Ats suddenly felt a drastic ge within himself—somethiirely unfamiliar, a sensation he had never experienced before.

  It wasn’t that he had beore resistant to the cold—it was that he couldn’t feel it at all. The biting frost, the numbing chill—it all vanished instantaneously, leaving him in a state of eerie detat from the freezing enviro.

  Then, a notification appeared in his system:

  [Manna’s Bloodlink has activated. You have eemporary Vampire Mode.]

  Temporary Vampire Mode?

  His eyes widened as the realization hit him. What was this?

  "Am I a vampire now?" he thought. "No, this is only temporary, right?"

  Even as he tried to process what was happening, the power surging through his body was undeniable. It wasn’t just a resistao the envirohere was something more…

  "What… Did she just do to me?"

  [Your body is infused with the power of vampiric blood, enhang your abilities for a limited duration.]

  [Buffs Applied:]

  [Predator's Strength: Physical power increased by 30%, allowiating strikes.]

  [Shadow Agility: Speed and reflexes boosted by 60%, enabling rapid movement aened evasion.]

  [Crimson Sense: Vision, hearing, and smell heighteo supernatural levels. Perfect visibility in darkness enabled.]

  [Numb Vitality: Resistao pain and cold enviros signifitly increased. Immunity to frostbite activated.]

  [Predator's Aura: Nearby enemies experience fear and reduced bat efficy.]

  [Special Effects Unlocked:]

  [Bloodstrike Precision: Attacks gain a 30% critical hit d bypass physical defenses.]

  [Shadow Veil: Temporarily blend into shadows, granting near-invisibility in dark enviros.]

  [Duration: 10 minutes.]

  [Warning: Blood Curse State Possible. Prolonged use may result in bloodlust or temporary loss of trol.]

  Ats observed his body, now shrouded in shadow energy, with elemental particles swirling densely around him.

  It was a clear transformation, ohat radiated power. And he kly what he o do with this power.

  The Lord ahead of them had already sughtered other unaffiliated Lords, leaving no mercy for anyone who stood in his way. This Lord wouldn’t stop here, and Ats uood the harsh truth of the Dominion Skirmish Battle Phase.

  There were only two choices—fight to win or die trying.

  There was no space for hesitation. Kill or be killed.

  His voice cut through the cold air as he said. "We kill them."

  With those words, he summoned his Wavebreaker Spear. Water and lightning energy surged outward, cloaking his body in a chaotic but trolled storm of raw power.

  He could feel it—the energy c through him, enhang his every movement. His body felt unshackled, ready to move freely, fight fiercely, aroy with absolute totality.

  Behind him, Manna and Baldric readied themselves, summoning their ons.

  Ats didn’t wait.

  Without a single and or warning, he charged forward, his shadow-cloaked body merging with the darkness and storm around him. His speed made him nearly invisible, even to trained eyes.

  The enemy camp was still ughing, their voices carried by the storm, oblivious to the silent predator approag them.

  That was, until the beastmaster Lord, Feral, noticed something. His instincts screamed at him as he leapt from his seat.

  "We’re utack! Prepare for an all-out battle!" he roared.

  Ats was already just a few steps away from Feral. His lips curled into a faint smirk as he activated one of his skills.

  [Epic - Lightning Step (Active Skill) Lv. 1 activated]

  In an instant, his body became weightless, and he surged forward, a fsh of speed tearing through the storm. His movement was so fast it left faint trails of lightning crag in the air behind him.

  As he charged, his sharpened senses picked up every detail of the chaotic battlefield.

  He caught glimpses of Baldric, who had already crashed into the rear of the enemy formation, his massive fming hammer swinging with devastating force. Snow and ice melted instantly around him as his strikes sent enemies sprawling.

  Ats’s enhanced perception made it feel like time slowed down, every swing of Baldric’s hammer appearing in perfect crity.

  On the opposite side, Manna had already closed in oargets. Her scythe cut through the storm with brutal precision, her shadowy form weaving gracefully as she sshed through enemy batants.

  Ats spun his spear with ease, his Wavebreaker Spear crag with water and lightning, before lunging forward with rapid strikes aimed directly at Feral.

  Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!

  Feral barely flinched, snarling as he blocked each attack with newly summoned cws.

  "You think the three of you defeat us?! No!" Feral roared.

  The massive bear charged toward Ats, its huge body shaking the ground. Its roar thuhrough the storm as it aimed to crush him with its bulk.

  But Ats was uhe cold and the storm were nothing to him now—he had bee oh the blizzard, moving through it as though it were part of him.

