Douluo Dalu: The Abandoned Child

Leaving home again was both sad and exciting. My goal was simple, reach Slaughter City and obtain the Deathgod Domain. If Tang San could do it in two years, then so could I. But soon after I left, a chilling realization struck me, I had no idea where the entrance to Slaughter City was.

I paused on the road, panic at the edges of my mind. The people who could help me were few, and I hated the options. Tang Hao? Too early to meet him. Bibi Dong? I'd sooner rip out my heart. Gritting my teeth, I tried to suppress the growing frustration.

Then, as if sensing my state of mind, the Dragon Slaying Saber reacted for the first time in what felt like an eternity. It emerged from my body, gleaming with an unusual vitality. It hovered before me, vibrating with energy, and seemed strangely eager for me to get on top of it.

"You want me to follow you?" I asked aloud, skeptical.

The saber's answer was clear. It tilted itself in the air, almost hitting me. With a resigned sigh, I stepped onto its surface. The moment I did, it surged forward, cutting through the sky with an unexpected speed. The journey took three days, the saber unerringly guiding me toward my destination.

Finally, we arrived. A desolate, darkened landscape appeared before me, and at its center stood an ominous and isolated inn. The entrance to Slaughter City.

I pushed open the inn's creaking door, stepping into an atmosphere heavy with malice. The room was dimly lit, and every table was occupied by figures whose auras screamed "danger." Criminals, outlaws, murderers. My kind of people, or not.

I found an empty table and sat down. Soon, a strange waiter approached, his expression wary.

"What'll it be?" he asked.

"A Bloody Mary," I replied without hesitation, recalling Tang Hao's instructions to Tang San.

The server's eyes flickered with recognition before nodding and disappearing into the shadows. Moments later, he returned with a glass filled with a dark red liquid. The stench hit me immediately: blood, sharp and metallic. Yet, instead of disgust, I felt intrigued.

I downed the drink in one go. The liquid burned as it went down, and a surge of bloodlust ignited within me. A primal instinct awakened, sharper and more vicious than anything I'd felt before. My lips curved into a sinister smile.

Standing, I scanned the room. The chatter had died down, and all eyes were on me.

"Shall we dance?" I asked, my tone dripping with malice.

Before anyone could react, I activated my first martial soul, my body transforming as blades sprouted from my arms.

The party was about to start.

The first man to charge at me was fast, but not fast enough. My blade caught him mid-stride, slicing through his torso with a sickening squelch. Blood sprayed across the room, painting the walls and floor in red.

Two more came at me, one armed with a dagger and the other with a spiked mace. I ducked under the mace's swing, driving my blade into the dagger-wielder's neck. The sound of gurgling filled the air as he collapsed, drowning in his own blood. Spinning around, I parried the mace with my left blade, then slashed upward with my right, separating the man's arm from his shoulder. He screamed, but it didn't last long as I drove my blade through his chest.

The room descended into a bloodbath. Bodies piled up around me as I moved with ruthless efficiency. My attacks were precise, each strike aimed to maim or kill. Blood pooled on the floor, turning it slick and treacherous.

A group of five decided to attack together, hoping to overwhelm me. I welcomed the challenge. Leaping into the air I twisted mid-flight to avoid their weapons. My blades flashed in the dim light, cutting through flesh and bone with ease. By the time I landed, all five were either dead or wishing to be dead.

The stench of blood grew even more, but it only fueled me further. My heart raced, my vision tinged with red as the primal bloodlust consumed me. The screams of my enemies were a symphony, their terror was my melody.

One particularly burly man, wielding dual axes, roared and charged at me. He swung with brutal force, each blow capable of splitting a normal person in two. But I wasn't normal. I dodged his attacks, waiting for an opening. When it came, I struck, driving both blades into his chest and ripping them upward. His body split apart, showering me in more blood.

By the time the last opponent fell, the inn was silent save for the dripping of blood. I stood in the middle of the carnage. My clothes were soaked in blood, and my blades were the same before I retracted them.

That's when I saw it: a shimmering portal of red energy materializing in the corner of the room. Its presence was otherworldly, exuding a sinister attraction that called to me.

I approached the portal, wiping the blood from my face. Without hesitation, I stepped through. Darkness enveloped me, and I felt the world shift around me. Then, it was just nothingness.