Chapter 232
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: Part 2 Chapter 13: Blood Bringer (1)
Jamie and Jin noticing "that" presence wasn't difficult at all.
Because there was no way they couldn't sense it.
A presence like an ocean had formed above the sky in an instant.
Not a physical sea with substance.
If anything, it felt like a vast ocean of mana stretching out endlessly.
Gravity intensified, pressing their bodies downward.
"Jamie Welton."
Jin called out to him in a grave voice, his sword half-drawn from its sheath.
Goosebumps prickled across his entire skin.
His instincts screamed at him to flee this place immediately.
Fortunately, having reached the Sword Master realm, he was barely holding out through sheer force of will.
Ignoring the trembling in his cheeks, Jin spoke.
"We have to avoid it. We can't handle this."
Jamie didn't respond.
He simply stared intently at the spot where the presence had originated.
That was when it happened.
"It's gone."
The presence vanished abruptly.
Jin expanded his senses to their limit, but that absolute something rendered even a Sword Master's detection meaningless.
If it appeared right where they were, escaping would be practically impossible.
He had no idea what it was, but one thing was clear: trying to confront it could lead to a pointless death.
With no other choice, Jin grabbed Jamie's wrist and pulled.
"We need to go. Now. This is seriously dangerous."
Whether the thing harbored hostility or not was irrelevant.
Encountering such an existence was an adventure in itself—and a gravely perilous one.
Jin had to accomplish his great task under Isis's command.
There was no reason to risk his life on needless gambles.
With the moon risen, he could escape even the mightiest foe if he set his mind to it.
"Hurry!"
When he tugged again, Jamie shook off his hand.
As Jin shot him an incredulous look, Jamie shook his head and said,
"What are you doing?"
"We can't escape it."
"Moonlight Resonance makes it possible. Under the moonlight, it's practically omnipotent. No matter how skilled it is at tracking, pursuit would be difficult."
"That's not a foe where such ideas apply."
"What do you...?"
"It's a dragon. This entire mountain range is its territory. Moonlight Resonance is an excellent power, sure—but escaping within its domain? Impossible. We'd get caught even faster."
"A dragon?"
Jin's eyes quivered.
Why would a dragon be in a place like this?
Dragon lairs always became the subject of rumors.
They were too dangerous not to.
Superior to any other race—especially to humans, they were absolute beings.
They had ravaged the human world multiple times in recorded history.
As such, people never approached places rumored to house dragons.
And if they did venture near, they moved with utmost caution to avoid any disturbance.
From the dragons' perspective, the rumors were beneficial.
They kept annoying pests away.
"But why isn't it known?"
"Dragons have varying temperaments."
It had probably cast cognitive dissonance magic across the entire range to conceal its lair.
For a dragon, which lived for near-eternal spans, such a spell was trivial—no need for rumors at all.
But that wasn't Jamie's concern. Whether the lair was known or not was beside the point.
"The issue is its color."
A blue or white dragon? They'd likely be able to pass without issue.
Those were the most docile among dragonkin.
Any other color, though? Dangerous.
Especially black or red—they might have to stake their lives right here.
Those types rarely let powerful foes slip by unnoticed.
And by dragon standards, Jamie and Jin counted as powerful.
'But where did it go?'
He'd expected it to head straight here.
The dragon had erased its presence and vanished.
But they couldn't let their guard down and try fleeing now.
Even a docile dragon might lash out if they did.
'Worst case, we'll have to fight.'
Did they stand a chance against a dragon?
If it was a young specimen, maybe.
'But if it's an ancient dragon... we have no answer with our current strength.'
Dragons grew ever more powerful with age.
If the one nesting here was over five thousand years old...
Jamie decided not to dwell on it.
Kenji descended without once looking back.
He felt no pursuit trailing him.
He'd keep going down to the kids, then use a broker he knew to flee to another country.
He had enough money to relocate them all.
Once there, a new identity would make them untraceable, even to the best pursuit teams.
'Time to switch continents too. The north. Yeah, the north.'
But first, he had to deal with this revolting Blood Bringer.
With it fused to his arm, a normal life was a pipe dream.
A skilled mage could find a way to remove it. If not, money would grease the wheels.
In this world, few things couldn't be solved with coin.
At least, that's how Kenji saw it—and that's how he'd kept the orphanage kids fed.
'Just hold on a bit longer, kids. Dad's coming soon.'
The mountain was so tall that even descending proved arduous.
Navigating the steep path at night made it impossible to hurry.
A flight scroll would have made it trivial...
Then, he sensed something above.
Kenji halted and glanced toward the summit.
His mana sensitivity was low, so details eluded him, but clearly something had happened.
'The pursuit team?'
This bunch was exceptionally capable overall.
Even after surrendering his body to the Blood Bringer, he'd only barely survived.
And that was only because his benefactors had found him—if he'd stayed submerged in that valley, hypothermia would have claimed him.
