Chapter 124 Vita, The Power Of Life (1)

124 Vita, The Power Of Life (1)

The Elven Forest was burning.

Hundreds, if not thousands of Vampires had infiltrated the holy grounds of the Elves, many brandishing their signature weapons and flinging magic spells at anything that moved. Angered that the Bloodborne House had disturbed their peace, every single able-bodied Elf charged out from the Elven Sanctuary with their signature bows and swords and descended upon their invaders with a rightful vengeance.

The Elves weren’t alone either. The Shadowgarden House members, Vampires skilled in assassinations and murder, raced to the Elves’ aid and fought back the bloodthirsty intruders.

However, even though the Bloodborne House were outnumbered ten-to-one, none of them thought of retreating. Rather, their attacks became far more frantic with every passing minute, as if a frenzy had overwhelmed their senses.

Rather than Vampires… The Bloodborne House’s elites looked more like berserkers. Their faces red and tinged with the blood of their enemies, the Vampires burned and killed their way through the serene Elven Forest.

The vast majority of the attackers had focused their firepower near Elven settlements as if their only goal was absolute destruction and annihilation of the Elves. However, there were a few Bloodborne members headed in odd directions.

One such group was headed to the centre of the Elven Forest and quite possibly to the heart of the majestic jungle itself. The other was headed right in my direction with an unyielding will to obtain what they thought was rightfully theirs.

Now, one might ask how I could see everything that was occurring in the Elven Forest.

It’s quite simple, actually.

I raised my Soul Armament and carefully examined the ring on my fourth finger. Its deep emerald hue dazzled with the splendour of a thousand trees, and it felt like the entire Elven Forest was reflected within it. Through its magical properties, I could peek into all life forms within my vicinity, and its range seemed to be expanding by the second.

Essentially, I could see what Rosa sees on a daily basis. No, given that my power wasn’t just limited to plants, I could see even more. The billions, if not trillions, of ants in the forest. The monkeys screamed as they swung from tree to tree. And even the Elves who were shooting their arrows manically at their enemies.

Nothing could hide from my soul’s vision.

It felt like I had entered into a new realm of consciousness. Everything felt so surreal as the world had been painted in different colours, and all existence felt metaphysical. The amount of information I attempted to process was overloading my brain, and I did my best to ignore the irrelevant details and focus on the important matter at hand.

“How does Rosa even manage to stay sane?”

Opening my vision for a few seconds was enough to fry my weak brain… I couldn’t imagine the endless torment that Rosa had been subjected to. Not to mention, using the power of the World Tree, she could be connected to every living plant around the globe.

Compared to her… I really was a novice.

“Still… I can’t let her stay ahead for long!”

I swore to protect the girl. I swore to give her a soul. I swore… To make her happy.

And I can’t do that if I was weaker than Rosa, now can I?

Taking a few deep breaths in, I calmed myself down and sent more magic power into my fourth finger. Once more, a strange vitality pulsated through my veins as a strange, emerald aura enveloped my body. Clenching my hand into a fist, I familiarised myself with this new power that had awakened within myself and thought of all the possibilities I could conjure up.

Come to think of it… I have yet to name this new power.

Imperium… Genesis… Interitus…

Spacetime… Creation… Destruction…

If I were to go with the same patterns, then…

“Vita,” I whispered softly.

And through that one word, a torrent of magical energy left my body and illuminated the lustrous gem within my fourth finger. The trees around me started to grow, and unknown vines emerged from the forest bed. All of the flora and fauna danced in unison as they bathed in the dazzling light, every single one of them turning more robust with every passing second.

At that moment, I felt a connection beyond ordinary magic. Spirit and Nature magic, two distinct branches that no human or Vampire could ever access, were now accessible through my ring. No, I’d realised something important now that I could use them.

Spirit… Nature… They were all the same. They both came from the same source. They were…

“Vita… The Power of Life.”

❖❖❖

Horatio Bloodborne smiled joyfully as he moved through the dense Elven Forest. Thus far, the Bloodborne House’s plan had been proceeding smoothly. The dispensable Vampires would raise a ruckus, drawing out the despicable Elves from their ivory homes, creating a vacuum that the main force could exploit.

Then, the Bloodborne House elites, including all of the remaining Consorts, would fight toe-to-toe with the Elven Priestess and her annoying Elven Guards. As strong as the Consorts were, even they would be hard-pressed to defeat the Elven Priestess, especially since she was protected by the World Tree.

However, the Bloodborne House didn’t need the Consorts to win; they only needed them to buy time. The main reason for the Bloodborne House’s invasion wasn’t to annihilate the Elves but to allow the High Elder to finish the ritual at the World Tree.

Once the Progenitor’s coffin was brought to the World Tree, the final phase of the Grand Plan could finally commence, and the resurrection of the Ancestor was only a matter of time.

And looking at the state of the Elven Forest, everything had been moving according to plan.

Even Horatio’s little side quest, the mission to obtain Jin Valter to ascertain if he was the Progenitor’s reincarnation, was moving faster than expected. Horatio thought that it would take a few hours for him to get a sense of Jin’s location, but luckily for him, one of the Elves they captured knew about Rosalyn’s little kidnapping and pointed them in the right direction.

