Neo could sense a different sense of power emanating from the flower.
It wasn’t strong per se, but still strong?
There was something different, something unique about Violet Everwitch.
Its glowing petals were mesmerizing.
They seemed to be inviting, hoping he would consume it.
Its enchanting grasp held dominion over his mind.
He almost absorbed it when suddenly a sharp pain tore through his veins, and he stopped.
The battle between his bloodlines had reached the climax.
The new bloodlines held a numeric advantage.
However, they were damaged.
They should’ve been ejected, instead of being able to usurp Neo’s original bloodline.
Something astonishing happened at that moment.
The bloodline Monarch of Death swelled.
Enraged, it grabbed the invading bloodlines and started to devour them.
[Bloodline Combination]
It was a rare event. It only happened when two bloodlines were similar, and the weaker bloodline would be devoured, empowering the stronger bloodline.
But Monarch of Death and the invading bloodlines couldn’t be more different.
They were not similar at all.
Neo, confused, tried to stop his bloodline.
He wasn’t enthused to find out what would happen if his bloodline devoured a bloodline that was completely different from it.
Before he could do anything, the invading bloodlines had been eaten completely.
Neo blinked, stupefied.
The pain suddenly stopped.
He felt as if a volcano on the verge of explosion was brewing within him.
[Collected Bloodline ??? fragment x1]
[Collected Bloodline ??? fragment…]
[Collected Bloodline ??? frag…]
[Collected Bloodline ???….]
[Collected Bloodl…]
[Collected…]
[Collec….]
The bloodlines weren’t named.
But Neo could see he had gained six [Bloodline Fragments], each belonging to a different bloodline.
“I took six different bloodline vials, and gained six fragments. Monarch of Death could do something like this?”
To say he was surprised would be an understatement.
Monarch of Death had overpowered the invading bloodlines and not even allowed them to leave.
His bloodline had forced them to give everything to it.
[It has been detected that Bloodline Fragments x 6 are compatible with Mind Invasion Bloodline.]
[Would you like to fuse the Bloodline Fragments x 6 into Mind Invasion Bloodline?]
[Please note, if you can gather more Bloodline Fragments of the same Bloodlines, it is possible to gain their original Bloodline.]
[Proceed/Deny?]
While staring at the screen, Neo had forgotten the state of his body.
If not for Ava appearing at his side just in time and holding him, his head would’ve crashed into the blood-soaked pond.
She helped him come out of the pond.
“Thank you.”
“How did you do that?” she asked instead of replying to his thanks. “The raw ability to devour other bloodlines and force them to integrate into oneself is something only Dragons have.
“Are you a Dragon?”
Her golden eyes seemed to stare into his soul.
Neo opened his mouth to refuse but stopped halfway through.
Was he a Dragon?
As far as he knew, Dragons had different kinds of bloodlines themselves.
Maybe Hades’ bloodline belonged to some ancient Dragon Clan, which later evolved into Monarch of Death.
‘That would explain why my bloodline can do something that only Dragons should be capable of.’
“Why aren’t you answering?” Ava asked, breaking his train of thought.
“I don’t know,” Neo answered truthfully. “I’ll ask my dad about it when I can meet him.”
Ava felt he was dodging her question.
“How long would that take?” she pressed.
“I don’t know.”
Ava frowned, ticked off.
Neo had consumed more than half of Yasagori Pond.
It would take over a century for the pond to recover to its previous state.
Instead of being thankful and answering a question of hers, Neo was lying about something that was blatantly clear.
“I really don’t know,” Neo said, sensing her emotions. “I’ve never met my dad in my life, and I don’t know how long it is going to take.”
She seemed unconvinced, so he added,
“The partial reason I came to this world is because I came to meet my parents if I become strong enough.”
Suddenly, Ava’s mind turned deathly silent.
“…is that true?” she asked hesitantly.
“I’m afraid it is,” Neo answered with a chuckle.
His smile only made his words seem more true, making Ava think he was hiding his pain behind the smile.
She started to feel a sense of kinship.
The shift in her state of mind surprised Neo.
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‘What the hell is happening with your family, Kane?’
He kept his thoughts to himself, knowing Ava wouldn’t answer him.
Besides, he had a more important task at hand.
He stared at the flower.
It seemed to be enticing him to consume it.
Neo had been caught in the flower’s bewitchment the first time, but he didn’t fall for it again, being prepared.
“Who are you going to use it on?” Ava suddenly asked.
“Someone who was injured because of me.”
She looked at the flower as if wondering something.
Unlike the time when they were climbing the mountain and Ava acted as if she was being forced to help Neo, this time she spoke genuinely.
“Don’t use it. That is the flower of a Witch. It will turn anyone who consumes it into a True Witch.”
She pursed her lips and quickly added,
“True Witches are born from those flowers. I don’t know how you got your hands on something that precious. But it’s a cursed object.”
“Okay, stop,” Neo raised his hand to stop her from sputtering. “Talk slowly, and explain it in simpler words.”
It was only then Neo realized they had been talking in the same language.
‘Kane must’ve taught her our world’s language,’ he thought.
Ava, not knowing his thoughts, opened her mouth.
“I’ve read books from our clan’s library. One of the books there had information about that flower. It explained that the Witches were born from it.”
“What’s a Witch?”
“An Immortal.”
“…?” Neo frowned. “What’s so bad about it?”
“You can’t die. No matter how hard you try, you will live. Always. For Eternity.”
Her words thundered in his head.
Neo had forgotten what Eternity entailed.
In fact, he did remember it.
But he had come to embrace and appreciate it.
What about others?