Chapter 131: Chapter. 116: Interlude: Blood Drinker

“Interlopers…”

A loud grumble echoed through the hall, iridescent light unceasingly poured from the stained glass windows running through its length arranged in arches of black stone. A long velvet carpet ran through the length of the hall, contrasting with the marbled floor at its golden edges. The colorful light rays shone upon the smooth stone walls, lined with luxurious paintings that luxuriated to the passage of time. Coated with dust and mold, pictures of twisted beings, of wars and battles, of godly beings and holy relics, things of old, all of them alike painted in dried blood.

“iNVADING MY LAND.”

The raspy anger sent a wave of dust away from the paintings as they began to bleed. Crimson liquid pooling down from under the golden frames and onto the ground, the iridescent light of the stained glass became a deep red, and the entire hall grew bloody. The carpet melted as the black marble was swallowed by blood. The ceiling itself began to drip, droplets of blood fell upon the hall as footsteps echoed from the distance.

“How dare they…”

The voice echoed once more as the blood went away and the hall became normal once more. The blood vanished as if everything had been nothing but an illusion. Footsteps echoed as a figure rounded the corner. It was a hunched figure with a draping coat that pooled onto the ground as if it was made of liquid, dragging along his wake. Only his head peeked past the coat, it was a man wearing an eye-patch that covered well into its forehead and was seemingly stitched into his face. He had a disheveled beard and combed back hair, but the most notorious thing was.

A crown.

A long crown fitted his head, one that stood tall and mighty in a crimson glory. Embedded with runic patterns of crimson blood, laced with carvings of great battles, intricate full of the highest grades of mana crystals. He walked down the hall at a quick pace, grumbling.

“Interlopers. On my land…”

His voice echoed and sometimes blood would drip from the ceiling along with it.

“My precious experiment interfered with. They shall pay the price in blood, with their blood maybe I can restore thingss…” His voice dragged with a hiss of hatred. “Yearsss spent, and once it reached critical point, it has been discovered, as expected. But in spite of the arrangements that were made it was found.”

Hatred emerged from his being once more.

“I am the Drinker of all that is Blood!” The hall became bloody like a pulsing wave before it vanished. “I am the Blood Drinker. I shall reach greater heights that nobody has ever seen before. I’ve done everything. Soon… the Legacy will be reached. Soon, the end will be reached. Soon I will be⁠—”

“S-Grade?” A female voice interrupted from afar. “The only thing you will be is fucking dead, you senile cunt.” Venomous words came his way as he winced.

The entire hall became nothing, the windows shattered, the flooring fell into the void, the walls disintegrated. Everything became a black void around the Blood Drinker, he fell into an immaterial black of the void as stars stared at him from afar. His mana drained from him as he recognized he was in deep space⁠. Numerous thoughts floated through his mind, but there were only two questions.

When and how.

He used the crown, the Mythical Grade item he always carried with him. It was nearing the next grade⁠— there was no response from his crown, his mana was still dry. Deep Space. He felt himself grow pale as he realized just where was he, yes⁠— he paused as he still managed to see distant red stars and that’s when he realized. He wasn’t in Deep Space, he was in Desolate Space. Where the limits of the System were reached by beings, abominations created by the crunches of the universe⁠: twisted things that could end him in one move.

And then, an eye opened amidst the deep darkness of the abyss. Yellow and full of iridescent lights of mana. Its slitted pupil stared at him, and that’s when it clicked. He could still feel the essence of archaic blood within him, the trait that he discovered eons ago. He wasn’t in Deep Space, he wasn’t in Desolate Space, he was in⁠—

The Illusion shattered like glass as he grumbled. Looking back at the woman who wore nothing but a suit as if she were a servant, fluttering ears and green hair, yellow eyes⁠— His mind drew a blank. He recognized that affinity.

Refraction.

A rare affinity unique of its kind. But the woman he stared at⁠— who was she.

[Ċ̸͕ő̴̗r̴͍͠ŕ̷̹u̷̗̎p̸̠̎t̵̳̄e̷͔̓d̶̜͐. Lvl. Ċ̸͕ő̴̗r̴͍͠ŕ̷̹u̷̗̎p̸̠̎t̵̳̄e̷͔̓d̶̜͐]

And then he laughed. Of course, only someone that had messed with the boundaries of The System would be able to sneak into his palace and wreck so many things. From Monarch to Monarch he respected it, only those at the peak understood what was being risked. Touch the wrong thing and your entire existence would be destroyed. However, he could surmise that she was some kind of dryad. Curiosity was more than evident as he forgot the slew of insults.

“What brings thee to my humble abode?”

She frowned. “You stumbled across a corpse, during your experiments in the Crimson Stretch, right?”

