Normally, the air would howl around Thalion's form, but not with the Crimson Eidolon. He was flying at full speed in a wide arc, hugging the wall. Every time he passed a group of vampires, his mouth opened and he activated Screech, blasting them straight to hell. The combination of sound and shockwave was quickly becoming one of his favorites.

There was one small conundrum: technically, he didn't breathe in this form. He was the Crimson Eidolon, after all. Instead, he just had to gather energy and open his maw, now filled with needle-like teeth. It cost mana, of course but Thalion had more than enough. He also dragged the blood of already-dead vampires to himself for a power boost. He'd learned long ago how to extract mana, stamina, and even vitality from blood, though he'd rarely needed to use it. The downside was that it rendered the blood useless afterward, but for the Eidolon form, that was perfect.

Even better, he could now extract mana through his blood affinity, which the Eidolon was made of, and use that to charge spells. There were so many open questions, and Thalion wanted answers. This form revealed new ways to grow stronger, something he desperately needed to survive on New Earth and earn a top rank in the system events.

At the moment, he was the bane of all vampires. They had no way of damaging his form and frankly, Thalion had no idea how they even could. Physical attacks were mostly ineffective unless backed by serious mana or skills. And even then, he could simply reform his body. The skill was so broken that even Thalion was surprised. It was easily one of his highest rarity skills, tied only with the Sanguis Impera.

Thalion had considered flying straight to the Black Fortress to tell the others that Ankhet was dead, but… killing vampires was just more satisfying. Besides, Elias was likely headed toward the very chamber Thalion currently occupied. It was better to keep the focus on the bloodsuckers. Sending a message now might mess things up. He trusted his friends to notice something was off when a red ghost started blasting vampires into paste. They'd probably assume it was just Ankhet going berserk, but as long as they held back, that worked fine for him.

His goal was to lure Elias back to his underground base as soon as possible and to start extracting that undead elf's bloodline. Maybe do a bit of organizing first, to secure the palace's treasures. But for now, back to the real fun: vampire extermination.

God, it was satisfying to kill those bastards. They had finally figured out they couldn't hurt him and were now trying to dodge his attacks, slowing down his Crimson Eidolon rampage. Time to switch tactics.

One issue was that they could track the red mist that connected his real body to the Eidolon and predict where he would phase through the wall. So Thalion switched things up and started visiting the larger buildings. What he saw inside… even unsettled him. And Thalion had done plenty of horrible things himself.

What the vampires had done to the captured fighters was beyond cruel. It was vile. Thalion loathed those who tortured for pleasure and in his opinion, way too many vampires fit that bill. In hindsight, maybe he should have checked the buildings earlier to save some of the prisoners. But how could he have known so many had been captured? Maybe some gave up after Ankhet was freed. He had no other explanation.

By the fourth building, he received a distress signal from the Sanguis Impera, someone strong was approaching. Thalion ignored it at first. He sensed that the Sanguis Impera could handle it, and he really wanted to finish wiping out the vampires in this particular house. These ones had ripped apart multiple humans and were having what could only be described as a blood pool party.

Thalion ended that party real fast and began chasing the last naked vampires through the building. While they scrambled up the stairs, he took the shortcut, phasing straight through the floor. They ran directly into his claws. He made quick work of them, though he had to admit he preferred the Screech. It had range, was easy to activate, and was perfect for wiping out weaker enemies.

The claws, though, they had penetration. They could rip through armor and shred enemies like butter. One vampire was still fleeing up the stairs when Thalion received another telepathic message from the Sanguis Impera. That was his cue.

He instantly snapped his consciousness back to his real body, ending the Crimson Eidolon. It was time.

Time to defeat Elias.

Thalion's eyes snapped open and there he was. The undead elf, harboring the soul of the lich, hovered above him. The Sanguis Impera had made the chamber come alive with crimson vines and blooming flowers. Thalion himself was seated in one.

This might have been the reason why his mana recovery had been so high. Elias wasn't waiting around either, he began channeling a skill. But Thalion was no slouch. He immediately used Gaze on Elias. The lich had strong mental defenses, but unlike Kael, no talisman to reinforce them. That was enough to delay the casting time of his skill.

