Free Web NovelJegas walked swiftly through the dim areas of the Shadow World, stopping every few hundred meters to scan his surroundings. Using his school's unique secret arts, he checked for any anomalies or special creatures before continuing forward.
After another ten kilometers of solitary travel, he stopped once more. But this time, he didn't move. Instead, he pressed his hand to the hilt of his blade, sinking his body slightly, his feet like taut springs ready to release at any moment. A tense, dangerous aura gradually filled the air.
Suddenly, he burst toward a direction in the forest. A silvery blade appeared in an instant, slicing through what seemed to be an ordinary black tree.
Two blood-red figures twisted and scattered in the silvery light of the blade before landing again, their eyes locked onto the black-clad man.
Viscount Norin frowned, studying the cold, ruthless man before him. His right hand dropped slightly, the nails on the back of his hand glinting with an eerie red light. Then, with a sudden burst, he launched himself, appearing behind Jegas in the blink of an eye.
Such speed was astonishing.
Blood-red claws tore through the air, carrying a strange, distorted sensation as they slammed into Jegas's back. They ripped through his tough coat, cut into the flesh beneath, sending blood spraying, and exposed hints of white bone beneath.
Just as Norin's lips unconsciously curled into a slight smile, the silver blade pressing against Jegas's chest suddenly reversed direction. In Norin's stunned gaze, it swept through the air in an instant, forcing him to dodge. The cold edge of the blade bit into bone and flesh, slicing off an arm.
Norin once again dissolved into bats, dodging the remaining slashes before reforming in the air, his figure solidifying.
He raised his severed arm. Blood poured in, twisting and writhing, as a new limb rapidly grew back, though the skin on it looked somewhat pale.
Realizing this man was no easy opponent, he calmed down and focused on this unexpected enemy.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" This time, he wanted to communicate.
But Jegas had no mood to answer. He had been through too many similar situations. Once a conversation started, distractions began, and it was easy for enemies to find openings.
A blade shouldn't speak.
He focused, concentrating on his opponent, and began analyzing countermeasures.
He wasn't entirely inexperienced with Blood Clan members, but those experiences were mostly with low-ranking ones. A Fifth-Tier Blood Clan member was already among the middle ranks. Moreover, the abilities and methods of orthodox Blood Clan nobles were far beyond what wild, low-ranking Blood Clan could match.
The battle unfolded in the forest. Both moved with extraordinary speed, like interweaving silver and red streaks. All around, trees and grass were severed by the shockwaves of their attacks.
Elsewhere, a Fourth-Tier Blood Clan Baron observed their fight from a distance, not daring to approach. He might not be able to help and could even hold Viscount Norin back.
After retreating a bit, he warily looked toward a side of the forest. There, a woman with wine-red curly hair appeared, walking slowly. Around her, deep purple orbs rose one by one, surrounding her like stars surrounding the moon.
[Spell: Traces of Time] (Secret Word)
These purple orbs suddenly spread out, each blossoming into invisible ripples that swept over everything around. Whatever they touched glowed with shimmering light of varying depths.
To ordinary eyes, these differences seemed slight. But in Kaelan's view, these lights reflected the time when each thing had formed. Most were ancient, but a few traces of newer marks stood out.
Through these, she quickly locked onto the hiding spot of the Blood Clan member. Before she could attack, the opponent stepped out.
Seeing the dark red noble coat on him, Kaelan confirmed this was a Blood Clan from Sea Cliff. After all, this clothing style was far too obvious.
"Why would Sea Cliff Blood Clan appear here? I think you owe me an explanation." Kaelan raised her finger. Several purple fish-shaped shadows circled and swam around her, forming a faint defensive outline.
"Nothing to explain. But you better watch if you can leave here alive." The Blood Clan Baron shook his head, not seeing the woman before him as a threat.
Though both were at the Fourth Tier, the combat ability of the 'Secret Word' Aspect was not considered strong. They were better suited as support.
After speaking, he acted. His form shot out like lightning. His palm opened, the sharp, blood-red tips aimed at her face beneath the strands of hair.
