Leaving the Divine Aspect for later, Vikram lifted his gaze to the companions before him. Or rather, the other versions of himself, each staring at him with wide eyes and unrestrained fervor. Their excitement almost made him laugh. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Then Akk pushed the [Knight] and [Mage] aside, stepping forward with an expression so intense it bordered on reverence. He grabbed Vikram's right arm, staring at it as though it were a holy relic.
"What happened, old man?" Vikram muttered, pulling his arm free. The [Knight] quickly offered him a towel, which he used to wipe the blood and sweat from his body. The man's eyes, sharp and scrutinizing, studied him as though trying to piece together what had just emerged from the cauldron.
Even without explanation, the changes were obvious.
The [Barbarian]'s body had ascended. Anyone with a shred of perception could feel it, the bloody aura rolling off his flesh was suffocating, oppressive.
His frame had grown taller, broader. Muscles rippled beneath his skin, straining as if they wanted to burst free, his flesh barely containing them.
Strands of his hair had turned crimson, streaks of blood-red glinting under the Sanctuary's light. His face, already not unhandsome, now bore a sharper, harsher charm, the kind of beauty only strength could sculpt.
Vikram's own lips twisted with faint disgust. He could already tell where this was heading. The body was becoming too burly, too heavy with muscle. He never liked those grotesque, overblown physiques bodybuilders flaunted. He preferred a body that was lean, condensed, and strong without excess.
But if this was the price for power, he would pay it.
"No way… No! This is the Primordial Tattoo!" Akk's voice cracked, his eyes widening as he stumbled back, staring at Vikram's right arm with a mix of awe and horror.
Vikram only shook his head. He raised his hand and called up his panel.
[Name: Vikram Rathore][Existence: Pre-Existence][Realm: Blood Refining Realm (Early)][Traits: (Supreme Foundation) (Primordial Tattoo – 1/5)][Souls: 573][Barbarian]
(Axe Throwing Technique – Perfection)(Breath of the Crimson Pulse – Perfection)(Ironbreaker's Axe Form – Perfection)(Thousand Desolation Grasp – Entry Level)
Vikram's temples throbbed. He looked at the panel and then at his other selves, who were still brimming with excitement. A headache pressed down on him.
How was he going to help all of them break through their cultivation?
"How do you have the Primordial Tattoo in your hands?" Akk asked again, though this time his voice carried resignation instead of awe. His eyes softened as he exhaled heavily, shaking his head.
"Sigh… forget it. You forced your way through an Extreme Path for a breakthrough in a minor Realm. It would be strange if you got something less."
After Vikram's brief exchange with Akk, he pressed for more details. The old man obliged.
Not every practitioner of the Beast Blood Tattoo Scripture received the same measure of strength from assimilating Blood Essence. The tattoos formed were separated by stages.
Blood Tattoo, Totem Tattoo, and Tattoo Seal. Their power and quality were determined by the images etched into the bearer's flesh.
But Vikram's case shattered every known rule. His imprint was something beyond legend, a mythical quality Akk had never thought actually existed
The Primordial Tattoo.
Where ordinary tattoos revealed fragments of the beasts' essence, an arm, a claw, perhaps a half-formed story, Vikram's right arm bore something else entirely.
The full life story of the Asura called [She of Endless Grasp].
From birth, to growth, to her violent battles, until a death that even Vikram could not glimpse, the ink burned into his flesh carried it all. Yet whenever his eyes lingered too long, an overwhelming intent to slaughter pressed into his mind, threatening to unravel his thoughts.
Vikram exhaled sharply, shaking his head free of the haze. He still had the [Knight] and the [Mage] to advance, but that could wait.
Then his gaze flicked to the corner of the room where time was displayed. His stomach sank.
"Shit. Kayala is going to kill me."
.