TDE Book 6 Chapter 10 - Bloodsight

The world turned dim.

As if enshrouded by a veil of darkness.

I can see it now.

In the center of his vision, Calron saw a figure cloaked in a sea of flames. The flames were intertwined with the shell of the figure, both on the outside and submerged on the inside as well. The flames were the dao.

Opening his right eye, Calron could see the original image of the golem, with the cracked, stony chest. But in his left eye, he could see the dao itself. The two visions overlapped together, allowing Calron to perceive both the real world and the dao world.

He could hear the murmurs of the ability’s name. It was Bloodsight. Right then, beside the hazy pagoda on the 7th spot, a new monument floated on the 6th platform. It was a statue of a hazy eye. There were now only five empty spots left inside the domain.

Calron now saw how the dao energy circulated within the golem. In the center was a dense ball of inferno with five parallel blazing rings of dao orbiting around each other. A trail of scorching pathways followed from the center to the rest of the golem’s body.

What’s that?

Calron’s vision caught something peculiar inside the golem’s chest near the ball of inferno. There were seven ethereal chains bound to its nucleus. The chains shimmered as if they were an illusion, but Calron knew they were there. He couldn’t see them with his golden eye, but they were clear to see through his Bloodsight.

When he turned his full concentration to the chains, Calron noticed that there had been a total of nine chains. The golem had broken two of them already. The chains glowed with a different light from the orange hue of the blistering flames. They were a pale gray color. A stark divergence from the fiery embers.

Are those the shackles from the World’s Law?

Calron pondered as he examined the chains. He’d heard that to become a God, a Shackle Lord had to break off the mortal chains binding them. It made sense that the situation was the same for path walkers as well.

Calron wanted to delve deeper into the chains, but his blood eye started to hurt whenever he got close. The World’s Law was interfering with his vision.

“Interesting ability. I don’t think Blood ever had something like that.”

To his side, Martial popped up, bringing his dark eyes a few inches away from Calron’s blood eye. The black pig stared at the blood eye inquisitively before stepping back.

Turning his attention to the Titan, Calron used his Bloodsight on Martial.

There was nothing. No dao or pathways around him. It was just a black pig.

“Brat, you think you can use mortal techniques to inspect an immortal? Even if you could, the World’s Law would have pulverized your soul for seeing something above your realm.”

Martial cocked his eyebrow when he felt Calron’s gaze on him.

“That golem can become an immortal?”

Calron asked Martial. If the golem had shackles around its dao circles and already broken two of them, it meant that the construct could possibly become an immortal in the future.

“It can, but I doubt it ever will.”

Martial shook his head with a sad smile.

“Why?”

Calron inquired, his curiosity unhidden.

“Attain your 5th circle and then you’ll be able to see yourself. So, tell me, brat, do you think you can now take on the golem with your new sight?”

Martial replied as he trotted near Calron.

Calron analyzed the golem once again with his Bloodsight, trying to decipher its domain. Immediately, he sensed something was off with its domain. It wasn’t invisible, like Martial had stated earlier. It was actually dissolved inside the dao pathways themselves. That meant, rather than exerting their will on the world around them, 5th circle path walkers became the embodiment of the domain itself. Their every action triggered the domain.

Unlike the separation of Calron and his Blood Kingdom, the golem’s domain was a single entity. A 5th circle didn’t need to exert their influence around them like a 4th circle. Their bodies bent the World’s Law around them. If Calron’s guess was correct, then the more chains a 5th circle had shattered, the less control the World’s Law would have on that path walker.

“I want to fight it.”

Calron braced himself as his blood eye flashed with focus. He needed to find the answers himself.

Martial glanced at the golem and stepped aside, paving the path clear.

“It mov-“

Calron saw a glint inside the golem’s ball of inferno, but the construct was already upon him. A loud boom erupted as the golem’s flaming fist landed on Calron’s chest.

“Dammit.”

Calron spat out a globule of blood as he cursed. A slight indent formed on his chest where the golem crushed several of his ribs, but the Blood Dao was already healing those burned marks and fractured bones.

This time, Calron saw the precise instant when the golem activated its dao, but it was still too late to react. He needed to detect the golem even earlier.

Calron didn’t even bother to use his Armory to summon a shield. The purpose of the training was to get accustomed to fighting against the domain of a 5th circle and use that to complete his own Blood Kingdom.

A shockwave reverberated in the air as the golem once again attacked Calron and this time it aimed for his head. Just like last time, Calron’s reflexes were delayed yet again. His Bloodsight could see the dao moving inside the golem, but before he could decipher its direction, the construct was already finished with its strike.

Calron landed with a thud on the ground, his ear bleeding profusely and torn apart from the side.

Concentrate, Calron. It’s only a golem. Forget about its body, you need to track its dao.

Calron stared intensely at the golem, and a second later, he closed his right eye. The world plunged back into darkness. Only the figure enshrouded in flames was visible to Calron.

“There.”

Calron saw the flames move and raised his arms to cover his face, but the golem struck his leg instead. He crumpled to the ground before his other leg supported him. Calron failed to trace the trajectory of the attack, but at least, this time, he could properly time when the strike landed.

Again.

With his vision drowned in darkness, and only the light of the dao visible to his eye, Calron fixated his gaze on the movement of the flames. He saw the flames course through the golem’s right leg and then its left arm.

Calron let out a cold gasp as the golem struck his chin. His jaw cracked at the joint from the sheer pressure exuded by the shockwave.

I saw which arm it used to hit.

Calron wheezed as the Blood Dao sent waves of healing to his face. Now, Calron could see which leg the golem used to propel itself and the arm it used to attack.

I need to be faster.

Calron clenched his jaw and gazed at the figure wrapped in flames. He was close. He could feel it.

Again.

The golem grabbed Calron’s collarbone and kneed him in the stomach, sending forth a tide of fire directly to his internal organs.

Again.

Before the Blood Dao could fully heal him, the golem stomped on Calron’s ankle, crushing the connected bones to dust.

Calron saw the surge of flames moving to the leg this time. He was only a fraction of a second too late.

It’s not enough, I need more.

Calron poured all his energy into the Bloodsight. Tears of blood rolled down from Calron’s left eye, cascading down his cheek. His right cheek was pristine, but a stream of blood soaked the left side of his face.

Again.

The golem twisted the leg it was using to hold Calron’s ankle in place and swept it towards his face. Just as the stony foot was nearing Calron’s head, his blood eye began to glow with a radiant light.

The golem’s foot finished the attack, but Calron’s head was no longer there. The golem paused in confusion, its stoic face searching for the opponent.

It eventually found a coughing Calron just a few feet away. His blood eye was glowing even brighter than before.

“What a terrifying monster.”

Martial muttered as he observed the 6th platform with the hazy eye in Calron’s domain absorb the 5th empty spot. The brat instinctively upgraded the ability through his will alone.

The coughing gradually eased as the Blood Dao healed Calron’s body. Despite the wounds covering his body, Calron flashed a grin at the golem, his left eye flashing with a crimson light.

“I can finally see you.”