Bloodstar System: Infinite Evolution Through Beast Slaughter

Nine o’clock the next morning.

The main press hall of Alkaid Authority had become a sea of flashing lights.

Nearly every media outlet in Norcrest had sent someone. Reporters had come from several surrounding fortress cities as well. Cameras packed the floor in dense rows, while streamers holding live broadcast equipment filled even the aisles.

The explosion at the House Hurst estate had shaken the city the night before.

So had the image of a young man in black armor standing above the ruins with two severed heads in his hands.

By morning, the entire network had gone mad.

"Ahem."

Manester stood behind the podium in full military dress, medals covering his chest.

His face looked pale after a sleepless night spent interrogating prisoners and organizing evidence, but his eyes had never been sharper.

"Everyone."

His voice passed through the microphone, filling the hall and reaching countless homes across Norcrest through the live broadcast.

"Regarding the special military operation carried out against House Hurst last night, I will now issue the official report on behalf of Alkaid Authority."

The room went still.

Only the cameras continued clicking.

"Our investigation has confirmed that House Hurst, formerly one of the four great families of Norcrest, maintained long term ties with Fiend forces."

The first sentence struck the room like a bomb.

"Dace Hurst willingly underwent Fiend transformation in pursuit of greater power. He had already become a monster that fed on human flesh."

"His father, Orson Hurst, not only allowed it, but conspired with Hector Tyren of the academy."

"They turned the school into a private feeding ground."

"Hundreds of students were kept there as blood feed for Dace’s advancement."

The hall erupted.

Reporters recoiled from the words. Across Norcrest, millions watching the broadcast felt cold spread through their bodies.

Students raised as food?

What kind of human could do such a thing?

"And that is not all."

Manester’s voice rose, carrying an edge that silenced the room again.

"Orson Hurst also colluded with a high ranking envoy of the Bloodfiend race."

"Their goal was to attack Norcrest from within and without, overthrow the city’s governing authority, and sacrifice its entire population to the Bloodfiend Ancestor."

The screen behind him lit up.

One image after another appeared.

Dace after his transformation.

The remains of students found beneath the school.

Documents and records recovered from the hidden chamber of House Hurst before they could be destroyed, each one proving contact with the Bloodfiends.

There was no room left for denial.

Several reporters covered their mouths and began to cry.

The rest sat rigid, anger rising through the hall.

"Fortunately, the newly appointed Frontier Marshal of Antares Command, Joren, discovered the conspiracy before it could be completed."

"With no support at his side, he entered the enemy stronghold alone and rescued the students and faculty trapped inside."

"After that, he proceeded to the House Hurst estate by himself."

"There he faced Orson Hurst, a middle stage Rank Five Fiend, and a Bloodfiend envoy of the same rank."

"He did not retreat a single step."

Manester paused.

His gaze moved across the room before he delivered the final words one by one.

"Alone, he killed them both."

"And tore out by the roots a poison that had festered in Norcrest for decades."

The hall exploded into noise.

Many reporters had witnessed the aftermath the night before, but hearing the result confirmed by the Commander himself was different.

Across the live broadcasts, young viewers leaned toward their screens, eyes burning.

At that same moment, in the southern district of Norcrest, the Rourke family had gathered in its main conference room.

Smoke hung thick beneath the ceiling.

Caden Rourke sat facing the television screen mounted on the wall. The cigar between his fingers had gone out long ago.

He had not noticed.

More than a dozen senior members of the family sat around him, pale and silent.

When Manester had served as Frontier Marshal, he had been powerful enough to frighten every faction in the city.

But he had followed rules.

He weighed consequences.

For the sake of Norcrest’s stability, he had tolerated many of the great families’ darker businesses.

That tolerance had made them arrogant.

Some had even stopped giving Antares Command the respect it deserved.

Joren was nothing like him.

No warning.

No negotiation.

He had surrounded House Hurst with an army, entered alone, then killed everything inside.

This was not a warning.

This was extermination.

"Listen carefully!"

Caden shot to his feet, eyes red.

"Starting today, every gambling den, black market deal, and smuggling route under this family shuts down."

"All of it."

One of the senior members hesitated.

"Those businesses account for nearly sixty percent of our income. If we close them all, then the family will..."

"Close them!"

Caden’s roar shook the room.

"Do you want to become the next House Hurst?"

No one answered.

"And one more thing."

He pointed toward a middle aged man at the table.

"Lock up that worthless son of yours who keeps causing trouble outside."

"Tell every young member of this family the same thing."

"If any of them provokes Antares Command..."

Something hard entered Caden’s eyes.

"I will bind them myself and deliver them to Alkaid Authority."

The same scene unfolded across Norcrest.

At the Dorne family estate in the north.

At the Valek family trade headquarters in the west.

The three powers that had once ruled entire districts now behaved like frightened birds.

