-BOOM!!!!
The Vampire Prince, Kane Wilson, rushed toward the falling body of Ash like a crimson comet tearing through the skies, his speed so terrifying that the atmosphere around him continuously exploded due to the sheer force of the sound barrier being broken.
The ocean surface shattered violently the moment he descended lower, enormous walls of seawater rising high behind him while countless arcs of Crimson Lightning spread chaotically throughout the surroundings, illuminating the dark ocean in flashes of destructive red light.
Yet Kane paid no attention to any of it. He was not afraid of the Crimson Lightning; to him, it would do nothing but sting a little.
Though his eyes remained completely locked onto Ash.
More specifically...
Onto the blood flowing from Ash’s shattered and burned body that was surrounded by a storm of Crimson Lightning.
As the distance between them grew smaller and smaller, the faint scent of his blood lingering within the surroundings instantly became several times richer, and Kane’s entire body reacted violently to it in a manner he had never experienced before in his entire existence.
His pupils constricted sharply.
The veins around his eyes bulged slightly.
Even his fangs unconsciously extended without his permission.
What...is this blood...?
Kane had consumed countless bloodlines throughout his long life.
Including some very powerful races such as the.....
True Dragon.
Ancient High Elves.
Immortal Phoenixes.
Olden Eldritch.
Fairies.
And so many more. He had even drunk the blood belonging to the Angels, the Abyssals, and even many Celestial Rank beings. Heck, he had even drunk the blood of a Celestial God once too, a rank above Celestial.
But none of them had ever affected him to this extent before.
The blood before him was fundamentally different from anything he had ever encountered.
It was not merely sweet and intoxicating to smell.
Nor was it simply rich in vitality and energy.
No...
Every instinct within his body was screaming at him with uncontrollable intensity.
’Consume it.’
’Devour it.’
’Take it before someone else does.’
His Vampiric heart was beating wildly inside his chest, so violently that even Kane himself was becoming alarmed by the state of his own body.
His blood circulation had accelerated to an absurd degree while intense heat continuously spread throughout his body like wildfire consuming dry land.
The closer he moved toward Ash...the stronger the temptation became.
The scent of his blood alone was enough to make his instincts scream in hunger.
It felt addictive, as if he was taking some very powerful drugs.
If I consume his blood...
The thought appeared inside Kane’s mind almost instinctively, naturally forming without conscious effort.
...my bloodline may evolve.
That single possibility alone caused his breathing to become heavier.
Because beings at his level understood better than anyone how terrifyingly difficult it was to evolve one’s bloodline further after reaching higher realms.
Especially for Vampires.
For Vampires, blood was everything, their lifeline, their power, their food, their existence.
The growth after reaching Higher Rank becomes painfully slow, with every small advancement requiring unimaginable effort, resources, and opportunities.
Yet merely smelling Ash’s blood had already caused his instincts, body, and even bloodline to react this intensely.
Kane could not even begin imagining what would happen if he truly consumed it directly.
But despite the greed continuously growing stronger within him...
A trace of rationality still remained inside his mind.
Because Kane knew something very clearly.
A person capable of surviving Crimson Heavenly Lightning and manifesting a Celestial Calamity Phoenix during Immortal Seal formation could not possibly be normal under any circumstances.
Even now, while Ash’s body appeared lifeless and destroyed...
Kane still did not fully believe he was truly dead while his blood overflowing with that much vitality.
That’s why he was here; he wanted to see it himself and, if possible, take Ash back with him to his domain.
His crimson eyes narrowed sharply as he stared at the unconscious Ash falling deeper into the ocean while Crimson Lightning continued ravaging his body endlessly even after the Heavenly Tribulation had supposedly ended.
What....exactly are you...?
As this thought surfaced in his mind and he came very close to Ash....
-BOOOOMMMMM!!!!!
The ocean surface ruptured violently as Perseus descended toward the depths below at terrifying speed, his figure moving like a streak of golden light cutting through Ocean waters like a hot knife cutting butter, massive waves continuously rose behind him because of the pressure generated by his movement.
His expression remained calm outwardly, but his thoughts were anything but peaceful.
The moment he saw Kane Wilson rush toward Ash’s falling body in such a reckless state, Perseus immediately understood the situation had become troublesome.
Especially after witnessing the unstable look inside Kane’s eyes.
That was not the expression of someone calmly approaching a target.
That was the expression of a predator desperately suppressing its instincts.
And considering Kane belonged to the Blood Cult...
The answer behind his behavior was painfully obvious.
Perseus silently clicked his tongue inwardly while increasing his speed further.
The Blood Cult was one of the most dangerous organizations spread throughout countless realms.
Unlike the Transcendent Circle, which acted as maintainers of balance and rulers operating behind the Realm of Eden itself, the Blood Cult pursued evolution through bloodlines and devoured anything they considered valuable for their growth.
To them, powerful blood was temptation incarnate.
And Ash’s blood...
Even Perseus could vaguely sense something abnormal from how violently the Vampire Prince was reacting.
What kind of bloodline does that man even possess? Is it a Supreme Tier Bloodline? but that is highly likely.....
