Chương 427: Chapter 398: More Elites

The aura of a strong army washed over Rakati, Aris, and Thalion in the form of the Crimson Eidolon. His real body was safe in the cargo hold of the skyship, with the Sanguis Impera sealing the entrance. This outpost looked similar to the last one, with the only difference being fewer watchtowers but two additional skyships. The army must have known they were coming.

The teleportation arrays on the skyships must have been used multiple times already, as four warriors at the same level as Rakati and Aris stood at the front of the force. Two of them were Aviari—one with yellow feathers, the other with white—and two were Raskari with deep blue scales. The white-feathered bird was female and by far the biggest threat. She held a long wand engraved with feathers, giving her a clear shamanic appearance. Thalion couldn't see how many were in the army, but it was a lot.

Any normal fighter would have run out of resources long ago fighting this many enemies. But blood had its advantages—you could devour the fallen and restore your mana, stamina, and health. For Thalion, this wasn't necessary thanks to the outsider supporting him, but for Aris and Rakati, it would soon become essential. This army was dangerous. Very dangerous. Thalion actually considered whether they should turn around and flee. Four elites, three skyships, and an army of E-grade fighters… This might be too much.

"Aris, how dare you disgrace our sect like this?" the female shouted.

"And what is this abomination beside you? No matter. We four challenge you to a duel to the death in honor of Ratgul, our great patron!" Well, that made things easier. Thalion had to stop himself from doing a little pirouette in the air. Mentally, he clapped hands with the Sanguis Impera. It was strange that four challenged three, but whatever. It took all of Thalion's self-control not to ask Aris outright if these people were truly this stupid.

To be fair, Thalion also preferred dealing with problems personally, but the sheer confidence these four had was ridiculous. Two of their people had already been turned into abominations, and an entire outpost was destroyed. And this was a sect—they didn't care about their members. They sent people on dangerous missions constantly. It could also be that these four elites didn't want to share the experience rewards with the army behind them. If the army helped, the elites would get nothing.

A duel was a much better deal for them, when it came to the experience gained. And a duel might even give Thalion the opportunity to turn a few more of them. The worst-case scenario was that Aris and Rakati died while Thalion failed to replace them—especially not turning the female would be a waste. She clearly ranked above Aris in the hierarchy and probably knew more about the next stages of the treasure hunt. Turning her would be extremely valuable.

Thalion didn't know whether Aris and Rakati could win against these four, but they didn't have a choice. They needed blood, and fighting was the only way to get it. They were already in terrible shape—red saliva dripping from their half-open mouths, eyes wild and unfocused. Thalion extended his hands toward them and transferred some of his stored blood. He could afford to part with some if it increased their chances.

Aris and Rakati changed immediately—the haunted expressions vanished, their backs straightened, and their breathing steadied. The whole process was watched with great interest by the female Aviari.

"Who are you, and what did you do to them?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. Thalion held back the urge to hit her with Crimson Gaze. That would probably just break some charm and ruin his chance to get information. Still, he struggled to find the right words.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a trialtaker trying to earn extra points by slaying you. You're no different—you're here to kill me too. Just out of curiosity: does your sect reward you for killing me?" If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. The female smirked. Aris and Rakati exchanged an uncertain glance, unsure whether they should speak.

"Since my brother is the sect leader, I would say yes. Though the reward probably isn't tied to your death specifically—I receive plenty of things anyway. But you still haven't answered my earlier question: how did you turn these two into abominations, and why are they following you so willingly?" Her smirk sharpened even further. Ah, so that was where the strange attitude came from. She thought Thalion was mentally controlling the two and wanted to learn how to do it herself.

For someone at the top of a sect, that would become a terrifyingly powerful weapon. Thalion's thoughts raced as he pieced everything together. This meant he was extremely valuable to her—valuable enough that she might not even go for the kill. Not that killing him was possible in the first place, since Thalion was sitting safely in the cargo hold of the skyship behind them. Maybe the female hadn't even realized that this was a skill and not his real body.

The conclusion was simple: Thalion needed to target the female in this fight. It bothered him that she looked like a shaman, and even more that she was far too confident for his liking—as if she knew something he didn't. That feeling gnawed at him. He checked his danger sense again, but there was nothing unusual.

"Like I'm going to tell scum like you how my techniques work. You are unworthy," Thalion snorted—but the voice that came out of the Crimson Eidolon sounded far more dangerous than he intended. He just wanted to provoke her a bit while making sure she would restrain herself.

"Fine then, let the duel begin. We will talk later—after I've captured you, foul spirit." The female's tone was bittersweet, but it shifted instantly to commanding authority as she raised her staff and pointed at Thalion.

"ATTACK!" The other three didn't waste a second and charged at Rakati and Aris, who were even faster now, unleashing all their power from the very start. Thalion had to admit—their bloodlust countered the arrogance of these elites extremely well. The three enemy fighters had not given it their all, while Rakati and Aris were burning through their resources from both ends as they launched forward. Thalion didn't have time to watch the clash, because the female Aviari was already pointing her feathery staff at him.

Only now did Thalion realize… That wasn't a staff. It was a leg. The feathery leg glowed with white power as a number of images appeared before the female, depicting small predatory birds that all launched toward him. With his title, Thalion immediately recognized the skill as heavily mental in nature. The Crimson Eidolon was almost indestructible against physical or magical attacks— but mental attacks were another matter. Mental attacks could damage Thalion's soul while shredding the Eidolon.

And unlike the others, he had no charm to protect him. Speaking of charms, Thalion instantly tested whether the shaman had one by hitting her with a Crimson Gaze. She did. Not just one. On her right wrist, a chain of three gems cracked at once. Thalion grunted in annoyance as he unleashed a manawave, destroying the white birds flying toward him from all angles. The female had three more of those charm chains and the cracked one still had several gems left.

There was absolutely no way Thalion could achieve anything with Crimson Gaze in this fight, except maybe annoy her by destroying her wealth. On the other hand… if he managed to turn her, she would lose the protection and he could steal one of the charm chains for himself. Thalion didn't bother suppressing his aura or bloodline flames any longer. A wave of killing intent rolled out from his form while dark red flames erupted all around him, bathing the surroundings in blood-colored light.

Unlike Aris, who had been obsessed with close combat, this female was perfectly happy to stay at range. Which was exactly why Thalion decided to get closer. He could fight from afar, but that would cost a lot of blood he preferred to save for stabilizing his minions later. Better to close the distance and use one of his other skills. Thalion accelerated in a wide arc toward the female. She swung her feathered leg in response, releasing a white shockwave toward him—again with a heavy mental component.

Fighting her must have been a nightmare for anyone, no matter their style. This time Thalion dove under the shockwave before activating Mistform to close the remaining distance, both bloodclaws ready to strike. The female began releasing white mist from her feathers. It reminded Thalion of Aris's aura before he was turned—only far more potent and again with a mental effect. Thalion veered right, slashing with his claws and unleashing ten dark red arcs from his strikes, while gathering fire in both hands.

A moment later, two condensed jetstreams of dark red flames roared toward her. The female dodged the slashes with a beat of her wings and prepared a counterattack, the white glow around her intensifying. But she was a bit too slow—Thalion's flames struck her in the side, searing away several feathers. The flames didn't stop there. They clung to her body, continuing to burn. With that hit, the curse was also applied, and it clearly irritated her—the glow around her flickered erratically.

She glanced down at the burning spot on her side, which was a grave mistake. Behind Thalion, a portal of dark red flames opened—radiating the full might of his bloodline.