Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 155

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

【Bloodline is a Thug Chapter 155】

155. Demon (3)

Kwon Han-ul stared at the spot where Beruel had vanished for a long moment.
“What just happened?”
Kwon Han-ul spun around in alarm. Sasha Babel was looking at him.
The moment he saw Sasha Babel, Kwon Han-ul cursed himself for his carelessness.
Standing this close, she must have heard every word of his conversation with Beruel.
“Well, you see…”
Kwon Han-ul’s mind raced desperately.
If even a hint of his conversation with Beruel leaked out, it would be catastrophic. Yet no plausible excuse came to mind.
“…You and the Demon were just staring at each other without saying anything. Then the Demon suddenly disappeared. What on earth happened?”
But something entirely unexpected came from Sasha Babel’s lips.
“What do you mean? You didn’t hear what the Demon and I discussed?”
“Discussed? You were just staring at each other, weren’t you?”
Kwon Han-ul and Sasha Babel exchanged bewildered glances.
‘What is she talking about? Is she trying to deceive me?’
As Kwon Han-ul studied Sasha Babel’s face—
-Don’t go suspecting innocent people.
Then, Beruel’s voice reached his ears. Kwon Han-ul looked around in surprise.
“Beruel? You’re still alive?”
-No, my body has already ceased to exist. My soul is still in the process of fading, that’s all.
In other words, before disappearing completely, Beruel was speaking to me one last time.
-Everyone in the Heavenly Arena, including her, wouldn’t have heard our conversation.
“Is that truly the case?”
-I’m a Demon who values privacy, so I used my authority beforehand. Ah, but not anymore, so watch your words.
At those words, Kwon Han-ul turned to look at Sasha Babel. She was staring at him as if he were a madman.
Before being labeled the crazier one, Kwon Han-ul spoke silently in his mind.
‘So it’s true that the others didn’t hear our conversation, right?’
-Of course it’s true. Don’t you trust me?
The words ‘How could I trust a Demon?’ rose to the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them.
-I was originally planning to stay silent until I completely faded away. But I got bored. Plus, I was curious about something.
‘Curious about what?’
-You should be starting to feel it soon.
Feel it?
It was at that moment Kwon Han-ul’s confusion peaked.
“Ugh!”
My entire body suddenly ignited with heat. It felt as though molten metal had been poured into my veins.
“Gahhh!”
The agony was truly unbearable. I collapsed to the ground, my body giving way.
“W-What’s happening all of a sudden!”
Sasha Babel rushed toward me in alarm.
‘I… was deceived.’
-Really, you’re too much. I generously shared my very foundation with you, and you suspect me?
Beruel grumbled in protest.
-This is a natural phenomenon that occurs when you accept a Demonic Bloodline.
‘When I acquired other bloodlines, nothing like this happened.’
-The Demonic Bloodline is different from other bloodlines. It’s half of a divine essence. For a human to obtain such a thing… would you really expect no adverse reactions?
Beruel laughed as he spoke.
-I think it’s better to take the blow first. Since you’ve already adapted once, obtaining the other half should proceed without much trouble. Though I doubt you’ll ever get that chance.
I wanted to ask what he meant by “the other half,” but enduring the pain of the Demonic Bloodline was already consuming all my strength.
-It seems adaptation is nearly complete.
The moment Beruel said that, the pain rapidly subsided.
However, only the pain diminished. My body had no strength left. Both my stamina and mana were completely depleted.
-Full adaptation will require more time. Until then, you won’t be able to do anything.
‘…Was that why he spoke to me? To explain this?’
-Yes, you’re grateful for the kind explanation, aren’t you?
I managed a bitter smile. I never thought I’d find myself grateful to a demon in my lifetime.
-Ah, but ending it here feels boring again.
Beruel suddenly spoke up.
An ominous premonition washed over me.
‘Why don’t you just disappear quietly?’
-Where’s the fun in that?
‘Besides, you don’t have any strength left anyway.’
-I have just a tiny bit remaining.
‘Didn’t you promise not to harm me?’
I pulled out my final trump card.
-How is this harming you? I’m just playing a little prank.
‘What nonsense is that…’
-Then live well on your own.
I felt Beruel’s mana suddenly flare up intensely.
Immediately after, the Heavenly Arena trembled.
An enormous pressure bore down on me. It wasn’t just me—Sasha Babel was also forced to the ground by the pressure.
“W-What is this now!”
Sasha Babel cried out in panic.
I tried to maintain composure and assess the situation.
Then I understood.
The sky visible beyond the Heavenly Arena was shifting. It streaked across my vision at tremendous speed.