But if somehow it was true, Perseus could already imagine how overwhelming that temptation must feel for Kane right now.
But regardless of the reason...
Perseus could not allow Kane to touch Ash in his current state.
There was no connection or personal feelings between him and Ash, but his Master had given him a task to make Ash join their organization, he couldn’t just give up like that, could he?
Although it appeared that Ash was dead, the strange behavior of the Crimson Lightning was making Perseus question whether Ash was truly dead or not.
And he could not just give up and leave like that. He needed to confirm the death himself with his own eyes.
And if Ash was really alive, Perseus could not allow such a genius, someone capable of surviving Crimson Heavenly Lightning during Immortal Seal formation while possessing terrifying potential beyond imagination, to simply fall into the hands of the Blood Cult.
Especially when that genius was technically a Transcendent.
The Transcendent Circle valued geniuses, but more than that.....they valued monsters, existences capable of shaking entire eras once they were given enough time to grow.
And Ash was undoubtedly a monster.
Soon, Kane also sensed Perseus rapidly approaching from behind.
His expression gradually darkened while the bloody aura surrounding his body became slightly more violent, causing the seawater around him to tremble unnaturally under the pressure leaking from his presence.
Without stopping his descent, Kane spoke coldly.
"Perseus...do you really want to interfere right now?"
His voice carried a clear warning behind it, but beneath that warning was suppressed impatience, as though every passing second was pushing his instincts closer toward the edge.
Perseus kept his eyes fixed ahead as he answered calmly.
"You are not exactly in a stable state right now, Kane."
The moment those words were spoken, Kane’s eyes visibly narrowed.
A dangerous pressure spread from his body instantly while the Crimson Lightning in the surroundings flickered even more chaotically around him.
"What exactly are you implying?"
Perseus finally turned his gaze toward him.
"I am implying that your current condition makes me distrust your intentions."
For a brief moment, silence spread between them except for the violent explosions of seawater caused by their movement and the constant rumbling of thunder echoing throughout the dark skies above.
Then Kane suddenly laughed softly.
The sound carried irritation far more than amusement.
"You Transcendents truly love pretending to stand on moral high ground."
Perseus showed no reaction to those words.
Kane continued speaking while his crimson eyes flickered dangerously.
"You also sensed the dominance in his blood....didn’t you?? So stop acting as though you are only doing this out of goodwill."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"You came here for the same reason I did."
Perseus neither confirmed nor denied those words.
Because part of Kane’s statement was correct.
Ash’s existence itself was valuable beyond measure, whether because of his bloodline, courage, state of mind, Immortal seal or that mutated law.
Someone capable of facing Heavenly Tribulation with that kind of insanity and surviving until now could not possibly remain ordinary in the future.
Which was precisely why Perseus could not allow Ash to fall into the hands of the Blood Cult.
Kane’s expression gradually became colder the longer Perseus remained silent.
Then suddenly, his voice turned sharp.
"Tell me honestly, Perseus..."
"By interfering today, do you really want to open the Immortal Battlefield this soon?"
The surrounding atmosphere instantly became heavier after those words.
Because both of them clearly understood the meaning hidden behind that statement.
The Immortal Battlefield was not merely a battlefield.
It was all-out war between supreme organizations and higher beings, a conflict capable of dragging countless realms into chaos once the first spark was lit.
Once conflict between higher level existences escalated beyond control, the consequences would rapidly spread throughout surrounding territories and factions.
And if the Blood Cult and Transcendent Circle truly started clashing openly because of Ash...
Then this matter would no longer remain isolated.
Perseus’s gaze sharpened slightly.
"You are threatening me?"
Kane’s smile slowly widened, though there was no warmth within it.
"I am warning you."
"You can clearly see my current state."
"The smell of his blood alone is enough to push my instincts toward the edge."
"And despite that, I am still maintaining control."
His crimson eyes flickered darkly while the veins around his neck bulged faintly, as though suppressing his instincts was already requiring considerable effort.
"So do not force this situation further than necessary."
Perseus remained silent for a brief moment while observing Kane carefully.
Because he knew Kane was not lying.
The fact that the Vampire Prince had not completely lost control yet was honestly impressive already, especially for someone belonging to the Blood Cult, a faction infamous for pursuing powerful bloodlines with near madness.
But Perseus also knew something else.
If Kane truly touched Ash directly in this state...
Then whatever remaining control he currently possessed might completely collapse.
The Immortal Battlefield will open sooner or later, with or without your involvement, my dear Kane. But you don’t need to know that.
Perseus thought inwardly.
But if that man there falls into the hands of these bloodsuckers, it might give them a huge power boost. I can’t let that happen, you know.
Energy slowly started gathering within Perseus’s hands while faint golden ripples spread across the surrounding seawater.
"So this is your answer, huh!!? Fine, come at me...."
The Vampire Prince uttered those words with oozing bloodlust while a dangerous smile slowly formed on his face.
The atmosphere gradually became heavier as the pressure leaking from both sides started colliding violently in the air.
But before either of them could take action....
Ba-dum!!!!
A heartbeat echoed throughout the surroundings.
****