Lilith and the other Vampires continued pestering Kuno about her supposed fate as the savior of the Vampire race. Lilith completely denied any of this, stating that she was just a normal ordinary human who wants to be a ninja like her good old friend Fudge.
So, even though the Vampires were completely offering their undying loyalty to her, she just wouldn't take it.
But of course, there was someone there who was more than willing to accept it.
"Hehehehe... Kuno, let me talk to you for a bit," Fudge said, whispering in her ears. "You should let them serve you."
"Huh? Why should I do that? Doesn't the ninja code say that we should be a lone wolf?"
Fudge shook his head. "Yes, but think of what they could do to the Iron Maiden religion! With their help, we can spread the word of this great Goddess to the rest of the world!"
After Fudge's 'inspiring words, Kuno started considering the proposition. She didn't know why, but she wanted the Iron Maiden religion to be worshipped by more and more people in the future. "Okay... umm... Lilith?"
"Yes, Original Vampire?" Lilith asked, kneeling. "Are you willing for us to be your servants?"
"Yes," Kuno answered. "As long as you help us with the Iron Maiden religion."
Lilith nodded. "I was a skeptic of the Iron Maiden religion before, but now, given that it has led me to our progenitor, then I can only believe that the Goddess Gaia herself has given her express authority for this religion.
Trust that I will be a loyal servant to you, and the Iron Maiden religion!"
Watching this, Michael couldn't help but be jealous. Lilith was the equivalent of a 9th stage Body Formation Maugnetic like the Legacies. And now, she was a loyal servant to the Iron Maiden religion, basically giving it the strength of a Major Faction company.
Speaking of 9th stage Body Formation...
While everyone was busy with Lilith, he turned his attention towards the robed figures lying on the ground.
He raised his hand and closed his eyes, focusing on nothing but the GodForge pieces in his heart.
And suddenly, the bodies of the robed figures suddenly twitched, with others mistaking it for a sign of life.
But in truth, it was due to the small metallic droplets of God Forge that were exiting out of their very skin!
GodForge pieces were perspirated out of their chest, slowly floating off of their bodies and moving closer and closer towards Michael.
Lilith and the other Vampires turned silent as they witnessed this scene.
As a Royalblood Vampire, she was more knowledgeable about human cultivation than any other. And she knew that this scene was more than unusual. It was impossible.
The droplets of GodForge pieces rotated in the air, forming a galaxy-like cluster around Michael.
Each of these drops were accompanied by a white flame of Unity, which made the whole scene even more spectacular.
Those closest to Michael spun faster than the rest, as if he was a giant black hole that warped the very space and time around the GodForge pieces.
As soon as it got within an inch of his skin, it shot towards his chest at
an instantaneous speed, making it seem like it disappeared out of nowhere.
More and more drops got absorbed into his body, all flowing through his internal organs before it reached his heart and covered its surface with GodForge.
The galaxy of drops soon turned into a vortex that pulled everything closer to Michael, even affecting the normal world around him. Everyone felt the gusts of wind in their faces as the drops whizzed by their faces, they felt the vibrations in the ground as a subtle but ever present surge of Aubility Power emanated out of Michael.
And as the last drops of GodForge integrated itself into his heart, a sonic boom exploded out of his body, followed by the psychic sounds
of glass shattering.
They just witnessed Michael breaking through to the 6th stage of Body Formation.
Michael looked at his hands, once again surprised at the strength he now held.
He thought he was already strong after breaking through to the 5th stage, evidenced by his easy dismantling of the robed figures and the vampires who fought him. But now, he felt like he had reached another level of power that was indescribable.
His growth wasn't linear. It was exponential.
Amazing. I didn't know breaking through could feel so... good.
[Kukuku, that's right Michael. Now doesn't this feel good? Doesn't this feel easy?] Harbinger asked, his voice echoing beside his ear like a
literal devil.
Michael would be lying if he said he didn't consider the thought.
He had been stuck in the 4th stage for what seemed like forever. And he was only able to advance to the 5th stage when he obtained enough GodForge pieces in the Red Ravine, and even that required a
lot of luck and perseverance.
He always thought he'd have much more trouble advancing through to the next stages.
After all, he required three times more than the normal Maugnetic. That was three times the effort or three times the cost.
But after just one fight against these robed figures, he advanced through to the next stage like it was nothing.
Truth be told, it felt kind of addicting.
For him to advance to the next stage, then all he needed to do was to fight three 7th stage Maugnetics and steal their GodForge pieces. He could also do it with four 6th stages or five 5th stages.
[So, what do you say? Are you in the mood to become a vigilante? We strike at night, defeating only those who pose evil in the world. And as their punishment for their heinous crimes, we take their GodForge pieces and use it to strengthen ourselves and become even more unstoppable!]
Michael was really tempted to become a comic book hero come to
life.
However, that still felt a little bit edgy. He didn't want to seek out bad
guys and wait for them to commit a crime just so that he could have
an excuse to steal their GodForge pieces.
Now if trouble did find him, then he was more than willing to accept their GodForge charity for a greater cause.
Maybe I should put myself out there more so that bad guys will want
to fight me more often.
[Kukukuku, now we're talking!]
"Human... I see now why the Original Vampire has graced you with her presence," Lilith praised. "Your immense power and your strange... attraction to these GodForge pieces, it seems that you are no mere ordinary human after all. It must be because you are a chosen of the
Goddess Gaia!"
Michael immediately raised his hand to stop the misunderstanding, but Fudge got ahead of him first.
"YES!" Fudge exclaimed. "She has given her his blessing by showing herself to Master! Would you like to know more about the history of
the Iron Maiden?"
Lilith's eyes widened. "Is this true?"
Guillermo nodded. "That is what I have been trying to tell the others. The Iron Maiden is the true religion we have all been seeking. Gaia is the Iron Maiden!"