The Sword Saint was fully aware that the Blood Legacy was far from an ordinary treasure, but perhaps he’d slightly underestimated it still. He’d assumed that while the treasure was definitely important, it wasn’t necessarily to the level where gods needed to be involved.
Perhaps that was just his own lack of understanding. Seeing as the item had come from a D-grade system event, he halfway expected to hear that there were many such Blood Legacies out there. Miyamoto had no information on how many Sanguine had created, much less if the system had stepped in and manually produced more.
Seeing the look on the Nalkar Family Patriarch’s face, it appeared that these Blood Legacies weren’t a dime a dozen. This made him question why the system had rewarded such a rare and important item as the final reward for a low-level system event, but that was a topic he was confident he could ponder on for a long time without ever finding a good answer.
After having taken his time to think a bit, the Sword Saint nodded. “Very well. If you believe it best to involve gods in this matter, I shall leave it up to your judgment.”
Fairleigh still looked a bit out of it as he kept closely studying the necklace. “Would it be acceptable if I reach out to the True Ancestor of the Nalkar Lineage? If you wish for another True Ancestor, I can try to make that happen, but-“
“As I said, I leave it up to your judgment,” Miyamoto reiterated.
Truthfully, he still lacked a lot of knowledge when it came to the vampires. He knew that there were six families part of the Order and that until recently, these families had merely been viewed as a bunch of mortals under the protection of the Order of the Malefic Viper.
However, after the Viper’s return to the universe, many vampire gods who’d been in hiding suddenly revealed themselves, including a few True Ancestors – the first gods of each vampire Lineage. There had been far more than anyone expected, showing that the vampiric race truly was outstanding, as despite being in hiding and suppressed by several major factions of the multiverse, these six vampire families had still managed to nurture over a hundred gods over the eras.
What’s more, not a single vampire had defected during the recent clash with Yip of Yore, elevating their status further due to their loyalty. Of course, out of any race, the vampires had the most incentive to stay loyal, as there was no way Yip of Yore would have shielded them against the Risen and Holy Church the same way the Malefic Viper currently did.
Needless to say, the True Ancestors, who also led each of their respective vampire families, were quite influential now. So, by having one come to check out the divine artifact left by Sanguine – someone these True Ancestors had known in person – things had gotten quite a bit more risky. If they demanded ownership, Miyamoto wasn’t confident he had any ground to stand on.Plus, vampires were known to be emotional, heightening the risk further. Sure, the True Ancestor had to know that acting aggressive or harming him wouldn’t be looked kindly upon by his Patron nor the Malefic One, but when emotions got overly involved, logic often went out the window.
Nevertheless, he believed it was ultimately worth the risk. The Noboru clan had a lot of vampires by now, and they would have to make contact with their kin in the rest of the multiverse at one point or another. Coming to the Order would be a great opportunity for them, and if Miyamoto could facilitate an alliance between his clan and the vampires, he would gladly do so. Even if he wasn’t as involved with being the Patriarch anymore, he still held that title and felt a sense of responsibility.
After the Sword Saint had answered, Fairleigh had already gone off to the side and kneeled down in prayer. He was blessed by the True Ancestor of the Nalkar Vampires, so he had a direct connection to her. As for what level of Blessing he had, the Sword Saint didn’t know. His Identify didn’t tell him that kind of thing.
On a side note, he did find it a bit humorous to see a vampire praying, considering their mythology on Earth before the system. Of course, now he knew that they didn’t fear things like crosses or garlic. Sunlight weakening them was still kind of a thing, considering that vampires were all weak to the light affinity. As for stakes through the heart... well, a good stab through the heart tended to be an effective way to deal damage to most anything.
About a minute passed as Fairleigh prayed before he finally opened his eyes and spoke. “The True Ancestor is coming.”
The Sword Saint nodded in acknowledgment. “Is there anything I should know beforehand?”
“Act as you are... as a C-grade, it may be difficult for you to be in the presence of a god of her caliber, but I hope you can retain your bearings. As someone blessed by her, I’m less affected by the True Ancestor’s aura, but even I find it difficult to be in her presence for too long at a time,” Fairleigh explained.
“I understand,” the Sword Saint nodded. He didn’t take the warning lightly either. He wasn’t Jake, who seemingly had a total immunity to presences. As a Transcendent, he had higher presence resistance than others, but Miyamoto still wasn’t sure how strong his resistance was at this point. He hoped that his status as a Transcendent and the passive improvements from being around Jake would be enough to not lose all dignity in front of the god.
