Every era has its defining theme. In the Age of Enigma, before the gods had shed their glory upon the world, the theme was violence, plunder, and destruction; all living creatures fought over resources, wagering their lives to reproduce and survive.
In this Age of Gods, however, Igola believed the prevailing theme was domination.
Dominating others, dominating organizations, dominating culture, dominating thought...
Large-scale wars were now a rarity, and people no longer expanded territories. Everyone fought over resources that already existed. Social strata had solidified, the establishment reigned supreme, outright plundering had been replaced by more refined exploitation, and every action had to obey rules laid down a millennium ago.
Pure, unrefined violence was outdated; only the romance of psychic domination could truly thrive in this world.
And when it came to domination, mind sorcerers were undoubtedly the finest choice.
Though Igola was merely a two-winged mind sorcerer, in this Blood Moon Country—where classes were rigidly fixed by birth, one's life trajectory decided upon arrival into the world, and the vast majority were forever barred from the Void Realm—he was practically a predator at the apex of the food chain.
The apex and most hazardous knowledge was monopolized by the Blood Saint clan and the Moon Shadow clan. Ordinary sorcerers had never even heard of the mind faction, let alone known how to guard against it.
Even Igola's own knowledge of the mind had only come about because the Veela bloodline within him had awakened, allowing him to successively find two vital sorcery spirits—'Resonance' and 'Fulfill Contract'—in the Void Realm, thereby transforming him into a mind sorcerer.
Combined with his background as a contract officer in the insurance industry and his possession of the basic sorcery spirit 'Contract', he had forged a miracle specifically tailored against sapient beings: 'Keep One's Word'!
Whether spoken in jest or deceit, once someone reached an agreement with Igola, he could use 'Resonance' to establish a connection, 'Contract' to seal the promise, and 'Fulfill Contract' to compel them to abide by their own words!
In civilized society, this miracle of his had proven foolproof. Had he not run headlong into an immovable obstacle, he would currently be lounging in a sunlit beachfront villa sipping fine wine, rather than brawling at the bottom of a lake-encircled prison.
Yet wherever rules existed, he remained a master of domination, and prison was no exception.
Even though sorcery spirits were suppressed here, they were the embodiment of knowledge; Igola could still achieve his ends through indirect means.
A sorcery spirit was like a campfire used for roasting meat. Though the fire was out, with a bit of effort to drill wood and spark a flame, it could still be rekindled to roast the meat all the same.
All three sorcery spirits—'Contract', 'Resonance', and 'Fulfill Contract'—were intimately tied to the art of speech. Relying solely on the power of words, Igola could bypass the chip's restrictions and stir the sorcery spirits into resonance.
In his past forty-five death matches, he had used the miracle 'Keep One's Word' to compel his opponents into agreeing to fight. Even after they lost, they would agree to a second, third, and fourth match, not stopping until Igola had sucked their contribution points entirely dry.
*He's going to strike my left cheek.*
"Weak, weak, too weak!"
Igola dodged Yaxiu's attack with effortless ease, mocking him without restraint: "Your fists still reek of mother's milk! Who do you think you can hit like that?!"
*He's going to kick my left shin.*
*He wants to grapple me.*
*He wants to throw a right hook.*
Intense thoughts streamed ceaselessly from his opponent into Igola's consciousness. Igola looked with pity upon this cornered-beast of a man, the corners of his mouth curling into a sneer of disdain—once shackled in chains, livestock lost all ability to harm their master!
This was a little trick Igola had devised only after entering prison. It wasn't quite a miracle, but rather an ongoing effect of 'Resonance' maintained between him and his opponent through the link of 'Contract', supplemented by verbal guiding, which allowed him to read his opponent's offensive intentions!
If he could ever leave Shattered Lake Prison, perhaps he could use this to invent a miracle akin to 'Anticipation'.
Yet even an unrefined trick was enough to grant Igola forty-five consecutive victories!
However, ten more would soon be added to that win streak—in Igola's eyes, Yaxiu Heath was already a lamb dusted with cumin, waiting for the spit! This death match was merely the starting point. Next, Igola would defeat him ten times in a row, stripping away every single one of his starting fifty contribution points!
This was the purpose of the death matches: to cull the weak and distinguish the livestock!
Crawl beneath my feet and let me trample you, livestock!
*He's going to throw a straight punch to my chest.*
Igola slipped past his fist and countered with a punch of his own, teasing, "Keep at it! You almost hit me that ti—huh?"
Though his punch had hit nothing but air, Yaxiu swiftly dipped his head under Igola's counter, closing the distance and driving an elbow upward.
Igola naturally retreated with haste to dodge, yet shock and suspicion surged within him—this was the first time Yaxiu had evaded one of his attacks.
Though once was hardly conclusive, it wasn't a good omen.
*I can't keep playing around. Better just knock him out.*
With that thought, Igola shook the blood from his knuckles, charged forward with a shout, threw all his focus into reading Yaxiu's intentions, and targeted Yaxiu's vitals!
"Fair Beast, stop wasting time and wrap it up!"
