Re: In My Bloody Hit Novel

Brandon stepped forward, the air around him thick with bloodlust.

That step ensured that his shaky muscles all aligned with his will.

"Hey... Old man, thanks for the warm up. Now, let's try that again..."

With a single motion, he ripped his tattered shirt apart, exposing his battle-hardened muscles, each scar telling a tale of brutal fights survived. His breath was heavy, but his eyes gleamed with unshaken resolve.

The moment the knights and soldiers of the Holy Church saw him in this state, they instinctively backed away.

They knew this young master of theirs all too well.

Like anyone from the Temperance Family, Brandon was battle-crazed—a man who found ecstasy in combat, pleasure in pain.

And right now, the Chief Priest had awakened his madness.

Even the pirates watching from the shadows, though they did not fully understand, could sense it.

The knights of the Holy Church were retreating.

Something was about to happen.

And if the Holy Church's own warriors were falling back—then they should too.

Some were fast enough to react.

Others… were not.

Because at that moment—

Brandon's arms spread wide, and something shifted.

Far beyond the island, at the distant jetty, the ships began to sway violently.

Even the distant waters rippled with unrest, as if the sea itself had become his weapon.

Elemental Energy was the power to control the external forces of the world.

And right now—Brandon was stretching his control farther than ever before.

Such a thing should have caused strain to his mind.

But instead—

Brandon grinned.

He was enjoying the pain.

Such was the way of the Temperance Family.

And worse—his power was growing.

Then—

A hundred massive tongues of water erupted from the sea.

They surged toward the land in an all-consuming wave of destruction, aiming directly for the Chief Priest—but not sparing anyone too slow to escape.

The screams came first.

Then—

Bodies exploded.

Some were whipped apart by the sheer speed and pressure of the water strikes, their bodies ripping into shreds of flesh and bone.

Others were dragged into the waves, the pressure crushing their organs before they even had a chance to drown.

One unfortunate pirate tried to raise his weapon—

Before a jet of water pierced through his skull, blowing it apart in a mist of blood.

Another was caught mid-run, his entire torso severed cleanly, his lower half collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

And all around them, the land was torn apart.

This was no mere attack—this was a massacre.

"Abyssal Surge!"

Brandon's technique.

A devastating ability that allowed him to pull forth the wrath of the water body around him in retaliationfor his elf induced pain, transforming the tides into weapons of annihilation.

Even Rihanna—who had seen countless battles—was forced to raise her arms, summoning all of her defenses just to withstand the sheer force of the attack.

The wind howled as she staggered back, her eyes widening in shock.

"So this is the power of the Temperance Virtue Family of the Holy Church…" she muttered, barely able to believe it.

Her gaze remained locked onto Brandon, who stood amidst the destruction like a warlord of the seas.

And yet—

She couldn't help but wonder about Iris, the number one genius of the Temperance Family.

If Brandon, a mere second-best, was capable of this level of devastation—

Then what monstrous power did she possess?

After all, rumors said that even Brandon bowed his head before her.

The battlefield had changed.

The statues of Magnus—every last one of them—were shattered into nothing.

The Chief Priest frowned, his once-calm demeanor replaced with cold fury.

"Heretics!" he roared.

His voice trembled with rage as his wrinkled hands clenched into fists.

"How dare you touch the anointed image of our God Magnus?!"

The Chief Priest's roar was deafening, shaking the very air with its fury.

Then, with a heavy stomp, he slammed his foot against the ground—

And once again, statues began to form.

But this time—

They were different.

Their bodies gleamed under the light, coated in hardened volcanic clay, a mineral rich in silica that made them resistant to erosion.

Water alone wouldn't wash them away now.

The Chief Priest grinned, satisfaction flickering in his aged eyes.

His statues were sturdier than before, their presence immovable.

However—

His fingers trembled as he moved them.

Even his lips vibrated slightly as he chanted the technique.

It was clear—

This new ability was draining him immensely.

But despite the strain, he howled in fervor:

"Heretics! You shall all be turned to stone—to the eternal praise of our God Magnus!"

The statues encircled Brandon, closing in—

Yet, surprisingly—

Brandon showed no fear.

Instead—

He did something unbelievable.

He reached down, grabbing a strip of his torn shirt—

And wrapped it around his eyes, completely blindfolding himself.

Rihanna, who had already backed away to a safe distance, felt a jolt of confusion.

"What the hell is he doing?" she muttered, eyes narrowing.

Blindfolding oneself in battle? That was suicide.

Yet—

Something incredible happened.

The statues surrounded Brandon, and by all logic—

He should have turned to stone.

But he didn't.

Rihanna's breath hitched.

Brandon's smirk widened.

"Just as I thought…" he muttered.

And suddenly—it all made sense.

The petrification only worked if the victim saw the statues with their own eyes.

Without vision, Brandon was immune.

Now—

He could advance.

And he did.

With a powerful kick against the ground, Brandon shot forward, gliding across the muddy battlefield with unnerving grace.

The Chief Priest's expression changed—

His confidence twisted into panic.

"NO—!"

He raised his hands, summoning even more statues to defend himself.

But—

It didn't matter.

Because Brandon dodged them all.

Despite being blindfolded, his movements were flawless, weaving through the statues like a ghost.

And those he didn't dodge—

The water whips from the sea obliterated.

Rihanna's mind raced.

How was he doing this?

Then—she looked up. And she saw it.

The water whips.

Others wouldn't have noticed—but she could.

Brandon's energy was flowing through them—

Like tiny stars woven into the waves. It was no coincidence that he had filled the battlefield with his Abyssal Surge.

It wasn't an act of blind rage. It had a purpose. He had long planned to cover his eyes. But still—how did he even figure this out?

Rihanna was not the same.artness, but batted awareness through a lot of battles was a gift even she had. Even better now yhat she was not the person fighting, understanding what was happening came much easier.

She remembered.

At the beginning of the battle, the Chief Priest had slammed a statue onto Brandon, burying him in the earth.

Back then—

She had assumed he was dead.

But he had survived.

And—he hadn't turned to stone.

That meant—

Brandon had realized it then.

If he couldn't see the statue, then the petrification had no effect on him.

Rihanna exhaled sharply.

It all made sense now.

And as she watched—the battle ended exactly as she expected.

Brandon finally closed in on the Chief Priest.

With a single swing, his water whip lashed out—

And sliced through the old man's hands.

A sickening scream tore through the battlefield.

The Chief Priest collapsed, his severed stumps twitching as he groaned in agony.

But Brandon wasn't done. Without hesitation, he lashed again—

And severed the man's knees.

The old priest crumbled to the ground, his wide eyes filled with disbelief.

His body convulsed, his breath ragged with pain.

But just when Brandon was about to deliver the final, finishing blow—

He stopped.

Mid-air—his weapon frozen.