"Ding"
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Bloodmoon Memory Fragment (1/5)
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A chime echoed in Caspian's mind.
"Bloodmoon Memory Fragment unlocked."
"Oh?" Caspian muttered, momentarily distracted as he glanced at the shimmering notification in his head.
The pause cost him.
A lupivore lunged, its snarling jaws snapping toward his throat.
Caspian reacted instinctively, raising Bloodmoon. The blade shimmered, its edge shifting unnaturally, almost alive.
As the lupivore twisted mid-air to dodge the strike, Bloodmoon's form changed.
Its tip extended into a glowing, wolf-like head enveloped in a malevolent purple aura.
The spectral wolf lashed out, its jaw slicing through the lupivore's side.
THUD!
The creature hit the ground, blood dripping from its wound, but it was not yet dead.
Caspian's chest heaved.
The remaining lupivores were closing in.
"Damn it, there's too many of them," Caspian muttered, gripping Bloodmoon tightly.
His sweat-slicked fingers trembled, but not from fear—he had sacrificed that already.
"GRRRRRR"
With a low growl, three lupivores sprang toward him from his flank.
Bloodmoon howled, its aura flaring, and Caspian pivoted with inhuman speed.
He intercepted two of the beasts with wide arcs of his blade, purple energy streaking through the air as he slashed.
The impact sent the creatures sprawling, their bodies leaving long gouges in the dirt.
But as he turned toward third lupivore,then suddenly fourth lupivore appeared and slipped past caspian guard.
SLICE!
Its claws raked across his back.
"ARGHHH!" Caspian cried out, stumbling forward as blood soaked his shirt.
His knees buckled slightly, but he forced himself upright, gritting his teeth.
'I can't fight them all at once,' he thought bitterly.
"Fuck them," he hissed under his breath.
The absence of fear made his determination unshakable, but the pain was undeniable.
Suddenly, Bloodmoon's voice echoed in his mind.
{Stop it, child. Use your Mini Goblin to distract them.}
"What are you saying?" Caspian growled. "I can handle this alone. I'll fuck them all up!"
{Foolish. You're bleeding out. Listen to me!}
Ignoring Bloodmoon's plea, Caspian spun on his heel as four more lupivores lunged at him from four different directions.
He swung Bloodmoon in a sweeping arc, bloodmoon spectral wolf head snarling as it struck two of the creatures in front of him.
Purple energy rippled through their bodies, leaving deep gashes, but they refused to die.
Before he could reposition, another lupivore pounced from behind.
Caspian twisted, slamming his blade upward and catching the beast mid-air.
THUNK!
It collapsed, writhing on the ground, but the fourth lupivore was already upon him.
SLASH!
Its claws tore into his chest, ripping through flesh and muscle.
SPLASH!
Caspian staggered, blood pouring from the fresh wound.
His vision blurred, but he steadied himself, his breath ragged.
"AHHHH!" Caspian cried.
{Child do it,}
"UNLEASH," Caspian muttered, his voice resonating with an unnatural power.
The air around him crackled as crimson energy erupted from his body. It twisted and churned like a storm.
Out of the swirling aura, the Mini Goblins emerged—diminutive creatures with jagged claws, twisted grins, and crimson eyes that glowed with feral intensity.
Caspian glanced at them and then at Bloodmoon.
"Hey, why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"
{I did tell you.} Bloodmoon's voice echoed coldly.
"No, I mean back when we were running from the lupivores. They could've distracted them and bought me time!"
Bloodmoon sighed, exasperation clear even in its disembodied tone.
{You truly are a fool, child.}
"What?" Caspian barked, annoyed.
{They are bound to a fixed domain. The moment they leave their designated range, their core connection disintegrates—they die and their body will vanished and also your domain is small}
"So they're only effective in a particular space? And why is my domain so small even I am at (C+) Rank now" Caspian asked, his voice laced with frustration as he watched the Mini Goblins leap at the lupivores with wild ferocity.
{Yes, child.} Bloodmoon's tone was steady, like a patient teacher explaining to a stubborn student.
{And the reasons your domain is small there are two reasons: Firstly Your core is weak and secondly your affinity control is low.}
[A/N: it will be explained in detail in few chapters]
Caspian narrowed his eyes.
"Oh! ...So, if they die even within my domain, what happens then? Do they die for good?"
{Do you want them to die?}
Caspian hesitated, the thought catching him off guard.
"No, of course not," he muttered, shaking his head.
{Then worry not. Their core connection remains intact within your domain. Even if they fall in battle, they will return to you, but they will not ready to summon back as their soul took damage.}
A wave of relief swept over Caspian as he glanced at the Mini Goblins clawing and biting at the lupivores.
They were holding their ground surprisingly well, swarming over one of the beasts and driving it back.
"Good," Caspian said softly. "I'll make sure they don't die in vain."
The connection with his summons hummed faintly in his mind, a reassuring presence that bolstered his resolve.
If they could return to him, then he could use them not just as tools, but as part of his strategy.
Turning his focus back to the battle, Caspian gripped Bloodmoon tightly.
"Let's end this."
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