The moment Isaac reached his running teammates, soaring a bit above their heads, he forced his transformation. Ignoring James' startled yelp, he hit the ground and began sprinting with them, even speeding up a bit to join Elaine's side. There, he proceeded with the next part of his escape plan.

"There is a chasm up ahead," he yelled, catching her attention. "Wide enough for us to easily fit through. Think you can help cause a little avalanche?"

Despite the lingering awkwardness between them, Elaine grinned, her left arm already igniting with bright light. "With pleasure. Just let me know when."

Isaac laughed. "Trust me. You will know."

Without waiting for a reply, he shifted again and took to the sky. Another command to the remaining half of his Crimson Flock sent it wheeling back toward the horde of monsters still hot on their heels. If they were going to pull this off, his creations had to create a bit more distance between the beasts and his team.

Attack with everything you got. Go for the eyes or any other weak points you can see. Anything to slow them down.

Behind him, the flock answered with a chorus of furious caws, and soon enough, howls and screeches joined the symphony. But Isaac didn't even turn to check what was happening there. He had his own part to play.

After leading his team into another canyon—thankfully one without a lava river—he signaled a final turn before climbing higher into the air. From here on out, they didn't need his guidance. There was only one path available to them now. One that led straight toward the chasm.

Let's do it. Hybrid mode.

More Mana flooded his body, and Isaac used this momentary surge of power to push his body even faster. He flew way past his team, past the chase, his eyes glued to the narrow chasm that would become their salvation.

As he flew, he pulled a bit more blood from his body and allowed it to mix with Viron and Mana. Once that was done, he reached for his Origin and activated the only skill that could help him here.

Sacrificial Crimson Death.

Bolstered by blood and Mana, four massive glowing red-black spears manifested around him. He could feel their power, their potential for destruction slumbering deep within. They just needed one simple order.

Not yet.

After passing the chasm, Isaac stopped, hovering high above with his creations below him. He moved them slightly, aiming two each at the sides of the cliffs making up the narrow passage.

And now we wait…

Second after second passed as the noises of the running horde grew louder. With his enhanced eyesight, it also wasn't hard to spot his teammates closing in. James and Marie had long since transformed into their Legacies, with only Elaine remaining in her human body. And based on the massive orb of light in her left hand, it was no wonder why.

Even from such a distance, it hurt Isaac to look at her creation. Still, that was exactly what they needed. Or so he hoped.

Come on… Come on…

One by one, his team spilled into the chasm, with the monster horde—now at least twenty strong—following a couple of seconds behind. He wanted to let his spears fly at that moment, but he had to wait a bit longer or risk his friends getting buried alive.

Now Elaine! Isaac let out the loudest caw he could and then another when he spotted the woman looking up. She nodded. End of the road. Go!

The four glowing spears at his side shot toward the cliffs, leaving a crimson trail in their wake. Below, Elaine hurled her massive bomb of light into the air. The attacks never crossed paths—they didn't have to. What followed was more than enough.

A blinding flash swallowed the chasm as multiple explosions shook the cliffs. Isaac had to avert his gaze unless he wanted to be blinded, but he still caught a glimpse of the destruction his Crimson Deaths wrought.

The walls of the cliffs erupted, raining down slabs of rocks upon the chasm. The enraged screeches and howls soon turned into wails full of pain and hurt as the horde took the full brunt of the avalanche.

Only that still wasn't the end.

As Isaac looked down again, dust was almost the only thing he could see. Still, his enhanced sight caught a glimpse of something moving below. Something that was heading right for his team that had just run out of the cloud.

Glass.

Isaac's eyes narrowed.

Don't you dare. Burnout!

Power surged through him as he dove headlong into the dust, his gaze locking onto the shimmer of glass. A single enhanced Crimson Death manifested at his side, and without any more delay, he spread his wings to slow down his fall and transformed.

Game over.

With the Crimson Death now in his grasp, Isaac landed atop the large Glassstalker, driving the spear into its body with the remaining momentum of his fall.

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The beast never stood a chance.

With no more force to push it further, the spear erupted, shattering the monster's glass-like body into pieces. Isaac would have summoned another Crimson Death just to make sure the beast stayed dead, but just then, his blood screamed at him in a warning. The growl that came from behind him was just as telling.

Shit!

He hurled himself off the remains of the Glassstalker just as one of the bear-sized jackals pounced on him.

It missed by just a couple of inches.

Damned mutt.

Isaac grimaced as he hit the ground and rolled to a stop on the rocky surface. Still, he quickly jumped to his feet, the Root falling into his hand. With dust and smoke everywhere, he couldn't see where the jackal had vanished, but he could feel it. His blood could feel it.

Come.

Using pure Blood Manipulation, he coated his left arm and vambrace in a dense layer of blood. Harden also reactivated across his body, just in case.

