Chapter 38: Blood-Feast
Priam clenched his fists tightly.
He was confident that he wouldn’t die easily because he had more than one secret weapon that could provide him with another option.
His entire body lit up.
A golden aura about ten centimeters thick flowed around him like a flame.
"!"
The eyes of that figure widened in shock.
It was as if she were seeing something that shouldn’t possibly exist.
Without hesitation, Priam shot forward like a bolt of lightning and attacked.
In response to Priam’s direct strike, that person merely snorted coldly.
A black, shriveled hand moved at a terrifying speed and grabbed Priam’s fist in midair.
*BUZZ*
A metallic hum echoed as the two collided.
Priam’s hand trembled, and a powerful force sent him flying backward.
"Hmph. You’re far from capable of putting on that kind of act in front of me."
That person suddenly moved, vanishing like a specter.
When she reappeared, she was already blocking the exit behind Priam.
’So fast!’
Priam was alarmed.
He had planned to use his strength to try to win, but he wanted to keep the fight positioned with his back toward the exit at all times.
That way, if survival became impossible, he could escape using his wind technique.
Unfortunately, his plan had been seen through.
At that moment, Priam realized a shocking truth.
Until now, he had only fought foolish and pathetic youths.
Against truly experienced figures, he would always be easily read.
He engraved that lesson into his mind.
He should never become arrogant and think himself all-powerful.
In reality, he was just an ignorant human from Earth who had been thrown into this chaotic world.
"Although this corpse is very weak, with my Spiritual power controlling it, it’s not something an amateur like you can defeat," the sinister female voice said. "Foolish child, I’ll give you those two choices again. Either you die, or you surrender."
Priam’s heart pounded heavily.
Controlling Spiritual power was extremely difficult, something very few Mages could accomplish without the help of a special Bloodline.
Yet after so much time, this figure had truly learned how to control it.
That was why she was so powerful.
"If you want me to surrender, you’ll have to prove that you have the ability to make me."
Priam spoke coldly.
Since he couldn’t escape, all he could do was face the situation head-on.
At that moment, his eyes shone as he prepared himself for an all-or-nothing gamble.
"Ah, you’re actually interesting."
That person seemed genuinely intrigued by Priam.
But there was no surprise in her voice.
It was obvious that everything remained completely under her control.
Priam moved to attack.
He threw a downward strike with his right fist, but the claw-like hand of that corpse subtly deflected the attack as if he were a weak and fragile child.
Priam was horrified at how easily he had been blocked.
Couldn’t he even slightly injure this person?
Suddenly, a strange will emerged from the depths of Priam’s soul.
He felt as though a flame had ignited within his chest.
It was a strange, instinctive frustration...
As if...
He simply couldn’t accept being suppressed by an ant like this.
"Take this!"
Using the Light Fists he had learned from his mother, combined with his ability to see everything in slow motion, his left fist moved in a strange trajectory as he threw a punch.
That figure’s eyes flashed with surprise.
With a sharp impact, Priam’s strike landed squarely on the puppet’s arm.
Priam smiled.
The Light Fists were a combat style focused on speed and attacks from unusual angles.
It had been designed to fight forest Beasts, so it didn’t require refined patterns.
That made it unpredictable and strange.
It was a sudden and definitely unusual attack, which was why it achieved a good surprise effect.
At least, that was what he thought at the time.
But obviously...
If it had been anyone else, the result would have been the opposite.
[System Assimilation Level: 01]
[Progress: 10% (Up)]
Priam saw the message and widened his eyes.
What did that mean?
He snorted and ignored it for now.
When he turned back toward his enemy...
The strike that could easily shatter a boulder hadn’t even come close to breaking that arm.
At the same time, the recoil of his own strength bounced back and forced him several steps backward, leaving his arm slightly numb.
’What a tough body!’
Priam was horrified.
That corpse was unbelievably powerful.
If she had still been alive, she would certainly have been an invincible enemy.
