Free Web NovelChapter 30: Aria is a demon destined to be cause the downfall of humanity
As soon as the priest saw both Levon and Aria, the head of the gathering immediately walked up to them.
"What do we owe this visit?" the man said calmly as he approached, his robe covering his body and hands completely, leaving only small patches of skin visible to the naked eye.
"We are here for the bloodline awakening," Levon said confidently.
"Very well. Both of you follow me," the man said, while another priest standing behind him had already begun preparing the altar upon hearing Levon speak.
The man led both of them to the top of the altar and guided them to lie side by side with their eyes closed.
After that the man began chanting while pouring holy water over their bodies. It was a technique called the Soul Conditioning technique, used to ease the spirit of the individuals into a more relaxed state so the process could work as effectively as possible.
"Do not open your eyes for any reason. Keep them closed and wait for the system notification. If it does not come, then your bloodline awakening will be deemed unsuccessful. If it does come, I ask that you keep your eyes closed a little longer until I give you the signal to rise. I hope that is clear."
The man spoke with quiet authority.
Levon and Aria nodded in unison. Levon could already feel his body growing significantly hotter and hotter with every drop of water that touched his skin, as though a fire was about to consume him entirely. And then, finally, the system chimed.
[Congratulations, Shadow Monarch. You have awakened the Bloodline of the Elemental God.
You can now control all eight elements at your disposal.
Fire
Water
Air
Land
Death
Time
Darkness
Light]
Levon could only hold back his excitement internally. He wasn’t entirely sure what it all meant just yet.
Could he finally wield the Sword of Oblivion or not? He couldn’t even pretend otherwise. He had gotten an overpowered bloodline, without any doubt.
This was going to set him apart from almost everyone else.
Bloodlines were what truly separated one talent from another.
In his past life, people with an S-ranked talent were like living deities, able to cut down a whole horde of goblins with barely a thought. While some other S-ranked talent users would be locked in a battle with an A-rank creature, barely holding on for their lives.
It was already accepted that people with talents from S-rank and above were in a completely different category, but the bloodline one awakened was equally a deciding factor in their fate.
Many believed bloodline awakening was purely a matter of luck, but that was far from the truth. freeweɓnøvel.com
Levon knew with absolute certainty that bloodline awakening was a matter of interest and the will of something far greater.
Levon remained still as intense pain surged through his body, threatening to tear him apart from the inside. It felt as though acid had been poured over every inch of him. The pain was truly excruciating, and then all of a sudden it stopped completely.
The prophet finally gave them the signal to rise.
Levon stood up, his expression composed.
He could not say the same for Aria. She looked badly shaken, sweat dripping freely down her face.
"Did either of you see any visions?" the prophet asked, turning his gaze to Aria calmly.
Her horns had already begun to sprout from her head, only slightly visible but clear enough to the naked eye.
Most of the priests were already watching her with suspicious expressions.
Levon knew exactly what was coming next.
The vision of the future. After each awakening the prophet typically offered a vague glimpse into the path ahead for the newly awakened individual and how they might avoid the disasters that lay in store.
"I did," Aria said with a shaky voice. Whatever she had seen had clearly shaken her deeply.
But the prophet didn’t respond to her immediately. Instead he turned to Levon, redirecting his attention as though Aria had somehow done something wrong.
"Did you have any visions? I would need you to describe them to me, especially anything you saw after the moment of awakening."
"No, I didn’t."
The priest stepped back slightly after hearing Levon’s reply.
"This has never happened before...." the priest said, pausing before continuing.
"I cannot see any future for you. I have no vision of your path. It either means you are going to die very soon, or...." the priest trailed off, then finally resumed.
"No, that cannot be possible. I think no vision is itself a vision. You are going to die soon. Prepare yourself for it. And as for your companion...." the priest took a long look at her before continuing.
Levon remained silent throughout. Not because he accepted the prophet’s verdict, but because the situation was simple. Either the prophet was right, or he simply lacked the ability to see what lay ahead for Levon. Neither possibility concerned him much. All he knew was that with his new bloodline, nothing would ever stand between him and immortality again.
With the ability to wield all worldly elements, it was a certainty that he was going to dominate this game.
The priest walked slowly around Aria without saying a word.
But Levon could already sense it. The bloodlust in the church was rising steadily with every passing moment.
"Your companion is a demon who will bring about the fall of humanity. The human race is destined to be erased because of her. She is the beginning of the end, the Demon Empress. Only she can save humanity, and only she can end it," the priest said as he circled her, his eyes filled with hatred and contempt.
"But I have a solution," the priest said, pausing briefly. "Time has a way of rearranging itself. The future events laid before us are nothing more than a web of complex and complicated probability theories that arrange themselves in an unsettling manner, attempting to simplify and draw out a vague picture of what is to come," the priest said as he continued circling Aria.
"The only way forward is to kill her and force time to reshuffle itself. Perhaps then, and only perhaps, humanity can still be saved."
As the prophet spoke those words, he raised one hand and a rod materialized in his grip.
The pressure in the room became immediate and overwhelming, sending every priest crashing to their knees.
"It is time to put an end to this demonic entity," the priest declared as he raised the rod high, ready to drive it directly into her head.
Then all of a sudden a figure stepped directly in front of him. free𝑤ebnovel.com
"You are not taking any lives. You are just an NPC," Levon said, raising the Staff of the Blood God.
The pressure in the room did not appear to affect him at all, though a thin trail of blood had begun running from the corner of his mouth.
The overwhelming pressure in the room settled almost immediately as the priest looked at Levon with open disgust.
Aria immediately moved behind Levon, gripping him tightly as she shook. Even after the pressure had eased, she had genuinely believed it was over. She had truly thought she was going to die.
"I will ask you to step aside one final time. This is for the good of humanity. I have sent many demons nearly as powerful as her back to the underworld, so let me handle this peacefully. Ask her what she saw. The future is grim. The future of all humanity is entirely grim," the priest said, looking directly at Levon.
When it became clear that Levon was not moving, the priest finally abandoned all pretense of persuasion.
"If you will not step aside, I will take both your life and hers. Do not forget I am an NPC who has existed far longer than you. Our power levels will never be the same," the priest said before lunging directly at them.
Author’s note: Like I said, all NPCs have their motives. If I reveal his motives in the Chapter, it might be info-dumping to some readers, but I am happy to tell you that there is a more complex plot running here.
The priest was not always a priest; he is a player too and would appear in future Chapters.
But basically the priest is a human, and if she causes the fall of humanity, he too would pay with his life.
Hope you understand, and what do you think?
