Antonio Goldcaster carefully examined the guests. There were seven in total, Ildiem sat at the corner.

The others wore masks: Golden, Silver, Black, Orange, Green and Blue. The one who wore a blue mask had yet to speak a word.

He calmly sat and pleasurably sipped tea after tea, the one he held in his hands was his fifth. He was less interested in the duel.

Antonio smiled and stroked his own beard. Max knew his father and understood that his father was tense.

He only did that when he had something on his mind, something disturbing.

However, not a single expression of apprehension was seen on his face. Calm like a resting lake, he turned his body and glanced at the screen.

Hawk was within the maw of a giant bear. Antonio narrowed his eyes, a furrow on his brow appeared as he continued to look at the screen. He knew both of them.

A loud sound of something snapping echoed, Hawk fell from the jaws of the predator.

He grunted, a small cave on his shoulder, blood oozed out.

"You broke my diamond armour," said Hawk as he looked at Vidu and continued. "But, at what cost?" He smiled.

Vidu’s fangs were shattered, the strange disturbing sound was a cacophony of both individuals, Hawk’s armour and Vidu’s fangs.

As Hawk’s words ended, Vidu launched himself at him again. His shattered teeth didn’t stop him from chewing the diamond off Hawk’s body.

Hawk braced himself and tried to punch him, the punch landed on Vidu’s chin.

His knuckles pierced the thick skin of Vidu’s jaws and another kick landed on the already injured leg of Vidu.

He grunted and clawed at Hawk, the latter flew away, again colliding against the barriers.

Vidu was perplexed, he imagined an overwhelming victory but Hawk was something he had never faced before.

He had something tougher than sindhium protecting him, diamond.

Hawk quickly got on his feet and went for another bout, Vidu ferociously swung but Hawk dodged it as he ducked.

~CHAA

Another kick equipped with a sword-like shin, the thick furry skin on Vidu’s leg had a chasm-like cut.

Hawk pressed his feet on the ground and twisted his body, a vertical elbow that had a dagger-like fin whistled as it sliced through Vidu’s chest.

Another gash and another pain for Vidu, crimson blood sprayed out.

Vidu was now in turmoil, he swung like a mindless beast.

Easier for Hawk to avoid, he slid behind and clawed his pointed diamond finger on Vidu’s back and climbed up.

Vidu widened his hand for a catch and grabbed Hawk’s head, slamming him against the ground. The floor shook.

He grabbed Hawk by his leg and threw him with all the power he had.

It was now the third time Hawk was hit against the barriers, he was more harmed by the barriers than by the attacks from Vidu.

The giant bear man growled, his feet started to retreat. He understood it was a losing battle, death was imminent.

A moment of hesitation before he decided something. Something he never showed to anyone, as it carried a great threat.

His massive bear-man form stood, his bleeding chest heaving like a war drum, a vicious cut stretched across his chest, fresh blood pouring out from red fur and dripping on the shattered floor.

His torn open leg forced him to lean slightly as he stood. And then another change appeared, his body froze.

A deep crack split across his chest, glowing from within like a molten fire trapped beneath the flesh.

He staggered, his claws digging trenches through the obsidian floor as a guttural sound escaped his throat, not a roar this time but a scream.

The arena trembled violently, Reginald’s eyes narrowed instantly.

Far above, even spectators in the VVIP room were alarmed, because they recognized it.

The curse.

Black smoke erupted from Vidu’s body in violent bursts as the bear-man form began to tear itself apart.

Fur burned away into drifting ashes, flesh twisted and began to mutate in disgusting ways.

Bones grew with horrifying speed, snapping outward like spears beneath skin.

Then the horns emerged, gigantic. Monstrous black horns curved from his skull like the crown of something wicked that never belonged to this beautiful continent.

Crimson flesh spread across his body in layered plates of muscles that looked harder than steel, perhaps even sindhium.

Glowing cracks ran down his torso like those of an erupted mountain. The transformation did not stop there.

Armour-like growth formed over his shoulders and arms, resembling the black horns, haggard and dark.

His hands became massive clawed gauntlets capable of crushing stone into sand.

And his face, by the name of all gods, whatever humanity remained within it had nearly vanished, only his eyes remained recognizable. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Vidu slowly lifted his head, the entire arena barrier screamed under the pressure of his existence alone.

The silver runes flashed wildly across the dome as shockwaves rolled outward without him even moving.

The audience panicked, some experts knew and they started to run.

When the blessed receive a third blessing, they receive a new gift. For Bestial type, they get a new slot, a space to make a new bond.

And Vidu didn’t make a bond with any beast this time, it was a cursed beast, a taboo in the world of Bestial blessed.

He breathed fire, his appearance looked as if a demon sealed beneath the continent had finally found flesh to wear.

A creature that was meant to stay within Blackwild Forest was now in the capital.

Hawk looked at him, his eyes couldn’t believe what he was witnessing, his heart skipped a beat.

But before he could do anything, Reginald appeared before him, like a gust of wind. "Stay behind me, this isn’t something you can handle."

"That imbecile," uttered the man in a silver mask.

The person in the blue mask stood, having a lean body, wearing a loose cloak.

"Should I kill him?" The voice belonged to a woman.

She reached for the mirror, looking beneath at the fiend and raised her left hand straight. A bow of bluish hue was formed, she touched the centre of the bow with her right hand and drew it back.

An arrow stretched, unlike the soothing bow, it flared like blue fire.

~WHOOSH