The Abyssal Drakekin turned, its crimson eyes meeting Karma's. A thin smile stretched across its jaw—disturbingly human, and utterly predatory.
Too late.
Karma's mind raced. Escape routes—east ravine, or use the trees—no, qi signature too strong. He grounded his stance, breath slowing. He had only one option left to ensure survival: knowledge. "If I can't flee cleanly, I'll test what I've got."
Host sanity decreasing… Mira warned.
"Call it curiosity," he whispered.
The air cracked. He unleashed Devour.
Dark currents flared around him, sucking ambient qi into a storm. Leaves turned to dust; the ground trembled. The Drakekin hissed, a flicker of surprise crossing its reptilian features.
Karma moved.
Sword flashing, he shot forward like a bolt, feet gliding on Silent Flowing Steps. His first strike carved a shallow arc through the creature's arm, sparks bursting as obsidian blood hissed on the ground.
The Demon Beast snarled—a sound more rage than pain—and retaliated with a claw swipe that shattered the air. Karma ducked, feeling the shockwave shear a nearby tree in half.
He countered with Iron Serpent Fists, the coiling momentum drilling into the beast's ribs. The blow cracked the carapace—barely.
Structural damage minimal. Opponent durability exceeds Host by 420%. Mira's report was chillingly precise.
"Noted!" Karma gritted his teeth, already twisting aside as the beast lunged.
Lightning exploded from its mouth. He rolled beneath it, dragging his blade in a low crescent—Azure Moon Cleave—severing part of its leg.
It roared, eyes blazing. The ground around them fractured under the pressure of its qi.
Karma's world narrowed to rhythm—strike, slip, strike. His movements blurred into a seamless flow, no longer bound by technique manuals or drills. Each motion was instinct, each dodge a whisper between death and survival.
To an onlooker, it would've seemed like a dance—graceful, lethal, inevitable. The black vortex of Devour trailed behind him like a phantom cloak, pulling the beast's scattered qi into his body with every clash.
But the strain was immense. His skin split in places, qi circuits screaming from overload.
"Mira!" he gasped. "Monitor—"
Body integrity dropping! Qi compression limit exceeded!
"Keep it together, then!"
He surged forward again, blade spinning in a wild backhand that scored a deep line across the beast's chest. The Drakekin staggered, snarling—then suddenly stopped.
It tilted its head, nostrils flaring.
Multiple high-tier signatures approaching—early Void Realm class. They're coming here.
The Demon Beast's eyes flicked toward the distant tremors. Its killing intent flared; its amusement vanished.
It was holding back.
The air ignited as it unleashed its true power. Lightning flared around its body, arcs slashing through trees like blades. Karma's sword arm went numb blocking a single strike. His ribs cracked from the next.
He was hurled backward, blood spraying from his mouth. The world blurred.
Host damage critical!
He rolled to a crouch, vision swimming. "If I stay… I die."
The thunder grew louder—the Void Realm beasts were closing fast. A desperate plan sparked in his mind.
He shot a glance toward the storm of auras rushing nearer and smiled bitterly. "Fine. Let's see if monsters eat each other too."
Gathering what remained of his qi, he dashed straight toward the newcomers. The Drakekin followed, roaring in fury.
Flight Through Chaos
The world devolved into madness.
From the east burst a tide of shadows—giant winged beasts with four eyes and hooked talons, each exuding oppressive might. Their arrival twisted the air itself.
The Demon Beast turned its roar upon them, lightning blasting outward. The incoming creatures shrieked in rage, responding with fire and wind. The sky became a storm of elemental carnage.
Karma used the chaos like a curtain. Slipping between broken trees, he sprinted through smoke and debris, Silent Flowing Steps carrying him faster than he'd ever moved.
Branches whipped his face; blood slicked his arm; pain roared in every muscle. But behind him, the roars of clashing titans drowned everything else.
He didn't look back.
"Mira," he panted, "distance!"
Two kilometers… three… pursuit decreasing. Energy signatures diverging. You're clear—for now.
He collapsed against a boulder, chest heaving. His sword tip dug into the soil. The scent of ozone still lingered on his skin.
He laughed breathlessly. "Core Formation Demon Beast… and I'm still breathing."
Barely! Mira scolded. You could've been vaporized! You fought something a realm higher than you—what were you thinking?
"That I needed to know where I stand," he said simply. "And that I'm not helpless anymore."
There was a pause. Then a soft sigh. You're impossible.
"Maybe." He smiled weakly. "But alive."
A Moment's Rest
Night fell again.
He found a small cavern tucked beneath a ridge—narrow, dry, hidden. After confirming no beasts lingered nearby, he slumped inside, back against the wall. The faint glow of spirit moss lit the darkness.
He drew a deep, trembling breath and began circulating qi, patching his torn meridians. The energy of Devour still flickered within him, restless but obedient.
As he meditated, the treasures he'd gathered shimmered in his mind's eye—herbs for pills, scales for forging, crystals for cultivation. Each was a promise of strength, a step toward something greater.
And somewhere far away, perhaps beneath the same moons, the others struggled too.
He brushed a thumb over the space ring's surface. "Thanks for this, Su Liana. If we meet again, I'll make it up to you."
Host emotional stability rising. Recovery speed increased by 7%. Mira noted.
Karma chuckled softly. "Even you measure sentiment?"
Everything measurable, Host. That's my job.
"Then measure this," he whispered, eyes hardening. "I'm not dying in this realm."
Outside, the storm of beasts raged faintly in the distance, a reminder of the power that ruled these skies.
Inside the cave, a single cultivator steadied his breath, mending wounds and sharpening resolve—a small flame in an endless dark.
And as the twin moons climbed higher, the shadows on the cave wall seemed to twist into the shape of wings.