Rylan Dorne personally held a whip as he beat the spoiled son he had always favored.

"You wanted to race through the streets?"

"You wanted to act like no one could touch you?"

"From today onward, keep your head down and behave."

The head of the Valek family summoned every manager beneath him before dawn.

He ordered the family to repay every coin of tax it had avoided over the last ten years.

Then he prepared a long donation list.

Ten full trucks of supplies and Voidbeast meat were sent to Antares Command in the name of honoring the Frontier Marshal for destroying the Fiends and protecting Norcrest.

Overnight, the atmosphere of the city changed.

The privileged heirs who had once swaggered through the streets disappeared.

Public order became strangely excellent.

...

The food at the Antares Command cafeteria had also improved considerably.

The long dining tables were covered with rare ingredients that could not be bought even on the black market.

Tenderloin from a Rank Four Ironback Bull sizzled in fragrant spices.

Thin slices of Rank Three Clearwater Fish gleamed like crystal.

A medicinal stew bubbled nearby, made from the trimmings of a Rank Five Blood Truffle.

At the head of the table, Joren slowly cut into his steak.

"Brann, how are things on your end?"

He looked toward the broad man seated near the far end of the table.

Brann’s arm had healed, though it was still somewhat stiff.

At the sound of his name, he set down his chopsticks and pulled a miserable face.

"Do not even ask, Frontier Marshal."

"Use my name."

Joren cut him off.

Brann scratched his head.

"You have no idea what it has been like."

"I barely dare leave the house now."

Kaia glanced over.

"Someone is troubling you?"

"Who would dare?"

Brann sighed and pulled a stack of colorful business cards from inside his coat, spreading them across the table.

"Look at these."

Alar leaned over and picked up several.

"Norcrest Capital."

"Redstone Ventures."

"West District Commercial Alliance."

He whistled.

"These are all major players."

Brann looked exhausted.

"I run a slaughterhouse."

"That is all."

"But for the last two days, these people have been waiting outside my home, insisting that I invest with them."

"I do not know anything about investments."

"I know how to drain blood from Voidbeasts."

He slapped one hand against the table as he imitated one of the executives.

"And the man slapped his thigh and said, that is exactly what we need. Fast decisions. Precise action. Ruthless execution. That is the mindset of a top market operator."

Kaia nearly spat out her soup.

Alar collapsed against the table laughing.

"Market operator?"

"Because you know how to bleed a Voidbeast?"

Even Joren’s mouth curved.

"It is still a good sign."

He put down his knife and fork, then wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"At least it proves the fleas inside the city have settled down."

The mood around the table shifted.

Kaia set aside her bowl.

"What comes next, Frontier Marshal?"

Everyone present wanted the answer.

Joren rose.

His gaze seemed to pass through the walls of the cafeteria, across Norcrest, and toward the towering [The Absolute Barrier] at the edge of the city.

Beyond it lay endless wilderness.

A forbidden land for humanity.

The source of every fear Norcrest had carried for generations.

"Brann."

"You have lived in the West District for forty years."

"Tell me what life in Norcrest has been like during those forty years."

The question caught Brann off guard.

For a moment, his eyes drifted.

He remembered hiding in shelters as a child whenever the alarms began.

He remembered bodies being carried back through the streets.

Neighbors.

Friends.

Family.

"We hid behind the walls like rats."

His hand moved unconsciously toward the arm he had once lost.

"And every year, people died."

Joren turned toward the others.

"When the Voidbeasts came, we defended."

"When they withdrew, we repaired the walls."

"We lived on our own land like prisoners."

His voice was not loud, but every word landed heavily.

"Orson was a monster, but he was right about one thing."

"Power is the foundation of everything."

"He simply turned his blade in the wrong direction."

"He used it against his own people."

Joren returned to the table and placed both hands against its surface.

The pressure of command rolled through the room.

"I do not like waiting for enemies to arrive at my doorstep."

"And I have no intention of spending every day wondering when the walls might fall."

Something burned behind his eyes.

Ambition.

"Notify Manester."

"Distribute all the resources recovered from House Hurst."

"Every Awakened Warrior at Rank Three or above receives new equipment."

"This time, we are not defending the city."

Joren pointed toward the wilderness beyond the window.

"We are going out."

"We advance three hundred kilometers from Norcrest."

"Every Voidbeast within that region dies."

"I do not care whether it eats meat or grass."

"Kill them all."

Why wait for Voidbeasts to attack and deliver themselves to him one group at a time?

The wilderness was already waiting.

The system had given him the power to grow without limit.

Then he would turn that wilderness into his hunting ground.

"Tomorrow, I want the battle flag of Antares Command flying from the hills beyond The Absolute Barrier."

Joren looked around the table.

"Who is for it?"

"Who is against it?"