Vampire: World of Blood-Chapter 181: Ascension VI

Merciless followed the trail of neon blue light, his steps purposeful as he descended further into the depths of the Sea of Correspondence.

The string wound through the void, leading him toward something potent, something he could feel pulsing with familiar energy, null energy, or a product of it; whatever these powers were were created from nothing.

His claws crackled with power, and his eyes, sharp and glowing, narrowed as he approached the next source.

The moment he reached it, he didn't just touch the source; he was absorbed into it. A jolt of pure, untamed energy surged through him, pulling him into another reality altogether.

When the disorientation faded, Merciless found himself floating in a vast expanse, a space that pulsed with a deep, otherworldly red and black hue. It was like he had been submerged in a sea of blood.

The thick, viscous liquid surrounded him, yet he didn't drown; it felt natural. It wasn't water; it was something heavier, more primal. The red-black sea clung to his monstrous form as if it was feeding off his very essence.

Merciless's body had transformed again, though this time it was something more grotesque, something far beyond his former shape. His upper body remained vaguely humanoid, yet stretched into something monstrous, covered in a hard, chitinous exoskeleton the color of deep obsidian.

His limbs were segmented, sharp, and spindly, resembling the legs of a spider, but far more menacing. Eight massive limbs branched out from his back, their tips dripping with a venomous liquid that hissed as it hit the sea of blood below.

But his lower half... it had shifted into something far more serpentine. A long, thick, snake-like body coiled beneath him, its surface covered in sleek scales that shimmered with an oily, metallic sheen. The tail moved with fluidity, rippling through the blood as if swimming were its natural state.

The tail itself was barbed, ending in a deadly point that glowed with a malevolent, crimson energy. His entire form was a terrifying amalgamation of predator and dominator; spider, snake, and something far darker intertwined.

His many glowing eyes, now eight in total, each burning with a different shade—surveyed the landscape of this crimson abyss. He felt different here. Stronger. More in tune with this realm's dark essence. His monstrous form swam effortlessly through the blood as though it were air, his body moving with an unnatural grace despite its bulk and size.

Then he saw them.

Floating in the red and black space, scattered throughout the blood, were massive, jagged fragments. They hung in the air like shattered pieces of glass, yet they throbbed with life. They were soul fragments, Merciless knew this instinctively as if the knowledge had been imprinted into his very being the moment he entered this place. Each fragment was huge, pulsating with energy, each representing a life, a being, that had once been whole.

And with that knowledge came a hunger.

An insatiable hunger.

It clawed at him from within, a burning need to devour.

To consume.

His monstrous form shuddered as the urge overtook him, every fiber of his new body screaming for more power, more energy... or power born from the nothingness that was gifted to these beings that were once whole.

It didn't matter whose soul fragments they were or what they represented.

He had to devour them.

Without hesitation, Merciless lunged forward, his many legs moving in a blur as he swam toward the nearest fragment.

His fanged maw unhinged, impossibly wide, as he wrapped himself around the fragment and tore into it with savage abandon. His sharp mandibles pierced through the ethereal material, and the fragment disintegrated into raw energy that surged into him, filling him with an almost euphoric rush of power.

The taste was intoxicating. Like the essence of life itself. And it wasn't enough. He needed more.

So much more.

He moved through the blood with speed and grace, his monstrous form devouring fragment after fragment, his hunger growing with each one.

The more he consumed, the more his body shifted, growing larger, more monstrous, more powerful.

His serpent tail thickened, its scales glowing with an eerie, dark light.

His spider legs grew longer, sharper, able to pierce through the reality of this space itself with each strike.

The sea of blood churned around him as he devoured, fragments disappearing into his maw one after another, and the more he consumed, the more he wanted.

His hunger was uncontrollable now, a beast that could not be sated.

He was losing himself in it, drowning in the endless desire to devour, to consume every soul fragment in this twisted realm.

But deep within, a part of him, the core of Merciless, remained lucid. He knew this power was dangerous, that if he continued, it could unravel him. But that part was drowned out by the overwhelming lust for more.

He swam through the crimson sea like a predator, devouring everything in his path, his monstrous form casting a dark, shadowy silhouette against the backdrop of blood and darkness. The sea itself seemed to ripple in response to his presence as if recognizing him as its rightful ruler, the ultimate predator in this grotesque domain.

And still, it wasn't enough.

It would never be enough.

But Merciless didn't care.

All that mattered was the next fragment, the next taste of power, the next victory in this endless ocean of blood and soul fragments. He was no longer just Merciless, or rather by doing this, it was like the first step to reclaiming what was his true self

He would continue to consume until there was nothing left but him and the power he claimed as his own.

