—

Although Kieran somewhat feared the fervent look in Scar’s eyes, he lifted his blade nonetheless. How could he be against vital training from his Exclusive Teacher?

No matter how complex or painful the training, it was a benefit with lasting effects!

Kieran exhaled and voiced his readiness. “I’m prepared for it.”

Scar snickered and extended his hand by his side. “It wasn’t like you had an opinion in the matter regardless, twerp. We’re on a very tight schedule as is because you used two days in unlocking this ability of ours. Even if I wanted to, it was a process I couldn’t afford to hasten. Self-comprehension is key in our path. There will be many times when enlightenment will rely upon your efforts.”

“I had a feeling,” Kieran replied.

Even if Scar told him that his emotions needed to be fed to the Blood Mania’s source rune at the start, doing so would be impossible if he weren’t agitated, which Scar’s training produced.

Without a strong enough vessel, wantonly drawing upon one’s emotions was an act that would undoubtedly trigger Argexes’ Blood.

For example, during his fight against Dusvim, Kieran subconsciously let his wrath permeate the depths of his soul, which in turn fed trace amounts to Blood Mania’s source rune.

The aftereffects of his rampant anger was Argexes’ Blood activating at a level that almost consumed his soul. Fortunately, Kieran didn’t let his wrath engulf his reason, but that unusual state left a small gap in his memories.

Otherwise, Kieran would have recalled some of his wrath being absorbed without his conscious doing.

Boom!

Scar and Kieran dashed toward each other while Kieran activated Sanguine Slashes. This skill’s ranged and constant effect allowed Kieran to unleash four quick slashes that sped toward Scar.

A light chuckle filled the room as Scar punched his left fist. A slight crack formed in space and trembled as if groveling before Scar’s physical might. The fissure in space absorbed Kieran’s attacks while Scar disappeared with a burst of crimson light.

Kieran came to a grinding halt as his eyes danced around the room, searching for any signs of Scar’s whereabouts. However, it was unsuccessful because Scar employed a barbaric means of spatial travel.

Suddenly, a looming sense of danger assaulted Kieran’s left side as he stabbed Crimson Ashrune forward. Scar’s large hand gripped Crimson Ashrune with a tinge of praise present in his eyes.

“Not bad. Your keen, bestial senses are already awakening. How excellent!”

Scar released Kieran’s blade, but in the next moment, a massive black-hole-like blood sphere with an unusual center materialized above Scar’s palm. As soon as it appeared, Kieran felt a horrifying suction force overwhelm him.

Without many other choices, Kieran bit his lip and activated Blood Bind.

However, Kieran didn’t stop there. He applied Blood Strengthening and Fervor Augmentation to the skill as his eyes flashed ruthlessly.

Rather than use it on Scar, Kieran manipulated the blood chains to root himself in place while the Vampiric Blood Encrustation coating Crimson Ashrune bubbled over.

His next move was incredibly reckless, but he stabbed his sword toward Scar’s mastered Peril Implosion.

“Seethe Burst!”

Scar’s expression changed when he realized Kieran’s intentions. ‘This boy hasn’t changed at all. It reminds me of our first test, storming headfirst into danger to test the other side’s resolve. A brazen display of courage but….’

Scar swiped his hand, manifesting a Seethe Burst one meter before his body. However, his utilization differed because his Seethe Burst experienced sudden propulsion.

The room erupted in a fountain of blood once the two Seethe Bursts collided, and the aftermath blew Kieran back until the chains were strained taut and threatened to break.

“Not bad! Your blood skills have become more powerful, but you can accomplish so much more. I can feel it in the depth of my being. Continue applying your skills as you see fit.”

Scar looked at the fountain of blood and pointed a single finger at the ground. “Wrath Eruption.”

Unlike Kieran’s Wrath Eruption, the one Scar revealed absorbed every drop of blood present until it seemed like a compact glob on the floor.

The blob was a bright ruby color and seemed harmless, but Kieran sensed extreme danger when the color darkened an instant later.

BOOM!

Kieran decisively shattered some of his chains and created instant distance using Surge Step. Still, he would never forget the horror before his eyes.

The blast’s speed, force, precision, and density were akin to a large blood missile exploding.

Half of the roof disappeared as the ground within a hundred-meter radius of Scar’s manor trembled.

If not for his status as the Bloody Hero, it wouldn’t be odd if several other Heroes or perhaps even the Mythical Heroes appeared because of this absurd disturbance.

