Chapter 1079 Blood Demons
Seraphine watched as Waiga tried to vocalize something, but failed due to the blood in his throat. Her finger moved to aspirate the blood from his throat, allowing him to wheeze out a few words.
"I… regret… blocking that…"
Even in such dire circ.u.mstances, with many of his bones broken and bent, Sarohan seemed to retain his humor. Instead of being dramatic, he chose to stay true to himself.
"And I think it was a foolish thing to do," Seraphine said as she stared at him. "The chances of your survival are zero, Sarohan. You should have escaped, as I told you."
"The great Sarohan… needs no saving," Sarohan replied, smacking his lips together and attempting to move his body, but the pain nearly made him faint. "It hurts... kill me... no, don"t wait, I won"t revive. Call someone else to end me."
"Just wait until you die," Seraphine sighed as she turned toward the wyvern that had invaded the battlefield, attacking the enemies. "The tamer seems to have returned, so why did you have to shield me?"
"Debts..." coughed Waiga as more blood flooded his throat, but Seraphine helped him speak. "Debts... should be repaid..."
"That is a foolish reason," Seraphine replied without mercy before sighing. "There are no debts among friends."
Her words made Sarohan widen his eyes in surprise, and he smiled despite the pain. Then, he raised his hand for Seraphine to hold. It was not a handshake but a simple hand-holding between comrades.
"Survive... until I... revive," Sarohan said with a broken smile as Seraphine stared at his hand. She then grabbed his palm with a complicated expression.
"Reviving means losing something," Seraphine said with furrowed brows. "You will lose a part of yourself, Sarohan. Are you sure about this?"
Sarohan did not reply as he grew weaker. As the demon turned around to look for the Blood Gem, she was unable to find it. The tamer was using it to create more wyverns, giving them the time they needed. He was shouting toward her, but she didn"t even try to understand his words.
"If we are truly friends, then you will not hate me for this," said the demon as the blood disappeared from her skin, revealing her clear and unblemished human form. Long red hair fell on each side, surrounding her two horns as Seraphine raised her wrist above the Waiga. "The G.o.ds will be furious for using their blessing in this manner."
A small dagger appeared in her other hand as Seraphine let go of his hand, allowing it to fall over his dying body. Then, she cut through her flesh and allowed the blood to flow without restraint. It fell over the Waiga, seeping into his throat.
"Demons are hated by the G.o.ds, which makes their blood a prize for strength and immortality. Although such an amount is minute, it"s enough to save you."
Seraphine watched as her blood made its way down his throat. She knew that this might be the end of their friendship because those who obtain the G.o.d"s blessing will hate demons without their control. However, it was better than watching this idiot lose his dreams. A little hate was not something she feared.
Lights shone from his body as the blood made its way into it, and a foul stench made Seraphine retch. She covered her nose as she rose from the ground, creating a distance between them. As she watched divine light cover his body, she knew it was over.
Seraphine had heard stories about what people experienced if they died and revived. Most of them lost a core memory that made them who they are. This gave the tower another name, only used by the challengers who experienced this loss: Memories Stealer.
"This is for the better," muttered Seraphine as she walked away. Sarohan had shared his dreams with her, and none of them would happen if he accompanied a demon on her journey of self-destruction.
The divine energy escalated behind her, reaching alarming levels, before it ceased to exist. Seraphine stopped in her tracks, confused, and turned to see what had happened.
Instead of the dying Waiga, there was a different creature, shorter with dark red fur. No matter how Seraphine tried to rationalize it, she knew that this creature was Sarohan himself, but looking a little different. His fur was no longer white, and his features had become sharper. Furthermore, a pair of small horns had grown on his forehead.
"What"s happening?" Seraphine asked as she tried to make sense of the situation. A torrent of blue flames shot toward her, and she jumped several meters away, glaring at the man who had killed countless wyverns to reach her.
