Chapter 1079: Human? Yes, but not an ordinary one. 2
[All the clones are functioning normally, Darling. Their Souls are stable, as are their bloodlines and their thoughts. They can serve the Empire properly now.]
Except for the Commanders who were specifically created by Victor, the other clones were more "normal". That didn"t mean they were weak as, while the Commanders could fight against a Primordial G.o.d of this Sector and win with effort, the ordinary soldiers were at the level of a High-Level G.o.d.
They were strong enough, but it still wasn"t enough considering that in the Upper Sectors, the Primordial G.o.d level was something quite "normal" there.
The soldiers needed to be at the level of a Primordial G.o.d, and the Commanders needed to be above that. But for that to happen, they needed to awaken Divinities.
Fighting between G.o.ds above the Primordial Level was more of a dispute of Divinities and dominance than a fight itself. Of course, skills also counted, but what was most important was their Mastery and understanding of their Divinity.
Hearing Victor"s thoughts, Velnorah sighed. [Your expectations are too high, Darling. You"re correct that Primordial G.o.d-Level Beings are quite common in the Upper Sectors, but that doesn"t mean that it will be the norm... Not to mention that there"s us, right? If a Being appears that our soldiers and Elites can"t handle, we need to intervene.] [...That"s true, but that doesn"t mean that my creations have reached their full potential.] Victor both agreed and disagreed. [Rest isn"t necessary. They need to get stronger, strong enough to take a serious punch from me.]
[...Not even most of us can take a serious punch from you, and we have a lot of advantages.] Velnorah spoke in an disbelieving tone.
"The only ones who can exchange blows with a serious Victor are Scathach, Rose, and Jeanne. Of course, that"s just physically. If he uses his Powers to the fullest, perhaps only Jeanne can handle him." Velnorah thought. "And that"s because Jeanne has an unfair advantage as one of the oldest Beings in the Universe.
Thinking about her Sister, who no one knew precisely her true origins, she couldn"t help but be curious. Looking at Vlad through Victor"s eyes, she thought, "Is this man stupid? How could he treat this woman like that? Didn"t he see her potential?"
[Apologies are not necessary. They are the Elites, and Elites need this much efficiency. If they can take a serious punch from me, they can handle most problems in their path.] Victor"s expectations were high. After all, they were his soldiers who had his bloodline. [...I feel sorry for the Souls of these children. They came to this world just to suffer.] Velnorah spoke.
[Stop messing around, and tell me about the clone Operators, how are they behaving?]
[.. Well...]
Velnorah looked at the other operation room where there were 30 women with hair of various shades of blonde and white, and just like their "mother", they also had Angel wings in place of horns. Some even had full Angel Wings, and most of them had pointy ears like Elves. All of them were wearing a completely black Imperial Military uniform, with violet accents.
"How does this work?"
"This technology makes no sense!"
"How is this connected to The Dragon"s Heart and The World Tree?"
"As expected of The Emperor, his genius is frightening."
"Idiot, The Emperor didn"t do it all alone. The Imperial Wives and the Imperial Princesses helped, too!"
"How do you know that?"
"Didn"t you read the report?"
"I didn"t."
"Go read the report! What kind of Operator are you!?"
"Gahhhhh!"
Velnorah just stared at this sight with an expressionless face. "Was it okay to use that woman as the basis for these clones?"
[They"re doing well.]
Victor laughed: [Don"t be fooled by their games. They"re quite efficient, that"s just a trait of the original"s personality.]
[She was like that!? How did I not see that in the report?]
[All Beings have their sides. On missions, she is serious, cold, and focused, but when she
is at rest, she is pretty casual. You didn"t see that because you were just looking at the side she shows on missions.]
[... I need to pay more attention to these little details.] Velnorah muttered. [True. You tend to not pay much attention to other Beings that are not part of our Family, and this lack of attention is doubled in the clones since they are our "property". Remember, the clones are alive, and each of them has Souls. They may have come from the same Soul Origin, but eventually, they will distinguish themselves from each other... Future updates will depend a lot on this progress in personality.]
[Yes, Darling.] Velnorah put this notice in her suit"s logs to always remember it, realizing that it was something fundamental for the future.
"Hmm?" Victor looked at Alexios when he realized that something had changed.
"What is this? His Soul has become more robust?... Why?" Victor looked more closely and saw that the same Time Energy that was covering him was going to his Soul; he looked at his Wife.