[Spell: Stagnant Fish] (Secret Word)
The purple fish-shaped shadows swam and turned rapidly, filling the gaps to form a shield that blocked the opponent's attack. This barrier wasn't strong, and the enemy tore through it easily. But as he pushed forward, he felt a sluggishness in the parts that passed through the shield. It was as if the neural signals connecting his fingers were delayed. It took a while before he could react.
This informational gap allowed Kaelan to dodge the claw strike and then counterattack.
[Eyes of a Thousand Illusions] (Secret Word)
Her eyes blazed with an eerie, swirling purple light, locking onto the approaching Blood Clan Baron. A strange sensation invaded his mental world, causing him to briefly lose focus and sink into a torrent of chaotic, surging memories.
Fighting off this disorienting feeling, he shut his eyes and retreated rapidly, avoiding her gaze and hiding behind a large tree. Nearly ten seconds passed before his chaotic consciousness gradually cleared and steadied.
Though Kaelan was far inferior to the Blood Clan in physical ability and combat speed, her mental power and the interference abilities she deployed were far stronger. This made the Blood Clan wary, no longer daring to approach carelessly.
This one was tough to deal with, completely different from the fragile mages he usually encountered.
He had killed Alliance mages of the same tier before. Often, after he struck, they died before they could even cast a single spell. Over time, he had come to think of them as nothing special. Until today, when he met this particular mage.
On the other side, Kaelan was also tense. She glanced around at the large trees, fearing the Blood Clan might suddenly pop out from some corner and ambush her.
She had used the 'Eyes of a Thousand Illusions' ability many times before, almost never failing. Only this time, the opponent had reacted with astonishing speed, avoided her gaze, and fled.
This ability was excellent in every way. As long as her mental strength surpassed the target's, she could effectively interfere. But the one condition was eye contact. If the Blood Clan attacked from a place she couldn't see, she would be in danger.
Both were surprised that the other's strength far exceeded the average Fourth Tier. Now, they were each searching for openings and timing.
A few minutes later, the Blood Clan on the other side struck again. His form flickered into blood-red phantoms while moving, making it impossible for Kaelan to lock onto him. As she prepared to switch to another spell to counter, a sharp, piercing pain erupted in her heart, interrupting her casting.
At that moment, the Blood Clan's figure appeared suddenly behind her. Blood-red claws tore through the purple barrier defense, leaving a grievous wound on her back.
In the nick of time, Kaelan activated the protective orb she carried. A gray-white barrier of light pushed the Blood Clan Baron away. The spots where it touched began to petrify.
Faced with this petrification curse, the Blood Clan Baron frowned, finding it troublesome. He retreated repeatedly, then severed the petrified parts, his body tearing apart into a swarm of bats before reforming.
This way, the petrification curse was discarded and eliminated during the reformation. But his condition was far from good. Losing parts of his body and then reforming came at a great cost. His skin turned pale, giving him a fragile, sickly look.
Seeing the situation was unfavorable, he didn't press the attack. Instead, he withdrew directly, disappearing from Kaelan's sight.
After driving off the Blood Clan, Kaelan endured the pain and the poisoned blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. She took a healing potion and slowly recovered inside the gray-white protective barrier.
On the other side, the battle between Jegas and Viscount Norin had also reached a fever pitch. Both were now seriously injured. Norin had reformed his body several times, depleting his energy heavily. Jegas, though his limbs were intact, had multiple wounds that wouldn't heal on their own. The poison in them was starting to affect his reactions, causing his condition to decline, making it hard for him to keep up with the opponent's terrifying speed.
After another exchange, they both backed off for a moment.
Logically, Norin didn't want a fight to the death with this man. Killing him would come at a huge cost with limited benefits.
But he knew Carmilla was hiding somewhere in this secret realm. If the other side found her first, the outcome would be disastrous.
If the Mage Alliance got their hands on Carmilla and tortured her to extract the many secrets of the Blood Clan, the Sea Cliff Blood Clan's future situation would become incredibly difficult.