“Hehe, once we’ve resurrected our Ancestor… The Bloodborne House will rise up again! I can’t wait to see the looks on those bastards’ faces when we dominate their blood like in the good old days.”

In Horatio’s mind, capturing Jin was as good as a done deal. Although he had dramatically improved since the last time they’d met, Horatio didn’t think he was any weaker than Jin. Quite the contrary, in fact.

The Bloodborne Prince was born superior. A descendant of the purest Vampire lineage and a man with powers matching many ancient Vampires. He had combat experience far beyond any Vampire his age and his magic had been explicitly refined for battle.

Compared to a novice like Jin… Yeah, Horatio did have the qualifications to be arrogant.

But alas… His arrogance was what blinded him.

“Hoh?”

A sudden surge of magical power exploded in the air as if a tempest was fomenting from the direction that they were headed. Horatio raised his eyebrows, not knowing what that foreign energy was from. Fortunately for him, it didn’t take long for that unknown magical power to reveal its owner.

Shrouded in an ethereal, emerald mist, a tall black-haired man emerged from the dense overgrowth. Moving with absolute confidence, the well-built Adonis never once betrayed a look of anxiety on his young face. His crystalline blue eyes turned crimson as he raised his chin to meet Horatio’s gaze, and a smile crept up both faces.

Horatio, still in a state of ecstasy, let out a brilliant smile as he roared: “Jin Valter!!! Fancy meeting you here!!!”

“Horatio Bloodborne.”

Jin, on the other hand, let out a wry smile. He greeted the Bloodborne Prince, but his tone was not a tinge of respect or reverence. Rather, it was defiant and brute, like a gladiator getting ready for his next life-or-death match.

“Jin Valter! Since the last time we met, you’ve become quite the popular boy!”

“…”

“Everyone has heard of your name by now! Your exploits with Eyghon have even reached the ears of our High Elder!”

“…”

“He’s really impressed by your abilities, and he really wants to meet you! So, if you don’t mind…”

“Cut the crap, Horatio.”

“…”

The Bloodborne Prince paused mid-sentence, and his body stopped. Raising one brow, he looked down at Jin with an incredulous expression. This was the first time anyone outside of his family called him so informally. It felt as if… Jin was utterly looking down on him and treating the thousand-year-old Vampire as if he were an inferior creature.

“You can save your breath. I know about your plan to resurrect the Progenitor.”

“… What?”

“And you think that I’m his reincarnation, right?”

“…”

At Jin’s explosive words, Horatio was rendered speechless. His cavalier attitude was wiped clean, and the Bloodborne Prince’s face instantly became stiff. The plan to resurrect the Progenitor should have been a secret. Not only that, their suspicion that Jin was the reincarnation of Dracula was something only Horatio and the High Elder knew.

Yet… Jin knew all about it.

“You… How did you know?”

“Does it really matter?”

“No… No, it does not.” Horatio closed his eyes and thought about it for a moment.

Jin was right. It didn’t matter if Jin knew about the plan or not. Either way, he would bring Jin to the High Elder, whether by force or not. In fact, this turn of events was far more convenient for the Bloodborne Prince. At least he didn’t have to act like someone he wasn’t anymore. Pointing his finger at Jin, Horatio laid down the order to his loyal Shadowfiends:

“Seize him!”

Since there was no need for pretences, Horatio immediately gave the cold order. It didn’t matter if Jin knew about the plan or not. All he needed to do was come obediently with him to the High Elder.

But Horatio made one crucial miscalculation…

“No, seize him.”

“Yes, sir!!!”

The loyal Shadowfiends, which should have been flying towards Jin right now, had turned coat and attacked Horatio instead.

“W-What are you doing?!”

Stunned by the sudden betrayal, Horatio reacted late to his loyal followers’ insubordination. But even as he was taken off guard, Horatio’s reflexes were worthy of a Bloodborne Prince. He summoned his Blood Butterflies and quickly suppressed the first wave of attackers.

“Hey! Snap out of it! Why are you attacking me instead of-…”

Even before the man could get a word out, the other Shadowfiends struck in a coordinated fashion. Funnily enough, the disciplined formation of the Shadowfiends, a training regimen that Horatio had spent centuries drilling into his loyal soldiers, was now being used against him.

“Y-You! W-What did you do to-…!”

“Stop.”

Horatio’s focus was zoned in on the Shadowfiends that attacked him, which had made him oblivious to the real threat that loomed over his shoulders. Dozens of thorny vines, most of which had been shot down from the canopies, struck Horatio’s fleshy body and dragged him straight down onto the floor.

At that moment, the Bloodborne Prince could feel his magic power being drained away from him rapidly as an unfamiliar sense of fatigue arose from the deepest parts of his mind. However, before his brain could give way, Horatio gave Jin one final look of shock and refusal.

“Y-You… W-What did you do?!”

“Hoh? As expected of someone from the Bloodborne lineage. I can’t seem to control your soul as easily as your friends.”

“C-Control my soul?”

“Long story,” Jin shook his head with no intention of answering. “But well, since you’re still awake…”

Jin pointed his fourth finger right at Horatio’s forehead, and with a sinister voice, he muttered:

“You’re going to tell me everything you know about this plan…”

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