I am Villain Cultivator
Chapter 44: Rise of the Dragon, Fall of Giants

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Rise of the Dragon, Fall of Giants

Kaal raised his hand, fingers splayed like a maestro commanding an orchestra. Behind him, the air shimmered as countless orbs of blood materialised, each one pulsing with dark vitality, swirling like malevolent stars.

Then, they morphed.

In an instant, the orbs elongated, sharpened, and solidified into razor-edged swords of crystallised blood. They hovered in a deadly formation, their tips glinting under the arena lights like a thousand hungry fangs.

"Blood Fall," Kaal intoned.

With a snap of his fingers, the swords descended.

Kevin’s pupils constricted. "Tch—!"

"Storm Step!"

He blurred into motion, lightning trailing in his wake as he zigzagged across the arena. The blood swords struck the ground where he’d stood moments before, embedding themselves deep into the stone with sickening thunks.

But there were too many.

No matter how fast he moved, the swords herded him, cornering him against the arena’s edge.

Kevin’s teeth gritted. One hand whipped up, palm outstretched. Crackling energy coalesced into a roaring sphere of blue-white lightning, its surface alive with destructive fury.

"Thunderblast!"

He hurled it forward.

BOOOOM!

The explosion shook the stands. A blinding flash engulfed the battlefield as lightning and blood clashed, the remaining swords vaporised in the detonation, reduced to scarlet mist that hung heavy in the air.

When the smoke cleared, Kevin stood panting, his sleeve singed, his lightning flickering unevenly. Across from him, Kaal watched, unimpressed.

"Is that all?" Kaal mused, tilting his head. "I expected more from the Young Storm Dragon."

Kevin didn’t respond with words. Instead, he took a stance that made the entire arena still for a moment. Thunder Qi surged to the tip of his spear, while wind Qi gathered and danced along the shaft like an ethereal spiral. His body became cloaked in a radiant storm, lightning crackling across his form, forming a radiant suit of armour that pulsed with divine energy.

"Divine Punishment."

In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

A burst of air followed his movement, and before Kaal could react, Kevin had already appeared in front of him. The spear, now a weapon of godlike destruction, pierced through Kaal’s shoulder with terrifying precision.

"Aaargh!"

Kaal let out a scream as the lightning-infused spear tore through flesh and bone. But the pain didn’t stop there. Thunder Qi began to surge through his veins, ravaging his body from within like thousands of serpents biting at his organs. With gritted teeth, Kaal jumped back, his legs staggering mid-air as he landed awkwardly and vomited blood.

Seeing him collapse, Kevin took a step forward, his expression proud and unbothered. His voice echoed across the arena.

"This is the difference between Foundation Realm and Blessing Realm, Kaal. Thunder and wind obey me like extensions of my own body." His spear twirled lazily in his grip. "You’re not bad, forcing me to reveal my true cultivation. But this is your limit."

His tone grew heavier as he approached, his presence dominating.

"You’re not bad, forcing me to reveal my Blessing Realm cultivation.""But this... this is your limit."

Kaal, pale and shaking from the shoulder wound, slowly rose to his feet. The crowd gasped in disbelief. Kaal coughed, a fresh trickle of blood staining his lips. His shoulder burned, his organs ached, yet he stood.

Kevin’s eyes widened. ’How? The lightning Qi should have crippled him!’

He knew what his Thunder Qi did to the human body. Kaal’s internal organs should’ve been fried from the inside out.

But Kaal stood firm. His body trembled slightly, yet his gaze was calm, burning even his crimson eyes, gleaming with something inhuman.

"This kind of injury?" He rolled his shoulder, the flesh already knitting back together under the influence of his Myriad Demon Thousand body. "A scratch."

A dangerous smile curled on Kaal’s lips.

With his Mind Eye activated, he had already seen through the intricacies of Kevin’s spear technique. He raised his axe, blood Qi and azure Qi whirling together at its edge. The fusion of energies created a violent ripple through the air, distorting the very space around his weapon.

In a sudden surge, he launched himself forward.

"Divine Punishment."

The exact same technique is performed with blood Qi and azure Qi instead of thunder and wind.

Kevin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Impossible...!"

This shouldn’t be. His technique was derived from his innate blessing. No one could replicate a Blessing Realm talent, no one.

But Kaal did.

A wall of lightning rose from Kevin’s hand, followed by a spiralling barrier of wind, two layers of defence forged from his strongest talents.

