Skadi's eyes turned wide open as she saw coagulated blood form from underneath, arising to her level and forming into a human shape. Multiple people of different statures and faces appeared, staring at Skadi all at once.
She felt the gaze of a hundred people, pressuring her Soul to fall down with the blood.
Glaring at the 'Falkone' in front of her, she gritted her teeth and asked:
"How are you here?"
In a monotonous tone, the man in front of her answered, "In your Soul? You are quite mistaken.. We are not in your Soul, but rather, you are in a mere replica of one."
Suddenly, an incorporeal beam of crimson light casted down to one of the Falkone's hands.
Skadi quickly shifted her head to its direction and noticed a ball of flesh with numerous tentacle-like blood trying to escape its grip.
It looked unpleasant to the eye.
It was as if a mound of flesh and blood were compressed together and formed into a relic had been made.
Skadi wanted to throw up but she kept the feeling of fear hidden from the outside.
Then, the ball of flesh and blood started to float.
The tentacle-like blood seemed to have gotten more huge, turning gigantic for several seconds and shifting back to its original state.
The tentacles aimed for the sky, and slapped around as if they were attacking something.
Suddenly, the entire landscape of Skadi's supposed Soul changed.
In the sky, a crimson moon stood beyond the flesh-like clouds. Blood spurted out of those clouds, and rained upon Skadi and the bodies of Falkone.
The grass around her were no longer the same. Tendrils of blood came out of the ground and touched Skadi's leg, trapping her to the earth from which she stood.
Then, in the far distance, a wall of flesh and blood walked towards her direction. It didn't seem like it could walk but Skadi didn't doubt her eyes.
Behind her, a sea of blood filled with slices of human body parts floated above. Intestines, brain matter, tissues, muscles, and all sorts of flagrant objects filled the blood.
Lastly, Skadi saw a large figure of a head with multiple fingers coming out of its pores, crawling around the horizon. It seemed to have no purpose and looked to be as lost as a tumbleweed.
With that said, Skadi glared at the Falkone in front of her, not letting the blood disturb her will.
Another Falkone came towards her, this time it was an old man with hollow eyes, wearing a red-bandana. He donned a white blouse that looked to have already been doused with gallons of blood, and a pair of black trousers which looked the same as the blouse.
The old man spoke.
"What you see here is our glory.. A decade-long progress of growth and prosperity. A love given to us by the ancestor of blood, formed by many a people from around the world. Can't you see, Captain Skadi? This is power, real power. I didn't need my crewmates, nor did I need anybody at all!"
"Why am I even speaking any more.." Another man wearing a red-bandana came from Skadi's left side, "...You are a dead woman."
Then, the man brought his arm up and aimed to pierce Skadi's heart.
However!
It stopped before even reaching a foot away from her.
"You're underestimating me quite a bit..."
Almost instantly, wind bursted out from Skadi's direction, destroying the tendrils and pushing Falkone's bodies back.
Skadi then floated up into the air, letting herself be rained upon by the flesh cloud. Without any real clouds though, she couldn't produce any lightning. So, she sucked the air out of Falkone's body.
She hoped to render them useless for a few seconds, yet they didn't seem disturbed at all!
They ran on flesh and blood, no longer caring about the basic necessities of a human.
In other words, Falkone was no longer human!
He had succumbed to being a Dreadspawn, or perhaps but a mere human imitating a Dreadspawn.
Anyhow, Skadi had to fell him right now or the safety of Helios would be at risk!
Casting a veil of wind around her, she formed a defensive position.
Her mind raced as she struggled to think of a way out.
*
Cetas, Reid, Elishia, and Jones stood on the wooden debris scattered around the place. Gazing at the pool of blood, Jones executed a luminescent spell at it.
Within a few seconds, he shook his head.
"Nothing. In all normalcy, my buffing Zeal would have let me perceive the location of my allies and yet.."
He sighed.
"I could aid and sense the Zeal working yet I could not gaze at the target at all.."
Reid walked towards Jones who had squatted in front of the blood, "That's alright Jones, you've helped plenty. I'm sure Skadi's alright."
"I understand.. yet I could not help but worry about the captain's status.."
"Me too. In any case, we should focus on the task at hand.", Reid shifted in the direction of Galkan.
The big man seemed to be doing well. In fact, he was pushing the dark man down to the ground, creating craters upon craters in the pavement.
