorne.

Cassian Duskbane.

And finally—Rael Varros.

The top-ranked students had all arrived.

Each one battered.

Each one exhausted.

But none of them hesitated.

Because they all knew the truth.

This wasn't about survival anymore.

It was about victory.

The Alpha Stalks Its Prey

The Alpha's golden eyes flickered over each fighter, its massive form standing unchallenged in the center of the clearing.

Its jet-black fur rippled with mana, pulsing in a slow, steady rhythm.

It did not attack immediately.

Because it didn't need to.

It was watching.

Calculating.

It had already seen how the lesser ones fought.

How they ran.

How they died.

But these ones?

These were different.

The Alpha tilted its head slightly.

It recognized the strongest among them.

Kael.

Lucian.

Darius.

Selene.

Evelyne.

Mira.

It had sensed them from the moment they entered the island.

And so, it had waited.

Because a true predator doesn't rush.

It lets its prey come to it.

Kael's Command – The Plan is Set

Kael tightened his grip on his sword.

"We go in together," he said, voice steady. "No one fights alone. If we separate, we die."

Lucian nodded, his golden eyes unreadable. "Agreed. But we need to test its limits first."

Evelyne cracked her knuckles. "Then let's hit it hard and see what happens."

Darius rolled his shoulders, lightning crackling at his fingertips. "I've been waiting for a real fight."

Cassian let out a breath, spinning his rapier. "We're all going to die, aren't we?"

Mira stepped forward, determination burning in her hazel eyes. "Then we die fighting."

Rael remained silent.

His silver-gray eyes locked onto the Alpha, already planning his first move.

Selene, standing beside him, whispered under her breath.

"We only get one shot at this."

Kael nodded.

"Then let's make it count."

The Battle Begins

BOOM.

Kael moved first.

A burst of mana erupted from beneath his feet as he launched himself forward, sword glowing with a blood-red rune.

Lucian was right beside him, a wave of golden fire surging in his wake.

Darius vanished in a flash of lightning.

Evelyne charged like a warhammer, her fists crackling with force.

Mira followed close behind, her sword low, ready to strike.

Cassian moved in the opposite direction, his rapier weaving a path of silver light.

Selene's spear flashed.

Rael disappeared into the shadows.

And the Alpha?

The Alpha did not move.

Not at first.

It waited.

It let them come.

And then—

It struck.

The Alpha's Power – A Monster Unleashed

The moment Kael's sword met its flesh,

A shockwave of force erupted outward.

CRACK.

Kael was sent flying backward, smashing into the ground with enough force to break stone.

Lucian's fire swallowed the Alpha's body.

For a moment, it vanished beneath the inferno.

But then—

The flames parted.

And the Alpha stood untouched.

Darius appeared in a lightning-fast blur, his thunder-coated fists slamming into the Alpha's side.

But the moment of impact—

It countered.

A single swipe of its claw sent Darius tumbling into a nearby tree, blood trailing behind him.

Evelyne leapt forward, her fists glowing with raw energy.

She threw a punch strong enough to shatter mountains.

The Alpha caught her wrist.

It squeezed.

Bones cracked.

Evelyne gritted her teeth in pain.

Mira lunged, her blade slashing toward the Alpha's throat.

But before she could land the strike—

The Alpha disappeared.

Vanished.

Reappeared behind her.

BOOM.

Mira barely managed to twist mid-air, avoiding the full force of the impact—

But the shockwave still sent her flying.

Selene, Cassian, and Rael all moved at once.

A spear.

A rapier.

A dagger wreathed in shadows.

The Alpha dodged all three.

And then—

It finally attacked.

A Predator Among Prey

One second, it was standing still.

The next—

It was everywhere.

A black blur of claws and death.

Kael barely had time to raise his sword before a strike tore through his shoulder.

Blood sprayed.

Darius rolled to the side, lightning flickering, but he was too slow.

The Alpha caught his leg.

SNAP.

Darius screamed.

Lucian's fire exploded outward, forcing the Alpha back for a single heartbeat—

And in that moment, Kael moved.

Through the pain.

Through the fear.

Through the instincts screaming at him to run.

Because running wasn't an option.

Not anymore.

He activated his Berserker's Ascent.

His Crimson Sigil burned brighter.

And as the Alpha turned to strike again—

Kael was already there.

His blade met its claws.

And for the first time—

The Alpha felt resistance.

A clash of will and power.

And Kael?

Kael was not backing down.

The Final Hunt Begins…

The battle had only just started.

And now?

Now, it was a war.