Bloodline Awakening!

A secondhand black Ponce crossed four parallel railway tracks and forced its way onto a rough stone road. After violent jolting, it finally pulled up before a watchtower. In earlier years, the watchtower had been used to monitor the surrounding waters and guard against smuggling vessels. Later, as the empire's colonial system expanded, petty smuggling could no longer draw the imperial government's attention. Even so, the watchtower had never been abandoned. It was retained, equipped with telephone lines and armed observers. For while the boats smuggling cargo had dwindled, the ships trafficking people had multiplied. Every year, massive numbers of illegal immigrants entered Wien this way. Karen stepped out of the car, bent down, and checked the undercarriage. This secondhand car had truly been a great bargain. Not only did its appearance suit Karen's taste, but more importantly, it had great endurance and had hardly ever given him trouble. "Perhaps I could have Alfred drive it to the black market for some modifications?" There was no need to modify it into something like Neo's VIP limousine; that would cost far too much for Karen to bear. Just adding a few features and parts would be enough. Pushing open the watchtower door, Karen saw two middle-aged men unconscious on the floor. They were likely the post's original observers. Climbing the rusted iron steps to the topmost platform, Karen saw Neo huddled in a corner, the clay jar sitting before him. "Squadron Leader?" Karen took a step closer. "Don't move!" Neo suddenly raised a hand. His eyes were tinged with red, and his lips trembled. With that movement, Karen noticed fine white threads crisscrossing the space right in front of him, sealing Neo inside. These threads hadn't been activated against outsiders; they were meant as an inward defense, not an outward one. "Squadron Leader, what happened?" "After evading pursuit, I figured I'd examine this jar while I had the chance and figure out what they were actually up to. Halfway through my research, a colorful mist suddenly rose from the jar. I wanted to find something to store it in, but no bottle would hold it, and nothing else worked either. I couldn't just stand by and watch it dissipate. This thing has to be the key." "And then?" "So I opened my mouth and inhaled it." "You... inhaled it?" "Yeah, and then I ended up like this." Neo smiled faintly. "Still, I finally figured out what this thing is. It's like taking a bite of ice cream and tasting all its flavors. I 'tasted' emotions, faith, and the like in it. Now I finally know what they're doing—they're running experiments. They're creating a god!" "I don't think that's the point right now. The point is, are you all right?" "Not all right. I feel like I'm about to fade out." Neo rubbed his face. "Right now I feel like a leech that accidentally swallowed a bellyful of salt." "Are you corrupted?" "Not corrupted—distorted. Before I called you, the extreme emotions almost washed away my sense of self. If I didn't have plenty of experience dealing with this kind of thing, I'd already be stark mad. "Do you know what's ringing in my head right now? It sounds like thousands of people shouting the slogans of Holy Fire believers at me, and I'm getting more and more worked up myself." "Can you be more specific?" "I think that was pretty detailed." "No, Squadron Leader, you need to be more specific. I can't benchmark you against an ordinary person to gauge how bad it is." "Fine, I'll show you. I'm going to ease up slightly on my mental control..." Neo's body jerked violently. A fierce, predatory red instantly flooded his eyes, and he snarled at Karen: "Send the purple pigs to hell! SEND THE PURPLE PIGS TO HELL!" *Thud!* Neo slammed his back against the wall, as if forcibly shoving something down again. When he reopened his eyes, the redness had halved. Taking a deep breath, he said: "That's the situation. The moment I ease up on controlling myself, I veer into an extreme. That's why I chose to seal myself in here. I set up these threads. If I lose control and charge out, they'll slice me into steaks on the spot. "After all, I don't want to end up as a lunatic roaming the streets hunting down purple-haired people to slaughter." "How much longer can you hold out?" "No idea. Can't measure it accurately. But I know that once my consciousness tires and my mental energy flags, I won't be able to keep resisting." "Do you need an energy potion?" Karen pulled a vial from his pocket. "I know how to overdraw my energy, and I know how to wring out my potential. An energy potion wouldn't do much for me. A thick steak with macaroni would be better." "You really must be hungry, mentioning steaks so many times." Karen uncorked the energy potion and took a sip. It tasted sweet—not bad. "Are you going to smoke a cigarette next?" Neo sneered. "Oh, right. Thanks for the reminder." Karen pulled out a cigarette and casually lit it. "Shame. The car was just cleaned and detailed; my manservant used to keep some food in it." "Not like I could eat it anyway." "Watching me eat would make it taste all the better." "I think you should show a little more concern for your squadron leader. Even if it's fake, could you get into character a bit more? Be professional, will you?" "You called me here because you already had a solution. I know that." "With an accident like