Ancestral Lineage

Chapter 152 The Power of Blood and Smoke.

The deafening roar of the beast horde reverberated through the air, the ground trembling beneath their stampede. Their path was clear—they were heading straight for Trevor's group or, more precisely, toward the second-year camp.

Sixtie, her sharp senses attuned to the chaos, quickly relayed the information to Trevor.

Trevor hovered mid-air, his smoky white wings beating slowly as he came to a halt. "Hmm... this feels off," he said, his crimson eyes narrowing. "You all go ahead. I'll take care of this."

"Trevor, are you insane?" Harley protested, her voice tinged with concern. "There's a Diamond-ranked beast among them—and countless Gold-ranked ones! You can't just—"

Trevor cut her off with a smirk, his confidence unshaken. "Relax, sis-in-law. I'm stronger than all of them combined. Ethan's been holding us back for far too long, and honestly? It's frustrating. I could use a good fight. The Diamond rank might be a challenge, but nothing I can't handle."

Emily leaned forward from her mount, her face etched with worry. "At least take someone with you. Facing that many beasts alone is reckless, even for you."

Trevor shook his head. "No. You'll need every ounce of strength to deal with Ethan. Besides..." He paused, sniffing the air, his eyes narrowing further. "There's something strange here. I smell it—a scent in the wind. It's not natural, and it's driving these beasts into a frenzy."

Jerry, his brow furrowed in thought, spoke up. "It's probably Frenzy Essence. I've heard about it—an alchemical concoction that throws beasts into a berserk state. They'll stop at nothing to get more of it. If it's in the air, they'll follow it blindly, no matter what stands in their way."

Trevor nodded. "Exactly. That's why I need to handle this. I'll figure out what's going on and stop it. Besides..." His crimson eyes gleamed with a newfound intensity. "Something's changing in me. I feel it—power surging with every second, like I'm claiming something that's been mine all along. Don't worry about me. Just focus on finding Ethan. I'll catch up."

Emily hesitated but eventually nodded. "Fine. Just promise me you'll come back," she said, her voice soft but firm.

Without warning, she leaped off her drake into Trevor's arms, pressing her lips to his in a passionate kiss. The world around them seemed to blur for a moment, their bond a silent promise of trust and hope.

"I'll be back," Trevor murmured as they parted, his voice steady and resolute.

Emily returned to her mount, her red eyes lingering on him. "Don't you dare die, Trevor? We'll be waiting."

With a final nod, Trevor turned to face the oncoming horde, his aura flaring like a storm. Smoke-like tendrils coiled around him as he prepared to unleash the full extent of his strength. The others reluctantly continued, their hearts heavy but trusting Trevor's words.

As they disappeared into the crimson horizon, Trevor smirked to himself, his wings flaring wide. "Alright, beasts... let's dance."

Red, vein-like tattoos crawled along Trevor's arms, stopping just below his chin, and pulsating with a rhythmic crimson glow. His hair became wild and untamed, radiating a smoky white luminescence that contrasted with his glowing, fiery red eyes, which burned with an otherworldly intensity. His hands morphed into razor-sharp claws, their dark crimson hue shimmering with a sinister, blood-red light that seemed to devour the air around them.

Behind him, smoke-like constructs materialized, forming an arsenal of ethereal weapons—spears, spikes, jagged blades, and more. Their colors ranged from pure, blinding white to a shadowy black, each edged with a faint crimson light that pulsed ominously. The constructs hovered like loyal sentinels, radiating an aura that blended divine beauty with a promise of destruction, their mere presence a testament to the overwhelming power he wielded.

As Trevor's aura surged outward, it became a storm of pure energy, rippling through the battlefield like an unleashed force of nature. The beasts halted their advance, their glowing eyes fixed on him, filled with a primal mix of terror and reverence. The oppressive power was undeniable, captivating the horde in a way that silenced their frenzied roars.

Trevor was forced from his thoughts by an earsplitting roar. The drake reared back, its body radiating with concentrated energy as it prepared its next assault. Around Trevor, his constructs and Apole tore through the lesser beasts like streaks of death, but the Diamond-ranked creature demanded his full attention.

The drake unleashed its attack. Massive whitish-grey disks shimmered ominously, humming with raw sound energy as they hurtled toward him at impossible speeds. Trevor's wings snapped open, propelling him through the air with blinding agility. He twisted and dove, narrowly avoiding the deadly disks as they shattered the ground and trees around him.

But not all of them missed.

Slash! A disk grazed his side, tearing through his smoky armor and leaving a deep gash that began to heal almost instantly. Another struck his leg, nearly throwing him off balance, but Trevor gritted his teeth and pressed on. The wounds mended quickly, yet the strain on his body was mounting.

A sudden, sharp rumble echoed—not from the drake or the battlefield, but from his own stomach.

"Damn it!" Trevor hissed, clutching his side. He was starving, and the rumbling of his empty stomach was a stark reminder of the blood fast he and Ethan had undertaken in preparation for their evolution. They'd gone days without consuming a single drop, their self-control stretched to the breaking point. It was nothing short of a miracle they hadn't attacked their comrades out of sheer hunger.

His vision wavered for a moment as the beast's next attack charged, the energy around it intensifying. Trevor clenched his fists, his claws glinting under the crimson sky. He could feel his body screaming for sustenance, for rest, but neither was an option.

"Just a little longer..." he muttered, his voice low but resolute.

The drake released another roar, louder and more ferocious than before. A blinding burst of light erupted from its mouth, a concentrated beam of sound and energy that tore through the battlefield like a storm. Trevor's instincts screamed at him to move, but his body hesitated for a fraction of a second, his depleted mana and growing hunger slowing his reaction time.

BOOM!

The explosion lit up the night, the shockwave rippling across the battlefield. Smoke and debris clouded the air, obscuring the scene. For a moment, there was silence.

Leon watched from the hill, his grin faltering as he strained to see through the chaos. His heart raced with anticipation.

"Did he—?" Leon began, but his words caught in his throat as a figure emerged from the smoke.

Trevor stood, blood dripping from his lips, his glowing crimson eyes burning with unrelenting defiance. His wings were tattered, his tattoos flickering dimly, and his aura faltered—but he was alive.

The drake, sensing its advantage, roared triumphantly, charging toward Trevor for a final, decisive strike.

Trevor clenched his fists, summoning the last remnants of his strength. "Not yet..." he whispered, his voice low but unyielding.

And then, from deep within, a sudden surge of power erupted—a primal, ancient energy that roared to life, flooding his veins with searing heat. His crimson eyes flared brighter, the tattoos on his body reigniting with a fiery glow.

Trevor smirked, his claws flexing as he prepared to meet the drake head-on.

"Let's end this."