Blood Arts (4)
The air had frozen solid. Silence hung over the clearing, broken only by the rustle of wind through the undergrowth. The chieftain's eyelids trembled, ever so slightly. I met her glare and held it.
We were the ones outmatched. It wasn't as if I wanted to throw a spark back onto a fire that had only just died down. But walking away and simply giving up on the Blood Arts was equally out of the question. So I would try everything I could. If persuasion wouldn't work, I'd push through with threats and bluffs.
......It's landing.
Ever since I'd acquired Super Senses, I'd become especially sharp at reading other people's emotions. Every minute shift in expression stood out in vivid detail — it couldn't be otherwise. She was doing her best to keep her face blank, as if determined not to show any further agitation, but she couldn't hide it completely.
"Are you saying you will go to war with our entire tribe? All by yourself?"
Have I lost my mind?
But the words that came out of my mouth were shamelessly the opposite of what I was thinking. I shook my head.
"War is a word that only fits when both sides' forces are somewhat evenly matched. You aren't enough to stop me."
A single human, declaring he would take on a tribe of at least several thousand all by himself. And yet not one of the vampires present could laugh at those words. This was a world where numbers meant nothing before a single superhuman. I had already revealed that I was a Lord. And I had just perfectly blocked their combined assault, displaying an overwhelming presence.
They could never dismiss my words as mere bluster. I went on, sweeping my gaze over the vampires who glared at me with naked hostility — and, beneath it, a great deal of tension.
"It's an impossible scenario, but even if such a thing were to happen, nothing would change. If something happens to me here, the other Lords will intervene. I don't need to explain what would happen to this forest then."
"......"
"So make a wise choice, Chieftain."
She bit down on her lip. In truth, I was forcing something difficult on them. The Blood Core was far too grave a matter to casually hand over to an outsider who had shown up out of nowhere claiming to be a friend of their ancestor — but if they refused to guide me, I was clearly going to barge in anyway. Ashel, standing beside me, looked flustered; this was the first time she'd seen me take such a hard line. I felt a little bad, but if I had to rationalize it, they were the ones who had attacked first.
If I didn't have Immovable Barrier, I'd have been dead without even a corpse left by now.
Meanwhile, all I was doing over here was making verbal threats. How peaceful of me.
"As I said, my only goal is the destruction of the Blood Core. That is a promise I must keep."
"You threaten us like this... and you expect us to trust your words?"
"Whether you trust me or not is irrelevant. I was merely informing you that you have no choice either way."
"......"
"Is your tribe going to keep that cursed object in your arms forever? I know about the Blood Core ritual. Are you going to keep trembling in fear of your ancestor's remnant that could revive at any moment, and keep forcing that sacrifice on your own bloodline?"
Walking the tightrope was important. If I pushed too hard and fighting broke out again, it would all be over. Instead of just using the stick, I forced the carrot they stood to gain. They didn't trust me — that was all. If they were certain I could deal with the Blood Core, why would they hesitate?
The chieftain's expression grew more troubled. I said no more and waited for her answer.
"......At the very least, explain how you intend to destroy the Blood Core."
I figured she'd ask that. It was a question I'd anticipated, so I answered calmly.
"I will completely annihilate the soul of your ancestor sleeping within the Blood Core. For me, that's not particularly difficult."
In truth, I wasn't even sure yet how I was going to deal with the Blood Core. Because I had no intention of handling it the way it had been done in the game.
In the game's story, the player's mage companion succeeds in annihilating Gaskalid's soul by borrowing the power of a mighty artifact. And once the soul is dealt with, the ownerless Blood Arts remaining in the stone are naturally absorbed by whoever happens to be nearby. Regardless of race — just like a Mystery.
I didn't have such an artifact now, and I had no means of obtaining one, so the standard strategy from the game was blocked from the start. But I had something I believed in instead. Emperor's Soul, which protected the mind. And Instant Kill, which could kill any target. With these two abilities, I should be able to block Gaskalid's mental attacks, and by making contact with the Blood Core, completely annihilate his soul.
I still don't know if Instant Kill works on spiritual bodies, but......
Still, it was a one-of-a-kind 10-star skill. I didn't think it wouldn't work just because the target was a spiritual body. It was just a hunch — but a hunch bordering on certainty. Like when I faced the Guardian in the dungeon last time.
"......"
After remaining silent for a long while, the chieftain let out a deep sigh.
"I don't even know what the promise our ancestor made was for. Right now, the greatest threat to the peace our tribe has maintained for so long is you."
Well, that's because it's a promise that never actually existed. Even I had to admit it was a bit of a stretch. She turned her body.
"I shall guide you. Follow me."
......Done.
Her voice was ice-cold and thick with reluctance, but I cheered inwardly. The vampires came down from the trees one by one and surrounded her, watching me as if I might strike at any moment. The War Chief glanced at me with a complicated expression before falling in at her side. And so I followed behind them, walking with Ashel.
