Souldrinkers, now that’s a nasty problem you can run into.

Dying Queen has a whole roster of nightmares under employ. But that one? That monster specifically? You want to get rid of it before all the others. Its greatest threat isn’t even its strength and regeneration, but how it serves as a gateway for all the other Bloodspawn to spill out.

Worse, it can shuttle another being equal or lesser than its own Essence Level—though doing the last will overload and kill it instantly. This means that if you don’t kill a Souldrinker after downing it, it might just spawn a fresh version of itself at the cost of its own life.

So. Kill it quick. Suppress its spatial abilities. Or get the hell out.

-Kindred of the Queen: A Manual on Hunting Bloodspawn

II-47

A Theft of Death (III)

Wei’s head swam and his insides churned. All it took to nearly unmake him was a touch at the hands of the Souldrinker, but what a touch that was. The Souldrinker’s tendril dissolved before it could linger long, but most of his veins were tangled around his chest in coiled knots, his lungs were ruptured, his ribs were collapsed like a bear-trap made from bones around the place where his heart should be.

Any normal being would have died instantly from that attack. But Wei was Sourceforged, and so his existence was bound to his Essence. Essence that was rapidly refilling thanks to a soothing aura projected from the Bastard’s greatsword.

Source: [55/600]

Fortification > 51

[59/100] Aspect Advancements to Core Ascension

Concept Core of (Harvest)

>Title

>>Life Unplucked — Survive a powerful opponent’s attempt to directly drain your Essence. Grants 10% extra Fortification when suffering from Drain-Category Skills and also inflicts 10% extra Source Corruption on enemies that try to drain you.

The blood-nest was awash in chaotic movements. The dome-shaped arena around them was quivering, a sign of the Souldrinker’s forthcoming return; below, the Lifedrinkers assailed Wei’s sect like a horde of locusts trying to tear through vulnerable crops. Yet, they fell in rolling tides of black-gold fire. Lifedrinkers fell like a curtain of trailing embers, and behind them was Agnesia, her draconic avatar unleashed to its fullest potential.

The girl’s Essence Signature dipped and rose, her every exertion costing her substantial energy to project, but the many kills she reaped refueling her losses and then some. Other Skills crashed against the legion of nightmares, their presences were paltrier in comparison. Wei could barely feel them through his Omniscience.

Flashing circuits of composed of Reference Circuits channeling the collective Constitution of the entire Drowned Sky Sect kept their reinforced hallway from being pierced through.

And into the fray, Wei and the Bastard descended, both speeding forth on a platform of deathly frost.

“By the cycle,” the Bastard’s blade breathed as it channeled more of her power into Wei. “Your wounds… how are you even still alive? And… what is this Essence that composes you? I have never felt such a thing. What are you?” Wei found himself glad that the greatsword’s power only needed to be projected outward, otherwise, he suspected that she would learn the dangers of Source Corruption firsthand.

“Sloppy,” Wei replied, offering an alternative answer. He could feel the boiling ire within his Shell, and felt shame crawl across his flesh. Was he blind? Was he incompetent? How could he have missed that strike? He needed to improve his Omniscience—

“You need to improve your Mind, fool! It wasn’t beyond your perception, you simply drowned in your own glory and failed to notice.” The Shell observed the Lifedrinkers in their masses. “A problem we will rectify now. You let the Souldrinker humiliate you—had to be saved by a rival. Understand that we now owe him a debt of honor. Him and his blade. But that is no excuse to be defeated by him. Descend. Take back some measure of self-respect.”

Spurred by the words of his Skill, Wei took a step forward to the edge of the speeding platform. The Bastard’s greatblade called out. “Wait, I’m not done. You are still—”

Wei resummoned his Pale Fang in a burst of celestial flame. “I am well enough.” He offered a weak grin to the Bastard and gave him a nod. “I will honor this deed of yours. I owe you my life. But do not expect any clemency when it comes to our clash of skill.”

The Bastard offered him a shrug as crescent slashes of purest silver began to materialize around his body by the dozen. “Right. Is this your ‘bitch’ way of forfeiting.”

Another dozen notifications splashed into Wei’s vision, but he couldn’t help but bark a laugh. “You really are a bastard. But no. Soon, you’re going to be the bitch too.”

The young master leaped off the platform. In the same instant, the Bastard unleashed a volley of crescent blades. They snapped ahead of Wei, moving at an impossible speed, but as he materialized his scythe and cut, that ceased to be a thing that mattered. He blinked past the crescents, materializing in the thick of the battle.

