His arm looked like a shadow’s limb. Useful.
His spatial senses tracked abominations leaving the area, unwilling to be caught in the fight.
Must be nice.
Kai’s neck was good as new. The snake-on-legs blood could be a precious commodity. If he captured the revolting worm and drained it - he’d drown in blood money. Or did its blood only heal him because of the suit?
Either way, he could use the blood to heal people and stack Darkshards. The potential profits were eye-watering. Too bad the blue serpent wasn’t a reasonable business partner.
The snake-on-legs’ greed paralysed it. It couldn’t decide which Kai to chase. It had two heads but couldn’t move in two directions at once.
Kai frowned.
Ashes. I hate cheating reptiles.
If beheading it didn’t kill it, he had a single solution in his bag of tricks. He had to learn how to pierce space, right here, right now.
A tall order.
He needed time and a distraction. One echo wasn’t enough muscle for this operation. Good news - he was in the Darklands’ wilds. The supply of abominations outweighed demand.
Kai and his echo ran in the same direction. The blue serpent pursued, a few hundred feet separating them. He focused his spatial senses and barrelled toward anything moving. He culled the weaker abominations and baited the tougher ones into a chase.
His echo collected a dozen abominations before it dissolved. The crowd of grotesque flesh locked onto the real Kai. Perfect. An orchestra of screams and roars filled the air.
His Demonic speed and strength grew as he slaughtered the weaker abominations. Onyx scales burst from his suit. But the mantle reformed itself to his body’s changes. Sharp, curved horns tore through his forehead. Blood dripped down his face into his mouth where razor-sharp teeth grew.
He probably looked like a mess. A Demon in a suit was a sight to behold.
Suit, switch to intimidation mode!
Dark glee slithered into the back of Kai’s mind. His suit morphed into a blanket of darkness. It twisted and pulled before taking the shape of a dark robe similar to Kharon’s.
As Kai cut down another pitiful, slimy abomination, something burst from his back. Had he missed an incoming threat? He teleported forward, adrenaline spiking.
He glanced back…and laughed. A terrible grin cut across his face. Black wings protruded from his back.
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He leaped.
His wings flapped. He was…flying. It felt natural, like he belonged in the sky. The folds of his dark robe fluttered in the wind. He surely looked like an angel of death. Or a Demon of death?
Either way, he looked menacing and fearsome.
His fan club disagreed. The pursuing mass of abominations salivated at the prospect of an easy meal. His Curse outweighed his fearsome appearance.
He turned in the air, looking down on the abominations. Many were bloody and injured. Biting and clawing at each other in their race to fill their greedy stomachs.
The dumbest beasts were still chasing Kai. Smarter abominations stayed behind to eat their fellows, until the snake-on-legs ate them in turn. The wisest abominations ran away, hunting for less dangerous opportunities.
Kai flew over the bloody crowd of abominations. Dozens of hideous beasts craned their necks to follow his movements. Then their bodies followed. They climbed over each other for a chance at the easy prey, claws and teeth rending flesh. Blood spraying everywhere.
An iron scent reached Kai’s nose. His smile grew wider. He glided toward his target as the wave of abominations flooded forward.
Kai was soon behind the blue snake-on-legs, watching it devour its ambitious inferiors.
They worked so hard to get eaten.
Now he had a little breathing room. The blue snake was distracted, and Kai was out of its range. If Kharon had mentioned the wings, this whole escapade would’ve been much easier.
But Kai wouldn’t cry over spilled blood. He was growing used to his Guardian’s flawed guidance - couldn’t rely on his big brother for everything.
The blue snake consumed the abominations at a worrying pace. Kai assumed he’d be safe in the air, but assumptions got him in this mess. Better safe than sorry - he had to hurry.
Time to experiment.
First, he tried teleporting his sword through space.
It didn’t work. But he discovered he couldn’t teleport an item without teleporting himself with it.
What about compressing space at the tip of his blade? The process was similar to something he’d read about. A black hole - they sounded dangerous. He kept the idea as an option.
He tried expanding space at the point of his blade. A small ripple moved outward, but nothing noteworthy happened.
Gods. What a hassle. Shouldn’t I get an attribute called ‘space piercer’ or something? This system’s trash.
Left with no other option, Kai prepared to create a black hole. He stopped. Could he compress and expand space simultaneously?
He threw caution to the wind. He’d either develop a killing blow, or he’d die trapped in this Domain.
He expanded the space at the tip of his dark blade, then compressed it.
A fingertip-sized circle of infinite darkness spawned at the sword’s tip. Kai closed his eyes. His survival instincts told him looking into the darkness was a bad idea.
A fingertip-sized blind spot emerged in his spatial senses. He had pierced through space.
But there was a problem - a huge one. How would he close the spatial hole? Alarm bells rang - dire consequences approached. He didn’t know what, but he was certain.
“Kharon, how do I—“
Kharon responded in record time. He understood the gravity of the situation.
Kai thrust his left hand forward and unleashed his essence. The blind spot in his senses disappeared. He released a long breath.
Laughter resounded in his mind.
Kai’s breathing was heavy. “If piercing space is that dangerous…why recommend it?”
“If I miss?”
Kharon’s voice became serious.
Kai swallowed hard. His powerful new ability was too dangerous to use.
Kai’s racing heart slowed. “Or I’ll bring untold calamity upon the worlds?”
Kai nodded. His space-piercing ability was usable - if he didn’t miss. But he could fix the issue if he was fast enough.
A terrible grin cut across his face again.
The snake-on-legs had almost finished the last of the abominations.
It was his turn to be the predator.
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