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Some time had passed and he had already devoured dozens of fragments, each one dissolving into his monstrous form like drops of water into an ocean.

The hunger gnawed at him, primal and insatiable, driving him to devour every soul fragment he encountered without hesitation. Each one was intoxicating, flooding him with power and haunting memories of strange, corrupted women.

Each is unique in its own right.

They all have their quirks.

They all have their problems.

Each has their own personality.

Outwardly, due to the damage to their souls, they could never see the outside world again. They lived eternally within him, each as an individual, yet never truly free.

For once a soul is damaged, death cannot be undone, not by traditional means at least. In this universe, the soul is a fusion of twelve aspects, forming the individuality and uniqueness of every being.

These aspects govern everything—race, form, destiny, emotions, traits, magical nature, and even abstract concepts. Essentially, the soul contains all the information that defines a person and shapes who they are and will become eventually, at birth.

By consuming these wayward fragments who once served under the divine, Merciless instinctively did the unthinkable. While these souls could no longer exist as separate entities, the Shoggoths within him began to form a collective hive mind.

His strange body, upon devouring their fractured souls, melded the broken pieces into one—creating a singular, highly complex super-soul. Individuality existed within this union, a bizarre fusion where their fragmented consciousnesses intertwined into a unified whole.

Though not the most logical form of resurrection, it was a twisted form of survival—far better than the true death that awaited the Shoggoths.

Fragments of souls typically fade away after a time, dissolving into nothingness, but within Merciless, something extraordinary occurs.

His body treated these damaged souls as though they were biological injuries, like how a doctor would tend to an amputee.

It was as if he viewed these immaterial remnants as something tangible, something that could be healed or mended; simply because he could interact with them. He didn't fully understand the mechanics of how or why he could do this, but he knew—instinctively—that he now possessed this ability.

It was as though he had become a miracle doctor, a twisted surgeon of the soul, capable of curing even death itself in the most unorthodox of ways. So long as he had even a fragment of a soul to work with of course, no matter how damaged, he could bind it, stitch it together, and prevent it from fading.

Vampires are beings without souls, their bodies were made to be vessels capable of holding an infinite amount of souls.

As such his body became the medium through which these broken spirits could continue to exist. It was making a soul for himself, but this soul in particular was not connected to him, in the traditional way.

Even if this soul is damaged, all his information is within his vampirism concept safe from the influence of the outside behind a powerful veil that only allowed him to typically enter, well of course direct damage could be done to it by other vampires, or his already established weakness.

But in the natural sense, it was safe from most.

But like traditional vampires, he in all his power ironically has a lot of weaknesses he himself has to consider; and prepare for.

But think of it like this: as of right now, he was mending all the soul fragments into one, and, in a way, this soul inside of him was being treated as an extension, or a useful tool of sorts, shaped by immaterial customization.

It wasn't a traditional resurrection, not by any means, but a strange form of restoration—a process that allowed these souls to endure within him, as part of him.

They would retain their perfect memories, though their powers might be diminished. However, because the soul had been fused into one whole, each individual fragment could harness the full strength of the combined soul, amplifying their abilities in battle. In essence, one soul was now shared by hundreds of fragments, with his body serving as the vessel that housed them all.

This means that some Shagoths might retain their original power, or maybe some of their original power, or some of them might even be stronger than before.

But in the way he was healing them, his power went beyond simply devouring and consuming; it was as if he could take the immaterial and impose his will upon it, forcing these shattered fragments to persist when they otherwise would have been lost forever.

He had become both their devourer and their savior, stitching together the remnants of their existence into something whole, something alive—though far from what they had once been.

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But as Merciless traverses deeper, he soon finds out that each fragment has been devoured, but something deeper within this place is calling out to him.

This one... felt different.

Chaotic.

Playful.

It teased the edges of his mind, pulling him closer like a lure.

And somehow, Merciless knew he had to consume it.

He couldn't explain why, but the fragment radiated a familiarity that stirred something within him.

Something he once had, but no longer does at the moment.

As he closed in, his predatory gaze locked onto the figure, round, dark, and featureless, save for the glowing yellow eyes that pierced through the sea of blood.

It had no distinct form beyond that; a shapeless mass, like a living shadow.

Yet its presence was undeniable.

Just as Merciless prepared to strike, the figure's voice echoed out, laced with a mischievous energy.

"Ah, finally! About damn time you showed up."

It sighed, its tone both mocking and childlike.

"I've been waiting, y'know?... Do you have any idea what it is like to watch something foreign operate under another will... sigh...

