Chapter 68: New Forms and New Abilities

‘Scanning… gathering data and cross-referencing…’ Ausra’s voice rang out in Dorian’s mind.

A few moments passed. Dorian played around with a flaming lily while he waited, admiring the elegance of the small, fiery flower.

Ausra eventually returned with a response,

‘Some of your bloodlines already have traces present within your Ifrit form, or parts of the bloodlines have been used to create your Ifrit form. The effect these bloodlines can have are somewhat limited. However, by increasing their concentration, alongside mixing other bloodlines, three viable transformations have become available.”

–

-Combining: Ifrit Bloodline and Human Bloodline-

–

Demonic Human (Fire) – Grandmaster Class (Peak)

–

Maximum Energy Level: 998

Ability: Fire Sense, Constant Regeneration

–

The human race is one of the most adaptive in the 30,000 Worlds. During the First Great War, tens of thousands of years ago, the ancient Demon Race experimented upon thousands of species, creating new breeds of Demons. One of these was the Demonic Human Race. A humanoid that is mixed with the base blood of any type of ancient Demon, these creatures possess skin color that matches the Element they are Aspected towards.

Demonic Humans Aspected towards the Element of Fire are resilient, agile, and strong, with the ability to regenerate from grievous wounds with ease. Their main weakness is an unstable life essence leading to a vastly reduced lifespan of roughly 3 years, and the inability to grow past the Grandmaster Class, no matter the training.

–

–

-Combining: Ifrit Bloodline and Human Bloodline-

–

Demonic Human (Life) – Grandmaster Class (Pseudo-Lord)

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Maximum Energy Level: 1,782

Ability: Life Sense, Constant Regeneration

–

The human race is one of the most adaptive in the 30,000 Worlds. During the First Great War, tens of thousands of years ago, the ancient Demon Race experimented upon thousands of species, creating new breeds of Demons. One of these was the Demonic Human Race. A humanoid that is mixed with the base blood of any type of ancient Demon, these creatures possess skin color that matches the Element they are Aspected towards.

Demonic Humans Aspected towards the Element of Life are durable and swift, with the ability to regenerate from grievous wounds with ease. The main weakness of most Demonic Humans has been partially rectified by their strong connection to the Element of Life. Unfortunately, the species still remains trapped in growth, unable to traverse beyond the Grandmaster Class.

–

–

-Combining: Ifrit Bloodline, Human Bloodline, Giant Myyr Dragon Bloodline, Titan Bloodline-

–

Berserker Demon (Unstable) – Lord Class (Early)

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Maximum Energy Level: 33,376

Ability: Constant Rage, Constant Regeneration, Moving Force

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A never before seen species of Demon formed by mixing several bloodlines together, Berserker Demons are ferocious beasts that hold incredible natural strength. In terms of raw, physical might, Berserker Demons are stronger than many Peak Lord Class beasts, as long as their blows aren’t infused with the Power of Law.

Unlike most beasts with an energy level rated at the Lord Class, Berserker Demons are unable to perceive the laws of the universe, largely due to their unstable state of mind, and the Ability Constant Rage preventing them from calming down.

Berserker Demons have hulking, four meter tall black bodies, with eight powerful arms, and a long, tactile tail. Despite their inability to perceive the laws of the universe, Elemental Fire energy runs within their veins, granting their attacks a fiery edge, and giving them resistance to fire based Spells or Abilities.

(Author’s Note: Image inspiration – https://i.imgur.com/ceeix2w.jpg (won’t open in App))

This form has an ‘Unstable’ Bloodline. It is recommended to combine this form with other Bloodlines to stabilize its form before using it for extended periods of time. Long-term usage of this form may have detrimental side effects and comes with a certain level of risk.

–

Dorian grinned, pleasantly surprised. The first two Demonic Human forms sounded interesting, though not particularly noteworthy.

The last form, however, of the Berserker Demon, greatly intrigued him.

Its maximum energy level was more than triple his current Ifrit form!

However, as he read it over, he frowned, noting the negatives. It seemed this form was unstable, and came with various downsides. It was extremely powerful, physically, but if he made use of it, his mind would be in a constant state of rage.

