Born in Blood



As Liam pushed forward, a macabre trail of blood and severed body parts followed closely behind. 

A brave archer shot a flurry of blazing fire arrows at him, but instead of hitting him, they pierced the dead body Liam used as a shield.

'Three left,' Liam thought with a cold eye, surveying the archer and two spellcasters further up – whose attacks looked much more frantic the more Liam grew close, and weaker the more they used spells.

Meanwhile, the Reilos soldiers were doing well holding up their front – with their advantage in numbers, they simply used their force as a collective. 

Though, now and again, an invisible arc of wind would shoot out and spread apart their defenses… but seeing Liam holding up five men by himself gave them valor like no other. 

The kid wasn't even 12 years old!

They didn't have time to admire his sight for too long, shifting their focus towards the fight at hand.

With another forceful breath, Liam threw away the charred corpse shield and weaved towards the archer – evading the azure javelin and the spike bursting from the ground.

Liam's blades found their mark in the bow wielder's neck, separating head from shoulders.

Forged blades, Lethality Mantle and Cartilage Brace cut a Rank 2 body like butter.

Long ranged cultivators didn't put too much effort into advancing their bodies, which meant that the Magi were similar in that regard.

The pale-faced spellcasters looked incredibly tired, their mental energy expended nearly fully. Instantly, the pair popped a pill in their mouths, regaining a bit of their complexion.

Liam decided it was time for the battle to end. The membrane beneath his skin hummed, sending a jolt of strength through his veins.

At the same time, his mental waves turned dark, which he decided to use the brunt on the closest Magus to him – the same one who continuously hurled javelins at him.

'Corroding touch!'

The magus recoiled in pain as the dark energy collided with his own, stumbling backwards.

Thrusting his katana into the man's chest, Liam swiped upwards, cleaving his face in two.

Fear and the desire to live caused the remaining Magus to bolt, but not before erecting a thick barrier between him and the demonic child.

He ran away, looking over his shoulder… but the boy didn't chase. 

Relief creeped into his heart, and he desperately needed a short respite. 

…The relief was short-lived. A cold wakizashi pierced his heart the second he caught his breath, which was the last breath he took.

'I need to get back to the caravan,' Liam thought, looting the space rings off the Magi and running back.

He felt a bit drowsy from using so many spells at once, but thanks to his efforts with the second rune, he was still in a condition to fight.

Thankfully, there was no need to. The Reilos soldiers had pushed away their side of attackers, taking advantage of their lack of support and dwindled numbers.

Liam made his way back to his carriage with a tattered, bloodied and charred robe – drenched in scarlet blood, head to toe.

Gazes of respect, shock and awe intersected at his direction. What the soldiers did as thirteen, Liam did alone.

Robert exited his carriage and ran out to Liam, his giant belly swaying left and right.

"Young man…" he stared at Liam's wounds with worried eyes. "Are you… okay?"

"It'll heal," Liam waved a hand dismissively before heading to his carriage. "I'll be in my carriage. Erivol is close by – we won't need to stop. We can arrive safely by nightfall."

Robert looked a bit stunned, both at Liam's fighting and nonchalant demeanor – not to mention his rare element – but eventually, he nodded in understanding.

With no more enemies left to kill, Liam entered his car and began absorbing 'Ora' to heal his grievous wounds.

'I'm satisfied with my current prowess, but I heavily depend on the King's Eye.' he mused, eyes closed in deep thought. 'That first javelin would've killed me instantly if I didn't have it.'

Depending largely on one aspect from his arsenal was not wise. Liam needed to improve in all fields… and fast.

In reality, he was being incredibly unfair to himself. Apparently, solo killing five cultivators more or less the same Rank as him didn't satisfy his expectations.

As soon as Liam's state steadily replenished – and the pain abided – he took out the rings plundered from the Magi.

Disappointingly, there wasn't much to his satisfaction – some 'Ora' Stones, no spells or techniques. 

Nonetheless, more storage was always a plus for Liam's needs.

Soon, night fell. Countless stars flickered among the heavens. 

Liam had already perched atop his carriage to stargaze and memorize his surroundings, cultivating while his retinas reflected the constellations.

Before long, Erivol's gated borders grew visible in the distance, bright lights glowing behind the thick, inscribed wall.

The caravan pulled up to the entrance, and armored guards approached, their suit of metal golden in color.

Robert exited and briefly conversed with them, flashing them what looked like documents and a noble token, before the armored guards gave him a knowing nod.

Later, the caravan entered the city.

The streets of Erivol bustled with golden-robed nobles traversing its streets, lined with marbled dwellings and elegant accommodations. Tall buildings were randomly scattered around the region.

Compared to Ucladd, Erivol looked more expensive to live in, but was vastly smaller.

Suddenly, when the robed nobles saw Liam's caravan, they began hurling anything they could find at them.

"Ugly Ucladdian! Get lost!" one individual shouted, throwing a thumb-sized 'Ora' Stone at Liam's face, but the latter grabbed it mid-air and hurled it back.

"Urk!"

The stone smashed right in between the noble's forehead, causing him to fall backwards.

Thankfully, the carriage passed the main road before any repercussions. 

From inside the soldiers' caravan, the men laughed in unison.

Liam grew curious - he jumped over his own car and over to the guards', entering like a sly snake.

"Why are they so angry?"

The guards stopped laughing in respect to Liam's question.

"Ucladd has won against Erivol in the Regional Tournament twice now… these people haven't forgotten about it since."

Liam pursed his lips in thought.

'...Interesting.'