Chapter 256
After witnessing Idrinne’s display of blood manipulation, Chris couldn’t help but change his mind.
There was no comparison.
This was on a completely different level from any blood technique he had ever seen.
“A genius.”
The name Evan, the hero, flashed through his mind.
If Evan was a prodigy with the sword on par with Chris himself, then this girl before him was clearly a prodigy in blood manipulation.
Without a doubt, she was a genius in the art of blood techniques.
“Moreover, she’s already perfected it.”
While Evan was still growing and developing, this girl had already fully formed her own vessel.
“She’s gone beyond mere thoughts—she’s created her own world.”
That meant she was at the 7-star level.
At least mid-7-star, maybe even upper 7-star or beyond.
For reference, Idrinne had surpassed upper 7-star and reached the realm of 8-star ‘Jin’ (Advancement).
And with the powers granted by the demon, she could wield strength far beyond 8-star.
“Why wasn’t someone this incredible known in her previous life?”
The answer came quickly.
“Before her name spread, she must have been killed by the Blood King.”
Most of the key figures in the Blood Sword Maga clan had been slaughtered by the Blood King, so she was likely no exception.
“The more you understand the meaning of life contained in blood, and the more you grasp the meaning of death, the stronger your blood manipulation becomes. Without this, obtaining the Blood Cross is meaningless. Time is tight, though.”
Idrinne counted off on her fingers as if checking a schedule.
“First, we’ll start with the basics—casting the shadow of death onto a drop of blood. There’s a long road ahead, so this must be done within a day.”
Her eyes shone with pure light.
“It’s a bit tight, but I believe you can do it.”
Chris fell silent for a moment.
“…Within a day? Are you serious?”
What she just described was the very essence of blood manipulation.
Even among the true bloodline of the Blood Sword Maga, many couldn’t do it.
“No matter who you are, it should take at least a few days.”
It was an insanely fast pace, but Idrinne’s gaze showed she truly believed Chris could accomplish it within a day.
“How long did it take you?”
“Me? I didn’t really have to try. Playing with blood, it just came naturally one day.”
Idrinne said this with the annoying confidence typical of geniuses, then continued.
“You’re human, so it might be harder for you, but don’t worry. I’ll demonstrate everything in detail.”
With that, Idrinne eagerly began demonstrating blood manipulation.
She looked genuinely excited to teach Chris.
Every now and then, she’d say things like, “We’re friends, after all,” which made Chris chuckle.
“Well, I guess I have no choice.”
Since this sucker was voluntarily throwing himself into this, Chris couldn’t just stand by.
“If I can’t learn it when she’s showing me this openly, my name’s not worth anything.”
Like a sponge soaking up water, Chris absorbed Idrinne’s teachings, and time flew by.
For ten days.
Idrinne poured her heart and soul into teaching Chris.
She taught so intensely that Chris started to look worn out.
“You want me to apply it like that? Right now? That’s…”
“No! You can do it! I’ll help you! We’re friends! True friends! So I’ll teach you everything I know!!”
Idrinne, seemingly tireless, spent the entire ten days in high spirits, pouring out all her insights with passionate instruction.
‘No, this isn’t quite the kind of sucker I was hoping for. Not some overzealous fool. Tone it down a bit.’
Chris being worn out from lessons was something he never expected.
From this, it was clear just how intense Idrinne’s teaching had been.
‘It helped, though.’
No, it was more than that.
A drop of blood rose from Chris’s hand and fell onto a withered flower.
Then, something unbelievable happened.
The dying flower began to bloom again.
Chris had infused ‘life’ into his blood!
But that wasn’t all.
When he dropped another blood drop, the flower rapidly withered again.
This time, ‘death’ had manifested.
In just ten short days, he had grasped the essence of blood manipulation.
If his previous blood techniques were merely tricks to control blood, now he could wield life and death itself with a single drop.
‘Of course, it’s still weak.’
It was still impossible to use these powers directly against strong foes.
Still, being able to imbue blood with the ‘meaning’ of life and death greatly amplified the power of his blood manipulation.
‘And that’s not all. This life-and-death power will create incredible synergy with my other abilities.’
Idrinne also helped Chris refine the chaotic foundation of his blood techniques.
‘I even vaguely understood the true meaning of the Blood Cross.’
That was thanks to her guidance.
“What I realized from the Blood Cross is ‘sacrifice.’”
“‘Sacrifice’?”
“Yes. The Blood Cross ultimately represents both life and death. Within the intersection of life and death, you must find your own answer. The answer I found was ‘sacrifice.’”
Chris chuckled at her insight.
It was the kind of realization you’d expect from an overenthusiastic fool who’d give you his liver and gallbladder the moment you became friends.
‘That kind of insight isn’t for me.’
Her realization didn’t fit Chris’s selfish nature at all.
Instead, he vaguely grasped a different concept.
‘A sacrifice.’
He didn’t know why that thought came to him.