[Did you notice?] Victor said.
[Yes... I didn"t expect that either.] Natalia replied.
[If you continue this process, he will become something similar to a Time Elemental. He will no longer be Human.] As someone who understood Souls very well, Victor immediately understood what was happening to him.
"..." Natalia was silent.
Becoming an Elemental meant that he would be completely in tune with his own Element. What happens when a Being becomes completely in tune with a fundamental force of the Universe, like Time?
They didn"t know... They had a rough idea of this Elemental"s capabilities, and this kind of Power will be like having something close to omniscience. After all, he would be able to observe "Time", and due to how the rules worked, the only thing he would be able to observe would be a few seconds in the future and the entire past of the Akas.h.i.+c Records, since the past had already been written while the future was changeable.
This kind of experience could change a person completely... Not a very good change.
Looking carefully at his Wife"s reaction, Victor closed his eyes, took a step forward, and flew towards Alexios. Natalia didn"t speak about her decision as she was undecided, but Victor knew what was best for her. After all, they knew each other very well.
"Darling?" Scathach asked.
"It"s nothing, I just have to stabilize something" Victor spoke more to Vlad than to her.
"If he cared so much about his children and Wives, he wouldn"t have had so many problems in the past. Victor thought as he rolled his eyes internally.
[I will use my Mastery over Souls and prevent his Soul from changing due to the Energy
of Time, but in return, I will strengthen the Human side to deal with the Energy that is
already present.] He spoke to Natalia.
[... Will you make him a High Human?]
[Yes.] Victor"s Dragon Wings expanded behind him, and he touched the coc.o.o.n, causing the hue of the Energy to change to dark violet. [His Powers will become a little stronger
over time, but it will not be as abnormal as a Time Spirit.]
[... I see... Are you sure about this decision, Darling?] Natalia asked.
[Your father would not like to live as a restrictive Being like a Spirit...] Becoming a Spirit meant becoming linked to all of Creation, and he would essentially be part of Nature, something similar to the World Trees, and he would need to play his role according to the orders of Creation.
[Alexios is a simple man. He is a good subordinate... He will want to support his king until
the end.]
[That is...] Natalia remembered her father"s actions up until now and about his "pride" towards Vlad. [That is true. Being trapped in such a restrictive form as a Spirit will not
make him happy.]
[Indeed... But it is really a pity.]
[What?]
[Such a loyal subordinate, Vlad is truly lucky.]
[... To my father, Vlad is not only his king but also his friend, and because of that, he has
such loyalty to him.]
[A friend, huh?] Victor briefly thought about his old friends. If he looked at them objectively, they were like Alexios, always around when he was in trouble, which was why Victor protected them.
As he thought about these things, he felt Alexios" Soul stabilize and stop receiving external Energy. Instead of this Energy going to Alexios, this Energy was going to Victor.
As an almost endless well of Energy, this Energy barely influenced Victor at all, despite being one of the purest forms of Time Energy.
After all, Victor was also a G.o.d of Time, not on the level of his Wife, Natalia, but definitely above Chronos, which was where he obtained this Divinity from. [Soul stabilized... I will begin the procedure now, let the time in this room flow even
slower just in case, and isolate the area around me to avoid any possible interference
from the Energies.]
[Yes.]
While Victor and Natalia were focused on doing their duties, Vlad watched everything
with a very serious look.
Feeling the Power emanating from Victor and Natalia"s bodies, he couldn"t help but swallow hard. "To think that this is only a fraction of what they are truly capable of.
"Ironic, isn"t it?" Scathach smiled.
"...What?" He replied in confusion.
"It"s ironic how the tables have turned in such a short time." Scathach looked at her
Husband and Disciple. "To think that less than a few years ago, this man was so weak that even a High-Level Vampire could defeat him."
"And today, not even the Leaders of the various Pantheons dare to offend him." "...This man has grown strong very quickly, at an abnormal rate, one that has never been
seen before."
"That"s normal. After all, he is a "monster".
A "monster" was how Scathach categorized Beings like her teacher, Dun Scaith, and Merlin, Beings so talented in their own field of Mastery that even the G.o.ds are envious
of their talent.
Dun Scatih was a monster in Runes, Merlin in Mastery, understanding, and control of Energies, and Victor was a monster in combat who, due to his traits as a Progenitor Vampire, was able to expand his talents even further.