"Boy, are you still not convinced? Hmph, then I’ll show you just how insignificant you are to me."
The person snorted, and her body suddenly moved.
A pair of black hands appeared before Priam in an instant.
He tried to block with another quick punch.
Although he managed to do so, his body was once again forced backward.
"Your physical body isn’t bad," the sinister female voice remarked. "I like your unarmed fighting style. When I was alive, I also disliked using weapons. My body was the most powerful thing I possessed."
Her claws began attacking Priam continuously.
Their speed was like a raging storm.
*BANG! BANG! BANG!*
Priam couldn’t even see the movements of the claws.
He could only rely on his instincts and his Anima to block as best he could, filled with horror.
After only a few seconds of fighting...
Priam was already certain that winning in a direct battle was practically impossible.
His only way out...
Was to use everything he had, or find an unconventional path.
He chose to wait until the very last moment before burning his power rune.
That was because this bitch didn’t seem to want to kill him.
She wasn’t attacking with her full strength and, most of the time, deliberately avoided striking his vital points.
*BANG!*
A kick slammed into Priam’s stomach, launching him into the wall behind him.
Only then did the two of them stop.
"Hehe, boy, you’re not bad. I’ve decided to accept you as my disciple. Hurry up and bow to your master."
That person walked toward him.
Her expressionless face stopped right in front of Priam, making her look even more sinister.
"You think someone like you is qualified to be my master?" Priam laughed coldly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
After that storm of attacks, Priam’s body was covered in bruises.
That pain and feeling of insignificance were completely new to him.
She snorted coldly.
"You little bastard, who do you think I, Hemakra, am? A thousand years ago, I swept across the land, planting fear in the hearts of anyone who heard my name. For me to take a liking to you is a blessing."
"So you’re saying you’re amazing?" Priam asked, his voice filled with fake innocence.
"My name was once a decree that silenced empires," she replied, her voice dropping into a dangerous whisper. "I didn’t merely walk upon the land; I owned it."
"Then how did you end up in such a pathetic state, practically dead?" Priam mocked, pointing at her shriveled corpse.
"Betrayal," she hissed, the word sounding like a curse. "I wasn’t defeated by enemies on a battlefield. I was sold out by the very circle I trusted, disciples who knelt at my feet only to slide a blade between my ribs when I was at my most vulnerable. They imprisoned me within these seals, fearing what I would become if I ever breathed again."
Her voice turned sharp, and a terrifying killing intent flooded the hall.
It was heavy, like a physical weight pressing against Priam’s chest, making his heart skip a beat.
"Don’t mistake my current imprisonment for weakness. I see the same flame in you that I once carried. Your talent is undeniable, and your combat instincts are sharp. If you cast aside your hesitation and master my enhancement Arts, I guarantee you’ll become a true expert within three years," Hemakra said, her tone suddenly cold and deadly serious.
Priam didn’t answer, sinking into thought.
"Boy, don’t fool yourself. Even in this state of death, I’m still alive. I’ve lived hundreds of times longer than you, so stop embarrassing yourself in front of me. No scheme will work against me," she said coldly. "Right now, you only have two choices. The first is death. The second is becoming my disciple and getting me out of here."
"H-How can I get you out?" Priam asked in apparent shock.
"I can hide my soul inside your body. Then you can carry the head of this corpse out with you, so the others will think you defeated me," the voice explained slowly, with a subtly excited tone. "When you find a good opportunity, leave the clan, and I’ll take you to my home in the Mortal Plane. Hmph, you’ll receive training a hundred times better than anything here..."
Priam mocked her inwardly.
As expected, this bitch was trying to trick him.
How could he possibly agree to let the soul of someone this powerful enter his body?
Did she think he was an idiot?
She wanted him to lower his defenses, so her soul could invade his body and devour him.
In other words, Priam would be handing over his own body.