"It's not often we get a newcomer, don't break him so fast!"
"Fair Beast, you've got so many contribution points, how about letting me have some fun too?!"
"Fair Beast, bring a blade next match! I want a bite of chewy thigh meat! Langna, don't you dare fight me for it!"
The prisoners in the stands laughed and bantered, but Langna, who was tracing circles on his boyfriend's chest, suddenly chimed in: "Even if I don't fight you for it, you won't be tasting any."
"Huh?"
The convicts paused in surprise, then looked closer, their expressions shifting: "This kid... Is this what believers of the Four Pillar Gods are like...?"
Yaxiu's movements still looked awkward and desperate, yet his defensive efficiency was noticeably climbing. Where every one of Igola's punches had landed before, now Igola was lucky to land one in four—and even that one was likely to be blocked by Yaxiu's forearms.
It wasn't any sudden leap in physical conditioning; rather, it was as if he were developing combat instincts on the fly.
Yaxiu wasn't getting faster—if anything, fatigue and pain were slowing him down—yet his movements were growing crisper. It was as though he had adapted completely to Igola's rhythm, knowing how to react the moment Igola lifted a hand.
Truth be told, Igola wasn't especially strong in the Death Match Club, not even reaching the second tier. His strength lay in flaying the weak and breaking prison conventions to bleed the vanquished completely dry. Still, everyone had to admit he had a sharp eye, always finding prey he could bully; his perfect forty-five consecutive wins were proof enough.
When Yaxiu walked onto the stage with Igola, everyone had thought he would lose all his contribution points and become a regular fixture on the Blood Moon Trial. After all, Yaxiu had displayed zero combat talent and had the pretty-boy looks that made one wonder if this so-called Four Pillar Gods cult was just another name for a rich women's dating club.
Yet after only a few minutes of fighting, Yaxiu had undergone a metamorphosis. From a hothouse flower that didn't even know how to hold a defensive stance, he had transformed into a seasoned jungle man-eating plant, even showing signs of gaining the upper hand!
"Old Master Taige, looks like he's the same type as you," someone chuckled. "Who would've thought Igola would be the one caught by someone playing the pig to eat the tiger?"
"No," Taige said. The white-haired old man, who was usually in the habit of acting timid, now wore a grave expression. "He wasn't playing the pig. He was a real pig before."
"The body doesn't lie," Langna added, straightening up where he sat on his boyfriend's lap. "His physique has never been tempered by combat; he's clearly a sheltered scholar. I was the one who brought him in, and I saw it clearly: none of his physical reactions resembled someone with combat training. He was worse than a child."
"Judging by his initial guard at the start of the match, this might even be one of the rare close-quarters brawls he's had in years."
Someone muttered, "How can that be... Doesn't that mean..."
"That's right," Langna sighed in the dark. "The wrong person, in the wrong place, awakening the wrong talent. What a... pity."
*Smack!*
Igola blocked Yaxiu's fist with both arms—his very first defensive move since the fight began. Compared to the onlookers in the stands, Igola felt Yaxiu's rapid progress far more acutely. It was like watching a quiet piece of slaughter-ready livestock turn into... a loudly roaring piece of slaughter-ready livestock.
"What an adorable punch, softer than a baby's," Igola sneered with a sinister grin. "Tired yet?"
Yaxiu remained silent, pacing and circling Igola to seek an opening in his guard.
"I have to admit, I truly underestimated you. Your learning speed is far beyond what I expected. A gift from the Four Pillar Gods? Or a talent you only just discovered? I acknowledge that you have what it takes to break free from being livestock, but your physical conditioning is simply too pathetic—so pathetic that dragging this out is all I need to wear you down!"
"Consider the one contribution point you wagered as the ransom for transforming from livestock into a man. Rejoice, Yaxiu Heath! You're the only livestock that has ever managed to shake off the chains—yet that is all you are. Once this death match ends, I won't have anything more to do with you, nor will I accept any more challenges from you. Under the prison rules, you won't even be able to seek revenge against me."
"Understanding the rules, exploiting the rules, dominating the rules—that is true power! And this little combat talent of yours, at best, has only turned you from a beast of burden into a... wild beast!"
"When you're consumed by power and sent to struggle in the Blood Moon Trial, I'll be sitting somewhere safe, sipping red wine and admiring your pathetic display. That is the difference between you and me! That is the gap between the dominated and the dominator!"
Right then, Yaxiu suddenly said, "Don't cover your face."
Igola sneered contemptuously. *Only a fool would listen to—*
"You're pretty good-looking. I want to look a bit longer."
*You're pretty good-looking. I want to look a bit longer.*
Yaxiu's words and genuine thoughts flooded into Igola's mind simultaneously, catching him off guard. It was the first time he had ever heard such praise in the arena. Driven by an instinct to show off, he unconsciously lowered his hands—
*Smack!*
A heavily gathered punch slammed squarely into Igola's face, knocking him instantly into unconsciousness.
*Ding! Ding! Ding!*
"The match is decided! The victor: Yaxiu Heath!"
Chapter 19