Chapter 109: New Blood Spell
For the next two days, Lucian barely left his room.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, diving into his Sea of Consciousness. Two Star Palaces floated in the darkness — the Light of Dawn with its three ignited stars, and the Crimson Origin with its single star.
The Light Palace felt distant. He’d been neglecting it. Three stars lit but no meaningful progress toward the fourth. The comprehension required for light-based spells at this level was abstract — it demanded an understanding of light itself, not just the manipulation of it. He meditated on it for hours and made almost no progress.
The Crimson Origin Palace was different.
Blood was intimate. Personal. It flowed through his veins, pumped through his heart, sustained his every movement. He didn’t need to understand it from the outside. He needed to understand it from within first.
The second star’s requirement was clear: internal control before expanding outward. A vampire must master their own blood before mastering others’.
Lucian focused inward.
He could feel his blood — every drop, every cell, every pulse. The Ancient Vampire bloodline sang in his veins.
His heartbeat became a drum. Each pulse pushed blood through his arteries, his capillaries, his veins. He tracked the flow — the pressure, the speed, the temperature. He learned where his blood pooled when he was still. Where it rushed when he moved. Where it thinned when he exerted himself.
Day one passed. No breakthrough.
Day two. He pushed deeper. He started manipulating the flow directly — with pure willpower, guiding his own circulation with intent.
His blood responded. Slowly. Reluctantly. Like a river being redirected one handful at a time.
By the end of day two, he could speed up his circulation by thirty percent using willpower alone.
Day three.
Lucian sat in the dark room, eyes closed, his entire consciousness focused on a single point — the space between heartbeats. That fraction of a second where blood hung suspended, neither pushing nor pulling, neither here nor there.
He found it. Held it. Stretched it.
And in that stretched moment, something clicked.
The second star ignited.
╔══════════════════╗
║ CRIMSON ORIGIN PALACE ║
║ Stars Ignited: [★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆] 2/9 ║
║ NEW SPELL UNLOCKED: ║
║ Crimson Vessel ║
║ Forces own blood to circulate at extreme pressure throughout the body. ║
║ Effect: Temporary massive boost to physical defense.║
║Skin takes on a faint crimson sheen. Resistant to slashing, piercing, and blunt force. ║
╚═══════════════════╝
Lucian opened his eyes.
He activated the spell.
A faint crimson glow spread across his skin — subtle, almost invisible in the dim room. He raised his arm and ran a finger along his forearm. Nothing. He pressed harder. Still nothing. He picked up the Moon Shattering Blade and pressed the edge against his skin.
The blade stopped.
His skin simply refused to part. The crimson sheen absorbed the edge like water soaking into sand.
Lucian deactivated the spell. The sheen faded. He could feel the mana cost — moderate, sustainable for several minutes in combat. And it required focus. Not something he could layer with too many other abilities.
But it was useful.
He spent the rest of the morning testing it. Slashing, stabbing, blunt impacts. Each time, the crimson sheen held against weapons up to A-Rank strength. Anything above that would likely break through, but for most opponents, it was an extra layer of defense that couldn’t be stripped away.
The afternoon brought no further progress on his Light Palace. He meditated for three hours and felt the fourth star remain stubbornly dark. He closed his consciousness and accepted it for now.
The evening of the third day, Arthur called the team together.
The holographic display behind him showed a diagram — two crystals, two teams, a large arena circle.
"Round of 32 format," Arthur began. "Six fighters per side. Each team guards a large crystal — two meters tall — while trying to destroy the opposing team’s crystal. 30-minute time limit."
He tapped the display. The crystals glowed.
"Breaking the enemy crystal means victory. Completely incapacitating the opposing team also means victory. Killing is strictly forbidden — high-class healers are stationed on standby to prevent fatalities. If both crystals are intact and both teams have standing fighters when time expires, the team with more standing fighters wins. If equal, it’s a draw and both teams are eliminated."
He looked at the group.
"It’s not just about combat. It’s about strategy. Do you send your strongest to attack their crystal? Do you defend yours and wait them out? Do you split your team? Every decision matters."
He tapped the display again. Six names appeared.
"For our match against Aztec Sun Academy, I’m selecting the following six."
Clara Duncan, Amira El Fassi, Rose Chevalier, Elias Schwarz, Ethan Clarke and myself.
Rose blinked. Then her eyes widened. "Finally."
Ethan leaned forward, a rare grin on his face. "About time."
Elias meanwhile was indifferent as always.
