In Emily's old world, powers were classified into a tier system ranging from F to A—A being the strongest and F the weakest. S-Grade individuals, like Emily, were an exception to this scale; their abilities were too varied to fit neatly into the standard classification. Some possessed extraordinary powers, yet their practical applications were minimal. Others, however, were dangerously versatile.

For instance, one recorded S-Grade ability allowed its wielder to perceive time at a fraction of its normal speed, effectively granting them an infinite moment to think. However, their body remained bound by reality, making them functionally no different from an ordinary person—except for the curse of experiencing every second stretched into eternity.

Beyond raw power, abilities were further divided into two categories: fixed powersets and growth powersets. As the name implies, growth power sets evolved over time, strengthening or adapting to suit the user's needs. Fixed powersets, on the other hand, emerged at full strength upon manifestation and remained largely unchanged.

Emily's ability was a growth powerset—one of the reasons she was considered such a threat. While growth abilities often started out weaker than their fixed counterparts, their potential for expansion meant they could eventually surpass even the most powerful fixed powersets.

On its own blood manipulation was a rare gift, but it usually manifested as a fixed power. Meaning that one would have an upper limit to how much blood they could control.

Of course, she also had the vitality portion of her gift –allowing her to create and use her own blood–that further secured her in special grade.

Emily's growth-type power made it so that she fundamentally didn't have a ceiling as to how much blood she could manipulate, but this didn't mean she was alone.

Others had growth-type abilities, and all of their growths were dependent on something. Emily needed to build up the Life force by draining it from others, but other powers weren't picky. For example, Emily knew a villain with Atmokinesis, which meant his power related to the control of the weather. His power was a growth type, and he needed only breath to grow his power. The more air he in took into his lungs, the more violent and relentless his storms grew. Emily had been bitter about the ease with which he grew, but she learned early on that the easier the condition, the quicker one hit their eventual limits, because even growth abilities could hit a ceiling.

Now, as Emily recounted this display of power, she was reminded of this fact. She could still feel the dull stab of the Shaman's needle going in repeatedly as she watched the city below. It had long since fallen to ruin, becoming a place of walking courses and spreading bile.

Tumrous flesh climbed over one another to get to Emily, their desperately hungry eyes watching her. Revulsion irked at her, and she was about ready to turn around and leave, but her wish didn't matter right now.

What mattered then was destroying the city, for inside it was a growth-type power user, just like herself.

The difference was that he was a disease manipulator. He could accelerate and change illnesses at his whim, making them benign or, in this case, more aggressive. The man had started out as a powerful healer that others had flocked to for help with ailing family and friends. But as life would have it, the condition to grow his power was to spread the diseases that he made. Over time, the power user secretly experimented with creating a singular incurable disease, and eventually, he got what he desired.

It didn't kill its host but mutated them beyond human recognition. Enhancing their strength and speed to that of low-level supers, even allowing him to control their actions. Not even those with powers related to health and regeneration were immune, all it took was longer for his disease to take them down and add them to the ever-growing hoard of zombies. The supervillain wanted to take over the entire planet with his disease, and to make matters worse, the heroes were at a loss for what to do. Fighting civilians wasn't an option as they were innocent in this, and finding the originator was not possible because he was as mutated as the rest of them hiding in the city.

So, before things got out of hand, one of her contacts in the government had gotten in touch with Emily. They knew what they were getting themselves into because they only called on a villain when all other measures failed.

She was their nuclear option, and when all was said and done, the atrocities committed could be pinned on her. Emily took the job because the money was good and because if this disease spread, it could mean the end of the world. And all her stuff was in the world. Her apartment, her favorite bakery, that one really good sushi place—gone. Unacceptable.

The fact that the heroes wouldn't dirty their hands with a task like this frustrated Emily, but at least it paid well. Luckily, by the time she'd gotten there, the user had only just taken over the city of Manhattan.

Emily flinched as she watched herself descend from the heavens and send writhing waves of blood down into the street. Removing the disease one body at a time. The tendrils of blood were as thick as subway carriages, and they slithered through the city streets like vines feeling their way through crevices. Countless smaller offshoots speared into the skulls of the blighted and washed into buildings. Climbing up hundreds of buildings like a rapidly growing forest of red coral.

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Emily wasn't picky, and wherever the blood moved, death followed. It was the only way to ensure the disease didn't spread. That did not mean those infected didn't try to fight back. Those with powers screeched, sending waves of attacks at her, but Emily mercilessly dispatched them too.

The disease user had based his pandemic on an airborne strain, but it still needed to get into the body via the lungs and then through the blood-brain barrier.

The only reason the disease hadn't spread faster was that the city had been cordoned off by the heroes long before it got to the airports.

None of that mattered now, but it did mean that when the infected rushed to spit their bloody bile at her, it was useless.

