CHAPTER 118: CLASH OF THE ANCIENT BLOODLINE

"Let’s just drop the stealth and confront him. It’s better not to let things get misunderstood."

Lucien said to Velmara, who was still thinking about what to do.

"Okay, but be ready to run and don’t leave my side for a second."

Velmara also nodded to Lucien, ready to cancel his state, although he seemed more cautious at every step.

"But...didn’t you say nobody at the realm can spot you? Why can he find us, then?"

Lucien asked suspiciously. Although the guy in front was an S-rank being, unless his ability was related to perception, he shouldn’t be able to locate them.

And if he did have such an ability, why did it take so long for him to find them?

"How would I know? Kid, are you doubting me?"

The big owl rolled his eyes at Lucien, clearly offended.

"Haha... I didn’t mean that. It is just... this guy is weird."

Lucien laughed, trying to smooth things over. After all, he still needed Velmara’s help and couldn’t afford to make him angry, could he?

"Oh? A native beast? Hmm...with a trace of Vermillion, no wonder you hide so well from me."

The moment Velmara cancelled his stealth, the piercing gaze of the black robbed guy landed on both of them.

And with just a look, he managed to say something that even Lucien wasn’t aware of.

Vermilion? Velmara has an ancient bloodline?

Lucien couldn’t help but look at the big owl beneath him with suspicion. After all, from his knowledge of his previous life, the Vermilion was a mythical beast synonymous with fire, brilliance, and glory.

But looking at the owl that could only hide in the shadows, where was the fire? Where was the brilliance?

Swoosh!

Just when Lucien thought so, suddenly, to his shock, the entire area went dark. From the land below to the sky where they were floating right now, everything disappeared in the pitch darkness.

Then, he suddenly felt the unknown shadows surge from every direction, while countless feathers scattered out of nowhere, followed by an earth-shaking cry of Velmara.

Roar!

In an instant, the surroundings were shrouded in darkness, followed by a thunderous roar.

A storm of shadow-like feathers converged from every direction like a tidal wave, striking straight at the black-robed man, impaling him within a prison of shadows.

Bang!

Everything happened so fast and with such violent intensity that Lucien didn’t even realize what had happened until the deafening bang reached his ears.

Fortunately, he was in a safe spot. Otherwise, even the slightest touch of those feathers would have killed him a hundred times over. There would have been no chance of survival at all.

In such pitch-black darkness, Lucien could only see the glowing eyes of Velmara fixed in a certain direction, followed by his voice, which seemed to come straight from hell.

"Who are you? How did you know my bloodline?"

Apparently, Velmara had attacked the figure in front of him because that man had spoken his bloodline out loud.

As far as Velmara knew, the trace of Vermilion bloodline inside him was so faint that nobody could recognize it unless he revealed it himself. Even Malcolm had only discovered it after forming a contract with him.

This was his greatest secret, one tied directly to his very origin. How could he possibly take it lightly when the figure before him unveiled it with just a glance?

Unfortunately for him, even though he launched a full-force surprise attack, the person in front didn’t even flinch.

His converging feathers that were sharp enough to impale even a Peak Weaver-rank expert into a bloody sieve without a mana shield surprisingly failed to do anything at all.

The only effect it had was tearing away the black robe draped over the figure, revealing his silhouette beneath the tattered cloth.

That was the reason Velmara didn’t dare attack again.

’It seems Lucien is right... This man is clearly stronger than I am. No, he feels far stronger.’

Velmara was already regretting his decision, attacking so hastily. But he couldn’t be blamed either.

After all, if someone could uncover his deepest secret with just a single look, of course, he would be terrified to the point of madness.

"Tch... didn’t even tickle. Is that the best you can do?"

Just as Velmara was struggling with what to do next, the figure floating silently in front suddenly spoke, his tone dripping with thick disdain.

"You little owl have truly disgraced the noble Vermilion bloodline. Such a pitiful being... You don’t even deserve to carry an ancient bloodline, even if it’s just a trace."

His voice was cold as ice, each word a blade of ridicule that sliced into Velmara without mercy.

Lucien could already feel Velmara’s glowing eyes burning with madness, his rage spiraling out of control from his words.

