I look around in confusion, there was no else around me but I am certain I heard a feminine voice coming from somewhere. The others were all by the pillar and I was about 100 feet away from them. Did the lizardman king have a skill to get inside of my head like that demon?

“Your footing is all wrong and you’re gripping the spear to tight. You’re going to die at this rate.”

The voice continues lecturing me as I look for the source of the voice. It didn’t seem to be coming from my surroundings, it feels like its talking straight into my mind. Besides the trees and dead bodies around me, there was only one object that knows about spears.

“Are you the cursed spear?”

“Heh, you finally realized it. I’ve been trying to talk to you but you couldn’t hear me until now.”

“Who are you?”

I was wary of the spear. Fifi called it a cursed spear so whatever entity that is sealed inside of the spear must not be good.

“Don’t be so wary. I’m Kurulu, the Blood Empress.”

“I’ve never heard of you.”

“That’s fine, we have plenty of time to get to know each other. You should concentrate on your fight if you don’t want to die.”

The lizardman king wasn’t that far away and the others hadn’t finished killing the lizardmen yet. I hold the spear and brace myself for the collision. At my current level, I’m unsure if I can beat the lizardman king by myself but Kurulu might be able to help. Like she had read my mind, Kurulu gives out a proposal.

“Hehehe, I can help you if you want. You just have to do me a favor.”

Her eerie laughter echoes in my mind as she waits for my answer. Her tone was suspicious and I know what she wants isn’t going to be anything good, but I need her help right now. If I can’t kill or keep the lizardman king at bay, then we’re all going to die.

“What’s your condition?”

“I want you to help me find someone.”

Her voice was filled with anguish and anger as she stated her condition. I don’t know who she’s looking for but I’m glad that her condition was doable. I was afraid that she would ask me for my blood since she called herself the Blood Empress but she didn’t. I promised Fifi that I wouldn’t recklessly give out my blood to strangers so I wouldn’t able to complete her request if she did ask.

“Ok.”

She didn’t go into details about her request but she begins instructing me on how I could escape from this situation. Under Kurulu’s instructions, I fix my footing and loosen the grip on my spear. I bend my knees and prepare for the lizardman king’s attack. Suddenly the lizardman king uses his tail to send himself flying in the sky and his goal was to squish me like a pancake. I was going to try and dodge but Kurulu tells me to stay still and point my spear towards him

With the spear raised towards the sky, a red aura begins to wrap around the spear. Kurulu was doing something as the blood from my injuries begins to wrap around the spear. The spear begins pulsating like a heartbeat as the spearhead grows in size and sharpness. Although the spear looks grotesque, it feels familiar like its a part of my body.

“We’ll finish it in one shot. Don’t mess up or you’re going to turn into tomato soup.”

The lizardman king quickly descends and I thrust the spear towards him. The energy in my body surges as the spear stabs into the lizardman king’s body. The scales weren’t a problem for the spear but my aim was off. I aimed for his heart but only pierced through the side of his stomach.

“Too weak. Dodge his tail.”

He swings his tail at me but I use all the strength in my body and throw off his large body. The spear dealt significant damage which caused the lizardman to not chase. Blood was seeping out from his fingertips as he held the wound. His face was filled with anger and shock as he warily watched me with the cursed spear. Looking at his injury, it wasn’t healing like it was earlier. 

“Jude, watch out for the axes!!!”

Fifi screams and I realize that the two axes are flying through the air in my direction. One was coming from the left and the other from the right, he was trying to corner me. I didn’t have enough time to dodge out of the way so I jump into the air and lay as flat as possible. One ax flies right above me and the other right below me. I was narrowingly able to dodge them but I could feel my body being cut up by invisible blades.

My blood splatters onto the axes as they fly away again. The lizardman king must be able to remotely control those axes and they clearly have a special ability on them. Just being near them had caused my body to be sliced up by invisible blades. Kurulu begins speaking to me but our conversation was interrupted by the lizardman king’s laughter.

The axes fly towards me again and whether it’s deflecting or dodging, I would still be injured. The moment I try to charge at him, he would aim the axes towards the pillar so I would have to intercept them.  My body was filled with wounds and it was only thanks to Kurulu’s control of blood that I had not bled to death yet. Just a little bit more then the lizardmen in the pillar would all be dead.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Obey me and answer to your new master. Blood Binding.”

The axes begin to fall down from the sky as I charge towards the lizardman king. His face was filled with shock as the axes begin to fly towards him. Using my blood as a conduit Kurulu was able to use blood magic to control the axes through my blood splattered on them.

“Hoh, your blood is something. I haven’t seen this kind of quality in quite a long time.”

Although it was quite a surprise to him, the lizardman king was able to react to the sudden situation. One of the axes was slapped away by his tail and the other had embedded itself into his left arm. His tail and arm were nearly sliced off so he was incredibly angered. Taking the ax out of his left arm, he charges towards me but he was too late.

While he was preoccupied with the axes, I was already right in front of him. I charge forward and slice off his left arm, but I wasn’t done yet. Using the spear, I push off his body and send myself into the air. Seeing that I was trying to run away, the lizardman king swings his tail towards me but that was what I wanted. Under Kurulu’s instructions, I swing the spear upwards with all my strength.

“GGRRAAAAHHH!!!!”

“Jude, we’re done! Hurry!”

With little resistance, the spear cleanly slices through his tail. My aim was slightly off from the injury I had made on the tail earlier but Kurulu was able to use blood magic to adjust the aim. I run towards the pillar as the lizardman king screams in agony. Fifi, Gorou, Jill, and Mako were waiting at the entrance for me.

