Blood Legacy: New World Of Doom

Ikaris didn't show it, but he was at his wits' end. Spending so much Mana and almost all of his Blood Energy had greatly weakened him. However, it was primarily his constant use of his Divine Spark that had sapped the bulk of his Stamina. The two amended Black Veils which had partially failed had consumed most of it.

That said, he still had to use the spell a third time. He was confident with the help of his companions and the experience of his two earlier attempts.

"Keep him busy for a few more seconds." He requested as he began to concentrate.

"Copy that." Liam and the others grunted.

Without the pressure of the enemy, he had plenty of time to steady himself to the desired state. The pain he had just endured by having his shoulder impaled still fresh in his memory, he had just realized that he would rather suffer than be dead. For this reason, he finally found the courage to use the Principle of Sacrifice in a spell for the first time.

'I don't want to suffer, but it's okay if that's the price I have to pay for no longer being so close to death.'

Resigned, he opened his eyes and uttered, "Black Veil."

All that remained of the Dark Mana inside his body suddenly vanished. A head-splitting pain washed over his consciousness and swept through his body, but he bit his tongue so as not to lose his concentration. Instead, he used it as an anchor to focus entirely on the intent of his spell.

Like the previous time, the Skeleton officer stopped moving, but something was different from the last two attempts. It was quivering. The greenish flames blazing in his empty eye sockets flickered one last time, then abruptly went out as if someone had just blown out the candles on his birthday cake.

Liam and the others who had not yet awakened their extrasensory perception saw nothing more than the Skeleton suddenly collapsing like a disjointed puppet, but Ruvaen and Magnus beheld a dramatically different spectacle.

For a moment, this Undead's soul remnant had been completely cut off from its other Primary Sparks as well as from all sources of surrounding magic and Mana. It was not a living being in the first place, but just a pile of bones. Even if it was only temporary, it could only die a second time.

The Skeleton fell with a loud thud, and as if on cue, Liam, Malia, and the other three Werewolves pounced on the Undead. Ikaris, despite his exhaustion and wobbly legs, did not want to stand back and forced himself to take a step forward.

But as he was about to take this step, a huge paw suddenly crushed the Skeleton lying face down.

BANG!

The larger Augias whose tail had been badly mauled by the Undead officer had reared up on its hind legs, exposing a large, deep, putrefied gash running down its entire thorax. Ikaris and his friends had not realized that this behemoth was so severely injured. That explained why it was so passive despite the Undeads' repeated assaults on its offspring.

This time, they had plenty of time to watch it stomp on the Skeleton from start to finish. After nearly standing upright, the Augias roared in resentment and slammed its front paws against the Undead's carcass again, shaking the ground.

Horrific cracking and splitting noises echoed through the ravaged forest, splashing mud dozens of feet in the air and forming two deep craters where the two paws had landed.

Ikaris thought it was over and had long since ended the Black Veil. However, he had underestimated the vengefulness and anger of such a Magical Beast.

Rearing up for a third time, Augias then proceeded to meticulously trample it with its tens of tons of weight for over five minutes before finally stopping, due more to shortness of breath than actual weariness. The ire in his eyes still burned fiercely.

"Remind me never to piss off an Augias." Kailu winced as he shivered, a retch of dread gripping him as he saw what was left of the terrifying Skeleton.

The valiant Undead had been literally pulverized. It was only when the huge Augias and its brethren turned towards them that they finally felt a surge of pressure. They had just realized that they had helped these creatures without knowing if they were welcome.

A familiar high-pitched whinny broke the silence. Turning to the shrieker, they recognized the Augias they had rescued and who had guided them to this place.

The beast and what was probably the patriarch of their group, given the huge appendage between its legs, began to communicate in a language consisting of hooting, grunting and throaty vocalizations. After several minutes of animated conversation, the Alpha Augias snorted one last time and lumbered away with the survivors of his herd toward the heart of the forest.

The first Augias they had rescued turned to them with a downcast look and neighed weakly.

"What does he want?" Kailu inquired shakily.

"He wants us to follow them." Ruvaen said. "We need to get on his back or the backs of the other Augias."

Kailu was not at all enthusiastic about this idea, but Liam's face and the other Werewolves lit up.

"My Lord, if we stay with them, the other Magical Beasts of their kind and their allies will also tolerate our company." Liam explained, covering up his excitement with the utmost difficulty. "The herbs and fruits that grow in the core region of the Tartarus Gate Forest are of much higher quality than those found on the edges."

Ikaris' eyes twitched. It was indeed a powerful argument. Sensing that they had a good chance of convincing him, Liam pressed the point by pointing out, "And my Hellhound Pack has never ventured that deep into this forest. We were looking for information about the Tartarus Gate and these Undeads. This is our chance."

It was indeed a golden opportunity. If they missed this one, another opportunity might not present itself for a long time. Yet, Ikaris also had to consider his tiredness.

The malus from the lack of Blood Energy and Stamina had just hit him and he was feeling extremely weak and dehydrated. He could hardly even stand up, his eyelids feeling so heavy that he would fall asleep instantly if he were to close his eyes.

Magnus was aware of his condition and given the situation he made an exception by summoning from his Ruby Ring one of the vials of hybrid blood they had brewed the night before with Anaphiel's blood samples.

"Two sips at most." The old Vampire reminded him telepathically.

"All right." Ikaris did not argue and drank the contents of the vial, stopping precisely at the second sip. Or rather, Malia snatched it from his hands at Magnus' request.

From the first sip, he had experienced an overwhelming rush of ecstasy. It was as if a pleasure bomb had just been detonated inside him and all his hairs had bristled in response. His irises were pulsing like two red suns in a strangely sinister way, and a crimson aura had automatically leaked out of his body.

If Malia hadn't stopped him, he would have drunk the entire contents of the vial like a lunatic before even realizing that he had far exceeded the limit set by Magnus.

Regaining his bearings, his haggard gaze turned sharp again and he cleared his throat with a self-conscious look on his face.

"Ahem, thanks Malia."

"You're welcome, Ikaris." She smiled up to her ears with a smugness he found hard to understand. It was only with her next words that he understood the reason. "It's hard to control your thirst at first, but with practice you get used to it. If you need advice from an expert come to me."

Ah... She's just happy to finally have an area where she's more capable than me. He thought inwardly, finally enlightened by her behavior. He had no intention of ruining her vanity moment.

"That's a promise, Malia. If I have trouble controlling myself and need some guidance I'll be sure to come to you." Ikaris forced himself to smile, but his attention was already elsewhere.

This hybrid blood was amazing. His Blood Energy and Stamina were practically restored already. On the side of his Black Veil Spark, there were also some changes.