"To be the inheritor of the Night King means to hold the bloodline of the first Vampire." Cinis had explained. "Even though your ritual wasn't successful, you still formed a bond with the grimoire. With that bond comes benefits, like the ability you just gained."
"Blood Moon?" He had asked.
"Yup." She exclaimed. "Gaining of the ability suggests the advancement in your bond. Given enough time, you can surely pull another ability and advance that much more. You just have to continue to drink blood."
"What does Blood Moon do?" Karl was curious. Then Cinis had explained in detail.
"Blood Moon!" As the words left his mouth, an ethereal, bloody aura took hold of him. His muscles swelled, a rush of mana coating him outwardly. Simultaneously he activated his bloodline ability—Crimson Conjuration.
As the blood drained from him, a hazy outline took form, gaining solidity and congealing into a sword. It had a blade about a meter long and a curved cross-guard. Even without interfacing with Cinis, he could tell his attributes had experienced an advancement.
The woman across from him raised a brow, seemingly not caring at all. Yet Karl saw her adopt a guarded posture, ready to counter any attack.
He spared a glance at the cloaked alchemist and told her to hide behind the tree. Aurelia had already drawn her long sword and was drawing attention from both masked men. Finally his gaze landed on the leader, and he took a deep breath.
"Let's end this quickly." As he spread his feet slightly, his gaze locked onto his opponent, and he breathed out. His feet pushed at the ground beneath him, and his C rank speed enhanced further by the Blood Moon erupted to propel him forward. So as a blur he appeared before his opponent, whose eyes widened in surprise, but he gave her no time to react, his sword already on its way to meet her neck.
The woman brought forth her short swords, a second late, just as the tip of his sword slid upward and through the gap, piercing her right in the shoulder. The force jerked her backward, and she used the opportunity to put some distance between them.
"Stoneblood." A growl left her throat as a grey sheen overtook the visible parts of her skin. Karl raised a brow at that and smiled.
"Not even bothering to hide any longer." Stoneblood was one of the iconic talents of the Bloodcrest clan, much like his Crimson Conjuration. It focused on enhancing its users defence by hardening their blood to a near-impenetrable state.
She glared back at him, but Karl paid it no mind. Aurelia was strong, but being able to hold back two men would take a toll on her. He would have to finish his battle before she got hurt.
Holding his conjured sword in a vice grip, he lunged forward once more. This time his adversary was prepared and used her twin swords to deflect his swing, then used the momentum to push him back. Just as the opening showed itself, she rushed in. Karl gritted his teeth and brought forth the sword in a fast-paced manner, colliding the weapons as a shower of sparks erupted.
The two exchanged blow after blow. The Count of Crimson Vale learnt firsthand the difficulty of fighting against an opponent who was well-versed in using her environment to her advantage. There was no way around it; she simply had more experience than him.
As the swords slammed into each other, he felt himself be pushed back. Using this opportunity to reorient himself, he assessed his opponent. Much like himself, she wasn't feeling happy. She probably hadn't expected her opponent to turn out so tough.
Taking a deep breath, he felt the blood within him boil. Blood Moon was a fascinating ability and one he still had difficulty properly deploying. The base level allowed him to enhance his strength and speed to a certain degree, but to stimulate the ability further, he could only do so by forcing himself in a battle. The more he struggled, the faster his heart beat, the harder his blood would flow, and the more his ability would grow stronger.
Letting the breath out, he focused on the ability, enforcing it to push harder. Veins bulged on his skin, but his enhanced vitality made the effort trivial. He could hear the sound of metal striking metal in the background, pick up the soft breeze that rustled the leaves, and hear the sound of breathing from everyone around him. He focused, tuning everything out. And he pushed.
Ground gave beneath him, a small depression forming where he had impelled. His form blurred as he crossed the divide in less than a second. The woman was given no chance as the sword flashed, leaving a crimson trail in its wake. The blade met flesh and proved resistant, but his enhanced strength forced it inward. Blood erupted, and a shadow was hurtled in the air.
