Chapter 140: Ascension Rite (7)
“Roar—”
Flickering Arcane Radiance danced across the body of the Dragonblood Sorcerer, his form swelling violently. Instantly, thick white vapor erupted in all directions. The stench of Sulfur and Saltpeter overwhelmed the cloying Bloodstained Scent, making the underground realm feel like the heart of a volcano. As the smoke cleared, an eighteen-meter-long Red Dragon stood before them—majestic, terrifying, undeniably real.
Duke Brad halted his pursuit of Langli BaiTiao, turning to face the beast. His crimson eyes burned with fury.
“So it’s you.”
“Damned Crawler.”
Why? Why do you keep interfering—again and again?
For the first time in centuries, the Vampire Duke abandoned his usual arrogance. Before him stood not just a monster—but a true Dragon. In the Prime Material Plane, no sane being would dare underestimate a Dragon. And this one was no ordinary beast. He was the Red Dragon, the favored of Mother of Monsters Tiamat, the supreme ruler among the Five-Color Evil Dragons.
Kai Xiusu said nothing. He simply unleashed a torrent of Fire Breath.
“Boom!”
Scorching flames surged toward the vampire. But Duke Brad moved like a shadow—darting and twisting through the air with the agility of a bat, evading the inferno with ease.
Alje, under his control, charged forward, eyes hollow, roaring as he swung the Everburning Greatsword at his current master.
Dominate Human? Kai Xiusu recognized the spell instantly.
“Roar—”
The Red Dragon let out a low, thunderous bellow. An invisible aura of dominance radiated from his colossal frame—Bloodline suppression so overwhelming that Alje’s body trembled, his very Spiritual Soul shaken.
【Leader’s Aura】
In an instant, clarity returned to Alje’s eyes.
Kai Xiusu didn’t spare him a glance. Instead, he spread his mighty wings and unleashed a Dragon Roar that shook the very foundations of the underground world. With unstoppable momentum, he surged forward.
“Damned Crawler.”
Staring at the Red Dragon’s relentless advance, Duke Brad clenched his teeth, his crimson eyes blazing with uncontainable rage.
I’ll make you understand… what true death feels like.
For hundreds of years, no one had ever dared stand in his way. And for two centuries, he had prepared for this Ascension. He would not be denied.
With a roar, Duke Brad raised both arms. Darkness howled like a wounded beast. From the ground, countless corrupted Shadow Tentacles erupted. Crimson Blood Mist filled the sky, and thousands of bats swarmed like a storm cloud, pouring forward in endless waves. Beneath them, the Sea of Blood surged forward in a tidal wave of gore.
The vampire’s accumulated strength erupted in full force—transforming everything within sight into a hellish Sea of Blood.
At this moment, he was the king of this realm.
But then, the Red Dragon’s scales flared—blazing gold-red, pulsing with energy. Fragments of raw power floated around his body like thousands of tiny satellites. Around him, blinding lightning crackled and danced, emitting constant Fizzling Sounds.
As the Red Dragon plunged into the maelstrom of Blood Mist, Shadow, and bat swarms, a blinding flash erupted—driving back the darkness in a wave of pure light. Bats fell in droves, vaporized mid-air into charcoal by the electric storm. Shadows dissolved like smoke under the energy fragments. And the Blood Mist? It evaporated before it even reached him.
“I never meant to stop you.”
Just… you’re in my way, old bat.
The Red Dragon unleashed a sea of flames, incinerating everything in his path. Fire surged toward the vampire.
“Even Dragons must fall!”
“And I—am the eternal Monarch!”
Duke Brad’s face twisted further, his pale features now grotesque. The power of Original Sin had warped his soul even more. His voice cracked with madness.
“You should kneel before me!”
A vast, crimson tide—like a living veil of blood—rose before him, shielding him from the flames. The Sea of Blood surged forward in a monstrous wave, roaring toward the Red Dragon.
“Just a petty trick to scare mortals.”
Who gave you the arrogance—using such feeble tactics against a Dragon?
Without hesitation, Kai Xiusu charged forward, plowing straight into the Sea of Blood.
He slightly opened his jaws. Powerful Basal Vessels channeled flame energy through his body, storing it in his Lungs. The heat built in his throat and chest, causing his entire torso to glow faintly, like molten lava. Firelight flickered through the gaps in his scales.
The scent of Sulfur and Saltpeter grew unbearable. His massive dragon form now resembled a living volcano, on the verge of eruption.
【Extreme Flame Breath】
“Boom!”
A column of white-hot, searing flame erupted from the Red Dragon’s maw—piercing through the Sea of Blood in an instant.
Where the flames touched, thick blood-water evaporated before it could even reach him. In a flash, everything burned. Flames consumed all. Blood mist filled the air.
Kai Xiusu turned his head slightly, guiding the flame column directly toward the vampire.
For the first time, Duke Brad’s crimson eyes flickered with genuine fear.
That kind of fire—direct hit—and even with an Undying Essence, the vampire would be shattered beyond easy recovery.
But the vampire still laughed—mad, wild, defiant.
“It’s useless, Crawler!”
“I am everywhere! I am eternal!”
With that, he dissolved into a swirling mist of blood, merging completely into the raging Sea of Blood, making his true form invisible.
“Annoying little pest.”
If you’re so good at running… then don’t blame me for killing your entire family.
Kai Xiusu didn’t hesitate. He turned his head sharply and unleashed his fire upon the naked vampires bound to the stone pillars—defenseless, trapped, unable to move.
In an instant, the Vampire Offspring were engulfed in white-hot flames. When the fire died down, only molten rock remained—steaming violently, oozing red magma. Even the iron chains binding them had melted into glowing red slag, dripping slowly like liquid fire.
The truth was clear: the so-called “undying” nature of the vampire offspring was nothing but hollow boasting. They had limits.
Atri Lakanman—the Duke’s second son, the symbol of Wrath—was gone. A warrior of great strength, meant to provide power for the Duke’s Ascension. But he never even had time to scream. He was reduced to ash in the furnace of pure flame.
“No—!”
“My… my child…”
Duke Brad reformed in midair, his voice raw with grief, on the verge of losing his mind. Years of self-hypnosis had made him truly love these children. This love—this devotion—was only fulfilled when their Offshoot Bodies were completely absorbed, consumed, leaving no trace.
Atri’s death meant the end of his Ascension.
Now, as the Red Dragon turned once more—fire gathering in his maw, aimed at the Symbol of Pride, his most favored daughter, Alykshia—Duke Brad could no longer bear it.
Floods of wrath poured from his eyes. Riding the endless tide of blood mist, he shot from the sky like a crimson comet, screaming toward the Red Dragon.
“Crawler… I will make you die!”
(End of Chapter)
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