The Constant Rage Ability did just that, in fact. Force him to stay enraged. It came with the perk of enhancing his physical strength to the limit, allowing him to draw out the maximum level of power from his body. But the mindless anger was a huge negative.

“Ausra, can I remove passive Abilities?” If he was stuck with that forever, there was no way he could choose this form.

‘Yes, you can remove any Passive Ability you have gained at will. However, you cannot remove Passive Abilities that are tied to a specific form.’

He grimaced. It seemed he’d have to keep the Constant Rage Ability anytime he was in that form.

He mentally looked over the other new Ability of the Berserker Demon, the Moving Force Ability.

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Ability: Moving Force

An ability unique to the newly created race of Berserker Demons, these creatures have the unique power to draw upon the energy of the world to increase their momentum. This drawing on is done subconsciously as they move forward, increasing in power and strength the longer they run undisturbed. The only real limit to this technique is the physical strain it forces upon the user.

–

This, combined with the already powerful physical strength of the Berserker Demon, would make the form a deadly threat.

Especially when Dorian combined that with his own powers. His passive Great Strength Ability, his Emerald Flames, his Condense Ability, and his skills and experience. He was slowly building up his strength.

He nodded.

“Ausra, combine the bloodlines to form the Berserker Demon. However, don’t Evolve me into it yet, just have it ready.”

‘Acknowledged.’ Ausra’s voice rang out in his mind as she set to work, setting up the form for him.

A few seconds went by.

‘The task is complete.’

He smiled. At the least, he had added a new trump card to his deck, even if one with significant negatives. He’d try out the Abilities it had when he used the new form, testing it later.

“Alright…” He frowned, moving on past that. He needed to pick a new Bloodline to develop. He glanced over his selections before making a decision.

“Ausra, Evolve me into a Black Ambian Eagle.”

Now that he finally had some time to relax, Dorian went with what he considered the most useful of his current Bloodlines.

One that would grant him the Ability to fly.

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Black Ambian Eagle – Grandmaster Class (Middle)

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Maximum Energy Level: 263

Ability: Steady Wings, Basic Magnetic Manipulation

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Black Ambian Eagles are a rare breed of nocturnal birds. They possess a keen eyesight, allowing them full night vision, as well as large, deadly talons, that can easily pierce through rock and stone. Powerful predators known to haunt large forested areas, they typically prey upon other bird-type beasts, cutting them down out of the sky in dive-bombing attacks.

They stand two meters tall, and roughly four meters long, with a wide, 20 meter wingspan. They are covered in dense, black metal feathers that are as tough and tensile as iron. Their Ability Magnetic Manipulation allows them to manipulate their feathers, shooting them off at targets.

–

A constant frustration over the past several weeks was the fact that his ability to travel was greatly limited. His Myyr Dragon forms didn’t possess the ability to fly, only to glide.

Dorian’s body began to transform, his black skinned Ifrit form shrinking inward as it morphed, in a split second, into the body of a small, adorable baby eagle. He was about half a meter tall, covered in black feathers and a sharp, brown beak. His eyes were beady and black.

‘Chirp!’

–

Black Ambian Eagle – Growth Stage: (1/4) Baby Eaglet –

Growth Progress – 1,810/1662 –

–

‘After Evolving, your soul requires a short period of time to adapt to a new form. Because your soul is at the Lord Class, this adaptation period is reduced to 1 hour. The stronger your soul, the less the adaptation period.’ Ausra’s voice rang out in his head.

“Oh, right. I just need 1 hour.” Dorian smiled, pleased. He’d forgotten that as his soul grew stronger, the adaptation period grew shorter. 1 hour was basically nothing.

Thankfully, the energy he’d managed to store up over the past few days was enough to Evolve him to the Second Growth Stage too, something he would take advantage of as soon as possible.

He glanced over the Steady Wings Ability. It was simply a passive Ability that gave his Black Ambian Eagle form a natural and powerful control over its wings.

The Magnetic Manipulation Ability was a bit more interesting.

