Chereads / Shadow Assassin: Dual Attributes / Chapter 53 - The Warp-Ship

Chapter 53 - The Warp-Ship

Second had only recently gotten back to the valley that the now-S-Rank beast occupied, after it evolved, and now, it was finally time for the final showdown that he would have on the desert planet. After he sold the A-Rank core of the bird beast and few other cores that he found along the way, he had finally purchased a personal Warp-Ship with the coordinates of Nyxterra and other supplies that he might need, including a blood-substitute that he quite enjoyed drinking because of the unique and sweet flavour, and the effects that it had on him; the blood that he drank was like alcohol that would get him somewhat drunk and tipsy.

The planet that he was currently on was called Derneria: a planet of mostly rocky desert surface that was most unforgiving. It was a very cheap planet to live on, so the inhabitants of it do not care for whether it was an easy living or not. Speaking of the inhabitants, most of them were Vampires with special equipment that helped them stay out in the scorching heat and light of their star. More often than not, one could spot a human-like figure of someone half the size: a Dwarf. Vampires and Dwarves were relatively close races, considering their passion of science and magics; they would work in partnership to innovate, build and share iventions with each other.

Vampires were generally brilliant minds that surpassed the normal humans on Earth; they had a spirit of discovery for mysterious things of magical nature, and thrived in the field of science as well. Although, the two beings were close to one another, they would not share secrets of their races to either; the Dwarves would not speak of Souls and their Talismans, while the Vampires would not speak of their Ancient Magics and their origins, and history of terrible experimentation and killing.

However, it was through their experiments, magics and science that the vampires were able to create a feasible, but expensive substitute for Human blood that they were forbidden from drinking; especially directly from a Human with their fangs, denying their one and only, true function. Human blood made Vampires stronger; not just for a temporary period of time, but permanently. It was the most dangerous secret that the Vampire Lords and Elders kept to themselves, along with their King, to stop the merciless slaughter of the Humas on Nyxterra and Humans on Earth.

Vampires were known to be overly competitive and prideful, most willing to grow stronger; so, it was no wonder that the Vampire Lords and Elders were keeping such a dark secret about the truth behind their race as the ultimate Human killers. However, this did not stop them from utilising this to grow stronger themselves; truly, their hypocricy knew no bounds. When a Vampire is either born into a Lord, or evolves into one naturaly—much like how a beast would—this secret is shared with them under a blood oath.

There was also a ritual in Vampire tradition in which, when a Vampire is elected to become King, or Queen, they are to drink the blood of all Humas in small quantities—a drop, or two, at most—from a Bloody Grail that is said to be bottomless. It was how they were so much stronger than the other Lords when they became King. The Lords on the other hand, were only allowed to drink the blood of Humas in their own Family, so as to limit their growth.

———

Second was now back in the valley that was now ruled by the, now-evolved, S-Rank [Drake Leech]. It was as though it had been waiting for him in the place, as it remained unmoving while it stood, facing the direction of Second as he slowly walked towards it. It looked significantly different from when Second last saw it. It had grown an additionaly two arms from its back that were covered in similar red scales as the rest of its body. The body of the beast was much more lean and compact as to before, and its scales were shining a brighter red. Its face caved in as two additional eyes also appeared below its existing 3 eyes; one on each side and one in the middle, slightly displaced below the two original eyes, and the new ones were on either side of the third one.

S-Rank beasts were already hard enough to deal with, but a humanoid one was on another level. Its abilities, coupled with its intelligence, dexterity and other advantages that come with a humanoid body, is enough for it to be twice the level of threat of a normal, non-humanoid, S-Rank beast. And, keep in mind that all S-Rank beasts are a disaster at a national scale for planets teeming with Human life and others.

It having an additional pair of arms definitely did not make things any easier. However, Second was quite confident that he would be able to face the beast, and secure victory, earning him an S-Rank beast core. 

Second did not really enjoy fighting much; however, he had to do whatever in order to survive, and complete his Master's wish of resurrection. Additionally, as her only remaining Kin, he had to continue living and grow stronger; strong enough to be able to help her if need be.