However, although Heroes’ possessed personal residences and Mythical Heroes’ personal manors, they were seldomly on this floating oasis of a city.

Instead, many of the Heros sought additional chances to improve their strength or ventured to expand their horizons.

Even Scar only returned to this place during mandatory meetings or when he was tired and needed a heavenly rest.

Scar noticed Kieran’s dismayed expression and grinned from ear to ear. “Everything I’m about to show you is well within your limits, even now. The only difference will be the scale of your attacks due to your lacking Mana. But that’ll change soon enough once you meet the requirements to advance.”

After a short pause, Scar shook his head. “You’re not there just yet. You have a good ways to go. But your progress continues to astonish me nonetheless.”

Kieran accepted the praise but didn’t grow complacent at all. He recalled how easily Captain Liam dealt with his strike.

Although he couldn’t perceive his information at the time, Kieran felt not even ten Dusvim could equate to Captain Liam’s strength.

But, what bothered Kieran was the fact Liam was only a Captain. There were still Commander and General-level characters, some of which were referred to as old monsters with power surpassing Scar.

Granted, their current superiority over Scar was only temporary.

From what Kieran remembered, Scar’s position hadn’t changed at the time, but when faced with an enemy one of the Generals couldn’t handle, he emerged victorious. Scar didn’t seek renown.

All he desired was power, which was an ideal Kieran could somewhat relate to. He also preferred power over renown.

However, renown was a deterrent force, sometimes even more remarkable than immense physical might. Under the right circumstances and if appropriately wielded, renown could become an incredible tool.

Following the use of his Wrath Eruption, Scar lifted his hand and fired a Blood Wave. The large attack covered half of the room, but because of its speed and trajectory, Kieran felt he could dodge it.

However, he was sorely underestimating Scar’s understanding of these skills. Compared to how long Scar wielded this power, Kieran was like a newborn baby taking its first steps!

Under Kieran’s watchful gaze, looking to grasp the best time to dodge with a well-timed Accel Shift, a strange sight occurred. Somehow, the Blood Waves split into ten segments but maintained power identical to the original execution!

This was the first time Kieran experienced attack fission without suffering a loss of stability or weakening.

‘This dude is an absolute beast when it comes to manipulating blood. It truly makes me wonder what Lord Agrianos is capable of if Scar performs these feats so effortlessly.’

Kieran had only caught of glimpse of Lord Agrianos’ power, but it was enough to fascinate Kieran into seeking the route treaded by Scar and Agrianos.

The power in the attack led to Kieran responding with a prompt Sanguinem Tempest, where he merged the three tempests to increase their size.

Scar’s intrigued expression brightened when he saw this skill. ‘An unusual utilization. It must be one he comprehended himself because it isn’t a Baneful Cyclone. However, it is truly destructive.’

The attacks canceled each other out. But while Kieran panted after consuming a large amount of vitality to increase the tempest’s size, Scar stood still, completely unaffected by any of the happenings transpiring inside the room.

No time to recuperate was given as Scar appeared before Kieran at speed akin to teleportation and slashed his hand down in the form of a bloody. A gigantic bloody image mimicked his movement pattern and cleaved toward Kieran, forcing him to bail at the last second.

BOOM!

A huge fissure opened in the ground as the bloody image slammed against it.

“?!” Kieran’s eyes widened as he leaned back and dodged Scar’s horizontal swing. A Peril Implosion formed in Kieran’s freehand as he moved it toward Scar’s face.

But before he could complete his actions, Kieran felt his body jerk. Scar pulled Kieran’s arm and lifted him in the air while a clawed gauntlet formed over his right hand.

BOOM!

Kieran defended against the attack at the last second by shifting Crimson Ashrune towards his torso. Still, the brutal attack obliterated the ground and left Kieran in a horrid state.

“Death Avoidance!”

A dense burst of vitality gushed out from the crater seconds before Kieran returned above ground. He displayed evident signs of damage, but Kieran ignored them as he relished the effects of Death Avoidance.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two exchanged attacks at an alarming rate while Kieran’s excitement reached new heights. Every skill in his arsenal experienced a frightening boost in Mastery when he unleashed it against Scar.

Judging by the effects, it wouldn’t be long before many of his skills leveled up.

This was indeed the perfect training scenario!

Nothing short of perfection would suffice against an opponent of Scar’s caliber. This resulted in Kieran’s making decent progress in just the first hour of training with Scar.