The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion - Chapter 76

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Power Vs Pride – 2

Aeron Brenlith, as soon as his transformation into the partial ancestral form completed, launched at Damian with full speed.

His figure became a flash of light, and in an instant, he appeared before Damian, catching him by the neck with his claws and lifting him into the air.

“Turn to ashes, you lowly human!” he snarled.

The flames surrounding the vampire burned brighter as waves of fire spread and shot in every direction.

He channeled the raging flames toward Damian, intending to burn him alive.

But in the heat of the moment, Aeron failed to notice that Damian remained completely unharmed, not even a single ember scorching his flesh.

With all his might, Aeron hurled Damian to the ground from the sky.

Damian’s body crashed into the earth, creating a massive crater, sending dust and dirt flying in all directions.

The vampire’s wings flapped a few times before he descended at full speed, diving straight into the crater.

His fists, engulfed in thick flames, struck Damian with immense force.

An explosion erupted upon impact, sending a scorching ring of fire outward.

The blast swept away dust and debris, leaving the ground blackened and charred.

Even then, Aeron was not finished.

He appeared in the sky once again, raising his hand above his head.

The flames surrounding his body began to gather at his palm, condensing into a single point.

There were many beings in the universe with unique powers that only they could possess.

Vampires and werewolves were among these exceptional creatures.

Werewolves had the ability to harness a type of energy called [Lunar Essence].

Similarly, vampires possessed their own unique energy known as [Blood Essence].

Each type of energy had its own distinct properties.

The [Lunar Essence] of the werewolves, for instance, was a derivative of another energy type called [Solar Essence].

It carried the properties of heat and light, albeit on a lower scale than [Solar Essence], along with a unique trait of extended strengthening.

Both [Lunar Essence] and [Solar Essence], with their attributes of heat and light, were extremely harmful to beings like vampires.

In essence, werewolves were the natural enemies of the vampire race.

Just like the [Lunar Essence] of the werewolves, the [Blood Essence] of vampires had its own unique properties, such as enhanced regeneration and prolonged lifespan.

However, these were not even the most significant aspects of this energy to the vampires.

Many races in the universe carried abilities within their blood, inherited and passed down through generations.

Vampires were no exception.

Their bloodline abilities were exclusive to their lineage, and only they could wield them.

But, like any other ability, these powers required a source of energy.

This was where [Blood Essence] came into play.

Every ability vampires possessed was powered by [Blood Essence].

The more of it a vampire had, the stronger their regeneration, the longer their lifespan, and the more potent their bloodline abilities became.

Right now, the vampire known as Aeron Brenlith had activated his bloodline ability, pyrokinesis.

He drew out a massive amount of [Blood Essence], and the ball of fire above his hand grew larger and larger until it resembled a miniature sun.

“Burn!” Aeron roared at the top of his lungs as he hurled the fiery sphere toward the crater where Damian lay.

The miniature sun maintained its shape as it descended upon the battlefield.

The moment it touched the ground, it erupted into a cataclysmic explosion, sending waves of fire in all directions.

The heat radiated outward, consuming everything in its path.

The flames even spread toward the bleachers, but the system’s protective barrier remained in place, ensuring that the devastation stayed confined within the battleground.

As soon as the sphere of fire exploded, it began to expand, creating a dome of flames that did not dissipate even after the explosion had gone off.

The vampire watching this was in a state of ecstasy.

His lips curled into a wide grin, making him look like a sadistic monster who reveled in human suffering.

However, at the same time, he felt that something was very wrong.

He glanced at the bleachers and noticed that the expressions of the spectators remained unchanged.

It was as if they had expected something like this to happen.

Then, the vampire turned his gaze back to the dome of fire created by the explosion.

Just as he did, something shot out of the fiery dome.

Before he could react, it appeared right in front of him.

A fist, coated with wind energy, slammed into his flame-covered face, sending him flying before he crashed violently into the ground.

With a loud bang, the transformed vampire collided with the earth.

“What…? What the fuck?” The vampire hastily stood up and looked toward the sky.

There, floating effortlessly like a feather, was the human-shaped monster he had vowed to burn alive.

