Chapter 275

Chapter 276. Debt is Also an Asset (3)

The clueless human mages say:

“Can’t Blood Magic also be done with Water Magic?”

Water Magic is not limited to just water. As long as it’s a liquid, it can be manipulated. So, isn’t blood, being a liquid, also something that can be controlled with Water Magic?

To some extent, they’re right. To Water Mages, blood is just water with iron in it.

However, the medium of Blood Magic is not simply the liquid called “blood.” It’s “Life Force.”

Blood Essence.

The Blood Essence, known as the source of Life Force, is the fundamental power needed to use Blood Magic. It awakens the Life Force within the blood.

Going further, there’s the Blood Jade.

The Blood Jade, which maximizes the Life Force within the blood, is a power granted only to pure-blood vampires. Even a 6-star Grandmaster could be corrupted in an instant.

And the power wielded by the Ancestor Vampires is the Blood Soul.

While it’s commonly believed that Life Force and the soul are separate, the Blood Soul draws the soul from the blood.

That immense power was flowing through Isera, a pure-blood vampire.

“Ah, I can feel His omnipotence…!”

The blood she consumed was merely a drop. Yet, with just that single drop of the Ancestor’s blood, she gained truly omnipotent abilities.

If there had been humans around her, they would have become her slaves even without her command. Even if they were Master-level strong ones.

Blood boiled around her. Thousands, tens of thousands of blood droplets floated in the air, swirling.

“Lady Elije. As an Ancestor, I can feel it. Right now, Lady Elije, you are weaker than me. Hehe. I’m sorry to say this, but your current power… is on the same level as mine, isn’t it? Either your seal isn’t fully released, or… you haven’t drunk blood, have you?”

Elije sighed deeply at Isera’s confident attitude.

“Sigh…”

“You don’t need to worry. If you follow me quietly, I won’t lay a hand on you, Lady Elije.”

“Does that mean you’ll lay hands on Sephira?”

At Elije’s question, Isera laughed as if it were obvious.

“Hoho, isn’t that natural? Humans are livestock, after all. Ah, it won’t take long. With the power of the Ancestor in my hands now, I can devour all the humans in Sephira within an hour.”

“Even if Radi didn’t tell you… you really know nothing about me, do you?”

“Huh?”

“If you knew why I became a vampire, you would never have said such a thing in front of me.”

Elije became a vampire by her own will, but it was all for the sake of humans. To protect the human race, out of love, she became a vampire. Thus, she protected humans from the Blood King’s hands and prevented their extinction.

To her, harming humans was like touching a dragon’s reverse scale.

“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying… but I get that you’re trying to stop me. Ah, it’s so sad that I have to injure that precious body of yours.”

Wiping away imaginary tears, Isera stretched out her hands. The blood droplets floating in the air gathered in her palms.

Bloody Märchen.

A simple technique that explodes all the Life Force within the blood, but its power is as straightforward as it is simple.

It had the power to blow away not only the mansion she stood on but also the main building surrounding it.

Facing such a technique, Elije, still clutching the Keter doll in her right hand, pointed at Isera with her left finger.

“Isera, kneel.”

At that action, Isera scoffed.

“Between vampires, there’s an absolute hierarchical relationship based on the purity of blood. But have you forgotten? I drank the blood of the Ancestor, Lord Vladimir. Just like you! So that command won’t work on me—”

Thud!

Isera couldn’t continue. Her knees bent on their own.

‘Telekinesis? Did she make me kneel with telekinesis?’

She thought so, but Elije corrected her misconception.

“Do you dare face me head-on?”

Thud!

This time, without Elije even commanding, Isera’s forehead slammed into the ground on its own.

Her body recognized it before her mind did. The Elije before her was an existence she absolutely could not defy!

Shudder, shudder, shudder.

Her body trembled belatedly.

‘T-This is impossible!’

“What’s impossible?”

Gasp.

‘C-Can she read my thoughts? D-Dangerous!’

“What’s dangerous?”

Elije, who had silently approached right in front of Isera, bent her knee.

Shudder, shudder, shudder.

Even though her mind begged to run, her body wouldn’t comply.

‘Why do I even want to run in the first place?’

“It might be unfamiliar to you, but blood remembers. Death.”

Elije spoke alone. Yet, the conversation continued. She could read all of Isera’s thoughts.

Pat, pat…

Elije gently stroked Isera’s head. For someone who had implied murder, her touch was warm and soft, like handling a baby.

“Radi was truly wicked. Even though he’s my child… he sent you to test me. To see if I’ve regained all my memories, if that power is still intact.”

“You called me an Ancestor, but no. The children who became vampires by drinking my blood are the Ancestors. So, you cannot defy me.”

Of course, I too…

But Elije swallowed the last words and spoke again.

“…Are you watching now, Radi? Giving her blood wasn’t to give her power. It was to see me.”

“The other children accepted their fate and lived quietly, but you were particularly zealous. Bound by past glory… longing for the days when you ruled over humans.”

