Re: Evolution Online

Liam did not understand what made the vampire grunts so confident but their plan became evident in the next few seconds. The moment they jumped over to the next platform, the platforms began shifting. Just when everyone thought that their vampire problem was over, they suddenly found themselves surrounded on all sides in the new spot. That too, the group that had been chasing them was one of the four groups surrounding them.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Eldrin's eyes went wide like saucers.

"What the hell!" Rey shouted in exasperation.

Liam did not have anything to tell them because even he did not understand how this could be possible. Figuring out which platform was about to collapse was already teetering on the impossible and these vampires somehow figured out the pattern of the whole damn thing?

How else would it be possible for them to corner them from all sides using the platform shifting as a springboard? This absolutely made no sense. Unless someone had a bird's eye point of view of the entire thing, this cannot happen.

And in a place like this, there was no vantage position that gave such a good advantage. Unless…

Liam's eyes trailed to the golden pyramid in the distance. Something like that would only be possible if someone had already reached the pyramid and was now looking down at them like a God from the heavens.

Even then… there was the matter of communication. Could they have some sort of mental connection that allowed them to communicate with each other? Did all vampires have a racial advantage like that?

Liam couldn't help but think about that woman. Maybe not all vampires. Maybe only someone like her. Then was it the same woman standing on the pyramid right now and making moves against him? It seemed too much of a coincidence. Could something like that happen in the Spire?

Liam shook it off. There was no point in trying to figure this thing out right now and right here. They first had to survive and from the looks of it, these vampires seemed to be hellbent on preventing that from happening. If they did not act fast then things might really get out of control.

He saw the numerous blood balls hovering in the air, all juicing up to target them. A sneer formed on his face. It was time to get some blood on his hands. He wanted to ignore the unnecessary bloodshed and forming unwanted enmity and stick to his lane but it was clear that the vampires did not get his memo. Now there was no point in hesitating. If they had to survive by stepping over a few corpses then that was exactly what he was going to do.

Still maintaining his dao field, Liam unsheathed his sword and slashed it down at the seven vampires standing on the platform ahead of him.

The sword, imbued with the frosty essence of his ice-attuned dao field, cleaved through the air, sending a wave of icy death toward the vampires. The temperature around them plummeted, frost forming on the edge of the platform as the wave approached the group of bloodsuckers.

The vampires, sensing the imminent threat, tried to counteract with their own abilities. They launched the blood balls, hoping to intercept or at least mitigate the incoming attack. However, it was not enough. Blood froze and the sword beams continued on their path to slaughter unhindered.

But Liam knew that this fight wasn't going to be that simple. He had a feeling that he was going to be up against something familiar and the next second he was proved correct.

All of the blood balls failed but a wave of blood emerged blocking the path of the icy sword beams once again.

And this time, the sword beams were swallowed entirely, leaving behind just a weak attack, a mere shadow of the previous one. The strength was not even enough to make a scratch on the vampires.

Seeing the result of the first clash, all the vampires became energetic, preparing to assault with renewed vigor. However, Liam only grinned. His guess was bang on. His attack might have been easily dealt with but the price they had paid for it was not cheap. The vampire standing at the back had visibly aged.

Liam did not miss this as he had been observing very carefully for something of this sort. He already had a feeling that these guys would possess some technique that allowed them to temporarily transcend their power by burning their life force.

He had learned this little nugget from his previous experience in fighting the vampires. Even back on earth, the vampires burned their life force left and right to get a leg up on him. It was a ruthless unorthodox method that clearly made them pay a heavy price and yet they did it.

However, the thing that Liam found odd was something else. The vampires he had faced back then were nobodies. They were mere grunts and pawns created just for the sole purpose of doing the bidding, almost like puppets being forced to sacrifice themselves.

But even vampires who were brought to the Spire had the same fate? No one would willingly do this kind of thing, closing off their future and their potential which made him think that they were under some sort of contract or perhaps even mind control.

The only thing was that this required some insane amount of power. This sort of mind control was perhaps easier when the targets were lower leveled but these ones were anything but ordinary. The vampires standing in front of him were at least above 500. How could they be so easily controlled and manipulated to burn up their life force? Was this a basic hierarchy of the vampire families?

There were too many things Liam did not understand and information on such sensitive matters was not available in the System shop. He had already enquired about it.

Well, some information was available but that was through the private network and not the system shop. If he purchased this, then he would have to reveal himself too.

Liam did not want to do this. Especially when he had an easier way to deal with things. The vampires who were alive might be under some sort of bound oath but the dead were under no such compulsions. Well, except for his, of course.

Liam's grin widened. The other floors of the Spire were different from this floor. He might not be able to harvest any souls from the other floors of the Spire but he had already tested it on the last floor and now he had once again tested. On this particular floor, the slaughter trial floor, all the souls were up for grabs and he would finally be able to get some answers he needed about the vampires!

Liam once again swung his sword, this time sending out an even more powerful attack. The one he had used last time was just for testing the waters but this one was the real deal.

And if his calculations were correct, the vampire would have to combust his life force to block this attack completely. When he did, Liam would be ready for the soul!