Born in Blood



The power of preparation was truly amazing.

With just two months worth of planning, a mid-size Sect was taken down.

Granted, there was always the manpower, strategy and numbers to consider, but still.

Watching the Zeniths fly away, Liam quickly followed after them on the ground.

He wasn't the only one.

Hordes of the surviving Temple members rushed towards the direction of the Golden Crane Sect beside him.

It was a race!

Shadows were in front.

Disciples were in the middle.

Acolytes were at the back.

Those injured from the battle lingered back to tend to their injuries, but would eventually join the remaining invasion.

As such when anything happened among the acolytes, bets were made.

Whoever came first, received a massive amount of 'Ora' Stones.

Liam wasn't even aware of something like that.

But he used everything at his disposal to follow behind the six Elders.

He even used his Wraith Form now and again, blurring into mystical wind to blink over long distances.

He was in the lead!

///

Pretty soon, the Golden Crane came into view.

Unlike most Sects that were battle-oriented and centered around powerful martial arts, this particular clan was half business.

Their power came from inscribed items which were usually made out of a special gold.

Hence the name "Golden."

More specifically, they had invented a set of inscribed wings that allowed them to fly short distances.

Hence the name "Crane."

They had a tendency to be lavish and proud with these items, and their Elders were powerful inscription masters.

They were just annoying, not battle oriented.

But Liam was still eager.

Why?

Because they could fly!

Liam was definitely plundering them and taking more than a few of those wings.

Soaring above the clouds held a much deeper meaning to Liam.

It represented freedom.

That was what Liam had dreamt of the most as Darius.

And that's what Liam chased after.

After a whole two hours, the Golden Crane Sect finally came into view.

There was no shortage of luxury, even at first sight.

Magnificent walls of polished gold acted as borders. Basked under the night, its surface shimmered glamorously.

A large Dome of Force covered the Sect. Even birds couldn't fly over, smashing against an invisible barrier as they attempted to.

Funny enough, there was no entrance.

Instead, martial artists flew this way and that, and only them.

When Liam saw what was on their backs – built into their robes – he was instantly disappointed.

They were just gliders!

Not wings!

Even Liam could make something like that!

Shaking his head, he felt even more eager to attack the Sect.

As they got near, the Temple Elders suddenly raised their altitude.

Even above the clouds.

Eventually, they disappeared from view.

Liam quickly realized what they intended to do. 

A Dome of Force was an extremely powerful defense, but it had its weaknesses.

First, it was insanely expensive. 

Few mid-size Sects could afford such a safeguard.

At the same time, the more area it covered, the weaker it got.

And any bigger than a mid-size Sect of land, it was practically useless.

But the most glaring weakness was, if too much force was applied in one spot, the entire Dome would break.

And that's exactly what the Elders intended to do.

Six blurry streaks descended from the sky like meteors, creating a rumbling noise that blew away the clouds as they pierced through them.

VHOOOOM!

And just then, the force of six Zeniths smashed against a single Dome of Force.

BOOM!

Like popping a bubble, the protective encasing blurred for a split second before dispersing from the point of impact.

Liam didn't waste a single second and used his Dusk Blades to climb over the towering gold walls.

CLINK!

They pierced right through the expensive metal, lodging tightly to the border like a piton.

Liam yanked on the chain, lifting himself over and peering through the Sect walls.

Countless disciples left their quarters in a panic, but their faces paled when they saw the invading forces.

Liam didn't fail to exploit their inattentiveness. 

Those golden robes could potentially get dangerous if they chose to fight arielly.

Liam activated his Wraith Form.

Fhoof!

Everything turned to mist.

All except his Dusk Blades and the chains floating around his ethereal arms.

Liam leaped off in one quick motion and began to run through the streets of the Sect.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

Where Liam's Blade passed, death followed. 

Cloaked in Shadow, only the clinking of his chains were audible. 

In between each swing, Liam would sneak in Umbral Needles.

But all those sounds were drowned out.

The acolytes had arrived shortly.

By then, a fight had broken out between the six Elders of the Temple, and six Elders of the Crane. 

Although the latter wasn't as powerful as the former, they had incredible offensive and protective measures.

Contraptions activated as soon as the Golden Crane Elders noticed the Temple invading.

'Ora' gathered around large circular spots within the central grounds.

A moment later, they exploded with the force of a broken dam, shooting massive beams of concentrated liquid towards the Elders.

That was easily dodgeable, but more and more attacks shot at them. 

Biggest of all… the giant crane statue in the middle of their Sect began to move!

Liam's eyes flickered in awe, but he didn't let his focus falter.

The crane was a golem.

An actual golem!

Slowly, it sprung into movement. 

Its giant wings unfurled, each "feather" made from a golden metal with glowing inscription lines on its surface.

From that distance, it was like a small mountain had come to life.

Even as he swung his Dusk Blades and zipped forward, Liam saw something peculiar.

The Crane was being piloted by the six Elders!

Something like that had to be a middle to upper-tier Rank 4 item.

Maybe even peak-tier or even Rank 5, but Liam wasn't an expert in evaluations.

As Liam continued to kill his way through the golden-robed disciples, a grimace formed on his face as he made a grave realization.

With how the battle was playing out…

They were going to lose.