The two of them arrived near a small, secluded lake—not filled with clear water, but a strange brown liquid that churned unnaturally as if alive. The air was thick with a metallic scent. Near the shore, two beasts clashed in a brutal battle.
Both were injured, their bodies bloodied and torn, yet their blood-red eyes locked in savage hunger. They radiated feral hatred—neither willing to retreat.
"Cryonix... and a Demon Wolf?" Selenia whispered in a low, serious tone. Her voice was soft, yet carried a weight of recognition.
Eirian narrowed his eyes, his expression solemn. "Both are... 8-star Soulspark stage?" he murmured. "But why are they fighting here? And over what?"
Then it struck him.
"They're not just fighting for dominance," he said quietly. "They're after each other's Veinroots."
Selenia's eyes narrowed. She understood instantly.
Veinroots weren't something that grew in the earth. They were crystallized cores of refined soulforce—born inside powerful beasts who had cultivated beyond the norm, pulsing deep within their heart or dantian. To obtain one, the beast had to die.
Powerful cultivators could absorb a Veinroot to elevate their realm, purify their meridians, or even awaken dormant abilities. But for another beast, consuming one meant potential rebirth—an evolution toward higher cultivation.
"They're fighting to the death," Eirian muttered, watching the bloodbath unfold. "Each one wants to devour the other and take the Veinroot for itself."
He understood one thing clearly—even if he and Selenia joined forces, they stood no chance against either beast at full strength. But now\...
They were hiding behind the thick roots of an ancient tree roughly a mile away, their auras suppressed, breaths held, trying not to alert the battling monsters.
The Cryonix was a massive python, its shimmering scales exuding venomous energy. Its mouth was wide enough to swallow a man whole. The Demon Wolf, in contrast, stood two meters tall, its fur bristling like black iron thorns, claws sharp enough to carve stone. And judging by its ferocity, the wolf seemed immune to the Cryonix's poison.
"We wait till both are nearly dead, then strike," Eirian whispered, eyes sharp. "Take them out while they're weak and claim the Veinroots."
Selenia's brow furrowed, but she nodded. "Your idea has merit. But we can't act rashly," she warned. "One wrong move... and this place will become our grave—without even a burial—"
She was cut off by a deafening hiss.
The Demon Wolf had managed to rip open a section of the Cryonix's glistening scales. Brown blood gushed from the wound, flesh and bone visible beneath. Not wasting the moment, the wolf lunged forward and tore deeper into the exposed flesh with its fangs.
The python shrieked in pain, but retaliated swiftly. Its tail whipped forward, glowing with crimson energy, and smashed into the Demon Wolf's chest with a bone-cracking thud. The wolf was hurled several meters away, tumbling violently across the earth.
"It's burning its Veinroot energy... sacrificing its own body," Selenia muttered, eyes wide with astonishment. "This is it—Cryonix is at its weakest!"
Eirian didn't hesitate. He gripped his worn blade tightly, the metal humming faintly with anticipation. "I'll take the Cryonix. You distract the wolf!"
Selenia nodded. "Don't die," she said curtly, before darting from cover.
She sprinted toward the downed Demon Wolf, energy surging around her. Purple aura condensed into a glowing orb in her palm—a signature technique. She hurled it with all her strength toward the struggling beast. The Demon Wolf, still on the ground, glared at her with bloodshot eyes, attempting to rise. But the orb struck its neck before it could react.
BOOM!
Dust and smoke exploded outward. The ground trembled.
As the debris settled, Selenia's heart pounded.
The wolf was still alive.
Her attack had hit true, but instead of killing it, it only deepened its neck wound. Blood poured from the gash, but the wolf—still furious, still breathing—let out another blood-curdling howl.
Eirian didn't look back. He dashed straight at the weakened Cryonix. The python sensed his approach, eyes glowing dimly, but it could barely raise its coiled body.
"You're done," Eirian muttered.
He leapt into the air, gathering every ounce of force he could muster, blade poised to strike the gaping wound left by the Demon Wolf's earlier assault. As he descended, the Cryonix let out a final hiss—a dying breath laced with venomous gas, purple and seething, erupting in a wide burst from its maw.
"Shitt...!"
Mid-air, Eirian instinctively cloaked himself with a veil of starflow, but it wasn't enough. The gas grazed his exposed skin—burning like acid, searing through his nerves with blistering agony.