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Ability: Basic Magnetic Manipulation

A mostly passive Ability common in Metal Aspected beasts, this allows a beast a certain level of control over magnetic substances. Closely related to the Law of Metal and the Law of Magnetism. This Ability’s strength is directly proportional to the power of a creature’s Soul Spell Matrix.

–

‘Ooh.’ Dorian internally muttered, intrigued. He looked down at his tiny body, feeling a connection with the feathers he wore. It was, as the Ability stated, a passive connection, where he felt as if he could move them with just a bit of effort.

He concentrated. A second later, three feathers flew off his wings, small, sharp a few inch long pieces of metal (7cm).

WHOOSH

Dorian shot them forward.

They blurred as they shot across the empty road and landed, all three slicing halfway into a random tree. The tree shook slightly at the impact, a few green leaves falling down.

‘Interesting.’ He found that moving the feathers was very similar to using his will. He needed to focus, and direct the energy in his Soul Spell Matrix, shooting them off.

Going in a single direction or simply floating seemed to be the limit of the Ability, however. Dorian found that no matter how much he tried, getting the feathers to turn while using the Ability was extremely difficult.

It seemed he’d need a more advanced version of the Ability if he wanted full control.

‘Alright. I’ll grow this bird fully, and then after that, we’ll go for the Solar Rock Lizard.’ He needed the utility of a creature that could fly, but he badly wanted the attack power of the Solar Rock Lizard.

He nodded, and then looked up at the sky. A deep excitement began to race through him. He was about to fulfill one of his dreams.

To fly freely and soar through the sky.

Dorian shook just at the thought.

Without any more hesitation, apart from making sure his Spatial Ring was secure, latched into one of his talons, Dorian launched himself into the air.

A small gust of wing smashed down as he broke above the treeline, air streaming past him. As his wings ran flush, some of his natural instincts in this form took over.

Dorian shot off into the sky.

‘Wooo!’ He mentally yelled in delight, exhilarated. His eyesight in this form was slightly changed, letting him more easily focus in on things that were far away. When combined with his Demonic Sight, his field of vision was expanded even further.

He could make out small, tiny creatures, moving in the underbrush or trees down below.

Dorian flapped his wings harder, going higher and higher.

The wind whipped past him even harder as he soared, floating high above the world below. His wings and face were aerodynamic, perfectly proportioned to let him skim through the air.

‘Wow.’ His only thought centered around how incredible this was.

The ground beneath him became tiny, the World Bridge itself fully visible. The pillar of land was relatively small in width, only around 50 miles wide. Dorian could make out the rounding shape of it as he flew higher and higher.

CRACK

A loud noise jarred Dorian from his delight. A sixth sense in him seemed to warn him to dodge, one that he followed as he twisted, hurling his body downward.

Not a moment later, as Dorian spun around to see what was happening, a small, almost invisible spatial tear ripped apart the spot where he had been flying.

Spatial tears were cracks in the air itself, caused by fluctuating space. They were incredibly dangerous, full of random amounts of Elemental Energy. They healed up almost instantly, the energy moving forward in ever-closing new cracks.

‘Oh right.’ Dorian flapped his wings as he regained control, flying much lower.

The World Bridges were surrounded by massive spatial tunnels. Outside these tunnels, millions of spatial cracks swarmed, obliterating anything nearby.

If one strayed too close to the edge of a World Bridge, the spatial cracks could be drawn to your form. Each crack was deadly, and Dorian had no intention of experiencing the danger of one.

He took care to fly just a couple miles above the World Bridge. Any farther than that and he would be too close to the spatial cracks.

Still, as Dorian began to fly forward, he settled back into his mood of enjoyment.

The ground rushed by underneath him.

He was flying. A dream almost every human had, at one point in their life. To throw off the chains of gravity and sail among the sky.

He took a few minutes simply to enjoy the sensation.

As he flew, he noted his speed. In his current form, he was actually slower than when he was in his Ifrit form, running on the ground.

He nodded, accepting the fact. This was only the first Growth Stage of the Black Ambian Eagle, it was natural for it to be a bit slower.

The miles passed by beneath him, regardless. Flying animals were not super common on World Bridges, partly due to the presence of the spatial cracks at the edge of the bridges.