MK7 bolted through the burning corpses like a madman, covered in flames, his eyes filled with a maniacal desire for blood. His crazed laughter echoed through the battlefield as he positioned himself between her and Sarohan.
"You"re a fool not to have escaped, demon," MK7 said as he licked his sword. "I don"t know how you managed to obtain so many wyverns, but your chance to escape is gone now."
"What an obnoxious man," Seraphine muttered as she returned to her demonic form. "Do not push your luck, Ashman! Your entire race went extinct, meaning you are not invincible!"
"As expected from the Blood Queen, you know about me," MK7 replied as his blue flames covered his entire body, obscuring his maniacal features.
Seraphine looked around and saw Lord Marshal still killing the wyverns as Lian tried to hold him back. However, she wasn"t afraid. As long as someone was holding the lord back, MK7 wasn"t a real threat due to the difference in their stats.
"I know that you are strong, Blood Queen, but everyone has a weakness," MK7 said as he noticed the blood mist rising. He turned toward Sarohan on the ground and raised his sword. "If you dodge my flames again, I will use them against this lesser creature!"
"Resorting to threats, huh?" Seraphine said with a frown as she looked at Sarohan, still unconscious on the ground. However, his wounds had disappeared, and he even seemed more muscular than before.
"Villainous measures should be taken against villains," MK7 replied with self-righteousness. "If you want to escape, then you"ll have to leave him behind."
Seraphine found herself pushed into a corner. Even if she tried to rush and save him, she wouldn"t reach Sarohan in time. He would be engulfed by the blue flames, and nothing could revive him then because his soul would be no more.
As her eyes darted between the Ashman and Sarohan, her face covered in sweat, Sarohan"s body suddenly jerked as if he had been struck. A strange aura leaked from him, and blood rose from his fur. MK7 turned with confusion only to witness the Waiga opening his eyes.
"I"m alive?" Sarohan muttered.
"Not for long," MK7 rebuked as his flames exploded. He seemed to realize that two enemies would be too much, as his hostage emitted a threatening aura.
"Sarohan, jump!" Seraphine shouted with panic as she saw the flames rushing to engulf the confused Waiga. Before she could react, the flames covered his body, blinding their sight. "Wait… where is he?"
Seraphine was confused before she raised her head toward the sky as she sensed a presence there. MK7 did the same, and the pair saw the Waiga in the sky, looking down at them with confusion.
"How did I get here?" Sarohan muttered with confusion as he looked down. "Wait, why do I look red? Is this my blood? I lost my l.u.s.trous color, dammit!"
"That"s not the time, idiot! The flames are coming for you!" Seraphine shouted as she rushed toward the Ashman, her blood forming into a long sickle in her hand. However, the Ashman had already shot his flames toward the sky.
Sarohan stared at the incoming flames with fear in his eyes. As he did what he knew best, the Waiga breathed in and unleashed another Frozen Breath toward the flames. This time, the frozen breath had a blood mist covering it, causing the flames to turn into blood crystals that fell to the ground, heading toward MK7. Caught between the attacks from two sides, the Ashman found it hard to dodge and used his flames to block.
Boom!
The blood clashed against the flames, and the entire world shook. MK7 was sent flying toward his lord, slamming into countless wyverns and spreading his flames everywhere.
Instead of waiting any longer, Seraphine turned her blood into a rope, tied it to Sarohan, and pulled him down. The Waiga slammed into the ground before Seraphine grabbed him and rushed toward the tamer.
"Fly us away, tamer!"
"I have a name," said Lian as the wyvern soared into the sky. Seraphine managed to jump in time to land on the wyvern, allowing it to carry them away. The blue flames turned against them, spreading through the army after its owner lost control.
Sarohan was a mess, and Seraphine was gasping for air. As she looked at the army below, she knew that they had narrowly escaped a worse fate. However, she still couldn"t understand why the Waiga had obtained a power similar to her race, the Blood Demons.