Where are yo—

The Symphony in his veins surged again, screaming another warning at him. Isaac whirled around just as the jackal's visage appeared close to him. It pounced, saliva flying from its wide-open jaws.

At that moment, he had plenty of options. He could have sidestepped and maybe tried to score a shallow cut before the jackal disappeared again. Or he could have even summoned a couple of Crimson Deaths in hopes of skewering the beast alive.

Yet, he did none of that.

Instead, he raised his left arm and let the jackal's jaws clamp down on his blood-reinforced vambrace. He bit back the growl when some teeth still sank deep into his flesh and focused on what he had to do next.

Cursed Draw.

The Root in his other hand ignited, and with the jackal temporarily locked in place, he drove the blade into its side. The stab alone wouldn't have done much to a beast this size, but the following explosion of blood was more than enough to put a clean hole through its body.

The jackal let out a weak whine as its grip around his wrist slackened. For good measure, Isaac twisted the Root, and that finally made the beast fall to the ground. It gave him one last pitiful look before the light left its eyes once and forever.

[Dune Jackal (LVL. 15) slain.]

[Glassstalker (LVL. 17) slain.]

Instantly, Isaac deactivated Burnout and stumbled as a sudden wave of weakness hit him like a freight train. His vision became blurry, taking away his hopes of seeing through the ever-present dust. He also refused to look down at the mess that his left wrist had become.

So much for not overusing Burnout… he thought, coughing. At least I know what to expect now…

Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about finding his way out of this hellhole, as soon enough, a shout of his name reached his ears. More followed afterward, and he smiled as he trudged toward the source.

Before long, the dust around him began to thin, and the blurry figures of his teammates revealed themselves. James—or at least he thought it was James—grabbed him before he could take another step.

"Easy there, boss," the man said, steadying him. "What the hell did you do to yourself?"

"Obviously overused that Burnout of his," came Marie's dry voice.

"I'm… fine," Isaac slurred. "Just a bit exhausted."

James snorted. "That I believe. Ari, think you can help? At least with that hand of his?"

"Set him down first."

With that said, James guided him to a small boulder and eased him down. A moment later, cool fingers gripped his ruined wrist. He winced as they brushed over the deep punctures.

"You're already healing," Marie muttered, half-exasperated, half-impressed. "I will speed it up, but at this rate, you will be fine in an hour anyway. Let's see…"

A wave of cold spread through his left arm, signaling the activation of Marie's skill. Isaac sighed and looked up, trying to blink away the blurriness from his sight. He succeeded and, ignoring his other teammates, found Elaine standing a couple of feet away from him.

She met his gaze and smiled, giving him a small, silent nod.

He returned it and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he felt much better.

It took Isaac about twenty minutes to regain full control over his body and mind. He still felt like he hadn't slept in three days, but at the very least, he should be able to transform again and keep up with the others in his Legacy form.

Not that he had spent the entire time resting. Only half of it. The rest he used to go over the multiple notifications waiting for him.

First was quite a unique message that, later on, Elaine also admitted to receiving.

Due to your actions, you have partially contributed to the deaths of multiple monsters. Limited Level progression has been awarded.

It didn't take a genius to guess what the Interface meant. Apparently, burying the horde alive with a rock avalanche didn't count as a direct kill. A bit disappointing, but he could see why that was the case. Still, he wasn't complaining. Definitely not after he saw the next notifications.

You have leveled up twice! You are now level 19. Distribution of Ascension Power has advanced the tier or grade of the following attributes: Power (Developed V->Refined I), Regeneration (IV->V). No further changes detected.

Your Origin has awakened a new ability: Obliteration.

[Obliteration | Grade: Arcane | Tier I] An active Origin ability. Unleashes a concentrated burst of blood that shreds everything in its path. Additionally, reaching the blood of the enemy will mark it. Upon scoring another hit with Obliteration, this mark detonates, causing bonus internal damage.

Interesting, Isaac hummed. So a bit like Cursed Draw, just with more brute force?

Tempting as it was to test the new skill on something, he doubted that it was a good idea. It could wait until he recovered from his somewhat reckless use of Burnout. Marie would have his head if she caught him messing around with Viron. She was really taking the role of team healer seriously.

Maybe a bit too seriously, he grumbled internally and pulled up the next notification.

The following skills have advanced tiers: Crimson Death (IV->V) Basic Filtering (III->IV) Cursed Draw (I->II) Harden (I->II)

Pretty good progress for a fight that didn't really last long, Isaac admitted. Though… Crimson Death didn't max out at the fifth tier. Makes sense, I guess. It feels too early for it to evolve.

With a flick of his hand, he dismissed the remaining messages. As much as he enjoyed seeing the progress, his mind was already drifting elsewhere. To the next step in his journey. He just needed one thing for it.

One more level.

Just one.

And his Legacy would evolve.

Isaac smiled.

Soon…

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