Russ's pulse thundered in his ears, each heartbeat like a war drum. His vision flickered—one moment darkness, the next blinding light—as the Hollow King's presence pressed down on him like an ocean of stone.
His body was breaking. Blood Qi was leaking from every pore, Shadow Qi eating away at his flesh from the inside. But deep inside his core… something else stirred.
A second heartbeat.
He felt it in his spine, his skull, his soul. The Void Heart.
> Do you want to live, Russ Talen?
Or do you want to reign?
The choice wasn't really a choice.
Russ grinned, blood dripping from his fangs. "Let's reign."
---
The battlefield froze as his qi spiked, drawing every eye. Blood rose from the ground in ribbons, spiraling into him, merging with the shadows that leaked from his skin. The fortress walls cracked under the pressure.
His hair bled into pure black. Crimson veins glowed beneath his skin, and his eyes became twin eclipses—rings of red around bottomless void.
The system voice whispered in his mind:
[Hybrid Ascension: Vampire–Shadow–Qi Form Unlocked.]
[Abilities: Blood Reign • Shadow Dominion • Void Pulse.]
---
The first to test him were the Blood Shades. They swarmed, dozens leaping from the shadows like wraiths.
Russ vanished.
When he reappeared, it wasn't one body—it was three, shadow clones forged from pure qi. The Shades tried to counter, but the clones cut through them, each swing leaving trails of Void Flame that consumed both flesh and soul.
The real Russ appeared behind their leader. He didn't swing his scythe. Instead, he pressed his palm to the assassin's chest.
"Blood Reign."
The Shade exploded into mist, its blood scattering into the air—only to be devoured by Russ, fueling him further.
---
At the gate, the Hollow King's projection reformed, this time denser, darker, hungrier. "You are nothing, boy."
Russ answered with action.
He launched forward, Shadow Step carrying him through dimensions. One moment he was in front of the projection, the next, he was inside its shadow. The battlefield around them vanished into a plane of swirling crimson mist and black glass.
Here, Russ's voice echoed like a god's. "In my domain, you bleed."
---
[Shadow Dominion Activated.]
Blood rivers erupted under the Hollow King's feet, chains of scarlet wrapping around the massive figure. The King shattered some with brute force—but Russ was already moving, scythe in one hand, a condensed Void Pulse in the other.
He slammed the pulse into the projection's chest. It didn't just explode—it imploded, dragging part of the King's essence into nothingness.
The scream shook the entire Shadow Dominion.
---
But the cost came.
Russ dropped to one knee, blood pouring from his mouth. The Hybrid Ascension burned him from the inside out. The Void Heart pulsed faster, threatening to consume his mortal shell entirely.
The Hollow King's voice grew quieter, but colder:
"Impressive… for a corpse in the making."
With one last surge of will, Russ severed the projection's form completely. The battlefield snapped back into reality. The enemy army faltered, their leader's will broken—at least for now.
Russ stood amidst the ruin, shadows swirling at his feet, blood dripping from his claws. He didn't look like a hero. He didn't look like a savior.
He looked like the new nightmare of the world.
And the world… was about to remember his name.