Crimson Heir: Shadows in Academia

11

"Never yield! Never give up!" "Alex Qi growled again! Facing yet another crisis, he assumed a fighting stance!

With a "thud," a knife plunged into the spot where Alex Qi had just stood, but at the last second before the blade struck him, he subtly leaped back a step.

Only the tip of the knife penetrated the ground, while the entire blade vibrated incessantly with a "hum...hum...hum." The knife was entirely blood-red, even the tassel hanging from the hilt was blood-red. There were three large holes on the back of the blade, each holding a ring. The rings trembled with the vibrations of the blade, emitting unpleasant "crack...scrape...crack" sounds.

Alex Qi stared intently at the knife, as if it might leap up. A flash of light swept across the blade, and two ancient seal characters strangely appeared: "Blood Drinker."

"Good!" A thunderous roar erupted in the air, filled with an indescribable excitement and anticipation. "As expected of my successor! Take the Blood Drinker before you! Walk forward until you see me, and I will answer all your questions! Hahaha...!" After saying this, the voice gradually faded into the distance until it disappeared completely.

As the laughter subsided, the earth began to c***k and then collapse. Only from beneath Alex Qi's feet, directly forward, without a single c***k or collapse, a two-meter-wide path appeared. As if in a dream, the change in his surroundings made Alex Qi feel as if he were in a dream.

Alex Qi pinched his thigh hard. "Ouch! That hurts!" "Looks like it wasn't a dream. No matter what happens in the future, let's pick up this greatsword and keep going." After the mysterious voice disappeared, it seemed as if the greatsword was constantly calling to them.

Alex Qi slowly walked forward and gently pulled the greatsword from the ground. With a "hum," he clearly felt a pleasant emotion emanating from the greatsword, like reuniting with a long-lost relative. Holding the greatsword, Alex Qi felt as if it had become a part of his body, a connection he felt was like blood.

Alex Qi stretched out his left hand and gently stroked the back of the blade, as tenderly as if caressing a lover. "Blood Drinker, no matter what, from now on, you will be with me!" "..." Alex Qi couldn't help but say to the knife. To his surprise, the knife responded with a "hum," as if in agreement. Alex Qi was certain this was the knife's response.

With a "snap," he slung the knife over his shoulder, staring straight ahead. Alex Qi said with unwavering determination, "We will find out where we are, and I will bring you back." Then, he strode forward, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve.

The sky was blood-red, devoid of sun, moon, and stars, with swirling plumes of blood-red mist everywhere. And beneath this eerie sky, equally eerily, there was no earth.

Only a narrow, blood-red path, about two meters wide, stretched straight into the distance. This blood-red path was invisible, its end unseen.

On this blood-red path, a figure slowly approached. Upon closer inspection, the figure was clearly human, specifically a young man in his twenties. He had slightly yellowish-black hair, and his once handsome face was now deathly pale, his eyes filled with exhaustion, his pupils bloodshot. His suit, a garment that suggested he came from the civilized world, was tattered and stained with blood. He gripped a large, blood-red knife tightly in his right hand, his steps weak, yet he continued to move forward step by step.

Suddenly, a giant crimson wolf appeared out of thin air behind him, pouncing on him mid-air. The young man seemed oblivious, not even turning his head, but his body reacted. He spun to the left, pivoting on his right foot, his right hand swung the blade into the air, while his left hand simultaneously gripped the hilt. Driven by the rotation of his hands and body, the greatsword slashed diagonally down from the sky. With a "c***k," the giant crimson wolf, its jaws agape in attack, was cleaved in two, its mouth never to close again.

"1347," the young man uttered in a slightly hoarse voice, glancing up at the crimson sky, his eyes filled with helplessness. He looked back again; the wolf's carcass had already dissolved into a cloud of blood mist, drifting towards him. He closed his eyes, waiting for his body to fully absorb the mist, feeling his strength return. He swung the greatsword twice fiercely, then continued forward.

In this crimson world without sun, moon, or stars, where day and night were indistinguishable, Alex Qi didn't know how long he had remained. Ever since the earth collapsed, leaving only this narrow path, and Alex Qi stepped onto it with his crimson greatsword, giant crimson wolves began to appear out of nowhere, attacking him without warning. At first, Alex Qi struggled to deal with even a single wolf, but now he could easily eliminate them with a single strike.

Alex Qi still vividly remembered the time he stopped and was surrounded by a pack of wolves, a situation that still terrified him. He had fought his way out with great difficulty. Now, he was wiser. Alex Qi kept moving forward, relentlessly. While the giant wolves still occasionally appeared and pounced, there were only one or two at a time, which he could easily handle, much easier than being surrounded by a whole pack.

Back then, after Alex Qi painstakingly killed the first wolf, besides the blood splattering all over him, the wolf's carcass strangely turned into a blood mist before hitting the ground. This blood mist didn't dissipate in the air but instead drifted towards him. Alex Qi was initially afraid of the blood mist and frantically dodged. However, facing the sudden appearance of the second giant wolf, he decisively decided to deal with the visible danger first. During the fight with the second wolf, the blood mist successfully touched his body, which not only didn't reject it but absorbed it instantly. After defeating the second giant wolf, Alex Qi absorbed the newly formed blood mist without hesitation.