As expected, it didn’t take long before the True Ancestor arrived. The Sword Saint felt the powerful presence descend before any physical form appeared, and he had to stabilize himself and calm his mind as it happened.
In the next second, in a swirl of blood, a woman appeared. She wore a black and white dress with a very conservative design that showed little skin. It reminded him a bit of what noble women usually wore in old period pieces. Her aura was also quite terrifying, and the Sword Saint could faintly smell the scent of blood simply from her presence there.
Despite the pressure, the Sword Saint managed to remain calm. He could recognize her power, and while he couldn’t properly assess just how powerful she was, he assumed she had to be at least a Godqueen, and if not, at least very close.
It was odd, but while his logical mind told him just how terrifying she was, his body remained stable. At that moment, he realized that he’d likely underestimated the effects of spending the better part of fifty years in Nevermore around Jake. Because, despite everything, a small thought couldn’t help but creep into his mind as he stood before the True Ancestor.
I’ve felt worse.
Usually, to a normal mortal, any god was too much. Be they a newly ascended weak god or a Primordial, before a mortal, it barely mattered. Yet to the Sword Saint, he remained able to not only stand tall but also evaluate the woman who stood before him.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
The mere fact I can even consider her a woman and not simply a vastly superior being is also a sign, he further reminded himself.
His lack of reaction also clearly surprised the True Ancestor, but not as much as the necklace that floated in the middle of the room. She entirely ignored Fairleigh and Miyamoto as she teleported over and reached out toward it, barely stopping herself before touching it.
“You got this through a system event?” the vampire asked rhetorically after a few seconds. “Yalsten, you said. I remember that it was lost... the entrance severed from the multiverse. It appears the system chose to recycle it and allow what was left by His Lordship to emerge once more.”
The Sword Saint remained silent as she spoke, clearly reminiscing on some very old memories. After a few seconds, she finally turned to look at him. “You are the human who calls himself the Sword Saint, correct?”
“I am the one who chose such an arrogant title for myself, yes,” Miyamoto bowed toward the god. “And as you said, the Blood Legacy stems from Yalsten. From my understanding, the system chose to freeze the time of the world at some point, only to restart it once it was used for the system event.”
“I see,” she muttered, evaluating Miyamoto with her eyes. “You are quite a unique figure... perhaps one worthy of having taken such an arrogant title as you so accurately pointed it out to be.”
“If you want to reach a goal, you must set one in your mind first. I do not call myself that because I believe myself qualified right now, but because I strive to one day be worthy,” the Sword Saint answered honestly.
The vampire evaluated him for a few moments more before smiling. “You are an interesting mortal. My name is Katherine, the True Ancestor of the Nalkar Lineage and one of the leaders of the vampiric race. Now, please, do tell me everything you know about this artifact. I’ve not seen one like it for... I don’t even know how many eras.”
“I believe there is someone more qualified than I to speak on it,” the Sword Saint said as he reached out and touched the necklace. He infused some energy into it with the intent of waking up the soul slumbering within.
His goal was to summon Iskar, who was effectively the steward of Sanguine’s Blood Legacy. He had been less active in recent years, and while he could still speak relatively frequently, manifesting himself outside of the Blood Legacy had become harder the more the Sword Saint grew in power.
The Sword Saint knew that part of the reason why it had gotten harder was Iskar’s attempt to strengthen his own soul. The former Monarch of Blood wanted to become more than a soul bound to an item, and even if he couldn’t free himself, he at least wanted more autonomy with how often he could manifest his own body.
As a reminder, the Blood Legacy was not a Soulbound item. In many ways, its only real owner was Iskar, meaning Iskar was also the one who decided who could use the divine artifact. He’d gone along with Jake and the Sword Saint’s bet during the Treasure Hunt, forming a connection with Miyamoto, allowing him to control the Blood Legacy for the most part. However, that didn’t mean the item couldn’t change owners if Iskar willed it to.
This was another reason why visiting these vampires – and especially interacting with a True Ancestor – was incredibly risky. If Iskar decided that it was best to stay with them, the Sword Saint had little recourse.
Even so, if that was what Iskar decided on, he could only accept it. The ancient vampire had already helped Miyamoto and the Noboru clan a lot, and the Sword Saint even considered him somewhat of a friend so he would respect Iskar’s decision.
