Andesha held up the crystal up to show Scarlett, watching the little girl chew her lips in hesitation:

“In any case, I shall revive him, and you will follow me willingly. The Blood of Gods in this crystal has the purest Darkness Element in it and I am not willing to use it, if it’s not to acquiesce to your request.”

“You....”

But Andesha finally lost her patience. She suddenly realized that Brendel was actually an incredible candidate, no, he was possibly the best candidate for an Acolyte she had ever seen. He was someone who became a Gold-ranker at his age and had even awakened his Element Power. Otherwise, Mana would not be leaking out from his body.

Andesha ignored Scarlett’s struggles and directly pierced Brendel’s heart with the pointed crystal.

Brendel lightly groaned and frowned in his unconscious state.

“Nooo!” Scarlett stared with wide eyes as she wailed in despair.

Andesha clapped her hands as if to clear off the dust and looked back at Scarlett.

“Hmmm. Indeed, there are cases where Acolytes who don’t survive or loses their will after receiving the Blood of Gods, but there are exceptions like yourself, and your lord has a very good chance of succeeding. Don’t be too eager to kill yourself, little girl, you might be separated from your Lord forever!”

It was difficult for the Blood of Gods to corrupt someone with an Element Power because of their immense will, but it also depended on an individual’s mastery. In addition, there was another lie within Andesha’s words. The Blood of Gods she had was the purest amongst the ones distributed to the members of the Tree Shepherds. Even someone like Veronica would be unlikely to suppress it, and she did not think the youth would be able to succeed.

Even though Scarlett hated Andesha, the latter’s words could not suppress the sliver of hope that sprung with her heart. Her eyes went towards Brendel and she watched the Blood of Gods spread through her young lord’s veins, biting her lips as she prayed for a miracle to happen.

Suddenly, Andesha snapped her head to Brendel as she felt a peculiar vibration behind her. A golden point on Brendel’s body had suddenly appeared, and it rushed straight towards one of the many black lines from the Blood of Gods, and the black line was converted into a golden line that went straight back to the sources. A second point, a third point, countless points appeared and overwhelmed the black lines as though they were consuming the Blood of Gods.

“This is....”

Andesha stared at the blinding golden crystal with a slacked jaw. She had seen countless people transformed into Acolytes, but she had never seen this sight before, and felt that things were going out of her expectations. Her hands subconsciously tried to take out the crystal, but as soon as her skin came into contact, she screamed. It was as though her hands were plunged into molten lava.

She withdrew her hands to inspect them and discovered her skin completely blistered, even peeling off a little.

[What’s going on?]

The light from the vibrating crystal continued to intensify, and the golden rays emitted from it lit nearly half the valley.

“A divine bloodline! A divine bloodline! The bloodline of a true god!” Andesha muttered to herself with a stunned expression as she held her breath, refusing to believe her eyes: “He’s a descendant of the gods! How can this be!?”

But the golden lines on Brendel’s suddenly stopped, and Andesha’s expression changed once more. The divine energy was reaching out to one of the star constellations in the sky.

“No, this isn’t good!” Andesha came back to her senses as she realized she was not the only strong entity in the Dark Forest. Veronica and Mephisto were lurking around somewhere, not to mention the strange fog demon masquerading as a Hydra. Countless vines rushed over Brendel’s body to blanket the divine energy, but an immense beam of light reached for the heavens—

[I’m too late!]

The light parted the clouds and reached for the seventh constellation in the sky.

The Dragon of Combat, Fafnir.

================= Brendel’s POV ================

– System alert: The Blood of Origins is compatible.

– Repairing started.

The nearly unconscious Brendel felt himself floating in an endless sea of darkness, until a voice echoed in his mind and pulled him back to reality.

The youth immediately sensed needles prickling into him from the heart, and he could not help but cry out in pain as the foreign energy invaded his body. Then the flashing green words registered in his mind.

[The Blood of Origins!? That’s the system’s term for the Blood of Gods. Is someone using the Blood of Gods on me?]

After a moment of surprise, he gritted his teeth and immediately tried to gather his Element Power to resist the Blood of Gods’s invasion to his soul. Even though it was repairing his body, it would ultimately turn him into a mindless puppet. But the pain only increased and he realized that his Mana was leaking out of his body.

[I-I can’t stop it.]

The image on the system’s windows indicated that the Blood of Gods was reaching into his brain.

[Fuck, why is this happening!]

He glared at the floating screen as the core area was about to be affected.

– Detected an unknown Item of Destiny.

Brendel took a moment to understand what he was reading.

[Item of Destiny?! What item is near me? Wait, in the first place, where am I right now?]

– System Alert: Unknown Item of Destiny is interfering with the Blood of Origins.

– System Alert: Unknown Item of Destiny has been forcefully activated.

Brendel looked at the messages with a stupid expression.

[I didn’t even get to refuse or accept it.... Is this the result of the Blood of Gods invading my soul? No, wait, it’s saying that the Item of Destiny is interfering with the Blood Of Gods. I’m confused....]

There was a sudden change in the scenery before his eyes, and he discovered himself sitting down on a cold golden throne. The youth had never seen any descriptions of an Item of Destiny manifesting itself in this manner.

Fingers traced the golden metallic armrest, and they withdrew quickly as a sobering cold invaded them.

Brendel finally calmed down as he felt the sensation on his fingertips, and he started to think about his situation.

“Where is this place?” He muttered and sighed.

The area around him was dimly illuminated, but he soon realized it was a vast hall. Obsidian pillars with an intricate design extended endlessly into darkness. A slight streak of pain pulsed through his mind as he peered into the cold, empty darkness. It was almost as if he was being strangled.

He averted his gaze and swept the surroundings.

[There’s no one here. Where is this? Am I awake or unconscious?]

He narrowed his eyes and tried to find anything that was out of the ordinary. Suddenly, he spotted a glint in front of him. It was a golden throne, not unlike the one he was sitting at, and on it was also a person.

[He’s looking at me— Wait, is this a mirror in front of me? Am I looking at myself?]

He continued to look at the throne opposite of him, about to raise a hand to test whether it was a mirror, when a low booming voice reached into his ears. It was not a grating voice, but a little heavy. The voice crossed a great distance, but it was clear as though that person was speaking next to him:

“Announce your name formally.”