Still, his blade plunged deep into the Cryonix's skull.
Shhhhhlk!
The beast shrieked in defiance, not with fear, but hatred. It thrashed in its death throes—and with a final surge of fury, launched its thick, armored tail.
Eirian's eyes widened.
I was careless...
The tail struck him square in the chest before he could fully react, the impact thundering through his ribs and hurling him backward. He staggered ten steps before crashing to the ground.
"Damn it...!"
Clutching his chest with his left hand, he winced.
Feels like my lungs are going to explode...
The poison still sizzled beneath his skin, weakening him further.
The Cryonix wasn't done.
It lunged—mouth open, venom still dripping from its fangs.
If this keeps up... I'll die. One more hit, and I won't get up.
A desperate idea sparked in his mind.
Flame... help me!
Inside his consciousness, he reached toward the slumbering presence within him—the enigmatic force bound to his soul.
Soulless Flame, lend me your fire. Burn this beast down!
No response. The flame lay dormant.
Panic surged in his chest as the Cryonix closed in.
"Little boss... great flame... baby... sweetheart... whatever! Wa-Wake up! If I die, you die too!"
A voice finally snapped awake inside his mind, irritated and sharp.
"What nonsense are you blabbering, you moron? 'What sweetheart'!? I was sleeping, you lunatic!"
Eirian coughed, still feeling pain in his chest.
"Okay okay, scold me later—just burn it! Channel through my palm! Now!!"
The Cryonix's fangs were mere inches from his face when—FWOOM!
A towering inferno erupted from Eirian's left palm, searing the air in a violent blaze of bluish-black fire. The Cryonix let out a piercing hiss—its body igniting instantly as the flame devoured its flesh.
The beast thrashed once more, then collapsed in a heap of smoldering ash.
Eirian stood, chest heaving, hand still outstretched as the last traces of the Soulless Flame flickered away.
He let out a long breath, half in relief, half in disbelief.
"...Well. At least it listens when it's insulted."
From deep in his consciousness, the flame's voice growled, "Call me 'baby' one more time and I'll burn your hair off in your sleep."
Eirian smirked faintly but didn't reply. The Soulflame had drained nearly half of his Starflow, his low cultivation base couldn't sustain it for long.
Instead, he crouched beside the still-smoking corpse of the Cryonix. Its massive body twitched once—then fell silent for good. Carefully, he pressed his palm against the beast's chest and reached into its core with his soulforce.
A pulse of resistance struck his hand—raw and instinctual.
Killing intent... even in death?
A moment later, something warm and solid rose to the surface.
He extracted it a Veinroot.
It was no root at all, but a blood-red crystalline core, no larger than a finger. It pulsed softly with a dull, menacing light—almost as if it were still alive. He felt the pressure of its presence against his palm, like a predator's breath against his skin.
Without hesitation, he tucked it away into his pocket dimension.
No time to examine it now.
He looked up.
Across the broken terrain, not far from the lake's edge, Selenia was locked in a desperate battle with the Demon Wolf. Her clothes were torn, her shoulder bleeding, and her aura flickered wildly. She was barely holding on—every strike she blocked pushed her further back.
Eirian's expression turned cold.
He gripped his blade tighter and ran forward, soulforce gathering around his legs as he blurred across the battlefield.
He closed the distance within moments and shouted, "Selenia! Hit its back—I'll take the front! Together!"
At the sound of his voice, her eyes flicked toward him. For a moment, her shoulders dropped just slightly—the kind of relief one doesn't admit out loud.
She gave a short nod. "On it."
Then she vanished in a burst of violet light, circling behind the Demon Wolf, while Eirian charged straight ahead, blade crackling with heat.
The Demon Wolf snarled as it sensed the coordinated attack. It spun around, trying to gauge the greater threat—but too late.
Its bloodshot eyes widened—
And the two cultivators struck in unison.
Demon Wolf's POV:
Pain.
A dull roar now—distant but ever-present—like thunder buried beneath a collapsing mountain. Blood dripped from its neck and hind leg. Its lungs wheezed; every breath cut sharp like broken glass.
But still, it stood tall.
Must endure... must consume... must evolve.
The Veinroot within pulsed in desperation. Its energy drained faster than it could regenerate. And yet—even now—it refused to submit.
