THE LAST BLOOD SOVEREIGN

CHAPTER 13: THE CRIMSON SHIELD

 

The explosion swallowed the Eternal Blood Shrine.

For several long moments, there was nothing but blinding light.

Then...

BOOM!

A shockwave burst outward, shattering dozens of ancient pillars. Chunks of stone crashed to the floor as dust and crimson energy filled the chamber.

Silence followed.

Slowly, the smoke began to clear.

Varos stood with his black sword embedded in the cracked floor.

His breathing had become heavier.

Across from him stood Kael.

His clothes were torn.

Blood trickled from his forehead.

But he was still standing.

Surrounding him was a transparent crimson barrier that shimmered like liquid crystal.

Varos narrowed his eyes.

"So..."

"You survived."

Kael looked at his own hands in disbelief.

The barrier slowly dissolved into tiny crimson sparks.

"I... blocked it?"

Seraphine smiled.

"No."

"You awakened it."

"The Crimson Aegis."

"The first defensive art of the Blood Sovereigns."

Kael felt warmth spread through his body.

Although exhausted, he could sense that his bloodline had grown stronger.

Varos slowly pulled his sword from the ground.

"I underestimated you."

"For that..."

"I apologize."

Kael frowned.

"You apologize?"

Varos nodded.

"Because now..."

"I will stop treating you like a child."

A terrifying aura exploded from his body.

The black armor covering him cracked apart.

Hidden beneath it was another suit of armor—dark violet, covered in ancient imperial runes.

The shrine trembled.

Even Seraphine's expression changed.

"He released his Seal Armor..."

Varos smiled faintly.

"The Emperor entrusted me with a fragment of Abyssal power."

Dark flames erupted around him.

His violet eye glowed brighter than ever.

The temperature in the shrine dropped sharply.

Frost spread across the stone floor.

Kael instinctively stepped back.

The pressure alone made breathing difficult.

"So this..."

"...is your real strength."

Varos disappeared.

Not fast.

Instantly.

Kael's instincts screamed.

He activated Crimson Aegis without thinking.

CLANG!

The black sword struck the barrier.

Cracks spread across the crimson shield.

Kael was thrown backward, crashing into the steps of the ancient throne.

Blood spilled from his lips.

The barrier flickered.

One more strike...

It would shatter.

Varos walked toward him slowly.

"No matter how gifted you are..."

"You have trained for days."

"I have trained for decades."

Kael clenched his fists.

He hated admitting it.

Varos was right.

He was stronger.

Far stronger.

Then Kael noticed something.

Every time Varos attacked...

The violet eye glowed.

Every time he paused...

Its light dimmed.

"That eye..."

"It's controlling his power."

Kael remembered something Arkan had once said.

"Every great power has a price."

An idea formed.

Dangerous.

But it was his only chance.

Varos raised his sword again.

"This ends now."

Instead of retreating, Kael charged straight at him.

Seraphine gasped.

"Kael!"

Varos smiled.

"Finally accepted your fate?"

The black sword descended.

At the last possible moment...

Kael dropped to one knee and slid beneath the blade.

The sword missed him by inches.

He ignored the pain as he lunged toward Varos's left side.

Not the heart.

Not the throat.

The glowing violet eye.

Varos's expression changed.

"You figured it out!"

Kael thrust two fingers toward the eye, channeling every ounce of Crimson Pulse he could muster.

BOOM!

Crimson energy exploded.

Varos staggered backward with a cry of pain.

The violet light flickered violently.

Dark flames surrounding him became unstable.

For the first time...

His movements slowed.

Kael smiled through bloodstained lips.

"I don't have to be stronger..."

"I just have to find your weakness."

Seraphine watched in astonishment.

"The instinct of a true Sovereign..."

Varos covered his injured eye.

Blood seeped between his fingers.

Then...

To Kael's surprise...

Varos began laughing.

Not angrily.

Proudly.

"Excellent."

"Simply excellent."

He lowered his hand.

The wound around his eye slowly healed.

"You have passed."

Kael froze.

"Passed?"

Varos drove his sword into the floor and knelt on one knee.

"I was never sent here merely to kill you."

"The Emperor wanted your death."

"But another..."

"...wanted to measure your worth."

The entire shrine fell silent.

Kael stared at him in confusion.

"Who?"

Before Varos could answer...

A majestic voice echoed throughout the temple.

"So..."

"The last heir still carries the spirit of our blood."

Golden light poured down from the ceiling.

A magnificent figure slowly descended.

He wore robes woven from crimson and gold.

A radiant crown rested upon his head.

Unlike the First Blood Sovereign, whose presence was calm and ancient...

This man's aura was overwhelming.

Regal.

Unshakable.

Even Seraphine immediately knelt.

Varos bowed his head.

"The Second Blood Sovereign..."

"...has awakened."