Chaos Heir

Chapter 1401: Thermal vision

The change didn’t stop at the vertical pupils. Rodney’s face began to match his eyes’ bloodshot state since his skin tensed up as blood vessels expanded and rose, almost turning into scarlet wrinkles.

That appearance reminded George of Khan’s [Blood Shield], but he didn’t voice that comparison since the changes didn’t stop at those superficial traits.

Rodney’s firm aura condensed and intensified, growing stronger and more primal. He exhaled loudly, the gesture almost sounding like a hiss, while his mana gained new properties that transformed how he felt in George’s perception.

Rodney was a fifth-level warrior with unclear battle prowess, but George knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he could beat him in a fight.

However, after injecting the syringe’s contents, Rodney’s mana had grown thicker, making his existence hard to pierce and gauge for George. It was as if Rodney’s engine now had a new, superior fuel, similar to what the two black evolved warriors had achieved after ripping their horns off.

Of course, the transformation’s main feature wasn’t about the sheer power boost it produced. That forceful, temporary mutation had a different goal, which George immediately checked.

The intrusive, annihilating influence radiated by the two evolved warriors several blocks away kept reaching the broken terrace. Yet, Rodney’s existence didn’t shrink or disappear anymore under it.

That wasn’t complete immunity. George could sense Rodney’s now-thicker mana actively fighting against that annihilating influence. Still, it didn’t immediately lose now. Rodney was enduring that ethereal face-off, confirming that his energy had lost its natural weakness toward the True Chaos.

George had already seen a few tests in action, but that scene set the matter in stone. The allied front had truly found a way to fight the Scarlet Eyes on even ground. The method was still experimental, limited, and with drawbacks, but it brought hope in defeating that universal threat nonetheless.

"Don’t make me wait, Patriarch Ildoo," Rodney announced, his stance stabilizing while his face retained those hideous features. "I can’t deal with two evolved warriors on my own."

After that, Rodney jumped off the terrace, his body free-falling toward the diagonal street one of the black aliens had cut open. He seemed about to crash into that shallow cavity, but his figure suddenly slowed down mid-air, allowing for a safe landing on that groove’s edge.

George watched as Rodney rushed forward, unaffected by the shallow rivers of black smoke on his path, before donning a frown. An irking sensation rose through his mind, almost prompting a displeased snort. Somehow, it had sounded like Rodney was in charge now, which George didn’t like at all.

’A man can’t even show off properly before someone comes to steal his spotlight!’ George cursed, that mental joke acting as his last attempt to make light of the situation before only leaving room for sharp resolve.

George didn’t hesitate anymore and stabbed his leg with the syringe, finally experiencing what it meant to mutate forcefully. A foreign substance that affected his flesh, mana, and very being quickly spread throughout his body, accompanied by a burning sensation that forced him to close his eyes.

A piercing pain spread on several levels of George’s existence. He had promised himself not to grunt to claim some mental superiority over Rodney, but his body reacted on its own to that invasion.

George’s sharpness wavered as his body tensed up. His mouth opened, releasing a hiss-like sound while something warm flowed out of his squeezed eyelids. His existence tried to fight against the foreign substance, only to fuse with it, remaining the same but also transforming.

Primordial urges filled George’s mind. He felt hungry, arrogant, and wild, with some of those feelings resonating with his character, attempting to alter his very personality.

Yet, most of George’s training had involved his spiritual and mental sides. He quickly put those wild emotions under control, streamlining and absorbing them into his being while focusing on other aspects of his existence.

The annihilating influence from the two fuming evolved warriors was still there, but wasn’t weightless anymore. It now featured a proper pressure, something George could use to sharpen himself even further.

George’s mana had reached a state where it could contend with the True Chaos, so he relied on his previous technique to shed away even more impurities, touching upon power levels he had never witnessed during simple training.

The process felt deceptively slow but was rather immediate. The silver light around George darkened, gaining an ominous, dangerous vibe, condensing over his figure while surpassing its previous limits.

The terrace’s surface suddenly became unable to endure George’s sharpness. His feet and figure cut through that metal layer, sliding down the building’s wall, effortlessly severing its fabric while gaining speed due to the lack of any meaningful opposition.

The process seemed ready to continue even after George reached the first floor. His figure was prepared to cut through the cavity opened by the black silhouette and beyond, threatening to send him under the city’s surface.

Yet, George seized control of the new state of his existence before touching the street. No matter a sword’s sharpness, a true swordman only cut what he wanted to cut, so his feet violently landed on the metal surface below without causing any damage.

That heavy landing would have usually triggered a slight discomfort. After all, George had basically jumped out of a tall building without slowing down at all.

However, George only felt boundless strength coursing through his veins and flesh. His legs didn’t even bend to disperse the accumulated momentum. His figure remained straight, and his eyes managed to open now that the burning sensation had subsided.

The world that appeared in George’s vision wasn’t what he remembered. Shades of green and blue had almost replaced every other color, only leaving room for something brighter and warmer.

Foreign instincts fused with George’s mind, updating him on the true nature of that bright warmth. He had gained thermal vision that joined his heightened senses, reacting to the symphony, turning the two alien evolved warriors into blinding stars in his now reptilian eyes.