Part 1: The Gift from the Heavens
Time seemed to have stopped in the Valley of Mist. Samael, surrounded by the aftermath of chaos, held the broken fragments of General Silas's sword as his mind connected to the System.
[Opening Superior Heaven-Grade Treasure Chest...]
A pillar of crimson light burst from Samael's body, piercing the clouds and staining the sky blood red. General Silas staggered back, blinded by the intensity of the aura.
[Congratulations! You have obtained:]
Main Weapon: "Voracious Eclipse Odachi" (Superior Heaven Grade)
Type: Large katana with a black blade and crimson edge (2 meters long).
Active Skill: "Broken Moon Slash" — launches a wave of Qi capable of cutting through defensive formations.
Passive Skill: "Bloodthirst" — for every enemy killed, the blade heats up and its cutting power increases (+1%, max 50%). Resets when sheathed.
Defense: "Inner Shadow Silk Armor" (Mid Heaven Grade)
Effect: Nullifies 30% of physical damage and absorbs Fire/Lightning Qi attacks.
Clan Resource: "War Banner of the Beast King"
Effect: When planted, increases allies' morale and strength by 20%.
Consumable: 10x Origin Recovery Pills (Earth Grade).
The Odachi emerged—majestic, with a black dragon leather grip, and a curved blade that absorbed the light. Samael held it in one hand; the weight was colossal for anyone else, but feather-light to his new physique.
"Perfect," he whispered, though inside he felt a slight weariness, the price of so much violence and power summoned in such a short time.
Sensing mortal danger, Silas roared: "KILL HIM! HE'S JUST ONE! FIRE EVERYTHING!"
Part 2: The Dance of Death
Fifty elite Valois soldiers unleashed their attacks: arrows of Qi, fire, and sword slashes slicing through the air. Samael, pulse racing and blood burning, assessed the threat in a split second.
"My current cultivation (Transcendence Stage 9) and Dragon Physique give me an advantage. But every battle leaves invisible scars... I am not invincible."
He didn't move. He simply vanished.
[Skill: Shadow Step (Evolved).]
—It's not just speed anymore. It allows merging with shadows and becoming intangible for 0.5 seconds.
Samael reappeared in the midst of the enemy, unsheathing the Odachi in a single motion.
—Sword Art: Black Horizon.
A horizontal slash unleashed a crescent of void: armor split, Qi shields burst, and twelve soldiers fell in halves before they could feel pain.
—Passive Activated: Bloodthirst (+12%).
The blade glowed an intense red, vibrating with pleasure… and with each vibration, Samael felt a slight twinge in his muscles, a reminder of human limits.
The soldiers froze, terror locking their meridians. Some clan disciples, hidden in the distance, watched in awe and fear; one whispered:
"Is that really… the same Samael who used to tend the archives?"
"I don't know," another replied, voice trembling. "But if he's our enemy, we're lost."
"Monster…" murmured one of the captains.
"I'm not a monster," said Samael, walking toward them, the Odachi trailing sparks. "I am retribution."
Part 3: Dragon vs. Origin
General Silas, terrified, unleashed all his Origin Qi: a white armor in the shape of a hawk enveloped him.
"I am an expert of the Origin Realm! You can't touch me if I fly!" He rose, preparing "Rain of Steel Feathers."
Samael bent his legs; the ground cracked.
"You think the sky belongs to you?"
BOOM! He leapt like a missile, breaking the sound barrier. He appeared before Silas, fifty meters in the air.
—Broken Moon Slash.
The Odachi came down. A crimson energy blade, ten meters long, fell on Silas.
CRACK! The armor exploded, Silas's arms were pulverized, and the impact drove him down. Samael caught him by the neck and used his body as a shield for the fall.
BOOOOOOM!
Both crashed in the center of the valley.
Part 4: Talent Extraction
The dust settled. Samael, standing in the crater, felt the tremor in his muscles and a dull pain in his meridians: the battle had been brutal, and although the Dragon Physique protected him, the toll was adding up.
Beneath his foot, Silas was a wreck.
"Impossible..." Silas gasped. "I'm… Origin… How can a Transcendent…?"
"Your foundation is weak," Samael said, voice cold but with a fleeting spark of compassion in his eyes. "You consumed too many pills. Next to my perfect foundation, you're just a big child."
Samael looked at Kael, wounded but standing, and at the disciples watching from a distance with a mix of respect and fear.
The System pulsed. [Blood Fusion function available.] [Dying target detected. Extract Talent Essence?]
"Yes," he ordered.
He drove his claws into Silas's chest. The General screamed, aging a century in seconds. A green sphere of light was extracted.
"Wind Essence (High Earth Grade)."
Some disciples looked away; others, fascinated, felt the clan's moral boundaries dissolve. One elder murmured:
"Is this what we are now? Seizing destiny with our own hands?"
Lilith, a few steps away, kept a grave silence, mixing pride with a tinge of fear. "Samael… will you be alright after all this?"
Part 5: Spoils of War
The valley fell silent. The survivors looked at their Patriarch with renewed faith, but also trembling respect—as if they stood before a god or demon.
Samael sheathed the Odachi. His murderous aura faded, replaced by a regal calm. He approached Seraphina, who kept her head high though her hands trembled with relief.
"You're late," she said.
"A Patriarch always arrives at the exact moment," replied Samael, handing her a healing pill.
Then he looked at the warship floating inertly above.
"Kael."
"Yes, Patriarch?"
"That ship is ours. Clean it. Repair the damage. And that sphere…"—he tossed the Wind Essence to him—"It's for you. Use it to rebuild your foundation. I want you ready for war in three days."
Samael turned to Elders Marcus, Livia, and Lilith.
"We survived the first onslaught. We have a ship, new weapons, and resources. But Alaric Valois will find out about this. And when he does, he won't send a servant. He'll come himself or send his father."
The icy northern wind brought a chilling premonition. For an instant, Samael sensed a distant, colossal presence lurking at the border of fate.
"What are your orders, Patriarch?" Lilith asked, her voice firm but her eyes unable to hide her concern.
Samael looked north, his dragon eyes blazing.
"We don't hide anymore. If they want war, we'll give them annihilation. Prepare the ship. We're going to visit the Valois' allies before they visit us."
On the horizon, as an omen, an even greater shadow began to form among the clouds.