Born in Blood



Everyone watching instinctively shuddered.

Rank 5.

That magnificent, colossal statue was a Rank 5 Spirit Beast!

To think everyone dismissed it as a normal statue!

It wasn't painted! 

It was preserved!

They watched, eyes widened, as the humongous lion's metallic surface slowly started to transform from where the blood touched it.

Tufts of yellow fur sprung from where the metal once was. 

Like a ripple, it continuously changed the rest of the body.

The vicious, outstretched claws of the lion gained subtle but growing movement.

At the same time, the lion's menacing stone eyes gained a white sclera and a crimson, circular pupil.

A low, guttural growl shook the air

An earth-shaking rumble violently rocked the entire island as it slowly came to life. 

At that point, the onlookers weren't comfortable watching.

Those massive claws were still in the air!

If it came down, there was no doubt that the entire island would break apart.

They instantly jumped off the island and swam to the depths of the ocean.

Only Elders and a few Shadows remained behind. Including Liam, obviously.

Strangely, Unforgiven Shadow didn't attack Wild Fang or the awakening beast!

After killing the lower ranked beasts, only the Monolith Lion remained.

But for some reason, Usan was simply allowing it to transform without any interruption.

…And the claws were slowly plunging towards the earth!

WHOOOSH!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

As the two paws struck the earth, a wave of destruction spread throughout the island.

That was quickly followed by a shockwave.

An area of 150 kilometers was instantly turned to rubble.

As though nothing had lived there before.

Towering plumes of dust and smoke rose into the air.

Thankfully, those around the edges of the island had made preparations.

Elder Orisa appeared beside Liam's group and formed an earthly dome to protect them.

As the smoke cleared, the Monolith Lion came into view.

Even now, its size was unbelievable.

With its bright brown fur, vicious claws, lengthy tail, crimson eyes, bared fangs and savage muzzle, its appearance certainly matched its mighty strength. 

However, it didn't roar.

The reason was simple.

Wild Fang didn't want to kill his own disciples and Elders.

Wild Fang had a toothy smirk on his slightly pale, sweaty face. 

In reality, the Rank 5 beast was in the upper-tier!

It was the very symbol of Wild Fang's greatest hunt.

It took him years to make the preparations for hunting such a majestic creature.

And now, it was his.

Controlling it took considerable effort, but its power was a level above normal Rank 5 beasts.

What could a mere cloud do to such a mighty beast?

Nothing!

This Rank 5 Monolith Lion wasn't like Wild Fang's other bestial companions.

This beast could effectively express the entirety of his strength and cultivation prowess.

Both Wild Fang and the Monolith Lion were of the earth element, as well.

Unforgiven Shadow had to take this battle seriously.

In fact, even the strongest Rank 5 existence living within the Main Lands would also have to take it seriously.

Silver couldn't afford a half-hearted attempt at defense, either.

If he did, Wild Fang would undoubtedly win with a single attack.

If one of them made a slight mistake, it'd be instant death.

Now, half the island was covered by a deathly cloud, and the other half stood a 58 meter tall beast.

There was silence for a while as both forces remained still.

Wild Fang didn't attack instantly.

Neither did Unforgiven Shadow.

"Scared?" Wild Fang taunted with a derisive scoff. 

There was no response.

Instead, the cloud shrank rapidly, as though it was being 'vacuumed' from the center.

Foooooosh!

All of the smoke disappeared, and Usan's figure slowly came into view again.

The chokuto blade that Usan used was the so-called 'vacuum', and the cloud simply condensed, swirling around the blade like some sort of cotton candy.

Then… 

There was quiet laughter.

A strange, sinister, unnerving chuckle.

It was Unforgiven Shadow.

His faint laugh was dark and distorted, as if the mask had really turned him into some sort of demon.

Everyone watching shuddered.

As the inventor of the Ten Thousand Shadows, Usan had to practice day in and day out with the Dark Stars.

Who knew what kind of effect that had on someone?

Even if mental spheres grew stronger throughout the ranks, the Dark Star's corruption remained all the same.

Wild Fang narrowed his eyes.

Was he still not taking this seriously?

Nevertheless, he didn't care anymore.

The lion swiped the air once with its giant claw, summoning countless boulders that flew towards Unforgiven Shadow with unreal speed.

Those boulders contained the strength of a Rank 5 core.

Usan let go of the chokuto blade – which formed countless arcs of darkness on its own – and stretched his right hand forward.

WHOOOOOOOM!

A darkness and shadow-made vortex spread from his palm and extended towards the trajectory of boulders, rotating in a circular motion.

SHING!

The boulders were diced into smaller pieces one by one.

Right after, they crashed into the vortex—

WHOOOM!

And were devoured instantly.

There was no trace of them anymore.

And the vortex only grew bigger.

The result made Wild Fang sweat just a little more.

…What just happened?

Wild Fang sent more and more attacks forward, each more destructive than the next.

And the same thing happened each time!

At the same time, Wild Fang realized that the vortex grew in size each time it absorbed an attack!

'Pounce him!' Wild Fang commanded the Monolith Lion, desperate to get the battle over with.

He didn't know what that spell or technique was, but he could guess.

With its massive body, the Monolith Lion ran forward with speed that didn't really match its stature.

With a loud—

BAAANG!

It left the ground and pounced at the floating human, its maws spreading wide to reveal the set of cruel teeth.

Just then, the vortex unleashed all of its stored power inside the lion's throat. It rapidly expanded until bursting apart—

BOOOOOM!

At the same time, Usan swung his blade from top to bottom, the cloud turning into a thin line.

SHIIIING!

And for a second, the world split in two.