A Blood Angel.
That was the best description of the monster standing in front of me. Julien Bloodborne, the High Elder of the Bloodborne House, had channelled all of his remaining magic power into creating an absolute monstrosity that was just as dangerous as beautiful.
Each feather represented thousands of souls that the Bloodborne House sacrificed. The screams of their damned existence resonated heavily in my mind as he flapped his two wings of blood. The nauseating aura alone was enough to make it retch, but with the ample magic power and life energy he'd stolen… His power was enough to make me, a Progenitor, feel uneasy.
"You may have become a Progenitor, but that doesn't mean you're untouchable." The High Elder said as he summoned a stream of blood that turned into a three-metre-long lance. "The Bloodborne House has more than enough experience when it comes to dealing with Progenitors. We are descendants of one, after all."
"..."
As much as I hated to admit it, the man was right.
I had just ascended into a Progenitor and had no idea of my limits. The High Elder, on the other hand, had been around since the age of the First Vampire. He had thousands of years of battle experience, and with his newly acquired form, I was confident he surpassed anyone I'd faced.
It didn't matter if it was Matriarch Innocence, Sirius Moonreaver or even the mighty Eyghon. The High Elder was, without question, the most dangerous opponent I'd ever faced. And to prove my point…
Swooosshhhh…
The High Elder casually threw the blood lance in his hand, sending it flying ten times the speed of sound in my direction. If it was any regular lance, I might have caught or even blocked it with my own power, but alas, that simple lance sent shivers down my spine. It wasn't the fact that it possessed numerous souls within it, nor was it that it seemed to start burning with the Bloodborne House's signature Bloodfire.
But deep down, my instincts were screaming at me…
That lance… could injure me.
Raising my arm, I instantly channelled my magic power into my middle ring, creating a link between Spacetime and me. Without a single spell being conjured, the world bent to my will and the blood lance was sent a thousand kilometres into the air. And then…
BOOOOMMMM!!!
An explosion, equivalent to that of a nuclear bomb, denoted high above the clouds and sent shockwaves which could level buildings. Fortunately, the World Tree wouldn't sit still as someone decimated its sacred grounds. A sturdy barrier enveloped the entire area, protecting the World Tree and anything underneath its umbrella from the dreadful blast.
I dropped my jaw at the sudden destructive nature of the blast, unsure how a non-Progenitor could possess that much power. It seems that I truly have been a little over-confident.
Because of how difficult it was to gain my Progenitor status, I'd assumed that no other Vampire could match my innate pool of magic power. Alas, the High Elder had proven me wrong. Even if they weren't of a Progenitor status, that didn't mean they couldn't use destructive magic equal to mine.
"Your Spacetime ability… It sure is a nuisance." The High Elder spat.
Fiddling with his fingers, the man created yet another blood lance, this time half the size of the previous one. However, just because it was smaller didn't mean it was any less dangerous. Quite the opposite, in fact. Condensing all of that magic power into a lance that was barely over a metre required tremendous magical control. And with that much magic power concentrated in one part, the explosive nature of the weapon seemingly doubled.
BOOOMMM!!!
The High Elder didn't wait for a second as he flew straight to my face faster than anything I'd ever experienced. Before I could even blink, the blood lance was just centimetres away from my face, and the familiar sense of danger returned to my veins.
Fuck!!!
Using my Spacetime ring, I teleported away at the very last moment, which proved to be the right decision. The moment the tip of the blood lance touched the floor, a resonating explosion ripped through the air and sent tremors equivalent to that of a magnitude ten earthquake.
Bloodfire turned the verdant land into ash and the heat permeating out from the blood lance was hot enough to burn the skin off my face.
I glanced back at the aftermath, a crater of molten lava and Bloodfire and only had one thought in my mind.
'Damn… I can't get hit by many of those.'
While I was confident in my perfected Progenitor body, there was a limit to the amount of damage it could take. By my estimates, I could survive being hit by a nuclear bomb or two, but anything more, and my healing factor, wouldn't be able to keep up. Perhaps if I could find a way to split my soul and regenerate it, I could be more reckless with this body, but I simply didn't have the luxury to experiment right now.
"Jin! Are you okay?!"
"Sora? You're still here?"
"Hey! That's rude!" The annoying fairy pouted while placing her hands around her waist. "Even if I wanted to leave, this moron is recklessly throwing bombs at me! I can't just leave the World Tree alone, now can I?"
