[The gladiator collapsed powerlessly, lying on the sand-covered arena floor. His helt rolled off, revealing his sparse silver hair.]
[Blood gradually darkened the sand. With his last bit of strength, he pulled the small flower from his chest. Through the glass bottle, he seed to see the cheerful noble boy once again, reaching out to him with a smile and saying, "Do you wish to beco my gladiator?"]
["Thank you." You knelt down and closed the gladiator's eyes, picking up his helt. The sadness on your face flickered briefly before reverting to your usual cold expression.]
[Achievent unlocked: "The Gladiator's Triumph."]
[Reward: "The Gladiator's Finale" item.]
[Category: Set Piece.]
[Effect: (2/4) Increases attack power by 18%.]
[Description: The helt of a legendary ancient gladiator, stained with the blood of countless foes and proudly worn amidst the cheers of innurable spectators.]
[Yes, this was your plan. Before the battle, you had your gladiator conceal poison. At the mont of his death, he sared it on the opponent's sword, framing Vennessa for using poison.]
[According to Mondstadt's gladiatorial rules, if a gladiator used dishonorable ans to kill their opponent, the victim's owner had the right to punish the offending gladiator in any way they wished—whether by execution or by claiming them as their own.]
[Your plan wasn't particularly clever. Vennessa's owner adamantly denied ever instructing his gladiator to use poison. However, after the aristocratic council's arbitration, you successfully gained the right to deal with Vennessa. Now, faced with the red-haired warrior's furious gaze from within her cage, you decide...]
[1. Execute her imdiately.]
[2. Absorb her power, then execute her.]
[3. Release her.]
"Number... number two."
After a mont of hesitation, Lucas chose the second option.
Letting her go was absolutely out of the question. For any reason, releasing her was simply not an option.
Executing her right away would be the safest approach, but it would waste the opportunity to absorb her energy.
According to previous experiences in the simulator, sacrifices with fire elental power were incredibly rare. Although not all red-haired won had the fire elent, by coincidence, every source of fire elental power Lucas had absorbed so far ca from red-haired won.
[You decide to absorb her power first, then execute her, so as not to waste such a precious "sacrifice." After all, she was just a slave, lower than even a commoner, rely her master's property.]
[As usual, you ordered her to be taken to the high tower.]
[Forcing entry into imrsive mode.]
[Mission objective: Make Vennessa willingly participate in the sacrificial ritual.]
[Mission reward: B-grade equipnt ×1.]
Reluctantly, Lucas was once again drawn into the simulator.
It seed the system had unlocked a new feature in imrsive mode, requiring him to complete various tasks during these scenarios.
However, this task was much harder than forcing Vennessa into the sacrificial ritual.
It was obvious that Vennessa had already figured out the truth about the poison on her weapon and despised him. How could she possibly comply willingly?
Once again, it was the familiar high tower.
Interestingly, most of Lucas's imrsive scenarios had taken place in this tower.
The red-haired girl was tightly bound by ropes. Her tanned skin and deep wine-red hair were rare sights in Mondstadt.
Though not exceptionally beautiful by traditional standards, Vennessa possessed a unique wild charm.
"Vennessa—that's your na, isn't it?" Lucas sat in front of her, smiling. "You must know why I brought you here."
"Hmph..." Vennessa glared at him with fierce hatred. "Of course I know. Many innocent girls have already been sacrificed here."
"Many? No, the exact number is 1,023," Lucas said calmly. "Their sacrifices were all for the future of Mondstadt."
"Lies!" Vennessa shouted angrily. "It's all to satisfy the twisted desires of you despicable nobles!"
"What if I told you that everything I've done is to gain power to fight off the dragon Ursa and protect Mondstadt?" Lucas said coldly. "Would you believe ?"
"That's absurd!" Vennessa's eyes widened in disbelief. "Even the greatest warriors of the Munata tribe couldn't defeat the dragon Ursa. How could you... just a re noble, possibly stand a chance?"
"A re noble?" Lucas scoffed. "Do you know who ensures there's bread and milk on the commoners' tables? Who allows their children to receive an education? Who lets these weaklings survive in this world? It's the very nobles you despise."
