The boss watched in disbelief as the crimson glow enveloped him. At first, he thought Adeyemi's actions were a ruse to spare his life, perhaps to make him a loyal servant. In his mind, he had already begun scheming countless ways to exact revenge later. But reality tore that illusion apart.
Adeyemi wasn't granting mercy. He was using the boss as a living experiment. The crimson glow seeped into the boss's veins, and every blood cell in his body sprang to life, writhing in chaotic directions or rather, in no direction at all.
A scream tore from the boss's throat, high-pitched and unrestrained, echoing through the hall. Pain unlike anything he had ever experienced gripped him. The manipulation of his blood didn't stop there, his muscles twisted and diverged, bones cracked and compressed, reshaping against his will. It was as if he were trapped in a personalized hell, every fiber of his being screaming in agony.
Niyi, Philip, and the others Adeyemi had spared watched in horror. The sight was grotesque, unbearable even for seasoned warriors. Stomachs churned, heads ached, and the images etched themselves into memory, leaving an indelible fear of Prince Adeyemi. Even Niyi and Philip, trained and hardened through lots of battles, felt the pull of dread. This was a forbidden sight, but they had to maintain composure as the prince's guards. The irritation and discomfort were unbearable, but they endured, eyes fixed forward, suppressing the natural urge to look away.
Adeyemi himself appeared expressionless, though beneath that mask, he felt a pang of disgust. He had already halted the skill, but the residual effects were relentless, continuing their gruesome work. Despite the revulsion, he remained, for this was his creation, and as the caster, he bore responsibility for its execution.
The boss's massive body shrank and warped beyond recognition. Limbs vanished, features melted, and he became nothing more than a rotting mass of flesh, emitting a stench of putrid blood that filled the room. Even Adeyemi, the master of this skill, stepped back, instinctively recoiling at the horror of his own creation.
He consulted the skill's description again:
«SKILL: BLOOD RECONSTRUCTION»
«LEVEL 1: THE BODY OF YOUR TARGET WILL BE RECONSTRUCTED ACCORDING TO YOUR WILL. THE HIGHER THE LEVEL, THE MORE EFFECTIVE THE SKILL.»
This wasn't what he envisioned. His plan had been to mold the boss into a four-legged human monstrosity, a twisted reflection of his vile character. Yet the outcome was far worse, far more grotesque than even he had anticipated.
"I guess I'll have to level up this skill to control it better," Adeyemi muttered.
Niyi and Philip flinched at the words. They remembered the painstaking effort their prince had invested in mastering Blood Dominion to level 2, a process that had required repeated practice and precision. By that logic, Blood Reconstruction would demand the same relentless focus.
Adeyemi noticed their reaction and offered a faint, reassuring smile. "Don't worry," he said, his voice calm. "I won't experiment on people. Monsters are perfect enough for that."
A collective sigh of relief escaped Niyi and Philip.
"So, what about the rest, Your Highness?" Niyi asked cautiously.
Adeyemi's gaze swept across the survivors. There was a purpose behind sparing them, an opportunity yet to be realized. Up to this point, the trio had fought monsters and mutated beasts, never turning their wrath upon humans. But when Niyi and Philip had struck down the Ascendants, a subtle tinge of red aura had appeared around their bodies. It was a killing aura, instinctively detectable by Adeyemi. With every fallen Ascendant, the aura intensified, marking the difference between those truly evil and the few he had spared.
"Use them to rebuild this base," Adeyemi commanded. "Make it orderly."
"As you wish, Your Highness," Niyi replied dutifully.
"Philip, your mission differs," Adeyemi continued.
"Tell me, Your Highness, and I will execute it perfectly," Philip said, bowing theatrically.
Adeyemi suppressed a twitch of amusement at Philip's flair, deciding to overlook it for now.
"Bring the civilians we rescued along the way here," Adeyemi instructed. "We will establish our base here while we gather strength."
"Absolutely, Your Highness," Philip said, smirking at Niyi as if his task held more prestige, and promptly departed to fulfill the order.
Niyi ignored him, turning his attention to the mass of rotting flesh that had once been the boss.
"Your Highness, what should we do with this… thing?" Niyi asked, irritation lacing his voice.
Adeyemi's crimson gaze fixed coldly upon it. "Toss him somewhere to suffer in that form until death finds him."
The order, devoid of compassion, was deemed appropriate by Niyi. After all, this was a being that had caused untold suffering.
Scanning the area for help among the survivors, Niyi found none, only a few women remained. Sighing, he realized he would have to carry the foul mass himself.
From the arena, monstrous growls echoed. The creatures within sought to break free, but the cage held… for now.
"These pieces of trash will serve as my new experimental tools," Adeyemi said, seething in anger.
"I will dispose of it, Your Highness," Niyi replied, bowing, and covering his nose with a handkerchief. The odor was nearly intolerable, but the monsters themselves posed no immediate threat.
Straining against the weight, Niyi carried the mass outside, toward the junk barricades surrounding the faction base. With effort, he hoisted it over the fence and let it fall, heaving a relieved sigh as the stench clung stubbornly to his hands. He returned to the building, body still tense from the ordeal.
Alone in agony, the boss, now a corrupted, writhing mass, remained conscious. Every plan, everything he had built, had crumbled. Despair and regret sank deep into his mind. He wished for change, but knew nothing could be undone. His consciousness lingered in darkness, hopelessness overwhelming every thought.
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared beside him. A being emerged, non-human in form, its horns betraying its origin.
"Huhuhu…" the being laughed, a sound both chilling and amused.
"That boy's Blood Authority still lacks control," it mused, voice dripping with amusement. "Thanks to him, I now have a perfect specimen for future quests."
"Oi," it called to the boss. "Do you seek revenge?"
Revenge? Of course. If he could exact vengeance, he would revel in it, the thought igniting his fury.
"Then perfect," the being said. "Hold onto that hatred. Do you understand?"
The boss could not fathom how the being had read his thoughts, but he did not care, as long as it enabled his vengeance.
'ADEYEMI! I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET!!' he screamed internally, the fire of his hatred burning bright.
The being, a sinister smile twisting its features, whispered, "Then the story will be more interesting." With a gesture of its hands, the rotten mass vanished, swallowed by a burst of light, The being disappeared also in a burst of light.