The pit was quiet for one breath.
Not because the crowd calmed down.
But because fear finally reached them.
Arjun stood in a circle of corpses.
Blood soaked the sand.
Broken weapons were scattered like trash.
Hunters who once laughed now crawled away like worms.
Above, thousands of eyes stared down.
Some screaming.
Some worshipping.
Some trembling.
Then the voice came again.
Cold.
Smooth.
Absolute.
"Enough."
A figure stood in the VIP balcony.
A black robe with crimson embroidery.
A pale hand resting on the railing like a king watching his animals fight.
His face was hidden behind a half-mask.
But his forehead—
had the symbol of the Crimson Eye.
Not painted.
Not carved.
Glowing.
Real.
This was no envoy.
This was a Cult Priest.
A true authority of the Crimson Eye.
The Arena Master Mako stood beside him, sweating.
His smile was gone.
Because even the Blood Market feared priests.
Not because priests were "good."
Because priests were untouchable.
The priest lifted one finger.
And the cult mark on Arjun's chest burned like molten iron.
Arjun's breathing paused for a fraction.
The System flashed violently.
🔊 [CULT MARK REACTING — PRIEST AUTHORITY DETECTED]
⚠️ Warning: priest can restrict Devouring Body efficiency
⚠️ Warning: priest can trigger mark pain / paralysis
✅ Solution: kill priest OR devour priest authority
Arjun looked up slowly.
He didn't look afraid.
He looked annoyed.
Like someone interrupted his meal.
The priest smiled faintly.
"Devourer."
"You've made enough noise."
Arjun's voice echoed upward, calm and cold:
"Come down."
The priest chuckled.
"Bold."
He stepped off the balcony.
And didn't fall.
He floated down slowly.
Not using normal techniques.
It looked like the air itself was carrying him respectfully.
When he landed in the pit, the sand didn't move.
No pressure wave.
No sound.
But every hunter still alive instantly backed away.
Even the ones who wanted Arjun's bounty.
Because the priest wasn't part of the game.
He was the one who owned the game.
The priest raised his hand.
A crimson circle formed behind him.
Within it, a giant vertical eye opened.
👁️ CRIMSON EYE ALTAR PROJECTION
The crowd gasped.
Some people in the stands screamed and fainted.
Because the moment that altar appeared…
they felt their blood answer it.
Like their bodies wanted to kneel.
Arjun's eyes narrowed.
"So you came personally."
The priest nodded calmly.
"Yes."
"Because the envoy failed."
Arjun smiled faintly.
"I killed him."
The priest replied, unbothered:
"I know."
Arjun asked:
"Do you feel angry?"
The priest's smile widened slightly.
"No."
"He was disposable."
That sentence carried the same evil calmness as Master Shailendra.
Arjun understood instantly.
Powerful people don't grieve.
They replace.
The priest continued:
"Arjun."
"You are marked."
"You are chosen."
"You are property."
Arjun laughed quietly.
"There it is."
The priest raised his finger again.
The cult mark on Arjun's chest burned harder.
Arjun's muscles trembled.
Pain stabbed deep into his ribs like molten needles.
The priest smiled.
"Come with me."
"Don't resist."
"I'll make it painless."
Arjun wiped blood from his chin.
Then he smiled.
And his smile was cruel.
"Painless?"
He took one step forward.
The pain doubled.
He took another step forward.
Pain tripled.
The priest's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"You can still move?"
Arjun kept walking.
One step at a time.
Through pain.
Through burning.
Through control.
Because Arjun didn't fear suffering.
He lived in it.
The priest's smile faded.
"Stop."
Arjun didn't.
The priest finally lifted his palm.
🩸 CRIMSON MARK PUNISHMENT
Arjun's entire chest erupted in pain.
Blood leaked through his robe.
His skin cracked around the mark.
Arjun's knees bent slightly.
For one second, it looked like he might fall.
The crowd held their breath.
The hunters laughed nervously.
"HAHA… he's finally being controlled!"
"The cult is taking him!"
But then—
Arjun lifted his head.
And his eyes were burning like hellfire.
He whispered:
"Devour."
🩸 TRUE DEVOURING BODY — MARK CONSUMPTION (FORCED)
The mark screamed inside his flesh.
Not a sound to the crowd.
A spiritual scream.
The priest's eyes widened.
