Born in Blood

533  Disciplinary Course

Pandemoniumania. It was a mouthful, but it rolled off the tongue. Liam listened intently as Bill explained.

"It's run by a…well, his name should tell you enough about him: Absolutely Stronger Than All. Asta, for short." "The sooner you get used to his screaming, the better." "Is he Rank 5?" Liam asked. "Yes," Bill answered. "But he's not particularly malicious, so you don't have to worry." "In Pandemoniumania, you'll be put through a sort of…disciplinary course. For about 10,000 Shellings, you can get the whole experience…but you'll just be given one hour in total. It's a bit brutal, so don't say I didn't warn you beforehand."

Liam shrugged, stretching his ring finger. Bill waved a hand, transferring an exact 10,000 Shellings into Liam's largest space ring. SHING!

And like so, the transaction was done.

"I'll head there then," Liam said, rising to his feet. Bill nodded. "When you're back," he said, "I'll fill you in on what I've been keeping secret. And whether or not you'd want to take it up now or later." Liam nodded, then turned to leave. "Oh, before I forget," Liam said, turning around, "who's Gorock?" Upon hearing that word, Bill subtly tensed. It was a reflex that would go unnoticed even by the keenest of eyes, but not Liam's.

"Ah, that," Bill said with a wary tone. "He's a dangerous thing, that one. Rules over the Bloodharbor, a small Quadrant neighbor to the Red Line." The Red Line was sea slang for the Unholy Lamprey's continuous path. From what Bill had told him, even living close to the Unholy Lamprey was not safe. Who could possibly feel safe living beside a Rank 6 creature whose entire power was literally dissolving anything with a soul?

"Is there anything he's known for?" Liam asked curiously. Bill scowled lightly. "His nickname is the Ripper, friend," he said with a grave voice. "He commands a fleet of Blood Piranhas…not even the bones remain after they're done with their vicious ravaging." That sounded formidable.

But it wasn't a satisfactory answer. Was that the only reason Gorock was feared?

'He's not telling me something,' Liam realized, wondering why. 'I'll find out myself… eventually.' Bill made a few gestures, and another teleportation platform appeared opposite to the room.

He smiled. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"That'd lead you straight to Pandemoniumania. Good luck!" Liam nodded and stepped on the platform. A wave of blue energy enveloped him, and with a flash of blue light, he disappeared.

As he left, Bill took out another paper of seaweed and began smoking it. He laughed to himself dumbly, imagining the torture that Liam would go through. ***

As soon as Liam arrived on the other side of the teleportation platform, he felt the waves of water ripple with distant shockwaves.

It was as if the entire Quadrant of Pandemoniumania was under a relentless siege from all angles.

As his knees buckled and shook, Liam quickly realized a few things.

The first was his location. It was clear to him that he was on the outskirts. He was situated atop a ruined mountain peak, covered with countless cracks. It was almost on the verge of collapsing. Among that, muffled booms resounded way out in the distance. Liam scanned the landscape. The waters were crystal clear, minus the debris and rocks washing this way and that. The land itself was a mixture of black obsidian and grey rock. What he realized next, was that he was definitely under the effect of a Formation. Even standing took mighty effort. If he had to guess, he weighed roughly 137 times his original body weight!

Liam weighed roughly 67 kilograms, which he could raise and reduce by altering his bodily anatomy.

67 times 137 equaled… 9179 kilograms! That meant that, at every second, he was pushing up roughly 9 tons. And these tons were not like regular tons.

They were supported by the natural water pressure that weighed down on him.

In total, it felt like he was holding up 100 tons of pure metal. Slowly, Liam's muscles began burning with effort and strain. Ashuran strength came in handy in moments like these. Any regular Zenith would be crushed almost in seconds…yet Liam felt like he could edge on a little more. Liam creaked his neck and looked behind…just to see crowds and crowds of various sea creatures — plain and not particularly strong, species without any distinctly powerful qualities — standing expectantly behind a thin, translucent barrier of some kind. Liam squinted and leaned a little forward, as though unbelieving of his gaze. There were thousands there!

But judging by their carefree, lax and simultaneously excited demeanors, they weren't under the same Formation effects that Liam was. Which meant that the thin barrier acted as a threshold for those who wanted to enter Pandemoniumania, and those that wanted to…watch?

As soon as Liam arrived, they threw him bewildered looks. 'This isn't a tournament, is it? Not again…' Liam thought, then quickly realized that he was wrong. The thin barrier that separated them acted as a crossing line. Anyone who crossed it met the conditions of participating in Pandemoniumania. These people were just curious onlookers catching glimpses on upcoming cultivators that may or may not succeed whatever…this was.

Most weren't even ranked cultivators, from the looks of it.

'This isn't another tournament, is it?'

'I'm getting sick of those.'

Except, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it wasn't the case. The barrier was just a threshold to keep back unwanted guests who weren't worthy of handling the mighty Quadrant.

Just then, a distant figure began approaching Liam. It was a humanoid crocodile, with sharp, reinforced crimson scales adorning its bulky, heavy frame. His scaly jaw was long and pointed, with jagged teeth protruding from its sides. Similarly, his eyes were a sharp shade of vermillion. Liam could feel the creature's power…even from such a vast distance. He considered using Spirit Sight to take a glimpse at the crocodile's path…but stopped himself.

On their breast was a tiny sigil in the shape of a jaw lined with sharp teeth. It looked like a logo associated with Pandemoniumania itself.