CHAPTER 95: KNIGHTS [4] - BLOODLINE RESTRICTION

Although humans in this world could gain power beyond human limits by becoming Knights, this did not mean that all humans could become Knights.

In fact, only members of a select number of bloodline families could train to become Knights, as each known Knight Technique required the practitioner to possess a certain bloodline.

For example, the Nightreaver Knight Technique—the ancestral technique passed down by Eleanor’s ancestors—could only be practiced by members of the Black Tulip family.

Without the Black Tulip bloodline, one would find it impossible to practice it.

If there was anyone daring enough to force themselves to practice despite such warnings, they would end up going insane at best or exploding at worst.

Recalling this information, Liora’s idea to become a Knight should have been curbed.

But in fact, it hadn’t.

She had already thought of a method to bypass this stringent restriction.

Or to be more accurate, the System itself had pointed the way to her not long ago.

Thinking of this, Liora reached into her clothes and, from within, she took a small glass vial out.

A few drops of red liquid could be seen lying inside of it, shimmering with an eerie black brilliance that resembled a fierce attacking snake.

"The blood of the Black Tulip family.", Liora muttered.

This blood was something she had specifically requested from Eleanor earlier.

Though Eleanor had been surprised when faced with such a strange request, she perhaps only thought that Liora had a strange hobby and didn’t hesitate for long before giving her a few drops of her own blood.

However, Eleanor would never know that a few mere drops of her blood would one day become the key for Liora to practice her ancestral Knight Technique.

Holding the vial in her hand, Liora inspected it for a brief moment before tightening her fist, causing the glass to shatter into pieces.

The glass shards immediately shot all over the place, bouncing off her firm skin and embedding in the ground.

At the same time, the blood hidden within the vial was also exposed to the outside world, dripping right into Liora’s open palm.

Instantly, the blood squirmed eerily and let out a loud hiss as if it were truly a living, breathing snake. It moved quickly and, sensing the danger, tried to jump off Liora’s palm and escape.

Unfortunately, the blood was facing something beyond its understanding. Or beyond the understanding of everyone in this world.

The moment that the blood was about to flee, the crimson veins on Liora’s armor vibrated while the skin of her palm parted, revealing the blood and bones inside.

From the gap, a few drops of her own blood shot out and merged into a giant mouth that floated mid-air before swallowing the snake-like blood in one bite.

Having completed its mission, the bloody mouth retreated back into Liora’s palm, while her skin closed like a zip.

Everything turned back to normal, making the previous scene seem like an illusion or a dream.

However, Liora knew very well that everything she had just witnessed had indeed happened.

Not only because it was impossible for her to be deceived, but also because she felt that some changes began taking place in herself the very moment she devoured Eleanor’s blood.

Her muscles tightened while her blood boiled as if on fire, beginning to adjust its very structure, and slowly becoming closer and closer to Eleanor’s.

A few seconds later, her crimson blood gained a black snake-shaped hue, as its transformation gradually came to an end.

Liora showed no surprise or any shock regarding everything that had just occurred.

The transformation of her blood was not outside of her expectations. In fact, it was exactly what she had been seeking.

...

[Supreme Adaptation—The user’s adaptability to their environment has massively improved. The user’s body naturally adjusts itself to better fit into the surrounding environment, making them more comfortable in exerting their full strength.]

...

Supreme Adaptation—this was a brand-new effect that showed up in her Myriad Devils Body after her advancement, and it was an effect stemming from the standard ability that every Lesser Devil would awaken—Devil Body.

As a race created to travel through the Heavens and invade and plunder other worlds, Devils would frequently encounter the suppression of these worlds.

Thus, perhaps as a natural evolution of their species or perhaps as a gift of the Demon World, they had gained the Devil Body, an ability that could allow them to adapt to their external environments.

Her Myriad Devils Body—an ability created during her transformation with the help of the System—had further improved upon this ability, making the adaptation process not only way faster, but also far more all-encompassing.

This ability seemed unassuming at first glance, but it was in fact quite powerful.

Take Liora’s previous experiences as an example.

When she encountered the accident and was thrown into the Inferno Valley, she found herself in a place filled with fire elements and a lack of any other element.

Originally, in such a place, any ability other than those related to fire should have been suppressed, granting the native lifeforms a massive advantage over the intruders.

Yet, exactly because of Supreme Adaptation, Liora had been able to use all of her abilities freely, exerting her full combat power.

Overall, the importance of Supreme Adaptation could not be understated.

Feeling that her entire body had experienced a massive restructure, Liora closed her eyes and inspected her own state.

After confirming that everything was fine and that no issue had arisen during the adaptation, the information of the Nightreaver Knight Technique resurfaced in her mind once again.

According to this technique, for one to reach the first rank of Knights and become a Knight Apprentice, all they had to do was sense the Life Force hidden deep within their bodies.

By finding it, they could unlock its hidden properties, instantly enhancing their strength and becoming "superhumans".

In fact, as a Devil rather than a human of this world, Liora shouldn’t have possessed any other energy apart from demonic.

Fortunately, just like the aspect of bloodline, the Supreme Adaptation had also taken care of this issue.

Closing her eyes, Liora’s consciousness moved and began scanning the interior of her own body.

As her powerful soul focused on every inch of her flesh and blood, she soon noticed a well-hidden abnormality.

"Is this the so-called Life Force?", Liora wondered.

The moment that thought arose, the originally hidden abnormality became even more apparent and clear.

The next second, a trace of energy appeared where there was originally nothing, an energy that seemed to exist between reality and illusion.

As Liora’s consciousness landed on it, the energy instantly materialized and took real form, turning into a green thread of mist that seemed to represent life itself.

With its materialization, the energy seemed to have been activated.

Like its shackles had been taken off, it began coursing through Liora’s body endlessly, passing by her blood, flesh, and bones.

Liora’s body shook before a popping sound came out of her body, having broken through a certain limit.

"Knight Apprentice...", she muttered, feeling the unfamiliar energy that was wandering within her body, slightly enhancing her strength in the process.