Born in Blood

522  Stonefish

A week had passed since Liam had spoken to Vermin Eater and the Bulwark Barracudas. For an entire week, he had done nothing except swim, train with the Psionic Rune, and cultivate. 'Cultivate' was a loose term, though. Cannibalizing a woman's corpse was more accurate. The Stonefish's territories were still a few weeks away. A '+' shaped border divided the four species that lived in the Stonehedge Deep, with 400 kilometers of raw, wild terrain between them.

Until then, Liam was careful not to spill any nutrients from the Empress' body into the sea. Thankfully, there were underground water bubbles that formed between crevices and caves in certain parts of the Quadrant, allowing him to eat in peace. Sitting by himself, Liam's eyes went distant with thought.

As of now, Liam had no cultivation technique for the fifth Rank, nor a body tempering method. The only way he could progress in both, was through eating stronger beings. As he ate in peace, Liam felt his mind scratch at various body tempering methods suitable for a Rank 5 body… but nothing seemed to hit the mark. Had it been anyone else, they wouldn't have as big of a problem inventing a body tempering method. But the Triumvirate Body gave Liam Shifter, Ashura, and Human characteristics, while his ichor had incredibly potent and unique properties on their own.

However, the issue laid here.

There was too much to deal with!

Had Liam been only a human, making a Rank 5 tempering method would be extremely simple, since he could get inspiration from other methods using his King's Eye to study the Meanings.

He could still do that… But who else was half octopus, half Ashura? Probably no one, even if the latter weren't extinct.

One had to remember that a Body Tempering method and a cultivation technique has to be suitable for the cultivator in question. Either they were broad, focusing on too many aspects at once, or too narrow, focusing on too little.

For example, Liam could delve further into each aspect of both his Triumvirate Body, and his blood. He could center it around Expel, increasing the devastation caused by his blood bursting. This could lead to his ichor gaining chaotic properties. …but that sounded too mundane and simple.

Wasn't his Chaos chaotic enough?

He could center it around Admit, allowing his body to scan and naturally absorb creatures to transform into at a later time, which could lead to permanent transformations… …but that sounded too bland. Couldn't he already do so? He could also center it around his Transfiguration and Disfiguration, which sounded much better than the previous options, since it combined both his blood and body's abilities.

However, how it was going, Liam's Transfiguration was already going to get better!

All he had to do was eat and eat until the progress bar shot up!

"Ugh," Liam groaned, chewing intensely as he glanced over to the Empress' corpse. "Why's this so difficult?" he asked her.

She didn't respond.

How rude. …Just then, something dawned upon Liam.

If he remembered correctly, the Empress' body was not empowered by 'Ora' when Alucard tossed her over to him.

It was empowered by her own blackish energy, which coursed through her veins and muscle fibers.

Something sparked in Liam's mind.

His eyes went distant with thought.

'How about… I use my blood to nourish my body instead?'

'Till now, I've only used 'Ora' to nourish my physique.'

'But what's the point?'

''Ora' is the Opposition's.'

'I used my teeth and jaw to obtain my blood!' As he laid there in a water bubble, with just the Empress keeping him company, Liam smirked evilly to himself. He was getting there. He could feel a vague idea forming in his head… something… brilliant. But he'd have to start slow and perfect it. And maybe study 'Ora' a little bit before continuing.

A moment later, Liam gulped the remainder of flesh, stored the Empress in his ring, then left the bubble membrane that covered the entrance of his cave. Pretty soon, he was on the move again.

***

Currently, Liam was passing through a forest of black, underwater seaweed, resembling a million snakes slithering downwards. The seaweed itself had noxious qualities, which Liam had to actively use Transfiguration to counteract.

But after two hours of constant, arduous swimming, Liam penetrated through the curtain of seaweed and came face to face with the Stonefish lands. Ringing them were the snake-like seaweeds, acting as a curtain to the outside. Below, across uneven land, dozens of massive Stonefish blended in with the floor terrain, each one roughly the size of a large hill. They looked like meteors that landed from space – circular in shape with gray, rock-textured, jagged skin. A long line of jagged spikes jutted from their spines, the tips of which were sharpened like barbed wire.

Two dull, chameleon-like eyes were to their sides, resembling raw, uncut stone. Their jaws were a wide, horizontal 'C' shape, spanning across a long 13 meters. Even on Earth, Stonefish were among the most poisonous, hazardous species on the planet.

Each little orifice of their skin injected the waters around them with dark brown liquid.

They were giant factories of poison. Here and there, smaller Stonefish laid around their parents, like little pebbles gathered around boulders. As soon as Liam entered their zone, all their eyes slowly converged on his figure, but their bodies remained in one place. Liam felt the effects of the poison on his body straight away. He swam upwards, using distance to weaken its potency. Then, he looked at the Stonefishes again.

'I'm guessing that big one over there is the leader,' Liam thought, staring at the meanest one out of them all.

"I come in peace," Liam said with a diplomatic voice. No reaction.

"I'm with the NOCL," he added. "There's been a kidnapping, which I'm sure you're all aware of. I'm the guy they sent to find out who did it."

"I offer Shellings, too."

Silence.

One of the Stonefish, the largest and most poisonous of them, raised its head to look at Liam. Then, it visibly frowned.

Bad sign.

"We gave your kind what we knew despite your rudeness," the Stonefish said with a hostile tone. It spoke from the deep depths of its monstrous throat. "But you've done well to come back."

Just then, the seaweed curtain expanded to cover its gaps, enclosing everything inside it.