A Universe of Bloody Evolution

"Raise your head, bare your fangs, sharpen your blades. Stand firm and never back down. March forward, crawl if you must, but never stop. Do that, and you just may survive. And if you fail? If you let the Void consume you? Well, in that case, you have no one but yourself to blame."

~ High Master of Tariem, 49th Outbreak

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So one after another is definitely not gonna work... Leo grumbled as the Kiss of Death once again faded away after he tried to put it on another claw.

Forming the Kiss wasn't much different with his claws than with a weapon, but it took more focus and control to tame his Essence during the process. Yet, it was still doable at least until Leo tried to put the ability on another claw.

Each time Leo moved onto another finger, his Essence took it as a command to dismiss the previous Kiss. No matter how much he tried to separate the process, the mysterious energy always found a way to mess with Leo's plan.

Another twenty minutes wasted. He shook his head, glancing at the Life Support timer. With so many Rock Eaters dead by his hands, Leo didn't really have to worry about Ether. Still, it didn't make his current problem any less frustrating...

Gonna need another twenty if I want to place it on every claw at once. Leo sighed as he sat cross-legged and placed his Tainted hand upon the human one.

The process took even longer than he expected. Multiple times, his Essence tried to escape between his fingers. However, Leo always held it tightly, taking minute after minute to calm down the raging energy.

Come on! Leo clenched his teeth as the crimson sheen seeped into his claws, gradually transforming into the familiar black aura. Essence fought like it'd never battled before, five claws at once testing Leo's current control. Just a little more.

Leo gasped for breath, collapsing against the rocky wall, sweat rolling down his face.

Never again. Leo mumbled soundlessly, gazing at the faint glow on his claws. At least not until I get more control or experiment with the Kiss. This took way too much out of me, and look... another half an hour. For fuck sake...

Reaching deep into his soul, Leo grimaced at the droplets of Essence that remained there. Great... Without moving even a finger, he dropped True Stealth. As long as he literally didn't do anything other than breath, he should be fine for some time.

In the meantime, Leo's mind again began to run through different scenarios of the approaching encounter. He had to figure out the best way to deal with the Guarding Rock Eater in case his initial plan went to shit or just wasn't enough to kill the beast.

The hunting rifle was always an option, but Leo doubted it could do much against the monster for some reason. I'm too limited for now. Whatever happens, I still need to find the Eater's weak spots. And if that doesn't work out, then Crystalized Essence is my only hope...

Time flew by as Leo contemplated his options. It wasn't long before even his meager regeneration managed to refill his reserves, and True Stealth once again settled over his skin.

Alright, let's do this.

Standing up, Leo stretched, feeling joints popping all over his body. Rolling his shoulders, he checked every weapon and nodded. Knives, the short sword, and claws all covered in the Kiss. It's now or never.

As his claws snatched a small pebble off the ground, Leo's human hand was already working on forming a small, sturdy ball of light. That should do it. He murmured and stopped right next to the chamber's entrance, his eyes taking in the slumbering beast in the middle.

One, two, three.

At once, Leo chucked the two objects in his hands towards the cave's far end. Like before, they flew true, skidding against the rocky surface and creating a constant echo in the chamber.

The Guarding Rock Eater was on its feet in a blink as it released a blood-freezing shrill. Before Leo could even react, the beast dashed toward the Void Gate, completely ignoring the distraction he had created.

Fuck!

With that single thought in mind, Leo jumped inside the chamber, Reinforcement seeping into his muscles as he sprinted to the Void Gate.

Now, Leo expected many things to happen, some fitting into his plans, while others not so much. However, the monster had decided to completely abandon any expectations as it threw its bladed arms forward, stabbing right into the Gate's violet veins.

As if responding to the beast's actions, the entire chamber shook, trembling as the veins pulsed briefly, their color bleeding into the all-familiar crimson.

Another notification appeared in the corner of Leo's vision, but he paid it no mind. Only a few meters separated him from the beast, and it was not time for distractions, especially when the Eater still hadn't pulled out of the Gate.

My turn. Closing the remaining distance with a quick jump, Leo brought down his claws upon the upper part of Eater's leg. With the Kiss of Death, Leo cut cleanly through most of the skin and bone, leaving the limb barely hanging.

Even as the beast screeched, almost bursting Leo's eardrums, he didn't stop, never one to leave a job half-finished.

The bowie knife in his hand sang through the air as it cut through the remaining tendon, dropping the useless leg to the ground with a thud. Uh, oh. Leo cursed as the beast finally swung its arms, slicing where his head used to be a moment ago.

Leo danced away from the monster, putting enough distance between them to read through the notification. He had to know what the hell happened to the Void Gate.

Warning! Dimensional Gateway has been sealed. Kill the Guardian of the rift to release the Gate from its influence. Entering the portal in its current state will result in death.

That would have been nice to know before I went in! Don't you think it is the kind of information that should be in Bestiary?! Leo shouted internally even as the Eater's eyeless glare settled on his shoulders. Gah, whatever, no use crying over spilled milk.

It definitely wasn't the time for that, especially when the Eater decided that it waited long enough for Leo to move.

Dodge and deflect; do not block. This short mantra played over and over in Leo's head as the Eater closed on his position and forced the smaller fighter to jerk away.

