The mental hospital was a converted plantation home that'd undergone several renovations and then been allowed to decay. Vines covered the plaque that read "St. Augustine," and the trees closest to the property had leaves that were red and brown, as if it were constantly Autumn.
We'd expected a cavalry at the entrance, some massive assault team that we were supposed to systematically mow through, but it would seem the church had finally learned its lesson and was conserving its people. Or they figured out it would be smarter for them to just watch us tire ourselves out hammering on the crimson dome that surrounded the building.
It gave off a dull light in my eyes and was practically invisible to Shelim and Nathan. Producing Curse Piercer, I approached the barrier.
Curse Piercer was a long classical European Longsword with a steel arm guard and blade covered in the slightest hint of rust. The leather handle had seen better days. All in all, I'd expect it to fall apart after a single solid swing if I hadn't seen it in action.
"Here goes nothing."
I switched out my third copied technique from Earth Manipulation to Blood Manipulation and triggered the internal technique that inspired my own self-made one—Flowing Red Scales.
Reddish bags appeared under my eyes, and bloody tear marks ran down my cheeks, terminating at my jaw.
Red Riot was impressive--it tripled my insane base physical stats, but it was no match for Flowing Red Scales stacked on top of my high-level Curse Energy Manipulation and Reinforcement skills.
Collectively, it boosted my base stats by 1400%. Well above what a gifted Special Grade might even expect.
Streamers of Curse Energy drifted into the air, and Nathan took an involuntary step back, shocked at the sheer amount of power oozing off me.
I kept going, flooding my arm with Curse Energy in preparation for Overdrive, and finished off by wrapping the blade in Sword Aura and stabbing.
It was like a mortar went off. The debris and shockwave tore up the ground, snapped branches, and shook trees. The sorcerers dug their heels in and weathered the hurricane, and I saw that the very tip of my blade had penetrated the barrier somehow.
George caught on as well and wrapped his blue around my blade and helped me push. The barrier crackled, carmine light pouring out of the tear that widened marginally with every push. Tense seconds passed with barely any improvements.
"Give me some space," I called out as I switched techniques, easing off Blood Manipulation and switching to Inverse. Red Riot was activated to make up for the loss in strength. Gathering positive energy, I pushed it through my technique and flicked the pommel of the blade.
This close to my technique discharge, the kinetic energy hit me like a bull kick. It slipped through my skin, sinking deep into muscle tissue and shaking my bones. But my hair-brained scheme worked.
Curse Piercer was sunk halfway to the hilt. An expertly placed Expanse shoved the blade downward, turning the crack to a tear wide enough for us to slip through. Unsatisfied with the overall size, I twisted the blade, angling the edge to the right, flicked the blade with an expanse, and repeated the process. Curse Piercer intersected with the first hole it created, carving a perfect triangle.
I kicked the loose wall of magical stuff away, and it dissolved like smoke before it even touched the ground, leaving open a clear, if small, path to the Mental hospital.
"Tick Tock," I said. "The world won't save itself."
--
Brother Blood POV
Massive rivulets of blood swirled down ancient causeways carved by dark magic and time, emptying into a marked stone pit edifying generations of sacrifice.
My bride laid in an altar just beyond the pool, restricted with ancient magic spells, bonds, and rituals provided by her father in preparation for this very day.
I knew I was special when my magic awakened before my fifth birthday, but I never dreamed of being the final Brother Blood. Triggon spoke to me on the eve of my tenth birthday, granting me his daughter's hand in marriage.
At twelve, I'd learned everything my father—Nathan Sanger-- had to teach and was ready to assume the role of High Priest, but I didn't kill him yet. I left Zanzia to see the world first.
I learned the ways of the Witches of Africa, pursued the esoteric methods of the East and then West, and collected the blood of the many opponents and rivals I vanquished during my journey. My coronation had been a grand affair, and disposing of my father was an afterthought.
The first soak in the pit transformed me, granting the strength, powers, and experiences of every man, woman, beast, and meta-human I had slain in my three-year journey, as well as the strength of eleven generations of High-priests and their loyal followers.
My first act had been to spend a great deal of that freshly acquired strength barricading the mental hospital. I summoned demons from hell and empowered several dozen members of the Church's congregation, boosting their magics.
Then, I created a shield strong enough to keep even the greatest practitioners out, and went hunting for my bride, Raven. Though young and relatively untrained, she put up quite the fight, forcing me to spend a great deal of my magical potency and return to Zanzia to recharge with her in tow.
"All Hail, Brother Blood! All Hail Brother Blood!" Dressed in cloaks of red, the congregation of the church were gathered to witness me remake the world.
The church's chants filled me with a strange warmth that I found singular. Nothing compared. Not all of the magical knowledge and artefacts I've gathered, and certainly not the magic of the blood pit.
I breathed in deep, approaching the edge of the pit. It was appropriate that their adulation ushered me to the glorious future of the church.
"For Nine Hundred years, the Church of Blood has remained stalwart in its mission and unflinching in its faith in our Lord Triggon."
I spread my hands wide, soaking in their devotion. "Today, Paradise has come. And we, the faithful, shall inherit the earth."
The screams were deafening. The entire cave system shook. I took a step into the Sanguine waters, and then the double doors of the underground chamber flung open.
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