The Dawn of the New World

A mushroom cloud rose into the air surpassing 40,000 feet (12+ kilometers) in a matter of seconds.

Earthquakes and tremors could be felt hundreds of kilometers away even when the mushroom cloud could no longer be seen.

It was only after ten minutes that all the commotion slowly came to a stop and the talismans protecting Hao Xuan and the company broke apart.

The lights surrounding Han Rong and Zou Huan had all but dissipated allowing Hao Xuan to get a good look at them.

"You're from earlier...I was just thinking about that day," he mumbled with some doubt, not completely sure if this was actually happening or something his mind had just made up.

Han Rong was the first to fully regain his sense as he turned back to look at Hao Xuan and Sokol.

The entire right side of Hao Xuan's body was covered in pitch black burn marks and it looked like most of the muscle had somehow directly evaporated from under the skin. It was all but skin and bone barely hanging together.

And yet his gaze didn't reflect any of the pain that should be making him squirm otherwise.

Sokol wasn't in any better condition either since most of his body was damaged and he was missing an arm but seemed to be doing fine regardless.

"Are you-"

"I'm okay. It only hurts a little at the start," he assured him.

Han Rong nodded silently before staring up at the sky which had been completely cleared by the shockwaves. Even the tear which had been constantly dropping grunts seemed to be running dry.

The atmosphere was full of a black mist that had originated from the pool. The pit they were in had expanded by about 3 times creating a massive crater. Nothing was left alive outside of the barrier created by their talisman.

Zou Huan finally came to and let out a heavy sigh.

"That was the last protection talisman we had. We're on our own now."

"Yes, but it was worth it," Han Rong said smilingly extending a hand to both Sokol and Hao Xuan.

Hao Xuan's body felt numb but he could still feel waves of pain coming from his right side. There was no other feeling in his arm at all and he couldn't move it more than a few inches at most.

Blood dripped down into the earth pooling beneath his feet and shockingly, it wasn't showing any signs of recovering either.

Heavy-hearted, he put the worries to the back of his mind and stopped the bleeding with some leftover fabric of what was once his shirt.

He then redirected his attention to the trio that had appeared out of nowhere.

"How are you all here?"

Han Rong and Zou Huan exchanged knowing glances with one another.

"That....is kind of a long story. Do you know where the last city is? We should get to safety first before continuing."

"Mhm, you're right. Come, I'll take you, it's not that far," Hao Xuan was about to leap out of the pit when Han Rong interjected.

"We'll have to make a small stop first, there are a few more people with us."

Hao Xuan nodded without hesitation, "Sure, lead the way."

With Zou Huan in the lead they made their way out and started moving towards the northern side.

A few minutes after they left the black mist that was congregating within the pit slowly began seeping into the soil once more. It began to condense eventually turning into a liquid that gave birth to countless small tendrils that started popping out of the ground.

A great number of them slowly moved towards the blood that had been left behind where Hao Xuan was standing just moments before. They appeared to be sentient as they carefully dipped into the blood picking up a drop each.

Within seconds all the blood had been scooped up and brought back to the dead center on the pit where the pool used to be. As more and more liquid made its way there the pool started to fill up again.

It started to ebb and flow back and forth as if some unseen force was stirring it forcefully. It started boiling and bubbling creating large waves but what was most shocking was that another form was beginning to take shape within its inky depths.

Hao Xuan's blood was broken apart and multiplied countless times being used as the basis for this new creature. A half a meter wide heart was created first followed by the rest of the necessary systems of an organic being.

Within twenty minutes it had already taken a rough form that was no larger than eight meters. It was a humanoid, much smaller than the Synapse from earlier. It still had a tail that was wrapping around the entire body protectively.

It didn't have any human skin but a black and grey carapace much like the grunts. Its upper body held two large appendages which surpassed three meters in length.