"Die!"
The crimson-masked man immediately sprang into action, his massive body moving with an eerie speed. Kyroin's instincts flared to life, his body reacting faster than his mind could process.
Without hesitation, he dropped the basket of grass, eyes locked on the incoming threat. A shadow hurtled toward him, and a deafening bang shook the earth. Kyroin's gaze shot to the source of the shadow—a colossal war hammer, big enough to crush him into pulp, was now gripped tightly in the man's hands.
'That was clo—' Kyroin's thought halted as the man, with renewed vigour charged at him, his every step sending shockwaves through the ground. The hammer flared to life, its surface igniting with an intense, fiery glow.
Kyroin's heart raced.
'Shit, I can't dodge it completely,' he realized, panic creeping into his chest, though his face remained calm. His body tensed, preparing to evade most of the impact as the air around him thickened with danger.
*THUD*
The sound of metal colliding with the earth rang out as Kyroin was hit by the heatwave. His skin blistered, and some of his hair burned into cinders as he groaned in pain, "Argh!"
But he had no time to cry out in agony. The man remained relentless, charging again with his hammer. This time, however, the hammer did not ignite like it had before. Kyroin narrowed his eyes, suspicion creeping into his mind.
'Hmm, he isn't using that strange energy. Could it be? ' His thoughts cycled rapidly as he continued to dodge. Thanks to his small stature, he was able to move with nimble agility, though each step felt perilous, and he barely avoided being squashed under the man's giant frame.
For ten seconds, he continued to evade, his body moving purely on instinct. Finally, the hammer ignited once more, but this time Kyroin was ready. The moment the man swung his weapon, Kyroin charged head-on.
The colossal hammer slammed into the earth where he had just stood, but Kyroin was already weaving through the man's legs, reaching his rear and narrowly dodging the incendiary strike.
He skidded to a stop just a few feet away, breath coming in short bursts.
'Hmm… There seems to be a time frame when he can and cannot use this strange power,' Kyroin mused, studying the man's movements.
'This energy... why does it feel more like Qi? Isn't this world supposed to be without a physiological Dantian or…' His suspicion grew sharper, pointing to a single answer: 'That man must be something akin to a Dantian.'
His mind raced as he quickly assessed the situation, understanding the nature of the opponent he was facing. Still, there were many things left unanswered—like the strange Qi-like energy—but that wasn't important.
'No matter what this is, it's a losing battle unless I do something,' Kyroin thought, determination settling in. He charged at the man once more, lowering his stance as if preparing to slide between his legs again.
But the man was no fool. He adjusted his grip on the hammer and swept it low, anticipating the move. It was exactly what Kyroin wanted.
Without hesitation, he jumped onto the man, quickly closing the gap, and sunk his teeth into the man's flesh, using a sinister technique: Demonic Arts.
Opening his mouth wide, he dug his teeth into the man's body and began to drink the blood like a vampire. As he expected, the blood was infused with this strange energy, much like the power of cultivators locked in battle.
The taste of blood—sharp and metallic—filled his mouth, and with it, the dark, forbidden power of Blood Essence Absorption pulsed through him. But as he pulled deeper, a burning sensation erupted within him.
"—???"
Kyroin quickly let go, having absorbed only about a teaspoon of blood. He coughed violently, the blood he had ingested not sitting well in his stomach.
'Something's wrong with this blood,' Kyroin thought, his mind reeling. 'Not only is there this strange energy but there's something else…'
Suddenly, a realization hit him like a cold wave, and he clicked his tongue in frustration.
'Tch, I didn't anticipate that,' he admitted as he looked at the masked man. He understood now what was wrong with the blood. 'It's amalgamated with other bloods.'
Kyroin's mind raced as he realized the true nature of the man before him. Beyond the strange powers that mimicked cultivators, this man's blood was fused with that of other creatures.
'Damn, this is bad,' Kyroin groaned as a sickening churn settled in his stomach. Something seemed to attempt to seep into his consciousness, and then he understood exactly what was happening. "This is…"
"Tch!" The man let out a groan at the site of the bite but shrugged it off and charged again. Kyroin's thoughts collided in a swirl of dread and realization.
'The blood of a Magical Beast,' he thought with a tinge of horror, as his body began to move on instinct rather than intention.
"Shit, I'm losing control already," Kyroin thought, panic surging through him. His body moved like a wild animal, instinctively dodging and weaving, trying to evade the masked man's relentless attacks.
But he didn't fight to regain control of his body—not yet. That would be more dangerous. Instead, he focused on steering his instincts into a more controlled response—fighting instead of fleeing.
Though he had only been exposed to this strange energy for a short time, Kyroin's experience with combat and his sharp mind allowed him to quickly assess it. He realized that this energy was something similar to Qi, but distinct in its nature.
'It's more unstable and more on the decaying side,' Kyroin theorized, mentally noting the difference between the Qi he knew and this unfamiliar energy.
"I see," he muttered, his mind focusing as a breeze swept past him, carrying with it the scent of something new. He caught the idea in his mind, the word coming to him instinctively.
"빈도(Bindo): Frequency."
