The Annihilator: Killer Of Gods

The shadow guards stood there, their faces a picture of shock. The scene before them was simply too bizarre. An over 90-meter-long colossal snake, with scales thick enough to withstand any of their attacks, lay lifeless on the ground. Its body was covered in massive wounds—so severe that a single one would be fatal for any human.

This snake was one of the 10 Overlords that had tormented the entire island for countless years. Now, it lay dead, its demise caused by devastating wounds inflicted by a mere human who was not only younger but also two tiers below it. At this moment, the same man sat comfortably on the snake's back, looking completely at ease as if he hadn't just vanquished an unkillable beast.

Dhaka and his teammates exchanged glances between Karsha and the snake, struggling to process the reality of what had just happened. The snake was dead, and Karsha was the one who had killed it. There was no doubt about it.

"Four down, six more to go," Karsha said, snapping the shadow guards out of their stunned silence. Their eyes quickly focused on him, but they remained silent. After a few seconds, Dhaka broke the quiet.

"How strong is your sword aura?" Dhaka asked, his curiosity piqued by the snake's wounds. Karsha smiled and then turned to Tifa.

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"Raise your strongest defense over there," he said, pointing to a specific direction.

Tifa gathered all her strength and chanted her spell. Instantly, the area 200 meters away from them became icy cold, and an ice-like pagoda rose from the ground, towering about 100 meters tall. Once it fully materialized, Tifa swung her staff and spoke.

"Mighty Buddha Pagoda; First Form - Earth Defense."

"Second Form - Ice Defense."

"Third Form - Lightning Defense."

Tifa gritted her teeth as she bore the strain of channeling her energy. The pagoda, which initially appeared as a mere projection, gained color and a more lifelike quality with each defensive layer she activated.

"That will be enough, Tifa. No need to push yourself further," Dhaka said, stopping her from adding any more defensive layers.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Karsha admired the magnificent pagoda adorned with golden bells and intricate designs. He couldn't help but give the snake lady a thumbs up. Drawing his sword, he slashed at the pagoda with a rapid series of strikes coated in sword aura.

A massive explosion erupted from the impact, sending dust billowing into the air. When the dust settled, a huge crack was visible on the pagoda. The crack quickly spread, and within five seconds, the entire structure crumbled.

"That's about 30% of my sword aura," Karsha said, sheathing his sword. The five snakes watched him with expressions of sheer terror. Karsha simply shrugged and moved toward the core of the snake. He picked it up and then jumped back onto the snake's back.

"It's probably best if we don't dwell on it," Dhaka said, prompting a round of nods from his teammates. They gave Karsha one last look before turning their attention to the task of removing all the venom sacs.

Karsha shook his head, but deep down, he couldn't help but frown. He had only made a little progress in assimilating his newfound strength. To level up, he first needed to fully integrate this power. Given the threat the Overlords posed, he realized this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Using them as sparring partners would help him achieve this goal. Not adapting to his own strength was dangerous for both himself and those around him; he could accidentally hurt someone he didn't intend to. Additionally, before breaking through to Level 6 Grandmaster, he needed to get used to his current Level 5 strength.

"At this rate, I might not reach that level before completing this quest," Karsha said, rubbing his temple. "I'll need to upgrade the Subspace soon to make better use of it." The Subspace could facilitate this process. By sparring with his clone inside it, he could assimilate his strength more quickly. However, the system had warned him about the backlashes of using Version One of the Subspace.

To upgrade it to Tier 2 (Version 2), he needed 5 million Tier 5 Cores or 2.5 million Tier 6 Cores.

"One step at a time, I guess," Karsha muttered before finally turning his attention to the system messages about his recent kill.

< Ding! You have killed a Tier 7 Terror Mutant known as Bloodfang, the Vampire snake >

< +300 added to all stats and 5000 points added to your stats reserve >

< +100,000 added to Mana. >

< +1,000 skill points added >

< + 20,000 killer Points >

< 100,000 Exp added to Experience Point Reserve >

< You have received a Consumable; Bloodfang Blood Essense >

System Rewards: [Tier 12 Skill Book], [Emperor Grade Avatar]

Unknown Emperor Rewards: [Eternal Bloom Crown], [Destiny key], [Bonus: Mutant Core]

"Uh, a Tier 12 skill," Karsh licked his lips and accessed the details of his system reward.

[Blood Manipulation]

Tier: 12

-- Bloody battlefields are your domain, use your blood and the blood of your enemies as your weapon. There is no limit to what you can achieve.