A fleeting thought of his good fortune crossed his mind.
'...What a joke.'
Even he found the idea absurd.
Lucky? With this attached to his arm? He wondered if he'd lost his mind.
Kenji shook off the stray thought and stepped forward to continue down.
That was when it happened.
"I smelled such a thick scent of blood, and here I find a bug lugging around something rather amusing."
An unfamiliar voice came from behind.
He whirled around to see an extraordinarily handsome man standing there, smiling.
A striking appearance—one rarely seen.
His hair was a vivid crimson, like neatly combed lava, cascading down. His eyes matched the hue but slanted sharply, exuding raw charisma.
His jaw traced a graceful curve, and his nose rose high and straight, sharp enough to cut.
Even another man couldn't help but admire such impossible beauty.
The man spoke.
"Why stare so intently? Ah, well—human standards of beauty must run high."
As if fully aware of his own allure, he mentioned it casually from his own lips, like it was no big deal.
Kenji was dumbfounded by the self-assurance, but the man's aura was far from ordinary, so he held his tongue.
The man looked Kenji up and down.
His gaze settled on the Blood Bringer attached to his right arm, and he smiled.
"So, you've been devoured by that thing."
"...You know what this is?"
"No. But ignorance of its name doesn't mean I don't grasp its nature."
The man—Kairos—curled his lips upward and pointed his index finger at Kenji.
Suddenly, the Blood Bringer stirred of its own accord.
"Wh-what?!"
Kenji panicked at the abrupt movement.
It always schemed to seize its host's body at every opportunity, but just hours ago, it had gorged on blood.
Like a beast, it shouldn't hunt on a full stomach.
By all accounts, it ought to remain dormant for two days.
"Urgh!"
The Blood Bringer's nerves, webbed throughout his body, writhed, seeking to devour his consciousness.
Kairos watched the spectacle with delight, explaining as if instructing.
"That sword is, in simple terms, a parasite. Parasites always strive to hijack their host's body—to move freely. You think it only tries to take over when it craves blood? Wrong. It seizes control whenever an opening arises. Just like now, when I gave it one."
"Gaaahhhhh!"
Every vein in Kenji's body convulsed grotesquely.
The Blood Bringer's nervous system had commandeered his bloodstream.
With the vessels under control, it would soon extend to muscles, bones, and organs.
Normally, that would have been difficult—but Kairos had forcibly amplified the Blood Bringer's output.
Kenji stood no chance of resisting.
"It's been ages since I've seen a magic sword of this type. Who crafted it? Impressively refined work, to cling to a mere human frame like that."
Kairos watched Kenji's transformation with mild admiration.
Definitely not human craftsmanship.
No human could produce such an artifact.
Likely dwarven.
Or possibly demonkin—the ferocity suggested as much.
"But output is what truly matters, after all."
Kairos stroked his chin with an intrigued expression as he eyed Kenji.
"Graaaaaah!!"
His entire body flushed crimson, his pupils rolled back and invisible.
Muscles hypertrophied, swelling his frame by at least 1.5 times.
His veins pulsed repulsively—not a pretty sight—but the bug had transcended mere bug-level power.
"Graa!!"
Fully subsumed by the Blood Bringer, Kenji let out a guttural roar and lunged at Kairos.
His brain consumed, not a shred of his own will remained.
His body moved solely on the sword's destructive impulses.
Kairos smirked at the charging figure.
"Well, this being your first full takeover of a host, you want to test your power a bit. I get it. But..."
Kairos's smile faded.
"Pick your opponents wisely."
Boom!!
Kenji's body slammed deep into the earth.
Kairos hadn't lifted a finger—an invisible force had crushed him.
"Groooar!"
He flailed desperately to rise but couldn't budge an inch.
Kairos squatted before him and said,
"Still, your courage earns praise. I didn't expect you'd dare attack this body."
His finger twitched, forcing Kenji's head up.
"But charging at me so recklessly gets a pass only once. Not twice. Remember—I'm showing mercy because you're an amusing trinket. Understood?"
"Gr..."
Kenji nodded slowly.
The Blood Bringer had grasped the vast gap between them.
Kairos nodded in satisfaction and issued a command.
"You want to test your power properly, right? Plenty of bugs are defiling my territory right now. I can't let that slide. But handling pests myself looks poor, so go clean them up."
"Gr?"
"Oh, and there are non-bugs too. Clean those as well. Succeed, and I'll reward you with something exceptional from my collection."
"Graaaaaah!"
Kenji bellowed in affirmation.
Pleased, Kairos grinned and rose.
"Rampage to your heart's content, you blood-starved beast."
Kenji's form vanished.
Jamie, sensing that presence, spoke up.
"Prepare to fight."
"The dragon?"
"No. More like..."
Jamie thought of Kenji and his magic sword before replying.
"Our 'benefactor' plans to repay kindness with enmity?"
He must have a death wish.