Taste of Revenge

Kayden held his blade in place, using it as a medium to pour lightning into the Blood Vine, he could see some of the vines withering and dying, and he saw the discomfort on Lyda's lips, he knew he could win this, if only he had as much essence as he had wished, a vine attacked, lurching straight at home from behind Lyda.

Kayden immediately sighed with lightning reflexes, pulling his sword out he jumped back the way he had come, standing by Thane's side.

"Calm down Kayden, save up your essence" he spoke slowly, "This is a battle of attrition" he looked at me, the sides of his lips tugged into a smile.

"So you think you can do that thing the Captain did before he passed?" Thane asked feeling a bit hopeful but Kayden shook his head.

"I won't be able to perform something like that, my body could break down and implode if I make careless mistakes" Kayden scratched his head in embarrassment, he had remembered how Tharros had called down the lightning to save him the first time, and again to let us escape.

He couldn't forget the beauty and destruction it caused, it had been on his mind how he managed to manipulate the sky and bring down Lightning but he would figure that one out later, he had something else he could manage that he wanted to try.

The vines that had been burnt crisp by Kayden's lightning slowly withered off as new vines grew from the existing ones, Thane stood a step ahead of him, slowly watching the monster, looking for weaknesses and a way to kill it.

"We killed the villagers so its supply of blood and energy had been cut off completely," Thane said looking at Kayden, the words had stung him a bit but he pushed the thought away from his head, he had to focus.

"What does that mean?" He asked Thane.

"It means it can't keep regenerating for long, soon enough its regeneration will slow, making it weaker and weaker," he said calmly, "Just think about it as hacking away at a bushel of stubborn thorns until they give out".

"I'm a thousand years old you fools" The blood Vine spoke using Lyda's voice, "Do you think I would fall to such gimmicks? You aren't the only one that had thought of that" she cackled at them.

"Yet we are the only ones that could remove your blood supply, you have nothing else to possess except the current body you dwell in" Thane laughed as he spread his arms out, "For a thousand years old plants, the same old tricks are the only things you ever use, Humanity is not so weak as to not evolve".

As he said those words he released his cultivation, sending little shockwaves throughout the hall, he covered himself with the aura of fire, fully encompassing his body and sword, and then slowly the aura dimmed even further as he concentrated it to certain points, accumulating his essence to the meridians in his body.

Kayden had forgotten just how skilled Thane was when it came to essence manipulation, he could feel how delicate and intricate, how precise and sharp his aura was, but he was nothing comparable, and deep down, he knew Thane had gotten this good only by living and surviving on the battlefield.

"Fire works best against plants," Thane said smiling at Kayden then he nodded slightly, Kayden also released his cultivation, he was more violent, and sporadic, he hadn't learned to limit it to just himself so random lines of lightning shot out randomly in every direction, he compressed it as much as he could making sure it outlined his body and sword, he couldn't do what Thane did but he would manage.

"On both sides, never on the same, cover my back and I'll cover yours," Kayden said as he held his blade in front of him, Thane nodded in understanding.

"Perhaps I have been too lax these few hundred years, young seedlings dare to oppose me" The Blood Vine stood up from its chair, vines protruded from its back, thicker than a man's hand, stronger than a tree bark, the vines poured out in numbers, from its legs, fingers, arms, the vines encompassed the entire body, leaving only it's head.

Thane nodded at Kayden, in unison they both darted forward at incredible speeds leaving a trail of their essence in their wake, they ran to the opposite sides of the Blood Vine, attacking simultaneously, Thane covered his blade with a fiery aura, he made a single stroke of his sword, cleaning cutting off a thick vine, the seating heat could be felt by Kayden on the other side, the smell of burnt blood filled the air in the hall.

Kayden and Thane hacked away viciously at the vines as they grew more and more, thicker, faster, the vines began chasing them, following them about by tracking their essence, Kayden saw this and understood that the vines were attracted to organisms with the signs of life in them.

But the more Kayden cut down every vine to creep in his direction, the more he cut them down, but the regeneration never slowed, not even once, if anything it had gotten more faster.

Kayden jumped back cautiously, keeping some distance between them so he could think, suddenly a vine shot towards him with incredible speed, he dodged it by a hair breath, and the vine slashed his cheek drawing blood as it missed, Kayden watched as his blood on the Vine stem was slowly absorbed, suddenly he heard a rumbling deep in the thicket of the vines.

"Fools shall remain fools, it matters not what era I come into, humans are nothing but food to me, fodder, yes," The blood Vine said lashing its vines round like whips, "You forget I am a second-rank demon species has taken over a third rate martial artist, her cultivation has been forcefully pushed by me" it began laughing hysterically from within.

"As of right now, I possess the body of a First rate Martial artist after combining our soul cores together, do you fools think you have a chance," it said, a vine caught unto Thane's leg, wrapped around him with blinding speed and smashed him to the walls, breaking the oakwood that was used to make it.

Thane crumpled to the floor, coughing out a mouth full of blood, he must have internal injury and needed some time to circulate his Essence, Kayden thought to himself.

"Come now, I shall take the bodies of you both and push my level even higher" its voice boomed through the building, shivering tiny shocks everywhere.

"Aaahh, Damnit" Kayden cursed under his breath.