Not to the slithering corpse.
Not to these humans.
Especially not to the black-haired boy with eyes like cold flame.
Its vision blurred, but instinct remained razor-sharp.
It turned—sensing movement.
Behind.
And in front.
Two signatures. Two threats. One breath.
The boy charged ahead, blade glowing with runes etched in sharp geometric lines. The metal howled, wrapped in a swirling current of Starflow. Not mere heat—this fire sought essence, aiming to cleave not just flesh, but spirit.
Behind—the girl. Her purple aura flared as she channeled Starflow through her palms. Three radiant rings spun around her wrists, glowing brighter with each turn until they burst outward, forming a web of binding light.
Her technique: Sunbind Threads.
Magical filaments, nearly invisible, coiled around the Demon Wolf's legs and spine—locking it mid-pivot. They didn't bind muscle. They gripped energy, momentum, instinct.
The wolf howled, lashing wildly—
But it was caught.
This again... helpless... like before.
Fragmented Memories surfaced before his eyes.
Snow. A den. Pups.
Soft fur pressed against its side—its mate—her eyes dimming as her life bled out beneath human blades.
The scent of iron.
The cold bite of fear.
Its own howl echoing into the night, unanswered.
Then: the lake. The roots. The whispering promise. Consume... survive... become more.
But it had not become more.
Only angrier.
Only emptier.
It roared and forced its limbs forward—chains digging into its soul.
But Eirian was already upon it.
The boy's blade descended with a scream of condensed flame—a mid-tier Soulspark technique, refined by fire-aspected Starflow.
A vertical strike designed not just to pierce—but to shatter armor and soulbarriers alike.
The Demon Wolf howled as the blade cleaved across its snout, down to its chest.
At the same time, Selenia's fingers twisted, and the Sunbind Threads detonated into dozens of blinding spears of light—
Solar Bloom, the second phase of her technique driving deep into its joints, disrupting every point of strength.
One final cry.
Then silence.
The beast collapsed.
Its body trembled once.
Then lay still.
Stillness. The forest quieted. The scent of blood, fire, and burnt fur lingered.
The wolf's final thoughts were not of rage...
But of snow.
And soft breathing beside it.
Then... nothing.
Eirian stepped over the beast's body, his boots crunching against scorched gravel and ash. The Demon Wolf's massive frame had finally fallen still—chest unmoving, eyes glazed with lifeless frost.
He crouched beside it, extending his palm toward the beast's chest. The starflow within him stirred, preparing to extract the second Veinroot.
But then—he froze.
Just before the light faded completely from the wolf's eyes, he saw something.
A flicker.
A faint emotion—too fast to name.
Not rage. Not fear.
Something quieter. More human.
Was it... grief?
He blinked, stunned, and for a moment, he forgot to breathe.
What was that just now..?
The image of snow returned—like a memory not his own. A den. Soft fur. Dying eyes. A howl lost to the night.
Eirian's brows knit tightly as he stared down at the beast. His blade, still warm with starflow, trembled slightly in his hand.
From behind, Selenia's voice called out cautious but sharp.
"Eirian! What happened? Are you hurt?"
He didn't answer right away.
The moment stretched.
Then, with a quiet breath, he stood and shook his head. "No. I'm fine."
He placed his palm back on the Demon Wolf's chest, and this time, he didn't hesitate.
A pulse of raw resistance lashed out—more emotional than violent. The beast's soulforce still clung to its core, as if refusing to surrender even in death.
But Eirian endured it, channeling his own starflow inward with quiet resolve.
Seconds later, the second Veinroot emerged—darker than the last, smoky red with a faint flicker of gold in its center. It pulsed like a heartbeat.
He looked down at it—this shard of condensed life, ambition, and tragedy.
How many Veinroots had he taken? And how many would he take before this path swallowed him whole?
With a grim look, he stored the Veinroot in his pocket dimension beside the Cryonix's Veinroot.
He turned toward Selenia, who was walking toward him now, blood streaking her arm but her steps still confident.
"Two beasts. Two Veinroots," she said. "I guess luck really is on our side today."
Eirian gave a faint nod, but his eyes remained on the ashes.
"Yeah... Lucky," he murmured.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that something inside the beast had looked back at him in those final seconds.