Void Shift.

  Xyn had barely exited the void before he was forced back in. The flowing red became a consortium of octopi. Dozens of razor-sharp tentacles writhed toward him as soon as he appeared.

  They were thick yet frighteningly quick - each as brisk as a bullet from a rifle's muzzle. The blood mage's control and shaping were sublime, to the point where the torrential river appeared alive. Medric, say what you will about his character, but he had earned his Blood Cardinal designation. He multitasked with the best of them.

  Xyn ascended with Void Shifts. The blood pursued him doggedly. The liquid ran up the walls and coated the ceiling before jutting out as various limbs and weapons. All the while, Medric remained where he was. Contrasting the motion of the blood around him, he was a statue. Eyes shut, his face was a visage of concentration.

  Hmm. Xyn's nonchalance and calm eroded as the moments passed. This could be bad.

  He recognised danger when he saw it, and it was fast approaching. The blood was growing in potency; at first supersonic, it was now hypersonic. More than the surge in speed, the rising volume troubled Xyn. Each second tightened the noose around his neck. At the rate of flow, he calculated that the Red Room would fill in half a minute. By that point, or even a few seconds before then, he would have nowhere to go but the great beyond.

  Understanding this, Xyn changed his stance. He Void Shifted into a gap of the shifting maze of red, gaining a line of sight to Medric below. Bone, Vanta, Endera in that order. The Accel Bullet blazed forward as a fiery beam and...

  There was no boom.

  Just the sound of a pebble dropping into a lake; that was what the impact resulted in. The blood tentacle that had shot up to intercept it let off a tiny ripple as it swallowed the projectile.

  Ah, now this is a problem.

  Xyn was forced away by a host of clawed hands. He sent five more shots towards Medric. All were stopped dead in their tracks, consumed by the warping red.

  His gunslinging wasn't taken kindly to. Medric upped his efforts. The tide became a flood, and the frequency of attacks sped up. Xyn could linger no longer than a blink before he was forced away.

  His deadline was swiftly pushed up. Space had nearly all been bought up by the rushing currents. Seconds separated him from death. Realising this, he mentally sighed.

  It was a good showing, but like all things, it must come to an end. Dallying any further would be too idiotic, even for him. His mana was running dangerously low.

  Xyn came into existence in one of only five gaps remaining. Blood made up a rough sphere around him.

  It obscured his vision completely and partially blocked off his magical senses. Void Sense was unaffected, though. Through it, he could perceive his target without issue.

  The blood reacted to his presence at once. It was akin to one's neck hair raising as a chilly wind caressed the area. Blood nails poked out in mass. Then, from all sides, the sphere contracted rapidly. The sequence of events was shockingly quick.

  Yet, Xyn was quicker.

  Void Cut!

  Xyn didn't make the arcing gesture as usual. Doing so would get him killed a dozen times over. Thus, style took a backseat to practicality for a change. Endera materialised in the space before him as a long arc. It was drawn nigh-instantly.

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  The line was a mouth. It opened and closed before disappearing into the aether. Its single word uttered was silver and left its narrow lips faster than sound could, dozens of times faster.

  There was no repeat of the Accel Bullet. The crescent wave parted the lake of red to reach its target. The blood mage was ignorant of its approach. Though even if enlightened, he had no hope of dodging or blocking the spatial distortion.

  The Blood Cardinal was cleanly split into two. And like that, Medric the infamous Red River of Cabal met his end.

  The world clapped at his parting. Thunderous booms rang out in mass. Without Medric to guide them, the various streams of blood became slaves to inertia. They moved in every direction, and most were supersonic. It made for a spectacular series of collisions. From afar, it appeared like an eruption.

  Intense shockwaves spread out, splitting the earth and bending trees. Blood splashed and spurted out of the indent, most painting the surrounding area with some rocketing for kilometres before dropping down and staining the land crimson.

  Xyn observed the aftermath from his man cave. Before the nails could impale him, he had teleported/superimposed himself in a section of the rock making up the lake's circumference.

  Two metres of rock was not a perfect shield, but it was enough to keep his head on his shoulders while the barrier, only inches from his backside, dissipated. It took three seconds for the Red Room to come undone. This came as no surprise to him. The contract magic was explicit in its details.

  That was something.

  Xyn concluded with a hidden smile. The battle with the blood mage wasn't as challenging as he liked, but it was exciting nevertheless.

  This world gets better and better. I can do without another madman, but that was fun. It's been forever since I was pushed. Now, to claim my spoils fr- ah, it's broken. Red Room too.

  The Void Prince appeared at the centre of the indent, where Medric's mangled corpse lay in a shallow puddle of blood. His corpse was inhumane, an asymmetric twisting of bloody flesh, yet largely intact, a product of his lingering Ki and luck - mostly the latter.

  Xyn's heart hurt as he looked at the silver band wrapped around the clump of flesh that was Medric's middle finger. Cracks marred its now mundane metal. It had lost all glow and mana.

  Ah, I should have been more careful. He could have had so many interesting things. Maybe even another Red Room.

  The crimson cube died moments after its owner, suffering the same fate. In two pieces, it lay at the bottom in one of the grooves of a character making up the magical circle, its lustre and enchantment forever gone.

  Had I killed him earlier, I would have more to show for it. Xyn sighed a long sigh at his ineptitude. Finishing, his attention moved to Medric's left arm. Not only was it largely intact, but everything from the elbow down was almost pristine. His black dots honed in on the tattoo. It shone crimson, powerful mana radiating off it.

  What...to...do? he asked himself as gears turned in his head.

  The tattoo was a type of magical tool. A powerful one that allowed its user to control magically enhanced blood. The exact details were lost to Xyn, but he knew, or rather confidently believed, that he could make use of the tattoo in the same way Medric had.

  And I'd be far stronger than he was.

  Xyn could make his own blood, after all. With enough time, he could make an ocean. The imagery of him wielding a crimson sea brought a surge of giddiness to the psionic. But this emotion was contested an instant later, and his smile became a frown.

  That would be awesome, but is it worth the risk? This power likely comes with many strings.

  The next half minute saw an intense wrestling match occur within the mind of the psionic. His curiosity warred with his weariness. He swayed back and forth, literally and metaphorically. It was touch-and-go for a while as he teetered between paths. However, in the end, his better sense prevailed.

  Let's not tempt fate. He considered sticking it in Void Vault but decided against that. Best leave it be. My mana's way too low to be taking such gambles, yeah.

  Xyn nodded at his reasoning, feeling proud of himself for making the wise decision.

  Battery-saver mode from now on.

  Nodding again, Xyn moved to exit the indent- with his limbs. A grotesque squishing echoed with each step. Most of the blood had vacated; however, the area was thoroughly soaked. The layer of wetness was unavoidable.

  None of the previous peachy hues could be seen. The Void Prince's nose wrinkled up as he imagined the stench. Yes, imagined. He kept the sense off. His eyes were on the puddles as he walked.

  It's dissipating slowly, but surely. In a few hours, it'll become regular blood.

  He trekked up the slope to escape the depression. A stick was found and tossed high into the air.

  North, it is.

  Direction obtained, Xyn continued on his journey.

  Malconi's Egg remains unhatched. I wonder when I'll get a chance to use it.

  To the Void Prince's innocent question, the answer was...

  Soon, very soon.