When Ruddy heard that, his knees turned weak, but he didn't let himself fall. He used the unsheathed gunto as a cane as he teared. His lips were stretched in a smile. A smile full of hope.
He could finally hope for his survival and see the end of the road, the end of his trial.
"Hah…" His lips quivered as he started to gasp.
He looked around him, and at the dead body of Warrior, its eyes were hollow.
"I shouldn't feel bad about these… after all, I don't know what happened to the real sacrifice," Ruddy spoke as he waited for his trial to end.
Moments passed, but nothing happened. Ruddy frowned.
"What's going on? End the trial already." He looked up and yelled.
He waited again, and like before, nothing happened.
Ruddy's face turned dark, but he suddenly remembered what he hadn't thought of till now.
He looked at the dead body of the masked figure.
"It can't be-"
Exactly at that moment, razor-sharp teeth bite into his shoulder.
Ruddy screamed as his shoulder burned with pain. He turned a little, and there he saw two malicious blue eyes looking at him in amusement.
Ruddy gritted his teeth as he plunged the gunto into the demon's body.
The demon's grip on his shoulder loosened. Ruddy jumped back and finally looked at the demon.
It stood there with black blood leaking out from all over its body, and both of its arms were limp. It was already one foot down in the grave.
A cruel smile appeared on Ruddy's face as he tightened his grip around the gunto.
He stepped forward, and the demon's eyes turned dark as it stepped back.
Ruddy's smile widened into a grin as he jumped at it. The demon, who was looking at him with fear, suddenly grinned as it moved its right arm, which pierced through Ruddy's abdomen. His right knee faltered.
Ruddy looked at the demon's arm with a shocked expression.
He lifted his head and looked into the eyes of the demon. The demon appeared happy, ecstatic even.
Ruddy gritted his teeth as he forced himself up and tightened the grip around the gunto's handle.
"Don't you dare look down on me, you beast!" He spat as he picked up the gunto and pierced it right at the demon's soul spark. He ignored the pain and stepped forward. He bit on the demon's shoulder and activated Blood Heal.
His body trembled as the corruption within the demon's blood tried to take over Ruddy's soul.
Ruddy felt pain much worse than the one he felt before, but he didn't stop. Soon, his skin cracked as corruption began to take over his soul.
Ruddy took out the gunto and stabbed it again. The demon's soul spark turned dimmer and dimmer.
Ruddy's knees went weak as he fell, and his wounds began to heal unnaturally. He screamed in agony as corruption began to devour his soul. His eyes turned dimmer with each moment.
"T-That's how I-I die H-Huh? Ha… HaHa…" Ruddy spoke in a guttural tone as blood tears rolled down his face. Ruddy began to shut down his eyes, and then came the voice,
[You have slain a demon (Dormant), Gloomwraith.]
[Warrior Rudric, Your trial has been concluded.]
Ruddy's body began to glow brightly as his vision darkened.
He stood in an endless dark space as God's Will examined his trial.
[A devotee of the crimson moved through the forest full of faith and malice,
Ruin followed his every step,
Both demons and devotees fell at his blood-soaked hands,
He crossed the scorched land of a long-forgotten war,
Stepping into the temple of the dawn, He sacrificed the blessed of a god at the altar of the gods themselves,
The gods were dead, yet they responded to him,
The prideful blood god chose him as their heir,
The shadow god who envied the blood god chose him as their blessed,
His deed was so vile that it broke down the altar of the gods itself,
Yet he didn't stop as he stole the life of a demon within the temple itself,
Painting it with his vile colours.]
[Your heinousness has no bounds.]
[Splendid. Warrior Rudric, you have been bestowed with a true name.]
[Lightless Crimson.]
Ruddy turned silent, his eyes wide as he heard all of that.
"A true name?!" Ruddy exclaimed in surprise...
"Wait, what does it mean by 'heinous'?" Ruddy questioned with a stupefied look.
Suddenly, his vision blurred as he once again heard the voice of God's Will.
[Your trait is being awakened…]
Moments passed, and Ruddy found himself standing in a radiant sea filled with starlight like water. A layer of fog covered the sea, six moons of various colours—Gold, Blue, White, Black, Red, and Purple— and a sun hung up in the sky with stars gleaming in the sky.
Ruddy called out to his stats, and runes appeared before him.
—
Name: Rudric (Dormant) | Lightless Crimson
Trait: Scion of the blood.
Trait rank: Mythos
Trait Description: Blood listens to your call and helps you in your struggles.
Trait Abilities: [Blood manipulation], [Blood heal]
Sub Trait: [Tainted], [Shadow Blessed]
Other Abilities: [Eyes of the Scourge], [Shadow steps], [Shadow hide]
Soul Corridor -
Relic: [Umbral Censer]
Soul limit: 0/2
Soul Spark: 1/7
Blood Essence: 0/1000
—
Ruddy turned silent as he looked at the runes and pinched himself.
"Eek?!" He let a low squeal at the sting.
"Is this truly true?" Ruddy mumbled in wonder as he stared at the runes.
He focused his eyes on the new sub-traits and abilities.
__
[Blood manipulation] Ability Description: You can manipulate the blood of beings with the same or weaker rank than you to craft weapons and objects.
[Shadow Blessed] Sub trait Description: You are blessed by the shadow god. Shadows think of you as their own.
[Eyes of the Scourge] Ability Description: You can see through dark, unseen, and the -Unknown-
[Shadow steps] Ability Description: You can move through the shadows.
[Shadow hide] Ability Description: You can blend within the shadows.
__
"FUCK! It's a damn mythos-ranked trait... haha!" Ruddy yelled as he began to laugh like a madman.
"It's the highest rank there is, if I am not wrong..." He mumbled with a wide grin.
The traits are ranked Common, Rare, Epic, Fabled, Exalted, Ancient, and Mythos.
"-Unknown- again..." Ruddy mumbled with a puzzled look.
"I can increase my soul sparks too... is it because I am heir of the blood god?" Ruddy questioned as he read the maximum soul sparks he could have.
"I can be much more than a lowly beast... A Disaster even..."
Cores are classified as:
1 core — Beast
2 cores — Fiend
3 cores — Demon
4 cores — ArchDemon
5 cores — Tyrant
6 cores — Overlord
7 cores — Disaster
[You are being awakened...]