บท 33: Recurring dreams

Violence and blood!

I'm once again dreaming a similar dream as when I evolved. I have no control over my body and the sanguine wrath has taken over. This time I can see more than before. I'm on a large desolate field that is tinged red. The is ground soaked with blood and the sky lit by a cruel, crimson sun that sends its scorching rays to eradicate all life.

At the end of the field high mountains rise on all sides. I realize that this field is a basin and it's filled with beasts of all manner though strangely they all seem at a similar level to myself. Their eyes are red with rage and slaughter lust as they tear into each other in their berserk state.

If I had a mirror I would no doubt see that my own eyes are also completely red. Like the other beasts, I too am savagely fighting others. The pain and pleasure from being wounded and inflicting wounds are exhilarating even if I have no control over my actions.

Each beast I face will require my body to go to its limits to defeat it but they are never too strong or too weak. Weirdly this seems to me like a lesson meant to teach me how to fight. No two beasts I face are the exact same. Sometimes I encounter a beast of the same species again but its style of combat or skill set will always be vastly different.

I am not sure what these dreams are caused by but I have a suspicion. The last time this happened I evolved but that can't be what's happening right now. What also happened last time I had this dream was that I felt like I broke through some restriction and after that my sanguine boost had risen to level 2.

Could this be another increase? I did use sanguine boost quite a lot of times during the last mission since dying resets the weakened state...

Since I'm not the one doing all the fighting I have the time to focus on my body as it moves. It's hard to notice due to all the heat, blood, and frenzy but once I concentrate I can tell that sanguine boost is active constantly.

This by all my knowledge of the skill should not be possible. I had worked through numerous manuscripts during my training and none of them mentioned a continuous activation of the skill!

Aside from the skill just being activated I feel a current run through my body filling it with layer upon layer of sanguine energy. With each drop of blood that lands on me the current grows a little stronger and with every kill it noticeable increases.

Once the energy fills me entirely I will make the breakthrough. I can feel it! I'm so close, one more kill and I'll reach, one more bath in my opponent's blood and the limit will shatter under my power!

My senses fully return to the fight when a crushing pain assaults me and the current suddenly grows weaker. My advancement! What's happening?

Before me stands a large crimson bear radiating an uncomfortable heat. His eyes are red as those of every beast in this field. As he breathes out in long deep huffs, flames escape his mouth, and magma drips from within his mouth like drool.

Just like my existence that was blessed and given strength by the savage, sanguine blood of all these beasts, his strength must stem from the cruel, crimson sun that lords above our heads.

I can feel it now! This is my final test to break through my limit. To defeat and kill this colossus that just like me has changed his nature to better survive in this place of slaughter and death.

The problem here is that I have no control over my body so there's nothing I can contribute to the fight. To be fair though I don't think I can do better than whatever is moving my body.

The crimson bear is the first to break our interlocking stares and pounce on me. His paws throw up the blood-soaked soil as he accelerates leaving big steaming footprints.

Before he can reach me and bring his paws down on me I shoot forward zig-zagging to avoid being hit. He looks to have some difficulty following my movement since my red body partially blends in with the ground.

Moving to his flank I lunge up at him and bite down as hard as I can.

The crimson bear roars in wild fury and throws himself on his side. His action comes so unexpectedly that I fail to unhook my teeth and evade in time. The massive bear's body crashes down on top of me. Buried beneath suffocating weight I desperately wiggle to escape.

After some effort, I manage to free my head and bite down again. The pain from my bite makes the bear jerk up giving me the opportunity to drag my body out from below him. Learning from last time I don't let my teeth sunk into his hide but pull back right away.

The crimson bear rolls over and gets back up on its paws. It looks to be pained by my bites but real damage hasn't been done. I on the other hand am close to collapsing. That crush really did me in, I don't think any part of my body is fine.

I have few methods to deal with an enemy that can't be fully constricted and none of my skills seem to have much of an effect. While I'm still wondering how the crimson bear could be defeated my body once again lunges at the bear and tries to hit his head with my tail whip skill.

The hit connects but the bear is only mildly hurt as he opens his maw and bites down on me. I panic and try to escape but the bear's chomp has deeply embedded his teeth into me. My only remaining manner of attack is using energy fangs wildly to bite at the bear.