Even with one leg missing, the Eater — like any other Voidling — was relentless, not giving Leo a second to recover before attacking again. Unfortunately, unlike any other Eater, the Guardian had way more in its arsenal than just jaws and a powerful body.

For fucks sake! How something so massive can be so fast at the same time? And where in seven hells is the weak spot?! Leo growled, sparks filling his vision as he deflected yet another strike.

Pushing just a bit more Essence into Reinforcement, Leo rolled under another blow. He cut the beast's underbelly with his claws, spilling black blood all over his body.

The monster shrieked and jumped away, swaying when its feet once again met the ground.

Got you. Leo smirked even as droplets of the monster's blood slipped into his mouth. The coppery taste was familiar; however there was something more underneath it, disgusting yet powerful. Essence.

Spitting the filth out, Leo narrowed his eyes when the chamber shook again. Even the Guardian wasn't spared as it tumbled to the side, the missing leg finally becoming a problem.

Leo sprinted to the beast, hoping to use the shaking to his advantage. Only he never got far as the reason for the tremors showed itself, splitting the ground in front of him, another Rock Eater quickly jumping out of the gap.

Oh no, you don't. Leo gritted his teeth as a small pulse of Essence traveled into his left arm.

At once, green symbols spread across the entire limb and gave Leo the confidence to meet the regular Rock Eater in the middle. He reared his tainted arm and punched the monster with everything he had, sending it flying to the side.

Limit break to full power!

Energy surged into his body, the golden sheen settling against his skin. Leo ignored the feeling, his gaze locked on the recovered Guardian. Just one more leg.

Closing in, Leo slid onto the ground, dodging yet another swipe of the monster's bladed arm. As he passed by, he grabbed one of the two legs that remained on this side and tugged harshly.

Down you go.

The Eater's shrill once again filled the chamber as it collapsed. Not wasting a single second, Leo brought down his bowie knife at the leg's knee, or rather what he thought was a knee.

The dismembering required two more strikes, but in the end, the Guardian was left with only four legs. Its entire body trembled as it climbed to its feet, the one limb barely enough to support the monster's weight on one side.

Now to fini... Leo spun on his heel as a shriek sounded from behind him. Instinctively he jerked his body to the side and stabbed the Rock Eater that just shot past him, creating a long gash across its body.

The monster collapsed a distance away, the System instantly alerting Leo of the kill. Thank god for Limit Break. Leo sighed as the golden glow faded along with the adrenaline from Reinforcement. Almost no strain this time. Good.

Turning to the Guardian, Leo almost chuckled at the monster's poor attempts at walking. With each step taken, the beast fell on its damaged side, shrieking louder with every second.

Let's put you out of misery. Leo yawned, digging a Crystalized Essence out of his pocket.

He could have slain the Guardian with his weapons alone, but the beast was still dangerous in its current state. Its bladed arms were no laughing matter, and Leo wasn't about to face them without Limit Break and Reinforcement.

Then there was the Guardian's sheer size, which meant chopping the beast for at least another ten minutes until it died. Thanks, but no thanks. Grenade it is.

The crystal was already brimming with Essence as Leo approached the beast, its massive jaw constantly opening with another shriek. Catch. He shouted and threw the crystal right into the monster's mouth.

'Boom'

The middle of the monster's body exploded in a shower of gore, separating the Guardian in two dead halves. Liters of blood flowed out of the corpse as the entire chamber shook again, but the tremors never stopped this time.

What the hell is going on?!

Guarding Rock Eater (LVL: 10) slain | Experience awarded | 8 Ether gained

Level 9 reached. Class attributes added. Please assign your 2 free attributes.

Title Rift Destroyer gained. Title assimilated into Adaptable. Bonus: Might Effectiveness +5%

Warning! Guardian of the rift has been killed. The Rift Passage is collapsing. Find the nearest Void Gate if you want to survive. Time remaining: 2 minutes 13 seconds

I just can't catch a break. Leo growled as he sped to the Guardian and quickly sunk his claws into the corpse. Although nice title bonus. Also, Soul and Might.

Only a minute remained when the two halves turned into dust, and while the Guardian didn't leave any loot behind, it gave Leo over ten hours of satiated status.

Time to go. Leo thought as he sprinted towards the Gate and jumped into the colorful portal. He expected many things to happen next, but getting spit out almost instantly wasn't among them.

Leo screamed as he collapsed, the force behind the movement sending him tumbling across the hard ground. I already hate this method of travel. He coughed, climbing to his feet and quickly taking in his new surroundings.

Shit... As he glanced at the narrow rocky plateau, Leo cursed. There was nothing beyond it but enormous nothingness in colors of black and red. They mingled in a never-ending dance, and as beautiful as the sight was, Leo couldn't help but shudder when his gaze fell to another plateau connected to his own.

Five dark pillars rose from the gray rocky surface, creating a perfect pentagon. All of them were inscribed with symbols so foreign and yet so familiar. However, even those inscriptions didn't hold Leo's focus; no, that honor fell to the fist-sized shard floating right in the middle of the pentagon. Black and red, just like the world around him.

No... Leo froze as an image similar to the one in front of him flashed through his mind. It can't be.

'Come...'