Chapter 37: Surprises…

Grada was traversing paths within the Rifts. He needed the right angle to attack BlackBlood, he knew it would be in his best interest to keep the upper hand. The back channels of the rift is his best option to beat her as he controls the element of surprise. Grada doesn't have to show himself until he is ready. All of his people are dead and he only has to protect himself, but in order for him to live he must rid the world of BlackBlood or she'll hunt him forever...

-I am the leader of no one. Everything my father and his men fought for is now dead. The lives of his closest subjects are all gone, countless bloodlines wiped out over the years, and to think it's all my fault. On the climb to the top in this world, sometimes the bodies of your comrades can be the standing foundation. I am Grada, the Head of Juniper Way. My clan has been around since the Abyss chose this cluster, there is no way I die here...

Grada steeled himself best he could. This is built off of greed, power, and animosity; all leading to the foundations of Revenge. Those foundations are what built up the juggernaut waiting outside of the rifts. BlackBlood is only 158cm and 39kg but her presence gives off a feeling as if she's 300cm tall...

(BlackBlood) Aet!! You are still recording this battle right?? Witness how this coward refuses to stand up to...

-Quiet HornHead!!!!

-Juniperus Star!!!!!

-Nnnnrrrrrrmmmm!!!!!!!!!!

-BBBBBBBOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!

Grada unloaded a devastating payload, upon BlackBlood...

(Aet) Again. His timing is impeccable. She turned towards me for a second and before she could finish Grada was attacking... Wha... Hi... His hand is glowing red but his wrist up to his shoulder turned into the trunk of a tree...

You'd think a transformation built for power would be slow, but the way that it shot out of there can only be likened to a magical tree sprouting at the speed of light. The hit was so solid that upon impact, a thump like no other sounded off and a dark red flash soon followed, leaving a star shaped burst in its wake sending BlackBlood back some feet...

I don't know who's going to pull this one out. Grada has some major strength and his battle sense isn't dull in no way. Whoever slips up will be the one to fall, I wish the Circle was still living to bet on this...

-A look of disbelief quickly transitioned into a small smirk across the face of Aet-

These two are formidable to any opponent, each time they're forced to show something it's on a different level each time. Their aptitude for battle and carnage is one notion that is shared by both of them. Grada is by no means a forward fighter but damn if he doesn't have the power for it. He can take advantage of any situation with time, sneaking his way to unleashing his true killing moment...

But BlackBlood is just so calm and collected, facing many foes. Great or light she takes them down with ease. Her aura is immense, her attitude is frightening because she's unreadable, and her powers are Unfathomable. She doesn't have to take risks because she's been walking a path of revenge for a while now.

And to my delight I get to be the true witness of this battle. Either way I want to follow them both for future endeavors. Why... Oh why did they have to be enemies??? If possible maybe... No... No... This will be a battle to the death and this Abyss will be losing a very powerful individual in the process. But, the victor will won't be the same either as a result. Order of power, both mental and physical will be tested to the extreme right now. Wounds will need licking, readjustment of oneself will also be a must.

-BlackBlood peeped her eyes over her cross-guard to gaze into Grada's eyes with a smile, just to let him know she took that shot in stride...

(BlackBlood) Not bad, not bad at all, and here I thought you were all flash and no substance. But now the true Grada is coming out.

(Grada) You Hornheads were all some tough bastards. This is why you all had to go; your absurd resilience and growth would have been unparalleled. We didn't do a good job or else you wouldn't be here, but we stymied the numbers and just as we cut your clan short my power demolished your arms...

BlackBlood's arms blocked the blow but the damage was severe as her arms were searing red, and blood was pouring out of the indentation left from Grada's fist.

(BlackBlood) You broke both of my forearms, or should I say crushed both of them. Yeah that's some stength you have there, but I'm a Bloodmancer.. -Detox-Clog-Mesh...

Her forearms started to bubble and sizzle in the area of her wounds and from the flesh came out the broken bone fragments, size of chips each in different shapes but a clear distinction of how they fit into each other like a puzzle.

Then her arms stiffened out, and suddenly the blood stopped leaking out of her wounds and instead covered her arms wrapping tightly around the wounds of both forearms, conforming into some sort of quick patch.

Her wraps hardened, then melted down with her skin fusing itself into her natural flesh and bone. She calmly gripped her right forearm and squeezed, clamped, and rubbed to get the blood flowing through, then did the same with the left forearm...

(Grada) That's your healing?? I wanted to see just exactly how long it would take you to fully heal that. It was a gamble but I am happy I waited, because I can certainly guarantee that I won't ever give you that amount of time to heal again. I'm about to destroy you. I was worried over nothing.

Grada faded into the rift...

-Not this time!!!! -Oni's Touch!!!

BlackBlood raised her hand to just in front of her face and slit her wrist open the long way, but no blood leaked, instead it contoured the blade of her fingernail and followed its trace up to the index finger of the outstretched hand.

She flipped over her hand and with the small ball of blood on her fingertip she swiped down, causing a black streak to separate what would appear to be our world with another dimension. It was a network of tunnels like pockets just suspended in air...

BlackBlood took the same fingertip and pointed it into the tunnel. The ball grew in size and turned Black with a red fire flaming its outer edges.

-Dark Wrot- in an instant the tunnel was engulfed in red flames, but the orb kept traveling and traversing the tunnels of the rift, exploding them and leaving them in flames...

-Get serious Grada, or die!!! No more running.

BlackBlood has turned up the heat on Grada. By destroying all of the rifts, she's forcing a face to face battle...

To be Continued...

Next chapter 38...

~Blood Oasis~