The Incarnation of Vengeance's duration time was a measly 1 minute.

Grr!

Once 1 minute had passed, Shumir disappeared like smoke.

Kang Oh continuously swung his swords, but the blood clot, or Vladi, was gradually returning to his original form. At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before Vladi was fully restored.

"Grab hold of me! You should be able to take him out for good with the power of Frostblood!"

Frostblood!

Kang Oh's eyes gleamed.

If he used Devil Trigger while holding Blood and Sarahoff, then he'd transform into the Frostblood Demon. In this form, he was able to use red ice called Frostblood.

This blood not only froze his targets, but drained them of their strength.

'If I freeze his blood and absorb his strength, then...'

It was worth trying.

Kang Oh stabbed Ubist into the ground, and then dragged Sarahoff over using Darkness Chain.

Swish.

Kang Oh grabbed Sarahoff with his empty hand. Then, he transitioned from the Dual Demon to the Frostblood Demon.

Icy horns, mostly red in color, protruded from his head, and frozen gauntlets and greaves covered his arms and legs!

"When did you gain the ability to talk?" Tasha asked. It seemed like she could hear Sara's voice too.

"Don't know. It just happened," Sara said.

When Kang Oh had killed Sraka, his Demonic Swordsmanship had gone straight up to 99%. His control over his demon swords had gotten that much stronger too!

Thus, he was able to hear Sara's voice, despite the fact that the sword itself hadn't gotten much stronger.

"Anyhow, let's leave the idle chatter for later. Hurry up and use Frostblood!" Sara said urgently. "When the demon's HP reaches zero, he'll come back even stronger than before. He'll revive three more times from there. That's why you have to take him out now!"

Four hearts.

That was Vladi's overpowered ability.

To put it simply, he could revive four times, and each time he did, he would come back even stronger than before.

'How does she even know that?'

He had looked for information on Vladi, but hadn't found anything. But he couldn't worry about that right now; he had a job to do. Killing Vladi took priority.

"Hueup!" Kang Oh stabbed both Blood and Sarahoff into Vladi's body simultaneously.

Vladi's head hadn't regenerated yet.

"Use Red Avalanche!" Sara yelled.

Red Avalanche was an aura attack that could only be used in his Frostblood Demon state.

Kang Oh immediately did as he was told.

Whoosh!

Blood's scarlet energy and Sarahoff's ice cold energy joined together, and then seeped into Vladi's body.

Vladi's body was instantly encased in red ice.

"Now what do I do?" Kang Oh asked, keeping a tight grip on his demon swords.

"What do you mean? The Red Demon's descendent needs to absorb his power. You can't leave a trace of it behind," Sara said.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you."

"Go on, Tasha. The power of Frostblood should allow you to absorb his power," Kang Oh said.

"Alright."

After that, something interesting happened. Blood began to suck Vladi's body into its blade.

Kang Oh thought that this was the appropriate time to ask.

"Sara, how did you know so much about Talastrum's Demon?"

"I read about him in a book."

"A book?"

"A man named Dzule left the book behind. It's written that he came to the Temple of the North Sea, searching for a way to defeat the Red Demon once and for all."

"Dzule... Is he the sage that came up with the method of sealing him?"

"To be more specific, his grandfather was the one who sealed the demon."

"So he's the sage's grandson."

"Anyhow, the sage told Dzule much about the Red Demon. That information was recorded in the book."

Kang Oh and Sara kept conversing.

Meanwhile, Tasha didn't say a word. No, she couldn't. She had to focus on absorbing all of Vladi's immense power, after all. Blood did shake from time to time though.

"You said he came to the Temple of the North Sea to find a way to kill the Red Demon?" Kang Oh asked.

"Yeah. Dzule went across the continent in search of a way to kill the demon once and for all. Eventually, he learned of the Ice Soul, the source of all cold in this world."

"Aha."

"However, the Ice Soul is akin to a god to the northern people. There was no way they'd share their god's power with an outsider. Plus, no container existed that could properly store the Ice Soul's power. Most people who used the Ice Soul's body broke. Like... me."

Which meant that Dzule wasn't able to obtain the Ice Soul's power.