"Lies! All lies!" Vennessa's voice trembled with conviction. "Without the nobles, the people would thrive!"
"Without us, they would be like you—nomadic, holess, reduced to refugees and slaves at the first hardship," Lucas retorted coldly. "If you don't believe , then I'll show you."
With a snap of his fingers, the ropes binding Vennessa turned to ash, though her body remained unscathed.
"You think you're a skilled fighter?" Lucas beckoned her forward provocatively. "Defeat , and I'll grant you your freedom."
"I'll kill you, you monster!" Vennessa grabbed a decorative longsword from the wall and lunged at Lucas. To her shock, he didn't move. When the sharp blade struck his chest, it was like hitting steel. The impact numbed her hand, and the sword blade shattered.
"My defense is 134 tis stronger than an average warrior," Lucas said calmly, raising his fist at blinding speed. "And my speed is 75 tis faster."
His fist stopped just a centiter from Vennessa's nose. Though he didn't make contact, the wind from his punch brushed painfully against her cheek.
"My strength is 203 tis greater," Lucas added, lowering his fist. "This is the result of the sacrifice of those 1,023 girls."
Vennessa's legs buckled, and she fell to her knees, muttering, "So... strong..."
"Now you understand that I wasn't lying. Let's make a deal," Lucas said, flexing his wrist. "If you willingly go through with the ritual, I'll grant you three wishes. First, I'll free all your people. Second, I'll defeat the dragon Ursa. Third, if your people desire it, they can beco citizens of Mondstadt."
"You... you're not lying?" Vennessa's eyes glead with hope. "No... swear it in the na of the Anemo God!"
"Honesty is a virtue of the nobility," Lucas stood before her, towering like a god. "As for Barbatos, why would I need to swear by him? I am the god of Mondstadt now."
"I understand," Vennessa nodded. "If my sacrifice can bring happiness to my people, then... I willingly accept the ritual."
[First Cup of Red Wine ability activated. Attribute boost: Fire elental attack increased by 300%, elental mastery increased by 200%.]
Lucas—or rather, Eberhart's—suspicions were correct. Vennessa's body contained imnse power, greatly enhancing his fire elental abilities.
[Mission complete: Make Vennessa willingly participate in the sacrificial ritual.]
[Reward obtained: Royal Longbow.]
[Quality: B.]
[Effect: Every fourth attack is guaranteed to be a critical hit.]
Lucas could feel the powerful fire elent coursing through his veins. His strength, already at the level of a noble's vassal, now seed poised to break through its limits.
But just then, his body suddenly ignited into flas!
It wasn't that a part of his body had caught fire—his entire being had beco part of the fla itself.
The intense heat made it difficult for Lucas to breathe. Glaring at Vennessa, who had been obedient just monts ago, he struggled to speak: "You... what have you done?"
"I've done nothing..." Vennessa replied calmly. "However, ever since I was a child, the Pyro God blessed and cursed . The blessing gave unparalleled skill in swordsmanship, but the curse... is that anyone who cos into 'contact' with will be cursed by the Pyro God, suffering the pain of being consud by flas."
"So that's it, this was your plan?" Lucas instantly realized the truth. Her earlier submission had all been an act. He coldly sneered, "Without , the dragon Ursa will eventually destroy Mondstadt."
"Ursa may be terrifying, but..." Vennessa shook her head, "you are a hundred tis more evil than the dragon! I will overthrow you and lead Mondstadt to defeat Ursa!"
"Hmph... you'll regret this."
With those final words, Lucas gradually lost consciousness.
...
It was unclear how much ti had passed when Lucas slowly regained his senses.
To his surprise, he was still within the simulator.
Normally, if Lucas lost consciousness in the simulator, the imrsive mode would be forcibly terminated. But this ti, even after waking up, he found himself still inside.
He stood in confusion for about half a minute, gradually recalling what had transpired.
"Dammit..." Lucas rarely cursed, but now he muttered, "I actually got played by that woman."
But such things couldn't have been entirely out of his consideration.
It felt like one of those scripted events from before, like the scenario with Shenhe...
Wait, if this were a "scripted death," why was he still alive?
