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Chapter 14 - Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Blood Against Flame

The forest had never burned like this.

Ashes fluttered like snow, carried by the wind that whistled through charred branches. The once-proud Primordial Forest groaned under the weight of fire, every tree trembling as orange embers devoured bark and leaves alike. The ground itself quaked under the Flame Tiger's fury, veins of molten heat spreading outward in jagged cracks.

Edem stood amid this inferno, battered and drenched in blood—his own blood. His torso was marred by deep claw marks, one shoulder was seared black, and his breath came in ragged bursts. His crimson vest shimmered faintly but had already taken devastating punishment. Even his regeneration struggled to keep up, the wounds reopening as fast as they closed.

The Flame Tiger loomed before him, its mane roaring with fire, its molten-gold eyes locked on him like the gaze of a god of destruction. The beast's body was torn, riddled with bullet wounds and claw gouges from Edem's Wolf Fang Gauntlet. Crimson blood steamed against its fiery hide. Yet despite the grievous damage, its aura only grew more terrifying.

The Flame Tiger had entered its berserk state.

It roared, the sound splitting the heavens. Flames erupted in a dome around its body, consuming oxygen in a violent surge. Edem was thrown back, skidding through the dirt as he coughed out black blood.

"Damn it…" he muttered, his lips curling into a pained grin. "So this is what it means… to fight an Intermediate Rank Beast."

His legs trembled but did not give way. His crimson eyes gleamed with madness and survival instinct. He knew this was the edge—one step too slow, one mistake, and he would be reduced to ash.

Then, a cold mechanical voice resonated within his mind.

---

[Current Status]

Name: Edem Qwasi

Race: Vampire (True Vampire)

Level: 23

Crimson Evo Points: 470/500

HP: 170/450

Energy: 130/350

[All stats 20% temporary]

Attributes (10 free points available)

Strength: 53

Vitality: 46

Agility: 44

Endurance: 40

Intelligence: 38

Perception: 43

Skills

Passive

Blood Regeneration (Lesser): Rapidly closes wounds using absorbed blood.

Night Vision: Perfect clarity in darkness.

Active

Blood Sense: Trace living blood signatures at short range.

Blood Lust: Temporarily boosts all stats when blood is present.

Creation: Construct weapons, armor, or even mecha. Requires beast cores.

Crimson Detection: Fusion of Blood Sense + Detect.

→ Detects living beings via blood signatures (Range: 30m).

→ Identifies beast cores, basic items, and materials.

---

Edem clenched his fists, his vision sharpening on the system screen.

"All into… Agility," he growled.

A wave of energy coursed through him. His body felt lighter, sharper—his muscles coiled with newfound speed. The sluggish heaviness vanished, replaced by a predatory quickness.

[Free Attribute Points Allocated: +10 Agility]

[Agility: 54]

Immediately after, his lips curled into a manic smile. His eyes glowed crimson, and the forest seemed to pulse with his heartbeat.

"Blood Lust—activate."

---

[Skill Activated: Blood Lust]

→ All stats increased by 30% while blood is present in the environment.

→ Duration: 5 minutes.

---

A surge of overwhelming power slammed into him. His wounds throbbed, his muscles bulged, and his blood boiled with predatory hunger. Every beat of his heart sent shockwaves of strength through his veins.

The flames no longer felt suffocating—no, they fueled him.

The Flame Tiger sensed the shift. Its molten eyes narrowed as its berserk aura intensified, fire licking higher around its form. The beast crouched, claws digging into molten soil, preparing to pounce.

Edem didn't wait.

He moved first.

His body blurred into motion, faster than his mind could keep up. The ground shattered under his step as he launched himself forward, his gauntlet glowing crimson, his pistols drawn in a single fluid motion.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Crimson Howlers roared, spitting crimson bullets that ripped through the air like meteors. Each bullet collided with the Tiger's flaming hide, detonating in blossoms of blood-red fire. The beast roared in pain, but its charge didn't stop.

