Bloodline is Everything
Chapter 150

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 150: Sky Arena (2)

At that very moment when the participants stepped into the Sky Arena—

The Dragon Slayer stood atop his yacht, gazing up at the floating coliseum above.

It wasn’t because he was worried about his only disciple. No matter who the opponent was, his disciple would take them down without much trouble.

The real reason he was outside was to greet a certain guest.

“So you’ve finally arrived.”

The empty air split apart, and a frail old man emerged.

His limbs were thin and wiry, and his back was hunched. He looked like he could die any moment now.

But in stark contrast to his pitiful appearance, the old man’s eyes were chillingly eerie—entirely black with crimson pupils glowing in their depths.

“It’s been a while,” the old man said with a grin, revealing a blood-red upper palate through his sparse teeth.

The Dragon Slayer grimaced in response.

“Why’d you come in person instead of sending a messenger?”

“How cold. Is there a reason I shouldn’t be here?”

“Not really. But when someone’s wrinkly old head pops out of nowhere, anyone would react the same.”

There are secrets in this world that only a handful of people know. This old man was one of them.

Azeth Hermes.

Leader of the first and only mage organization ever to exist in this world.

That was his true identity.

“When you get old, you have to move around from time to time. Keeps the body from falling apart.”

“How pitiful. That’s why I always say it’s better to die early when you get old.”

“Still as heartless as ever.”

Azeth Hermes let out a laugh. Despite his looks, he was a man who laughed easily.

“Be honest. You’re here because of the True Blood of the Hyukcheon Clan, aren’t you?”

“Why would I care about that brat?”

“Don’t play dumb. You told me yourself last time. You said a True Blood can only be born if they possess Aeon’s relic. You’re here to see whether Kwon Hanul has the vessel, aren’t you?”

Azeth Hermes clicked his tongue and replied, “Yes, I did say that. But I don’t believe Hyukcheon.”

“You don’t? But you said they were the ones who stole the vessel.”

“They did. But those fools have spent decades without even realizing what they stole.”

A strong note of contempt colored Azeth Hermes’s voice.

“And now, suddenly, they’ve ‘found’ it? That’s impossible. Besides, the vessel’s power is absolute. If the Hyukcheon really had identified the vessel, they wouldn’t be using it like that.”

For a brief moment, ecstasy flickered in Azeth Hermes’s eyes.

That’s the kind of thing the vessel was. Just the thought of it could set one’s heart racing.

“Then are you saying the Hyukcheon are lying? But why?”

“How would I know what’s in their heads? I suspect they made up the story about the True Blood to pressure their enemies.”

Azeth Hermes shrugged as if it didn’t matter much.

“But why ask me? You’ve met Kwon Hanul in person—you should know better than I do.”

“…What?”

“So? Did you feel anything from him?”

The Dragon Slayer scowled.

He recalled how the boy had resisted his Gift so defiantly.

In hindsight, it had been suspicious. A Black Dragon-blooded brat, resisting his Gift? And now claiming to be True Blood?

‘Other than being an arrogant little bastard, nothing stood out.’

But he didn’t say any of that out loud. He and Aeon were only cooperating because their interests aligned—they weren’t allies.

It was better to keep things close to the chest, just in case.

“Then it’s unlikely that Kwon Hanul is the vessel. Anyway, what happened to Babel’s heir?”

“Oh, that woman? Just like you people said—she’s not right in the head. What the hell did you do to her, huh?”

“That’s classified. Don’t ask for details.”

“After everything between us, you’re gonna be like that?”

“That’s enough.”

Azeth Hermes’s tone sharpened.

“Dragon Slayer. You’re just a collaborator, nothing more. Know your place and don’t overstep.”

The Dragon Slayer’s face twisted in rage. His pride was wounded.

“Don’t let your emotions show. Unless you want to go back to being a lab rat.”

Azeth Hermes fixed him with a chilling stare.

And so, they glared at each other in silence.

“…Why did you target Babel first, not Hyukcheon?”

To everyone’s surprise, the Dragon Slayer was the first to look away.

“Because one day, we’ll have to fight Hyukcheon. Babel’s Dragonheart Bloodline is quite similar to Black Dragon Blood, making it ideal for experimentation.”

“Wouldn’t testing directly on someone from Hyukcheon be more efficient?”

“That would provoke them. Aeon’s forces aren’t ready to face them yet.”

“So you’re saying Hyukcheon are more dangerous? Most people say they’re about equal.”

“Only the ignorant would say that. Dragonheart Bloodline grants dragon power, but Black Dragon Blood grants a dragon’s very nature. The risk isn’t even comparable.”

It was an answer that both revealed and concealed.

But the Dragon Slayer wasn’t asking because he was curious, so he didn’t press further.

“So, how’s your disciple doing?”

“Perfect.”

For the first time since Azeth Hermes’s warning, the Dragon Slayer’s face brightened.

“Her Gift has been perfectly tuned, and her combat prowess speaks for itself. The Sky Arena will be her personal stage.”

