There were two lookouts posted at the front entrance of the factory. Their presence served as a big deterrent to any curious individuals and if someone stronger were to appear, they at least could delay the intruders and warn anyone inside.

“Hey,” One of the men called out to his companion, raising his chin to the figure standing under a flickering street light.

“Yeah, I see him,” the man replied, drawing a knife. “Hey, asshole! This isn’t a fucking rest stop so piss off before you get hurt!”

When the figure didn’t budge, the man clicked his tongue, throwing off his jacket.

“Good, I needed to vent some stress.”

“If you kill him you’re cleaning it up. You made a real mess last time,” The man’s partner replied, grabbing a pack of cigarettes from his jacket.

“Yeah, yeah,” The physically imposing man grunted. He stormed forward brandishing a sharp knife when he suddenly lunged and moved several meters with only a few steps.

When he arrived in front of Casper, a skeletal visage was revealed to him, forcing him to come to an instant stop.

“Shit!” He cursed before a blood tendril thrust forward from Casper’s hand and impaled him. He lurched, letting out a pained groan before the tendril expanded throughout his body and ended his life.

Absorbing the blood, Casper formed a reddish aura that lingered in the air as he sprinted ahead. The remaining lookout had barely lit a cigarette when everything transpired, he still had it up to his lips when Casper appeared in front of him. A bloody crescent brought an end to his life in a second.

A few short memories played in Casper’s mind sporadically, the exact structure of the building became clearer and he moved his feet with purpose. As he passed the empty parking lot, he made sure to destroy any cameras he could see by firing a blood arrow.

The roiling blood surrounding Casper continued to twist and writhe as he grew emboldened, confident in his own power. Approaching a reinforced door, he struck it with his fist three times, listening as someone pushed open a view slot.

“Hey, shithead, your shift isn’t over yet–” The bitter voice was cut short as a gaseous cloud of blood poured into the slot before solidifying into a red mass that enclosed itself around the man’s head, he struggled to free himself, but it was pointless. Casper ended it quickly and added more blood to the heavy aura which carried the smell of iron.

The blood augmented his physical strength and he kicked the door down, the loud echo no doubt drawing attention to his presence, but he hardly cared anymore.

‘Okay, here we go,’ He spoke inwardly, inhaling deeply as his body turned incorporeal.

He whisked himself onto the rafters above, surprising a group of gifted, albeit for a moment. They struck without hesitation upon discovering him and a string of explosions rang out. Meanwhile, those guarding the interior of the factory had begun to mobilize. Armed with swords, spears, axes, and daggers, they showed superhuman strength and agility as they quickly maneuvered toward the sound of conflict.

When the rumbling stopped, a sphere of blood was formed around Casper as a shield. With a thought, its form expanded and spread out, firing crescent arcs in all directions as Casper ascended vertically with a single jump. Two scarlet blades appeared underneath his sleeves as he found his first target, the blood aura changed its shape and pushed Casper forward like a bullet.

It seemed almost too easy, separating the man’s head from his body, but Casper didn't pay it any mind and continued fighting.

The moment he landed, there were already a dozen or so men and women on the rafters with, the rusted construction groaning under the heavy weight. A sword aimed for his back, intent on running him through, but dark aura of blood around him slowed the strike down just enough for a reaction.

Casper turned countered with a thrust of his scarlet blades while several crows had emerged from his body and flew in all directions before turning around and coming back. They dove toward those who were the furthest away and exploded the moment they made contact, throwing the building into further chaos.

The railing collapsed and everyone fell to the ground below, but they had no problem sticking the landing.

“Come here!” A woman rushed toward Casper with a flaming spear.

He stretched his hands, forming a blood spear that burned with the flames of miasma, copying her, before twisting it and parrying her attack.

“Surround him, now!” Someone cried out swiping downward with an axe that split the floor, narrowly missing Casper who dodged with all the grace of an ice-skater.

As he weaved in and out of the reach of his enemies, a few strikes managed to hit him, but leaving wounds that he healed with the excess blood floating around him.

Casper took a deep breath, loud enough to be heard by those surrounding him, before he vanished.

“The hell–” The spear-wielding woman showed a look of panic before she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.

She looked down to see the purple fire on the tip of a burning red spear piercing through her body as indescribable agony caused by decay filled her nerves. Casper slapped his hand on her back, painting a small blood rune before withdrawing his spear and kicking her.

She stumbled forward, a near husk of her former self before someone caught her. A fiery explosion engulfed the both of them sending flesh and bone raining down.

