Born in Blood

Chapter 385 League

Liam perched atop the fang like a hawk stalking out his prey.

He had an eagle eye's view of the entire dome.

In front.

To the left.

To the right.

The roads were like cobwebs, connecting one pathway to the other with no particular order.

Imperialists, young and old, strong and pathetically weak, walked upon them.

All women, all wearing roman togas.

The dome itself was lit up with an umbral, but natural light.

Liam wasn't here just to slaughter and kill.

…That was one of the reasons.

Another reason was finding out more about the war and why it was happening.

Surely, a Zenith Imperialist would know a thing or two about that?

But… didn't that mean Liam would have to fight them?

It did.

But so what?

Liam wasn't the same as before!

He was in the big boy leagues now.

He'd escaped the microcosm of power he was trapped in for so long.

Now, it was time to push himself to the brink.

Sacrifice a few limbs or two.

Out of the corner of his eye, Liam noticed a Zenith Imperialist walking through the cobweb paths.

'Now I know why they're made like cobwebs…' Liam thought.

The Imperialist rode on a massive, brown tarantula-type Abomination, thirteen meters wide and four meters tall.

A similar species to compare it with could be the Huntsman Spider back on Earth.

A simple glance could make any adult shiver and express disgust.

Twelve legs sprouted from their sides, covered with sharp, quill-like bristles.

Under each hair was a slit.

What were these slits?

Beady black eyes that opened and closed.

Hundreds of them.

Besides the grim, scythe-like fangs protruding from its maw, the spider didn't have any distinct features.

The tarantula continued until another Imperialist, riding the same kind of spider, met it halfway.

They struck up a conversation.

Liam's eyes lit up.

'Perfect!'

Liam pointed his finger at another fang building, intent on getting into an earshot distance.

Obviously, their mental energy range could definitely detect him.

However, Liam didn't need to do that.

He just needed to get a clear view of one of their eyes.

Eventually, Liam managed to connect his King's Eye to their mental spheres, and he could hear through their ears.

"...ma's having nightmares again," said one of the Zeniths, clearly dejected. "Brought back memories, she said."

"That's the fourth time you've told me," the second one sighed. "You know if Leader Merisa finds out about your complaints, she'd take your head."

"I know… can't help myself! This has been going for too long," said the first, whispering hectically. "I just wish there was a point to this!"

"There is," the second said cryptically. "But we just don't know what."

"Leave it at that."

Before the first could ask more, the two parted ways.

And that was that.

'They were just getting to the good part…'

Then again, Liam was incredibly lucky for them to speak of the war of all things.

It wasn't often that one could find two goons that spoke of their boss' secret evil plan.

As the two Zeniths parted ways, Liam picked one out to ambush.

The spider was a Rank 4 Abomination.

And there was a Rank 4 Zenith on top of it.

Even though they weren't the strongest physically, they couldn't be underestimated.

For two hours, Liam simply hid amidst the buildings and tracked the Imperialist's movements.

'She takes the same route over and over again.'

'From start to finish, there's a 16 minute window for me to lay a trap for her.'

'But other paths consist of civilians.'

'Can't risk getting caught.'

'...That path over there should be good enough. Gives me less time, but that's fine.'

Liam got to work.

As soon as the woman passed through the specific path, Liam covered himself with his illusionistic abilities and made gestures in the air.

Sanguine Strings, specifically.

Done with his work of art, he hid.

Then, he just waited.

***

It was time.

The tarantula woman was here.

Liam hid his presence with all the abilities at his disposal, then waited patiently for her to pass.

Just as she rounded up the corner, she scowled deeply.

A single red string glimmered with a dark sheen.

She leaned forward, commanding her spider mount to reach out and touch it with a leg.

TING!

Sanguine Strings hidden above, below, and to the sides, shot out and converged at the Imperialist!

In a split second, the spider raised its legs.

From its quill-like hairs, silver silk shot out in a protective, cage-like fashion, successfully defending against the abrupt attacks.

But as the spider was preoccupied with the strings, Liam emerged from the ground, swinging in a wide, upward arc with his Black Blade.

SHING!

Black and red blood spread through the air.

The first was of the Abomination, split from middle to top, and the other was the Imperialist.

Unfortunately for Liam, she dodged at the last second.

What should have taken away her head, sliced off just her shoulder instead as she evaded.

Ethereal Abominations burst out from the Zenith's mental sphere. Wraiths with a ghostly lower body, but with vicious teeth.

Almost instantaneously, they threw themselves onto Liam's mental sphere and began to chip away his mind.

Immense pain.

…Unfortunately for the Imperialist, Liam had four arms!

Spinning around from the first upward arc, Liam fluidly transitioned to a horizontal swing with the Breaker Blade, brutally cleaving her apart from the torso with just one empowered swing.

SHIIING!

A sharp streak of entrails and blood flew from her side, a look of shock on her face.

A moment later, Liam used Hone and cut down the wraiths eating away at his mental sphere.

In three to four moves, Liam had killed a Zenith!

Liam smiled.

He was moving up in the world.

But there was no time for self-amazement.

There was still a bit of life in the Zenith's eyes.

But the chance to interrogate her was over.

She wouldn't give him anything.

A moment later, she died.

Thus, Liam just stored the tarantula Abomination and her body.

Then, he used darkness to wipe away all traces of blood.

Next!