I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 403: Resurrection

Rhys watched with a mixture of horror and fascination. ”He’s... he’s not even using his lightning,” he breathed. ”He’s just... playing.”

Sylph’s voice was quiet in his mind. ’This is how predators establish dominance. He’s proving he can beat the Champion on the warrior’s own terms before showing his true power.’

Pho’s blank eyes gleamed with approval. ”The young master understands psychological warfare. Every demon watching this will remember that the Soul Warden defeated their Champion without needing his magic.”

Father Caelen smiled; his pride was evident in his expression.

Jack teleported again, this time appearing directly in front of the Champion.

At point-blank range, he unleashed a devastating combination.

Oscar’s shaft striking like a club to create space, immediately followed by both demonic claws raking across the Champion’s chest. Demon bone armor shattered under the assault, and deep gouges appeared in the Champion’s torso.

Blood sprayed across the sand, dark arterial liquid coated the sand black. The Champion stumbled backward, and for the first time, his expression showed something other than the calm focus he always wore.

Pain.

Jack pressed the advantage ruthlessly. His spear became a blur of demon bone and crackling electricity, each strike perfectly placed to exploit the Champion’s damaged armor.

His demonic claws tore at exposed flesh whenever an opening appeared, and the Champion’s legendary defense began to crumble under the sustained assault.

A particularly vicious slash from Jack’s left claw opened the Champion’s thigh, nearly severing the muscle.

The warrior’s stance faltered, and Jack saw his opportunity.

[Spear Toss Activated]

Jack hurled Oscar with every ounce of enhanced strength his transformed body could generate. The spear became a bolt of lightning, red electricity wreathing its length as it crossed the space between them faster than most eyes could track.

[-86,941 HP]

The Lightning Spear punched through the Champion’s chest with a sound like ripping canvas, the demon bone tip emerging from his back in a spray of blood and shattered bone.

The Champion’s eyes went wide, his massive sword falling from nerveless fingers as he staggered backward.

Oscar’s shaft jutted from his chest at an angle, electricity still crackling along its length. Blood poured from the wound in pulsing gouts, pooling around the Champion’s feet.

The Colosseum went silent.

Jack walked forward slowly, his demonic claws scraping against the sand with each step. He reached the Champion, who had fallen to his knees, both hands wrapped around Oscar’s shaft as if he could somehow pull it free.

Without wasting a second, Jack gripped the spear with both transformed hands and yanked it free.

The Champion’s body convulsed, more blood fountaining from the massive wound. He swayed, then collapsed forward onto the sand, his face hitting the ground with a wet thud.

Jack turned away from the fallen warrior, his red eyes finding Valdoren in the announcer’s booth.

The lich stood frozen, his skeletal hands gripping the railing, that eternal grin somehow conveying shock despite the lack of flesh.

Jack raised Oscar in salute, blood dripping from the spearhead, and smiled.

Valdoren smiled back.

That should have been Jack’s first warning.

The crowd remained silent, waiting for the announcement and the system notification that would confirm the kill. Waiting for....

Nothing happened.

No notification appeared about EXP or Death Tokens in Jack’s vision.

Jack’s smile faded.

He turned back toward the Champion’s body, Oscar rising defensively as his enhanced senses screamed to be on guard.

The corpse was glowing.

Soft black light seeped from the massive chest wound, growing darker with each passing second.

The pool of blood around the Champion began to evaporate, steam rising in black clouds that obscured the body from view.

[WARNING!]

[Disaster-class Entity Detected]

[Threat Level: EXTREME]

[The Undefeated Champion - EVOLVED]

[Rank: Disaster]

[Level: 70]

[HP: 300,000/300,000]

[Special Ability: Adaptive Evolution]

”Oh,” Jack breathed slowly, and despite the danger, he couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face. ”Oh, this is going to be fun.”

The black light intensified until Jack had to shield his eyes, even through his helmet’s enchanted visor.

The steam and luminescence formed a pillar that reached toward the Colosseum’s distant ceiling, and within that pitch-black smoke, he was changing.

The Champion’s body was reforming.

Muscles bulged and reformed, bones cracked and reset at different angles.

The massive chest wound sealed itself as new tissue generated at impossible speed, skin knitting back together without even a scar to mark where Oscar had punched through.

The Champion’s frame expanded another six inches in height, but the density of muscle increased dramatically.

When the light faded, the Champion rose to his feet in one fluid motion.

He looked much stronger. The scars that had covered his body were gone, replaced by unblemished dark skin. His eyes, which had been merely dark before, now glowed with faint white light.

The sword at his feet flew to his hand as if magnetized, and when he gripped it, veins of black light traced along the blade’s surface.

The crowd erupted.

”EVOLUTION!”

”THE CHAMPION EVOLVED!”

”DISASTER-CLASS! HE’S DISASTER-CLASS NOW!”

”IMPOSSIBLE! I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE SURVIVE AN EVOLUTION!”

Pho leaned forward, his blank eyes somehow conveying intense interest. ”Remarkable. Adaptive Evolution. The Champion’s special ability allows him to evolve in response to near-death experiences. He matches his opponent’s power level and gains abilities to counter them.”

Rhys’s voice was shaking. ”Can Jack... can he beat something like that?”

Pho’s smile was cold. ”Watch carefully, young prince. You’re about to learn the difference between power and overwhelming force.”

Father Caelen’s hands remained steady on the railing, but his prayer beads clicked softly as he worked them through his fingers. ”Divine storm, grant the young master your strength,” he murmured.

Down in the arena, Jack activated a skill he rarely used.

[Flawed Sight Activated]

His vision shifted, colors bleeding away as layers of information overlaid his perception. He could see the Champion’s essence now.

What he saw made him laugh.

The Champion’s core was a nexus of pure black energy. With every breath, the warrior analyzed Jack’s power, his techniques, and his capabilities.

The evolution wasn’t just physical. The Champion was literally rewriting himself to become the perfect counter to Jack Kaiser.

”You beautiful bastard,” Jack said, genuine appreciation in his voice. ”You’re actually going to make me work for this.”

The Champion bolted towards Jack as he cracked the ground.

He was fast.

The distance between them vanished in the blink of an eye. That glowing sword swept in a horizontal arc that forced Jack to teleport to avoid being cleaved in half.

He materialized fifteen feet away, and the Champion was already there, sword coming down in a devastating overhead chop.

Jack crossed Oscar and both demonic claws above his head, blocking the strike.

The impact drove him to one knee. The sand beneath his feet cratered, and his arms trembled from the sheer force transmitted through the block.

”Okay,” Jack grunted, shoving the Champion back with his strength. ”You’ve definitely gotten stronger.”

He teleported again, creating space, and immediately began cycling through attack patterns.

Oscar became a blur as Jack unleashed his full spearman repertoire: Piercing Strike, Spear Barrage, basic thrusts, and sweeps enhanced by demonic strength and lightning.

The Champion blocked every single one and countered Jack. His sword moved with prescient accuracy, always in precisely the proper position to deflect Jack’s attacks.

When Jack aimed high, the Champion’s guard was already there. When Jack feinted low and struck high, the Champion had already adjusted.

’He’s reading me,’ Jack realized, teleporting backward to avoid a counterstrike that would have opened his throat. ’He just gets better at countering every attack I throw at him.’