“Earth wall!!”

Jill screams and I could hear the sound of a wall shattering behind me. I didn’t even have to look back to know that the lizardman king was chasing after me. His screams were echoing throughout the cave but suddenly stops as Mako shoots dirt into his mouth. I continue running but my body was becoming sluggish, I took too much damage.

Each step felt heavy and it was taking me all my energy just to make sure I don’t pass out. My eyelids were heavy but I could see Gorou running towards me. He grabs my waist and sounds of metal clashing against metal ring out. Warm energy fills my body as the two of us were sent flying away by the lizardman king’s attack.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, thanks Gorou.”

Gorou stabs the greatsword into the ground and we come to a stop. We were inside of the pillar and I could see the lizardman king chasing us from the outside. Without any hesitation, we begin climbing the large spiral staircase. Looking up, I could see that William and the others were a few floors ahead of us. 

As Gorou was carrying me, Fifi and he were healing my injuries. I wasn’t as tired and my energy was slowly coming back. Everything was going fine but that was when the lizardman king barges into the pillar. Looking down the staircase I was shocked, his injuries were closed. His tail and his left arm weren’t bleeding anymore and his aura was stronger than earlier.

“He must have absorbed some of your blood, Jude.”

As soon as Fifi clarified the situation, the lizardman king’s throat began bulging. The mana was rapidly gathering around him and I already knew what he was trying to do.

“We have to stop him now or we won’t be able to escape.”

Gorou places me down as he holds the greatsword in front of him like a shield. I take the Water Pouch and release the water inside of it. Fifi, Mako, and Jill begin chanting and the water rises into the air. It was faster to use water mana for water magic then to convert pure mana into water mana. While everyone was trying to fight there way out of the situation, I felt useless because I couldn’t use magic.

“Kurulu, can you release the curse on the spear.”

“I know what you’re thinking but I can’t. But there’s another way I can help you out of this situation.”

“What is it?”

“I can teach you how to control blood.”

“Isn’t that still magic? I won’t be able to use it with the cursed spear.”

“Hehehe, who do you think understand this curse the best.”

I couldn’t say anything back. I don’t know how long Kurulu has been part of the spear but her understanding of it is probably better than Fifi’s and mine. 

“This curse prevents you from using magic but I’ve been in here long enough to tweak the settings. You can use blood magic but that isn’t its only effect, It amplifies the strength of blood magic.”

“What’s your condition?”

“Hehe, you’re really starting to understand me. I just need a drop of your blood every once in a while.”

Her condition was surprisingly similar to Fifi’s this time. Earlier her condition was for her own objective but now it seems like she’s aiming for my blood. Her blood magic is incredible considering how it easily slices through the lizardman king’s scales but her condition was the problem. Once again I realize how valuable my blood is.

“No.”

“Good, then its a deal...Wait, what did you say?”

“I said no.”

Fifi has warned me countless times that people will be after my blood and Kurulu is one such person. Relief fills my body as I reject her condition, it feels like she’s been leading me on and I didn’t like the feeling of being used. If it was Mako or Lisa who wanted some blood I wouldn’t mind giving them some, but I can’t trust Kurulu.

“You need my blood magic if you want to live. Are you going to give up right here?”

“You’re right that I need blood magic, but it doesn’t have to be yours.”

I concentrate and copy how Kurulu had used blood magic. It was less reliant on mana and more reliant on the synchronization of the blood. The blood on my body and clothes might be dried up, but it’s the same as the blood in my body. Using mana I create a connection between the blood inside of my body and the blood on my clothes.

Controlling blood was harder than water but that foundation in water magic makes it easier. The blood comes out of my clothes and gathers into a small orb. It was a dull red color and didn’t seem as powerful as Kurulu’s blood magic, but it feels natural.

“You...how did you copy my blood magic?”

Kurulu was shocked but I didn’t have time to listen to her because the lizardman king was attacking. His flames escape his mouth and rushes towards us. The heat was just as strong or even stronger than Gul’sa Quan’s. With sweat dripping down my boy, I shoot out the orb of blood.

“What’s that?”

“Jude?”

“An orb?”

Gorou was concentrating so he didn’t realize that I had shot out the orb of blood. The others were surprised but they didn’t have time to think as the orb made an impact with the flame breath. A small explosion occurs and the flame splits into several smaller streams of fire. Now that the flames weren’t concentrated, it wasn’t a problem for Fifi, Mako, and Jill to deal with. Torrents of water fly through the air and collide with the flames. Because they were opposing elements, they were canceling one another out.

A few escaped through the gaps but Gorou and I were able to handle them. The situation was basically dealt with but I was wondering how we were going to deal with the lizardman king. Even if we deal with this attack, it won’t stop him from chasing after us. The staircase was incredibly tall and would give him many chances to attack.

“Wait, where’s his ax?”

Jill points it out and bad feeling overwhelms me. Before any of us could react, the ax crashes through the wall and was on the verge of cutting Mako in half. I rush forward and was able to block the ax from going any further but I was sent flying away. My body that was healed by Gorou and Fifi was once again filled with cuts.

“Jude!!”

The center area of the spiral staircase was empty so I begin to fall down. The situation was too sudden that the others didn’t have a chance to use magic to save me. Even if they did use magic, it wouldn’t be fast enough for me to evade the danger that was coming for me. The lizardman king was right below me and his mouth was wide open.