The Golem Mage

[Blood Changdao has finally absorbed enough blood to open the next seal and begin its evolution. Sword evolution will now begin. However, in the meantime, you can still use the second and the newly unlocked third seal to create weapons for combat while the upgrade continues.]

This sudden notification that popped up before Alec took him completely by surprise, because the Blood Changdao lacked an experience bar, he had no way of tracking its progress and had remained entirely unaware that it was on the verge of evolving.

Typically, he simply wielded it in battle, and the weapon would occasionally devour the blood of enemies during battle, while at other times it refrained from doing that. Whenever it didn’t, Alec would merely assume it was sated, overly selective, or specifically craving only the blood of higher-ranked mages.

And along the line Alec had grown accustomed to relying on the second seal to forge blood-crafted weapons, largely because he had begun to feel the Changdao blade was losing its efficacy in high-rank battles without the second seal state.

It no longer provided the decisive advantage Alec had once enjoyed in the mid-tier, even so, sentimental attachment and the knowledge that the blade could evolve kept him from replacing it as his primary arm.

Now, with another upgrade underway, Alec eagerly anticipated discovering how formidable the weapon would become once its evolution was complete.

_ _

As Alec marveled at the blade absorbing massive quantities of blood to trigger its transformation, the bearman general who floated opposite him a few meters away, inwardly cursed the tigerkins for dispatching such an unexpectedly weak Tier 8 officer.

It was not that the fallen beastkin general was weak, but rather that his strength paled in comparison to Alec and the bearman general who had come with him.

While the bearman possessed a terrifying defense, Alec on the other hand was a complete anomaly capable of fighting two realms above his own.

The bearman general deduced that fusing with whatever power source that granted Alec his vampire powers was what allowed him to step into Tier 7 and suppress them who were at the Tier 8 realm; nevertheless, Alec remained far more monstrous than any Peak Tier 6 mage had any right to be.

The moment the Bearman general had seen Alec abruptly change direction, he instantly realized that something was horribly wrong, by now, the bearman general needed no prophet to realize the truth:

Alec’s relentless assaults against him had all been a ploy to lure the were-tiger general, whom Alec knew he could easily eliminate into striking distance, it was like he had been rearing him on to attack like nothing could ever go wrong.

“So every attack you threw at me was just an elaborate scheme to make us drop our guard so you could go after him instead?” the bear general growled, tightening his grip on his war hammer.

Though he desperately wished to flee, because he knew that facing Alec alone was a death sentence, however the bear general realized escape was no longer an option for him, especially now that Alec had slain the were-tiger general.

Attempting to run would only expose his back to an immediate, fatal strike, granting Alec an even easier victory.

“A scheme? All is fair in love and war,” Alec countered casually.

“You both came at me with lethal intent clearly wanting to end my life, and I reciprocated, what is wrong with that?, if I choose to focus my attacks on a single target to inflict maximum damage, that is simply tactics.”

He smirked slightly, adding,

“Besides, I never told my opponent to drop his guard or assume I would let him attack me indefinitely without retaliating.”

As Alec spoke, the blood changdao in his hand became shrouded in a thick crimson liquid, in a sudden burst of light, the weapon vanished straight into his body, right before the bear general’s stunned eyes.

Alec reached toward the swirling mass of blood before him.

[? Blood Changdao - Third Seal Open.]

At his command, part of the protective crimson aura around him began condensing into a single focal point—his outstretched palm.

From the coalescing blood emerged a new weapon: a long, dangerously curved scythe attached to a blood chain which wrapped tightly around his right arm, extending all the way to his elbow.

[Status]

Name: Chained Blood Scythe

Tier: Tier 8 (Low)

Effects:

? Lightning Paralysis

? Chain Lightning

[Blood Changdao Second Seal Active]

[Scythe Weapon Mastery: Advanced Lvl Max]

[Equipped with a scythe-type weapon: Slashing and bleeding effects increased by 50%]

This was his very first time he was activating the third seal, yet he quickly realized its true nature: while the second seal merely formed blood weaponry paired with stat boosts tied to his weapon mastery, the third seal was far more sophisticated.

Not only could the third seal imbue the newly forged weapon it creates with the power of the second seal, but the skills listed under its effects revealed an even greater capability: it could store the abilities of the individual whose blood was used in its creation, though Alec doesn’t believe that he had gotten to the depth of this new ability yet.

[Blood Reaper Class active.]

[A Great Blood weapon eligible for storage has been forged. You may choose to store it, fuse it as a component into another Great Blood weapon, or consume it to enhance the growth potential of an existing Great Blood weapon.]

[Blood Reaper Weapons (0/6)]

Just when Alec thought his Blood Changdao entering its evolution stage was the climax of good news that he was going to get, another revelation caught him off guard.

Because floating right before him was a title he had not seen in a long time: the Blood Reaper class, the very class bestowed upon him when he first drew the Blood Changdao and it chose him as its wielder.

Since he was still in the heat of combat, he couldn’t afford to scrutinize all the notification details right now.

Instead, he focused on releasing the overwhelming surge of power coursing through him.

He extended his hands and released his grip on the shaft of the scythe, causing the weapon to drop several meters down before halting abruptly, since it was still tethered securely to Alec’s hand by its chain.

Alec had envisioned a precise design when forging the weapon, and it manifested exactly as intended, as he dashed forward, the remaining crimson mist in the air go absorbed into his cloak as he rapidly spun the chain around his right wrist, which generating a whirling disc of blood at his side, due to the scythe that was rotating at a very fast speed beside him.

_ _

Far away in the deaths of one of the fragmented origin realm controlled by otherworldly races, within the depths of a dark coffin, an ancient entity opened its glowing red eyes, its features contorting with fury.

“A new Blood Reaper has emerged,” the creature growled. “At last, my revenge begins.”