The Primal Hunter

Jake looked at the man with his combed-back slick hair and casual demeanor. He wore a simple white robe that reminded Jake a bit of the coat doctors would wear based on its design, though it was clearly magical and enchanted. However, he wasn’t there to judge fashion but to kill a vampire.

“Move.”

Eron looked back at Jake as he shook his head. “I apologize; I’m unable to do that.”

“You’re gonna stop me?”

“Delay. I was contracted to delay your arrival in the Count’s chamber by one and a half hours. Ah, around an hour only now. In case you wonder, yes, it was the Augur and the Holy Church who contracted me,” Eron explained forthcomingly. “I shall be honest, I would prefer for this not to devolve into needless violence, so would it be too much to ask for us to simply sit down for a cup of coffee and wait? Or do you prefer tea?”

Jake looked a bit dumbfounded at the man who just stood there with a light smile on his face as he summoned a small coffee table and a pair of chairs. The issue was… Jake needed to go down this hallway. Like with the other Count chambers, the way there was linear. There was one way in and one way out.

Within his Sphere of Perception, he saw the other side of the metal door. A group of fifteen people stood close to the gate on the other side as they channeled mana into it. With them and Eron in front of him, the situation had suddenly gotten a lot more annoying.

Well played, Jacob.

Jake had to admit this wasn’t expected. Eron was one of the few unknowns of the planet that he couldn’t really understand. He was the one other person on Earth with a bloodline as far as Jake was aware, instantly making him a person of interest.

Sadly for Eron, Jake had no interest in being delayed.

“Yeah, no. Fuck off, or I’m gonna make you.”

Eron looked up at Jake. “Rude, but I guess your anger is understandable. Fine, I am looking forward to seeing your attempt at making me leave, as if violence becomes a necessity, let it at least have a purpose. I have heard much of you and your capabilities, so please show me your methods.”

Jake narrowed his eyes. He had already used Identify on the man, but the result had been disappointing.

[?]

No matter what he did, Jake couldn’t pierce it. It wasn’t that bad as Jake still got a feel for the madman’s strength… but all that told him was the same as during the World Congress. A feeling that fighting him would be a waste of time.

In the end, Jake sighed as he took a step. He appeared straight in front of Eron, who was still making his coffee. Drawing his blade, Jake placed it at the neck of Eron, who stood unfazed.

“Nothing?”

reaction would warrant a belief that decapitation would do me any harm. I would prefer to do without, though, as it

and just ignored Eron as he went over to the gate. He had already inspected it with his sphere, and it was far from as well secured as all the

he began burning at the hastily assembled hinges, Eron waved his hand as an odd flame appeared and formed into a bolt. Jake stopped what

like a warm flow went through his body… before it began burning, and Jake had to grit his teeth from the pain. It was only for a moment before his own internal energies

asked himself as he backed away. He genuinely had no idea what the fuck that magic was, but he knew it

am to delay you. So please, can just we just relax for the next hour or so? Or at least have it be you

to the first

Then, brandishing his Nanoblade, Jake attacked. He expected the other party to dodge, but the man just stood there as

simply disappeared as they

just taken some significant damage; Jake was sure of it. His

Natural extreme regeneration?

Eron having not even let go

human, just like you. I do not mean to sound cliché, but we are not so different, you and I. We both seek the pinnacle of what is possible - to explore behind all the doors this new multiverse has opened up! We have just chosen to open different doors. While you aim for destruction and death, I seek preservation and life. Ah, but do not see this as me admonishing you. Both are necessary, even if I may personally dislike your

said as he attacked again. He infused his blade with arcane energy as he stabbed Eron, who just

common. I am not talking of the vain outward features but what is beneath the skin. The viscera- oh excuse me, internal organs will slowly disappear in the ranking of importance. The spleen, liver, large parts of the intestines. All of these are judged unimportant as we as humans stop needing them,” Eron said, Jake, having already cut him into many pieces, including half of his head and the brain. Yet the

that remain… or, more accurately, why they remain. Tell me, Mr. Thayne, why do you need lungs when you do not need to breathe? Why do you retain a stomach when you do not need to eat? Is it not fascinating how the reason why

not need any organs at all sure is fascinating,” Jake said as he repeatedly turned Eron’s insides to mush with Touch of the Malefic Viper, only to see his poison constantly be nullified

to inhale air, but mana. We breathe to regenerate ourselves; it's why meditation is so closely interlinked with breathing techniques. We keep our stomachs not to get nutrients but simply for pleasure. In fact, many things remain only for pleasure. Human vanity. Now, some things make sense that they remain. The sexual organs will forever serve the purpose of reproduction as we are biological creatures, but why retain the anus when it is no longer used for

smashed Eron into the ground again, making half of his body

details then and get to the point. Besides those vanity organs or features, do you know what the last organs to disappear are in all biological creatures of the

Apex Hunter, but all it did was freeze the guy for a bit. With his arcane

besides that, what remains is the heart and the brain despite their presence being less and less relevant. I do believe that I myself am a great example of this. In

up his tactic as he wrapped up Eron in strings of arcane mana. His thought process was that if he couldn’t kill Eron, he would just displace him and toss him somewhere far enough away from the gate to get Jake enough time to burn the gate

body burned with energy, and the madman exploded in

instantly appear

our bodies. As long as our sparks remain alit, we

unkillable or what?” He had just seen him literally return his body to nothing. Not even

multiverse is truly unkillable. For every spark there is, a force that can blow it out must also exist. At

for a while as Jake considered what the fuck to

a complicated muscle that serves to amplify your body functions. Once more, I can see this making sense as anchoring physicality, and physical prowess outside of the metaphysical is sensical. But… this brings us to the

am certain you know that the heart is linked to the core of your soul. It’s the point of contact between metaphysical existence and our tangible forms. When I heal, my

This naturally begs the question of why blood is even necessary. I believe this refers back to grounding the tangible. To transfer energy through a