Alec finally clenched his right fist, causing the black hole to vanish, but the damage was already done, the zombie’s severed hand lay in a pool of its own dark, corrupted blood, still dripping from the wound.
In just a few seconds, Alec had not only disabled the zombie’s defensive skill but had also severed its other hand, drastically weakening its combat capabilities, it had all happened too fast for the creature to fully comprehend what was going on.
Without hesitation, Alec stretched out his left hand, and the bone katana, which was still lodged in the zombie’s right arm, was forcefully yanked free, as fresh spray of blood followed as the blade tore through its flesh which is now vulnerable after its defences had been compromised.
The katana twirled through the air in a controlled spin before seamlessly landing back in Alec’s grasp.
With smooth precision, he swung the weapon, flicking off the excess blood on it, before taking a firm stance, he raised the katana to eye level, his right hand supporting his left on the hilt as he pointed the blade toward the wounded zombie.
A slow breath escaped Alec as a shift began within him, his black flames flickered to life along the edge of his katana.
At the same time, his blood Wakizashi hovered beside his waist as if sheathed in the air, held in place by the sheer force of his bloodlust, which only continued to grow stronger.
A dense, blood-red fog now swirled behind him, thick and ominous, as if responding to his will, the mist condensed, forming a scabbard of blood to hold the Wakizashi in place, as though it were an extension of Alec’s very being.
No words were spoken, only intent, whatever Alec willed, the blood mist around him responded, almost as if his killing intent Qi had birthed a consciousness of its own.
“I will tear you to pieces!” the zombie roared, pointing its remaining hand at Alec in defiance.
But before it could make another move, a sharp flash of Qi cut through the air, a spear of energy piercing its outstretched arm, pinning it backward in place.
With that move executed, Alec had vanished from the mutated zombie’s sight.
While it was still trying to process what had happened, Alec had already reappeared behind it, the soles of his feet blazing with red flames, boosting his speed like a pair of jet-propelled boots.
Time seemed to slow the moment he materialized behind the creature.
Alec was beginning to fully grasp the extent of his speed, his hands moved effortlessly, faster than ever.
If his physical strength and attack power were at the Tier 6 stage, then his agility, when amplified by either his flames or gravity, could rival that of even a high-rank Tier 7 mage.
He angled his bone katana, its blade engulfed in black flames, and swung in a wide horizontal slash.
There was no resistance, only the faintest struggle at the start, but the black flames burned through, searing flesh and making the katana’s path effortless.
The Tier 7 strength-type zombie’s head began to fall, its face still frozen in shock, unaware even in death how it had lost, it had underestimated Alec, and that misjudgement had sealed its fate.
Even as the battle ended, Alec heard two distinct desires resonate in his mind, one from his katana and the other from the Bloody Changdao, which was currently fused with him.
It had been a long time since he had gone through this process, but today, for the first time, he could clearly hear the hunger of the Bloody Changdao more clearly, likely because, at this moment, it was fused with him.
Alec placed his hand on the zombie’s headless corpse.
That was all he said.
Immediately, the corrupted blood began to flow from the decapitated body, drawn out by an unseen force.
Yet that was not the end, the blood underwent a transformation, the filthy black impurities being separated and cast aside while the purified essence turned into a crimson mist, merging seamlessly into the growing bloodlust swirling behind Alec.
The moment it happened, Alec felt his heartbeat quicken, No, he felt something even deeper, a surge of energy coursing through his body.
Then, a system notification appeared.
Not only had he leveled up again, but a portion of his expended mana had also been restored, given that Alec had been fighting nonstop without rest, mana depletion had been a major concern.
He had planned to rely on the spare mana stored in his cape when things got rough, but now, that worry had been averted.
He realized that by draining blood with the Bloody Changdao’s skill, he could recover mana directly though not pure since it didn’t belong to him but at this moment when he was still in battle and would expend it back he didn’t bother to refine it.
However, he wasn’t done yet, as he drove his bone katana into the dried, lifeless body of the fallen zombie, he watched as the weapon began assimilating its bones.
As Alec observed his katana slowly enlarging, its structure reinforcing itself, others were not as calm about what they had just witnessed.
“That boy… he’s awakened a terrifyingly strong intent.
It will serve him well in the future, but…, he’s showing off far too much.
There’s no way we can cover this up.
A Tier 5 mage fighting two realms above his own?
He’s drawing attention—too much attention.” The Grand Elder sighed.
“I don’t think we can stay under the radar much longer with this new generation,” the Patriarch responded, his gaze locked onto Alec.
“It’s like having multiple Dracos running around.
This is exactly why we must avoid the Blood Moon Battle at all costs.”
By the time the bone katana had fully absorbed the zombie’s remains, Alec could feel the change.
A faint gleam now coated the weapon, its surface almost crystalline, the assimilation had not only strengthened the blade but also advanced its form, it was evolving after absorbing bones from stronger lifeforms.
“Master!” Legion called out, snapping Alec out of his daze.
As there were still two other infected mages who needed immediate assistance, as for the one they had just rescued, he was still in shock, trying to process the fact that he had just digested a Tier 6 healing pill.
The zombie virus had been contained in the center of his chest, the exact spot where he had first been cut.
“Yeah… let’s kill some more.” Alec’s voice was steady, his expression unreadable.
There was no hesitation, only cold determination, gripping his bone katana with both hands as he advanced, his Wakizashi, suspended beside his waist in a sheath of blood, followed along like a silent predator.
As they dashed toward the next infected mage, there was no need for discussion, they had already split the targets.
Alec was heading towards one of the zombie on his own, while Legion and Titan worked together to handle the other.