’Damn! What the fuck are you doing? Didn’t you say to be careful? Why are you attacking him out of nowhere?!’

Sandwiched between two overwhelming forces, Lucien felt utterly powerless.

He had never expected such a normally calm beast to suddenly lash out in fury at someone clearly stronger than him.

And now, the situation had completely turned for the worse. From the man’s mocking tone, Lucien could tell he wasn’t even injured.

That terrifying barrage of feathers, an attack so strong it made Lucien’s heart palpitate in dread, didn’t even manage to leave a scratch.

Lucien didn’t need to think twice to understand what that meant.

"You dare! Don’t insult my ancient bloodline."

However, the conflict was far from over, as evidenced by the dense shadows of feathers that spurted forth again, this time with even more intensity.

The snide remark from the guy in front clearly managed to irk Velmara’s nerves.

Lucien didn’t know why, but when it came to his bloodline, this beast companion of his grandfather couldn’t control his temper at all.

"Hmph! Ancient bloodline? Don’t make me laugh."

However, this time, as Lucien expected, the fierce attack of feathers and darkness didn’t manage to do what it had before.

Instead, with just the disdainful voice of the man in front, the attack suddenly halted in its place.

Yes, Velmara’s furious strike that was so powerful directly froze mid-air, as if he had suddenly lost all access to it.

"How... how is this possible?"

Then, Lucien heard Velmara’s shocked voice, filled with dread, followed by an oppressive aura so intense it directly crushed the suspended feathers into nothingness.

Even the darkness that had shrouded the sky and land disintegrated, vanishing as if ashamed to exist before such power.

In that instant, the world that had been pitch-black became clear again, finally allowing Lucien to see the figure standing before them.

"Hehe... how about I show you the true power of an ancient bloodline? You little owl, how dare you attack me? Do you have a death wish?"

Only now Lucien could see the appearance of the tall man clearly. But after seeing it, he also managed to mumble the same thing Velmara did.

"How... how is this possible?"

Lucien was shocked to see that the person in front wasn’t a human at all.

Instead, with that tall frame, a pair of sharp black horns curving back from his head, and golden-crimson eyes glowing with a pressure no mortal could withstand, he looked more regal than anyone Lucien had ever seen.

Even the faint scales at the edge of his neck and the claw-like nails on his hands made it impossible to mistake.

It was clearly a dragon.

A bona fide dragon in bone and flesh.

Even though Lucien had never seen one before, the mere presence spoke loudly enough for him to recognize it. That overwhelming aura, the kind that could make anyone submit simply because of its higher origin, was unmistakably that of a dragon.

"Lucien, brace for the impact."

Just when Lucien was still reeling from the revelation, he suddenly heard Velmara’s anxious voice, followed by his body rapidly growing in size, fully ready to face the real threat.

A large shield of pure power suddenly materialized around him, forming a defensive barrier. From his stance, it was clear he was prepared to take an impact that hadn’t even arrived yet.

"Let me show you what real power is."

However, it didn’t take long for the impact to strike.

As soon as the dragon in front sneered, it moved with blinding speed, landing directly above Velmara’s head. First, the fist collided with the shield, then the head in an instant.

Bang!

From Lucien’s view, the attack looked almost casual, even unimpressive compared to Velmara’s earlier strikes.

But the moment he heard Velmara’s scream of agony, followed by his massive body collapsing to the ground with a deafening crash, dust and debris flying everywhere, Lucien understood the true magnitude of that punch.

Just one strike, and Velmara was already like that.

Lucien had clearly underestimated this guy... far too much.

"Lucien, run from this place! I’ll try to hold him for a while... I can’t last long!"

Amid the chaos, the booming impacts, flying dust, and crumbling debris, Lucien heard Velmara’s voice that was clearly urgent and desperate, ordering him to leave immediately.

Velmara already knew he was no match for a pure-blooded dragon. Even trying to hold him off, like he just said, was nothing more than a desperate hope.

After all, he knew how incomprehensibly powerful a dragon could be... let alone a pure-blooded one like this.

He could only regret letting his own temper get the better of him. He fucked up big this time.

But it was already far too late.