CHAPTER 104: BLOOD-BASED HEALING, AND A NEW OBJECTIVE

A thunderous lion's roar echoed as the blade of air erupted, unleashing a palpable wave of pressure the moment the shield-axe struck down.

The residents who had mustered the courage to resist the demon summoner found themselves overcome by the sudden onslaught of this aura. Their legs buckled, their bodies weakened, and their minds fell into a stupor, leaving them rooted to the spot and unable to act.

Among them, the catfolk girl was particularly affected due to her race. Her instincts took over as she clutched her ears, crouching on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, and letting out soft whimpering sounds.

Edward's massive mechanized shield-axe fell to the ground. The violent flow of fighting spirit that had powered the weapon dissipated, robbing it of the terrifying aura it had previously emitted.

The weapon shifted back into Edward's usual sword-and-shield form, but Edward himself collapsed to the ground, drained of all energy. His entire body screamed with the agony of torn muscles and shattered bones, leaving him unable to summon even a sliver of fighting spirit. Moving just a single finger took a Herculean effort.

A hand emerged from the large hole in the nearby wall, pushing away the debris. Wang Yu stepped out unscathed, having rammed the ember bull aside moments earlier. He appeared entirely unaffected by the oppressive aura.

Popping his dislocated shoulder back into place, Wang Yu quickly ran to Edward's side, pressing down on the man's eyelids to prevent them from drooping shut. Edward looked like he was about to pass out—a dangerous prospect given his condition.

"Wang... Yu... You were too slow," Edward muttered weakly, his mind already slipping into incoherence. Excessive use of his fighting spirit had severely drained his vitality. Much of it had been extracted from his own body to fuel the weapon's devastating attack.

"You've no idea how hard it was to get here," Wang Yu shot back as he pulled out a vial from his pocket. "Those demons getting into the city were a real mess. Aleisterre's got some serious problems, especially with all those traitors running around."

While talking, Wang Yu sent ripples of void energy into Edward's body to assess his condition. Edward's extreme weakness, combined with his lack of resistance, made the process easy. The results shocked Wang Yu.

"We need to investigate the situation fully. How the hell did that demon summoner bypass all those defenses and get to the city center?" Edward's voice was faint, his sentences disjointed and labored.

"Shut it. You're on the verge of death, and talking's not helping," Wang Yu snapped, clamping Edward's mouth shut. His injuries were severe—comparable to Wang Yu's own after his battle with Beran, or perhaps even worse.

"Looks like I'll need to pull out the big guns to keep him alive," Wang Yu muttered, scratching his head. He wasn't skilled in healing magic, and Avia wasn't here to help.

Using wizardry himself would likely make Edward's condition worse due to his insufficient control over void energy. Thankfully, Wang Yu had plenty of experience dealing with near-death situations, and he had a rather unconventional solution at hand: blood healing.

It sounded a bit like something out of a game back on Earth—in truth, it was indeed somewhat similar. [1]

Wang Yu pulled out a small knife and sliced open Edward's sleeve. From his pocket, he retrieved a well-preserved crystal container filled with crimson liquid. Its durable construction ensured it wouldn't break during battle. Inside was Wang Yu's own blood.

"You're the first to try this. Don't die on me because your body rejects this blood transfusion—that'd be a real tragedy."

Edward's condition was worse than it appeared. While he seemed more or less intact outwardly, nearly all his blood vessels—save for the ones essential to immediate survival—were ruptured.

His bones were riddled with cracks, and parts of his muscles had inexplicably liquefied. Only the fact that he was a knight kept him alive; anyone else would have been long dead.

Using potent potions like the Crystal Heart Stimulant or Primal Bite would only further strain his shattered body, hastening his demise. Blood healing was the only viable option left.

Wang Yu crafted a needle out of void energy and attached it to the blood vial, then inserted it into Edward's arm and let the blood flow into his system. The blood's movement was guided by Blood Tempest, his secret art.

"Here, eat this." Wang Yu unwrapped a small cloth bundle, revealing a bar of something resembling soap, and shoved it into Edward's mouth.

Edward chewed weakly. The substance melted like butter and slid down his throat, spreading a warm sensation through his abdomen.

"It's a gentler version of a body-strengthening potion I made. It should provide enough nutrients for your recovery," Wang Yu explained. Edward's body, fragile as it was, needed sustenance to fuel the healing process. Without it, his condition would deteriorate even further.

With Edward's energy replenished, Wang Yu focused on the blood healing. His blood faced some resistance within Edward's body—its natural defenses were reacting to the foreign presence.

Fortunately, Edward's extreme weakness reduced the effect to negligible levels.

After killing the blessed vampire, Wang Yu's blood had absorbed some of its healing factors and could now heal minor wounds. Most salves or potions were ineffective against internal bleeding or minor but widespread damage across the entire body, but Wang Yu's blood was particularly suited to such issues.

"I've never tested this out in practice, so you'd better hope nothing goes wrong..." Wang Yu hadn't had the opportunity to test out his blood healing. He was only using it now as a last resort upon seeing Edward's critical state.

Using Blood Tempest, Wang Yu precisely guided his blood through Edward's body, mending ruptured vessels, sealing microscopic wounds, and repairing damaged tissues at the cost of his blood.

By the time most of Wang Yu's blood had been consumed, Edward's injuries had largely stabilized. The process was particularly effective against the minute injuries scattered all across his body.