“…The Heavenly Arena is shooting upward.”
As the Heavenly Arena rocketed skyward, the pressure bore down on both of us.
Judging by the intensity of the pressure and the movement of the landscape, it was clearly ascending at an incredible velocity.
“Kyaaah!”
Sasha Babel screamed. The ground suddenly began to crack.
It wasn’t just the ground. Everything in the Heavenly Arena was shattering and crumbling. Yet the Heavenly Arena continued its ascent even as it disintegrated.
The moment the Heavenly Arena completely shattered into fragments, the ascent stopped.
As if gravity had vanished, the debris of the Heavenly Arena floated suspended. Kwon Han-ul was among them.
While drifting through the void, I looked downward.
The Sea and continents came into view all at once. The sight was breathtakingly beautiful, yet I couldn’t appreciate the scenery.
“…That demonic bastard! What in the hell did he do!”
The fact that I could see the continents meant I had risen to an extraordinary height.
And objects that rise must inevitably fall.
“Damn it all!”
The sensation of weightlessness vanished, and my body began to plummet. The same fate befell everything else in the Heavenly Arena.
“Aaaahhh! What is happening!”
“Someone save us!”
The voices of other participants echoed through the debris. They all sounded utterly desperate.
But I had no time to concern myself with them. I needed to worry about my own survival first.
“This is insane!”
My stamina and mana were completely depleted from accepting the Demon Bloodline. If I fell in this state, death was certain.
“Hey!”
A familiar voice called out. I lifted my head and saw Sasha Babel.
“Grab my hand!”
Sasha Babel extended her hand. I quickly grasped it.
Sasha Babel seized my arm and pulled me close. Then she channeled her mana.
“Eh ade la!”
Sasha Babel spoke the draconic incantation. In that instant, an invisible force attempted to catch us both.
The falling speed decreased slightly before returning to its original pace. Yet Sasha Babel didn’t give up and invoked the draconic words again.
“Eh ade la!”
This time too, the descent slowed momentarily before resuming. Despair bloomed across Sasha Babel’s face.
“Eh ade la!”
The distance remaining before impact with the Sea was now minimal.
Though it was the Sea rather than land, falling from this height made little difference.
“Sasha Babel.”
It was over. I spoke to her.
“Thank you.”
The Sea suddenly rushed closer. I surrendered to everything and closed my eyes.
In that moment, I felt a scorching wind.
A scorching wind surged upward from below, lifting Kwon Han-ul and Sasha Babel into the air. Their descent slowed dramatically in an instant.
Like dandelion seeds drifting on the breeze, the two fell slowly toward the Sea.
They were not alone. Other participants and the remnants of the Heavenly Arena all descended at the same leisurely pace.
“What in the world is happening now…?”
Kwon Han-ul’s eyes widened as he scanned his surroundings. Then something massive streaked past his vision.
An enormous creature soared through the sky. With each movement of its body, sunlight reflected off its black scales.
“Surely not…?”
Even witnessing it with his own eyes, Kwon Han-ul denied what he saw. Given that person’s temperament, it was only natural.
“This can’t be real.”
Yet he could not continue denying what was so plainly visible before him.
“Master…?”
A colossal black dragon was darting frantically through the wreckage.
Confronted with Kwon Seon-woo’s avatar form appearing so unexpectedly, Kwon Han-ul found himself speechless.
-You managed to survive, I see.
Kwon Seon-woo’s voice echoed in his mind. Kwon Han-ul’s trembling eyes tracked him through the sky.
“How did you come to be here, sir?”
-I came when I learned the Demon King had appeared. Such an existence must be exterminated without fail.
Kwon Seon-woo spoke in a flat, emotionless tone.
-But upon arrival, there was no Demon King to be found—only you all plummeting from above. It seemed you would perish if left alone, so I intervened.
The sudden gust of hot wind.
It was a phenomenon Kwon Seon-woo had created.
Thanks to it, Kwon Han-ul and the other participants were able to save their lives.
-It appears you’ve grown quite close to Babel’s daughter.
Only then did Kwon Han-ul and Sasha Babel realize they were still holding each other tightly.
The two hastily separated. Sasha Babel, her face flushed crimson, addressed Kwon Seon-woo.
“I greet the Master of Heukcheon.”
-Enough with pleasantries. Prepare yourselves.
“Pardon?”
Before she could finish speaking, the hot wind vanished. Their bodies resumed their descent.
Kwon Han-ul and Sasha Babel plunged into the Sea. Behind them, other participants and the remnants of the Heavenly Arena tumbled down in succession.