As we went deeper into the forest, buildings began to appear one after another. There were tents and wooden huts, and some fairly large stone structures as well — the kind you'd expect to see in a city. They lived in the wild, but given the size of the tribe and how long they had been settled here, their home was practically a small city in its own right.
"What will you do with the vampires I brought?"
Curious about the whereabouts of the Rudika sisters, I asked, and the chieftain answered.
"Our tribe does not reject kin who come from outside. We will help them adapt to life here without difficulty."
At the path leading into the village, I saw Rudika and Rubika with a vampire — the same one who had taken them away earlier without a word. The sisters spotted me and came running, their faces flooding with relief.
"Ron!"
It was a rather intense reaction considering we hadn't been apart for long, and I wondered why. Rubika glanced once at the chieftain's group, then turned to me.
"I-I thought we were parting without even a proper goodbye...... More importantly, are you okay? I'm pretty sure I heard fighting earlier......"
At those words, the War Chief quietly turned his head, avoiding our gaze. I wanted to say they'd launched a cheap sneak attack the moment the two of them disappeared, but I let it go. It would have looked too undignified.
"I'm fine."
"......Are you leaving now, just like this?"
She looked at me and Ashel in turn, her eyes a little sad. I supposed we'd grown somewhat attached during the journey here.
"There's a problem I need to resolve, so I'll leave after dealing with that. Don't worry about me. You two should live well with these people now."
"......"
"I'm glad you found a new home safely."
Rudika was sniffling, and soon Rubika had tears streaming down her face as well as she nodded. I hadn't expected even Rubika to react like this, and I was a little thrown.
"Thank you so much, Ron. I'll never forget the kindness you've shown us. I'll live the rest of my life in gratitude."
I nodded in silence.
"Let's keep going."
I urged the chieftain, who had been watching the scene with a peculiar look, and we started moving again. When we reached the depths of the village, she stopped walking for a moment.
"Please wait here. I must inform the elders first."
Several vampires scattered in different directions, apparently to fetch them. After a short wait, elderly vampires began gathering one by one.
"Chieftain."
She huddled with those gathered around her, glancing our way as they spoke in low voices. Soon it seemed they had reached a conclusion, and among the elders, the one who looked oldest — a white-haired old man — approached me.
"We have heard that the ancestor's friend can resolve the matter of the Blood Core. We have no right to refuse, and so we have no choice but to believe it."
"That's right."
He gazed at me steadily, then said,
"Would it be possible for us to observe the process of you dealing with the Blood Core? It seems we have no other choice, so please accept at least that condition."
Meaning they at least wanted to watch in case I tried any tricks. It didn't matter to me, so I nodded.
And so we headed straight for the Blood Core, together with the chieftain, the War Chief, and the elders. It was a cave some distance from the village. Other vampires stood guard at the entrance. We went inside and descended the sloping path, and a wide underground chamber opened up before us. At its center stood a massive boulder, and a red stone embedded in its upper face glowed with a sinister light, bathing the surroundings in blood-red.
That's the Blood Core.
I stared at the stone, which even at a glance was radiating an aura of pure ill omen. It was similar to the scenery I remembered from the game. The chieftain spoke.
"That is the Blood Core. We performed the ritual not long ago, so its power is currently weakened."
"I see."
"......Are you going to start right now?"
I nodded and walked toward the stairs carved into the boulder. The closer I drew to the stone, the more the ominous sensation piercing my entire body grew exponentially stronger — and I hadn't even touched it yet.
The level displayed right above the Blood Core made it abundantly clear just how powerful that aura was. But I wasn't worried. As it had been in the game, all a mere wraith like him could inflict wasn't physical damage. If it was only mental attacks, I believed Emperor's Soul would block them perfectly. That was why there was no hesitation in my steps.
Standing right in front of the Blood Core, I slowly reached my hand toward it. And the moment my fingers touched the stone, I felt an overwhelming presence invade my mind.
An unbearably loud laugh echoed through my skull. Gaskalid's soul. I kept my hand on the stone and listened to him rant.
The blood-red light pouring from the Blood Core surged. I could feel his presence swelling as he went berserk, trying to shatter my mind. The mental waves were so powerful that the cave trembled faintly, and even the vampires below clutched their heads and staggered.
But I was as if standing alone in the eye of a storm. I watched him throw a fit with a perfectly peaceful mind. I'd been a bit tense, but this really was nothing.
Before long, a flustered-sounding voice came from him.
I tried speaking to him as well.
Hey, wraith.
......Huh?
Oh, so you can hear me. Anyway, thanks. I'll be taking your power.
It was genuine gratitude. Telling him to rest in peace, I immediately activated Instant Kill.
A deep rumble rolled through the chamber. His presence vanished in an instant, and the trembling stopped. As the aura that had filled the cave evaporated as if it had never been, the vampires looked up at me in a daze.
Ignoring their gazes, I stared down at the Blood Core as its light faded. Soon even that faint blood-red glow completely dissipated, and began to be absorbed into my body through my arm.