After thinking about it, it seemed this corpse was surrounded by some mysterious energy that sealed her soul inside it, preventing her from escaping as easily as she should have.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be trying so hard to persuade him.
"What do you think? Do you want to die? Or do you want to become my disciple? Do you want to receive my techniques and enjoy everything life has to offer?"
Hemakra asked coldly.
Although she was trying to sound calm, Priam could hear the fluctuations in her voice.
Priam snorted.
"Accepting you as my master sounds great. Getting you out of here sounds great too. But I, Priam, am also a genius of my clan’s generation. I still need to see what qualifications you have to become my master."
"What are you implying?" she narrowed her eyes.
"It’s simple. Teach me something that makes me admire you. If you can’t satisfy me, hehe, then as a proud man, I, Priam, would rather die than surrender."
"Y-You... fine. Interesting."
She sat down and began speaking.
"Your body is excellent, and your physical strength is already comparable to that of a high-level Beast. But you don’t possess a proper Magical Art that matches your fighting style, correct? That’s normal. Mages always choose swords, sabers, spears... those idiots don’t know what’s truly good, so there are very few Magical Arts for hand-to-hand Fighters like us."
"That’s why I’m going to teach you a decent one right now. It’s called Blood and Soul Absorption. Its power is limitless and will allow you to fight above your level."
"How do I train it?" Priam asked quickly.
It was definitely something he wanted to learn.
She nodded.
"This is a body-enhancement Magical Art that increases your speed and brute strength. It’s extremely simple. Every day, you must collect the fresh spinal marrow of a living person. It must be extracted while they’re still conscious in order to preserve its spiritual vitality. Then you must rub it into your own joints. Once your bones absorb the stolen life essence, no mortal will ever be fast enough to—"
"Stop."
Priam interrupted her abruptly.
Would he have to kill someone every single day?
And on top of that, the woman said it with complete indifference.
As if she were discussing something utterly trivial.
"I’m an upright person. How could I possibly use something that sinister?" Priam shot back harshly.
"Nonsense! Since I’m your master, you’ll definitely have to learn it!"
Priam shook his head.
"No, absolutely not. Teach me something else."
Inside, Hemakra was completely furious.
Teaching him something other than her corrupted techniques was a genuine humiliation.
She wanted to slap that brat to death.
But since she needed Priam’s body to escape that cave, she couldn’t.
She needed to take over his body, but without his cooperation, escaping that corpse was impossible.
Hemakra swallowed her pride and then introduced two other types of Magical Arts.
But Priam shook his head at both.
He refused to follow the path of a Sorcerer.
"Don’t push your luck, brat!"
Hemakra’s voice vibrated with sharp killing intent.
"My patience isn’t as eternal as my soul."
"Really? Because from where I’m standing, you’re all bark and no bite," Priam replied, leaning back with a look of pure disdain. "You promised me the secrets of a master capable of destroying empires, but everything you’ve offered so far has been parlor tricks and butcher’s work. Was your so-called greatness just a bedtime story you told your disciples before they stabbed you?"
"You... arrogant worm!"
Her killing intent exploded, cold and suffocating.
But she forcibly suppressed it.
She couldn’t afford to destroy the only vessel within her reach.
The risk of losing that one-in-a-million opportunity terrified her more than his insolence.
"Very well," she hissed through clenched teeth, her wounded pride obvious. "If you want a glimpse of true power, I’ll give it to you. I’ll teach you my ultimate legacy: the *Blood-Feast Fists*. It’s a technique that transcends ordinary Magical Arts, a secret I swore would die with me. If your mediocre mind shatters trying to comprehend its complexity, don’t come crying to me in the afterlife."
Priam’s face remained stoic, his brow furrowed in fake concentration.
He nodded slowly and hesitantly, perfectly portraying someone still filled with doubt.
But behind that mask, his heart raced with predatory excitement.
’Jackpot!’
he thought, savoring the victory.
He had hooked the shark, and she had just handed him her sharpest teeth.
