Chapter 241 - 240 : The head of the imperius family

Chapter 241: Chapter 240 : The head of the imperius family

Arthur stepped closer to Adrian.

The endless darkness of the prison realm seemed to grow quieter with every step.

Arina stood several meters away, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. Her eyes remained fixed on Arthur, filled with fear and uncertainty. She had no idea what he intended to do to her father now.

Adrian, bound by countless black chains, raised his amber eyes and watched Arthur approach.

Arthur stopped directly in front of him.

Then he placed one hand on Adrian’s shoulder.

A thin crimson blade materialized between Arthur’s fingers.

The blade was no larger than a dagger, yet it radiated a chilling aura. Its edge glowed faintly in the darkness, formed entirely from condensed blood mana.

Adrian’s eyes narrowed.

"What are you planning now?"

Arthur smiled faintly.

"Do not worry. This will hurt a little, old man."

Before Adrian could respond, Arthur lightly dragged the crimson blade across his shoulder.

A shallow cut appeared.

A few drops of blood emerged from the wound and rolled down Adrian’s skin.

Arthur immediately pressed two fingers against the cut.

The blood flowed into his palm.

’That should be enough.’

Arthur’s crimson eyes flashed.

’System, activate all bloodline traits.’

[ Origin King Bloodline Activated. ]

[ Blood Absorption Activated. ]

[ Bloodline Extraction Activated. ]

[ Bloodline Assimilation Activated. ]

The moment Adrian’s blood entered Arthur’s body, the prison realm seemed to tremble.

Arthur’s body stiffened.

An enormous flood of information surged into his mind.

Bloodline signatures.

Fragments of ancient power.

Memories buried within the blood itself.

A vast network of energy spread through Arthur’s senses, allowing him to perceive countless traces hidden deep within Adrian’s body.

Arthur’s eyes widened.

Then one bloodline suddenly began to shine brighter than the rest.

Golden light appeared within his perception.

It spread through Adrian’s blood like an endless galaxy, resembling countless stars scattered across a dark and infinite night.

Arthur’s lips slowly curled into a smile.

’Star-Blood Lineage.’

[ Target Bloodline Detected. ]

[ Star-Blood Lineage Successfully Identified. ]

[ Beginning Bloodline Extraction... ]

Golden energy began to flow from Adrian’s body.

It moved through Arthur’s fingers, entered his palm, and surged into his body.

The golden light twisted around Arthur’s veins like tiny stars entering a new sky.

Arthur’s smile widened.

’It is working.’

But suddenly—

Ding!

A warning notification filled Arthur’s vision.

[ WARNING! ]

[ Additional Bloodline Signatures Detected. ]

Arthur’s expression changed immediately.

[ Four Unknown Bloodlines Detected. ]

[ Origin: Unknown. ]

[ Status: Sealed. ]

[ Attempting to access sealed bloodlines... ]

Arthur frowned.

’Four more bloodlines?’

The System continued.

[ Attempting to access sealed bloodlines... ]

[ ERROR. ]

[ Access Denied. ]

Arthur’s eyes widened.

Before he could understand what had happened, an immense force erupted from Adrian’s body.

"ARGH!"

Arthur cried out.

It felt as though the bloodlines hidden inside Adrian were rejecting him.

Not merely resisting him.

Rejecting his very existence.

A violent force surged through Arthur’s arm, attempting to invade his body through the connection created by Adrian’s blood.

The prison realm shook.

Golden light, crimson energy, and unfamiliar dark symbols erupted around Arthur’s hand.

For an instant, it felt as though four sleeping monsters had opened their eyes from within Adrian’s body.

Their presence was ancient.

Overwhelming.

And hostile.

Arthur’s Origin King Bloodline reacted immediately.

Crimson energy burst from his heart.

It spread through his entire body like a raging tide, suppressing the hostile force before it could fully consume him.

The four sealed bloodline signatures trembled beneath the pressure.

But they did not submit.

Instead, they withdrew.

The force vanished back into Adrian’s body as if nothing had happened.

Arthur staggered backward.

His face turned pale.

Pain exploded through every part of his body.

It felt as though his blood was being ripped apart from the inside. His veins burned, his bones ached, and his head throbbed as though thousands of needles were piercing his mind.

Adrian stared at him in confusion.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing, you crazy kid?"

Arina immediately rushed toward Arthur.

"Arthur! Are you okay?"

Arthur did not answer.

He bent forward, placing one hand over his chest.

"Haa... haa..."

He took several deep breaths.

The pain slowly began to fade.