A man roared angrily, exerting great effort to raise a lantern before aiming it at Casper. A shrill sound filled the air and then wave of fire shot forward, forcing Casper to retreat. He burst into a flock of crows, spreading out to avoid the dangerous attack before reappearing above, sending countless blood arcs below him. They failed to kill anyone, but it brought him a few seconds to make another move.

As soon as he landed, he pressed his hand against the ground and four lines of blood spread in every direction like a web. They quickly curved and bent at his will, forming runes that flashed with an ominous glow as a wall of miasmic fire erupted.

‘Form of Bones.’ Casper felt a pain in his ribs and he thought to try something he hadn’t before. A protruding rib bone poked through his clothes before it snapped as he grasped it. The runic engravings flashed as it he swung it downward, the familiar skeletal clattering rang in his ears like music as it reformed into the shape of a war scythe.

It felt heavier than it would have if using the bones of some other creature, but all it took was a small enhancement to his strength to properly wield it. He spun it around, hearing it slice the air as he did so. Finding it to his satisfaction, he dove back into the fray.

The factory lit up with various explosions and strange effects that came from artifacts being used. The building shook as the battle went on, with the dwindling numbers of New Era becoming more desperate, they began using whatever they could find.

“F-Fuck, don’t come any closer!” A younger member screamed. The terror in his eyes and fresh face made it clear he was a relatively new addition to New Era. He raised a humming medallion toward Casper who tilted his head.

The layer of ivory that formed into a protective mask lent him a dreadful presence, but Casper didn’t intend to frighten the boy.

“Easy,” Casper spoke softly.

“Don’t you fucking easy me! You just– you just killed everyone you motherfucker!” A frantic glance at his surroundings revealed only a handful of injured survivors.

“Not everyone,” Casper said, glancing toward the few people left.

“The foe ahead wields a dangerous weapon, proceed with caution or act quickly” The ring hissed to Casper.

“How old are you?” Casper asked, tossing aside his war scythe. His eyes narrowed on the medallion.

His weapon hit the ground and crumbled into powder, but it wasn’t as if he made himself defenseless. There was still a faint cloud of blood around Casper that churned hypnotically as if performing a strange dance.

“Fuck you!” The boy screamed, his hand trembled as he gripped the medallion tightly.

Casper’s eyes fell underneath his mask, seeing the situation was volatile, he pondered his next move. With their numbers less than half, it seemed the members of New Era had already given up the fight. Plus, the boy in front of him was scared out of his mind. While Casper didn't think of himself as a hero, he couldn't bring himself to kill the remaining people since they posed no threat.

“Alright,” He said, making his mind up. “This is going to hurt a bit, okay?”

“What?” The boy furrowed his eyebrows but was taken off guard when Casper shot forward.

A red mass of solidifying blood enclosed itself around the boy's hand and then the sound of something breaking filled his ears. He let out a sharp cry and tried to use the artifact, but Casper pried it from him.

“There we go,” Casper exhaled.

The Penumbra had already been enticed during the fight, but the artifact in Casper’s hand was enough to set it off. It burst from his abdomen and tried to snatch the necklace, but Casper restrained it, placing a binding rune on the black circle surrounding his navel.

“What a greedy bastard.” He clicked his tongue, dissatisfied with the disembodied limb.

Turning to the boy with the broken arm, Casper approached causing him to stumble backward. He winced as the hand covered in ivory reached toward him, but Casper didn’t intend to hurt him. He simply injected his blood into the boy and guided it to heal the arm.

He hadn’t thought of it before, but since the basis of the Art of Sanguina was exploration of limits, he wanted to see if it worked.

“Ah,” A soft exclamation filled with relief informed Casper of his success.

At the very least, he could use his own blood to heal broken bones of other people.

“Now leave before I change my mind,” Casper said to the boy who was examining his repaired arm.

He turned to the tense members curled up on the ground, “All of you too.”

They were obviously suspicious but didn’t waste the opportunity to flee and quickly made their way out of the smoldering factory.

Casper took the time to sift through the memories and felt certain images and bits of conversation come to the forefront. He pulled out his phone and sent a simple message to Alexandra.

‘It’s done, I've already got the next destination in mind.’

He summoned the grimoire to his hands to see what he earned.

The current value of souls in your possession: 25,500

‘Just enough,’ He thought.

Without hesitating, he purchased the Phantom Heart from the Death Bringer path. He felt the change instantly, with the sensation of an expanding weight grew within his chest. Ignoring it, for the time being, he pocketed a few artifacts, small things like necklaces and rings, before he quickly vanished.