Agnesia’s flames rumbled just below him, and he could feel the sheer intensity of her fire. This close to its vicinity, his very hair began to crackle from the intensity. She was growing stronger, serving as the primary bulwark for his sect against the Lifedrinkers. Good. Wei brought a gust of blazing wind down upon the Lifedrinkers from above, crushing them between two fires. Immediately, hundreds more of the hellish creatures burst into ash and soot. His Eidolon began to resonate in his hand, and he felt it inch ever closer to another level, doubling his ferocity in combat.

Auras of faint red smashed against his person. He parried them with his Pale Fang, each strike directing his ashen Essence against theirs in sparks of growing radiance. The Lifedrinkers were unprepared for his trespass among their number. A few turned, their mangled bodies twisting and breaking in unnatural ways to get at him. Those were the first to die as he turned a coruscating beam of Deconstruction through them.

In that instant, the first of the Bastard’s crescents struck. Massive gashes opened upon the surface of existence, ripping open gaping wounds that caused waves of gushing cold to flood into the world. Entire sections of the Lifedrinker swarm withered and died, plunging as if spots of cold that refused to burn despite Agnesia’s flames.

The Bastard shot over Wei, speeding on his platform with greatblade raised and a wolf-like snarl from his lungs. The young master managed a pained snort before he cut with his scythe again. It was time to top his Source off. Wei snapped back into shape amidst another group of Lifedrinkers. He tore through them, slashing with his Eidolon in one hand and his scythe in the other. The Bloodspawn shattered as imprints of shadow and light upon the world, their Aspects fragile before Wei’s whirling onslaught.

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He never lingered in one place, his Empyreal Wrath burning the weakest of those around him, his Path of the Harvester reaping portions of Source from the rest. Spears of blood and lashing tendrils struck blindly at him, but he was a fire shoved into a wasp’s nest. They could not strike him, they could only burn and feed his raging flame.

As soon as he hit [300] Source, he took things up another level. If he was going to use his System, he might as well fight with nothing held back. A flash of monochrome blazed around Wei’s body. A massive armored chassis ridged with jutting armor and emblazoned with his family name flared around his chest. He called upon his Chassis of the Self-Devouring Ruminator and felt it drink from him his hard-claimed Source and weaken his Ambition.

Just like when he used Source Catalysts in conjunction with his Eidolon, time began to slow as his Aspects climbed fast. Wei became as a whirlwind, blowing gaps amidst the Lifedrinker swarm, slashing and breaking that which he couldn’t casually incinerate, alternating his swings between reaping shards for Aspect and Concept and restoring his constantly sapped Source.

Whatever fight the Lifedrinkers were putting up at first ceased to be worthy of note. The Bastard might be a child of death, but Wei was the Breaker of All. In scant seconds, he carved a path of radiance that was further streaked by pale light on one edge and empty dark on the other. A gap opened between the Lifedrinker remnants—barely more than a hundred left.

To Wei’s surprise, the Bastard was still moving at considerable Speed. Slightly slower than the young master in his current state, but still fast. Fast enough that it took effort for Wei to track him. The young master cut with his scythe again and shot past his rival, driving the tip of his glaive through the skull of a Bloodspawn that the Bastard was about to cut. With a channeled blast of lightning, an arcing chain lashed through the Lifedrinker Wei pierced and three others behind it.

The Bastard’s hound-shaped helmet snapped to him, and he let out a vicious growl. “You little—”

Wei cut with his scythe again, doing his best to suppress a laugh. Oh, but there were few joys in life than being much faster than another.

Authority Advanced > 76

Relativity Advanced > 80

>[64/100] Aspect Advancements to Core Ascension

Aspect Shards: [44]

Concept Shards: [11]

Forty-four Aspect shards were more than enough for him to reach his next Core Ascension. Yet, the blood-made walls around him quivered, and the crushing Essence of the Souldrinker drew close. Wei decided not to rush things—he didn’t see himself surviving an encounter with the Souldrinker while trying to sort through a new set of Ascension notifications. This fight was going to demand his every attention.

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to give himself every advantage possible. He transferred 35 of his Aspect Shards into Relativity.

>[99/100] Aspect Advancements to Core Ascension

Aspect Shards: [9]

Concept Shards: [2]

A huge ten-meter dragon of gold and shadow slashed through ten remaining Lifedrinkers. Wei watched as Agnesia emerged from ash and flame, sprouting infernal wings behind her back. She was in the air as well, her expression one of absolute bloodlust. A layer of hellish fire crusted the girl like an aegis, and she smashed clean through one of the cold-wounds made by the Bastard’s crescents. The way it shattered made her spirit ripple briefly, but she held while the Bastard's Skill parted like broken glass.

Interesting. Wei didn’t think his Class could do that in any form. Was this because she was a scion as well.