As a final precaution, Wang Yu carefully extracted the remaining blood back into the vial to avoid leaving any of it behind and risking complications. Though the treatment was far from perfect, Edward's life was no longer in immediate danger.

"How're you feeling?" Wang Yu asked.Edward had been trembling throughout the process. Feeling foreign blood traveling through his body would likely have been a very painful experience, Edward was certainly a resilient fighter.

"Not bad... Actually, it's itchy. And... there's this weird... pleasant feeling."

"Really?" Wang Yu raised an eyebrow. Reflecting on it, his method did bear some resemblance to the addictive blood treatments he had seen in the computer games of his world. No wonder Edward felt something unusual.

"Thanks. Without you, I'd be dead for sure," Edward said, leaning back against a nearby doorframe and patting Wang Yu's shoulder.

"Don't mention it. But seriously, you almost threw your life away with that stunt," Wang Yu said, gathering up his supplies. "That shield-axe packs a punch, but it's not worth dying over."

"Maybe I'm just not worthy of it," Edward muttered, shaking his head. He looked down at his fallen shield and sword. Now that he had tried out their combined shield-axe form for himself, he seemed to have been relieved of a great burden.

"Don't talk like that. Anyway, I don't have time to chat. I'm heading to Charles. He seems to have uncovered something about the Ryders." Wang Yu paused, giving Edward a pointed look. "And honestly, what's the point of hiding things from Charles? You can't keep him in the dark forever."

Wang Yu didn't elaborate and quickly went over the next steps with Edward. Edward's current condition made even basic movement difficult; there was no need for him to push himself. Resting and recovering were his best options for now.

"Alright," Edward agreed without protest. He leaned against the wall, doing his best to regain some strength.

"Oh, by the way," Wang Yu added as if recalling something. "Charles told me this, so I'm passing it on: the name of that catfolk girl from the flower shop is Sue. Just so you don't forget her name when you need to."

"Huh?" Edward was taken aback. He looked confused.

Wang Yu didn't bother to explain further. He picked up his pace and disappeared from Edward's view.

"What the... Sue?" Edward muttered, scratching his face in bewilderment. He realized this was the first time he had learned her name.

"Uh, Edward, sir?" A voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. "Your companion asked me to take care of you. Why don't you rest at my shop for a while?"

Edward looked up to see the catfolk girl standing before him, reaching out to help him up.

"Ah, thank you, Miss Sue."

"Oh, you know my name?"

"Uh, no, I mean—"

"Wow, Edward's weapon packs a serious punch. That kind of power could probably leave a grand knight gravely injured or even dead if caught off guard," Wang Yu thought to himself as he sprinted toward his target location. The streets were still rampant with demons, but thanks to his ripples, Wang Yu managed to avoid running into any. Meanwhile, other demons were being intercepted by local fighters and defenders who had taken up arms.

"If it were me... I doubt I could have handled that demon summoner," Wang Yu admitted inwardly.

"Maybe I could hold my own against Edward in a fight because of my superior physical strength. But with my level of fighting spirit, I'd stand no chance of breaking through that demon summoner's flame barrier. I'm still way too weak."

The destruction left by Edward's massive slash had left a deep impression on Wang Yu. Entire buildings had been erased from existence, cleaved cleanly in two. The demon summoner and its protective barrier had been utterly obliterated, leaving no trace behind.

"Is that really something fighting spirit can achieve? Or does it take incredibly powerful fighting spirit to produce such destructive effects? It was almost like wizardry or magic in terms of destructive potential..."

Wang Yu guessed that it had something to do with the special weapon Edward wielded as the son of the Grand Duke of Lionheart. He decided not to dwell on the matter.

"Eh, I doubt I could use it even if I had it. No point thinking about it." He shook his head, brushing away his idle thoughts.

Wang Yu continued running toward his rendezvous point with Avia. Initially, he had hoped to convince her to stay safe within the Church of Nightfall under the Lady of the Night's protection.

But as expected, it was impossible for Avia to wait on the sidelines while he fought alone. So be it—he had no reason to stop her. Besides, when Avia fought alongside him, their combined strength wasn't just additive. It was multiplicative.

In a direct confrontation with the demons, Wang Yu knew he'd be of little help. He was realistic about his abilities. On a battlefield of this scale, someone like him—a barely qualified knight—would have almost no impact. Going to the front lines would be pointless. He'd be better off investigating elsewhere.

He also suspected that Charles had figured out something. After all, they both shared the same surname—Ryder. It didn't seem like a coincidence that he was connected to Pernia Ryder. Perhaps someone like Pernia, who could glimpse and influence fate, could foresee and alter future events. But if another person with similar abilities was involved, things might not go as smoothly.

Through the Lady of the Night, Holo had told Wang Yu that Charles had gone missing. This further confirmed Wang Yu's suspicions.

Since Charles had taken the Lady of the Night's small statuette with him, Wang Yu could sense his location. The guy was somewhere underground. Rather than heading to the frontlines where he'd be useless, Wang Yu decided to track down Charles and see what he was up to.

"Chances are, it has something to do with the Professor and Captain Hugin. With everything going on, their absence stands out. It's likely they've been delayed somehow. And the fact that these demons managed to infiltrate the central district so easily... Aleisterre, just how many traitors are there within your ranks...?"

1. Bloodborne. ☜