On the other hand, if he succeeded in bringing Carmilla back, the current queen would grant him a great reward. It was a boon enough to elevate him to the Sixth Tier, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he missed it, who knew how long he would have to wait? Even though Blood Clan lifespans were far longer than ordinary humans, they weren't infinite.
Lost in thought, Norin opened his palm. A tiny spatial rift appeared, and from it, he retrieved a piece of ice. Trapped within the ice was a blood-red rose.
[Crimson Blood Rose] (Fifth Tier, Bloodline, Verdant Nectar)
'A transcendent rose produced by the Blood Clan Royal Court, said to be nourished with the blood of high-level beings. When it blooms, it can briefly and greatly enhance the 'Bloodline' Aspect, useful for casting spells and rituals.'
He clenched his hand, shattering the ice. The eerie blood-red rose fell into his palm. Its thorns pierced his skin, drawing his blood. Then, the rose seemed to come alive, blooming like a blazing crimson flame.
Seeing this, Jegas launched another assault. The flashing blade cut through the rose, but it was already too late.
Blood-red rose petals scattered in the air, then flew rapidly, merging into Norin's body. His face regained color, becoming healthy and rosy. Then, he countered with even greater speed.
This time, he directly grabbed Jegas's wrist. His sharp fingertips dug into the skin, carving bloody trenches as they stripped away the flesh, revealing the white, tendon-laced bone beneath.
In desperation, Jegas abandoned his left hand and blade. His right hand drew a short dagger from his waist, slashing diagonally into the blocking wrist. But it got stuck in the opponent's tough muscles and bones.
Gripping the dagger, a faint red light flashed, and the short blade shattered. Viscount Norin's arm bypassed the obstruction and gripped Jegas's neck. A terrifying suction force emanated from his fingers, drawing Jegas's blood into his body.
Just as Jegas was about to die on the spot, a blazing electric ray shot through layer upon layer of trees, striking Viscount Norin in the back.
The violent current scorched him, and the alien star power within it caused chaos in his body.
Blood Clan were at their most comfortable when feeding, but it was also a dangerous moment. The newly absorbed blood wasn't their own, which greatly interfered with their control over the Bloodline Aspect, slowing their reaction speed and preventing some secret arts from being used.
Earlier, Viscount Norin had been attacked by the backlash of a wolf-snake's bite while absorbing its blood, forcing him to expel the blood he had already taken in to escape danger.
He never expected to suffer such a blow a second time on the same day.
Facing the surging electric ray, he had no choice but to temporarily release Jegas and fly away, dodging the blinding beam while searching for his opponent.
His gaze crossed nearly twenty meters, finally locking onto the massive Evil Eye floating on the mountainside, and the young girl standing beneath it.
To be ambushed by a mere Third-Tier mage! He felt a nameless rage. Being interrupted during feeding was already irritating, and seeing it was such a low-tier mage only fueled his fury.
His form lifted off, turning into a speeding blood-red shadow, charging toward the Evil Eye on the mountainside. Mid-flight, she fired again. A brilliant, lightning-wreathed stream of energy struck him head-on.
But even this couldn't break through his defenses. Now prepared, Viscount Norin withstood the surging ray, tracking its trajectory as he pushed forward, rapidly closing in on her position.
Feeling the surging blood-red shadow approaching, Sylutia raised her wrist. One by one, silver birds circled into existence, carrying intricate silver thread networks that layered and locked down the space in front of the Evil Eye. She herself grasped the key, and a silver blade appeared in her palm.
Though she had confidence in her own strength, facing a Fifth-Tier enemy was rare. Sylutia felt an unusual pressure and tension. She took a deep breath, her fingers tightening around the sword's hilt, her gaze fixed on the approaching Blood Clan Viscount.
Silver, intricate patterns spread outward from the hilt, layer upon layer. Then, she stepped forward. Three identical girls appeared, all swinging their blades down together, striking at the incoming enemy.
Cold light and blood-red shadow clashed for an instant before shattering.
