Born in Blood

502  Familiar

Liam watched as the cloud of darkness engulfed the dome in just a few seconds.

The dome acted like an immovable rock against a violent, gushing river.

And slowly, Liam saw the effects it had on the invisible barrier of force.

'I'd guess all these defenses are Rank 5 in power,' Liam thought. 'The Iron Hammer is Rank 5… so it's no wonder.'

Liam looked towards the black metal pillars. 'They're made out of Vicirum. They really held back no expense.'

Then, Liam's eyes eventually landed on the ceiling.

The last rays of light were blocked out fully by now, casting dark shadows within.

However, Liam could see perfectly fine.

In fact, one could say it was quite cozy!

It was like being tucked underneath warm blankets while a thunderstorm echoed just outside. As the seconds ticked down, Liam couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

The cloud of brownish, black darkness wasn't going to get through the barrier!

All Liam had to do was outlive it!

'Oh well,' Liam thought. 'I guess this is fine, too.'

'It makes sense that a defensive mechanism made by a Rank 5 cultivator could overpower a Defense Tribulation of a Rank 4.'

Even if the Tribulation was his!

Except… it definitely couldn't be that simple, could it?

After all, the Law of Balance worked twice as hard against Liam.

Just then, a slightly crimson glow brightened over the patch of darkness.

Liam's eyes squinted, then widened with shock. "Hm?" CRKSH!

BOOOM!

A bolt of vermillion lightning struck the invisible barrier, a violence shockwave rippling across its surface.

In the same instant, the bolt of lightning dissipated.

…But more glowing red patches appeared on the cloud of darkness.

KRSRKRKSH!

BOOOOOOOM!

09:28

A dozen rods of lightning struck the dome at the same exact time!

Liam's eyes widened with shock.

It was Liam's Chaos!

There was no doubt about it. Liam knew Chaos like the back of his hand.

It had the same unstable texture, even if it came in lightning form, and its immense power was way beyond what regular lightning could do. In the first place, a Defense Tribulation was a defense against one's element. But that was for the core only! If you counted his Corruption, Chaos and… whatever the wax thing was, Liam would have… four. Four elements! Liam looked at the cloud again, zooming in and using Spirit Sight. Immediately, he caught the brownish hues woven into its pitch black fabric of darkness. Corruption!

Liam sat cross-legged… mid-air.

Flying felt amazing. As soon as a cultivator attained both a Rank 4 body and core, they could finally break the chain that held them to the ground.

Also known as gravity.

It was a subconscious thing. Liam's 'Ora' manipulation had gotten so strong, he could just levitate himself.

All he needed to do was imagine himself flying.

But that was not the point. Not only was the invisible barrier being corrupted by darkness, it was also being weakened by Corruption!

Liam quickly realized it was the tentacle thing that poked around his Pearl that caused this to happen. After all, Liam's Chaos was unique to the Ashura. It was unreplicatable!

…Or so he thought. A dozen more bolts of red lightning struck the barrier. KRSHHH!

The barrier was weakening. CRIK! CRIK!

A few subtle cracks appeared on its surface!

KRUSHHH!

Again, lightning lashed Liam's enclosure, like a predator lusting for its prey!

KRKRKSH!

KRSH!

Again!

KRUSH!

And again!

KRAASH!

Then, all the glowing patches of red lightning converged towards the center of the swarm of darkness. What came out as a result was one massive bolt of lightning shooting straight for the center of the dome. It shattered into a million pieces. KRRSSHHHHH!

No longer held back by the barrier, the swarm of darkness rushed at Liam like a formless demon. Darkness filled his vision.

Above, patches of the darkness were glowing red, crackling with Chaos Lightning. It had a catchy name to it.

But there was no time to admire it.

It was filling his vision!

At the same time, the bolts of lightning shot at him.

KRSH!

Liam immediately used Shadow Blink.

WHOOM!

Instantly, he arrived roughly 350 meters away from the swarm of darkness.

Now, he was over the ocean. Except, his core had basically become a magnet of death.

As soon as he changed directions, the swarm of darkness, Corruption and Chaos followed suit.

'I have to dispel it here,' Liam thought with a serious face. 'Can't let anyone see.'

There was a reason Liam teleported here.

Right above where Liam was hovering, an array of Formations floated above the water. They served no purpose other than to keep outside eyes from prying over the Temple's lands.

It was still a work in progress, but a project Liam had ordered to be built. 'Should be good enough to keep me hidden,' Liam thought. 'For now, at least.'

'Strangely enough,' Liam thought with a slight scowl, 'I can't use my darkness.'

'It's sealed until this is over.' SHING!

Taking out his swords, an extra pair of muscular arms emerged from Liam's torso.

In a fast, wild fashion, the swarm of corruption and darkness made a beeline towards him.

At the same time, a few patches of it glowed! n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

KRSH!

Two bolts of Chaos Lightning shot at Liam from his left and right. Using his Breaker Blade and Black Blade, Liam used the former against the strike, and the latter to sever it.

SHING! RKSH!

As soon as Liam's odachi sliced through the Chaotic Lightning, streams of red electricity crackled over his sword, causing waves of pain to flood his right arm. However, the bolt was successfully cut.

Transfiguration took care of any damage that the Chaos had caused. On the other hand, the Breaker was much better at dealing with the thunderbolt. As soon as the two forces made contact, the titan sword simply redirected its trajectory towards the ocean!

BLRSH!

It shot towards the ocean, and immediately exploded under its waters, causing a muffled shockwave to spread over its waves.

But just then, a strange shriek resounded from within the swarm.

It was… familiar. "Hmm? Where have I heard that noise before?" Liam used his Spirit Sight, but somehow, the outer layer of the swarm was shrouded. Just then, an alien silhouette emerged from the cloud. Liam's eyes widened.

It was an Abomination.

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