Chapter 565 - Sanguine (5): Tournament Of The Hundred Bloods

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"Is this where it all ends?" Jon looked around the place that has the vibes of a slaughterhouse.

"Every Daedric Prince has an ugly side, our Lord Sanguine is not an exception to such a rule and we fully admit it as his devotees." Gypsy said as she guided Jon to the center of the Realm, "This place is a realm that hosts the worst amidst our ranks, the misfits even we shun and the ones who make us a bad name. Sadly, Lord Sanguine gains their loyalty and holds their Sphere thus it must be maintained for the sake of the… Return of our Lord."

She said the last part while sticking close to Jon and passing her hand on the beast between his legs.

"Well, I'm most thankful that I'm now dressed." Jon said while pushing her away, "Now, what do I need to do?"

She shamelessly returned close to Jon as she started guiding him further in.

"First, you should meet the subjects in this realm."

The realm was ominous for some reason as it felt heavy with the smell of blood. It is called the Sanguine Glades taking the form of a vast forest with rough terrain and a lot of dangerous spots. Once the team of three (Jon, Gypsy and the nameless girl) arrived at a certain spot, a few figures started to emerge from the surrounding thickets and from behind the rocks.

"High Priestess, it has been a long time. Your legs are still… long and fresh. Are you sure you don't want to be part of the fun this year?" One of the men spoke.

Jon looked around and saw nothing but a bunch of men and women heavy with the scent of blood. The looks on their eyes along with the smiles on their faces may look calm and collected but he can see the demons dancing in their shadows. The ways they look, walk and talk were those of degenerates who get off on the suffering of the weak. Jon felt disgusted by that kind but Gypsy replied to them normally.

"It is nice of you, gentlemen, to keep thinking of me like that but I would appreciate it if you hurry up and get today's business over with." She said and turned to Jon, "Lord Krilon her will be the Host of this year's Tournament of the Hundred Bloods."

"He smells fresh… nothing feels Sanguine about him." One of the men said as he walked closer with a pervert glare at Jon before he turned to the nameless girl, "On the other hand, this weak little lamb seems like prime quality."

Gypsy was infuriated like a flare after hearing that man but it was Jon who handled him. With a simple stare as the man was walking towards the nameless girl, [Pride] quietly floated and out the blue, the man started melting.

Seeing an actual living man melt as he still walked was one of the most traumatizing scenes ever. The girl ran behind Jon and the melting man kept unknowingly walking until he was nothing but a still skeleton.

This wasn't even the end of it. Jon used Necromancy over this human mess and the skeleton merged with the mess which once was its flesh and organs getting all reconstructed together into a formless spawn of filth and bones.

The monstrosity that he created was something out of the realm of his imagination, a literal piece of his mind, a place no one wants to ever experience.

"How is that for a Sanguine?" Jon said without even turning around to any of those maniacs.

[A/n: the word Sanguine has double meanings. The first is "Optimistic especially in a difficult situation" and the second is "Bloodthirsty".]

It only took just that to prove who is the alpha maniac, nothing more is needed to put those cowards in their place.

"Lord Krilon, this reduces the number of participants in today's tournament to 99." Gypsy said.

"Can't we summon one more or just continue what we're doing with what we have?" He asked.

"No, this is the Sphere of Bloodlust we are talking about." She replied.

"Well… all we need is a replacement." Jon looked at the bloody mess he made then asked, "Explain this Tournament of Hundred Bloods."

"As you Command." Gypsy replied, "The tournament is about the Indulgence in Bloody Situations. Those around you are some of the most experienced killers in Tamriel."

"Hah! I can teach a few children how to hold a sword for a week and they'd haunt those so-called killers to the ends of Oblivion." Jon laughed.

"Of course, have you heard about any of those killers targeting anyone who is not a woman or a child. Those cowards wouldn't dare to even look straight to a real man in the eye."

"Meh! If this is the last thing, let's just get it over with. How are we supposed to proceed?" Jon asked.

"There are a total of 100 victims that will be released in this Realm. Each of the 100 killers will choose one and show their skills in tracking and killing in the most violent of ways and one will be chosen to win the favor of Lord…" Gypsy said but Jon interrupted her.

"Yaaaawn! I am sorry, were you just saying something SO BORING?" He looked at her and the rest of the killer with no interest before having an idea, "Change of plans!"

He found a nearby boulder and jumped on it.

"Alright you fucks, gather around. I'm not killing you, don't worry, not yet anyway." He said and started casting large scale magic.

Out of the ground, a large smooth platform started to grow and gathered all of the 99 killers on it alongside Gypsy, the nameless Girl and the gore slime Jon created. This platform joined together firmly and started rising up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard to the actual and fun Tournament of the Hundred Bloods. Now all of you motherfuckers have come here to prove that you are the best killer there is, but I find one thing very lacking and that is an Actual Challenge."

As the platform reached a certain height, Jon walked in the middle of those killers who were keeping distance away from him.

