He began to ramble and his pace quickened, "Maybe I shouldn't have let Wrath talk me into walking into a dormant volcano. The fact that it hasn't erupted in the recent past doesn't mean it won't erupt in the near future."
Eventually, Wrath had had enough. She sneered and said with disdain, "I didn't know you were such a coward."
He admitted with a nod. "I didn't know either. I suspected it, as I care about my life a lot. It was why I made sure to get an escape ability before going to the foreign battlefield. But this time, the truth has finally come to light because there is nothing I can do to secure my life. Running is the only feasible option."
He agreed with her completely. It was not the reaction she expected or wanted, so she tried another tactic.
She said, "Think about it. You're going to be the ruler of these demigods soon. They will bow their heads to you and beg you to help them become gods. That has to count for something."
He nodded. "It does count for something. Now I know just how bad my situation is. Now I know just how powerful an enemy Raijin is. Now I am regretting ever agreeing to kill Raijin. Now I am regretting that I became the paragon. I'm sure I could have done well for myself as a shape-shifter."
Wrath frowned and asked, "So what are you going to do? Are you going to give up?"
He shook his head. "I can't give up. That's not an option. I must fight, and I will fight. I am weak right now, but that will change in the future."
Wrath smiled. "That's the core of the matter. Don't let this demigod intimidate you now. In ten years at most, you will be able to subdue it."
He pointed out, "Or I would be dead."
She agreed. "Or you would be dead. Either way, fear will only hinder you. It won't help you."
She insisted, "I'm serious about that. What do you think will happen if you're on the foreign battlefield and a demigod appears? It is not a matter of chance. A demigod will surely appear. What will you do then?"
He sighed as he replied, "I will freeze and be killed."
She continued, "Yes. You will freeze and be killed. What use will your escape ability be then if you freeze? So you must overcome your fear. Take this as an opportunity to train your willpower."
He nodded and activated Extraordinary Perception. The black star from below was radiating so much power that he felt his scalp go numb. But he didn't panic. He just stared at it as his heart began making its way towards his throat.
He was looking down at his feet when he heard Wrath speak. She asked, "Are you alright?"
He turned his attention to her and said, "I'm fine."
She didn't press him. She said, "If you feel overwhelmed, you can relax your mind by entering the tower of destiny. In the meantime, you should practice your escape technique."
He nodded at her and activated Life Escape. All of the life force in his body concentrated into a small area in his chest. It made his body implode on itself.
It was painful. It was so painful that he almost blacked out. This was the first time he had felt pain ever since he became a shape-shifter. Something about this whole process just wasn't right for him.
But he held on as his body and mind fractured into pieces. The pieces assembled into tiny blood clones of himself. Each piece possessed a tiny bit of his mind and life force.
They were a hundred in number and were supposed to scatter in various directions. But he couldn't maintain the state for much longer.
The tiny blood clones had only escaped from his clothes before they exploded into blood. The blood then pooled together to form his single original body.
He was naked on the ground, feeling sore and weak, both physically and mentally.
He said, "That was unpleasant."
Wrath agreed. "I'll say. I felt you fracture into pieces. I thought you had died."
He struggled to stand as he said, "I didn't die, but I was close. I didn't lose any clones, and I didn't even last for up to two seconds in that state, but I still lost 10% of my life force, stamina, and focus. It was like a blade went through my existence and carved me into pieces."
She said, "No wonder vampires don't use it until they are desperate. I thought it was just because that state makes them vulnerable. After all, if they couldn't defend themselves when they were whole, how would they defend themselves as tiny blood clones?"
He stood up shakily and said, "I just haven't mastered the ability yet. It is very useful in escaping."
"Then you have to practice. You have to practice it until you've mastered it. The battlefield is not a place for mistakes or half-mastered abilities."
He nodded. "You're right. I should practice."
Maybe he would have done better if there hadn't been the shadow of a demigod overlooking him. Maybe he would have done better if his mind was stressed and his body was tense. But those are excuses, so he didn't mention them.
Wrath was indeed right. He had to get used to the presence of a demigod, or he would freeze when it counted the most. So he busied himself with practice.
When he became too weak, he would siphon life force from his neighbors. It was nothing too much. Just a little donation here and there to keep him going. Nothing too drastic that would draw attention. His neighbors only became tired as he drained them.
He siphoned life force and practiced until no amount of life force could relieve the ache in his mind. It was then that he heeded Wrath's advice and entered the tower of destiny.