Chapter 58 – The Blood Hunt Begins
Part 2: The Hollow Doesn't Forget
The air inside the Crimson Hollow didn't move.
It pressed.
It clung.
It whispered.
And the longer they walked, the more it felt like the place was watching them.
Luceris led first, reading terrain. His fangs flashed in and out of habit.
Serika kept low to the ground, twin blades drawn, scenting the air for iron and decay.
Ariz followed behind—silent. The Hollow's breath brushed against his coat, but never touched his skin.
The familiar lingered behind him like a shadow with thoughts.
They encountered the first beasts after two kilometers:
Tier 2 carrion scorpions, mutated from centuries of war residue. Fast. Spined. Mana-sting in the tails. They didn't roar when they attacked—they laughed.
It wasn't a clean fight.
Luceris took a slash to the ribs.Serika nearly got pinned.
Ariz cut through two—but the third got its stinger an inch from Serika's throat before she sliced its face in half. Her blade burned with her blood when she did it.
"Keep moving," she said, panting. "I'm not dying to insects."
Ariz looked at her hand.
Shaking.
Not from fear.
From adrenaline.
He didn't offer pity.
He didn't speak.
But he moved closer—not as protector, but as shield.
They kept moving.
And the Hollow shifted.
The air grew colder. The light thinner.
Their path narrowed to a bridge made of fused bones and dried spells.
Then it happened.
A low hum.
A sharp ringing.
And suddenly—everything turned red.
Serika dropped to one knee, gasping.
Luceris stumbled.
Only Ariz remained still.
"What the hell was—"
Luceris never finished.
A Tier 3 warbeast dropped from the ceiling—scaled like iron, with six legs and a burning mana core in its chest.
It slammed into Serika, claws slicing down her back.
She screamed—once.
She hit the ground hard.
Ariz moved.
He didn't blink.
He didn't shout.
He was just—there.
Blade drawn.
Eyes narrowed.
And something beneath his skin broke free.
[Familiar: Bound Echo – Phase Shift]➤ Form: Partial Manifest➤ Threat Rating: Unstable
The familiar didn't appear beside him.
It appeared inside the beast.
One second, the warbeast stood.
The next, it began choking—on its own breath, its own shadow.
It turned to retreat.
It never got the chance.
Ariz snapped two fingers.
The familiar detonated from within, peeling the beast's mana core into violet light.
Silence.
Then smoke.
Then Serika's breathing—ragged, shallow, but alive.
Ariz dropped to one knee beside her. Checked her wounds.
"You good to move?" he asked.
She gritted her teeth. "Give me ten seconds."
Ariz didn't speak again.
Just stood between her and the Hollow, as if daring it to try again.
Luceris caught up moments later, eyes wide.
"That thing—your summon—it was inside it."
"It moved on its own," Ariz said quietly. "I didn't call it."
Luceris frowned. "You're not just strong. You're becoming something else."
Ten minutes passed before Serika stood again.
She was pale. Bloody.
But unshaken.
"You didn't flinch," she whispered to Ariz. "When it hit me. You didn't panic."
"You didn't break," he replied. "I trusted you wouldn't."
She looked at him a long time.
Then nodded—just once.
[Team 27 – Status: Injured / Operational]Tier 2 cores: 6Tier 3 cores: 1Rank: High-mid
Estimated score position: Top 5
Note: Observers watching Ariz al Sulieman closely.
Above them, hidden behind a cracked obsidian ridge, two other teams watched through scouting spells.
One leaned close to the viewing crystal.
"That's him. The Umbrakin."
"You think we can take them?"
"No," the leader said slowly. "But maybe we can steal from them."
And elsewhere, far away, a name spread through the Hollow like rot returning to bloom:
Sulieman.Sulieman.The ash rises again…