"Ugh!" The woman groaned as she rushed backward. Blood dripping from her now stumpy arm. The shadow fell from above and landed on the ground, releasing the sword it was holding.
The blood on Karl's sword soaked into the crimson blade, and he released a sigh. Cutting off an arm had required him to use all his strength, and although he could still feel a steady increase in power, it was now starting to put a strain on him. He had to finish this even faster.
He rushed in, his sword meeting hers. She ducked slightly, but he was faster, already with his sword close behind her back. The woman slid in and out of the way, and just as he was about to react to the manoeuvre, he felt something sharp poke into his thigh, and then pain erupted.
A kick to the gut sent him spiralling backward until he fell on the ground, a groan escaping his lips. What the heck, he thought, where did that come from?
He glanced down at his thigh to see a blood-red crystal jutting out. Pushing past the pain, he pulled himself off the ground.
"Don't think you've won yet, fucker!" The woman stared icily at his scowling visage and adopted a ready stance. There was a grey aura covering her wounded arm, and a series of sharp crystals jutted out from the wound.
Guess now I know from where, thinking such, he eased a smirk on his face. "Won't work the second time."
It was a painful reminder that while he may have some information on how their talents worked, he didn't have exact data. Relying on superficial information could prove detrimental in the future.
This time when he rushed in, it was with cautiousness. Blood Moon was already working overtime, filling his body with strength that would've otherwise been found unapproachable. Yet the toll it was taking on his body was immense. With conviction and purpose, his blade slashed at his opponent.
Just as the sword neared her head, the woman dodged to the side, her own blade pulled back but without any follow-up. Just as his brain was registering the move, he noticed the stump of her arm being directed toward his torso and the blade advancing. This time, though, he was prepared.
His body curved slightly, his sword pulled back with one, while with the other he grabbed her still-intact arm and pulled her inward. Her eyes widened as his drew closer, but he gave her no chance to appreciate his burning red pupils, his head connecting with hers. The impact of the force rocked her head back, her vision blacking out for a brief moment.
Karl had sought an opening, and she had provided one; he wasn't going to let it go. His sword-wielding arm stabbed forth and right through her chest. Just as the world came into focus, the woman felt a searing pain erupt from her chest.
She stumbled back, the remaining sword falling from her grip. Her eyes sought his, but he rushed in with a mighty push, his rapidly advancing hand enclosing around her skull. Without stopping his momentum, they were both hurtled to the ground, the force from his hand speeding their descent. And as the back of her head met the ground, it caved, her head being pushed inward. Karl grit his teeth and pushed with all his might, feeling the bones give in, until finally a crack followed by a burst erupted from the small crater.
He reeled back, scowling at his blood-smeared hand. That wasn't the only thing covering it, though; he could feel fragments of bones sticking to his fingers alongside bits of grey matter.
Wiping his hand on his deceased adversary's clothes, he rounded on the remaining enemies still engaged with Aurelia. He frowned as he felt his hands shake, Blood Moon pushing more strength inside his body than it could handle. Any more and he might just paralyse himself.
As the thought crossed his mind, he sprinted forth towards the chain-wielding enemy. The man didn't even register his presence until his sword passed right through his skull. The second man bristled at the sight of his fellow comrade being skewered like that.
Aurelia didn't miss the opening and drove forth her longsword right through his ribcage. As the final man went down, Karl released hold of his ability and felt strength be sapped away. Weakness took hold as his breathing grew ragged.
He shared a look with his cousin and nodded. Aurelia went to fetch the alchemist while he went through his assailant's belongings. He ended up finding nothing, but then again he didn't need to. He was already aware of their origins.
"Let's move out quickly." He glanced at Aurelia and then at the alchemist, who gave a small nod. The trio soon left at a brisk pace.