Gradually, the streets had become desolate, and the hoards dwindled as the countless people living in there breathed their last agonized breath. Each time one charged at her, they died, their life force joining Emily's, and eventually, she narrowed the search down.

It took her hours, but she eventually found the diseased user residing in a penthouse suit. His mutated, slime-covered body was covered by a hotel bathrobe.

He stepped out onto the balcony and motioned for her to come closer, so she drifted down.

"We could be great allies-" he started.

The memory blurred because his words were so inconsequential to her that she didn't bother remembering them. It was something along the lines of, join me, and together, with our powers, we could rule the world.

But Emily didn't want or need that, so instead, she called all the blood below them to coil around the base of the ruined skyrise. The scene was reminiscent of a colossal tentacle rising from the depths and crushing the building in its grip. They fought, she won, end of story.

To make sure he was dead, Emily sliced him up and dried him in a ball of her blood so that whatever disease he had could not escape, then delivered the remains to the authorities for study.

As the memory faded, Emily remembered where she was and what she had been doing. The pain had stopped, and she turned her head to the side to look at the Shaman. He'd completed and looked on at her. There was no emotion on his face, but Emily could detect just the barest hint of pride and fear in his eyes.

"So, are you done?" She asked, only now realizing that the room was completely silent as her lone voice bounced off the walls.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she made out the smoke. It had turned a deep crimson, and the image inside didn't display her fighting the wyrm. Instead, it was a freeze-frame of the skyscraper crumbling under her blood. It was so large that it had taken up the entire ceiling, with such vivid detail that even the large screens would have a hard time replicating it. It was already fading as the Shaman shook himself and nodded hesitantly.

Emily frowned and sat up, but before she could ask for a mirror, Ra arrived. His eyes were filled with amusement as she slung an arm over her neck, causing tinges of pain to crawl down her spine.

"Now that's what I'm talking about. You were incredible."

Emily could see his smile was a little forced, and when she looked over to Tao and Mo, they had both already begun to move towards her.

Mo was calm, but Tao's eyes were the size of saucers. As far as Emily was aware, Kael had always respected strength, and by extension, his people had built it into their culture. Perhaps some were stunned by the Wyrm or her ruthlessness against the diseased man?

But as Ra began to lead her towards the door, the clapping began. Slow at first, but then cheers and whistles of appreciation mixed in. Growing by the second until Emily could barely think. They burst out of the room and out into the busy street as Emily shimmied back into her travel clothes, the tender skin already healing and blood sinking into her flesh.

"Could someone tell me what all that was about?"

Mo and Tao had moved to either side of them as they walked deeper into the bazaar.

"I do not recognize those two monsters you fought, but the Shaman's skills did, or they would never have taken up so much space or been so clear. They were both bloodline inheritors."

Emily frowned as she thought back to the diseased user's body. It was clear from the way he was talking that he thought the man was a monster. Granted, he looked ugly enough to be one, but if they were misunderstanding, she wasn't about to explain.

She did, however, remember her stars saying like that about the wyrm.

One thing she didn't understand was why that memory in particular had risen to the surface. It wasn't a particularly recent one, but perhaps it had stuck in her psyche.

In a way, she was happy it had been that one because if it had been another, she might have revealed more. From the sound of things, they had only seen that last disturbing image, and while it did container her world, it was confusing. Perhaps they'd think it was a wizard tower or something.

They continued through the bazaar for a while longer, and Emily found that they did have mounts here in the desert. They turned out to be a large beetle-type mount that was for sale within the city. Their meat was also a delicacy, but she wasn't in any rush to try it.

They continued, but Emily eventually got tired and decided to return.

Heading back to the Shaman's area was significantly more difficult than leaving because she knew she would have to confine herself back to the small room, but at least she had a couple pf ideas to try when she got back.

As a last-ditch effort, she turned to Tao.

"I'm exhausted and sweaty from that whole endeavor. Is there a place I can wash up while I'm here?"

Tao looked hesitant but nodded, and instead of taking them back to the room, he led them off to one of the side routes.

Another corridor of doors was here, but most of them were open. He led her to one, and Emily could see the large opening leading down a couple of steps and into crystal clear waters. A bright light glowed from on high, being reflected by the small pool's surface. On the side of the door was a lever that she could use to close the door and a cubby hole for her clothes.

Sealing the door behind her, Emily undressed and stepped into the water, ripples spreading out from her.

When she was up to about her waist, she noticed her reflection in the still water. Turning to look over her shoulder, she tried to make out the details rippling on the surface.

The image was that of a cosmic serpent coiling its way up a blade, countless stars reflecting off its scales. Where the blade ended, the mouth of the snake unhinged as it tried to consume a tiny emerald world set into the hilt.

Blood points: 628

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