Unlike Qi, this strange energy had a much higher frequency, making it more prone to dissipation. Where Qi felt like a mist that hovered in the air, this energy resembled more like a stream of river mist, flowing but unstable.
The distinction between the two became clearer with each passing second.
"Furthermore," Kyroin thought, analyzing it further, "unlike Qi, whose energy particles are large and uniform in shape, the particles of this energy are irregular and more volatile."
He could feel the instability in the air, the energy crackling with untamed power.
"It's like waves that wither... Wuthering Waves," he muttered under his breath, the term coming to his mind as if it had always been there. A deep understanding of the nature of this energy, its transient and decaying nature, began to solidify in his mind.
"I will need to go for a second round," Kyorin resolved, his focus sharpening. With a swift manoeuvre, he sneaked behind the man once more and sank his teeth into him.
This time, however, he didn't let go, even as the man attempted to toss him away. Kyorin's grip tightened as he began to control the volatile energy coursing through him.
Though he would have preferred to study the energy further, he knew it wouldn't last long enough for any prolonged inspection. Its volatile nature meant it would dissipate rapidly over time.
This energy wasn't something that could be stored like Qi, which was less prone to dissipation. Instead, it was more suitable for accumulation and powerful, singular strikes.
Accumulating the energy first, then launching a full-force attack—that was the best approach to using this strange new power. Unlike Qi, which could be harnessed for multiple smaller strikes, this energy demanded patience and focus, building up until the right moment to release it all.
This also cleared the cyclic nature of the man's delayed Fiery hammer strikes. The reason the ignition of the hammer wasn't rapidly triggered, Kyorin realized, was that he was employing the same principle—accumulating energy before unleashing it with devastating force.
But there was one key advantage that the man had: "He could accumulate naturally," unlike Kyorin, who had to resort to the dangerous and putrid method of drinking mixed blood to gain the power he needed.
"Since this man's skin is thick, I must aim for his skull," Kyorin strategized, steeling himself for another charge.
But the man had had enough. His body now crackled with a malevolent aura, charging at Kyorin like a wild beast. The scene startled Kyorin for a moment, as it resembled cultivators triggering their latent potential early—a dangerous, uncontrolled rush that could backfire horribly.
"Focus!"
Kyorin quickly dispelled the thought, refocusing on his goal. The man's hammer came at him with greater force than before, but Kyorin knew what he had to do.
He needed to strike the man's head, aiming for the most vulnerable part of his body before the situation could escalate further.
"DIE!" The man roared, swinging his hammer with all his might. Kyorin's body moved instinctively, twisting and dodging as the hammer swiped inches from his face. The rush of air was sharp, but it didn't faze him.
He'd seen worse in his past life. His focus sharpened, and before the man could bring the hammer back for another strike, Kyorin was already moving again, his body flowing with practised precision.
The second strike came fast, faster than the first, but Kyorin was ready. His legs coiled like a spring, and in a burst of energy, a solidified foothold of power appeared beneath him, anchoring him to the air. As the hammer swung past him, Kyorin twisted midair, his foot smashing into the side of the man's head.
The man staggered, his vision briefly blurring. He didn't fall. 'Of course,' Kyorin thought, his breath steady. 'This isn't over yet.'
Without hesitation, Kyorin rushed forward, seizing the hammer. The weight of it nearly knocked him off balance, but his muscles, honed by countless battles in past lives, didn't waver. He gritted his teeth, feeling the strain. His vision blurred from the intensity of the effort, but then something shifted.
The warmth of the energy he had consumed—the same volatile force—began to synchronize with his movements. It was as though his body had been made to wield this power, that the chaotic energy was no longer an alien force within him but something he could use to his advantage.
Kyorin's eyes narrowed. 'This is it.'
With a roar, he lifted the hammer high above his head, his body straining under the weight. Then, he brought it down with everything he had, slamming it into the man's skull with a sickening crack.
The man collapsed, his body twitching like a puppet cut from its strings, but Kyorin wasn't done. The fight wasn't over—not yet.
With the adrenaline from the fight still pulsing through his veins, Kyorin experienced a surge of warmth within his body. The blood, that chaotic essence he had ingested, appeared to claw at his insides insidiously, propelling him onward.
'The blood...' Kyorin thought, a familiar chill creeping up his spine. 'It wants control.'
The chaotic energy inside him, that foreign force he had willingly consumed, was fighting for dominance. It was clawing at the edges of his mind, threatening to claim him completely. But Kyorin knew this—he couldn't give in. Not yet. Not now.
He clenched his fists, his teeth bared, trembling with the effort to suppress the wild instincts that surged within him. The foreign power was fighting to take hold, but he would not let it. Not like this. Not when he had come so far.
Turning away from the fallen man, his body still shaking from the aftershocks of the battle, Kyorin fought to calm his breathing. The darkness clawing at the edges of his mind still lingered, but he forced himself to focus.
'You accursed beasts, who do you presume I am? ' he roared inwardly, slamming his fist onto the ground as he crouched down.
His heart pounded uncontrollably, but Kyorin knew one thing: He must deal with these beastly instincts, the quicker the better.
To be continued...