"Feminist?" Katherine muttered in confusion.
She was unfamiliar with some of the terms used by Sol, however, she wasn't given much time to think about it since Sol began approaching.
With each step forward he took, she retreated by a step while a frown remained etched on her face. Katherine was stunned by the way things turned out, especially with Sol.
While she could be considered the weakest heir in the class, her proficiency in using Hak placed her above normal students. Also, many believed that Sol was probably the weakest member of the class due to the effects of the seal.
"Your seal…" she muttered while taking another step back.
"Ooh, that?" Sol asked with a raised eyebrow. "It would have been a problem if I was going up against a stronger foe." He said.
"Unfortunately, you do not fit that description," Sol said, sparking a violent reaction from Katherine.
As someone who worked very hard to reach the level she is at right now, she considered it very insulting for Sol to use those words on her.
"I'll kill you!" She growled furiously.
Bang!
The ground shattered as she sprang forward, with her claws cutting through the wind, however, Sol showed no signs of dodging this time.
"HAK!"
Sol's eyes turned dark green as he said the word, and his voice deepened as well. Manifesting the power in both hands, Kathrine who was shooting forward was shocked as she managed to catch a glimpse of the transformation.
An otherworldly yet sinister energy coursed through Sol's veins, and an ominous resonance signaled the awakening of his latent demonic power. As the transformation began, shadows coalesced around his hands, weaving an intricate dance of dark tendrils that gradually enveloped his entire arms.
Emerging from the shadowy shroud was Sol's demonic arm!
His fingers were elongated into razor-sharp claws, each one gleaming with an otherworldly luster. Sinister runes, pulsating with dark energy, etched themselves onto the surface of the demonic arms. While only his hands were transformed, Sol's presence changed entirely!
Pa!
He caught Katherine's hand effortlessly, putting an end to her attack. Just by holding onto her hand, Katherine let out a painful cry as she felt like her hand was rotting. She tried to pull away from Sol, but it felt like she was trying to move a boulder.
"While the Ark family demonic bloodline is diluted with the blood of a human, we are still superior to every race alpha race in Aetheria," Sol said with a soul-chilling deep voice. "I suggest you lower your head in submission, the next time you speak to an Ark!"
"Let go of me!" Katherine cried out with a terrified look in her eyes.
"As you wish!" Sol responded coldly.
Swoosh!
Sol let go of Katherine the moment she pulled, causing her to fall back while exposing her belly. His left hand left behind a blur as he slashed at the exposed belly with his claws, forcing Katherine to let out a heart-wrenching cry as she fell to the ground.
"You!" She hissed as she covered the bloody wound with her palms, and her hateful gaze remained pinned on Sol.
While the wound wasn't too deep, it was deep enough to keep her bleeding for a while. She promptly used 'Hak' to manifest her regenerative ability, but it didn't work. All she saw was a small amount of dark green fumes exiting the wound each time she tried to heal.
"Don't bother trying. Injuries of the underworld are hard to recover from, even for a vampire." Sol said coldly as his hands reverted to normal and his menacing aura vanished along with it.
At this moment, the sounds of numerous footsteps could be heard rushing in their direction, and a look of freight appeared on Katherine's face as she realized what was happening.
"You have become my bait," Sol said with a cruel smile. "I suggest you start running to increase your chances of survival."
"I have heard about nasty things horny goblins do to pretty ladies," Sol said while looking into her eyes. "It would be a shame if you become a victim,"
The mixed emotions on Katherine's face were resentment, fear, and confusion. Sol was meant to be the bait according to her earlier plan, however, things turned out this way. She could hear the sounds of the approaching goblins and without hesitation she rose to her feet and ran into the forest, not even bothering to say a word to Sol.
"She couldn't even say goodbye after everything we have been through together." Sol chuckled. "How rude."
After saying this, a tightening pain could be felt around his chest, causing him to place his hand over it. His face turned pale, with beads of sweat running down his cheeks and blood trickling down his nostrils.
Sol staggered toward a nearby bush and fell in. He laid down there with his hand on his chest and his breathing heavy as he endured the pain of his heart getting crushed by an unforeseen force.
The immortal blood-shattering seal was created to seal bloodlines and even though the seal placed on Sol was done to seal his warlock bloodline, it reacted strongly to his Ark bloodline as well. Using the power of fire gotten from his bloodline was usually punished with occasional stinging pains, however, summoning the core power of his demonic bloodline was met with a worse punishment.
"Damn it!' Sol cursed as he wondered if he had to endure this pain every time he used this power.
It didn't take long before the footsteps of an angry goblin mob reached their previous location, and they stopped a bit. Loud chattering which he couldn't make sense of could be heard, however, after a short while they followed the trail of blood and left the area with their weapons swinging high above their heads.
Only then did Sol sluggishly rise to his feet, emerging from the bush. He shot a final glance in the direction where Katherine and the goblins had run off to before moving in the direction of the path where the goblins came from.
As long as he can get his hands on sufficient resources, reaching the first tier shouldn't be much of a problem!