A chilly atmosphere.
There was only the sound of the grass swaying in the wind amidst silence.
The chieftain’s eyelids trembled slightly. She made eye contact with me, who was staring at her.
It was us who fell behind in power. Would they rekindle a situation that had calmed down at best?
But it was unacceptable to give up [Blood Art] so easily and go back.
So I would try to do everything I could.
If persuasion didn’t work, I had no choice but to push through with threats or bluffing.
...She’s considering it.
After gaining [Super Sensory], I became especially sensitive to understanding other people’s emotions.
Every minute change in facial expression was clearly visible, so it was not weird for me to understand it.
She was keeping her expression as expressionless as possible as if she would not show any emotion, but she could not completely hide it.
“You mean you’re going to go to war with our whole tribe now? Even though you’re alone?”
Was I crazy? Why would I do that?
But the opposite of what I thought came out of my mouth. And rather brazenly too. I shook my head.
“War is an appropriate term when two opposing teams have equal strength to some extent. You are not enough to stop me.”
A human who threatened to deal with a tribe that would be in the thousands alone.
But none of the vampires could laugh at me.
It was a world where several people was meaningless in front of one superhuman.
I had already stated that I was a Lord. I also showed an overwhelming prestige by completely blocking the previous attacks.
They could never dismiss my words as bluffs.
I spouted hostility and continued to look at the vampires staring at me full of tension.
“Even if you somehow killed me, nothing will change. Because the other Lords would surely intervene. Then I don’t think I need to explain what would happen to your tribe.”
“...”
“So choose wisely, Chieftain.”
She bit her lips
I was putting a lot of pressure on them right now.
The matter of blood crystal was a very serious thing that they couldn’t just give to an outsider who claimed that he was a friend of their ancestor, and if they didn’t guide me, I would still enter their tribe recklessly.
That’s why she looked very embarrassed right now.
I apologized, but let’s just say it’s your fault for attacking me first.
If it wasn’t for the [Floating Veil], I would have died dozens of times already.
How peaceful it was to be blackmailed only with words like this.
“My only purpose is to destroy the blood crystal. That is a promise I must keep.”
“Are you making these kinds of threats… and want us to trust you?”
“Trust, that’s good too. Anyway, I was just trying to let you know you don’t have a choice.”
“...”
“How long will your clan hold that cursed object in your arms? I know the rituals of bloodshed. Are you afraid of a clone of your ancestors who will never be resurrected, and will you continue to force such sacrifices on your bloodline? “
Being too harsh was also not good. If you push too hard and threatened them, it’s all over.
Instead of just a whip, I gave them a carrot.
After all, they couldn’t trust me, so what’s the hesitation if I was sure I could handle the blood crystal?
The chieftain seemed to be in deep anguish.
I said no more and waited for an answer from her.
“…At least explain how you intend to destroy the blood crystal.”
She’s asking that too.
Since this was an expected question, I answered calmly.
“I will completely annihilate the soul of your ancestor, who sleeps in the blood crystal. It’s not too difficult for me.”
To be honest, I wasn’t sure about how to deal with the blood crystal.
Because I didn’t mean to deal with it the same way it was dealt in the game.
In the game’s story, the player’s mage ally destroyed the soul of Gascalid by borrowing the power of a powerful artifact.
And if the soul was treated like that, those who were nearby naturally absorbed the masterless [Blood Art] left on the stone. Regardless of race, like a mystery.
I didn’t have any such relics and there were no conditions to get them, so the attack on the blood crystal I saw in the game was something that I couldn’t do.
But I believed in something.
The [Soul of the King] which protected my mind.
And an [Instant Kill] that could kill any target.
With these two abilities I had, I could block Gascalid’s mental attacks and completely annihilate his soul by coming into contact with the blood crystal.
'I still don’t know if [Instant Kill] actually works on souls, but…'
Still, it was the one and only 10-star skill in the game. It didn’t seem like it wouldn’t work on a spirit body.
It was just a hunch, but it was a feeling close to certainty. Just like the last time I met the Golem Guardian in the dungeon.
“...”
The chieftain, who had been silent for a while, took a deep breath and said.
“I don’t know what the promise you made with our ancestor meant. You are the one who threatens the long-standing peace of our tribe.”
She turned around and said.
“Follow me, I’ll guide you.”
...Done.
Her voice was cold and full of reluctance, but I didn’t care and was happy inside.
The vampires also came down from the tree one by one and escorted her around as if to protect her from me.
The chief warrior also glanced at me with a complicated face and stuck to her side.
So I followed them and walked along with Asher.
As we entered the forest, buildings appeared one by one.
There were tents and wooden huts, and some large stone structures stood out. It’s like something you would see in the city.
Although they lived in the wild, the size of the tribe and the fact that they had been in this place for a long time, it was almost like a small city.
