The night air was heavy, thick with the residue of magic. The trees that once stood firm around them had been reduced to splinters, the earth torn apart by the residual force of their clash. Despite the destruction, an eerie silence settled over the battlefield.
Antru stood in the center of it all, his form quivering as the last traces of the eerie, ancient blood seeped into his veins. His humanoid figure was no longer human—his flesh had twisted, contorted into something grotesque. His once-pale skin had turned ashen, with vein-like black roots creeping up his limbs. His arms had elongated, his fingers now ending in gnarled, claw-like tips, and a second pair of eyes had opened on his forehead, burning with a dim, violet glow.
He could feel it—the surge of power. It was overwhelming, intoxicating. His senses sharpened beyond anything he had ever experienced, his body overflowing with raw strength.
For the first time, he felt as if he could stand among monsters.
His breath came out ragged as he focused on Eo—who stood completely still.
Eo hadn't moved.
Not out of fear. Not out of hesitation. He was simply watching.
A flicker of irritation passed through Antru’s distorted mind. Why wasn't Eo reacting? Did this creature not see him as a threat?
"You're not attacking?" His voice distorted, layered with something not entirely his own. "Are you afraid?"
Eo did not respond immediately. His golden gaze flickered, analyzing.
Then, at last, he spoke. "Curious."
Antru's twisted lips curled into a grin. "Curious? That’s all?"
He stepped forward, his movement unnatural, as if his body was still adjusting to the power coursing through it. He could feel it—his strength had more than doubled, his mana was surging wildly, unstable yet explosive.
He clenched his fingers experimentally.
"This is power."
His confidence swelled.
Eo, however, remained unmoving. Not tense. Not even wary. Just... observant.
It unsettled him.
Eo had fought Territorial Lords before. Three of them at once in the abyss, creatures of pure carnage and dominion. Yet even among those beings, a hierarchy of power existed.
The three Lords he had faced beneath the abyss? Low-tier.
Ozure, the kraken-like entity, had been stronger—upper-lower tier.
But Antru’s transformation?
Eo carefully categorized it in his mind. Peak-lower tier. A significant threat compared to a normal mage, but still a level below the greater monstrosities of the abyss.
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Even so, the fact that a single drop of blood had elevated Antru to this level…
That was what interested him.
His second will—splitting off without restraint thanks to his Core-Brain—dove into thought.
This wasn't the first time he had seen something like this.
He recalled the moment when Frid had consumed a vial of blood infused with Old Magic.
It had nearly wrecked his body.
The power was so incompatible with modern magic that it threatened to tear him apart.
And now, Antru—despite having been a High Grandmaster Mage—was experiencing a similar effect. His flesh was adapting, but his body wasn’t made for this power.
Eo's thoughts drifted deeper.
How could a mere drop of blood hold this much influence?
If the blood Frid consumed held traces of Old Magic, then what about the one Antru ingested?
What origin did it have?
His golden gaze narrowed slightly.
This level of alteration wasn’t something that should be possible with mere biological mutation. It was something deeper—an imprint of power that went beyond mere mana or magic.
It was something else.
Antru, unaware of Eo’s silent analysis, took another step forward.
His movements were still unstable, but his power was real.
He exhaled, feeling his confidence solidify.
"You see it, don’t you?" His voice dripped with arrogance. "This strength—this is what I’ve been chasing. I can feel it. I can match you now."
Eo's golden eyes gleamed.
Antru took that as a confirmation.
"Then come."
His body burst forward, his form a blur of dark motion.
A single strike—faster than he had ever moved before—aimed directly for Eo’s core.
BOOM.
The ground beneath them shattered from the force.
For a brief moment, Antru’s monstrous grin widened. He connected.
But then—
His grin froze.
Eo hadn’t moved.
He had let the attack land.
And yet… there wasn’t even a scratch.
Antru staggered back, his mind screaming in confusion. Impossible.
Eo finally moved.
Not to attack.
But to observe even closer.
His tendrils flickered slightly, brushing against the very space Antru occupied.
He was testing something.
Antru realized, too late, that Eo hadn't been fighting seriously. He was studying him.
Antru’s face twisted with rage. "You—!"
He lashed out again. Stronger. Faster. His claws ripped through the air, his movements blurring with newfound speed.
But each time—Eo merely tilted his body, avoiding the blows with effortless precision.
No wasted movement.
No unnecessary reaction.
Just complete control.
Antru’s frustration boiled over. "STOP LOOKING DOWN ON ME!"
He roared, pouring his full mana into a massive, destructive blast.
BOOOOM!
The explosion tore through the land, consuming Eo’s form entirely.
For a second, silence.
Then—a voice.
"Interesting."
The smoke parted.
Eo stood there—unscathed.
Antru's confidence collapsed.
His body, which had felt unstoppable moments ago, now trembled.
His new power—it was nothing before this creature.
He thought he had bridged the gap.
But now, for the first time—he realized.
There was no gap to bridge.
He was merely a child holding a sharpened stick against a being far beyond his understanding.
Eo, still deep in thought, barely regarded him now.
His mind was elsewhere.
This blood.
This transformation.
How many others had consumed similar power?
What ancient forces had left behind such remnants?
Eo’s gaze flickered back to Antru.
His second will continued its calculations.
Perhaps… if he allowed Antru to survive just a little longer… he might reveal something more.
A useful experiment.
A live subject.
For the first time, Eo entertained the idea of keeping Antru alive.
