Chapter 38: Blood Ties Formation

Tularg was an Advanced phase first level Core Master.

BOOM!

The explosion swept the battlefield, a mere small portion of the entirety of the cave, but in his last moments, Tularg directed it forward, which then made it catch thousands of the enemy's first realm experts.

Thousands of miserable shrieks reverberated at once, some for a short instant, some for a while longer. Eventually, though, they all fell silent.

...

Hagen flew about not far from the defensive formation of the Core Master experts. She saw everything happening perfectly, yet as fast as she was, could not get there in time to stop he younger Martial brother or the about to explode furless rat.

Being incapable of finding Tularg with her double pupils, which she relied on all her life even more than her Soul Sense, reeled her mind with an indescribable feeling.

...

Raroen and Kartius were stuck fighting Belavin and the second level Core Master. To find out where the dire fluctuations of mist energy are coming from, they utilized their Soul Senses.

Tularg's sacrifice was as clear to them as if it occurred right in front of their eyes, yet beyond their reach to stop or help him.

The two, one uncle, one big brother, felt a cold breeze blowing, freezing their stalwart bodies as if they were two blades of grass. In their sea of consciousness flames were erupting.

...

Mes and Rarahel reacted at the same time and caught Shulip. Tularg's mist detonation, although not directed at them, still threw them off tens of meters.

As he realized that his big brother died, Mes did the impossible and suppress the sorrow. He grabbed hold of the paralyzed Rarahel and the weakened Shulip with his long and coiling body and dragged them away from the scene of their big brother sacrifice, as far away from danger as possible, before it will sink in.

...

Zax could not tell what happened. It was too far to detect even with his Soul Sense.

He stood at the entrance to Grandmaster Kartion's cave and hoped no one in the household is hurt.

...

The mist detonation of a first level Core Master brought Grandmaster Kartion fight with Karns and Kardelion into a temporarily secession.

Grandmaster Kartion glanced southward, his eyes turned red and the air couple of centimeters around his body vibrated.

"MY SON!"

...

Simel's eyes abruptly opened. His job on erecting the formation with Zetsa was the control over the familiar blood in the battlefield and its assimilation to the formation.

'This blood ... This blood... ' His mind wailed, but he tried to force himself to stay composed.

Gnashing his teeth, his hands started moving like an illusion, forming numerous azure hand seals that were then absorbed by the blood bathed earth.

To erect the formation safely, he had to mostly use the blood of an ally and at best could maintain a seventy thirty ratio if also using the enemy's blood.

Simel snapped.

'The blood of little brother Tularg's enemies ... I'll squander till there is nothing left to mourn!'

...

Taking into account overall proficiency in utilizing formations in the household, if Simel was ranked second, then Zetsa ranked first. Even their Martial uncle could not compare to the aptitude the two had for formations and their Master ... could only make use of soul formation, so there was no point even mentioning.

In this bloody formation, the Blood Ties formation, an outstanding and unique formation that was gifted to Grandmaster Kartion by the Dauch family and the Eden Formation Martial school, Zetsa's role was that of the core.

It was purposely modified to fit the household's needs at the case of an all out war.

The Blood Ties formation was the most profound, most difficult formation Zetsa ever encountered. To complete it she had to submerge in deep concentration.

When Tularg died, all she felt was a mild disturbance, not significant enough to sway her determination.

When Simel made use of the enemy's blood, nurturing the formation with tens of times faster than a moment ago, the edges of her lips turned upward to a faint smile.

'Ten breaths, nine breaths, eight breaths, seven breaths, six breaths, five breaths, four breaths, three breaths, two breaths, one breath... '

Zetsa's olive skin tone turned icy blue from her toes all the way to her forehead and her hair, it blazed as if a crown of a fiery red flames.

"Rise!"

...

Following the mist detonation, the blowing shockwave and roaring earthquake, the stupefaction, sorrow, rage and confusing did not completely vanished for a whole one minute, when thick rays of blood emerged from the ground, engulfing the battlefield and painting the ground with a sequence of patterns.

The auras of selected few of the household's member and their allies – apart from Grandmaster Kartion all who were above the second level of the Core Master realm in addition to Mes, Rarahel and Zetsa – bloomed with a pink radiance that darkened in a matter of seconds to nonpareil red.

Kartius, Raroen, Merson, Somi, Hagen, Mes, Rarahel, Simel and Zetsa shut their eyes and at the same time, the thick ray of blood all over the battlefield started to wriggle and converge.

...

Belavin, the hotheaded leader of the Oxen tribe, snorted and fumes came out of his nostrils when he saw his opponent daring to close his eyes in the midst of their battle.

"Moooo!" His bull cry echoed fierceness and malice. His hooves smashed the ground, his bulky physique pounced with his head bent and his horns shone brightly in dark azure luster.

In this moment, Belavin was not the only one to attack the immobile nine, but the first.

...

The second level Core Masters were reduced to seven out of the original twelve. Thus, revenge emitted from their eyes as they stared at Raroen, Merson and Somi before moving to attack.

...

The first level Core Masters lowered their defensive formation. Hagen was hovering in the air, seemingly unresponsive, defenseless.

The beasts among them transformed to their animalistic form, while the couple of humans were hastily reading their respective destructive Martial techniques.