Chapter 788 (1/2)

Helen’s eyes snapped open.

Congratulations! You have created the Skill “Blood Walker, Master of Tides ® Lvl 1”! Warning, energy will be taken from your body. This may result in sickness and death.

Blood Walker, Master of Tides ®: Using your inherent abilities as the soul of the Bloodfin Reaper, you sense the currents in the surrounding area. The range of this ability increases with Skill Level. With simple movements of your body, it is possible to affect and empower currents in the surrounding area. Effect increases with Skill Level. You sense the connections between the myriad currents and develop an intuition as to their uses and influences. Effect increases with Skill Level.

Once, Helen had asked Randidly how the fuck he managed to control three or four root avatars, use spells, and also fight with his physical body. After laughing, he confessed that he just had a monstrous amount of Control. Which wasn’t something Helen could ever hope to possess. But repeated losing her Domain made her extremely frustrated. The problem was she couldn't gather the image to create it while moving at the same time. It took a little extra oomph to assemble the thing. This, she assumed, was a good sign for the Domain’s strength. But not for her own survivability.

Such was her frustrated that she had fixated on it. And now the world answered.

Skarch was about to arrive and Helen raised her spear. The black flames of rage that she had kept cage roared in triumph as they were unleashed. Their flickering forms stretched and danced. Helen took a step forward and met Skarch at the edge of her Tides of Blood Domain.

“Decimate,” Helen hissed as her spear slashed forward.

“Simple Thrust,” Came the response filled with tightly controlled fury.

Clang!

To Helen’s relief, she was blown backward by the force, but only a few meters. In fact, right back into her Tides of Blood Domain.

Congratulations! Your Skill Blood Walker, Master of Tides has become Level 2!

Congratulations! Your Skill Blood Walker, Master of Tides has become Level 3!

Congratulations! Your Skill Domain: Tides of Blood has become Level 79!

Congratulations! Your Skill Blood Walker, Master of Tides has become Level 4!

Helen began to ignore the notifications as the Domain closed up behind Skarch. Luckily the recovery speed was noticeably increasing. The other woman also seemed somewhat surprised that her attacks had such a muted advantage over Helen, and Skrach’s brows furrowed. But she slashed and Helen had to scamper to the side to avoid the fissure that opened up in the Tides of Blood Domain.

Skarch eyed the trembling domain that slowly healed with visible annoyance. Then her eyes locked onto Helen. “This is how you choose to fight?”

It was a simple question, Helen reasoned with herself. There was no reason to get pissed off about it. This was a tournament. Best to keep it professional.

Helen spat a globe of blood onto the ground and rushed toward Skarch. The other woman grinned and raised her spear.

“Simple Overhand Blow-”

But Helen cut her off. “Maw of the Hellfin.”

Helen danced to the side as a giant, bloody specter dug its teeth into Skarch’s back. Or at least attempted to. Skarch’s eyes flashed. The butt of her spear ripped backward and shattered the Maw. Behind it, the Domain also collapsed in a large cone. The currents of the Tides of Blood Domain attempted to heal it, but Skarch twisted and thrust her spear toward Helen.

With two large chunks ripped out of it, the Domain shuddered and collapsed.

“Burst of Speed,” Helen whispered. A huge amount of her remaining Stamina disappeared, but she gracefully ducked under Skarch’s quick blow. Skarch’s eyes widened in shock, but she brought her spear up in time to deflect Helen’s attack. Instantly, Helen brought her Domain back up around them.

“Feeding Frenzy!” The black flames of rage roared with glee and Helen unleashed a fury of blows on Skarch. But Skarch’s expression remained unperturbed. Helen’s flames of rage hissed and spat. Without a flicker of warning from her face, Skarch’s spear began to glow. Just as Skarch’s mouth opened, Helen managed to slash open a shallow cut on Skarch’s forearm.

Worth it.

“I Reject.”

A wave of force emerging from the spear exploded outward. Helen was sent spinning backward but landed on her feet with a light tap. One thing she had definitely perfected during her fights with Randidly was landing on her feet when she was knocked around. A sad truth. But once more her Domain collapsed as the concussive force ripped through her currents.

Which left Helen with the choice of taking the risk with Skarch’s attack and conjuring the Domain or dodging. The black flames of rage muttered to each other how unfair this was. Helen ignored them. Instead, her mind went to Randidly’s words. Leave no space for regrets.

Her smile was all hard edges and teeth. After all, what was the fun in dodging? She was the Hellfin Reaper. And before her, everything else was prey.

Tides of Blood surrounded them just as Skarch arrived. Helen detected the flash of contempt in her opponent’s eyes. It was shocking, in a way. But Helen supposed that one who lived on pride wouldn’t understand the desperate madness of the underdog.