When Casmir's consciousness returned to his body, he didn't even spare a moment to observe his surroundings before he activated the Will Resonance State and the Life Body cycle, preparing for whatever awaited him.
However the usual chill that passed through his body, proceeding the heightening of his senses and a feeling of complete control of his body, was gone. It was replaced by an overwhelming wave of fierce heat that passed through every muscle in his body before it washed over his mind, producing a cleansing sensation.
This fierce wave of heat contained some strange kind of energy that combined the effects of the Will Resonance state and the Life body cycle, while also bringing forth a unique feeling of overflowing strength.
At this point Casmir opened his eyes to observe his surroundings and just as he had hoped, time had barely moved a second from when he was first trapped by the cold curse of death.
The first thing he saw was the giant Black Viper standing tall a short distance a way from him, its head reeling back ready to strike once more. Casmir's body tensed up in fear for a moment until Casmir realised the Black Viper's movement were incredibly slow.
Casmir turned his head to look at Zaya and realised that his movements too, were sluggish and heavy as if he was moving through water.
It took Casmir a moment to realise that it wasn't his body that was slow, but his mind that was moving too fast for his body to keep up. Casmir was stunned by this amazing feeling until suddenly a deep hoarse cry rang out in his ears.
"..Cassmiirrr.."
The cry was deep and sluggish but Casmir quickly realised it was Zaya's voice, her usual high pitched voice was morphed by his accelerated perception of time into a long deep groan.
Regardless of her cries distortion it shook Casmir and reminded him of the danger he and Zaya were facing.
Casmir quickly grabbed his spear from the ground and placed it on his back before he used his only good arm to quickly lift Zaya off of the ground before he leaped into the air away from the Black Viper's strike.
"SMASH!" Just after Casmir leapt away the Black Viper crashed into where he once was, its injured mouth spraying blood everywhere as it recklessly collided with the hard ground out of rage.
From the Black Viper's perspective, it was finally going to crush this crafty enemy that had wounded it so deeply. However just as it unleashed itself at Casmir, his body began to glow with a light blue aura and after a few quick movements he leaped out of the way of its attack with Zaya in tow.
The Black Viper smashed into the ground where Casmir and Zaya once were, its certain victory torn from its grasp as its already serious injury was worsened by its reckless attack.
Meanwhile Casmir landed over 20m away holding Zaya in his arm as he looked at his body in shock, having just noticed this strange light blue aura that surrounded him.
This aura was similar to an Elemental's and Casmir had quickly recognised what it was but that only confused him more.
This aura was his Qi energy, except that should be impossible. Only Grade 2 Qi energy can persist like this outside of a cultivators body, Casmir was clearly still a Qi Grade 1.5 cultivator and he even checked his Dantian to make sure.
Casmir didn't understand how his Qi energy had manifested outside of his body however from its light blue colour and it almost flame like appearance, Casmir instantly realised it must be related to his Soul Flame which had a similar appearance.
Casmir felt an overwhelming strength coming from this aura, he knew that his body hadn't grown any stronger but his Qi energy was boiling outside of his body and seemed to be drawing in the surrounding Qi energy in air.
The light blue aura around him was slowly growing stronger, albeit more unstable, as it drew in this Qi energy from the world. This strange energy also felt intoxicating to Casmir as he felt an untold amount of energy build up around him, slowly influencing his emotions.
'Kill the Black Viper.. Dominate it... Crush it... kill it..' Casmir thought.
He was consumed by the idea, his desire to rid the world of this Black Viper, as if a small part of his Will had suddenly taken control over his thoughts.
Casmir placed Zaya down gently before taking his spear into his hand and turning around to stare at the Black Viper who was just recollecting itself after its previous reckless attack.
The blue aura around Casmir slowly grew as he stood there and unknown to him, his eyes grew cold and empty as he watched the Black Viper. There was even a smile that appeared on Casmir's face as he anticipated unleashing his strength and dominating this beast.
Across from him, the Black Viper raised its head as it looked around and locked onto to Casmir once more.
"EEACCHH.." It cried as blood trickled from its mouth, garbling its cry.
Casmir, as if completely ignorant of Zaya's safety, suddenly rushed towards the Black Viper with killing intent bursting through his aura that caused even this mindless Black Viper to flinch slightly.
However even though the Black Viper flinched, it didn't care for its fear anymore. Its pain and rage was screaming at it to crush Casmir to death before it would even consider any other actions.
The Black Viper started changing towards Casmir in response however its eyes could barely keep track of Casmir's movements, not because he was exceptionally fast but because his movements were erratic and designed to confuse it.
