As the word echoed, his heartbeat thundered once in response.
And then he felt it.
His blood abruptly surged violently, racing through his veins, arteries, and capillaries at speeds that shouldn’t be possible.
It pulsed through every inch of him, every limb.
Red streaks flared across his body, glowing like trails of fire beneath his skin, leading all the way to his face.
His eyes entirely turned crimson.
Malakai felt his power spike. His muscles hardened, tightened. He could feel everything.
He could control everything.
The flow of blood to his legs increased.
To his arms.
To his heart.
To his brain.
He could adjust it all at will, sharpening his senses, boosting his strength, his reflexes, his endurance.
His face twisted, turning feral and wild.
As Malakai turned, Valentine flinched, instinctively stepping back, shocked by the bloodlust he radiated.
But Malakai ignored him.
His eyes locked onto the far wall at the end of the hall.
BOOM.
He shot forward, a blur of red.
The wall exploded on contact, cracked and shattered from the impact. Dust filled the air once more.
And after some seconds, Malakai walked out of the haze calmly.
He had just slammed himself on the wall and there was not a single scratch on his body.
‘I can increase the flow of blood to specific parts of my body… enhancing them.’
[BloodFlow] was the most basic ability of the Sanguine clan and the foundation of all their blood arts.
It was the first thing every Sanguine youth learned after evolving.
The ability to feel, control, and manipulate the blood flowing through their own body.
It was only the first of many Malakai planned on mastering.
He let out a long exhale, calming his rapidly beating heart.
Gradually, he allowed the blood to return to its normal pace.
‘My heartbeat also increased…’
During the time he had activated [BloodFlow], Malakai had noticed it, his heart had worked harder, pumping faster, pushing more blood to match his needs.
The stronger it worked, the stronger he became.
‘It’s awesome.’
The smile on his face widened. He was truly loving every bit of this.
‘I’ll come back to you later.’
With that, he turned, his glowing red eyes locking onto Valentine.
The man was staring at him like he was gazing at a monster.
Malakai frowned slightly.
“…Why are you just staring at me?”
His cold voice snapped Valentine out of his reverie.
He flinched, shaking his head before clearing his throat awkwardly.
“It’s nothing… I was just… shocked.”
He held himself back from apologizing again, though it clearly made him uncomfortable.
Malakai’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You went through this process too, right? Was it different?”
Valentine nodded rapidly.
“Yes, very different. My evolution wasn’t as loud and explosive as yours. Not even close.”
Malakai studied him for a moment.
“Can you still remember your stats from back then?”
“Yeah,” Valentine said, nodding. “I do.”
“Alright.”
Malakai calmly nodded.
“Let’s compare, then.”
He lifted his hand and spoke clearly.
“Manifest.”
A panel of light ignited into existence in front of him, displaying his newly evolved stats.
[Vita Core Interface]
Name: Malakai Von Sanguine
Lineage: Direct Descendant of the Sanguine Clan
Title(s): [Successor of Life] [Ruined Heir] [Worthless Trash]
Talent Grade: ???
Vita Stored: 4210 / 1,500 → 4,500 Units
Vita Absorption Rate: 1 → 2.0 V/s (High Density) | 0.7 → 1.5 V/s (Normal Zone)
Evolution Stage: Genesis (Awaiting formation of first node) (NEW!)
Base Attributes:
• Strength: 82 → 170 [90 – 125]
• Dexterity: 90 → 180 [100 – 135]
• Vitality: 120 → 235 [125 – 150]
• Perception: 91 → 182 [110 – 140]
• Willpower: 75 → 120 [50 – 76]
• Control: 45 → 110 [0 – 5]
[Node Map]
• Blood Node: Active [1% refined]
• Muscle Node: Sealed
• Nerve Node: Sealed
• Bone Node: Sealed
• Breath Node: Sealed
• Digestion Node: Sealed
• Synaptic Node: Sealed
• Cellular Node: Sealed
• Endocrine Node: Sealed
• Immune Node: Sealed
• Sensory Node: Sealed
• Body Node: Sealed (Opens when all primary nodes are awakened and refined at 100%)
As both Malakai and Valentine gazed at the glowing display, the latter shivered.
Valentine muttered under his breath, eyes wide.
“…How is this possible?”
Malakai caught the shock on his face immediately.
“Tell me the differences.”
Valentine didn’t answer immediately. His gaze stayed fixed on the panel.
“…Basically everything,” he finally said.
Then he paused, as if trying to find the right words.
“First,” Valentine began, “my vita storage back then was just slightly above the average for new Genesis evolvers… about three thousand units in total capacity.”
Malakai didn’t respond, calmly listening as he waited for him to continue.
Valentine continued.
“Your vita absorption rate too… It’s insane. I don’t think I even reached 1 V/s after my awakening. And then there are your stats…”
He shook his head.
“As I bonded with the life essence, my stats were above average compared to others, but I still fell within the upper range of the Genesis stage. Yours…”
He trailed off, staring.
Malakai absorbed every word quickly.
‘It looks like my case is special.’
He pondered silently.
Honestly, Malakai suspected it was due to how much richer the world was in vita now compared to the time before humanity’s collapse.
‘It could also be all the Devil’s Fruit I’ve eaten over the years.’
Those fruits…
Eating the Devil’s Fruits on a regular basis had made his body develop a resistance, becoming stronger. And it made him more resilient to vita and stronger than any normal human.
It could be either. Or both.
Regardless, Malakai decided not to dwell on it and instead think of the way forward.
‘That should be all.’
Then he turned to Valentine.
“You said I can leave whenever I want, right?”
Valentine nodded.
“Yes. You just have to will it, when you’re ready.”
Malakai nodded once.
‘I should train a bit more first.’
He had to start preparing and making plans for the future. Leaving the pit would return him straight to the Sanguine clan, and word about his evolution would spread like wildfire.
Malakai could think of many things that could happen, but…
‘In any case, I have to be able to use my power effectively.’