The two of them were in striking distance now. The beast was the one to make the first move. It let out a screech-like roar before launching off of its feet and throwing punches with its two arms on the right side of its body. As it hit nothing but air—after Second dodge relatively easily—ripples could be seen in the air, like the same on water. A boom could be heard and an invisible force kept blasting forth until it hit one of the many mountain walls, shattering it rather thoroughly, leaving a crater and cracks that span about for 10 metres or so.

The sheer scale of power of the humanoid, S-Rank beast was frightening. Even the top Travellers and Dungeon Crawllers would have a very hard time just dealing with one.

The beast did not take long to get back on its assault as it continued to throw punches at a high speed with the same invisible force that left its hands. Second became curious as to what the strange power was, so he allowed himself to be hit by it. To his surprise, even his Vampire body could not stand a chance against the power of the force as it simply just a hole on his arm and continued to move forward.

Although Second could feel the pain, he did not let it bother him as the seemingly fatal wound started to heal at an unimaginable rate. And, within 10 seconds, the hole of a radius of about 30 centimetres, a missing part of his body—some of his arm and some of his chest—was already healed: good as new. It was as if the injury never occured. The beast was too stunned to move and attack again; it now proceeded with caution.

[+690 Grudge]

"You're done, already?" Second mocked the beast, "My turn." He once again used his [Demonic Dominating Stride], but in a different manner this time; he stomped his foot on the ground and cause an earthquake before disappearing and reappearing behind the beast while it was still staggered due to the quake.

Second used his [Blood Control] to paralyse the beast, and keep it from moving. Then, with the same, he formed a small, dark red orb of concentrated blood. Merely pushing it towards the beast caused it to pierce through it completely, almost ignoring the hard scales that it had, and touching the beast in the process, allowing him to use his inherent Skill: [Drain Touch], draining the attribute points of the beast, and leaving it weaker than it was.

[Drain Touch Activated:

+19 Strength; +10 Agility; +7 Stamina.]

[Drain Touch will be ineffective against the Drake Leech from here on.]

Now that the beast was free to move, it spun and tried to strike Second with the two of its arms, but it only hit something incredibly solid and rigid; unwilling to break—which was a surprise for the beast, considering its power. It was a dark red wall of blood about 15 centimetres thick that glowed with a faint greyish glow—Ki. Second had infused the power of Ki into his [Blood Shield], increasing its defensive powers by a wide margin.

Second kicked the beast back while simultaneous using his [Blood Control] to use his Vampiric, Blood energy to leave his foot as he kicked it using his heel, causing yet another hole to form.

Shooting out a [Holy Bullet], about the size of his fist, it closed the distance of 30 metres in almost an instant, exploding into white, holy energy upon contact with the beast, blinding it while doing some minor damage to the already wounded beast.

[-100 Mana]

While it was still regaining its poise and recovering its eye-sight, Second released yet another Skill: one that his Master had told him to study and improve diligently. He used the [Three-Step Heaven-Defying Slash].

Without moving from where he stood, a force ferociously cutting through the air could be heard. Not long after, Second was walking towards the unmoving beast; a second passed... two seconds passed as Second was standing face to face with the beast. Second was the one to make the first move this time, though: he simply pushed the beast lightly, causing it to fall apart—quite literally. The beast's body fell as it broke down into pieces of scaley flesh and black blood.

Second bent down to retrieve his prize: the S-Rank beast core.

———

After Second was done with the battle and extracted the useful materials from the beasts body—like the core and its scales—he was finally ready and looking forward to leaving the planet and heading for Nyxterra. But, before he did so, he ventured into the settlement to buy some more of the premium blood substitute to satisfy himself as he would leave for Nyxterra; he had no idea what the place would be like, after all.

Buying some decent looking clothes, he was off to grab his Warp-Ship in the garage that was mentioned in the documents, while reading the manual for the same. Second had no experience with technology after all, so he would need to learning everything there was to the Warp-Ship before operating it. He did not wish to be out in space, eternally regenerating and just suffering every moment of his life out there.

Finally, he had arrived at the location and headed inside of the garage. Pressing a button on the key-shard that he bought, the Ship powered up with a satisfying roar, followed by a whirring sound.