Damian’s dark hair had turned a shade of gray and had grown a few inches, defying gravity as it swayed with the wind.

Although his appearance had not changed drastically, the vampire’s vampiric eyes could see a mysterious energy revolving around Damian, like planets orbiting the sun.

[Wind Avatar: Form Transformation Activated]

[Form: Wind Avatar]

[A subskill attainable only by those who possess the constitution [Relentless Tempest Sovereign Physique]].

[Effect:

-Upon activation, you become a wind spirit, with your entire body as light as air. Your blood transforms into wind itself, and a cloak of wind energy envelops your flesh like armor. The more wind essence you possess, the longer you can maintain this form.

-In this form, you can unleash maximum wind output from any part of your body.

-Your natural pain tolerance increases by 80%.

-Your wounds regenerate 100% faster.

-Your strength increases by 30%.

-Your body becomes as light as the wind, granting you the ability to fly.

-Your speed increases by 100% and further scales with the amount of Wind essence you expend.]

Damian was in a state unlike anything he had ever felt before.

The [Wind Avatar] form was vastly different from [Fire Avatar] and [Earth Avatar].

It was more soothing, more calming, and, most of all, he felt lighter, as if he was untouched by anything else in the world.

Even the battle before him seemed untroubling.

For a moment, he just wanted to sit still and bask in this feeling; it felt that good.

When he was in his [Fire Avatar] form, he would feel as though he were submerged in a hot spring, except the heat was extraordinary.

It sharpened his mind and filled him with motivation, as if he could accomplish anything without failure.

When he was in his [Earth Avatar] form, he felt bold and unstoppable, as if no wall could ever stand in his way.

It was only after he began using elemental form transformations that he realized how much these elemental essences influenced him.

Their presence was strong, but he had long since grown used to their effects.

Now, they barely fazed him.

Damian soaked in the sensation of his [Wind Avatar] form, feeling the soft and gentle [Wind Essence] flowing in and out of his body.

He felt weightless.

He felt free.

No, he wasn’t just feeling free and weightless.

He was free and weightless.

The noble vampire Aeron Brenlith stared at Damian, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.

“H-He… he’s alright?”

The vampire’s crimson eyes locked onto Damian’s hovering figure, floating like a feather in the sky, completely unharmed.

Not even a scratch.

“Why isn’t he burned?” Aeron felt his head spin.

He clearly remembered how much energy he had expended to incinerate everything around him.

That massive sphere of fire he unleashed had consumed more than half of his [Blood Essence], yet Damian stood there, unaffected, as if the attack never even reached him.

Then, suddenly, Damian’s figure vanished from the sky.

Before Aeron could react, a sharp pain pierced his chest.

His eyes widened as he looked down, seeing Damian standing before him, gripping a dark spear that had impaled straight into his heart.

“H-How…?” The vampire’s voice trembled.

He instinctively grabbed the spear embedded in his chest, but the moment his fingers made contact, a searing pain exploded throughout his body.

It felt as if thousands of needles were piercing into him all at once, attacking from the inside out.

With a sharp gasp, he yanked his hands away from the spear.

Using his wings, he jerked backward, retreating as the weapon was pulled from his flesh.

Hot blood poured from his chest, but within seconds, the wound sealed shut, healing flawlessly.

“You…!”

“What? Surprised?” Damian smirked. “Didn’t I tell you before? You’ll lose miserably… just like that werewolf.”

Aeron’s eyes darkened. “…I… lose to you? A human?”

Something inside him snapped.

As a vampire, his emotions were already heightened hundreds of times beyond a human’s, but now, with his partial ancestral transformation active, his pride and fury erupted even more violently than usual.

“Yes, you’re about to lose… to a lowly human,” Damin nodded, smirking.

He wasn’t particularly offended by the insult; if anything, he agreed.

Humans weren’t particularly powerful.

He never expected higher-ranked races to show them any respect.

In fact, Damian had been contemplating something for a while: what kind of being would he become when he evolved?

He had no idea what form the System would choose for his evolution, but one thing was certain: as long as it was stronger than this human body, he would welcome it with open arms.