Casmir was utilising his accelerated thoughts to move as erratically as he could to prevent the Black Viper from realising where he would attack from. He hid behind boulders, Zigzagged across the ragged terrain and repeatedly feigned charging straight at the Black Viper.
All the while, Casmir was closing in on the Black Viper and his blue fiery aura was growing and growing until finally Casmir dashed passed a large boulder, confronting the Black Viper face to face.
The Black Viper hadn't been able to predict Casmir's attack and was caught off guard so in response in wildly swung its thick muscular black tail at Casmir in a sudden attack.
"Idiot!" Casmir shouted out joyfully as he saw this, he smiled maniacally as he quickly reacted.
But all Casmir did in response to this attack was... fall.
His body collapsed like a falling tree onto the ground but he actually fell into a crevice in the rocky ground, fitting so neatly it was as if this hole was built to house Casmir's body.
The Black Viper's tail simply swept over him, only covering his body with a layer of dust before Casmir leapt out of the hole, leaping straight over the Black Viper's head as it looked incredulously at the still alive Casmir.
From directly above the Black Viper's head Casmir pulled back his spear before he fiercely thrusted downwards with a loud cry.
"HAAH!!"
Casmir's spear easily pierced into the Black Viper's head, slicing though its hide and flesh and breaking into its thick skull. Unfortunately the spear only managed to crack the Black Viper's skull, chipping away a hole an inch deep into its thick bone.
It was clear that although Casmir's strength had increased and his control over his body had reached perfection thanks to his accelerated thoughts. He still wasn't strong enough to break through the Black Viper's defences, especially in a protected area such as top of its head.
Unfortunately for the Black Viper, Casmir's attack had only just begun..
The blue fiery aura that had collected around Casmir was suddenly ignited by Casmir's Will when he attacked. All of the built up Qi energy surrounding Casmir was funnelled around his arm creating a maelstrom of blue fire that twisted around Casmir's spear until it reached the Black Viper's skull.
The blue maelstrom acted like a flock of vicious knives as it cleanly ripped the Black Viper's thick hide and tough flesh away from its skull revealing the smooth white tough bone underneath.
Then as the blue maelstrom then reached the tip of Casmir's spear that was embedded in a crack on the Black Viper's skull, it started acting like a drill grinding away the bone. The twisting currents of Qi energy ground the bone to dust before blowing it away like sand in a desert.
Within seconds the maelstrom had ground away the Black Viper's bone until only a thin barrier remained.
Meanwhile the target of this attack, the Black Viper, didn't know what was happening as its head was forcefully pressed onto the ground. It only felt an overbearing force press down upon its head before it was racked by pain as the maelstrom ripped apart its flesh and ground down its bone.
Then finally with an audible 'pop'... its skull cracked open like an egg.
After its skull was breached, it only took split second for Casmir's attack to reduced the Black Viper's brain to a bloody mush, causing its body to fall limply to the ground.
The Black Viper was finally... dead.
Casmir stood on its corpse breathing heavily as the blue aura retreated into his body, his eyes conveying the shock and slight horror he was feeling at his own actions.
'Why did I leave Zaya like that.. what was that maelstrom of Qi energy.. why did I feel so good killing so viciously..' He thought to himself, various emotions running through.
He looked at the devastation he had cause on the Black Viper's body with a single attack, he then felt oddly proud albeit slightly nauseous.
'The Will resonance state has transformed to use my Soul Flame.. but the 'Will's that make up my soul can control me..? ..no, no.. it's not that simple.. I let it control me.. I wanted to kill this.. beast...' Casmir thought as he recalled his thoughts.
He knew that he couldn't simply shrug off his own actions by blaming his own Will, he made the choice to risk his and Zaya's safety to fight the Black Viper.
Casmir knew that with his new found ability he could have easily brought Zaya to safety but he chose to fight.. he chose to give in to the intoxicating feeling of strength that his Soul Flame had given him.
'Idiot.. idiot.. idiot!' Casmir cursed at himself repeatedly.
But as Casmir was lost in his own thoughts, Cor'Dana who had witnessed the entire event called out to him from further up the hill as he made his way down.
"Casmir! Are you alright?!" he called out in concern, however his eyes betrayed his true feelings as they watched Casmir like a dangerous animal, filled with fear.
Cor'Dana had seen Casmir's manaical smile and the cold killing intent that erupted from his body as he attacked the Black Viper. Such an eruption of strength and a rapid change in personality would frighten anyone that saw it, it was only as Cor'Dana saw that ferocious blue aura retreat that he gathered the courage to call out to Casmir.