Lucian chuckled, wincing as he stood, his back protesting the movement.
"You know… we can still be friends, right?" His voice had a dark edge to it, despite the pain rippling through his body.
His eyes never left Lu Bu. He could feel the power difference between them, but there was something more pressing now. Something he could use.
Lucian's gaze flicked around, and his lips twitched in realization. There it was—the unmistakable scent of something metallic in the air. A smell that shouldn't have been so familiar, yet was... It was the stench of blood.
And here he was, standing in the middle of a war-torn battlefield, drenched in the aftermath of countless fallen.
Blood.
Lucian's grin widened. "You know, I have to thank you." His voice was smooth, dripping with mockery. "Your past, ravaged in blood—it's a blessing for me."
He stood tall now, chest puffed, eyes shining with something dangerous.
"Because now," Lucian's voice dropped, rising with dark glee, "I get to do this!"
Lucian raised his arm high into the air. The wind seemed to halt for a moment. His pulse thrummed. And then—
The blood of the fallen stirred.
Crimson liquid from the very ground rose in thick, swirling torrents, hanging in the smoke-filled sky like a monstrous storm. The battlefield seemed to hold its breath as blood—thousands upon millions of droplets—filled the air.
Lucian threw his head back, laughing maniacally, the blood of the battlefield answering his call.
"I couldn't use my own blood... well, because I'm a bit low on it," Lucian mocked, his grin stretching wider. "But others' blood? Now that's a different story."
His hand clenched into a fist, the blood swirling around him like a storm, crackling with malicious energy.
"Accursed Storm!"
With his command, the blood from the sky rained down, each droplet a needle of power, slashing through the air in a thousand directions.
The entire city was enveloped in the crimson downpour. Every corner of the battlefield, every corner of the twisted dreamscape now felt alive with violent, consuming blood.
Lu Bu's eyes widened, a faint amusement in his gaze as he raised an eyebrow.
"Do your worst, demon." His voice was low, almost casual, but the smirk on his face grew sharper as he stepped forward, disappearing in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Bu reappeared in front of Lucian, his armor and face now covered in blood from the relentless rain.
Lucian's laughter grew wilder. The blood storm only intensified around him, but then—Lucian vanished, his body melting into the crimson sea.
He reappeared in another pool of blood, his form rippling and reforming. His eyes gleamed with manic delight.
"Your domain is war…" Lucian's voice was a low growl, echoing through the chaos. "Well, sad thing is… mine is blood!"
He surged forward, a storm of blood trailing in his wake, as if the very air had become a weapon at his command.
Lucian appeared in front of Lu Bu, his fist clenched, ready to strike.
"What a foolhardy attempt!" Lu Bu's voice boomed with laughter, his eyes glinting with derision. Without hesitation, he swung his halberd toward Lucian with brutal force.
But before the weapon could meet its mark, a massive blood fist formed from the swirling rain, rising from the drenched ground. It smashed through the air and collided with Lu Bu in a thunderous explosion of crimson.
Lu Bu staggered back, crashing through several buildings like they were made of paper, the sound of stone cracking echoing through the battlefield. Yet, impossibly, he remained on his feet, his body covered in a mist of dust and blood.
"Was that it, demon?!"
Lu Bu shouted, his laugh rumbling through the air as he leapt forward, his halberd flashing like lightning.
He swung the weapon with terrifying force, and a tornado of air was sent spiraling toward Lucian, its winds howling like a living beast.
"You want more?" Lucian's laugh was dark and taunting. With a single flick of his hand, a massive, monstrous blood-soaked hand emerged from the storm.
It swatted the tornado aside as if it were nothing more than a bothersome fly, sending it tumbling into the distance, the winds dissipating in a wave of red mist.
Lu Bu landed heavily on the ground, his feet impacting with such force that the very air around him trembled. He narrowed his eyes, his confidence faltering for the briefest moment. The fury in his gaze burned brighter.
"You're a warrior, right? Then I'll fight you like one."
Lucian raised his arm, and a sword rose from the blood-soaked ground with a low hum, the weapon shimmering with an ominous aura.
"Damnarex!"
he shouted, and in a burst of shadow and fire, the demonic sword materialized in his hand, its blade crackling with dark energy.
His clothes were now drenched in crimson, and his violet eyes burned with a fierce, crimson glow.
Lu Bu snarled, eyeing the weapon with disdain. "A small sword... for a weak man!"
In a blur of motion, Lu Bu lunged, swinging his halberd down at Lucian. But Lucian was ready, the demonic sword clashing against the halberd with a resounding crash.
Sparks flew as their weapons collided, the power behind both strikes reverberating through the air.
With a swift motion, Lu Bu swung his halberd low, aiming to sever Lucian's legs. Lucian reacted instantly, jumping into the air just in time to avoid the strike.
He landed gracefully on the shaft of the halberd itself, using it as a springboard to propel himself toward Lu Bu.
"Too slow." Lucian's smirk was cold, a mocking glint in his eyes as he slashed at Lu Bu's face with precision.
But Lu Bu's reflexes were faster than expected. He threw his halberd into the air, sending it soaring high above them, lifting Lucian with the force of his throw. In that moment, Lu Bu clenched his fist with a primal roar.
"I am a warrior of no equal!"
With a mighty punch, he struck the sky itself, his blow sending a shockwave that ripped through the air. The force was so intense it sent a gust of wind toward Lucian, who was still gripping the halberd.
But before the blow could land, Lucian dissolved into blood once more, vanishing into a pool of crimson. He reappeared on the ground, his face smug, barely affected by the attack.
The gust of wind continued its upward trajectory, its shockwave so powerful that it halted the blood rain for a split second, as if even nature itself feared the overwhelming force of Lu Bu's strike.
Lucian stared up at the sky, his disbelief clear in his expression.
"Holy crap… You could give the hero a run for his money!"
A wild laugh escaped him as he lunged at Lu Bu once again, but this time, the battlefield was no longer just his. Tens—no, hundreds—of blood clones erupted from the ground around him, each one mimicking his every move as they surged toward Lu Bu.
The clash was no longer a simple skirmish. This was no longer a one-sided fight, but a battle between legends. Beasts of myth and war, each locked in combat, not for honor or glory, but for survival, driven by their dark destinies.
And both were villains in their own right—beasts of terror and chaos from their own worlds, now clashing in a realm where no one could escape their rage.