It wasn’t a clear realization.
But it burned into his mind like a brand.
An incomplete insight.
How this would affect him would only become clear after he achieved perfect understanding in the future.
‘Not yet the time.’
He had a gut feeling that some kind of trigger would be needed to reach full enlightenment.
‘Anyway, this visit turned out to be full of unexpected events.’
As he prepared to leave, Chris sighed.
He had come to kill the Blood King, but instead ended up saving her, mastering blood manipulation, and then leaving.
‘What’s going on with the Blood King? It’s so different from what I knew in my previous life.’
Before leaving, he had secretly observed the Blood King.
Idrinne was with Deborah and other clan members, and there was no trace of evil in her. Instead, he felt a deep sincerity toward her people.
‘It’s frustrating.’
The image of the Blood King from his past life flashed through his mind, making his head spin again.
Then, suddenly—
Because of the unexpected image of the Blood King, or perhaps because memories from his past life kept surfacing—
Chris was struck by a sudden question.
‘…Why did I come back?’
A chill ran down his spine.
It was strange.
‘…This couldn’t have happened by mere chance.’
Returning to the past meant rewinding the entire world’s timeline.
He had been foolish to think it was just a miracle.
‘Nothing happens in this world without cause.’
Chris swallowed hard as a more chilling truth dawned on him.
‘…Why didn’t I think of this question until now?’
He couldn’t understand it.
Normally, he would have thought of this long ago.
Cold sweat began to trickle down.
It felt like opening a box containing something terrible.
‘Who did this? And why?’
And then, the most important question came to him.
‘Why me?’
Who?
Why?
Why was he chosen?
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, his head throbbed sharply.
At that moment, the door burst open.
“It’s your friend, the Grand Duke! Are you ready to leave?!”
It was Ria—Idrinne herself.
Chris stared blankly for a moment before speaking haltingly.
“…Why are you here?”
“Obviously, I came to go with you. I’ll escort you to the Dark Maga’s barrier. We’re friends, after all!”
Idrinne’s voice was bright and cheerful, but she blinked.
Chris’s mood was off.
“What’s wrong with your face? Are you feeling unwell?”
“…No.”
“No? That doesn’t look like a no. You’re sweating and your face is pale.”
Chris looked dazed for a moment.
‘What was I just thinking about?’
He felt like he was thinking about something, but couldn’t remember.
Or was he really thinking about anything at all?
“Are you okay? Want to drink some of my blood?”
Idrinne could infuse her blood with strong life energy, making it a powerful healing agent.
“…I’m fine. But you want to come along?”
“Of course.”
“No, you should stay here.”
“Is it because of Marquis Langham?”
Chris flinched.
“I know roughly what’s going on with the Dark Maga. When we return, there’s a high chance I’ll have to fight Marquis Langham, so you don’t want to get caught up in it, right?”
Chris didn’t deny it.
“My fight with Marquis Langham is an internal family matter. You don’t need to get involved.”
But Idrinne gave an unexpected answer.
“I don’t think so. We’re true friends, beyond family.”
“…”
“Didn’t you tell me that true friends help each other without worrying about circumstances?”
Chris fell silent.
‘No, this fool. Even a passionate idiot has limits.’
But she didn’t seem willing to back down.
“Of course, as a true blood of the Blood Sword Maga, I know it’s not right for me to interfere in the Dark Maga’s affairs. I won’t step in if you’re not in danger. But if you are, I won’t hesitate to save you, no matter what. That’s what friends do.”
Chris shook his head as if there was nothing he could do.
A small, amused chuckle escaped him.
“Well, maybe this trip wasn’t a total loss after all.”
After all, he’d managed to create such a passionate, hopelessly loyal fool.
“Alright. Just don’t come crying later, regretting this.”
“That won’t happen. Because we’re true friends…”
“Do you know how cheesy that sounds when you say it like that?”
“Cheesy? True friends. Isn’t it kind of cool?”
“Even the elementary students at the Alliance Academy wouldn’t talk like that.”
Chris smirked at the sight of the proud vampire, the heir of a prestigious magical family, sulking like a child.
“Let’s go.”
Whoosh!
He used the Arch’s Hole.
Because of the artifact’s range limit, they couldn’t move completely inside the barrier.
They arrived at a neutral zone just outside the barrier, where coordinates had been set in advance.
Idrinne, who had traveled with him through the Arch’s Hole, tilted her head in curiosity.
“Are you sure this is safe?”
“Safe? What do you mean?”
“If we set the coordinates ahead of time like this, wouldn’t Marquis Langham inside the barrier get wind of it, lie in wait, and ambush us?”
“That’s possible. Actually, he almost certainly will. I’ve already leaked the information on purpose.”
Idrinne’s eyes widened slightly.
“You’re not…?”
“Yeah. I’m going to take down Marquis Langham here.”
That’s right.
This place was the grave of Marquis Langham.
Everything had been prepared in advance.