Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

At the entrance of the Human Continent, where the fight had broken out without warning, the mountain where Velmira had almost crushed Azarion and the Ex-rank Monster was nowhere to be seen anymore. It had been completely reduced to dust, with only a few large boulders scattered across the ground in different directions.

Seven hours had passed since then, and that mountain was not the only one that had disappeared. Rows of mountains had once covered the outer area of the entrance, but after the constant battle, almost half of them had been destroyed, leaving behind uneven terrain and massive stretches of dust where the mountains had once stood.

One would wonder why Velmira had not simply crushed everyone after all this time when she was powerful enough to kill those three Ex-rank Chimeras without even unsheathing her sword. The answer was simple. Those three had put up a decent fight for several minutes before Velmira finally killed them with a single technique, and anyone who knew her well would have recognized the nature of that technique immediately.

All of Velmira’s techniques, including her Unique Ability, were related to the Soul, which was one of the reasons she was feared even by someone like Zaakrax, the Dragon Emperor. Even when the Oath had restricted her from directly acting against the other Continents, Zaakrax had never underestimated her because he knew that she was almost his equal in raw physical prowess and techniques, although her Unique Ability was the reason the actual gap between them remained so difficult for her to overcome.

The problem was that Velmira was no longer fighting only those three Chimeras. At present, she was surrounded by more than a hundred SSS-rank Monsters and Human Explorers, the nineteen SSS-rank Individuals sent by Veyron under Azarion’s command. Under normal circumstances, Velmira should have been able to kill most of them without much difficulty, but one person had been interfering with her techniques for the entire battle, preventing her from ending the fight as quickly as she normally would.

That person was Mark.

Mark floated several miles away from Velmira’s current position while three SSS-rank Humans remained beside him, guarding him while he concentrated on his ability. He barely moved as he stared at Velmira from a distance, because maintaining his ability required his full concentration. Whenever Velmira attempted to use one of her techniques against the surrounding SSS-ranks, Mark would interfere with it through his ’Potential Gaping’, creating enough of an opening for the others to survive and continue attacking her.

’Damn it! Before, it only took a few chunks of Spirit Energy to use ’Potential Gaping’ on her, but now it is taking this much just to keep interfering with her techniques. If not for the constant energy supply from the Relics and Runes, I would have been drained ages ago. Tch, what monstrous strength. I never knew she possessed this much power.’

Three white crystalline Runes floated around Mark, each shaped like a hexagon and glowing with a faint light as Spirit Energy continuously flowed toward his body. The Relics and Runes were supplying him with enough energy to maintain his ability, but even that support was barely keeping up with the amount he was consuming. Velmira’s strength had increased the burden on him far beyond what he had expected, and he could already feel how dangerous it would become if the battle continued for much longer.

Just as Mark was thinking about that, he sensed something change.

It was not only him. Every SSS-rank Individual and Monster in the area felt the same sudden disturbance, and the fight between Velmira and the hundreds surrounding her came to an abrupt halt as everyone turned toward the same direction.

Their attention shifted toward the Palace in the distance, where the entire garden had been destroyed and a thick red beam of energy had erupted into the sky, spreading an oppressive presence across the surrounding area.

Velmira narrowed her eyes as she felt the energy.

’That same kind of energy... no, this time it is mixed with Azarion’s presence.’ Her expression changed slightly as she understood what that meant. Azarion had gone through with the experiment on himself. ’How low will he go to accomplish his goal?’

Velmira did not waste another moment. Her attention shifted toward Mark, who had been interfering with her techniques for the entire battle. She had already known that he was supporting Azarion, but she had not expected him to become directly involved in something like this. ’I don’t know how you got dragged into this as well, Mark. But if killing you and Azarion means that many people will be able to live peacefully, then I will kill you without hesitation.’

Her voice entered Mark’s mind through telepathy, and his body stiffened the moment he heard it. He lowered his head slightly and clenched his hands as frustration appeared on his face, ’As if I had any choice. If I want to get back the things I lost, I have to do this!’

Mark forced himself to concentrate on Velmira again, attempting to maintain ’Potential Gaping’ before she could make another move. However, the moment he focused his attention on his ability, Velmira disappeared from her position.

Mark’s eyes widened.

He did not even have time to react before Velmira appeared directly beside him, her sword finally unsheathed and already moving toward his neck. The three SSS-rank Humans guarding Mark failed to even notice her approach until the blade had already crossed their range, because Velmira’s speed had allowed her to bypass them before they could even react in the slightest.

Mark remained motionless as he looked at Velmira, and for a brief moment, their eyes met.

Velmira did not hesitate.

A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye as her sword passed through Mark’s neck, ’I am proud of you Mark, you made me unsheathe my sword when I am at my strongest.’ and with that his head separated from his body before either of the three guards could intervene. The moment Mark died, the interference caused by ’Potential Gaping’ disappeared, but Velmira did not stay behind to finish the remaining SSS-ranks.

She vanished from the battlefield immediately.

The three SSS-rank Humans stared around in confusion while the hundreds of SSS-rank Monsters and Explorers remained alert, unable to understand where she had gone. None of them realized that Velmira had already left the battlefield entirely and was heading directly toward the source of the red beam.

She had gone straight into the Hell Belt.