"Couldn't make it too easy for me one-bit egh kal?"

Merciless on the other hand simply replied back for the first time.

"HUHHH!?"

Merciless paused, narrowing his many gleaming eyes at the figure. His voice, deep and resonant, cut through the chaos.

"Who are you?'

The figure chuckled, a sound that was almost playful, if not for the sinister edge beneath it.

"Me?...

It said as if teasing the surprise.

"I'm you, you silly thing—a tiny fragment of the original Mercy... or rather his well our true personality side of things, at least! You see, when Kael sealed away those memories, he snatched away our wild, destructive side along with a few other bits and bobs. He simplified the information without messing with the core, trapping me inside this separate soul fragment within our original soul. I've been cooped up in here ever since... and let me tell you, it's not exactly a blast watching you whine and moan your way through life! We're a superior life form, for crying out loud! Why on earth do you need to warm up to some woman?!"

Mercy explains to Merciless, as he continues.

"But yeah I am the real Mercy, not that fractured thing you've been running around with—the one that's just a product of Kael. Oh, he might've been good for some fun, but me? I'm the one you've been missing."

Merciless's massive form loomed closer, and his curiosity was piqued.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Oh, believe it or not, it doesn't matter, you asshole! We're still dead, one way or another... When you became a vampire, a new existence emerged, one that just thinks it's the real Mercy. But with me, we can finally become whole again! Trust me, I'm better than ever! We don't need to waste our time worrying about that pathetic human side of our."

the figure said with a lazy, casual wave.

"But if you wanna reclaim what's truly yours if you want to feel your old power for what it truly is—you're going to need to devour me."

The chaos around them seemed to swirl in agreement, the blood sea rippling in response to Mercy's words. Merciless's mind raced as he examined the figure more closely, that familiar itch in the back of his thoughts, like a forgotten dream.

"Memories, power... who are you, well us really... before well you know...

Mercy's glowing eyes flickered.

"I don't have the memories either—not all of them, at least. That's what makes me incomplete, what keeps you from being whole. The real and most of our lost power's about 78% more of it recon, along with our memories is locked behind that damn memory barrier. And only one person can unlock it."

"Who?"

Merciless demanded, the hunger still gnawing at him.

Mercy floated closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper.

"An old friend; an odd fellow; but the mother fucker is Gary-sue on eldritch steroids, but quite the amusing lifeform to say the least... we don't hang out with losers so our old friend group is quite the odd bunch of rotten candies... But the rest? That's you. You've been shattered and broken into pieces ever since Kael brain fucked us, and if you want to tear down what's left of the old Mercy, you've gotta start with me."

There was no malice in his words, only an eerie playfulness. Mercy was inviting him, offering himself up like a sacrifice.

"Look bud, you gotta devour me, and the more that barrier breaks the more you will resurrect what has been lost, and the pieces will start to come together. The remnants of your old self—of us."

"But to do that you gotta find Kael to unbrain fuck us... I can normally sense him as long as we are in the same universe, but I can't sense wherever he is at the moment, this can only mean one thing big me, he ain't in this universe."

Tiny Merciless said to his older and more powerful counterpart.

"Hmmm, I see... Well, for now, let's focus on piecing ourselves back together, or as much as we can, at least."

The hunger clawed at Merciless again, this time with a fiercer grip. The weight of the truth crashed down on him, and while the significance of this strange figure eluded him, he instinctively knew what had to be done.

With a low growl, he surged forward, his many limbs outstretched and eager to consume Mercy. But just before he could strike, Mercy flashed one last cheeky grin, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Let's see if you can handle the real you, huh? Hope you brought your appetite, because this is gonna be a wild ride!"

And then, in one swift motion, Merciless's monstrous jaws closed around the chaotic fragment, devouring the essence of Mercy whole.

As the chaotic soul merged with the shagoth soul fragments, a surge of dark energy shot through Merciless's body, filling him with a sensation so familiar it nearly overwhelmed him.

Memories, power, fragments of who he once was came flooding back, and he felt it—the old Mercy memories buried deep beneath layers, came crashing right back in.

But this was only the beginning.

"Well, shit! I just vored myself whole; how delightfully chaotic! Oh yeah, I'm almost complete! Just one more power source, and it's back to the funhouse that is reality!"

The remnant of his former self began to swirl within him, that inner chaos merging with control, Mercy is dead but he was glad he inherited back his old fucked up personality at the very least, as he swam through the sea of blood, more powerful and ravenous than ever before.

He was no longer just the Merciless of the present—he was Merciless reborn.

As such with clarity of sorts, he exited this power source, and one more power source was left before his evolution was complete.

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