"You… can eat the mark?!"
Arjun stepped forward again.
The pain reduced.
The mark flickered slightly.
It didn't vanish.
But it weakened.
Arjun smiled.
"Now I know."
The priest backed away half a step.
Then his expression turned ugly.
"Fine."
"Then I'll destroy you."
He raised both hands.
The altar projection behind him opened wider.
The vertical crimson eye stared directly at Arjun.
👁️🩸 CRIMSON EYE GAZE — BLOOD FREEZE
The air turned cold.
Not frost-cold.
Blood-cold.
Arjun felt his blood slow.
Like someone poured ice into his veins.
His arms became heavy.
His movements slowed.
His breath froze in his lungs.
Hunters nearby collapsed instantly, foaming at the mouth.
Their blood froze inside them.
Dead without being touched.
Arjun's lips tightened.
So this was priest power.
Not fists.
Not blades.
Control over the body itself.
The priest smiled again, confident.
"Kneel."
Arjun's knees trembled.
His bones creaked.
His blood tried to stop.
But then—
his Bone King Bloodline hummed violently.
🦴 BONE RESONANCE — BODY ANCHOR
His bones stabilized his body.
His Devouring Body swallowed the freezing effect slowly.
Not instantly.
But enough.
Arjun raised his sword.
The priest frowned.
"You can still lift that blade?"
Arjun whispered:
"I can still kill."
Then Arjun vanished.
✨ SHADOW STEP!
He appeared behind the priest—
but the priest didn't panic.
He smiled.
Because a blood seal was already drawn in the air.
🩸 CRIMSON PRIEST ART — BLOOD MIRROR CLONE
The priest's body shattered into crimson mist.
Arjun's sword cut nothing.
And in the next breath—
the priest appeared on the opposite side of the pit.
Perfectly untouched.
The priest laughed softly.
"Fast."
"But predictable."
Arjun's eyes narrowed.
"I don't care."
He dashed forward again.
The priest lifted his hand.
A crimson spear formed.
🩸 BLOOD PIERCING SPEAR
It shot toward Arjun's throat.
Arjun didn't dodge.
He caught it.
His palm smoked.
Blood burned.
But he devoured it.
🩸 TRUE DEVOURING BODY — CONSUME!
The spear vanished into his veins.
Arjun's wounds closed slightly.
The priest's smile cracked.
"That…"
"You're truly disgusting."
Arjun smiled wider.
"Thank you."
Then Arjun unleashed Void-Cut again.
⚫ VOID-CUT — THIRD CUT
The slash tore across the pit toward the priest.
This time the priest couldn't fully dissolve.
The black line cut the air too quickly.
The priest twisted—
but his mask cracked.
Blood sprayed from his cheek.
A real wound.
The crowd exploded.
"HE CUT THE PRIEST!"
"THAT'S A PRIEST!!"
"HE'S INSANE!!!"
The priest touched the blood on his face.
His eyes turned cold.
No more calm.
No more polite tone.
His voice dropped into something darker.
"You will regret this."
Arjun's eyes stayed calm.
"I regret nothing."
The priest raised his hands.
The crimson eye altar behind him began rotating faster.
The air turned heavy.
The pit shook.
Then he spoke a name like a spell.
👁️🩸 CRIMSON EYE SACRIFICE ART — BLOOD DOMAIN
A crimson dome formed over the entire pit.
All sound was swallowed.
All light turned red.
Everyone outside the dome saw only a blood-colored sphere.
Inside the dome—
Arjun felt it instantly.
His Devouring Body slowed.
His Shadow Step weakened.
His blood began to obey the priest.
This was the priest's domain.
His world.
His rules.
The priest smiled again.
"Now…"
"…you don't devour."
"Now…"
"…you get devoured."
Arjun tightened his grip on the sword.
His aura rose.
His voice was cold.
"Then I'll tear your domain apart."
The System flashed.
🔊 [DOMAIN CLASH DETECTED]
✅ Option: Consume domain core (extreme risk)
✅ Option: Kill priest quickly
✅ Option: Use Blood Contract Art (life burn)
Arjun smiled faintly.
He whispered:
"No more running."
Then he took one step forward.
Slow.
Heavy.
Like doom walking.
And the red world trembled.
Because something inside Arjun…
was also becoming a domain.
Not a priest's.
Not a cult's.
A devourer's.