Chapter 49: First battle

The names were jumbled up together and after a while came out as one pair of names listed one after the other with a line connecting them.

“This is the current match-up, so enter the arena accordingly. We will start the fight from the left.”

The host called out two vampires who were at the early stage baron level. Two of them entered the arena and stood in front of each other.

“Are you two ready, or does someone need a little time to warm up?” The host asked.

“No, I’m ready.” Said the first vampire.

“Me too.” The other one said.

“Very well then. Let’s commence the very first match of the tournament. The circle at the center will glow three times and the runes will get activated. So you can start fighting after the third glow.”

Both of them didn’t respond and stared daggers into each other. They flared up their blood-qi and waited for the signal.

The vampire who cast the blood ritual on the arena used his hands to activate the circle. The circle glowed red for a while then faded. Then the second time it was quicker. The two vampire’s eyes were locked in on the circle.

At the third glow, both of them dashed forward and clashed in the middle.

The fight was very intense as both sides were evenly matched with equal strength. Both of them were at baron level and used their full strength to suppress each other. 

Keith paid attention to the fight and analyzed their fighting patterns. Even though they were weaker than him in terms of raw strength, their fighting style was unique and the martial arts used looked refined.

They didn’t use any advanced blood-qi techniques but their martial arts were not inferior. Even without blood-qi techniques, they displayed great strength. 

One thing Keith noticed was that both of them were decades older than him, which meant they stayed at the baron level for so many years. Still, their martial art reached its peak and their moves showed elegance.

‘They don’t have access to the same blood-qi techniques as the family leaders. All they can do is practice the martial arts they are given. The common vampires are in a position where they don’t even know the existence of blood-qi techniques. 

The innate blood-qi is only what they can cultivate. Even without the blood-qi techniques, their dedication to growing stronger was reflected in their mastery of martial arts. Keith was very impressed and had respect for those two.

The first vampire was slightly stronger than the second vampire but the second one was faster. They were making full use of their martial arts to create an opening. The first vampire used his hands as sharp weapons and blood-qi flowed vigorously in it.

Just by seeing the flow of blood-qi, it was evident that he never practiced a blood-qi technique because there was no proper pathway for the blood-qi to reach the hands. It seemed more like the blood-qi stayed there after years of relentless practice.

He pounced on the second vampire and tried to pierce his torso with his right hand, but the other vampire dodged it easily. It was a stalemate that lasted for a while until the stronger vampire landed an attack.

Losing his balance, the second vampire couldn’t adjust his position and crossed his arms to defend against the attack.

Bam! Bam!

The first vampire struck repeatedly and didn’t give his opponent time to recover. After a series of powerful attacks, the second vampire couldn’t stand and crashed into the ground. The first vampire jumped on him and landed on his chest.

Crack!

The match ended after the second vampire lost consciousness. Keith watched the whole match with curious eyes. These vampires were really skilled at fighting and the fights were more brutal than the family bouts.

It reminded him of the mixed martial arts tournaments of earth where the rules were minimal and fighters could use any means to defeat the opponent. This was not even comparable to the fights of the earth because here the use of blood-qi changed everything.

Vampires didn’t die so easily and even the most lethal wounds could heal given enough time. This made the vampires more daring to fight aggressively and don’t hesitate to use the most lethal means possible.

The officials entered the arena and took the unconscious vampire who lost the match and declared the first vampire’s victory. His name moved up in the standings and linked to a blank spot.

“The winner of the next match will be your opponent. Now rest and recuperate until you’re called on stage. Try to regain as much stamina as possible.” The host reminded the vampire.

“Now the first victor has been decided, let’s move on to the next match.”

Woohoo! Cheer! Cheer!

The crowd’s response was overwhelming. Most of them were non-combatants who hailed from rich families. Seeing an intense fight between vampires entertained them immensely. They wanted more and couldn’t wait for the next match to start.

Keith silently glanced at his uncle and he looked really delighted as opposed to the gloomy atmosphere of two vampires behind him.

“What happened uncle?” Keith asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Haha, I made with these two that the first vampire would win, and I won two hundred gold blood coins.” He laughed out loud.

Seeing him like that, the other two lower their heads, gnashing their teeth. Keith didn’t ask any further and shifted his gaze to the two new fighters who entered the arena. One of them was a final stage baron and the other was a middle stage baron.

The final stage baron had more blood-qi than the middle stage baron and Keith didn’t think the final stage baron would lose. In a battle of life and death, the difference in blood-qi mattered the most. Keith never encountered a fight where a vampire of lower blood core defeated a higher blood core.

But that didn’t mean exceptions never occurred. After listening to his uncle, Keith knew the importance of blood-qi techniques. Even if he never saw a fight where someone defeats a higher blood core with blood-qi techniques, he believed that whoever had the most powerful technique could change the tide of the game given that their blood core didn’t differ too much.

The difference between a middle stage baron and a final stage baron was large but it was not that high compared to a viscount stage vampire. The difference in blood-qi becomes enormous when major stages are compared. But for vampires belonging to a common stage, the difference was offset by better blood-qi techniques and experience.