Rivers of the Night

The Alpha's steps were a bit labored at the start. Well, comparatively speaking, anyway. Given its usual swiftness and agility, Theron could see that it was maybe a half-step behind its usual might.

Of course, if Theron didn't crack beneath the pressure of the inner armor, the Alpha was more than capable of taking it. After all, it had to be remembered that the Alpha was originally part of a race of Flux Mancers before its evolution. And right now… well, Theron wasn't actually sure what it was.

Blood Mancy was unheard of.

That said, the Alpha very obviously had many of the traits of a Flux Mancer nonetheless, having an exceptionally powerful body.

Until now, Theron still hadn't been allowing it to use its full speed. Technically speaking, the Alpha didn't really have a cap—well, it didn't have a cap in the normal sense.

Because of its Blood Mancy, it was capable of a nigh-perpetual [Blood Escape]. Meaning, it could push its speed as far as it wanted so long as it was willing to deal with the horrors of eventually running out of blood.

The thing was that with Blood Mancy, though, the Alpha was likewise in a very unique position to replenish its lost blood too. So unlike Theron, who had to be cautious or save up Vital Bloomstone for the sake of using [Blood Escape] or adjacent techniques, the Alpha didn't have to care for it.

All things considered, if Theron had chosen to focus on running and running alone, there was a non-zero chance that he would outpace Elder Black with the help of the Alpha.

It was just that that non-zero chance might as well have been zero. Elder Black might not be adept at speed, but she was still an Eighth Resonance Gold Mancer, and that sort of speed wasn't one the Alpha could even match for long, let alone surpass.

But right now, as it forced the blood to circulate and condense in its body, relying on its frame rather than its Mana alone, the Alpha was quickly adapting.

They were halfway back to the Daggers of the Night hideout when the Alpha broke through again, settling into the Third Gold Mancy Realm.

Its steps became lighter, its agility sharper, but it had actually retrieved more of its Blood Mana, restricting itself further while maintaining the same speed.

It was trying to see if it could ride this momentum to the Fourth Gold Resonance.

Observing this in silence, Theron already knew that the answer was no, but it would get close—very close.

Was the secret to the Alpha's progression eating Gold Mancer corpses? Or was it specifically those as talented as Elder Black?

The Alpha had never shown any interest in any others, and Theron had killed plenty of Gold Mancers by now. So it seemed like the answer was the latter.

In that case, it seemed that strengthening this partner of his would be very straightforward in the future. But what Theron was most fascinated by was its unique mutation.

This mutation had been caused, as far as Theron knew, by a unique combination of the Blood Crystals and Theron's own blood. There was something about Theron's bloodline that allowed a bridge to be formed between where the lineage of the Lightning Blood Hounds had been, and where the Alpha had taken it now.

One of the main reasons Theron had allowed the Alpha to follow him was because he wanted to observe its growth. Was there something about its progression that could teach Theron about himself?

Theron wasn't sure.

Could he absorb Water Mancers as well? Was that possible? And if he could, should he?

He also wasn't sure about that.

With a flash, they entered the spatial storm again, but this time Theron didn't say a word, letting the Alpha navigate it. Just to observe.

The progression was slow, but the instincts of the Alpha seemed sharper than usual Gold Mancers at this level.

This piqued Theron's interest. Why was that?

The Alpha was technically a Flux Beast, not a Spirit or Soul Beast. Even if it had mutated, it had become part Elemental Beast at best. So why were its senses so sharp?

Was it related to its intelligence?

Theron hadn't interacted with any other Runebound Beasts, but he knew that the higher talent a beast had, the more intelligent they would be too.

So, it felt like it had to be something deeper.

'I see…'

The Alpha stopped restraining its Mana as though it realized it wouldn't have the momentum it needed to reach Fourth, and then sparks of crimson lightning formed, creating a field.

All of a sudden, the Alpha's speed accelerated, bobbing and weaving through the sea of spatial rifts with a deft speed.

Theron understood at that point. The Lightning Blood Hound Race had always had a unique ability to expel their Flux Mana in ways other Flux Mancers could not.

The limitation of Flux Mancers was that their Mana could normally only be applied to their bodies or weapons that were directly in hand. Spells they used that affected the environment often took up far more Mana for them than what was closer to home.

But the Alpha's race had broken this barrier superficially. The crimson lightning of the Lightning Blood Hounds hadn't actually been capable of any real damage.

But the Alpha itself? Even if its crimson lightning was still superficial right now, its Flux Mana emission abilities weren't entirely so.

The line between what was the Alpha's body and what was the surroundings blurred. By emitting its blood in waves, the Alpha formed a domain it was as in tune with as its body, sharpening its senses considerably.

'Fascinating…' Theron's eyes flashed.

This reminded him so much of the Immortal Jellyfish's abilities. But Theron hadn't used the Immortal Jellyfish for anything outside of boosting his Water Mana control since he stepped into Silver Mancy because his Third Eye was far more effective. This was part of why this Echo was seen as useless.

But was Theron wrong about that?