"Though he was disappointed, Dzule left behind a book on the Red Demon at the Temple of the North Sea. I read that book. After all, the only thing I could do there was read books and dream of the outside world."

"I see."

"When I read the book... I couldn't have imagined that I'd be trapped inside a sword and be fighting against the Red Demon. Though I did always want to visit the ruins where the Great Forest's Demon was sealed." Sara's voice contained a deep sadness.

If she hadn't been born a Yuki-Onna, the Great Shaman's daughter at that, then she might've been able to achieve her dream; to explore the continent and visit new places.

Kang Oh kept his mouth shut. Sara didn't have anything else to add either.

Only Blood's occasional trembling broke the heavy silence that permeated the temple.

All of a sudden, the Frostblood cracked. It was due to Vladi struggling from within the ice prison.

"Use Red Avalanche again!" Sara urgently yelled.

Kang Oh did as she ordered, and completely froze Vladi once more. This continued again and again.

Whenever Vladi writhed within his prison, the ice would crack. Then, Kang Oh would use Red Avalanche to refreeze Vladi.

'He's getting thinner.' Kang Oh's eyes gleamed.

Vladi's body had gotten a lot smaller. Which meant that Blood had consumed much of his power already.

How much time had passed?

Suck!

Demon Sword Blood sucked every last bit of Vladi's power.

Ding. A system message popped up.

[Talastrum's Demon and the Red Moon's Count, Vladi, has entered his eternal sleep.]

[Though he has been forgotten, Vladi was once an Archdemon that threatened both the Great Forest and the entire world.]

[Vladi was starved and sealed for hundreds of years, but he remained a dangerous being that could regain his full power at any time with his absorption ability.]

[One of the dormant threats that could plunge the continent into chaos has been destroyed.]

[What an amazing feat!]

[By performing a great feat, you have broken through the wall blocking Demonic Swordsmanship.]

[You have mastered Demonic Swordsmanship.]

[Congratulations. You are now a Master Demonic Swordsman. The power and speed of any action pertaining to demon swords has increased significantly. Proficiency in skills pertaining to demon swords or even regular swords will increase much faster than before.]

[Fame has increased significantly.]

[Combat-related side stats have increased significantly.]

[You may now create a Demonic Swordsman secret move. This skill cannot be passed down. If you have decided on what skill you would like to create, then please yell 'Create Secret Move'.]

[Demon Sword Blood has completely absorbed Talastrum's Demon, Vladi.]

[Blood's full potential has been unleashed. The weapon's power has also increased significantly.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

Kang Oh smiled. He'd finally become a Master! Plus, he could create his own secret move now too!

Moreover, by absorbing Vladi, Demon Sword Blood had gotten much stronger.

"Uhaaaahk!" Kang Oh raised his arms into the air and exclaimed. He jumped automatically; he couldn't help himself.

He was so happy.

Kang Oh celebrated for quite some time.

* * *

"Good job," Tasha said while Kang Oh was prancing around. "I'm glad you were able to take him out."

Kang Oh suddenly had a thought. "You said you had a connection with him. What kind of connection is it?"

"I'm not sure..." Part of her voice sounded sad.

Kang Oh remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"Half of the blood that runs through my veins, the blood that that dirty demon left behind, is from the Red Moon race."

Tasha's father was a demon summoned by a Black Mage. It seemed like that demon came from the same place as Vladi.

"Mm."

"My mother was a virgin that was given up to the demon as tribute. If Vladi were to escape to the outside world, I was afraid that that tragedy would repeat itself. The same goes for what happened to me. That's why I wanted you to kill him no matter what."

What happened to Tasha and her mother was horrible. She was given to the demon against her will, was impregnated by the demon, and when she returned, she was treated with hatred and scorn. Tasha's mother was even stoned to death.

After that, Tasha, who'd awakened her demonic powers, began slaughtering the people of the Great Forest, and was called the Great Forest's Demon.

"You did good," Kang Oh said. That was the best he could do for her.

After all, what good would sympathy or pity be at this point?

"Tasha, you completely absorbed Vladi. Will that cause any problems?" Kang Oh asked concernedly.

"I'll be fine," Tasha said firmly. "I absorbed his power while he was in an incomplete state, so it won't be a problem," she added.

