Born in Blood

Chapter 419 Fool

"Fool."

A word was hissed with a sharp rasp.

The source?

Somewhere within the Emperor's own body!

Something was emerging from within him.

The Emperor already attempted to use his flames and his Path.

But he couldn't.

Something had seized his powers!

The Emperor ground his teeth and tried to swing once more.

But he couldn't.

His entire body was frozen.

Paralyzed.

The only thing he could use was his mental sphere.

So he did!

His mental waves spread.

It took the shape of two massive, ethereal hands.

Then, both hands clasped tightly around his body.

The pressure was high enough to produce real diamonds.

Even the average peak Rank 5 Zenith would slowly turn to paste if that attack was used on them.

But for the Emperor, only his breathing had constricted.

But his intent wasn't just to choke himself.

It was to stop Alucard from bursting out of his body!

The Emperor dismissed the few cuts on his body.

They were just cuts.

Even a normal human would dismiss such a thing.

Even a child.

He was a bloody Rank 6 cultivator!

Why would he care about a few scratches?!

Besides, they would close up and heal almost instantly.

But a simple overlook allowed the king of vampires to seize the upper hand!

Speaking of which… Alucard was still growing out of the Emperor's body!

The mental energy held the vampire tight as he grew out of the Emperor's body… but it was like he was pulling himself out of mud.

Before long, a head formed, growing out of the Emperor's shoulder like a disgusting deformity.

Then, a neck.

Followed by a spine and a torso, slowly growing.

Next was the groin and limbs.

Then, the robes.

Alucard lightly kicked himself off the Emperor's face, then hovered in front of him.

An aloof, disdainful expression was on Alucard's face.

Like he was looking at an insect and not a cultivator at the peaks of power.

"Leech! Coward! Face me like a man!" the Emperor snarled angrily.

Silence.

Alucard's face twisted.

"This is why you humans revolt me," Alucard said through his teeth.

"You can't see beyond the tip of your nose," Alucard hissed with leaking anger. "And yet you claim superiority?"

The Emperor's eyes widened with anger.

He was grinding down his teeth to powder.

But he was unable to speak.

Alucard continued, growing angrier the more he spoke.

"You're all like mere fleas to me, buzzing around feces and seeking to spread your vile disease."

"Do you know how little it took from me to defeat you?"

"Do you have any idea? Any idea at all?!"

"What was your name again? Ah. Ceaser the Great… the Emperor of Courage, the Beacon of Hope."

"So much for that."

Alucard's face was dark. Murderous. Evil, sinister, and every other word associated with malevolence.

He turned to the sides.

There was no one around.

He looked to where Usan and the Empress were.

Then, he looked back towards the Emperor of Courage with a cruel smile.

Both of his hands crackled with red energy.

Sensing the sheer danger radiating from that mass, the Emperor didn't feel so courageous anymore.

Alucard raised his arms over the man's face, and the red energies connected to the Emperor's eyes!

PAIN!

The Emperor wanted to scream from the top of his lungs, but even his mouth was against him.

Then, Alucard's palm seized the Emperor's face, his clawed fingers digging into his skin.

It felt as though he was burning inside, but there wasn't any fire burning with him.

Dread.

Amidst all the pain he was going through, only then did the Emperor realize the Pashah could have ended things straight away.

It wasn't cowardice.

It wasn't a lack of power, either.

It was patience…

For the Empress' fight to finish.

'Please.'

'Please tell me you won, Rhea.'

'Please. Just run.'

"That little voice telling you there's hope?" Alucard said as the Emperor's vision darkened, his very soul burning to shreds. "It's lying."

A moment later, the Emperor's eyes crackled with a flash of light, and he fell limp.

His mental sphere wasn't broken.

His body wasn't injured.

His core was still intact.

But the Emperor was dead.

A powerhouse.

Gone.

Wiped out.

Alucard took a deep breath and recomposed himself.

"Humans," he said with disgust in his voice, grabbing onto the Emperor's limp body. "Worthless."

***

A few hours prior.

Usan and Rhea, the Empress of Fear, had moved above the ocean.

They stared daggers at each other, but for different reasons.

Usan despised the Empress because she had invaded his country, resulting in the deaths of countless people.

The Empress hated Usan because he interrupted the wager of who gets to keep the Worldly Artifact.

But it wasn't as simple as that.

"The invasion wasn't personal," Rhea, the Empress, said vaguely, guessing Usan's identity. "You know it wasn't."

"It was for me," Usan responded, voice distorted and equally angry, "and the countless women and children you butchered."

The eight Shadow Clones were itching to swing their weapons and draw blood.

Truth be told, past a certain point, everyone treading on the cultivation journey dedicated their lives to power.

Attaining power, harnessing power, perfecting power.

The ends justified the means.

Always.

What else could they do?

Have children?

And what, watch them all die from old age while they live decades older?

Make them a target?

Forsake them later on?

It was a mistake to involve oneself into such proceedings.

He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.

"I see," the Empress said, sighing. "Shame."

Black energy swirled around her fingers, taking the shape of an elegant rose flower. Just as fast, it blossomed, spreading far too fast for Usan to do anything about it.

Darkness was encompassing the horizon. From Usan's perspective, it looked as though a dark jaw was clamping over the skies, blocking out the light.

Except, the two were clearly visible to each other.

Ominous silence.

The Empress smiled coldly.

"Can't have you running now, can we?"

Usan scoffed derisively.

"Didn't plan to."