As a combat monster, he could "understand" how to use Souls in a fight, and because of
that, he was able to further develop his characteristics as a Progenitor Vampire, which was to a.s.sign value to a Soul and consume it in order to gain the memories of that Being. A trait that was amplified even more when he became a Blood Dragon.
"A monstrous talent, ridiculous luck, his endless discipline in training, and his personality
that ironically always brings him trouble was what made it possible for him to get this far! Scathach thought.
"He was very lucky. Right when he awakened as a Progenitor, he had three of the Count
Vampire Bloodlines close to him. If it weren"t for that, he would have been a n.o.body." "...That"s not necessarily true." Scathach thought objectively. If Victor hadn"t awakened with Sasha and Ruby nearby, he would still have awakened next to Violet since the Snow Heiress had already been obsessed with Victor long before he was a Vampire.
"It would"ve taken me even longer to find him, and I wouldn"t have been able to develop
his talents efficiently. But even if I didn"t intervene, he still would"ve only gotten
stronger!
It could be said that it was very "lucky" that Ruby got involved in the whole problem because if it hadn"t been for that, Scathach wouldn"t have found Victor.
Which would be a shame, after all, he"s so interesting Ever since Victor came into her
life, she had never had a dull day.
Well, there was no point in thinking about the past. It"s not like there was a "What if".
Things had already developed, the path was already set, and they just needed to walk on it now.
"I know, as a monster, he would have developed even if he didn"t have a decent teacher, but it was your "gentle" training that molded his personality, that was just beginning to develop into a battle maniac, into a complete battle maniac. Your philosophy also guided his thoughts a lot." Vlad was no fool. Finding such a good teacher like Scathach at an early stage of awakening as a Progenitor was very beneficial for Victor.
If it weren"t for her, it would have taken him much longer to properly control his Power.
"Although this situation could also be seen as inevitable. Even if Scathach hadn"t met him in the beginning, eventually they would have met, and she would definitely take an interest in his talents. Consequently, she would train him, and although the situation would be different, the result would be the same in the end. Vlad thought.
"That"s true." Scathach nodded. Victor had had many influences in life, but without a
doubt, the most important ones came from Leon, Anna, Violet, Scathach, and later Adonis. With Anna, Violet, and Scathach being the ones who most influenced the way he was today, Leon reinforced a creed that Victor naturally had, and Adonis gave him experience that he would have eventually gained when he became the Demon King and spent 700 years in h.e.l.l.
"Scathach, what is the secret of these soldiers?"
This sudden question pulled Scathach out of her inner thoughts, and she looked at Vlad.
Then, she showed a disdainful smile and said, "Do you seriously think I will reveal secrets of The Empire?"
"You can do this old friend a favor, right?? I am your benefactor!" Scathach snorted: "Stop with the theatrics. I have already paid my debt by training your
soldiers to be Elites. If it weren"t for that, they would have been useless.""
"...Well..." He couldn"t deny it.
"But to sate your curiosity, it doesn"t matter if you know or not. You won"t be able to do
the same if you don"t have someone like my Sister around." "...Which Sister? You have many." He said the last part in a tired tone. Just thinking about
several women and the possible problems that came with having such a large Family
made him tired.
"Velnorah."
"... The foreigner, huh," Vlad said. "I see. If it"s her... It makes sense, after all, her Empire
was quite technological, and as a former Overlord, she should know efficient ways to make soldiers like these."
Scathach narrowed her eyes:...How did you-... Oh, The Primordial of Balance, huh." She had forgotten that they were quite good friends, and if there was anyone who knew about Velnorah"s past in this Sector other than those she personally told, it would be The
Primordial of Balance, The Owner of Limbo.
"Taking countermeasures against Vlad will be necessary since we never know if he will help his friend in the future. She thought.
They couldn"t really "kill" Vlad. It"s not that they were incapable of doing so; the problem
was with Ophis.
Therefore, a systematic neutralization is more efficient. "I can completely seal his Powers and his strength... I will have a proper talk with my Sisters later;"
The Energy in the room began to dim, causing Vlad and Scathach to look at Alexios.
"It"s over, huh," Scathach said. She didn"t even have a chance to do anything. Originally, she was here to keep an eye on Vlad. It was a shame he didn"t do anything.
