Chapter 256
After seeing the Bloodline Arts that Idrinne unfolded, Chris had no choice but to change his mind.
There was no comparison.
It was on a completely different level from the Bloodline Arts he had seen up until now.
‘A genius.’
In that moment, the one who came to mind was the Hero, Evan.
If Evan possessed a talent for the sword that was no less than Chris’s, the girl before him seemed to be the same.
She was clearly a genius in the Bloodline Arts, second to none.
‘Moreover, she’s already complete.’
If Evan was the growing type, still in the midst of his development, the girl before him was in a state where she had already perfected her vessel.
‘She’s in a state where she has gone beyond mere thought and completed her own world.’
Meaning 7-Star.
And at least mid 7-Star, at that. Perhaps she was even at high 7-Star, or a level beyond.
For reference, Idrinne had surpassed high 7-Star and had reached the level of entering 8-Star.
On top of that, when she used the authority she had received from the Devil, she could exert a power that far surpassed 8-Star.
‘Why was such an incredible person unknown in my previous life?’
He soon realized the reason.
‘She must have been killed by the Blood Drenched Demon King before her name became known.’
Since nearly every important figure in the Blood Sword Demonic House had been massacred by the Blood Drenched Demon King, she must have met the same fate.
“The more you comprehend the meaning of life contained in blood, and also imbue it with the meaning of death, the stronger the power of the Bloodline Arts will become. If you can’t do this, obtaining the Blood Cross is meaningless. Time is tight, though.”
Idrinne counted on her fingers as if checking a schedule.
“First, let’s start with the basics: reflecting the shadow of death in a drop of blood. We have a long way to go, so you’ll have to master this within a day.”
She said with purely shining eyes, “It’s a little tight, but I believe you can do it.”
Chris was silent for a moment.
‘…In one day? Is she serious.’
For reference, what she had just described was the very essence of the Bloodline Arts. There were plenty of members of the True Blood Tribe who couldn’t do it.
‘Even for me, it would probably take a few days.’
Even that would have been an absurd, crazy speed, but Idrinne’s eyes showed that she truly believed Chris could do it in a day.
“…How long did it take you?”
“Me? I could do it without any particular effort. I was just playing with blood, and at some point, it just came to me naturally.”
Idrinne nonchalantly made the kind of infuriating remark unique to geniuses, then continued.
“Since you are human, it will likely be more difficult to learn, but don’t worry. I will show you a detailed demonstration.”
Saying that, Idrinne enthusiastically unfolded her Bloodline Arts. She looked excited to be teaching Chris.
In between, she kept repeating things like, “Because we’re friends, after all,” causing Chris to let out a smirk.
‘Can’t be helped.’
The pushover was voluntarily and enthusiastically acting the part, so he couldn’t just stand by.
‘If she’s showing me so openly like that, it would be a disgrace to my name if I can’t learn it.’
Chris began to absorb Idrinne’s teachings like a sponge absorbing water, and time flew by in an instant.
* * *
For ten days.
Idrinne bestowed her teachings upon Chris with all her heart and soul.
She taught so fervently that Chris was making a weary face.
“…You’re saying I have to apply it like that here? Right now? That’s….”
“No! You can do it! I will help you! Are you not my friend! A true friend, at that! Therefore, I will teach you every single thing that I can possibly teach!!”
As if she never tired, Idrinne maintained a high-energy, passionate teaching style for the full ten days, as if intending to pour out every bit of her enlightenment.
‘No, the image of a pushover I was hoping for is a little different from this. She’s not just any passionate idiot pushover; I wish she would just take it down a notch.’
To think that Chris would be the one to become exhausted from receiving the teachings.
It was the first time in his life he had experienced such a thing, which just went to show how insane Idrinne’s teaching method was.
‘Though it was helpful.’
No, it was beyond that level.
Plink.
A single drop of blood rose from Chris’s hand and fell onto a withered flower.
Then, something unbelievable happened.
The withering flower began to bloom vibrantly once again.
Chris had imbued his own blood with ‘life’!
And that wasn’t all.
When he dropped another blood drop, it did the opposite, its life rapidly extinguishing as it withered away.
This time, ‘death’ had been manifested.
In a short period of just ten days, he had obtained the essence of the Bloodline Arts.
If the Bloodline Arts he had used before were merely a secret art for controlling blood, now he had become able to handle life and death with a single drop of blood.
‘Of course, it’s still weak.’
It was still impossible to use this authority directly on powerful opponents.
Still, by becoming able to imbue blood with the ‘meaning’ of life and death, the power of his Bloodline Arts had increased dramatically.
‘And that’s not all. This authority over life and death will have a tremendous synergistic effect with my other powers.’
In addition to that, she had also fixed the entire foundation of the Bloodline Arts that Chris had learned in a haphazard way until now.
‘I’ve also vaguely comprehended the True Essence of the Blood Cross.’
She had helped with this as well.
-The enlightenment I obtained from the Blood Cross is ‘sacrifice’.
-‘Sacrifice’?
-That’s right. The Blood Cross ultimately signifies both life and death. Within that intersection of life and death, one must find their own answer. The answer I found was ‘sacrifice’.
Chris let out a smirk upon hearing her enlightenment.
It was an enlightenment befitting a passionate idiot pushover who acted as if she would give him her liver and gallbladder the moment they became friends.
‘An enlightenment like that is impossible for me.’
The enlightenment she had obtained did not match Chris’s selfish personality at all.
Instead, Chris vaguely grasped a different theme.
