Born in Blood

Chapter 378 Monster

Chapter 378 Monster

For the entirety of the next week, a constant stream of explosions echoed from Liam's quarters.

Every. Single. Minute!

The Temple acolytes were genuinely concerned.

These explosions weren't gentle.

They were bombs!

And it didn't stop!

Day and night, it was unrelenting.

There were privacy inscriptions layered around Liam's quarters.

In fact, they canceled out the thunderous booms and bangs completely.

However, it didn't negate vibrations or tremors.

Those near Liam's quarters hadn't enjoyed a good night's sleep for a week due to being bolted awake.

But finally, it stopped.

Finally!

There was a round of cheers that day.

And also… curiosity.

Why were there so many explosions in the first place?

They had to investigate!

Thus, a small group of low ranking acolytes daring enough decided to sneak into his residence.

Plus Ryu.

He organized everything.

Due to Liam's status as the next in line, his home was placed right next to Usan's.

But with Ryu's help, they sneaked past the Elders and arrived at his doorstep, ready to knock.

To Ryu's surprise, other Elders were already there!

They were just as curious as him!

...But just then, Liam himself had walked out.

And those present, including Ryu himself, gasped with a mixture of fear, surprise and shock upon seeing him.

Four muscular arms.

Streamline body.

Claw-like, bony hands.

Long black nails, each nail sharp enough to cut through metal.

Small black tentacles extended from his back, squirming and writhing on their own.

What… what was this?!

The lower ranking acolytes couldn't stop themselves from running away.

At the same time, when Liam came out, a palpable stench of blood drifted from his pyramidal home.

Ryu gulped as he snuck a peek inside.

Solid pieces of flesh dripped from the ceiling.

Blood was everywhere.

Nails, hair, crumpled up skin were in random spots.

It looked like the inside of some sick, twisted serial killer's head.

A crimson mist filled it.

One had to remember Ryu's martial art.

It allowed him to see the physical strength of another cultivator.

But not only that, it allowed him to see their prowess and the dangers of that certain body.

And what did Ryu see?

A monster.

Something he couldn't beat with his own body, or physical prowess.

When Liam saw them, he visibly frowned.

The Elders chuckled awkwardly.

That was their cue to leave.

***

The process was painful.

But it was worth it.

Not only did Liam's plan work out, he even added a few alterations himself.

The claws, the retractable tentacles, the streamline body, along with smaller adjustments to his bone density and frame.

Even his feet were webbed, giving him faster movement while walking on land, and swimming in water.

They were little additions that didn't cost much to do, but would help nevertheless.

Every part of him was a weapon.

Plus, they were hideable.

He could also transform into a full Ashura with no issues. Except, he'd still have six arms instead of eight.

'It's time,' Liam thought with serious eyes. 'I haven't killed something in so long.'

Ever since the inheritance, it was just politics, work and experiments.

Liam hadn't been able to test his strengths in some time.

He hadn't even tested out his Corruption on a real opponent!

One had to balance their peace with a little bit of chaos.

Liam donned the Redirection Cloak, which was just perfect for his needs.

It hid the extra arms and his inhuman form perfectly.

It was time to kidnap some Dual Imperialists!

***

In reality, the kidnapping was going to be much more anticlimactic than Liam realized.

Usan was the only one who could do such a thing without being caught.

It was him with the strongest shadow abilities, and no one could mask their presence like he could.

However, this was the limit of how much he could get involved.

Preserving all his strength was for the final battle.

For a battle against one of the two powerhouses, with Alucard at his side.

Thus, Usan, Liam, Elder Jax and Kitsu were in the same room.

Usan looked at Liam with a probing gaze.

His initial reaction to Liam's new body was a mix of surprise and a bit of confusion.

But Usan couldn't deny how battle-oriented it was.

"We're ready," Liam said with a serious voice.

Usan heaved a long sigh.

"Be right back."

Slowly, a puddle of shadows consumed his body from below, until he disappeared completely.

Silence.

"How long will he be gone?" Kitsu said in a slightly bored tone, scratching her maw with a rear leg. "I'm hungry."

Liam sighed. "For an animal with a mental sphere, you haven't changed in the least."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kitsu said, rubbing her chin over the carpet.

Elder Jax glanced at Liam from the side.

Silence.

"So…" Jax muttered, struggling to get the words out. "Uh… nice… body? Nah, that came out wrong."

Jax laughed.

Liam sighed again.

The reactions to his new body were mixed.

On one hand, there were some admirers.

Like Ryu, Jargon, Jax, even Jane and Aki.

On the other hand, there were some people who thought it was a bit too terrifying to be practical.

Like Orisa, the Golden Cranes, Kitsu and Krel.

Nevertheless, there wasn't any change in how Liam was treated.

Several minutes passed in silence.

Kitsu was getting impatient.

Liam and Jax just started cultivating.

"Ugh… why am I here in the first place?!" Kitsu said loudly, scratching the stone walls with her claws. "This is torture!"

Liam and Jax ignored her.

"I'm gonna bolt for the door if—"

Usan dramatically emerged from a puddle of darkness.

An unconscious, female Fear Imperialist was clutched upside down in his hand.

Finally!

Usan landed with a long, tired sigh.

He looked fatigued.

"You can leave now, if you'd like," Liam said quickly. "We can take it from here."

"Leave the rest to us, master," Jax added in a firm but solemn voice.

Usan nodded wordlessly, handing Jax the body to carry before leaving to his slumber.

Jax had a glum look on his face.

Seeing his mentor and teacher regress in health was a painful sight.

But there was a reason Jax was here.

A second pair of hands for torture, if it came to it.