The axe cut through both.

Like a cleaver through wet parchment.

Kaal’s blood-reinforced arm surged forward, and his monstrous physique exploded with strength. His fist slammed into Kevin’s abdomen with a thunderous crack, sending Kevin flying across the arena.

He skipped once. Then again. A third time. Each bounce of his body slammed against the stone tiles of the stage with enough force to leave behind small craters.

The crowd was silent.

Dust lifted from the ground where Kevin finally slid to a stop, stunned, breathless, and wide-eyed.

The tide of battle had shifted.

And now... the arena was Kaal’s domain.

Kevin Haze lay crumpled at the edge of the arena, his ribs cracked, his spear discarded in the dirt. Blood and dust coated his lips as he struggled to rise, only to collapse again, his vision swimming. The once-arrogant Storm Dragon, who had humiliated Samrat and challenged the Kilvish Clan’s pride, now tasted the bitterness of defeat.

He tried to rise—once, twice—but his limbs betrayed him.

Kaal stood tall, towering above his fallen opponent. His chest rose and fell, each breath a battle-won scar, his axe trembling in his grip from overuse.

"You’re the first to injure me this badly, Kevin," Kaal said, his voice calm but hoarse. There was no malice, only truth. Without his Origin Core, he would have stood beneath Samrat, another name in the shadow of giants. But the core had rewritten his fate.

He raised his axe once more, but the weapon groaned, the handle splintering from the brute strength behind it.

’Even the axe can’t withstand my monstrous power anymore,’ Kaal thought, almost amused.

With a flick of frustration, he cast the broken axe aside.

A moment passed.

Then Elder Varun rose from his seat, eyes wide with disbelief and wonder.

He raised his hand and roared, "Match over! The winner is Kaal Kilvish!"

The crowd erupted like a tidal wave."Kaal! Kaal! Kaal!" they chanted.

Then, as if caught in a storm of shared realisation, a single voice shouted:

"Shadow Dragon!"

And the chant shifted, thundering through the stands like a tidal wave.

"SHADOW DRAGON! SHADOW DRAGON!"

Their chants thundered through the entire Kilvish compound.

Then—whoosh!—a strong gust of wind heralded the arrival of the clan’s ruler.

Patriarch Charles Kilvish descended from the skies, a proud smile on his lips.

"By defending the honour of our clan and proving his unmatched strength, I now declare Kaal Kilvish to be the rightful heir of the Kilvish Clan. From this day forward, he shall bear the title.Young Shadow Dragon of the Kilvish Clan!"

The cheers reached a deafening crescendo.

Charles then turned to Divya, who stood quietly at the side of the arena.

"You didn’t get the chance to fight Kevin. If you wish to challenge Kaal for the title, step forward."

But Divya shook her head and raised a hand.

"I surrender."

Her voice was steady, but there was relief in her eyes. With that simple act, the decision became official.

Kaal was now the true heir of the Kilvish Clan.

The crowd celebrated, their voices rising in waves of euphoria. Applause cracked through the sky like thunder.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Slow. Measured. Mocking.

A single set of hands echoed through the celebration, cutting through the cheer like a cold knife.

From the shadows, a figure stepped forward. His long silver-white hair shimmered with electric strands. His robes danced with unseen storm currents.

It was Elder Adaeze of the Storm Clan one of the Ten Heavenly Dragons.

Beside him walked a slender man with delicate, feminine features, clad in embroidered violet robes. His smile was strange, elegant, and unsettling.

Elder Adrian of the Jeral Clan.

Adaeze looked toward Kaal with narrowed eyes, then smiled faintly.

"Bella really did give birth to a monster."

Then he added, voice sharp and cruel beneath the honeyed tone:"But a genius without support... is just a larger snake among dragons."

Before anyone could react—

BOOOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the Kilvish Clan’s entrance. The earth trembled as the legendary Eclipse Veil of the moon, the clan’s ultimate defensive formation, activated in response, shrouding the territory in a dome of swirling darkness and crushing gravity.

Then, a voice deep, ancient, and dripping with malice echoed across the land:

"HA HA HA! Old man, your friend is here! Come and greet me!"

Charles’s face paled. Divine Realm pressure.

The apex of the Azure Continent had come to their doorstep.

Elder Adrian giggled, fanning himself. "Oh, darling Charles~" he cooed. "Will you call your Divine Realm ancestor? Or... can you not?"

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