Abilities:

[Hemokinesis]: Command and distort the blood within any living creature, causing excruciating pain, internal hemorrhaging, or instantaneous death by rupturing vital organs.

[Blood Weaponry]: Shape and solidify blood into lethal weapons such as blades, spikes, and projectiles, or form impenetrable armor, each strike and shield dripping with the essence of death.

[Blood Puppetry]: Seize control of a victim's movements by manipulating their blood, forcing them to act against their will. This ability turns enemies into unwilling assassins or makes them suffer grotesque and fatal contortions.

[Hemostasis]: Instantly cease blood flow within a target, inducing paralysis, unconsciousness, or a slow, agonizing demise through blood clots and strokes.

[Blood Scrying]: Utilize a single drop of blood to track and locate individuals, no matter where they hide. This ability extends to torturing and tormenting the target from afar.

"Oh wow, what a skill," Karsha muttered, astonished by the new ability he had just received. The Overlord he had defeated possessed the Hemokinesis skill, and now Karsha had it too. The thought of having such a power at his disposal made him uneasy. Just a single thought could make every organ in someone's body explode.

Even though he was the one who acquired the skill, it frightened him. It was overwhelming, even for him. But that didn't mean he wouldn't learn it. He retrieved a red-covered skill book from his inventory, pressed it against his forehead, and selected "Yes" from the system prompt.

Unlike most skill books that merely transmitted their knowledge, this one transformed into particles of light that swirled around him before merging with his body. It was a strange and somewhat unsettling experience, but Karsha pushed the oddity aside. It's not like he'd be sharing such a fearsome skill with anyone else anyway.

As soon as the skill integrated with him, Karsha felt a profound connection with his own blood. It was as if he could sense and control its flow with ease. The sensation was both exhilarating and eerie.

He turned his gaze to the colossal snake's lifeless body, now dripping with blood. A smile spread across his face as he envisioned the power at his fingertips. Focusing intently, he began to manipulate the blood pooling on the snake's body. With a mere thought, he directed the crimson liquid toward himself.

The blood floated off the snake's body and gathered around him, swirling in the air. He shaped it with his will, merging the droplets into a compact, tennis ball-sized orb of blood. The orb pulsed with a dark, eerie energy.

Karsha turned his attention to the [Blood Weaponry] ability within his new skill. Instantly, the orb of blood transformed into a dagger. However, he was disappointed to find that the dagger was weaker than the real one. Frustrated, he willed more blood to float toward him.

Gradually, another tennis ball-sized orb formed and merged with the dagger, but the weapon's strength increased only marginally. Karsha's disappointment was evident, but he didn't give up. Driven by a mix of determination and desperation, he summoned the blood dripping from the snake and the pools on the ground.

The shadow guards watched in astonishment as the environment around them seemed to shift. They tensed at the sight of the floating blood but soon relaxed when they realized it was Karsha who was controlling it. They returned to their task of extracting the venom sacs, casting occasional wary glances at Karsha.

Sweat poured down Karsha's face as he exerted his will. His complexion grew pale, but he persevered. The blood continued to float and gather around him until he had amassed two basketball-sized orbs. Despite the strain and his pale appearance, Karsha pressed on, shaping one of the orbs into a new dagger.

The resulting dagger looked more solid and durable, though it was still not powerful enough to kill a Tier 4 Beast. Despite falling short of his expectations, Karsha wasn't disheartened. Instead, the system message that appeared provided him with valuable insight.

< Your understanding of Blood Manipulation has increased; You have achieved E Mastery >

"Karsha, the only way to get to the top is to start with baby steps," he murmured, mimicking someone from his past who often reminded him that progress is a gradual process.

"Baby steps, as General Jay used to say," Karsha muttered, letting the blood slowly fall back to the ground, leaving only a tennis-sized orb floating in the air.

A small portion of the blood detached from the orb and transformed into a needle. Karsha's eyes lit up as he observed the needle. Unlike the dagger, which had looked weak, this needle appeared several times stronger. He reverted the needle back into an orb and then reshaped it into a needle once more, making it even more robust. The blood appeared denser, giving the needle a formidable look.

Karsha continued, breaking off more small droplets from the tennis-sized orb, each one turning into a needle. First, ten needles formed, then another batch, until hundreds of needles hovered before him. As the orb of blood diminished to the size of a single needle, over 500 needles floated in the air.

With a focused thought, Karsha directed the hundreds of needles to fly towards a stone a few meters away. They struck the stone with precision, embedding themselves deep.

< Your understanding of Blood Manipulation has increased; You have achieved D Mastery >