Chapter 38: War
Cole slowly opened his eyes. The transparent windows projected by the A.I. chip gradually disappeared one after the other like a fleeting dream.
Witnessing the disappearing windows, a tired sigh escaped his lips. After thousands of continued simulations to perfect the formula, he had run out of energy. After that, he had no option but to stop—or more accurately, he was forced to stop.
The bloodline fusion itself was not particularly complicated.
If others were to hear his thoughts at this moment, they would definitely ask, Brother, who told you it’s not difficult? Countless geniuses of humanity have been trying for years, yet none had succeeded.
For Cole, the fusion was not complicated for only one reason: the original had carried out enormous research without eating or sleeping.
Even then, some problems existed. It wasn’t in the fusion itself, but in the optimization. Because of the enormous computational load, the A.I. chip had only managed to simulate a limited number of complete refining cycles before exhausting the biological energy available within his body.
The conclusion was not perfect. It was merely the best it could currently provide.
Shaking his head, Cole looked at the final report floating before him.
[Bloodline Fusion Potion]
[Estimated success rate: 98%]
[Confidence level: 81.4%]
This final report instantly crushed Cole’s confidence. Although the estimated success rate was already sky-high at 98%, it was not one hundred percent. The remaining two percent still left quite a wide margin for mistakes.
The future still contained uncertainty.
Cole slowly closed his eyes.
Maybe I should postpone it...
His current situation was far from ideal. The Lightning Worm bloodline was highly unstable. Waiting until he returned from the Thunder Domain would undoubtedly increase his chances.
After all, there was no need to gamble with his life. Once he had rested or found a way to recover biological energy, he could run even more simulations until the potion was perfected.
Just as this thought appeared, his body suddenly froze.
Crack!
A bolt of lightning exploded beneath his skin.
"Hmmmm!?"
Out of nowhere, the Lightning Worm bloodline had erupted.
His skin stretched outward like a balloon. Thick yellow veins carrying pure tyrannical energy instantly spread across his arms like countless writhing serpents.
The faint numbness was gone. Instead, an unbearable burning sensation erupted through his entire body.
It felt as though molten lightning was flowing through every blood vessel.
"Aghh!"
Cole gritted his teeth, trying to hold himself together, but the pain rapidly intensified.
The sudden change in his situation attracted the attention of both Summers siblings. Jessica and Ethan drifted closer, Jessica’s eyes still holding an intrigued look as she examined Cole’s current state.
Ethan looked him up and down and commented, "It seems whatever that weird condition of his was, it’s erupting again."
He had barely finished these words when suddenly—
Boom!
A thunderous explosion sounded overhead, as if the sky itself were collapsing.
Without warning, the surroundings began to vibrate and crack. The thin mana filling the carriage suddenly became restless.
Buzz... buzz...
Every strand of lightning inside the Thunder Domain seemed to have awakened simultaneously.
Outside the protective shell of the carriage, the sky darkened. Black clouds churned violently, endless serpentine arcs swam through the clouds, while thunder continued to roll across the heavens.
Jessica shifted her gaze upward, a solemn look filling her face.
"What...?"
For some reason, her gaze instinctively moved away from the sky and toward Cole.
Her already pale face changed instantly. Her intrigued expression finally cracked.
Lightning.
Countless strands of lightning were leaking from Cole’s body. They did not simply disperse into the atmosphere. Instead, these minute currents seemed to be resonating with the Thunder Domain itself.
It was as if the Lightning Worm bloodline flowing through his veins had become the biggest beacon, calling... something.
Cole’s expression turned incomparably ugly.
Damn it.
He seemed to have underestimated something. One way or another, the Lightning Worm bloodline had broken the delicate balance and overpowered his own body. The resulting backlash had caused his body to reach its limits.
The A.I. chip had already drained Cole’s body of almost all its energy, giving a chance for the Lightning Worm bloodline to rise.
The violence would only continue to worsen.
Taking a deep breath, Cole gradually became resolute.
So be it. If fate wants to gamble, then I will gamble.
Without another moment of hesitation, he immediately took out the prepared herbs. Even though his body was in extreme pain, Cole’s movements were precise, seeming almost instinctive. Every ingredient entered the crystal flask one after another.
Seven Dew Essence Flower.
Lightning Crystal Fungus.
Thunder Spirit Vine.
...
The ingredients slowly fused together. The originally transparent liquid gradually transformed into a deep silver color. In the center of this liquid was a drop of deep blue blood from the Storm Eater Leviathan, an extremely diluted version.
Tiny arcs of lightning that emerged from Cole’s fingertips were absorbed by the blue crystal, and with each absorption, the blue color became even deeper, slowly growing stronger.
At the very center, a miniature vortex started to form, sucking away all the lightning.
The Bloodline Fusion Potion had suddenly formed.
Cole stared at the potion for several seconds, countless thoughts surging in his mind.
Hmm. The potion has already started to strengthen itself... If I wait for long, the agitated bloodline will become stronger, and I am in no position to deal with such madness inside my body.
Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fist.
There was no turning back now.
He raised the potion and then drank it in one large gulp, forcing the contents down his throat.
"For a liquid made from the blood of a monstrous abyssal beast, this tastes surprisingly good."
Cole muttered under his breath, lightly smacking his lips. He had expected the potion to taste like medicine, but instead it was like chugging a rich can of beverage.
He waited for a few moments, but nothing happened.
Then, in the next heartbeat—
Boom!
An unimaginable pain coursed through his body.
Cole did not even get the chance to scream before he lost consciousness.
In real time, the potion that he had swallowed seemed to have become the most potent acid known to mankind, melting his body from within, at the very cellular level.
Every bone, every muscle, every organ was torn apart before being stitched back together in real time.
The Storm Eater Leviathan bloodline collided directly against the Lightning Worm bloodline.
For a moment, Cole’s body became a battlefield for the two abyssal creatures.
Neither was willing to yield.
Inside Cole’s body, a brutal war began.