Born in Blood



Liam didn't think he used much force to shoot forward. 

Still, the crater Liam was standing on a second ago was now covered with cracks, while his six-armed form blurred toward Janice incredibly fast.

…A little too fast.

Liam had clenched three of his right arms and attempted to punch the battle professor, yet couldn't ready them in time for a proper strike. 

Instead, he awkwardly shoulder slammed Janice away with just his body.

Boom!

The battle professor's reaction was late, but Liam's lack of control over his speed allowed her to evade and react appropriately before suffering the full brunt. 

Still, her inscribed spear – now broken in half – did little against Liam's incredibly hardened skin, sending her hurling across the treeline.

As she bounced between the trees like a ping pong ball, Liam momentarily paused.

Within his solar plexus, chaos rapidly churned around a pearl-like organ, heavily protected by Liam's chest dense plates. 

Unlike the core, the walls of the pearl weren't soft, and were made from the same material as Liam's gauntlets.

Thankfully, Liam's core and mental sphere seemed to be intact, only all the chaos inside it had been completely transferred to the pearl. 

Still, his mind was still a bit groggy after experiencing so much pain and sudden changes in his body. 

He tried willing out some darkness, but found it a bit difficult to do so.

Liam's control over the pearl was a bit weak, but he felt as though he could strengthen parts of his body with the chaos. A feature he previously didn't have.

At the same time, Liam realized something else.

The pearl was responsible for dividing chaos throughout his body. 

That was the source of all his physical strength, since it was constantly doing so to keep his six-armed form together.

That meant he couldn't hold his Ashura form together forever. Liam didn't know how, but he could possibly revert to a semi-human state.

This had its own advantages.

Liam couldn't go around looking like a demon, attracting attention and making enemies everywhere he went. 

Not to mention, he could never hide his identity. 

Although the golden and crimson eye would give it away, as long as he did a good job keeping a low profile, not many would recognize him.

Thus, it was good that his six-armed form had a switch.

However, this meant the physical strength churning throughout his body was not permanent. 

An acceptable outcome. 

It didn't end there.

Liam felt bestial. 

Bloodthirsty.

Ravenous.

Like he wanted to roar and rip into flesh. Those feelings tugged at his common sense, but he suppressed them the best he could.

'I'm on a timer. I have to end them now!'

Liam's multi-colored eyes shifted between Janice and the rest. 

The battle professor had steadied her footing by then, but had no visible injuries. She had a Rank 4 body, after all, and countless spells to boot.

The rest were on the opposite side of the crater, readily making their way closer to him. 

There were thirteen cultivators, with most having a Rank 2 sea of consciousness, Rank 3 bodies and varying cores. 

Their bravery of running straight into the battle was commendable, but idiotic. 

'Her first,' Liam's attention went back to Janice.

Before they gained power through numbers — and he lost his Ashura form — Liam decided to eliminate the biggest threat.

Liam coiled his knees. They slowly creaked and tightened. The sound produced was like hardened metal bending by force.

Liam let loose.

The ground below wasn't strong enough to bear Liam's stomp. It burst into fragments and sent him flying through the air like a loose bullet aiming straight for Janice.

The professor was prepared — still suffering from shock and utter confusion — yet that did little against the sheer speed of Liam's approach. 

She attempted to slow down Liam's launch by shooting another condensed beam of liquid straight at him.

Liam stretched his arms forward and began tearing through the stream of water. It slowed down his speed, but allowed him to come face-to-face with Janice.

With a grin revealing his palisade-like teeth, Liam's three fists clenched, surging with chaotic energy. 

A second later, his gauntlets struck Janice's cheek, rib and waist at the same time.

The professor's form started to liquidize, but before she could fully transform her bodily state, the attacks landed anyway.

Parts of her slightly cracked.

Cheekbones, ribs and hip, forcing her to wince in pain and cough a bit of blood. At the same time, her liver was crushed by the impact.

Janice was sent flying once more, but Liam wasn't kind enough to give her respite like before. 

He shot forward, following her trajectory and leaving behind shattered earth.

As he got closer, Liam quickly sensed Janice's attempt to pressure his mind with her superior consciousness. 

Although the mental waves weighing against his mental sphere were strong, it was bearable by his standards. He simply gritted his teeth.

Although Janice was a Rank 3 Magus, the pressure was more similar to a Rank 2's capability, albeit stronger.

Liam didn't wait for her to catch her footing – he towered above her and swiftly smashed all six of his arms on her stomach.

The force was just too much. Although her Rank 4 body held strong, the insides were severely damaged. 

Janice couldn't effectively defend herself from the blow, and the fists smashed full force against her solar plexus, vacuuming the air from her lungs and cracking the weakened ribs.

With a suppressed grunt of pain, she smashed limp against the rocky terrain, her body marred with bruises and damaged internals.

Liam was upon her again.

"What… are you?" Janice wheezed with a drooping eye as Liam towered over her limp body. His gold and red irises emitted an inhuman coldness.

Liam said nothing and picked Janice up by the neck with one arm.

By then, the remaining cultivators had arrived at the scene, staring in horror as their strongest was utterly broken, held by a six-armed creature they thought went extinct.

As they prepared their most destructive and powerful spells, Liam pulled at Janice's neck with all of his arms.

Her Rank 4 body was stubborn… but weakened considerably.

Paired with strengthening chaos, the skin on the professor's neck slowly started to rip and tear apart. Layers of flesh started to separate.

Like plucking a grape off its stem, Janice's head was torn from her shoulders.