"You're right… I can't let him cause too much damage here."
As much as I disliked the way the World Tree treated Rosa in the past, this ancient entity still had an important role to play. Never mind the fact that every plant was connected to the World Tree, the prophecy that Sora saw was still bugging me. Whether the prophecy was real or not, Sora and the World Tree still had an important role in my future.
Which is why…
"Julien… Let's take this elsewhere, shall we?"
"Huh?"
Before the High Elder could even say anything more, Spacetime warped, and the two of us were shot up thousands of kilometres into the sky. Using my telekinetic ability, I could remain airborne without much issue, and the same could be said with the High Elder and his wings of blood.
The High Elder looked at me once and turned down towards the World Tree, which was kilometres down.
"So you do have a connection with the World Tree," the High Elder sighed. "Was this whole thing a conspiracy? A conspiracy to swallow my Father's power using the World Tree?"
"I wish it were that simple."
I could tell him everything that occurred between Rosalyn and me. I could tell him that the Shadowgarden House had been monitoring the Bloodborne House's grand scheme and secretly sabotaging it. I could tell him about the truth of the Emerald River and the fact that his obsession with resurrecting Dracula had only caused his soul to be corrupted.
But what's the point?
He wouldn't believe me even if I told him all of that. Even if he did, the High Elder's anger would still be firmly placed on me.
So, words weren't necessary.
Ever since I'd become a Progenitor, I didn't have the need to conjure up any spells. My overwhelming magic power and innate ability were more than enough to change reality in a fraction of a second. However, now that I was facing someone who could threaten my Progenitor-level powers, I had to pull out the big guns.
"Genesis: Marble."
Channelling magic power to my thumb, the world above the clouds shimmering in a magnificent rainbow sheen. Thousands of pillars fell from the sky, and as if Heaven itself had been dragged down to the mortal world, an entire domain of eternal light and power was gathered within this large marble I'd enclosed us in.
Separated from the outside world, no one could enter or leave without my permission. And since it was essentially a domain ability, my own magic was enhanced within this marble while all of my foes had their bodies increasingly impeded.
"Urgh… A domain, huh?"
"A Progenitor's domain, Julien."
Switching from my Creation ring to my Destruction ring, a crimson beam of light split from my hand and exploded in the sky. The one beam split into thousands, no, hundreds of thousands of crystal lights before raining down heavily like a meteor shower.
The numerous crystalline lights gained even more power as they were enhanced by my created marble, essentially creating an apocalypse-level event if unleashed on Earth. Alas, I had no intention of killing off the World's population. Just one stupid angel would suffice.
"ARGHHHHH!!!"
However, the High Elder wasn't going to go without a fight. Screaming at the top of his lungs, a burst of energy surged out of his wings, creating a shockwave that instantly evaporated all of my meteors.
Tsk… Even that couldn't kill him, huh? However, that didn't mean the High Elder didn't incur any damage.
"..."
Bit by bit, I could see his wings losing feathers. Unlike me, the High Elder didn't have an infinite reserve of magic power. Everything he had came from the numerous sacrifices he swallowed and the corrupted magic power he stole. However, because of that, the best way to defeat the High Elder wasn't a show of brute force but a battle of attrition.
As long as I could keep forcing the man to use his corrupted magic, eventually, his body would fail to keep up with the pressure and collapse.
Which was why…
Magic power flowed back into my thumb as Creation enveloped my soul. With a casual flick of my wrist, I opened my palm, and a miniature Sun was condensed within it. Throwing the Sun above the High Elder, I willed for it to expand, and that sudden action caused the stellar being to explode into a billion fiery starlight that only lived to reap the High Elder's flesh.
The High Elder spread his wings out, and a barrier of Bloodfire covered his entire body.
You fool… Do you really think that Bloodfire could beat Sunfire?
For the first time, the High Elder showed a brutal sign of weakness as multiple star fragments burst onto his flesh, burning bits and pieces of his body off. However, using the souls he'd sacrificed, the High Elder quickly recovered his injuries and returned to the pink of health.
"Hah… Hah… Hah…"
Signs of exhaustion were visible on the High Elder's face as heavy beads of perspiration dripped down his forehead. His body was heavy, and his arms hung by his side. But alas, the man was still able to fight another day.
"How tenacious…" I spat with utter disgust in my voice.
It looks like…
I have to use everything in my arsenal to deal with this bloody menace.
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