Chapter 223: Sign of Tenth Drop
The moment stretched far longer than anyone could measure, as if time itself had forgotten how to move.
The ninth drop hovered above Cornelia’s head, heavy, complete, undeniable in its existence, and yet no one could bring themselves to accept it fully, because accepting it meant rewriting everything they had ever known about bloodline, about limits, about the very structure that defined their race.
And then—
It fell.
There was no explosion, no violent surge, no thunderous collapse of energy.
Instead, there was something far more terrifying.
Silence.
A silence deeper than anything that had come before.
A silence so absolute that even the air seemed to withdraw, as if the world itself had chosen to step back and observe what had just taken place.
The drop touched her forehead.
And the instant it did, something spread outward.
Not a force that crushed.
Not a pressure that oppressed.
But a presence.
A presence that seeped into every corner of the arena, into every body, into every drop of blood flowing through every vein present.
It was warm.
Yet overwhelming.
Gentle.
Yet absolute.
And for a brief moment, every vampire felt something they had never felt before.
Their blood stirred.
Not in fear.
Not in resistance.
But in something closer to reverence.
It was as if their very existence recognized something greater, something that stood above them in a way that could not be challenged.
No one spoke.
No one dared.
Because what had just happened...
Was not supposed to exist.
One drop had marked a beginning.
Two had set a foundation.
Three, four, five had defined paths.
Six had crossed into rare.
Seven had broken expectations.
Eight had reached the level of legends.
Nine—
Nine was never written.
Nine was never spoken of.
Nine was something that had only existed in speculation, in whispers that no one truly believed.
And yet—
It was now real.
The silence deepened.
Even the strongest among them, those who had lived for centuries, those who had seen countless talents rise and fall, those who had stood at the peak of their power and looked down upon others, found themselves unable to speak.
Because this was not simply a difference in level.
This was a difference in existence.
"...Nine..."
The word finally escaped from someone’s lips, but it did not carry confidence.
It carried disbelief.
It carried fear.
It carried a tremor that spread through the entire arena the moment it was spoken.
"...Nine drops..."
Another voice followed, louder, yet no more stable.
"This... this is not possible..."
But reality did not bend to their understanding.
It stood before them.
Clear.
Unmistakable.
Cornelia remained seated, her posture unchanged, her eyes still closed, her breathing calm, as if she was completely unaware that she had just shattered the limits of their entire race.
Her long brown curls rested against her shoulders, moving lightly with the faint currents of energy that still lingered around her.
She looked no different.
And yet—
Everything about her had changed.
The silence broke.
Not gradually.
Not gently.
But all at once.
The entire arena erupted.
"Impossible!"
"This has never happened!"
"Nine drops!"
"NINE!"
The voices collided with one another, rising higher and higher, forming a storm of sound that echoed throughout the colosseum, shaking the very structure that surrounded them.
The Emperor level powerhouses stood up from their seats, unable to remain still any longer, their composure breaking as they stared at the scene before them with eyes wide in disbelief.
"This is beyond Ascendant..."
"This is beyond any known classification..."
"What kind of existence is this girl...?"
Their voices overlapped, each trying to make sense of something that refused to be explained.
Elder Achilor stood frozen.
For the first time since his arrival, the calm, composed, unshakable protector of the Vampire race had completely lost his ability to respond.
His gaze remained locked on Cornelia, his mind racing through every piece of knowledge he possessed, every record, every legend, every hidden text that spoke of bloodline and power.
Nothing.
There was nothing.
Nothing that could explain what he was seeing.
"...This..."
His voice came out low, almost a whisper, yet it carried a weight that silenced those nearest to him.
"...This is not something that should exist..."
His eyes trembled slightly, not in fear, but in something far deeper.
In awe.
Lord Vord, who had just recently broken into the Ascendant realm and had been filled with pride moments ago, now stood beneath the sky, his entire body shaking as he stared upward.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
His eyes were wide.