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Thalion had to admit he was a bit surprised. The lich hadn't even managed to weaken the Sanguis Impera. This entire jungle was the doing of the Sanguis Impera alone. Thalion wasn't even fueling it with power anymore. He had stopped doing so the moment he fully activated his Crimson Eidolon.

Was the lich… actually an idiot?

Well, not that Thalion was complaining. He had already abandoned the idea of dragging the lich's full body back to his basement. Extracting the bloodline skill from the soul of the elven prince trapped within the lich's soul would be hellishly difficult and Thalion didn't like his odds.

But now… things were different. He might actually have a chance.

First, he had to defeat the lich. Before the Sanguis Impera's upgrade, he might have been skeptical. But now, especially after having tested his new limits against Ankhet, he was more than confident.

Still, he wasn't going to get cocky.

He was driven, unnaturally so and the lich was just the next stepping stone on his path to godhood. That bloodline skill would be his.

Thalion's heartbeat surged and the Sanguis Impera resonated with it. His focus sharpened. The entire jungle of bloody vines began to tremble as Thalion and the Sanguis Impera unleashed their power. Vines glowed with red light, flowers bloomed wildly, and small trees sprouted from the ground. The vines surged up to block every exit, forming natural walls. The lich was now trapped.

Crimson fire erupted around Thalion as the heavy air around him ignited.

The lich finished forming his miasma blade and swung downward. Thalion raised the Blade of the Blooded Templar, which burst into crimson flame as he slashed upward to meet the attack. The air screamed as Thalion's blade clashed with the lich's skill, cutting through it with more resistance than expected.

Elias, on the other hand, looked stunned. He hadn't expected Thalion to cleave through the skill so easily.

Now, Elias finally began to grasp the situation and it wasn't looking good for him. The exits were sealed, and his opponent was ramping up fast.

Thalion gave him no time to recover and immediately launched an attack and he wasn't alone. The Sanguis Impera joined in, firing multiple blood thorns at the lich.

Elias found himself under immense pressure. Thalion appeared in front of him using Mistform, swinging his sword and releasing a red energy slash. Elias struggled to keep up. Fighting Thalion alone would already be a challenge but the Sanguis Impera was something else entirely.

He couldn't harm it. The vines kept coming. So did the blood thorns.

To make things worse, Elias didn't seem to have a danger sense. He teleported around in panic, never staying in the same position for more than a second. He didn't even counterattack. Occasionally, he raised a miasma barrier, powerful enough to block multiple blood thorns, but the glowing red vines could wear it down over time.

Thalion didn't bother waiting, he simply shattered the barriers with a single slash.

In fact, he was now deliberately waiting for Elias to panic and throw up a barrier whenever a thorn came too close, just so he could cut it down again. The Sanguis Impera was doing most of the work, happily hammering away at the undead elf. It even seemed to be enjoying itself, as if feeling some grim satisfaction at the lich's hopelessness.

Elias was utterly helpless, though he hadn't stopped trying to escape the chamber. While dodging, he tried several times to conjure stronger skills, but each time, Thalion intervened, relentlessly pressuring him and forcing him back toward the center of the room whenever he drifted too close to a blocked corridor.

Eventually, Elias realized the truth: there was no running, not with things as they were now.

That's when his aura exploded outward. It was stronger than Thalion had expected, not quite as strong as the vampiress's, but close. Gray miasma swirled around him like storm clouds. A powerful shield formed around him, and a long miasma blade materialized in his hand.

Thalion had to admit, the quality and power of those skills were impressive.

But the matchup still sucked for the lich.

The Blade of the Blooded Templar was devastating against magical constructs. It drained energy with every strike, weakening skills and enemies alike. Plus, unlike with Ankhet, there was no mental component in Elias's abilities, meaning Thalion didn't need to worry about psychic tricks.

No, he was actually starting to look forward to this.

This fight was a rare opportunity. A way to sharpen his skills and prove his strength. An opportunity he wouldn't waste.

He was also curious, just how far could the Sanguis Impera go?

It was time to stir up a storm of blood.

And with the prey unable to run, there couldn't have been a better moment.

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