The Blood Drinker thought for a second, it had been so many years since he was over there⁠— but he remembered. Succinct blood, delicious and high quality, though when he tried to take it he almost died from poison. It belonged to a girl of white hair, ah⁠— yes a Dark Dryad he remembered now. It was probably the last available specimen, however he also refused to touch her, her entire body radiated danger to him. The Monarch was getting impatient in front of him, so he spoke.

“Yes, but it was untouched. Was it your friend perhaps? Only Monarchs form friendships with other Monarchs.” He chuckled. “No worries, even if we usually don’t care about our friends dying, the exception is there, and I am happy to inform you that there was no such thing as desecration.”

The Monarch in front of him relaxed, and he smiled wide⁠— his hands snapped forward as the entire hall collapsed into blood. The dryad before him staggered before she melted into a puddle of blood. However, the Blood Drinker only frowned.

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“Careful one…”

“I take it we are even now? Surprise attack for surprise attack.” She commented from behind him. He grumbled but decided to go with her intentions. A fight would be troublesome right now.

“Yes we are even now.” He turned with a frown. “Now, why have you invaded my sanctity, my home, my palace.”

“You are heading to the Crimson Stretch, yeah? Turn back, my Champion is there.” It was a command, no room for negotiations.

He pondered and when he remembered his experiment being in peril he simply let out a small sigh. It was inevitable, he could tell neither of the two had the patience to sit down and negotiate. He could feel it within her blood, any less than a yes and she was going to try to kill him. He coalesced his essence into his mana, calling out from his very being as he spoke.

“[Blood, end of everything, beginning of the stars, maker of life⁠—”

He was interrupted by the finishing phrase, the signature of every Mythical Skill, the thing that encapsulated them. The Dream.

“[The Perfect World Of Delusion.]”

How did she get to the end without chanting first?

His mind went blank with a boom. His essence, his mana plummeted to nothing and after a single blink he was standing on a grassy plain. Lying down and basking in the sun. His mind whirred, he was the Blood Drinker⁠— no, he was just S̶̡̟͔̐n̴̻͑͌̓a̴̪͔̮̎͋s̸̨̠̘̈́⁠—

His mind corroded as he suffered unbelievable pain. His fucking name had been Corrupted by The System, it was the first thing that he gave to it in order to advance power and his greatest mistake. What did it mean to give his name⁠? He had nearly forsaken his entire existence right then and there. He was the Blood Drinker, the God of Biology! He⁠—

He twisted his hand and pointed it at himself. He forced the little of his mana to twist the direction of his blood within his mind and⁠— system notifications went off, he had called upon the Corruption, an integration of his being, yes⁠— the trick to everything, it was to Integrate yourself to The System without losing self control, without losing yourself. It was to borrow The System as a part of your being.

The grassy plains became nothing, he could see distant fires being sprouted as the sky began to become red. Yes, it was his greatest nightmare, the one he wished he died in. Nevertheless, with a blink he stood once more in the hall.

A sigh entered his ears. “Really, why must all Monarchs be such a pain to kill.”

As he was about to turn around he felt a sword stab through his back, but he simply grunted. What could a sword do to him, he wouldn’t even bleed unless he desired to⁠— his thoughts were interrupted as the sword began to eat away at his vitality. It wriggled within its wound sprouting vines. A Dark Plant item? No he just had to escape.

He staggered away from the crazy woman.

Just as he was about to commence his counter-attack, his head flew. His eyes went wide as he blinked, he barely managed to prompt his mana to touch his crown as he called upon the effects of an item.

Everything went black for a brief moment.

He sat in a dark room. He was sweating profusely as he stood up from a throne. His head pounded with pain, how many levels had he lost on that? About ten? It didn’t exactly matter. He had to run away and that was humiliating.

* * * * *

The head of the Blood Drinker flew but there was no notification. She was just frowning, she was pissed⁠— angry. So much information gathering only for the old senile creep to run away. He was a damn weakling in her eyes. Her ears buzzed with pain, and sweat dripped from her forehead.

“My stat distribution really is completely messed up.” She let out a sigh. “Thousands of points into Vitality. Maybe it will be worth it soon?”

Pain throbbed through her body. She had used a bit too much mana trying to kill the decrepit Blood Drinker. But turns out, like any other Monarch, they had methods to just survive death at least once. He could sense his mana lingering in the air, but he was no longer on the planet. She had stalled the man from going to the Crimson Stretch. She closed her eyes remembering her priorities.

“Lumina, I will be there soon…” With a pause, she added. “Blair, don’t die.”

Elasia shook her head and walked back. Corruption this Corruption that, god did she hate those that tried to mess with The System. There was a clear way to get S-Grade, but it was one that none of those all dumbasses comprehended, and sadly, it resided in the Final Space. She exited the palace as she stared at the crimson sky.

What is the point to power? She laughed. I wish I knew.