"Now, I trust that all of you brought the tools of your trade. Let's see; Nails, Blades, Swords, Razors, Chains, Robes, Clubs, Poison… ohohoho! Some of you even brought Magic Scrolls, how insightful! Alright." Jon said and raised his staff, "I am confiscating everything."

All these tools and equipment were gathered in a floating pile by [Telekinesis] leaving their owners in a messy state almost losing their confidence.

"Come on, don't be disheartened. I'll give them back. Actually, I'll give you more tools from my arsenal like crossbows, staves, you name it. I am just aiming for quality, that's all."

He indeed added a few worthless items from his Cube to the pile and slowly brought them down the platform. He didn't put them down but rather, he opened a large hole in the platform.

"WOAH!"

"GET BACK!"

The Killers saw what is under the platform and all started running back right away. They didn't really feel that before since Jon was distracting them but the platform has significantly risen from the ground to fly at a very high altitude. A couple of the killers didn't manage to make it and fell through the hole.

"Don't worry. I have cast [Featherfall] on all of you so you will survive the fall eventually." Jon smiled as he showed them how the two fallen killers landed safely without even a scratch.

"See? Now let's move to the fun part. The equipment I have confiscated will be…"

Jon suddenly threw all these weapons and tools through the hole as well then randomly sent them to every part of the Realm.

"… randomly distributed. I guess skilled killers like you won't even worry about such a thing as a certain type of tool, right?"

From what it seemed, the situation was about to turn into something that Jon will enjoy very much.

"By the way, I call this hole the Glory Hole since it is… well, your hole to glory, I guess." Jon turned around to suppress his own laugh and looked at them once again, "Now, every one of you will have to jump down from this platform as it moves around the realm. You can simply land anyway safely as you saw."

The Killers started complaining and looking among themselves but Jon added fuel to the fire.

"By the way, there will only be one Victim available in the realm and that will be my lovely assistant over there." Jon pointed at the nameless girl carrying the Ewer of True Liquor.

"As you command, my Lord." She bowed to him and proceeded to take the jump without complaining.

"Nope, not now."

Jon stopped her and looked at the hundred killers who were still recovering from the situation.

One Victim, Hundred Killers. Only one can emerge Victorious. But they need the best tools that Jon threw around, this means…

"Alright, let's send you people down there. The platform will take one turn and those of you who don't jump at its end will be forced to jump. Chop chop! I haven't got all day." He said and then remember, "One last thing, there I suggest you harry to the center of the realm before a little trick I prepared starts taking effect."1

Jon retreated back to a faraway spot on the platform and the nameless girl poured him a glass of True Liquor.

"What are you doing? This tournament is supposed to be the bloodiest of all and you are just sending one victim?" Gypsy started shouting without sense.

"One?" Jon looked Gypsy indifferently before hugging the nameless girl with one arm, "She means more than just one victim to me. I quite like this girl."

"The Sphere of Bloodlust requires more sacrifices, this can't be neglected for any reason."

"Oh come on, you want 100 victims? You get 100 victims." Jon said with a sly smile, "Just watch how it plays."

Jon pointed at the killers who are now talking amongst themselves while the platform moved. They were looking at Jon scared and fearful before discussing things amongst themselves. They started to split themselves into small groups and alliances while scheming what to do next. They all want to gain the favor of Lord Sanguine with the only chance the hundred of them were presented.

While discussing, some of the men actually jumped through the "Glory Hole" and started landing in an area where they believed some of the tools were stored.

Seeing that, the rest started to get anxious and a few jumped while others waited. In the end, every one of the killers including the Gore Slime jumped off the platform.

Gypsy watched from above curious of how things will unfold but she didn't need to wait that much.

*Scream*

*Slash*

*Choking*

*Torn Apart*

"What… What sort of madness is this?"

Seeing Gypsy getting all pale over such a little thing, Jon simply stood beside her chugging his True Liquor cup.

"This is human nature as its best." Jon said, "The only thing that will never ever disappoint."

He walked around the Glory Hole and faced Gypsy from the other side while watching the situation down below of the murderers butchering each other.

"Welcome to the Battle Royale of Hundred Bloods. 99 Victims and only 1 shall gain the favor of Sanguine. I mean, what is the point of being the best if you're not the last man standing, right?"

"No! This shouldn't have happened. A Hundred Killers, a Hundred Lambs! That's the rule!" Gypsy cried.

"Rule?" Jon smiled, "I know but… wasn't my rule that you never try to trick me, Gypsy?"

He walked on air (actually levitating) and closed in on her. Then with simply his will, he raised her up from the neck with magic.

"You shouldn't have crossed me, priestess. I know very well what you wanted from me and in truth, I feel disgusted." Jon spat on the ground and looked at her unamused, "By the way, the rules of this realm are pretty simple, it only requires 100 violent kills regardless of the method or the identity of the sacrifice, I started it with turning one man into a spawn of his innards and the killers are doing the rest on their own. I even pretended to be adding a single Lamb for one single winner but let's see how this unfolds."