The ship's hull was aerodynamic and sleek; the exterior is coated with a reflective, metallic material that shimmers under different lighting conditions. This surface helped deflect space debris and radiation—a much required aspect in a Ship to allow for the fastest and smoothest rides. Designed for a small crew, the ship was compact, around 30-40 metres in length. A series of concentric rings or a toroidal structure surrounded the ship, glowing with an ethereal blue—or violet light when the warp drive is engaged. These rings are the focal point for bending space-time to allow for the Ship to warp from its stationary position to new coordinates in space.

The ship had retractable landing gear for stable landings on planetary surfaces that it was currently standing on. The gear was equipped with shock absorbers and stabilization thrusters too. Reinforced, transparent alloys form the observation windows, offering panoramic views of space. These windows are smart-tinted to protect against intense solar radiation; it even granted a one-sided view from inside of the Ship without any eyes prying from the outside.

Second admired its beauty and was amazed at the existence of the thing in front of him, but he soon entered. Its interior was quite small; after all, it was designed for a very small crew of 3 to 4 people. However, taking that in consideration, it was not bad at all. He moved through the passenger cabin. It was complete with comfortable, adjustable seats that can recline fully to convert into beds. Each seat is equipped with personal entertainment systems and climate controls. During space voyages, the cabin could also generate artificial gravity during travel. It was quite the small area: to only allow for rest, and nothing else.

Other than the resting area, there were also the dining area, restrooms and hygiene facilities, storage areas, a medical bay, and a small area for escape pods in case of emergencies.

Finally reaching the cockpit, Second could see ergonomically designed seats with harnesses for the pilot and co-pilot. The seats were surrounded by an array of holographic displays and controls, providing a 360-degree view of navigational data and ship status. A heads-up display overlays crucial information directly onto the cockpit windows, allowing pilots to make real-time decisions without looking away from the viewports. Touch-sensitive panels, voice-activated commands, and neural interfaces allow for seamless control of the ship's functions.

All of this was stuff of fantasy for Second; unknowingly he was really into this kind of techy stuff and could barely wait to use the Ship to escape from this planet.

———

[Blood control] Lvl 5

 

A powerful and refined ability that allows the User to exert significant control over the blood within their own body, as well as the bodies of others. This skill is a testament to the vampire's mastery over one of the most vital aspects of life, enabling them to manipulate blood for various offensive, defensive, and utilitarian purposes. A flawless control of blood via telekinesis within a 40 metre radius.

Linked Skills:

Paralytic Blood[+3]: Using the blood inside the target's body, mutate it or simply coagulate/harden it to restricting the target's movement or completely immobilising it.

Blood Surge:[+4]The User can enhance their physical abilities by infusing their muscles with blood. This surge increases strength, speed, and resilience dramatically for a duration; the increase in physical abilities and the duration are both affected directly by how much blood is used. The Skill [Blood Hardening] has been infused in this Skill as well, and will have similar effects.

Blood Arc[+4]

Blood Shot[+5]

Blood Whip[+4]

Blood Shield[+3]

Cost: None

[Holy Bullet] Lvl 4

 

Shoots out a bright white ball from the user's finger, it moves very fast. when the enemy is hit with it, they will get the following ailment: Purity. It is specially effective against dark and undead creatures. The bullet travels at high speed, homing in on their targets with unerring accuracy. Each bullet deals significant light-based damage and can penetrate through multiple enemies in a line. Upon hitting a target, the holy bullets explode with a burst of pure energy.

Cost- Varies depending on the User's wish of the power output.

[The Immortal & Primordial Vampire's Kin] Lvl max

 

While facing mortals or beasts, the enemy will be inflicted with Fear.

The User is Immortal to a certain extent. If their core of existence is destroyed, the user will die.

[Three-step heaven-defying slash]

Tier 4 Martial skill (100% Familiarity)

100%: Not moving an inch, unleash multiple slashes of speed not visible to man.

[Drain touch] Lvl max

Drain your opponent's life force and energy directly, not just blood, and Attribute points with a simple touch. Does not work on dead bodies. The Skill cannot be used on the same target species twice.

[Demonic Dominating Stride]

Tier 3 Martial skill (100% Familiarity)