Could it be that his skill, Eternal Bloodline, had been triggered, allowing him to be reborn?
However, after checking his body, Lucas saw that he was still a full-grown adult. He likely hadn't died yet.
The burning sensation had disappeared, but his skin bore dark, charred marks, as if left by fire, or perhaps like so strange tattoo.
Looking around, he realized he was in a large cave, its size suggesting that whatever lived here wasn't small.
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed nearby, as though so massive beast was moving. A black silhouette erged from the depths of the cave.
It was a dark purple dragon's head, its golden eyes glaring at Lucas. The dragon slowly opened its huge maw, revealing a pale purple tongue.
"So, that's how it is..." Lucas let out a bitter laugh. "Those damned rebels actually threw here as a snack for Ursa."
His presence here ant that Vennessa had likely overthrown his rule, and the prophecy... had co true.
Being thrown to Ursa was likely part of their plan, hoping he and the dragon would fight to the death, allowing them to benefit from the outco.
But Lucas wasn't ready to accept his fate so easily.
"Hey, Ursa!" Lucas spread his arms, grinning. "Do you want to eat ?"
Honestly, Lucas didn't expect the dragon to understand him—he only hoped it could read his body language.
Unexpectedly, the dragon backed up two steps in fear at his gesture, before lowering its head slightly. It then let out a deep, resonant voice: "Do you... wish to speak with ?"
Lucas was shocked. "You... can speak human language?"
"Human language is not a difficult concept," Ursa replied, nodding. "I rember you, the new head of the Lawrence family... You broke the pact between and your house!"
"What?" Lucas frowned. "There was a pact between the Lawrence family and you?"
"Did the forr head of Lawrence not tell you?" Ursa said indifferently. "Long ago, I made a pact with your ancestors. I could prey upon Mondstadt, but in exchange, I would stage mock battles with the Lawrence family and then be 'driven away'."
Lucas quickly understood.
It was a tactic the Lawrence family had used to maintain their rule over Mondstadt. By leveraging the threat of Ursa, they could consolidate their power. The cost? The lives of a few commoners—a practice typical of the Lawrence family.
But why hadn't his father told him about this?
At this thought, Lucas smirked bitterly. After all, he had killed his own father to take the throne. Given the circumstances, Ingobert, his father, likely hadn't had the chance to reveal this secret.
"But..." Ursa's tone grew angry. "You broke the pact. When I ca to claim my 'reward,' you attacked , even launching a full campaign against . You humans are truly treacherous."
"There's probably so misunderstanding here," Lucas replied helplessly. "My father, Ingobert, died unexpectedly and didn't tell about any of this."
"Ingobert..." Ursa paused mid-sentence, then shook its head. "Never mind."
"By the way..." Lucas glanced up at Ursa, an idea forming in his mind. "Isn't eating just a few people not enough to satisfy you?"
"No, it's not," Ursa answered bluntly. "I'm still very hungry."
At that mont, Ursa's golden eyes glead with hunger, and drool began to drip from the corners of its mouth.
It was clear that Lucas's body had whetted its appetite.
"You want to eat ? That wouldn't be a wise fight, since I would resist. The energy you'd spend battling would be far greater than the nourishnt my body could provide," Lucas said with a grin. "Wouldn't you prefer a feast instead?"
"Tell more," Ursa said, intrigued.
"Of course," Lucas patted his neck and smiled. "But first, Mr. Ursa, could you lower your head a bit? Talking like this is killing my neck."
Perhaps due to the change in tone, Lucas now addressed Ursa as "Mr. Ursa."
"Humans are so troubleso."
Though sowhat annoyed, Ursa complied. His body was enveloped in a black mist, which quickly condensed into a smaller, humanoid form.
When the mist dissipated, standing before Lucas was a petite girl with long black and purple hair. She wore no clothes, but her body was covered in tightly fitting scales. Two black horns extended from her hair.
Behind her was a large, powerful dragon tail that looked quite out of proportion to her slender fra.
Yes, Ursa the dragon had taken on a human form.
----
Author's Note: ??
Extra chap in a while
2 extra chap If we reach 1200 ps!
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