It was indeed as he said, the mayhem started to get out of hand as almost half of the killers were now victims but the situation was very much spread around, well, that until something started happening at the edges of the realm.

"Hehehe! It is time." Jon said as sparks of lightning started striking the edges of the realm and the dry woodland was catching fire.

"You… mad… man!" Gypsy said as she was still held up from her neck between life and death.

"Seriously? What did you expect when you were expecting?" Jon asked her with a sinister laugh.

"Your plan will fail… Soon they will stop killing each other anyway once they… realize that there is no Lamb to kill." She said.

Now the situation has turned even worse. The wildfires around the realm spread at a terrifying speed forcing the killers to run towards the center of the realm. The situation looked grim and until now the Lamb wasn't found yet.

"Do you know what is the most dangerous thing in the world?" Jon asked.

"…" Gypsy wasn't sure whether to taunt him or resist his choke so she stayed silent.

"It is hope!" Jon said the spine at the loudest of his voice, "Announcement! The Lamb will be released in one minute. Survive until then."

Jon just said that and walked away leaving the nameless girl stand alone at the edge of the hole.

"What… now?" Gypsy asked.

"Carefully watch."

Faster than the spreading wildfires, faster than the death looming in any place in Oblivion, the death rate soared in an instant. Those so-called teams turned on each other hoping to get the Lamb before their partners. They betrayed, cheated, escaped, hunted and made atrocities just to remove the competition before the prize lands.

And the minute passed.

Only two participants remained.

A participant that has killed more than 20 other killers on his own and another that hasn't killed anyone at all yet. It was then when the nameless girl jumped off the edge of the hole without even flinching.

"It is almost over." Jon said as he finally let go of Gypsy.

Gypsy started coughing violently for a while then ran to the edge of the hole wanting to see the result. There was indeed one killer roaming around the realm in away from the wildfires with a big knife in his hand while the second one was nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, the nameless girl landed safely with the light wraps covering her body flying all around. She looked so weak and innocent despite being a Maiden of the True Liquor, someone who lived an eternity in a drunken euphoria.

The girl landed right in front of the killer still carrying the Ewer of True Liquor despite the fall. She stood not knowing what to do until a large man with a twisted smile eyeing her up and down. He played with the knife in his hand wondering which method to use to slaughter the Lamb.

The girl on the other hand noticed something else lurking in the dark behind the trees. She ignored the man completely causing him to frown before turning around to see what's behind him. And…

"AAAAAAAH!"

The killer soiled himself from the scare before he was caught and had his body dissolved in one of the most horrible deaths ever.

He was swallowed by a formless gigantic monster that looked exactly like…

*DING* *DING* *DING*

"And we have a winner! Mr. Bloated Corpse!"

The formless spawn of filth and gore stood still until Jon descended with the platform. Simply put, this thing which Jon created has become almost a hundred times larger than it used to be.

"A hundred times! There is a pattern here, don't you think?" Jon asked Gypsy was utterly shocked seeing this unidentified monster.

"What is… no way! The Hundred Bloods… the Killers?"

"Yes, your very special All-in-One package."

"You Monster!" She said.

"Exactly… but… it is very confusing if you call me that way. I mean… I wouldn't have hosted this grand event on my own."

Jon walked to her and she tried retreating but Mr. Bloated Corpse blocked her escape.

"Now we have restored the Sphere of Bloodlust, the Sphere of Drunken Euphoria and the Sphere of Corruption. Let's talk about what you were trying to do."

"You… you were aware of what was happening?"

"Indeed. Walk like them until they walk like you. That's the principal of Mantling. I had to do the Three Rituals Sacred to Sanguine until I myself become Sanguine. I actually noticed something was wrong when I found the Hound of Clavicus Vile roaming around me for a night or two then when I arrived here, I noticed that the realm was pretty neglected for a long time. Until I heard about your task and what happened with Namira and Malacath, I became sure that Sanguine was trying to hijack me… pretty smart I give him that."

Jon revealed that he was aware from the beginning. It was all about Sanguine wanting to become one with Jon through Mantling. If Jon becomes Sanguine, the dominant part will mostly be Sanguine since he is an Immortal with immense power but that didn't go this way at all. Still, Jon's potential may actually be greater than many of the Daedric Princes thus it would have boosted Sanguine's power significantly.

But now, Jon had not just defied Sanguine but he almost ruined each of his Spheres without even Gypsy noticing.

"Just what have you done?" She said, feeling the weight of being on the wrong side of Jon's oppressive Aura.

"I will tell you later but now, it is time for you to receive punishment properly." Jon said, "Let's start by analyzing you."

"Analyzing me?"

Gypsy didn't understand what Jon meant. Until he snapped his fingers for the nameless girl to hold her down and turn her lower half up.

"Yes, we will do some (Anal)ysis."

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