Flowers

'Fuck'

Aster looked down upon the crimson blade protruding from his chest.

"You really let your guard down didn't you?"

He looked back and saw a dark figure behind him. Like a shadow, it stalked him until the perfect chance to strike.

Sharp iron taste filled his mouth.

[[Fireball] has been activated]

The figure jumped back before the fireballs collided with him.

BOOM

"Hehe, pathetic. Is that all you can do?"

'That voice. Haha, how many vampires do I have to kill to get a title?'

"Sorry to disappoint but I don't want to become an overgrown mosquito."

Crimson fog manifested, putting Aster on guard. 

He held the tip of the blade that stabbed him and tried to pull it out but to no avail.

'Damn, It would suck so bad if I accidentally ripped my lung open.'

"It seems that you misunderstood. You do not get a choice in this matter.

It would be best for both of us if you just gave up and went with me because a fate worse than death will come to us if we delay for too long."

Aster's eyes flashed an alarming red. 'A fate worse than death? I don't like the sound of that.

But I'm tempted to just stay put to spite this fucker.'

"Make me move, you bastard."

"Very well. I will make this quick."

Nicolas put his hands over his hands and ripped the shadow veil apart.

He was revealed in his same goth clothes and his blood red eyes. His outfit blended perfectly with the midnight darkness. The light provided by the flame beacon reflected on his deathly pale face, giving him an eerie vibe.

The crimson fog encircled Aster as Nicolas slowly made his way to him.

'Can't let that fog touch me. It's giving off a sinister feeling.'

[[Fire stream] has been activated]

Flame rives gushed out of his left hand and burned off the crimson cloud.

The fog was followed by dozens of blood weapons which were harder to burn so he stepped aside.

"Hoh, you can move? It seems you have quite the high pain tolerance."

'That blade is made out of my blood. Once it pierces the skin, it will slowly dissolve into the blood of the victim. It would destroy his innards.

It is essentially a poison but not a poison at the same time so toxin resistance or immunity works against it to a certain extent but it would cause unbearable pain.

Even considering the unlikely event of him maxing his toxin immunity, he should be thrashing around in pain but he doesn't flinch at all.

He killed Carl even though he was severely weakened from my blood. That is such an unreal growth, I can't underestimate him at all. I need to finish this fast before he summons those specters.'

With that thought, Nicolas drew more blood stored in his bloodcore and shaped it into a multitude of slashes and spears.

'Firstly, I have to take care of his extreme mobility.'

His eyes turned into slits. He willed his blood inside Aster to attack a certain place. Then he sent the blood attacks after him.

Aster lowered his back and got into a sprinting position.

'I will have to speed blitz him and strike him up close.' Aster strategized.

'I have to keep my overcharged mana pool as a trump card in case he has one too.'

[-121 hp]

He ignored the damage notification and tried to dash with all of his speed skills activated.

Only to find out that he couldn't move his legs.

'What!?'

Almost instinctively, he erected a giant stone wall between him and the blood attacks which sliced through it like a hot knife through butter.

[-201 hp]

"Damn it." Aster muttered to himself as he saw his left hand flying away.

Both of his hands were now cut, making close combat a pain in the ass and using magic more troublesome.

Using his hands was not necessary to use magic but it made aiming and concentrating the particles a lot easier.

'!'

He detected a horizontal blood slash aiming directly at his neck.

Aster leaned with his body forwards to shift his weight. 

The shift in balance made him fall down, barely avoiding the crescent moon slash.

The slash cut some of his overgrown hair as it flew past him.

'Damn it, I almost died!'

"Isn't your purpose is to recruit me? What would happen if I died?"

Nicolas was heard from behind. "Then so be it."

'How did he get behind me?'

BAM

Aster felt a crushing blow on the back of his neck. The pain never came but the pressure and the force was felt.

"Gyagh!"

His vision went blurry for a second.

'Not good at all. I have to maintain the firewall or else I'm gonna get devoured by the fleshnami'(A.N: flesh+tsunami=fleshnami)

Aster created two more mind branches on a whim. One of them was maintaining the wall while the other was charging an attack.

The main one manifested another flame wall and covered himself with it.

"Trying to hide, you little gremlin?"

A blood chain pierced through the fire and wrapped around his waist. Then he was pulled out and thrown to the sky.

"You wish!"

Instantly, hundreds of fireballs appeared in the center of the outer firewall.

'Let's see if you survive this carpet bombing!'

The fireballs descended upon Nicolas who gritted his teeth.

More blood was discharged and it was condensed and shaped into a blood dome.

BOOM

Ear annihilating explosions were set off, releasing shockwaves all around the platform.

The shockwave propelled him even further into the sky and destabilized the firewall from within.

Aster saw the darkness of the light slowly swallowing him as the only source of light disappeared.

'This isn't enough to kill him. And the flesh too, it's still there. I need more firepower. To end both of them.'

He released his aura net all over and gathered even more mana.

[[Fireball] has been activated]

[[Fireball] has been activated]

[[Fireball] has been activated]

[[Fireball] has been activated]

***

[The skill [Blazing rain] has been acquired]

Thousands and thousands of small fireballs decorated the sky like miniature stars. 

Then they descended down at high speeds. All of them were concentrated on one spot.

Aster had the chance to appreciate the view as he fell.

The fireballs detonated as soon as they hit something solid. The explosion created a wonderful brilliance that expelled the darkness.

The shockwaves spread through the sea while letting go a deafening sound.

The explosions resembled a plethora of petite small flowers from so far above.

A word unknowingly escaped his lips "Pretty." 

Then he fell.

He was about to do the same thing he had done before.

Then he felt something.

His blood ran cold. His breath became misty. The mana did not obey his command, leaving him to plummet to death.

Aster could not properly think. Everything told him to run away through any means necessary.

But before he knew it, he was on the ground.

"Ho, what do we have here?"