The young master briefly dismissed his Chassis and shot down to land before his disciples. He found himself sinking knee-deep in a mound of ash and corpses. A few dozen shocked eyes and haggard expressions greeted him. There were a few rents that lined the top half of the protective hallway, but Wei saw their insides were reinforced as well. The young master grinned at his disciples, feeling the new power resonating with each of their spirits.

They all gained a good few levels as well. Fantastic. This was the kind of growth he desired to see—the type that would require nigh suicidal strain for them to achieve on their own. And soon, he would have more Aspect Shards to offer them as well.

“Wei,” Rafael said, levitating himself over the hulking bodies of two gore-splattered Oathbearers in the hallway. His body quivered with a set of layered illusions. The Essence of Envy lingered off his form, and a set of geometric shapes wafted up from his body like tendrils of rising smoke. He was connected to almost every other disciple in the sect, shifting their Essences around to fuel their defenses, layering everyone with protective Ciphers to guard them from harm. “I think now would a good time for us to evacuate from this area.” He shot a worried look at a few wounded disciples.

Garret looked pale. Seemed to sport a deep cut running down his right shoulder blade. The Hivekin was missing two of his minor arms, and their mind constantly made a miserable trilling noise. Mira Nocture, meanwhile, had what could only be described as a “lustful” expression on her face as she carved and skinned Lifedrinker corpse after Lifedrinker corpse like they were apples to be peeled, with each action increasing her Essence Signature.

Overall, the Drowned Sky sect seemed exhausted, terrified, but still courageous. Unbroken through everything.

It was only when he stuck his head into the hall that he understood why.

At the end of each of side, a row of gold armored knights kept everyone in place, and carried necessary supplies to each person. About six knights sporting large ballistas pointed their weapons through portholes lining the sides of the hallway, and each of them cast their perception at the oscillating waves rising and falling from the surrounding walls.

As the Souldrinker drew close, a crushing weight pressed down over everyone. Groans and curses followed, urging Wei to give Rafael a nod. “Drowned Sky Sect, this is a job well done! You honor me. You honor yourselves. Agate. Stalag. Get these defenses moving. As far from the walls as possible.”

Just then, another presence landed behind Wei with a loud crash. Chips of frost nipped at the back of Wei’s neck as the young master let out an annoyed huff. The Bastard stomped up behind him—and a half-second later, Agnesia chased his heels.

“You stole one of my kills, you little shit,” the Bastard grumbled.

Agnesia slammed her shoulder into the man’s back. He barely shifted, only cocking his head to look at her in surprise. “You’re one to talk, you fucking gobshite. Those were my level-ups you took.”

“Agnesia!” Ellena cried from the middle of the hallway. “Language.”

A muffled shriek sounded, so loud it began to vibrate every surface. An overwhelming deluge of Spatial Essence began to seep into the atmosphere, and the young master felt his insides grow heavy. “Rafael. Help the Oathbearers mo—”

The walls exploded. A torrent of rushing blood cascaded down, pouring forth like a dam breaking. From behind came the Souldrinker, reaching out with their grotesque limbs, but slower than before. Far slower.

Wei couldn’t help but smirk at that. His slashes earlier had inflicted permanent harm. That explained why it took the creature so long to return. Wei hefted his glaive. Only to barely dodge aside as the Bastard grabbed for him, trying to fling him back. The Bastard lifted a first and a wall of frost arced over them. The Souldrinker struck hard then, and the frost thundered. Cracks spread across its translucent surface, but it didn’t break.

On the other side, the Souldrinker brought its arms down in hammering blows, trying to get through while its wings spawned lesser Bloodspawn.

“Did you just try to pull me aside,” Wei said, almost outraged. Agnesia squared up with the Bastard—though the effect was muted with her being only at the height of his nose.

“I was trying to get you out of my sight,” the Bastard muttered. “Was blocking my view.”

“What?” Wei said. “I—” He almost admitted not being tall enough to impede the Bastard’s sight, but caught himself. “You… Remember our arrangement!”

“Bet’s not over,” Bastard snorted, pointing his blade through the ice. More Lifedrinkers were wrapping around his protections. “We still got plenty more to kill.”

The young master watched as the Souldrinker threw labored punches, unable to move even a tenth as fast as it used to. It was weakened. Diminished severely. Wei must have hurt it much more than he thought considering the twitching spasms of weakness that passed through its body. He also noticed how the Bastard was focusing intently on it. Whoever reached it first would be the one that—

And then another weight crashed down on Wei’s spirit: One arriving from inside the Souldrinker—its equal in spiritual presence. The Bastard went stiff. Wei’s disciples cried out under the doubling pressure.

“Something’s wrong,” Agnesia choked. She came to a stumbling standstill next to Wei. “It’s wings, why are they glowing so—”

And that was when a second Souldrinker exploded out from the disintegrating body of the first and ploughed straight through the Bastard’s protective frost.