Contrary to Kieran's assumptions, this armored colossus was a woman.
Now that the helmet was gone, revealing her eyes saturated with the indignity of her fate and her picturesque and unique stunning features contorted from a saddened fury, Kieran understood his guess was somewhat correct.
These so-called Fallen Ones were indeed once human. If not wholly human, they were at least of a race that resembled them. Kieran wasn't sure if these recreated entities followed the limitations of their former bodies since most of their physiques were inhuman and hulking.
This woman, for example, resembled an amazon. Then again, it could be due to the influence of the War Phantasmagoria, making them seem more fearsome and imposing.
It was the closest thing to the possible truth, so Kieran didn't discard the possibility.
Understanding that he couldn't let this mystery of the Fallen Ones' origins commandeer his focus, Kieran expanded his clarity, using this opportunity to practice and further perfect his abilities as an Omniscient Inhuman.
Though he had only wielded it briefly within the HRT Chamber, he could recall the sensation with bewildering precision. After all, it was something he had subconsciously wielded in the past without knowledge of its existence.
The willful expansion of his awareness was by far one of the most taxing things Kieran could perform. Still, he couldn't ignore its practical usage of it.
If he could preempt their actions by receiving early notice of it, it could alleviate some of the pressure Kieran experienced going up against this many opponents.
At least… that was the ideal situation.
However, his environment and situation were far from the flawless scenario he fabricated in his mind.
Within seconds, the War Phantasmagoria had descended into something worse, and Kieran estimated it had something to do with this female armored colossus' earlier actions.
Given her behavior and the phrase uttered before the minute yet continually overlapping changes, Kieran suspected his opponent had activated something along the lines of a Domain-type ability.
Whereas Kieran dreaded the environment of those who had been destroyed—the Fallen Ones—they flourished. Some of them grew faster, others grew stronger… but they all grew more vicious, moving with a reckless abandon that disregarded any form of self-preservation.
The clangor of Kieran's blade clashing with countless opponents echoed ceaselessly. Despite his masterful maneuvers and adroit usage of his blade, he continued receiving numerous disturbing wounds.
And because Abhorrent Paroxysm left him utterly defenseless, Kieran felt the pain of each blow in greater depth. After acquiring so many cuts, bruises, and even nicked bones, Kieran seemed pitiful but also bizarre.
Amidst this pain, Kieran thought about the words Scar told him during their training.
A True Berserker was not weakened or at its weakest when on the verge of death, faced with seemingly insurmountable peril.
In that moment of powerlessness, the unwillingness to submit to death, the unwillingness to cower before an opponent, the unwillingness to descend into nihility, blazed with greater fervor.
All of his fortuitous encounters thus far had not turned Kieran into an unconquerable beast at all, and he knew this better than anyone. What they did accomplish, however, was setting the foundation to become said type of beast.
As the core belief of a True Berserker moved to the forefront of Kieran's mind, Scar's words played in his head like a movie.
Pain is paramount in a True Berserker's development phase.
Let that pain be converted into fuel, and that fuel further converted into power. Let your emotions—all that anger, outrage, indignation and desire to conquer— billow like a natural disaster.
A tempestuous squall that could not be resisted.
A devouring flood that could not be withstood.
A sweltering wildfire that could not be extinguished.
With the irrevocable immolation of inner flames set ablaze, Kieran channeled something raw from the depths of his being that resonated with the violent and abrupt nature of his power.
Blood Mania's Fervor Augmentation triggered so many times that it nearly went into Overdrive, a state of a special skill that Kieran had seldom encountered.
Sadly, the conditions of an Overdrive were so outlandish that not even his current terrifying onset of oceanic emotions could fulfill them.
Yet Kieran's wrath doubled and redoubled, still.
"FUCK OFF!" Kieran bellowed, a surge of fury billowing from his body in the form of a ghastly eruption.
A throng of Fallen Gladiators was thrown back by the onslaught of this horrific Wrath Eruption. It could be said that, in this moment of channeling everything Scar had spoken unto him, Kieran stumbled upon this skill's root principle.
Not just force, the Wrath Eruption was accompanied by a scorching heat that left infernal cinders dancing in the air aimlessly.
It was as if a fiery yet incomplete Blood Fiend had been awakened!
Alarmed by this lurid eruption amidst the blazing crimson blood, the female armored colossus witnessed as some of the weapons lancing Kieran's stomach melted. At the same time, an eerie sizzling sounded from those wounds.
It was as if his blood radiated with his infernal emotions.
Could this be the true nature of Abhorrent Paroxysm? Emotions that transcended the mind and permeated the body, nestling comfortably in the blood?