And then—
He laughed.
A loud, broken laugh that echoed through the arena, filled with emotion that he could not contain.
"Hahaha... HAHAHAHA!"
The sound drew attention, but no one stopped him.
Because they understood.
They understood what this meant.
They understood what he was feeling.
He raised his arms toward the sky, his voice trembling as he shouted.
"The Blood God has blessed us!"
His voice cracked, yet he continued, louder, more desperate, more filled with something that bordered on madness.
"The Blood God has blessed our race!"
Tears streamed down his face as he fell to his knees, his laughter turning into something closer to a cry.
"To witness this... to witness such a being...!"
He lowered his head, his body trembling, his voice breaking completely.
"This is a miracle!"
His reaction was not alone.
One by one, others followed.
The Emperor level powerhouses, the guards, the judges, even those who had been skeptical earlier, all found themselves overwhelmed by what they had witnessed.
Some fell silent.
Some laughed.
Some trembled.
Some simply stared, unable to process anything beyond what their eyes showed them.
The Moonshade family stood at the center of it all, their earlier confusion replaced by something far greater.
Pride.
Shock.
Disbelief.
And something else.
Something that made their hearts beat faster.
"...Madam..."
One of them whispered, his voice filled with emotion.
"She... she reached nine..."
Elder Ghurn’s old eyes glistened as he looked at Cornelia, his chest tightening with feelings he had not experienced in a long time.
"Our family..."
He murmured, his voice thick.
"Our family has produced..."
He could not finish.
Because the words felt too small.
Too insufficient.
To describe what had just happened.
Cain watched everything.
His expression remained calm.
Controlled.
Unchanged.
But inside—
"...Nine..."
His thoughts echoed quietly.
"...That is already beyond what they can handle..."
Even he, who had seen countless existences, who had stood at the peak of power in his previous life, who had destroyed and created universes without hesitation—
Even he had to admit.
This was not ordinary.
This was not something that could be easily dismissed.
"...Troublesome..."
He thought again, yet his gaze did not leave her.
Because deep down, he understood something that the others did not.
This was not the end.
This was only the beginning.
The noise in the arena continued, rising and falling, filled with voices that struggled to make sense of what they had just witnessed.
And yet—
Amidst all of it—
Something felt wrong.
Not wrong in the sense of danger.
But wrong in the sense that something was incomplete.
Elder Achilor’s eyes narrowed.
He felt it.
A faint disturbance.
A lingering presence that had not faded.
The palm beneath Cornelia had not calmed.
The energy had not dispersed.
Instead—
It remained.
Gathering.
Slowly.
Quietly.
"...Wait..."
He spoke suddenly, his voice cutting through the noise.
The arena quieted again, though not as completely as before.
"What is that...?"
His gaze lifted.
And as it did—
Others followed.
One by one.
Until once again—
All eyes were drawn upward.
Above Cornelia’s head.
Where something...
Was forming.
At first, it was faint.
Barely visible.
Like a distortion in the air.
But as they watched—
It grew.
It gathered.
It took shape.
A drop.
Another drop.
But this time—
The feeling was different.
Heavier.
Deeper.
More suffocating than anything that had come before.
The voices that had just erupted fell silent once more, replaced by something far more unsettling.
Fear.
"...No..."
Someone whispered, their voice trembling uncontrollably.
"That... that cannot be..."
Lord Vord slowly stood up, his earlier tears forgotten, his expression turning pale as he stared at the forming shape.
"...There is no such thing..."
He said, his voice unsteady.
"There is no... beyond nine..."
Elder Achilor did not speak.
He did not move.
He only watched.
Because deep down—
He knew.
What they were witnessing now...
Was something that had never been recorded.
Never been imagined.
Never been accepted.
And yet—
It was happening.
The shape above Cornelia grew clearer.
More defined.
More real.
And as it did—
The entire arena felt as if it was being pulled into something far beyond their understanding.
The tenth drop—
Began to form.