  As the bear lunged, Ats sidestepped with incredible speed, the creature's massive cws barely missing him. Without hesitation, he spun toward Feral, bringing his Wavebreaker Spear down in a powerful overhead strike.

  Feral blocked the attack with his cws, the impact sending shockwaves rippling through the icy air.

  [Epic - Spiral Tide (Active Skill) Lv. 1 activated]

  A violent swirl of water erupted from Ats’s spear, mixing with the snow and wind, creating a whirling vortex that dragged Feral and the bear into its chaos. The force of the attaocked them off bance.

  Capitalizing on the momentum, Ats darted forward. He unleashed a series of sweeps, thrusts, and strikes, eae expertly aimed to exploit the advantages of his on’s reach.

  Feral growled in frustration, his cws raised to block each strike, but he couldn’t find an opening to retaliate. The differen their ons was clear—Ats’s spear gave him the upper hand, keeping Feral on the defensive.

  The bear roared furiously, trying to protect its master. It charged again, swiping with its massive cws, but Ats tio evade effortlessly.

  "Zefyros!"

  At his call, Zefyros appeared, a powerful surge of crag lightning and surging water r to life. The elemental spirit let out a deafening screech, and a wave of bined energy shot toward Feral, striking him with a devastating burst of power.

  Feral grunted as the attack hit, his body jerking uhe force of the blow. But then something ged.

  Feral’s form began to swell slightly, his muscles bulging, and his skin taking on a reddish hue as veins pulsed across his body.

  "You i little wretch!" Feral roared. "You’ve gone and made me truly angry! Do you think I became Rank-2 by sg off?! No! It’s because of my skill and my resolve! I’ll sughter you! I’ll obliterate you!"

  Ats tightened his grip on his spear, his eyes narrowing.

  In this Temporary Vampire Mode, his movements were sharper, faster, and more calcuted. Every strike, every step, carried an unnatural precision and grace, fueled by the power c through him.

  Yes, Feral had the higher level, better stats, and rger forces. But his disadvantages outweighed his strengths. His troops were exhausted, wounded, and demoralized after their st battle. Their dition made them ripe for defeat, and Ats k.

  This was a sure win.

  Ats didn’t hesitate for even a sed. His attacks were relentless, his Wavebreaker Spear spinning and thrusting in a deadly rhythm. He dodged the massive bear’s attacks with ease, his lightning-fast maneuvers leaving the creature swiping at nothing but air.

  Meanwhile, Zefyros darted through the storm, creating havoc within the blizzard.

  Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!

  Ats kept up his assault, his spear fshing as he danced around Feral. Sweep, strike, spin, thrust. Each motion was fluid, trolled, aating.

  Feral, growling in frustration, suddenly charged forward, defleg Ats’s spear and closing the distan a siion. His cws gleamed, ready to rip into Ats’s flesh.

  But Ats smiled.

  [Epic - Lightning Step (Active Skill) Lv. 1 activated.]

  In an instant, Ats vanished.

  Before Feral could react, Ats reappeared behind him, his spear already poised.

  [Elite - Thunderpierce Thrust (Active Skill) Lv. 7 activated.]

  The Wavebreaker Spear shot forward, and struck Feral’s back with overwhelming force.

  The attack shattered the armor on Feral’s shoulder, ripping through it with ease. The spear’s energy surged into Feral’s body, tearing into his right shoulder, leaving his arm dangling, barely attached.

  Feral screamed in agony, his voice eg through the storm. Blood sprayed onto the snow, steaming as it hit the icy ground.

  But even now, Feral refused to back down. His eyes burned with fury as he charged at Ats again, his remaining cw raised for a desperate strike.

  Ats didn’t flinch.

  [Elite - Flurry of Spears (Active) Lv. 4 activated.]

  The spear became a blur, strikiedly with lightning-fast jabs. Feral, now limited to defending with only his left arm, couldn’t keep up.

  CRACK! SMASH!

  Several strikes nded directly on Feral’s fad chest, breaking armor and flesh alike. He stumbled back, blood p from his injuries.

  Ats stepped forward. He spun the spear o time before delivering a swift, decisive sweep, the bde cutting through Feral’s neck.

  For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.

  Feral’s head hit the snow, rolling a short distance before stopping. His body colpsed with a heavy thud, lifeless.

  Ats turned, standing tall as he pnted his spear into the ground, his shadowy aura fading slightly.

  The battle was over. He had defeated his first oppo in this Dominion Skirmish.

  Victory was his.