Possibly.
As of now, Kieran could not rely upon any answer his partially clouded mind mustered.
Moving with the ferocity of a feral beast, deranged and incensed, Kieran stormed through all that barred his path. His body was marred and riddled with sizzling wounds and looked like a hellish creature of demise.
"Our opponent seeks out Deidamia. Let us plunge into glorious battle, where our emotions and intent seethe with unmistakable and ruthless opulence. I, once known as Adeia, the Nether Tide, call upon my trusted partner."
An emaciated and cadaverous manifestation similar to Adeia's earliest state appeared behind her. However, thin threads connected this manifested image to the odachi in her dominant hand.
Seconds later, Kieran and Adeia collided, a cyclical transference of emotions occurring within the clangor of their clash.
Forceful and unrelenting, the aftermath spread throughout their surroundings, an annular depression forming in the ground beneath their feet.
Primitive yet oddly beautiful and subtly revolting, Adeia and Kieran's swordplay appeared equally barbaric. The Mana fluctuations of their actions could barely be felt, but they were there.
Even when deflected, each of Kieran's strikes served a purpose. The aftermath in itself could be called a secondary attack that claimed the lives of the Fallen Gladiators behind Kieran.
Some of the Fallen Ones punctured his attempts to deal with them, inflicting harrowing amounts of damage upon him.
Yet Kieran would not fall.
He could not fall.
The value of the Quintessential Aether was quickly and effectively reflected, glimmering through the murkiness of the Refined Blood ability.
An inhuman recovery ability that transcended his current State of Being.
It wasn't enough to label Kieran unkillable, but he had undoubtedly become a resilient cockroach. Normally, one's regeneration rates were curtailed by the tolls of grueling combat. Though this limitation still applied to Kieran, a degree of it was lifted.
Hence, Kieran could recover faster while in combat than he typically should be capable of.
Roughly a minute into his heated combat with Adeia, Kieran attempted to unleash Blood Waves, Wild Crashes, and a Crimson Current… yet they were all swatted away or thwarted.
Then again, Kieran had never faced an opponent on this level before, an opponent capable of moving faster than he could sometimes react.
But… unlike the other Fallen Ones, Kieran noticed Adeia could bleed, which was revealed and highlighted by the stacks of Bleed flickering in Kieran's purview of the battle.
Different from most opponents, though, the stacks of Bleed didn't pose any detriment to Adeia's action. While they were present, she seemed oblivious to or perhaps unperturbed by the fact.
"You fight with the vigor and ferocity of one running from death. Yet your style also ignores the threat of it. You are truly an interesting paradox… boy," Adeia said.
Despite their several intense exchanges, her tone was even, as if she had yet to dig deep and begin to exhaust herself.
Meanwhile, Kieran's lip curled downward into a discontented and displeased frown. He felt as if he was making zero headway with this opponent. Could he clear the fourth round without exhausting his entire arsenal?
The potentially grim revelation left him sullen and somber, emotions that were instantly transferred to his blade.
'It's not enough. I need to become more brutal… more unforgiving. Even if it means punishing myself in the process.'
Stimulating Blood Mania's Source Rune once more to achieve another of its remarkable abilities, the Tensile Blood Swath coalesced as a coiled ribbon, garish and mesmerizing despite its menacing origins.
The ribbon tightened around Kieran's arms and tightened still, drawing blood seconds later.
That blood failed to drip onto the floor beside him. With his face contorted in pain, Kieran willed the Tensile Blood Swath to tighten until his arm lost its flexibility.
All in preparation for the worst.
If Adeia had yet to begin straining herself, it was evident she had a well-kept reserve of overflowing power.
"Truly a torturous and almost cruel power you wield. It's as if the War Phantasmagoria resides in your heart… in your being," Adeia remarked. Her tone was a mix of praise and amazement. She could tell by Kieran's expression that the amount of pain he felt was enough to break a person's sanity.
Moved by Kieran's actions, Adeia couldn't find it within herself to belittle, mock or desecrate Kieran's power. "Premature yet worthy."
Carrying the temperament of a seasoned war general, Adeia slashed her odachi, the manifestation mimicking her actions. As Kieran met the strike, he was sent reeling, staggering, and then lurching to the side uncontrollably, nearly losing his footing.
If not for his action of fortifying his arm, he was sure the muscles would have ruptured, and the bone would have splintered. The force that ran rampant throughout his body was mortifyingly repugnant.
When everything inside him shifted, Kieran was forced to vomit some blood, his complexion paling afterward.
It was as she promised, Adeia was an obstacle put in place to make his continuance as difficult as possible.
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