“Radi. Don’t appear before me. At that time, I had no choice but to do this.”

As Elije removed her hand from Isera’s head, a drop of blood the size of a fingernail came with it.

It was the Blood Soul. The Ancestor’s blood given to Isera by Vladimir, the essence of the vampire blood within her.

“Ah, ahhh…!”

Isera clutched her head and screamed. She felt the vampire’s power disappearing, the immortal and blood power draining from her soul.

Elije, who had extracted the Blood Soul from Isera, put it in her mouth and swallowed it whole.

“Ah… ahh?”

Isera had lived for hundreds of years. She had long surpassed a human’s lifespan, thanks to the vampire’s power.

Thus, losing the vampire’s power should have turned her to ash and killed her, but she didn’t die. Not only that, her beauty remained, and her stamina was still intact.

However, her once sharp fangs became like those of an ordinary human, and her pale skin returned to that of a human.

Naturally, this was Elije’s mercy. After all, she too was once human.

Elije took Isera’s hand, who was at a loss, and said:

“Radi will think you’re dead. And you have nowhere to return to anyway, right? Stay by my side. The Master will accept you without discrimination.”

“The Master…?”

Isera was afraid of the being Elije called “Master.” If Elije, who could easily reclaim even the power of the Ancestors, called someone “Master,” then who else could it be but a god?

Though Elije could no longer read the thoughts of Isera, now an ordinary human, she could still sense her feelings.

“Don’t be afraid. The Master is one who sheds blood.”

Gods do not shed blood. Thus, they have no tears. But Keter has both blood and tears.

However, the power within Keter’s blood was more complex and special than any blood Elije had ever experienced. To her, Keter was a “god who sheds blood.”

“W-Who exactly is He?”

At Isera’s cautious question, Elije smiled mischievously.

“A bit eccentric, but a good person.”

With the demeanor of a girl in love, Isera became incredibly curious about who this “Master” could be.

* * *

Joyful times, cruel times, all eventually pass. No matter how dark and deep the night, the sun will rise.

The same goes for the Family War between Sephira and Baydant. The day of the decisive battle, which seemed like it would never come, arrived.

According to the rules of the Family War, both families could only use half their soldiers and knights. Yet, Baydant’s forces were numerous enough to completely surround Sephira’s territory.

Of course, not all were Baydant’s soldiers. They included reinforcements sent by families from the Southern Region.

In addition, families from other regions supporting the Second Prince also sent troops, bringing the total to over 5,000.

Of course, not all 5,000 were regular soldiers. They were merely a screen to pressure Sephira. Still, the fact that 5,000 surrounded Sephira remained unchanged.

Sephira’s strategy in response was exactly as Baydant had anticipated.

“They’ve chosen to defend.”

Baydant’s main force, led by Lord Jordic, was positioned on a hill overlooking Sephira.

Jordic asked his advisor, Arbold:

“Any suspicious movements?”

“None. However… we still can’t grasp the internal situation of Sephira.”

Baydant’s scouts had thoroughly monitored Sephira’s exterior, but they couldn’t see inside. Whether hidden physically or magically, Sephira always found them and shot arrows.

They even showed the miraculous feat of shooting down magic that observed from the sky.

Even now, though Sephira was visible from the hill, it was too far to see more than the faint outline of buildings. Human figures were, of course, invisible.

Jordic was frustrated not knowing exactly what Sephira was doing inside. Seeing this, Arbold cautiously said:

“They’ve expanded the watchtowers and strengthened the defenses to the extreme. It’s clear they’ve chosen a defensive strategy. Their plan is to rely on Keter again, isn’t it?”

“Sigh…”

Jordic could only sigh, lacking the energy to respond. He wished things could be that simple and smooth.

‘I have no intention of attacking recklessly. Time is on my side.’

Winter is harsh. People starve faster, and no matter how many layers they wear, they’re still cold. The warmth of fire will be more desperate than ever.

“If it becomes a long-term war of attrition, we can’t lose.”

It’s only natural for the besieged to wither away. The besiegers can always supply resources from the outside.

But surely Sephira knows this simple logic. And also…

“Keter is not one to only defend.”

He will definitely come to fight. Even if Sephira chose to lock their gates, he would come alone.

Jordic shook his head.

“No matter how crazy Keter is, he can’t come alone.”

Baydant divided their forces into three: the main force, the left wing, and the right wing. Each camp was assigned two Grandmasters to handle Keter wherever he appeared.

Wherever Keter goes, he must face two Grandmasters. And that’s not all. If Keter appears, all Grandmasters from other camps are instructed to gather.

“Once Keter is dealt with, Sephira is just a shell.”

Jordic’s entire focus was on Keter. Watching Sephira was essentially watching Keter’s movements.

Then, his subordinate Arbold shouted:

“Lord! It’s him! Keter has appeared!”

“What?! Where?!”

The moment Jordic turned, holding Gungnir, his eyes widened.

“Here.”

Keter was smiling, holding Arbold by the neck.