* * *

“Wow.”
Dragon Slayer gazed upward in admiration. More precisely, he was looking at the black dragon hovering in the sky.
“So that’s Kwon Seon-woo’s avatar form. Seeing it in person, it’s truly remarkable.”
Despite bearing the title Dragon Slayer, I had never actually hunted a dragon or draconic beast.
Because of this, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to Kwon Seon-woo’s avatar form before my eyes.
“It’s still beyond my current reach.”
I gauged the gap between myself and Kwon Seon-woo in his avatar form. With my present strength, I couldn’t defeat him.
Unless Enemy Dragon Star became more than twice as powerful.
“Hey, find out what happened to my disciple, will you?”
Dragon Slayer spoke toward Azet Hermes. But no matter how long I waited, no answer came back.
Azet Hermes stood there with his mouth agape like a man who had lost his mind.
“Hey?”
Only after asking again did Azet Hermes snap back to attention.
“Ah… my apologies. It was such an overwhelming moment… I lost myself. Your disciple, you say?”
Azet Hermes retrieved a compass-like artifact from subspace. He manipulated the artifact as he spoke.
“The aura of Enemy Dragon Star has vanished. She appears to be dead.”
“…What? Dead? Are you certain? You’re not lying, are you?”
“It’s true. Mano Stonlight is dead.”
Azet Hermes placed the artifact back into subspace as he spoke.
“She was one of only two test subjects in whom Enemy Dragon Star manifested, alongside yourself. What a waste.”
“Then what becomes of me? I needed her to strengthen my Enemy Dragon Star further!”
Dragon Slayer spoke in fury. Azet Hermes clicked his tongue and replied.
“Since we couldn’t absorb Mano Stonlight’s Enemy Dragon Star, there’s no other way.”
“Damn it all!”
Dragon Slayer kicked the yacht’s railing. It tore free and flew far into the distance.
“After all the care and effort I invested in Mano! Because of that bastard Kwon Han-ul!”
“Calm yourself. Thanks to Mano Stonlight’s data, the success rate of our experiments has increased dramatically. We’re currently preparing new test subjects at Aeon, so absorbing them should suffice.”
Dragon Slayer could scarcely contain his rage. It was a natural reaction—all his efforts had come to nothing.
“Just so you’re aware, before our permission is granted… you must not attack Kwon Han-ul.”
“What? You said we needed a vessel? Then I’ll just kill him and take it!”
“A vessel is an extremely delicate object. It cannot be resolved through such crude methods.”
Azet Hermes’s eyes turned cold.
“So don’t touch him under any circumstances. We’ve only just located the vessel. I won’t tolerate interference.”
Dragon Slayer swallowed hard.
“What exactly is this vessel that you’re so obsessed with?”
“It’s an extraordinary object. Enemy Dragon Star itself was created merely from understanding the vessel to the slightest degree.”
Dragon Slayer couldn’t help but be astonished. This was the first he’d heard of it.
“Those fools in Heukcheon stole the vessel and didn’t even know what it was. Thanks to their incompetence, an opportunity like this has fallen into our lap.”
Azet Hermes let out intermittent laughter. Yet unable to fully express his joy, he clawed at his own face with his fingers.
“If it was so precious, they should have guarded it better. How did it end up stolen by Heukcheon?”
“A painful question indeed. I can only attribute it to sheer misfortune. I never imagined I’d encounter Heukcheon while transporting a slave who guarded the vessel.”
Azet Hermes’s expression darkened as though he’d never smiled at all.
“Even now, thinking about it infuriates me. That damned bastard dragged me to this point—I wouldn’t mind tearing him to shreds.”
“Bastard? Who are you talking about?”
Azet Hermes spoke through gritted teeth.
“There was such a wretch. One of Kwon Seon-woo’s children. His name was….”
Azet Hermes paused, thinking.
“Kwon Cheon.”

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————