this, who else could I turn to? In all of York City, the person I trust most is you." "Only in York City, huh? Sounds like you've got several more in Wien, and even more outside of Wien. The telephone's right by your hand. People abroad wouldn't make it in time, but those in other cities across Wien probably could." "What on earth are you focusing on?" "Heh." Karen flicked his ash and looked at Neo. "Squadron Leader, tell me your method." "Two methods can solve my problem. "The first..." Karen stubbed out his cigarette and cut in, "I think you can skip straight to the second." "Why?" "Because knowing your habits, the first method is usually just a foil for the second. The second is the one you actually want." "I was just worried about being too blunt. A man's got to keep up appearances, after all." "No need, Captain. What kind of relationship do we have? After all, you're the person I trust most in the Hound Squad." "Fine. I'll get straight to the second method then: I let myself go mad, and you beat the shit out of me until this madness is battered out. Detoxification through physical means." Karen stared at Neo. "Are you sure you didn't fake being poisoned just to have an excuse to fight me?" "Do I look that bored?!" "Yes." "No—look at what time it is! Can we not joke around?" "Often, the truth hides behind a joke." "If I wanted a fight, I'd pick a better time. Besides, it's not like you'd refuse me now. You just asked if I wanted an excuse to fight you, not whether I wanted to beat you up. That proves deep down you have the confidence to take me on, and you're willing to do it yourself, aren't you?" "Haha, I was only joking. Why take it so seriously, Squadron Leader? You're even explaining yourself." "..." Neo was speechless. Karen stood up and brushed the dust off his trousers. "Still, this isn't a sparring match." "Of course. You must beat me down completely." "Then you need to debuff yourself first." "I think my condition is already terrible." "Not terrible enough. We have to consider the bigger picture. Ideally, I beat you down without taking much damage myself, because I still need to carry you back." "So should I expend some more spiritual power?" "Mm, sounds good." Neo first dispelled all the threads he had set up around himself. Then, a ball of blazing Light fire manifested before him. The flames began condensing into a tiny flame—the absolute essence, which took immense power to maintain. Karen looked up at the wall clock and waited quietly. "Isn't that enough?" "It's only been a few minutes. I have faith in your depth of reserve, Squadron Leader." "Can we start now?" "Far from it. You should have firm faith in yourself as well, Squadron Leader." "How about now?" "Hold on a bit longer." "Enough, surely?" "The fact that you still have the energy to ask proves you still have strength to spare." About half an hour passed. Neo's face was drenched in cold sweat, his lips pale. Aside from the occasional swirl of red in his eyes, he looked utterly exhausted. Seeing this, Karen said, "Captain, cut yourself in a few places and bleed a little." Neo stared at Karen and raised a hand, as if intending to cut himself, but the moment his hand came up, his eyes flared crimson, and he plunged instantly into a manic fervor. Karen flicked his wrist, bringing the formation bead into his palm. *Sigh, careless of me. I should've made the captain promise to reimburse me for this first.* Crushing the bead, a miniature teleportation array appeared. Karen seized the hilt and drew the Sword of Arius. "Roar!" Neo let out a low snarl. Instead of attacking Karen, he leaped straight out the window. Karen leaned sideways and followed him out the window. But at that exact moment, Neo—who had leapt out first only to cling to the wall just below the sill—launched an ambush. *He went crazy, but kept his wits?* "Guardian Wall!" Yet the freshly formed defense was pierced clean through by the glowing white claws on Neo's hand. By then, however, Sea God's Armor had enveloped Karen's body, absorbing the blow. Even so, the shock of that kinetic force transferred to Karen, sending him hurtling into midair. Neo surged up after him, waving his hands to manifest two greatswords of Light, hacking relentlessly at Karen. Karen parried with the Sword of Arius, Dark Moon power and the energy of Light colliding in midair with furious, rapid clangs. "Roar!" Mid-clash, Neo suddenly closed the distance. Karen hesitated for an instant. Resisting the instinct to lop off Neo's head with the Sword of Arius, he turned the blade and thrust it toward Neo's arm. *Pfft!* The blade impaled Neo's arm, but what poured out wasn't blood—it was Light power, scalding like magma. It was as though what Karen had pierced wasn't human flesh, but a furnace melting under immense heat. Under such dense, terrifying Light power, the Dark Moon power clinging to the Sword of Arius couldn't unleash itself at all. The palm Karen used to grip the hilt began to burn. Left with no choice, Karen let go of the Sword of Arius and retreated. Without a shred of hesitation, Neo shifted trajectory and pressed the assault. Crossing his hands, Karen summoned chains of Order from the empty air around them, wrapping toward Neo. But Neo darted with freakish speed, slipping through the gaps between the chains every time. A screen of light materialized before him, and he punched straight through it. Behind Karen, a massive fist of Light coalesced and slammed down toward him. Layer upon layer of Order Cages expanded outward around Karen. The fist of Light shattered three cages, but failed to truly harm him. Yet that slight delay allowed Neo to close the gap again, appearing right in front of Karen. He bared his fangs and lunged to bite him. A pair of black wings flared behind Karen. Bolstered by Qianmei's power, his speed spiked and he plunged downward. Having missed his prey, Neo gave chase, unwilling to let him go. *Boom!