“What about the vampires I brought?”
When asked about the two sisters’ whereabouts, the chieftain answered.
“Our tribe does not exclude vampires from outside the forest. We will help them adjust to life here without any difficulties.”
On the road leading to the village, I saw the sisters with a vampire. It was the vampire who took them away.
When the sisters found me, they screamed in relief and ran to me.
“Ron!”
It was a strong reaction, as if we hadn’t seen each other for a while.
Rubica glanced at the chieftain once and said to me.
“We didn’t even say goodbye properly, so I thought we’d never see each other again… Did something happen? I think I heard a fight before…”
At those words, the chief warrior slowly turned his head and avoided her gaze.
As soon as you disappeared, I wanted to say that they started a surprise attack, but they gave up and I won in the end.
“It’s nothing.”
“Are you going to leave now?”
She took turns looking at me and Asher with a slightly sad look.
“I still have a problem to solve here, so I’ll just deal with it and leave. Don’t worry about me. Now you can live well with them.”
“...”
“I’m glad you found a new home.”
Rudica burst into tears, and Rubica soon nodded with tears in her eyes.
I didn’t know that even Rubica would react like this, so I was a little perplexed.
“Thank you very much, Ron. I will live with gratitude for the goodwill you have shown us for the rest of my life.”
I nodded my head without a word.
“Keep going.”
I urged the chieftain, who was watching the scene with strange eyes from the side, and started moving again.
As we moved to the depths of the village, the chieftain paused for a moment.
“Please wait here. We must inform the elders first.”
A few vampires scattered in different directions, probably to call those elders.
After waiting for a while, the old vampires gathered one by one.
“Chieftain.”
They gathered around the chieftain and talked for a while as they glanced over here.
As soon as they reached a conclusion, an old man with gray hair, who seemed to be the oldest of the elder vampires, approached me.
“I heard you are a close friend of one of our previous chieftain, someone who can solve the problem of the blood crystal. We could only believe what you have said because we have no choice.”
“Okay.”
He looked at me quietly and said.
“Can we watch the process of disposing of the blood crystal? Please, this is our only condition.”
It meant that they would at least watch if I was doing anything stupid.
I nodded my head, as it was otherwise irrelevant.
So, along with the chieftain, the warrior chief, and the elders, I went straight to the place where the blood crystal was.
It was a cave quite far from the village. Other vampires stood guard at the entrance.
After going inside and going down the sloped cave path, a large underground space appeared.
There was a huge rock in the center, and the red stone embedded on top of it was shining brightly and illuminating the surroundings with blood red light.
'Is that the blood crystal?'
I gazed at the stone that was emitting an aura that was so ominous at first glance.
It was like the scenery I saw in the game that remained in my memory.
The chieftain said to me.
“That’s the blood crystal. We did a ritual a while ago, so its energy is weak now.”
“Right.”
“Do you want to start right now?”
I nodded and walked up the stairs to the rock.
The closer I got to the stone, the more the ominous energy stabbed me. I hadn’t even touched the stone yet.
[Lv. 95]
The level displayed just above the blood crystal was a very good sign of how strong the energy was.
But I wasn’t worried.
As in the game, what a mere ghost could inflict was not physical damage.
If it’s just a mental attack, I believe the [Soul of the King] would completely block it. So there was no hesitation in my steps.
Standing right in front of the blood crystal, I slowly reached out towards it.
And as soon as I touched the stone, I felt an overwhelming presence invade my mind.
‘...Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!’
A loud laughter echoed in my head.
The soul of Gascalid.
I quietly put my hands up and heard him chatter.
‘What. Are you human? Far from inheriting my blood, someone who is not a vampire dares to touch my spirit?’
Whoa!
The color of blood emanating from the stone grew stronger.
As his presence grew stronger, I could feel him emitting a flash to shake my mind.
How strong the mental wave was. The cave vibrated weakly, and even the vampires below staggered while holding their heads.
But it was as if I was alone in the middle of the eye of the typhoon.
With a very peaceful mind, I watched him riot. I was a little nervous at first though, but it’s really nothing.
Shortly thereafter, a voice of a bewildered man was heard.
‘What, what are you…? Why haven’t you lost your mind yet?!’
I also talked to him.
‘Hey, ghost.’
‘......Huh?’
‘Oh, can you hear me? Anyway, thank you, I will use your abilities well.’
It was a very sincere thank you.
Now, I immediately activated [Instant Kill] to make it easier.
‘Die.’
Coo coo.
Its presence disappeared in an instant, and the vibration stopped.
As the energy that filled the cave disappeared as if it had evaporated, the vampires looked up at this side.
I ignored their gaze and stared down at the fading blood color on the stone.
Soon, even that faint blood color was all scattered and was absorbed into my body through the hand touching the stone.
At this point he doesn't even have to fake how powerful he is anymore....
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