"I see. Then I'll talk to you later."

"Alright."

"Wait a sec!" Sara suddenly intervened.

"What is it?"

"I did really good, right?"

"Yeah, you did." Kang Oh nodded his head.

"I have a favor to ask!"

"A favor?"

"I want to see more places! I want to see the world!"

Though she was sealed within the demon sword, Sara's dream hadn't changed. And she was able to fulfill her dream, albeit indirectly, via Kang Oh.

"I'll do that."

When he was done with Valan's quest, Kang Oh would go across the continent in search of new dungeons. In the process, he would fulfill Sara's wish too.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Kang Oh deactivated Devil Trigger. Now that he'd exited his Frostblood Demon form, he could no longer hear their voices.

"Hmm." Kang Oh stroked his chin and searched Vladi's previous location.

Talastrum's Demon, Vladi, hadn't left behind any items. He hadn't even left behind his body either.

It made sense. Blood had completely absorbed him, after all.

'A boss as powerful as Vladi should've dropped some items... It must be because Blood completely absorbed him.'

Kang Oh felt disappointed. A boss as powerful as Vladi would've dropped SS-rank items for sure. But that disappointment didn't last long.

'Let's see!'

Kang Oh stroked Blood's snow-white blade. Its scarlet energy felt thicker and stickier than before.

He then checked Demon Sword Blood's item information.

[Demon Sword Blood (Lv. 37)]

Blood, the demon that made all beings within the Great Forest tremble in fear, is sealed within this sword.

By absorbing a supreme being of the Red Moon race, Blood's power now exceeds that of a half-demon.

The snow-white blade emanates scarlet energy, making the sword extremely beautiful yet ominous.

The sword has an ego of its own. It sees, hears, and feels the world through its wielder, and grows.

Untradeable.

Upon death, there is a high chance that the demon sword drops, or that you become a monster under the demon's control for 24 hours.

+ Evolving Weapon: Has its own level. Takes a portion of its wielder's experience points. These experience points are what the demon sword uses to grow. The higher the level, the more powerful the sword and its abilities become.

[Next Level Up: 42.121%]

+ Life Steal: Dealing damage restores your HP. The amount of health restored is based on the damage you deal and the demon sword's level.

+ Red Star: Whenever you life steal, a red star manifests on the blade. Each star increases the sword's attack power by 7%. Life stealing within a 15 second period causes this effect to stack (max: 7 stacks).

+ Blood Storm: Usable at max stacks (7 stacks). Consumes all stacks to unleash a blood red storm.

+ Red Demon's Dance: Evasion triples for 20 seconds. Leaves behind several afterimages. Cooldown: 10 minutes.

+ Blood Emperor: Consumes half of your HP. Unleashes an Emperor's Strike in front of you. Also, your attack power, speed, and life steal are increased significantly for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes.

Rank: SS.

Abilities: Attack Power +845, Physical +85, Mental +25, HP +5,000.

Minimum Requirements: Clear the Trial of the Demon Sword.

"Hoh."

Kang Oh thoroughly read through all the new info.

For starters, Blood's attack power had increased significantly. Before, it hadn't even hit 700, but now it was 845.

Moreover, it increased his HP by 5,000! That was a huge leap from 1,800.

Then there were the improvements to its item effects.

Vampiristic Reinforcement had evolved into Red Star. Before, it would increase Blood's attack power by 2% for every stack, but now, it would increase it by 7% per stack. Plus, the max stacks went down from 15 to 7.

It would be much easier to fully stack Blood now, and its max attack power had gone up from 30% to 49%!

When fully stacked, Blood's attack power wouldn't be inferior to either Ubist or Sarahoff.

Blood Bomb had evolved into the more powerful Blood Storm, and Red Butterfly's Dance had been upgraded into Red Demon's Dance, increasing his evasion by three times, not two.

Let's not forget Blood Emperor. Not only would it apply Festival of Blood's powerful buffs, but it would also launch a powerful attack.

'It said that the demon sword's full potential was unleashed. They weren't kidding.' Kang Oh smiled in satisfaction.

The new Demon Sword Blood!

Yippee!