Chapter 789 (2/2)

Panic set Helen’s heart to beat faster. Those reverberations filled the entire Tides of Blood Domain. Her control over the currents flowing through it trembled and fell to pieces. The red color darkened further. But Helen couldn’t focus on that. She leapt sideways, into the blind spot created as blood ran down Skarch’s face into her right eye in order to avoid another attack.

Skarch twisted to the right to find Helen, but her speed wasn’t as overwhelming as when she moved. Helen hoped Skarch would lose herself in this task for a bit, but only after a half second Skarch stopped and snorted. Skarch’s spear blurred and one-third of the Tides of Blood Domain was destroyed.

And yet… it didn’t fall.

Helen blinked. It was… heavier. Bloodier. Darker. And it simply oozed back to fill the empty space. The heartbeat continued, seeming to sink into some deeper part of the Domain.

Skarch also froze and blinked when she noticed the Domain didn’t scatter, and that was the chance Helen needed. “Maw of the Hellfin!”

The dangerous crimson specter appeared with a roar that instantly caught Skarch’s attention. It was, of course, subsequently ripped to pieces by a vicious thrust of the spear. Another chunk of the Tides of Blood Domain collapsed. But again, the whole didn’t even tremble.

But this time, Helen had strained herself to use a trick from Randidly’s playbook. As the loud Maw of the Hellfin attracted Skarch’s attention to the front, another struck at her silently from behind. And it sunk its spectral teeth into Skarch’s valuable right arm.

Roaring, Skarch produced a wave of force that shattered the maw and seemed to punch Helen in the gut. Windmilling her arms, Helen barely was able to stay on her feet. But her stomach wound opened back up. Thin fingers of blood ran down her shirt and into her pants.

Looking down, Helen could only grimace. Her front was a mess of gore, like some prepubescent girl’s nightmare. Already the burning of the healing energy had returned, but Helen could only glare at Skarch; better to let the healing complete. No matter how wide open Skarch’s flank was...

But she supposed Skarch didn’t know that. “Decimate!”

Skarch spun toward Helen’s voice and brought her spear up in slash so fast it was invisible that likely would have cut Helen in half, had she actually been attacking. When her spear met nothing, Skarch swayed side to side, searching for Helen. She finally found Helen and glared at her.

Helen did not miss the blood running out of Skarch’s wounded arm after the sudden strike. Around her, the Tides of Blood Domain grew heavier and heavier. The pounding of her heart became fainter. Yet there was a tingling along the back of Helen’s neck. What the hell… It was like...

“This is how you want this tournament to be decided? A test of endurance?” Skarch asked in a low voice. “Is your spear truly so shameless?”

“Just shut up. You had a leg to stand on earlier, but now you just sound like a sore loser. Save me the trouble and surrender.” Helen snapped. But her mind was elsewhere. The flames of rage sank low. Her strength was being summoned elsewhere.

Blood trickled out of the wound in Helen’s side and pooled on the ground. The audiences crazed yelling faded away. The haze of the bloody domain around them darkened from crimson to maroon. The pounding became faint and distant; another heartbeat, not her own. But it was growing closer.

Skarch chuckled. “Truly, I am surprised. I had never expected that you could push me to such a point without relying on the spear… truly, your strange image is wonderous. And growing stronger? But now I know you: You are a minor piranha, nothing deadly. And this spear can easily slay one such as you.”

That earned a wry smile from Helen, but it swiftly lost any true amusement as her attention was once more grabbed by that faint heartbeat. The Domain continued to darken. The beat slowed.

The reason she smiled was a conversation she had with Randidly during their training.

‘Fuck me,’ Helen had said.

Randidly grinned. Then he said, ‘Remember, your images can’t beat Skarch at her own game. In terms of small detail, her mastery over the Spear will destroy you if you are just a Hellfin Reaper.’

‘So I lose,’ Helen muttered. She lay on her back and looked toward the ceiling with Randidly standing over her.

But Randidly’s smile didn’t waver. ‘The one Hellfin Reaper won’t be enough… but what if you had the whole Blood Sea?’

Slow and constant, that heartbeat sounded like it was growing closer.