In the crimson heavens of his Soul Sea, Jade floated motionlessly.
The blood ocean beneath him roared violently.
The crimson clouds twisted.
The dead army standing at the horizon remained silent.
Then—
Something awakened.
Jade suddenly clutched his chest.
His body trembled.
His eyes shut tightly.
The feeling wasn't painful.
At least, not at first.
It was something far stranger.
Something he had never experienced before.
It felt as though his very soul was being forced awake.
As though every sleeping part of his existence was being dragged into consciousness.
The next second—
The blood ocean erupted.
Massive crimson waves rose into the heavens.
The blood-like essence within Jade's Soul Sea surged toward him.
One stream.
Ten streams.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
They wrapped around his body.
If someone were standing nearby, they would have seen a gigantic sphere of blood forming around him.
A crimson cocoon.
A womb of rebirth.
Inside it, Jade's entire being disappeared.
Then the pain began.
"Argh..."
Jade gritted his teeth.
The essence entered his skin.
It seeped into every pore.
Into every vein.
Into every drop of blood.
Then it began melting him.
Not physically.
Existentially.
His old self was being broken apart.
Destroyed.
Rebuilt.
His chest felt like it had been thrown into a furnace.
The burning spread.
His shoulders.
His arms.
His hands.
His stomach.
His spine.
His legs.
His feet.
Every organ.
Every muscle.
Every bone.
Every cell.
Everything was changing.
Everything was evolving.
Jade wanted to scream.
But no sound escaped.
The pain was too overwhelming.
His bones cracked.
Not because they were breaking.
Because they were becoming stronger.
Denser.
Harder.
His muscles tightened.
His blood grew hotter.
His nerves became sharper.
His senses expanded.
The process reminded him of Beast God's lineage inheritance.
But this was different.
This was his own awakening.
His own transformation.
His own power being born.
The blood cocoon shook violently.
Cracks appeared throughout its surface.
Each crack released terrifying crimson light.
Inside, Jade could feel his body becoming stronger every second.
Faster.
Sharper.
Deadlier.
The boy who had entered the Trial no longer existed.
The frightened teenager who once feared every creature in the darkness no longer existed.
The Jade who had nearly died against a Humanoid Lion no longer existed.
That version of him had been left behind.
Buried beneath blood.
Buried beneath suffering.
Buried beneath countless battles.
What remained was something else.
Something forged through a year and a half of struggle.
A warrior.
A survivor.
A monster among Initiates.
The dead army watching from afar seemed to lower their heads.
As if acknowledging their king.
The blood ocean surged higher.
The crimson sky trembled.
Then—
The pain reached its peak.
Jade's entire body felt as though it was being crushed and rebuilt simultaneously.
His blood roared.
His heart pounded.
His soul shook.
Then suddenly—
Everything stopped.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The burning vanished.
The pain disappeared.
A cool sensation washed over him.
Refreshing.
Comforting.
Healing.
It swept through every part of his body.
The wounds he had accumulated throughout the Trial.
The fatigue.
The suffering.
The exhaustion.
Everything faded away.
For the first time in over a year, Jade felt truly rested.
He floated peacefully inside the cocoon.
Then the cocoon shattered.
BOOM!
Blood exploded outward.
The crimson ocean calmed.
The crimson clouds parted.
Jade slowly opened his eyes.
His vision was slightly blurry.
His body felt lighter.
Stronger.
More complete.
He lowered his gaze toward his hands.
They looked the same.
Yet everything had changed.
He could feel it.
Power.
Real power.
Not borrowed.
Not gifted.
His own.
The System spoke.
Its ancient voice echoed throughout the Soul Sea.
"Awakening successful."
Jade's heart accelerated.
This was it.
The moment every Aspirant dreamed about.
His power.
His Aspect.
His future.
A weak ability could ruin a person's path.
A powerful ability could change destiny itself.
Jade knew he had affinity toward blood.
But beyond that—
He had no idea what awaited him.
The System continued.
"Power acquired."
The crimson sky trembled.
Jade held his breath.
"Power Name: Blood Control."
For a moment, Jade froze.
Then excitement exploded within him.
Blood Control.
Just hearing the name sounded terrifying.
A smile appeared on his face.
Without hesitation, he summoned his profile.
To his surprise—
It actually appeared.
A crimson screen materialized before him.
Jade immediately began reading.
Name: Jade
Rank: Initiate
Class: Dormant
Data:
Obsidian Vine Shadow,
Bloodwings
God Name:
Unformed
Dormant Core:
0/500
Echoes:
Ant-Demon
Titan Beast
Legacy Practice:
None
Powers:
Shadow control,
Blood Control
True Name:
Shadow of Blood
Description:
Blood King desired greater strength.
Thus he abandoned his throne and became the Shadow of Blood.
Citadel:
None
Jade stared at the profile.
His hands trembled slightly.
An Initiate.
He had finally become an Initiate.
Not an Aspirant.
Not a survivor.
Not a candidate.
An Initiate.
Everything he had suffered for had become reality.
The profile looked incredible.
Blood Control.
Two powerful abilities.
Two echoes.
A Divine Lineage.
A True Name.
Any ordinary Initiate would go insane from happiness.
Jade certainly felt happy.
Very happy.
Then—
His eyes moved downward.
He blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The smile slowly disappeared.
His expression became strange.
Then confused.
Then horrified.
A long silence followed.
Finally—
Jade pointed at the profile.
"What the f*ck?"