Chapter 67: Bloodline’s Influence
"Go to hell!" Kaelen roared, his voice filled with venom.
He stretched his hand forward, throwing something toward Lucien. At first glance, it looked like dirt, a desperate, pathetic attempt to blind his opponent. But within the cloud of dust, there was a streak of lightning, a faint crackle that promised devastation.
CRACKLE!
The talisman detonated, releasing a devastating surge of lightning that erupted toward Lucien, aiming to consume him entirely. The air itself seemed to tear apart as the lightning roared forward, its power far beyond anything Kaelen had displayed before.
The aura of the talisman revealed its true nature, it could release the strength of a Grandmaster Realm cultivator. This was the trump card Kaelen had been saving. Even though his heart ached at the thought of wasting such a precious item, his cultivation was in danger. He had no choice.
The lightning surged forward with blinding light, transforming into a dragon as it consumed everything in its path. The ground beneath it cracked and turned to ash, the trees nearby were reduced to cinders, and the air itself seemed to burn. The crowd gasped, some shielding their eyes, others stepping back in fear.
Kaelen’s lips curled into a desperate, manic grin. This is it. This will end him.
"Wow, isn’t that beautiful."
A familiar voice resounded in Kaelen’s ear, it felt like a voice from the depths of hell, cold and mocking.
He stiffly turned his head, not believing what he had just heard. As he turned, he saw Lucien’s figure standing behind him, bending his head slightly as he looked at the destruction caused by the talisman with an amused smile playing on his lips.
Kaelen didn’t move. He began to sweat heavily, cold droplets trailing down his face. How had Lucien escaped the talisman? It was surely locked onto him, there was no way he could have dodged it.
"How?" Kaelen roared, his voice cracking with disbelief.
It was only then that the crowd finally noticed Lucien was still alive. Their attention had been fixed on the destructive lightning rampaging where he had stood moments before, and now they turned to see him standing calmly behind Kaelen, completely unharmed.
Their gazes were filled with shock and disbelief. How had he escaped? How was he still standing? Murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire, each person wondering the same thing.
Kaelen’s body began to shake uncontrollably. His mind raced, panic clawing at his thoughts. Without wasting another moment, he crushed another talisman hidden in his other hand, a teleportation talisman.
His figure instantly vanished from the Crimson Vale, leaving only the battleground.
Lucien, who saw that Kaelen had disappeared, wasn’t surprised. Instead, his lips curled into a faint smirk.
"Running away doesn’t mean you’ll escape your punishment," he muttered under his breath as a low chuckle escaped his throat.
He turned and walked off, his steps was unhurried. Everything had been settled, the battle was over, the arrogant had been humbled, and the greedy had paid the price.
---
Meanwhile, in the sky above, Sylas and Seraphina watched as the battle reached its end. Sylas kept his gaze fixed on Lucien’s retreating figure as he left the Crimson Vale. He felt as though a veil shrouded the young man, hiding secrets that even his trained eyes couldn’t penetrate. The outcome of the battle had shaken him, especially how Lucien had escaped the Grandmaster-level talisman without a scratch.
He replayed the moment in his mind, searching for an explanation, but nothing came to him. It was as if Lucien had simply vanished from existence and reappeared behind Kaelen.
"Don’t think too much about someone you don’t know," Seraphina’s voice rang out, pulling him from his thoughts.
Sylas blinked, turning to look at her. She was already preparing to leave, her gaze distant.
"Well, I have to go," Seraphina said casually.
Sylas raised his eyebrows. "Elder, you’re leaving?" He was baffled. It seemed as though Seraphina had only come to watch over Lucien, nothing more, nothing less.
"Well, I don’t want to keep my darling waiting," she said with a faint smile. Her figure flickered, and then she was gone, leaving Sylas alone in the sky.
"Oh yeah," her voice echoed back, carrying a hint of amusement. "Since you lost the bet, don’t forget, you owe me a favour."
Her words left Sylas tongue-tied. It seemed he had been caught in the trap of Seraphina, her confidence and foresight proving sharper than his own.
---
The crowd watched as the battle ended. With nothing left to see, everyone dispersed, heading back to the city to complete their assessment.
Meanwhile, Lucien entered back through the gates of Draktharion City, his head cooling as he replayed the battle he had fought not long ago. But as the adrenaline faded, a strange feeling settled over him, something was wrong. He felt as though he hadn’t been himself, a bit arrogant and showy, almost like a different person had been wearing his skin.
"System, is there something wrong with me?" Lucien couldn’t help but ask, his mental voice laced with unease.
Ding!
[There is nothing wrong with Host. However, with the awakening of Host’s bloodline, it has begun to influence Host’s emotions and actions.]
The system’s reply was simple, but it gave Lucien pause. His bloodline? He thought back to the battle, the way he had felt provoked by Kaelen’s arrogance; the urge to humble him, the satisfaction of crushing his pride.
If he guessed correctly, that was his dragon bloodline influencing him. Dragons were known to be prideful and arrogant Volkoids, the number one race of Aethelgard, a title they had held for countless years. Kaelen’s actions, combined with his low dragon bloodline, had irked the bloodline within Lucien, stirring something in him.
But a question lingered in his mind: Does that mean my bloodline is conscious?
After a moment of thought, Lucien shook his head. It was a hassle to think so deeply about it. Whatever the answers might be, he would wait for the future to reveal them, as long as it didn’t harm him, he could let it be.
He reached the house they had rented and stepped inside. Immediately, his thoughts turned to Seraphina. How unsettled would she have been, waiting for him?
As he entered, he saw Seraphina standing at the door, already wearing an apron, her arms open wide.
"Welcome back, Darling!" she said joyously, her voice was warm and bright. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close and inhaling deeply, as if he were her source of life.
Lucien shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. The events of the battle flashed through his mind. "It was great..."
Ding!
Before he could continue, a system notification popped up, its content leaving Lucien utterly tongue-tied.