About a second passed after the Sword Saint had infused his energy into the artifact before the soul within stirred to life. The True Ancestor and Fairleigh both looked on with keen interest as the mostly illusory figure of Iskar manifested.
Opening his eyes, Iskar was definitely also surprised, and he stared at Katherine for several seconds before he spoke. “You... no, this is impossible; you cannot be the True Ancestor of the Nalkar...”
The Sword Saint had not expected Iskar to recognize her, but in retrospect, perhaps he should have. If she were a True Ancestor, it meant she had likely been alive and even a god during the time Yalsten was isolated from the rest of the universe. As one of the most important figures of the entire vampire race, it wasn’t odd if Iskar had at least seen a picture of her.
“Iskar of Yalsten,” Katherine spoke. “Or perhaps it’s more fitting to call you Iskar of the Blood Legacy now...”
“Are you truly the...?” the former Monarch of Blood asked, unsure as the Sword Saint confirmed it.
“She is,” he nodded. “To bring you up to speed, we are currently within the Order of the Malefic Viper, more accurately, in a residence owned by the Nalkar Family. I have come here hoping to establish a connection between my Noboru clan and the vampires of the Order.”
That final explanation for his presence was as much for Iskar as it was for Katherine, as he wasn’t sure if Fairleigh had relayed the reason for his visit.
“I... it’s an honor to meet the True Ancestor,” Iskar bowed deeply.
“So is it an honor to meet one entrusted with such an important task,” Katherine returned his polite bow. “I hope to learn more from you about what exactly the purpose of this Blood Legacy is.”
“Oh, naturally,” Iskar answered enthusiastically. “My purpose is to allow the continued proliferation of the vampiric race in the multiverse. Despite the death of the True Ancestor of all vampires, he didn’t wish to see his life’s work fall to ruin, so he made certain contingencies. I am one of those contingencies. That’s also why my soul resides within, so I can guide newly born vampires early on in their Path.”
Iskar continued to explain a while longer, and Katherine and Fairleigh silently listened. The Sword Saint also kept quiet, already knowing all of what was said. The reason why he had Iskar explain everything wasn’t out of laziness, but for legitimacy. The words of an ancient vampire soul had to hold more value in the eyes of other vampires.
After he was done speaking, the Sword Saint decided to chime in, though. “I myself have wondered why this artifact was even placed in a system event for the newly integrated universe. Especially seeing as it happened so long after the original fall of your True Ancestor. Moreover, it appears that while all the newly initiated enlightened got their own Treasure Hunts, I’ve yet to hear of anyone else with one related to vampires. I seriously doubt it was a coincidence that the one system event with vampires in it also happened to be the one where the Chosen of the Malefic Viper took part. Especially not with it happening in the same era when the Malefic One returned to the multiverse.”
“Yes... we already spoke of this prior, and the two of us believe that the Blood Legacy’s appearance is evidence of the system’s intent to help the vampire race,” Iskar added. “Everything simply points to that being the case.”
Katherine nodded slowly. “I agree. For the system to effectively create a new source of vampires like this also indicates that it can do so again in the future, even if all other vampires were wiped out.”
The Sword Saint nodded along, also agreeing with that assessment. “Considering the Records that bled into our universe even before the integration, vampires are far from forgotten by the system.”
“I have heard reports that there was knowledge of our kind already among many newly integrated,” Katherine muttered. After a few seconds, she turned away from the Blood Legacy and toward the Sword Saint.
“You came here with the hopes of creating a bond between the vampire families and your clan, correct? Allow me to make clear now you have succeeded in that,” she said, looking over to Fairleigh. “Have a delegation ready for when the new universe begins to open up. I will also discuss with the other True Ancestors to make sure the ones going can place a teleportation circle, allowing those of your clan to visit us here at the Order, too.”
“Thank you,” the Sword Saint nodded.
“As for the Blood Legacy, while it’s an invaluable artifact, I believe you have it for a reason,” she sighed. “If we kept it here, while we could use it to create more vampires, it’s likely for the best to allow it to influence the new universe. Bring some truly new blood into the fold.”
“I agree it best to keep it with the Sword Saint,” Iskar also agreed, slightly surprising Miyamoto.
Katherine nodded. “That said, I do have one concern... you carry Sanguine’s Blood Legacy, is the Patriarch of a clan which now has many vampires within it, and I sense no hostility toward our kind. Which begs the question: why are you not one of us?”