Arthur ignored their reactions. "Rose, Amira — you’ll be on crystal defense. The rest of us will engage the opposing team. Clara and I will lead the attack. Elias flanks. Ethan takes whatever comes at him."
He looked at Lucian, Julian, Bruno, Mickey, Carlos, Ryan.
"The rest of you are benched for this round. Don’t complain. The round of 16 and quarter-finals will need fresh fighters. Save your energy."
Lucian leaned back in his chair. He didn’t care. The four days of comprehension had been more valuable than any match.
The fourth day arrived.
Lucian was in his room, meditating, when the door burst open.
"Get up." Ryan stood in the doorway, fully dressed, his glasses gleaming. "Match is starting."
"I don’t feel like going."
"You’re still watching. Come on."
Iris appeared behind Ryan, her silver hair neat, her round glasses reflecting light. "Arthur said all team members should be present in the stands. Afterall, we can understand more about our teamates."
Lucian sighed. "I was in the middle of—"
Ryan grabbed his arm and pulled him up. "No. You’ve been in that room for three days straight. You smell. You’re coming."
Twenty minutes later, Lucian found himself in the EASA section of the Stadium of Ascension, sandwiched between Ryan and Iris. The rest of the benched fighters filled in around them.
The arena floor had been transformed. A rocky terrain — jagged stone formations, shallow ravines, a few small mountains rising at the edges. Two crystals stood at opposite ends of the arena, each one two meters tall, glowing with soft blue light.
The referee announced the match.
"Round of 32 — Match 11. European All-Star Academy versus Aztec Sun Academy."
The two teams walked out.
EASA’s six moved with confidence.
Aztec Sun Academy’s six wore red and gold uniforms.
Lucian activated Eyes of the Eternals and scanned them.
Three Early Core Realm. Three Mid Core Realm. The strongest was their captain — a tall man with a stone-carved face and earth abilities, sitting at Mid Core Realm peak.
But they also had Arthur.
The referee raised his hand. "Rules have been explained. Begin."
The moment the word left his mouth, Amira raised a sand barrier around their crystal. Rose layered her Aegis dome on top of it — a shimmering green barrier that pulsed with defensive energy. Double protection.
Arthur and Clara moved right. Elias faded into the shadows between rock formations and vanished. Ethan walked straight down the center.
An Aztec Sun fighter met him halfway.
The guy was lean, fast, with fire flickering around his feet. Each step left a glowing red footprint on the rocky ground.
Burst. Burst. Burst.
He closed the distance in seconds and launched a spinning kick at Ethan’s head.
Ethan raised his forearm to block. The kick connected and the guy disengaged immediately, leaving a red footprint on Ethan’s shoulder where the kick had landed.
Ethan swung a punch.
The Aztec fighter dodged and left another footprint — this one on Ethan’s forearm.
Three seconds passed.
Boom.
The first footprint detonated. Small explosion — like a firecracker — right on Ethan’s shoulder. The second footprint on his forearm exploded a second later.
His ability was B rank Ember Step. Each footprint detonates after three seconds.
The Aztec fighter grinned. "Chain them across the battlefield and—"
He stopped.
Ethan hadn’t moved. His uniform was slightly scorched where the explosions had hit, but his expression hadn’t changed. No pain. No flinch. Nothing.
The Aztec fighter’s grin faltered. "What the—"
Ethan rolled his shoulder. The scorched fabric fell away, revealing undamaged skin underneath.
The Aztec fighter’s eyes narrowed. "How are you unaffected? You should have at least—"
The Aztec fighter’s face went pale.
Ethan smirked.
In the stands, Lucian watched with mild interest. Ethan Clarke. Transfer student. Principal’s son. Two abilities — S-Rank Kinetic Absorption and A-Rank Berserker.
He can absorb the energy of any kinetic impact that hits me. Explosions are kinetic. Fire is energy.
The Ember Step guy picked the worst possible opponent, Lucian thought.
Down in the arena, the Aztec fighter stepped backward, leaving another footprint. His eyes darted to it — then to Ethan — calculating whether the three-second delay was worth the risk.
Ethan answered the question for him.
He moved. Fast — much faster than his lazy walk had suggested. His fist closed the distance in a blur.
The Aztec fighter dodged, left two more footprints, and tried to create distance.
Ethan absorbed the explosion from the footprint near his feet without breaking stride. The energy fed into his muscles, making him faster.
The Aztec fighter’s eyes widened.