"I guess he doesn"t even play around with his friend"s life. She thought. Looking at the blond man who was clearly full of vitality and younger than he looked
before, he sighed in relief upon seeing him healthy again, but after he looked anxiously at the man: "... Alexios?" Vlad spoke in confusion.
"What is this feeling?" He asked the guardians. "That, Vlad, is a High Human."
"... I don"t believe it... Did you give him drugs? Is that why he changed so much? But
when did you do that? I was watching the whole time, and I didn"t see anything
abnormal."
""
Victor, Natalia, and Scathach looked at Vlad with disbelieving expressions on their faces.
"What?" "...That"s why you shouldn"t live without consuming entertainment. How does he not know what a High Human is?" Victor said with a sigh.
"Well, that term appears more in fantasy genres, and knowing Vlad, he probably wouldn"t like that genre... In fact, I feel like he wouldn"t like it at all." Scathach said. In her experience, she had never really seen Vlad have fun other than the traditional way of making children.
"A boring man." Natalia shook her head.
Being burned by the three most powerful Beings in the room, Vlad didn"t know how to react to this situation.
"Can you explain what"s going on?"
"Haah..." Victor sighed. "You know the first Creation of The Heavenly Father, Adam,
right?"
"Yes,"
"When Adam was born, he wasn"t a normal Human. He was a High Human, a "perfect" Human who was closer to the Supernatural World than the Humans of today. He didn"t get sick, he was very strong, and injuries that are considered fatal to Humans today could be healed in just one day with rest. He was in tune with Nature, thus being able to use Nature"s Energy to his advantage in the same way that today"s Youkai can." Ironically, High Humans were quite similar to Elves from fantasy if you looked closely, the most glaring difference being that High Humans had ridiculous adaptation, while the
Elves lacked it, but in compensation, the Elves could connect even more easily with
Nature.
"..Oh... Are you saying that Alexios is like Adam?"
"Not like Adam, after all, he was a Progenitor, consequently making him stronger than his
normal species, but yes, he is close to that now," Victor spoke as he landed on the
floor. Using his Powers, he gently placed Alexios on the bed.
"Will you stay?" Victor asked Natalia.
"Yes, I will wait for him to wake up."
"Very well, call me if you need anything."
Natalia smiled gently. "I will." She approached Victor and gave him a kiss that lasted a few
seconds.
"Thank you very much for your help."
"....Thanks will come tonight, my dear." Victor displayed a charming smile.
Natalia blushed slightly both at the insinuation and at her Husband"s face; he was
beautiful when he smiled, in her humble opinion. "Mm... I will be waiting."
Victor laughed lightly, Natalia was weak to sudden "attacks".
As he walked away from Natalia, he said, "I will return to my duties now." He spoke as his
face became neutral, and he was back in Emperor mode.
"I will leave some forces stationed here. If you need to resolve anything, you can
command them." Ignoring the look Scathach was giving him, Victor approached her. "Victor..." Victor looked at Vlad.
"Thank you."
"Don"t thank me. I would have done it for my Wife and for Alexios, too." It wasn"t a lie. He respected Alexios, his loyalty was admirable.
"Still... Thank you." The Vampire King lowered his head in deep grat.i.tude. This gesture
didn"t exist in his culture, and he just did it to show how grateful he was by leaving
himself vulnerable on purpose.
A similar gesture existed in j.a.panese culture, as well as in animals and Supernatural
Species like Dragons. Lowering the head meant submission, that was what Vlad was
doing.
"Not even with his daughters, he showed so much grat.i.tude... Scathach and Natalia had the same thought.
Ironically, this action of Vlad"s made Victor"s respect for him grow a little. Even though
his priorities were all wrong, he appreciated this companions.h.i.+p. Such an att.i.tude was
admirable to see.
Lightly touching Vlad"s shoulder with his huge hands, he spoke briefly: "Don"t give him
too much work, he will need to rest until he adapts to his new self."
"Yes, I will make sure he rests." He nodded seriously. The crimson violet eyes of a Blood Dragon Progenitor and the deep crimson eyes of a
Vampire Progenitor stared at each other for a few seconds.
Victor, looking into those eyes, felt that Vlad"s negative feelings diminished by a large
margin.
Who would have thought that in order to gain the Vampire King"s trust, you would need
to help his most loyal subordinate! Victor thought, then turned away.
"Until another day, Vampire King."
"...Until another day... Emperor."
Scathach linked her arm with Victor"s, and in the next moment, they both disappeared.
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