Chapter 111 ● Aria Eythrox!]
Aezaleon took some time to fully digest the information he had just received.
The Bloodline System was far more straightforward than he had initially expected, yet it was no less brutal because of it. With a single glance at the recorded data, he finally understood how that audacious blood elf had managed to become both a Highblood and a Monarch despite possessing neither remarkable talent nor particularly impressive strength. It had absolutely nothing to do with the man's own accomplishments; it was simply the fortune of birth. The blood elf had inherited his elite status from his lineage, having been born a Highblood, and therefore never needed to fulfill the actual evolutionary requirements himself.
Aezaleon could not help but shake his head.
Some people inherited power.
Others took it by force.
Nevertheless, it was rather unfortunate that killing a Highblood of an entirely different race did absolutely nothing to refine his own bloodline.
"Hm," Aezaleon muttered, rubbing his chin as he pondered. "So, to become a Voidblood, I need to kill ten thousand Rank Three or higher Calamities, or at least ten Void Calamities. Is that really all there is to it?" He raised a brow in a silent query. "You're saying I don't need to perform any special ritual, consume anything, or undergo some kind of complex evolution process? I just kill them?"
Clementine hummed softly in affirmation. "Correct. You don't need to do anything else at all. Simply accumulate the required number of kills, and your bloodline will evolve naturally."
Her tone remained casual, as though she were discussing something entirely ordinary.
"For you, the requirement is ten thousand Calamities. The exact same applies to Aphryne and Auguszta. Alternatively, each of you can kill ten Void Calamities and achieve the same final result." She paused briefly before continuing her explanation. "The process is closely tied to the laws of Karma and Casualty. Because of that, you must personally locate and kill the targets yourself. Any shortcuts are meaningless here."
A faint trace of amusement entered her lazy voice. "For example, asking me to suppress a powerful Void Calamity until it is completely incapable of resistance before allowing you to land the final blow would not work."
Aezaleon nodded his head in understanding. "Even if you're my bound companion?"
"Even then," she replied firmly.
That answer immediately eliminated several ideas he had been considering. Aezaleon still had a few more questions he wanted to ask, but before he could voice them, Clementine's attention suddenly shifted elsewhere. A specific communication she had been quietly waiting for had finally arrived.
The lazy vampire opened one eye, listened briefly, and then directed a portion of her attention away from him entirely. Understanding that she was currently occupied, Aezaleon chose not to disturb her any further.
His own thoughts were busy enough as it was. As he continued walking through the crowded streets of the Oakhaven District, his gaze gradually became unfocused, his mind turning over everything he had just learned about bloodlines, evolution, and the path ahead.
Only when he accidentally walked straight into someone did he finally snap back to reality.
"Ouch~"
"Ah." Aezaleon instinctively took a step back and looked down.
A young human woman had fallen onto the stone street.
She was not alone. Three other youths stood nearby, all dressed in the same academy uniform he had seen countless times throughout the city. Judging by their ages and attire, they were clearly students of the Resonant Trynium Academy.
The three surrounding youths seemed just as surprised by the sudden collision, or perhaps they were not.
"Are you alright?" Aezaleon asked as he extended a hand toward the fallen girl. "My apologies. I was lost in thought and wasn't paying proper attention to where I was going."
The young woman accepted the offered hand and quickly regained her steady footing. "It's alright, sir. I'm perfectly fine," she replied, a faintly embarrassed smile appearing on her face. "I was heavily distracted by our conversation as well. I should have been paying more attention to the road."
"Oh?" Aezaleon raised a brow.
Before he could say anything else to her, the expressions of the other three students immediately darkened with displeasure.
"Why are you apologizing, Aria?" Cassian spoke first, clearly displeased by her stance.
"And to a mere commoner at that," Kai added with a sharp sneer.
Aria blinked in confusion and shifted her attention toward her classmates—temporary companions she had only recently become acquainted with. "But it was our fault," she replied honestly. "We were standing directly in his path."
"So what?" Kai shot back aggressively.
"That changes nothing," Zane said flatly, his arms crossed. "You're a noble. Remember that status." His cold gaze swept over Aezaleon dismissively before returning to focus on Aria. "And you are not just any ordinary noble. The proud blood of the direct line of House Lyothoz flows through your veins. Yet you're lowering yourself before some random plebeian."
Aria's confusion only deepened further. Clearly, she failed to understand why offering a simple, polite apology had suddenly become such a massive problem.
As for Aezaleon, he found the entire situation rather amusing. Shaking his head lightly, Aezaleon decided not to waste any more time on the trivial matter and simply continued walking toward his original destination. The girl had already acknowledged her mistake and apologized. As far as he was concerned, the incident was completely over.
Besides, they were complete strangers to one another. There was no reason for either side to remain standing in the middle of a busy street exchanging meaningless words. Unfortunately, it seemed the other three students did not share his view.
Cassian—the black-haired, black-eyed young man standing nearly 180 centimeters tall and, more importantly, a Monarch—suddenly reached out and grabbed Aezaleon's shoulder from behind as he walked past.
"Where do you think you're going, commoner?" he demanded loudly.
At the exact same time, his other fist shot directly toward Aezaleon's head with lethal intent.
Aezaleon merely exhaled a soft breath. 'How bothersome,' within the soul sea, Clementine's attention instantly locked onto the offensive target. The sub ability Blood Harmony Absolute activated. The effect of the skill was immediate.
The young Monarch's body abruptly lost all of its strength. The fist flying toward Aezaleon weakened dramatically mid-motion, and the hand gripping his shoulder loosened instantly. His knees buckled beneath him, and then he collapsed heavily forward.
Aezaleon turned around with practiced ease. Before Cassian could even hit the ground, he seized the young man firmly by the hair. And then—
CRUNCH!
He slammed the boy's face directly into the hard stone street. The sickening sound of a nose breaking echoed loudly through the immediate surroundings.
SMACK!
SMACK!
SMACK!
Aezaleon repeated the brutal motion three more times without showing the slightest hesitation. By the time he finally stopped, Cassian's face was reduced to a bloody mess. Meanwhile, the remaining three students stood completely frozen in stunned disbelief. None of them had ever expected such an outcome.
This was their very first time witnessing "an assumed" Pureblood suppress a true Monarch so completely. There was no struggle, no resistance, and no contest whatsoever.