One-Eyed Monster

It was evident that Kadi had enraged the Bloodthirster.

His temper had never been this erratic. He was used to steamrolling everyone, but now he was being ridiculed. He found this situation incredibly hard to swallow.

So, he immediately blurted out a crude remark.

”You don’t know shit!”

This phrase might have been devastating to others, or at least enough to provoke them. But his opponent was Kadi, an unconventional player, so its impact was instantly halved.

Kadi wasn’t so easily provoked; he was the King of Chaos, after all. This level of confrontation was all too familiar to him.

”I might know a little more than you. So, does that mean you don’t even know ’shit’?”

Kadi’s retort was equally aggressive, brimming with offensive intent.

”You...” The Bloodthirster trailed off. He had clearly fallen into Kadi’s trap and was already growing irritable and agitated.

”You bastard, just you wait! After I deal with that coward, I’m coming for you. You’ll get what’s coming to you then!”

”Oh, don’t wait. I want to know what ’getting what’s coming to me’ feels like right now.”

...The Bloodthirster’s mood became erratic again. He’d never imagined someone could be so eager to die. If this were a real battlefield, he would definitely have to be cautious with such an opponent.

But this was all Kuren’s consciousness; death didn’t exist here. Unless Kuren truly kicked the bucket, this place would remain a battleground for him and that weakling—no, it was a three-way battle now. That newcomer, though annoying, was undeniably part of this place now.

Who would have thought? What was once my solo dominion has turned into a standoff in the blink of an eye. And before that standoff even settled, it became a three-way deadlock!

The Bloodthirster’s mood soured instantly. He couldn’t understand how he, who had once dominated this place, was suddenly being bullied by others...

This wave of indignation made him forget what he had been about to do.

Kadi truly was a master of disruption; with just a few words, he had completely bewildered the once-majestic Bloodthirster.

My entire rhythm is shot!

At this point, the Bloodthirster had no idea where that cowardly weakling had run off to.

It seemed... that guy was everywhere...

At this moment, Kuren used his World Setting Spell to create a multitude of duplicates. This was something he excelled at, and he intended to use this method to defeat the Bloodthirster who had tormented him for so long.

”Posturing!” The Bloodthirster hadn’t paid them much mind before, but after being repeatedly ridiculed, he felt compelled to prove himself. He had to establish his authority in front of this new consciousness, no matter what.

So, he puffed up his cheeks and, WHOOSH, blew out a gust of air. He intended to use his breath to blow all these incredibly annoying figures away.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The Illusions created by Kuren’s World Setting Technique were sent scattering, showing no signs of resistance.

”Mere parlor tricks!” The Bloodthirster was becoming a bit unhinged. His attack was simple, yes, but simple as it was, it worked!

However, the Bloodthirster had overlooked one crucial fact: Kuren was already well accustomed to this.

For a long time, Kuren had been utterly crushed by the Bloodthirster, unable to even lift his head. Later, with the Great Mentor’s help, he had managed to suppress the Bloodthirster, which had also eased his mental burden.

Yet, who could have predicted that this Bloodthirster would resurface so forcefully at such a critical moment?

Facing all sorts of difficulties, the Bloodthirster’s emergence was, in a way, an attempt to help...

Unfortunately, Kuren felt he didn’t need this kind of help. He didn’t want his hands stained with blood.

”You ants! Once you understand how formidable I am, you’ll have plenty of time to regret every word you’ve uttered.” Clearly, succeeding with that one attack had boosted the Bloodthirster’s confidence; he was practically swelling with arrogance!

”Don’t get so conceited. It was just one hit. You’re not the strongest one here.” Kadi had successfully enraged the Bloodthirster multiple times, so he was confident he could disrupt his emotions this time too.

”I’m not conceited!” the Bloodthirster retorted defiantly. He genuinely believed his strength was immense; crushing these weaklings was like child’s play to him.

But that was in the past.

Now, that cowardly Kuren has completely transformed!

The Bloodthirster discovered that the figures he had just blown away were regrouping. This is so damn disgusting!

”Flame Eruption!”

”Ice Hammer Strike!”

”Arrow Rain!”

...

The Bloodthirster relentlessly attacked the Illusions using his preferred methods.

But the effect was always similar: initially, it seemed significant, but in reality, they were just superficial displays.

What he destroyed were ultimately just Illusions, part of the World Setting Technique. As long as Kuren had sufficient Spirit Power, he could create as many Spirit Paintings as he wished.

The problem was, the Bloodthirster didn’t know this.

”Ha.”

”Haha.”

...

Each of his failures was accompanied by Kadi’s mocking laughter.

That laughter is like a series of sneak attacks, it’s making me sick!

”You bastard, stop laughing at me, or I’ll blast you!” The Bloodthirster wanted to stop Kadi, but verbal assaults were all he had left.

”My laughing is my business. If you don’t like to laugh, that’s your business.”

”You know...”

”I know, I know! You were about to tell me that *you* know ’shit,’ weren’t you?” Kadi quickly interjected.

”You...”

”Actually, ’shit’ is a very complex subject. You might not even understand something so complex...”

”Just you wait!”

”I told you already, I can’t wait.”

Kadi really had a knack for getting under people’s skin. In no time, the Bloodthirster’s rhythm was completely thrown off.

With the addition of Kuren’s World Setting Technique, the Bloodthirster, who had always lorded over others, was actually stunned.

But everyone has an ace up their sleeve. The Bloodthirster’s ace was to attack with reckless abandon. To hell with it, just one word: Fight!

Throwing all caution to the wind, the Bloodthirster unleashed his ultimate move. He had a hunch that if he didn’t use it now, he might not get another chance.

The Spirit Paintings of the World Setting Technique were utterly demolished by the Bloodthirster’s frenzied assault. Reforming the World Setting Technique would take time, and Kuren hadn’t managed to reorganize it yet. So, for now, they could only watch as the Bloodthirster postured.

”You short-sighted fools! You dare to defy me? Now I’ll show you what true domination means!”

He had truly become arrogant!

Kadi, unhurriedly, tossed out another infuriating comment.

”I’m not damn arro—”

”You don’t know ’shit.’ You can’t even see yourself.” At that moment, Kadi finally got his revenge for the earlier insult.

???

The Bloodthirster froze. What in the world was happening? How could this newly emerged consciousness be so infuriatingly obnoxious?

And come to think of it, what this guy said... actually seemed to make a bit of sense. Annoying, yes, but...

He really couldn’t see whether he was being arrogant or not...