Depthless Hunger

Enemies were falling on all sides, blood was spraying through the air, and allies roared in victory. Kai moved in the fray, dropping enemies on all sides... dissatisfied.

He just didn't share the bloodlust of the Manticore tribe cultivators, despite having endless monstrous hunger inside him, despite having literally eaten people. What he wanted was a challenge, and now that the Earth Souls had fallen, the enemy couldn't offer it. Cultivators focused on the offensive, which gave them explosive power compared to many on Rosemount, but when they were outclassed, they practically exploded in gory messes.

So he ended up fighting himself again, trying not just to win, but to win as the Manticore Patriarch. He drew on the Savage Heart, despite not needing it, to shift his appearance subtly. Those who saw him fight would have sworn that his face had transformed into that of a manticore.

Instead of tearing through the enemy army on his own, Kai moved at the head of his own factions to drive the enemy lines back. He shielded them just by virtue of drawing qi techniques, letting his side hurl their own at the enemy. They were steadily wiping out the parts of the Quill faction that wouldn't surrender or retreat, which only drove his followers to fight even harder.

Fighting at the vanguard like he was, Kai was the center of the attention for most of the battlefield, at least until someone new arrived. He felt the attention shifting and techniques around him began to slow as the whispering started up.

"It's the Manticore Mane!"

"The Mane is coming, I can hear their beasts!"

"Where's the patriarch?"

Shouts from across the battlefield alerted Kai to exactly where things were happening. Their spies had placed the Manticore Mane's special unit on the northern side of the territory, but it seemed that they had mobilized fast enough to join the battle. Not in time to save the others, unless perhaps they thought they could sweep in and save the day.