After several long moments, Arthur finally straightened himself.

His eyes were cold.

’System, what the hell was that?’

For several seconds, the System did not respond.

The silence itself made Arthur uneasy.

Then, at last—

[ Host... ]

[ I cannot believe what I have just witnessed. ]

Arthur’s expression became serious.

’Explain.’

[ Something is protecting Adrian along with these bloodlines. ]

[ Their seals cannot be bypassed. ]

[ Their origins cannot be identified. ]

[ The protection mechanism resembles a higher-level System. ]

Arthur’s eyes widened.

’A higher-level System?’

[ I cannot confirm it completely. However, the structure of the seals is far beyond anything I have encountered before. ]

Another notification appeared.

[ Star-Blood Lineage Successfully Retrieved. ]

[ Evolution Available. ]

[ Four Unknown Bloodlines Remain Sealed. ]

[ Retrieval Failed. ]

The System paused for a moment before another message appeared.

[ I was only able to retrieve the Star-Blood Lineage. ]

[ The entity protecting the other four bloodlines did not allow me to access them. ]

[ It was almost as if it were giving me a warning. ]

Arthur’s expression darkened.

’Fuck. Now there is another mystery to solve.’

The System continued.

[ Host, this man you call father possesses numerous seals throughout his body. ]

[ They appear to be suppressing an enormous amount of power. ]

[ Seriously... what kind of monster is that guy? ]

[ I do not believe he even knows about the System. ]

Arthur’s eyes widened.

He slowly turned his gaze toward Adrian.

For the first time, Arthur did not see Adrian merely as the man who had abandoned him.

He saw him as an unknown.

A mystery.

A vessel filled with sealed bloodlines, ancient power, and secrets even the System could not understand.

’Adrian Evan Imperius... just who the hell are you?’

Arthur looked at Adrian with a mixture of annoyance and suspicion.

"Hey, old man," he said. "What the hell are you?"

Adrian watched him closely.

Then a faint, mocking smile appeared on his face.

"I do not know what happened," Adrian replied. "But it seems you did not like what you saw."

Arthur gritted his teeth.

He was about to ask whether Adrian knew anything about Systems.

But before he could say another word, several notifications filled his vision.

[ Bloodline Evolution Complete. ]

[ Thermal Authority has successfully evolved into Thermokinesis. ]

[ Bloodline Integration Complete. ]

[ New Bloodline Acquired: Thermokinesis. ]

[ Description: Thermokinesis grants control over thermal energy, the energy that determines how hot or cold something is. ]

[ The user can raise or lower temperatures, create and absorb heat, drain warmth from objects or living beings, and transfer heat from one target to another. ]

[ Physical contact with the target is required to directly manipulate its thermal energy. ]

[ This allows the user to freeze matter, produce extreme heat, and extinguish flames by removing the heat that sustains them. ]

[ New Authority Unlocked: Thermal Nullification. ]

[ The user can remove heat from flames, explosions, and other heat-based attacks, weakening or completely nullifying them. ]

[ Bloodline integration has been fully synchronized with the user’s body. ]

Arthur stared at the notifications.

Then a slow smile appeared on his face.

’I finally have it.’

It sounded simple.

Control over heat and cold.

But Arthur understood exactly how terrifying the ability was.

He could raise the temperature of an enemy’s blood until their body boiled from within.

He could freeze a person’s organs with a single touch.

He could turn the ground beneath an enemy’s feet into solid ice, making them slip, fall, or become trapped.

He could drain warmth from an entire battlefield until even breathing became painful.

He could heat armor until it burned the person wearing it alive.

He could freeze weapons in an enemy’s hands.

He could make the air around an opponent so cold that their body stopped responding.

And if someone attacked him with fire, explosions, or heat-based mana, he could strip away the heat sustaining those attacks and erase them entirely.

Thermokinesis was not merely an ability.

It was a weapon capable of turning the environment itself into Arthur’s ally.

Adrian’s voice brought Arthur out of his thoughts.

"If you are done spacing out, release me already."

Arthur looked at him.

Adrian’s amber eyes were sharp.

"Tell me what you want. I do not have time to play house with you."

The chains around his body rattled faintly as he shifted.

"There are more pressing matters I need to deal with."

His gaze hardened.

"So tell me what you want and get this mess over with already."

Arthur listened quietly.

Then he smiled.

"Alright," Arthur said. "I will release you."

Adrian’s eyes narrowed.

"But only under one condition."

Adrian looked directly at him.

"Spill it. What do you want?"