‘Offering.’
He didn’t know why this theme came to mind. It wasn’t a clear enlightenment, either.
However, it became seared into his mind like a brand.
An incomplete enlightenment.
He would probably only know how this enlightenment would affect him in the future, after he had completely attained it.
‘It’s not time yet.’
It was just a gut feeling, but it seemed like some kind of trigger would be necessary to attain complete enlightenment.
‘In any case, this visit was full of nothing but unexpected events.’
As he prepared to leave, Chris sighed.
He had come to kill the Blood Drenched Demon King, but instead, he had saved her and was now leaving having only learned the Bloodline Arts.
‘What on earth is going on with the Blood Drenched Demon King? She’s so different from what I knew in my previous life.’
In fact, before leaving, he had secretly observed the Blood Drenched Demon King.
Idrinne was with Deborah and other members of her clan, and as expected, he didn’t feel any evil from her at all. On the contrary, he could only feel a deep sincerity in her concern for her people.
‘It’s frustrating.’
The image of the Blood Drenched Demon King he had seen in his previous life flashed by, and his thoughts became complicated once again.
But it was that moment. Was it because the memories of his previous life kept surfacing due to this unexpected side of the Blood Drenched Demon King?
Out of nowhere.
A single question occurred to Chris.
‘…But why did I regress in the first place?’
Suddenly, a chill ran all over Chris’s body.
Come to think of it, it was strange.
‘…There’s no way something like this happened by mere coincidence, is there?’
The regression had turned back the timeline of the entire world.
It was absurd that he had only thought of it as a simple miracle.
‘Nothing in the world happens without a cause and effect.’
Chris realized an even more chilling fact and swallowed hard.
‘…It’s strange. Why have I never thought of this question until now?’
He couldn’t understand it.
For the person he was, it was a question he should have thought of long ago.
Suddenly, a cold sweat began to form. The feeling right before opening a box that contained something horrific.
‘Who orchestrated this? And for what reason?’
And then.
The most important question arose.
‘Why me, of all people?’
Who?
Why?
Chose me?
“Kuhk!”
Suddenly, his head began to throb as if being stabbed.
Just then, the door was thrown open.
“It is I, your friend, Your Grace! Are you all ready to leave?!”
It was Lia, that is, Idrinne.
Chris stared blankly for a moment, then spoke haltingly.
“…Why are you here?”
“Of course I came to go with you. I will see you off to the barrier of the Dark Demonic House. Because we’re friends!”
Idrinne, who had raised her voice excitedly, blinked her eyes.
Chris’s atmosphere was strange.
“What’s with your face? Are you not feeling well?”
“…No?”
“No, it doesn’t seem like it. You’re breaking out in a cold sweat. Your face is pale, too.”
Chris had a blank expression for a moment.
‘What was I doing?’
It felt like he had been thinking about something, but he couldn’t remember. No, was he even thinking about something in the first place?
“Are you alright? Would you like to drink some of my blood?”
Idrinne could imbue her blood with strong life force, allowing it to be used as a powerful healing agent.
“…That’s enough. But did you say you’re coming with me?”
“Of course.”
“Forget it. You stay here.”
“Is it because of Marquis Langham?”
“!!”
Chris flinched.
“I also know the general situation of the Dark Demonic House. There’s a high chance you’ll have to fight Marquis Langham when you return, so you’re trying to keep me from getting involved, aren’t you?”
Chris didn’t deny it.
“My fight with Marquis Langham is an internal affair of my house, so there’s no need for you to get involved.”
But Idrinne gave an unexpected answer.
“I don’t think that’s right. Beyond our houses, are we not ‘true friends’?”
“……”
“Didn’t you teach me that true friends should help each other without thinking about this and that circumstance?”
Chris shut his mouth.
‘No, this idiot. There’s a limit, even for a passionate idiot pushover.’
But she showed no intention of backing down.
“Of course, I know it’s not right for me, a True Blood of the Blood Sword Demonic House, to interfere in the internal affairs of the Dark Demonic House. I won’t step in if you’re not in danger. But if you find yourself in a dangerous situation, I will save you without regard for such things. Because that’s what friends do.”
Chris shook his head as if he couldn’t help it.
For some reason, a smirk escaped him.
‘Well, I guess this trip wasn’t without its achievements.’
Since he did manage to create a passionate idiot pushover like her.
“Fine. Just don’t regret it later.”
“There’s no way I will. Because we’re true friends….”
“Do you know how childish you sound when you keep talking like that?”
“Ch-childish? ‘True friends.’ Isn’t it cool?”
“Not even an elementary school student at the Alliance’s academy would talk like that.”
Seeing the vampire of the highest lineage from a great magical house become rapidly sullen, Chris smirked.
“Let’s go.”
* * *
Fwoosh!
He used the Hall of Arches.
Due to the artifact’s range limit, he couldn’t teleport completely inside the barrier.
They arrived in a neutral zone outside the barrier, where he had set the coordinates in advance.
Idrinne, who had teleported with him using the Hall of Arches, tilted her head.
“But is this really okay?”
“What is?”
“If you set the coordinates in advance like this, couldn’t Marquis Langham, who is at the barrier, obtain the information and launch a surprise attack from an ambush?”
“That could happen. No, he definitely will. Because I’ve already leaked the information in advance.”
Idrinne’s eyes widened slightly.
“You, by any chance?”
“Yes. I’m going to execute Marquis Langham here.”
That was right.
This place was Marquis Langham’s grave.
He had already finished all the preparations.