Absolute Cheater

The altar split apart as the monster pulled free, black stone shattering under its weight. The chamber shook as it stepped down, each claw crushing the floor. Its dozens of eyes rolled wildly, jaws opening and closing, drool hissing as it hit the hot braziers. The beast let out a roar that rattled the walls, a sound like hundreds of voices screaming at once.

The leader raised his arms toward it, his chains of flame stretching wide. "Feed, child of the Maw! Feed on him!"

The monster lunged forward, claws sweeping down like hammers. Asher moved just in time, the blow smashing where he had stood, stone cracking apart. He dashed along the edge of the beast's arm, cloak whipping behind him, and swung his scythe across its hide. The blade bit deep, carving a red line across thick flesh.

Blood gushed, but the beast didn't stop. Its wounds twisted, trying to stitch themselves together. Jaws opened along its arm and snapped at him, teeth gnashing inches from his cloak. He pushed off the arm, flipping back to the ground.

The leader laughed, his voice shaking with madness. "You can't kill it! It is the Maw made flesh!"

The monster struck again, faster this time. Chains still hung from its body, whipping through the air with crushing force. Asher blocked one with his scythe, sparks flying, and cut another in half, broken links bouncing across the stone. He darted inside its reach, scythe flashing upward. One of the beast's heads split apart in a spray of blood and bone, but even as it fell, new jaws pushed out from the wound, snapping blindly.

Asher's eyes narrowed. His grip tightened on the scythe.

The blood pooling across the floor stirred again, called by his will. Streams of red rose up and spun around him, faster and faster until the air thrummed with their movement. The light around his weapon burned hotter, brighter, and the pulsing glow filled the entire chamber.

The beast slowed. Its healing faltered. The blood it needed was being stolen from its body, ripped away by Asher's aura.

The leader screamed in panic, rushing forward. His chains of fire lashed at Asher, desperate to break his control.

But Asher didn't even look at him. He raised his free hand, and the blood answered.

The leader charged, his chains of fire slamming against the floor as he swung them, trying to break through the crimson storm spinning around Asher. Each strike cracked the stone and filled the chamber with sparks and heat.

But Asher's shield of blood rose to meet them. The flaming chains slowed as they struck the glowing threads, sparks bursting before they could reach him. He turned slightly, swinging his scythe once. The nearest chain shattered, scattering into embers.

The leader staggered back, his mask glowing brighter as he forced more power out. "You can't stop us! The Maw devours all!"

Behind him, the beast moved again. Its massive body hunched forward, dozens of eyes locking on Asher. Jaws snapped and drool poured like rivers. Then it lunged, arms crashing down in a frenzy, chains whipping around it like wild serpents.

The ground broke apart under the impact, sending jagged stone flying.

Asher dashed forward instead of back. He slipped between the monster's claws, cloak brushing against the chains as they slammed down around him. His scythe flashed upward, tearing through another head, then swung back to cut deep into its chest.

Blood exploded across the altar steps. The beast screamed, its many voices shattering the air, but its flesh twisted again, trying to pull itself back together. The healing slowed, sluggish, the blood refusing to return to its body. It was being dragged away, flowing into the storm around Asher.

The leader saw it and shouted in panic. "No! The blood is ours!"

He raised both arms, gathering all the braziers' fire at once. The flames merged into a massive burning chain that filled half the chamber, its heat blistering the walls. With a scream, he hurled it straight at Asher's back.

Asher didn't turn. The blood around him surged, slamming into the fire-chain. Crimson and flame clashed with a deafening crack. The shockwave blasted outward, knocking cultist corpses across the chamber.

The monster struck again, its claws aiming to crush him while the fire roared behind.

For a moment, Asher stood at the center, both forces crashing down on him. Then he lifted the scythe high, the crimson glow burning brighter than ever.

"Bloodlit Dominion."

The storm collapsed inward all at once. Every drop of blood in the chamber rushed toward him, stripping the beast's wounds, pulling the fire-chain apart, draining the very veins of the monster itself.

The leader screamed as the light wrapped around him too, tearing the blood straight from his body. His mask cracked, his chains burned away, and his voice cut short as he collapsed into dust-dry skin and bone.

The monster roared, thrashing, but its body was no longer healing. Its veins bulged, filled with crimson light, and then burst one after another. Flesh ripped apart, jaws snapped off, eyes burst. The beast staggered forward, trying to crush him in one final charge.

Asher stepped in calmly. His scythe swung in a single, brutal strike, cutting straight through its chest.

The monster froze, a wall of blood spraying out behind it, then collapsed with a ground-shaking crash. Its body twitched once, twice, then fell still.

The crimson storm faded, settling into silence.

Asher lowered his weapon. The chamber stank of blood and smoke, but nothing else moved.

Only the broken altar remained—and the dark tunnel beyond it.

The altar still pulsed faintly, veins of dark stone running through it like a diseased heart. The glow that had once fed the monster now flickered weakly, its power gutted by Asher's dominion.

He stepped closer. The stone cracked under his boots, brittle from the shock of blood being ripped away. A faint hiss echoed from the altar's surface, as if something buried beneath still resisted.

Asher placed his palm on the cold surface. The scythe rested against his shoulder, dripping what remained of the beast's lifeblood. His eyes narrowed.