After a few more minutes, Dorian saw a large group of mercenaries, trudging down below. There must’ve been 40 of them, all dressed in dark green and blue armor or robes.

A troupe headed for Blizzaria, he gathered. He’d seen dozens of other groups when he was running in his Ifrit form earlier. There must’ve been thousands all headed off for the Exotic World, seeking to find the treasures and rare resources present on it.

From the info Dorian had gained, Blizzaria was indeed full of treasure. The ruins of the fallen civilizations were rife with old treasuries, rare Magic Herbs, rare minerals, and natural treasures.

They were also full of danger.

Dorian mentally began to go over his route, in preparation. He was only around a day and a half away from Blizzaria, going by his current speed.

Blizzaria was one of the smaller planets, only spanning a few thousand miles wide. Its surface was covered in harsh snowstorms, rife with dangerous phenomena.

The only truly safe routes were to travel through one of the three enormous, cave systems that spanned the entire planet.

Dorian’s route would take him through the Western Cave System. He needed to pass through the heart of the fallen civilization of Giants, along a dangerous route, to reach the World Bridge to Paxital, his next destination.

The underground caves were very different from Earth’s caves. Many of the chambers were literally miles wide and tall, enormous caverns that looked as if they should’ve caved in long ago.

There were cramped, small caves, similar to Earth’s here too, but also many of the giant, wide-open passages. Dorian didn’t think he’d have any problems using any of his larger forms here, especially considering the towering Giants that used to call this world home.

As his thoughts were running over his plans, he spotted another group, down below him.

His eyes zeroed in on the movement, revealing a quartet of human hunters. They were currently laughing, sitting around as they looked at an animal lying down on the ground in front of them.

Each hunter wore a brown set of leather, with a small blade strapped to their sides. They all looked muscular and strong, like powerful fighters.

He had Ausra scan them, and found that they were all Sky Class warriors, following some rudimentary mystic martial art. His understanding of mystic martial arts was rather low, since he’d never obtained any manuals on them or studied them, but he knew from his general research that mystic martial arts were similar to studying magic.

They were just a dumbed down version that required intense physical training, repeatedly, to make up for the lack of casting spells, and slowly increase the strength of one’s Soul Spell Matrix.

A small, green skinned deer, covered in bloody wounds was struggling at the center of the hunters. Several small knives were stuck in it.

Dorian frowned when he saw this. Or, rather, he tried to frown. His Black Ambian Eagle form wasn’t exactly one that he could easily make expressions with due to its beak.

He was just about to dive down, and tell the hunters off, when he froze, lost in thoughts for a moment.

What was the point in stopping these hunters? Was he going to attack them for simply hunting a deer, a prey animal, for its meat?

Was he going to kill anyone that ate meat at all? He himself ate meat, and had hunted other animals before.

Was he any better than them in that regard?

Killing was not always wrong, and he drew the line at intelligence, self defense, or necessity. But where, exactly, was that line?

Some of what he had talked about with Helena struggled forth within him.

He could not save everyone. This world, this reality, was cruel. The mighty ruled, while the weak gave way.

Was he going to go out of his way to stop every single grievance he saw?

It might just prove a huge waste of time, and slow him down from his other plans. He might even be putting William’s life at risk, just to help others.

What should he do?

Dorian’s heart grew chaotic as these thoughts all crashed down on him at once.

For the first moment in a long time, he felt incredibly unsure of what to do, and where he should go.

‘What am I?…’ He thought, feeling a sense of loss.

As his mind became a mess, he strangely felt himself recede, his memories going back to his life on earth.

To a day where he had talked with his father.

His dad had told him something that stuck with him, on that day.

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is around.”

Dorian looked down at the struggling dear, his force of will rising within him.

‘What they’re doing to that deer is wrong.’ He thought, watching as they threw another dagger into the small deer and laughed, essentially torturing it.

They weren’t just hunting it. He wouldn’t stop them if that was all.

‘I don’t need to make it more complicated than that.’ His heart found peace,

‘If someone does something wrong before me, I will stop it. Simple as that.’ He nodded,

His eyes zeroed in on the warriors as he entered into a dive bomb, hurtling towards them, immediately taking action.

‘Simple as that.’

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