The Flame Tiger burst through the barrage like a comet of fire, its claws swinging toward Edem with the weight of a collapsing mountain.

But Edem was no longer slow.

He ducked low, the flames grazing over his head as he rolled to the side. His gauntlet lashed out, claws raking across the Tiger's foreleg. Blood sprayed, sizzling in the air.

"Not enough!" Edem shouted, twisting as his pistols fired point-blank into the wound.

BANG!

The Flame Tiger's leg buckled, its body twisting as it tried to slam its tail into him. The whip-like strike connected, sending Edem flying into a tree. The trunk exploded into splinters as his armor groaned under the impact.

HP: 190/450

Edem coughed blood, his vision spinning.

"Still… not dead!" he hissed, forcing himself up.

The Tiger leapt again, this time its flames burning with white intensity. Its body was a blazing inferno, the ground melting beneath its paws.

Edem aimed both pistols, eyes narrowing.

"Blood Barrage—NOW!"

---

[Active Skill: Blood Barrage]

→ Launches a barrage of explosive crimson bullets for 10 seconds.

→ Cooldown: 30 minutes.

---

The Crimson Howlers screamed. A storm of crimson light erupted, flooding the battlefield with gunfire. Each bullet tore chunks of flesh from the Tiger's body, explosions rippling across its frame. Blood and fire painted the sky red.

The Flame Tiger roared in agony, its berserk state driving it forward despite the devastation. Its claws pierced through the storm, slamming into Edem's chest.

CRACK!

The rest of his armor shattered. Blood erupted from his mouth as he was hurled across the burning ground.

HP: 90/450

Pain consumed him. His vision blurred, black edges creeping into his sight.

The Flame Tiger staggered, half its body torn apart, but still alive. Its mane burned brighter, flames twisting into a pillar of destruction. It roared again, summoning its final strength to end the battle.

Edem crawled on his knees, coughing blood. His energy was almost gone. His regeneration could not keep up.

"This… is it…" he whispered, his crimson eyes trembling.

Then his gaze landed on the puddle of molten blood dripping from the Tiger's wounds.

A savage grin split his face.

He staggered forward, plunging his hand into the steaming blood. The crimson liquid crawled up his arm like living veins, searing his flesh but flooding his body with strength.

His wounds were stitched shut. His chest cracked back into place. His vision cleared, and his bloodlust surged higher than ever.

HP: 170/450 → 270/450

Energy: 50/350 → 150/350

The Flame Tiger froze mid-charge, sensing the unnatural surge in Edem's aura.

"You gave me your blood…" Edem whispered, his voice dark and venomous. His crimson eyes glowed like twin suns. "Now it will be your undoing."

He vanished. From his spot with a whoosh.

In a heartbeat, he was before the beast, the next, he was above it, descending like a crimson reaper. His hardened claws glowed with concentrated blood essence, sharper than steel.

"DIE!"

The claws tore through the Flame Tiger's skull. Crimson energy detonated inside its head. The beast let out one final, earth-shaking roar before collapsing in a sea of fire and blood.

ROAOOOOR—

THUUDD—

The battlefield fell silent.

Edem stood atop the corpse, chest heaving, his body drenched in steam and gore. His armor flickered faintly, his pistols smoking in his hands, his hand dripping with molten blood.

For a long moment, he simply breathed. Then he laughed.

"Hahaha… HAHAHAHA!"

His voice resonated throughout the devastated forest, embodying the laughter of a victor who had established dominion.

Then—

---

[Crimson Evo Points: 500/500 reached.]

[Evolution Available.]

---

Edem froze, his grin widening even further. His crimson eyes burned with anticipation.

"So… it's time for his second evolution."

The system's mechanical chime rang out once more, final and absolute.

---

[Do you wish to evolve?]

→ Yes / No

---

Edem's body trembled—not with fear, but with exhilaration. His hands clenched, his heart thundered, and his blood boiled with primal hunger.

The forest was silent, save for the crackle of dying flames.

Edem's lips curled into a savage smile.

"Of course…" he whispered. "Yes."

---

To be continued…

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