Galkan looked thrilled at the sheer vulnerability of the man. Seeing as he could withstand his attacks, he became even faster.
Then, he jumped back, reached into his pockets, and crushed another sword-shaped trinket. Galkan spread his arms and looked satisfied, he closed his eyes and deeply breathed in.
The dark-man instantly took this chance to rush upon him, forming a fist with his alloy-like arms and sending a powerful blow to Galkan's chin.
However!
Galkan caught the man's fist with no struggle, grinning as if he were a mad man!
"My turn!"
He held the man's fist and ran towards the sea, dragging the dark man's body across the cobble floor. Debris flew up one by one, followed by a rush of dust due to Galkan's immense speed.
Then, he spun and gained momentum!
After a few seconds or so, he let go of the man's fist and threw him up high in the air - towards the direction of the sea.
Galkan put pressure onto his legs, a large crack formed beneath him. Then, akin to a bullet, he leaped upwards to the sea!
It was too far for Cetas to see but he could vaguely make out their figures.
Galkan had flown up and engaged in an aerial beatdown of the man!
Blow after blow, shockwave after shockwave, and a loud devastating noise ringed inside Cetas' ears!
However, before Cetas could see what happened next, he heard a loud voice to his right.
"Cetas! Move!"
He was suddenly flung to his left, moving a few meters away from his initial position. Turning his head, he saw Reid holding his blade and pushing a crimson dagger on its edge.
A figure wearing red drapes and both of its eyes clouded by a black blindfold came from under the ground, wielding a red dagger upwards. He seemed to have formed from an unfamiliar pool of blood from below.
Jones was quick to action, he brought his arms forward and casted a red incandescent light towards Reid.
In an instant, Reid's body posture seemed to have gotten stronger, more sturdier.
"Thanks!", Reid struggled to speak yet still expressed his gratitude.
Jones then turned back and headed towards the opposite direction of the surprising individual.
At the same time, Elishia headed towards Cetas and helped him to get up, carrying him by his armpits.
Supporting himself, Cetas stood up and ran along with Jones and Elishia.
Then, Jones brought his right arm upward. An illusory fabric formed from above and weaved itself to existence, covering him, Cetas, and Elishia.
Upon finishing its weave, the illusory fabric followed the trio. Jones then curled his hand into a fist. Soon, an intangible yellow feather fell towards his fist. Opening it, he grabbed the feather and started to fling it around Cetas and Elishia.
Cetas felt his feet get lighter, his steps become easier, and his pace turn faster. Instantly, the three of them were running at a considerable pace.
They were already far from where Reid had clashed with the red dagger.
"Up here!"
Jones pointed up to a house with a brick infrastructure and gestured for them to climb up.
"Jump!"
With those words, he took off and leaped for a couple of meters. He smoothly landed on one of the bricks in the roof.
Elishia did the same but her jump was a bit off, she almost lost her balance when landing but Jones aided her to maintain her step.
Then, it was Cetas' turn. There was hesitation in his mind yet he trusted Jones' words.
Gathering energy on his heels, he leaped off the ground and soared into the skies!
Huh!
He did not expect this! By soaring into the skies, it literally meant that he had leapt towards the sky!
He lost control and flung a dozen meters above land!
Even Jones did not expect this!
Without control of his balance, Cetas struggled to maintain a straight posture! His body spiraled away from the ground!
Upon reaching the peak of his leap.
Cetas gazed at the town below. He had a bird's eye view of the entire situation.
Time seemed to have slowed down.
Galkan was at sea, fighting against a dark-alloyed man.
Reid is swiftly running away from the crimson-draped man, yet his pace was outmatched and he struggled to keep reflecting its daggers.
The town square could be seen, many people gathered around and socialized. Several houses and their splendor were portrayed, basking in the heat of the sun as if their roofs were melting.
The fish market seemed as populated as ever. Cetas could even vaguely remember the scent of the all-familiar piscine odor.
The streets were empty, the trees waved, the seas remained calm, the mountain looked tenacious, and a red dome could be on the far edge of the town!
Something was off, all of this destruction and fighting would've caused a commotion to the townspeople by now.
Yet.. why were they so casual!
It was as if nothing was happening at all!
Something..
Something had compelled them to ignore the altercation.
Cetas' eyes widened, he shifted his head towards the far edge of the town, gazing at the looming red dome.
Thus, he began to wonder.
"Has that always been there before?"