* Karen hit the ground first. But just as Neo plummeted toward the same spot, the power of freezing frost surged, and a gigantic icicle sprouted out of thin air. *Crash!* Neo slammed into the icicle. Radiating unimaginable heat, he bored straight through, melting the ice as he bored down. In the distance, the Sword of Arius that Karen had dropped flew back under his pull, stabbing straight at Neo's back. Without even turning his head, Neo reached back with his left hand. The blade pierced his palm, but the flesh rapidly regenerating over the wound clamped tight around the sword. "Roar!" With a furious bellow, Neo drove himself forward, plunging straight down. Just as Karen surged out to meet him, the two collided violently. Karen unleashed the full might of his Sea God's Armor and Dark Moon Blade. Neo looked far more battered, but his frenzied momentum hadn't diminished in the slightest. They brawled in the most primal fashion, trading punch for kick and blow for blow. A white light shielded Neo continuously, while the Sea God's Armor did the same for Karen. Yet both wielded devastating offense. Neo's fists of Light and Karen's Dark Moon Blades sent terrifying shockwaves rippling out with every clash, triggering a string of explosions all around them, yet neither could afford to give an inch. Finally, after trading a punch and an answering kick, both were knocked back. Once steady on their feet, both gasped for air nearly in unison. Neo bent at the waist, arms dangling at his sides, head tilted up to glare at Karen. Karen readjusted his Sea God's Armor. After a brawl like this, taking a bath would be agony once he got home; his body was bound to be covered in bruises. He truly hadn't expected that the captain, having drained his tank in advance, could still unleash such terrifying potential. *Captain, you liar.* Karen recalled what the captain had said earlier: he knew how to wring out his own potential, so he didn't need any energy potions. In truth, the captain himself probably had no idea how vast his own potential was. *Crack! Crack!* A series of grinding pops rang out as Neo continually adjusted his joints, like someone cracking their neck before another round of fighting—except the captain's warm-up was horrifyingly excessive. Karen felt immense pressure. In the past, he had always felt confident that as long as he endured, victory was assured. This time, that confidence wasn't so firm. During their previous clashes, the captain had broken through his defenses every time, forcing him into disadvantageous positions. Of course, there was another crucial factor Karen couldn't ignore: The captain had gone mad and used nothing but killing moves, whereas Karen was still sane and inevitably held back. "Roar!" The captain's legs stayed planted, but his upper body tilted backward, catching its balance just as a searing radiance descended from above, washing directly over him. Immediately, the phantom outlines of armor materialized across his body. Armor of Light? Karen had seen the captain use this before, but this time it felt completely different—far more sacred, far more potent. Once the armor settled over him, Neo opened his hands and clenched them tight. A greatsword formed in his left hand, and a shield appeared in his right. Holy radiance rippled outward like flames, accompanied by the faint echoes of chanting hymns on both sides. Neo's expression contorted, shifting erratically at first, then slowly freezing into a singular, ferocious sneer. As he took a step, a shadow lingered behind him. It didn't look like Neo's own shadow, yet in the next breath, it merged back into him. "Aaargh!" Neo was forced to halt. Clad in the Armor of Light and gripping his weapons, he seemed plunged into a madness beyond madness. The expression that had just settled began to warp violently once more. This was actually the perfect moment to strike, and Karen didn't intend to miss it. Whatever the case, he had to knock the captain down first and bring him back to his senses. Flapping his wings, Karen generated two glaring crimson arcs along his arms. Amplified to the limit, the Dark Moon Blades swept in from both sides toward Neo, who stood trapped in his inner torment. Yet just as the strike was about to hit home, Karen forcibly pulled back. The violent redirection of power made his chest tighten, and he spat up a mouthful of blood. He hadn't stopped because Neo counterattacked. He stopped because he couldn't bear to disrupt what was happening. Even knowing that failing to strike now would invite even greater trouble, he simply couldn't bring himself to interrupt. He was willing to endure greater danger just to wait and see. A figure clad in the priestly robes of Light, hair disheveled, manifested behind Neo. Because— Neo was awakening the bloodline of Light's last Mad Pope!