He spoke confidently, and the old man nodded.

“Well, of course. Who do you think gave him that Gift?”

Just then—

The old man’s gaze sharpened, becoming half-lidded.

The Sky Arena—

That pristine white structure was now shimmering in iridescent colors.

“What the hell is that?”

Even the Dragon Slayer was taken aback.

He had never in his life heard of the Sky Arena changing colors.

And that wasn’t all.

The Sky Arena was composed of several floating platforms stacked in layers.

But now, one by one, the upper discs were disappearing.

Until only the first platform remained.

“…No way…”

Azeth Hermes muttered under his breath.

Then it happened—a deafening blast tore through the air.

The explosion came from the Sky Arena. Both men snapped their heads upward.

But from below, seeing anything above was impossible.

The Dragon Slayer pulled out a laptop and brought up the live feed.

—“Do you see that?!”

Inside a helicopter circling the Sky Arena, a frantic reporter shouted.

—“There’s just been an explosion inside the Sky Arena!”

The camera zoomed in on the arena.

This time’s theme must’ve been a maze. A complex labyrinth had been erected across the entire arena.

And at the southern end—

The walls had all been blown to pieces.

—“We’ll zoom in further!”

Following the reporter’s command, the cameraman increased the focus.

As the image came into clear view—

The Dragon Slayer’s eyes widened.

* * *

After the press conference revealing he was of the True Dragon Bloodline, Kwon Hanul was left with a dilemma.

That dilemma was—proving he was a Trueblood wasn't as easy as he'd thought.

There were many legendary tales about Truebloods, but specific records of what kind of powers they wielded were scarce. And it wasn't like he could just show someone his status window.

Prove it by using the unique Authority of the True Black Dragon Bloodline? That had its own problems. While the powers of the True Black Dragon Bloodline were overwhelmingly stronger than the lower-tier bloodlines, there wasn't a stark visual difference that could be used as clear evidence.

If he used his Half-Manifestation form, no one could possibly doubt him—but the Sky Arena was a public battlefield, visible from the outside. He couldn't afford to reveal all his cards just yet.

‘Then there’s only one way.’

So, the method Kwon Hanul chose was simple: to demonstrate a level of power so overwhelming, so absolute, that no one could deny the truth.

To make it so that anyone would have no choice but to accept that he was a Trueblood.

It wasn’t a difficult task.

There was already an insurmountable gap between Kwon Hanul and the other contestants.

The only thing that surprised him was how much stronger Dragonheart turned out to be than he’d expected.

“Gahk…!”

“Urgh…!”

Groans echoed around him. The five people who had rushed him were now sprawled out on the floor, completely defeated and in shambles.

The surrounding walls had all been obliterated.

“This is… a bit much.”

Even Kwon Hanul hadn’t anticipated that the Dragonheart’s mana would be this powerful.

Sure, the people around him might have been relatively weak—but they were still well-known Hunters with decent reputations.

And yet, they were nearly knocked unconscious just from the mana he released.

“If anyone doubts me, I’ll just insist they saw a Trueblood.”

In situations like this, the fact that no one could definitively prove he wasn’t a Trueblood worked in his favor.

Even if he lied and called it the truth—no one could prove otherwise.

<Round 1 Complete!>

<The next round will begin shortly.>

<Round 2: Reach the center of the maze!>

Kwon Hanul looked around. Beyond the shattered debris, he could see more walls.

It seemed the maze opened once only one person remained standing.

Leaving the five defeated contestants behind, Kwon Hanul began to walk. He’d cleared the first round—there was no longer any need to bother with them.

He stood before a new wall. It was just as tall and wide as the last.

“A maze, huh…”

The wall was too high to scale.

But walking through the maze on foot would be a waste of time and effort.

Besides, he had already resolved to demonstrate overwhelming dominance.

“Guess I’ll just smash my way through.”

If he’d broken through a wall once, he could do it again.

Kwon Hanul placed his hand on the wall. Activating the Dragonheart Bloodline, he concentrated all his mana into it.

The released energy slammed into the wall. But to his surprise, it didn’t break—instead, only spiderweb-like cracks appeared.

“Huh?”

As Kwon Hanul frowned in confusion, a message popped up in front of him.

<An object in the arena has been damaged.>

<Restoring the damaged object. Increasing its durability.>

The cracks vanished instantly. Not only that, the wall—originally yellowish in color—turned a deeper brown. Its durability had clearly increased.

It seemed destroying the wall with raw mana alone wouldn’t be easy.

“So that’s how it is?”

He figured he could probably break it using a skill instead of pure mana.

But now he was feeling stubborn. He wanted to crush it using just mana—nothing else.

Conveniently, there was a power he’d been wanting to test out.

<Activating Authority: ‘Azure Sea Dragon Horn’>

A black horn sprouted from Kwon Hanul’s forehead.

During his fight with Kwon Chan-seong, his synchronization rate with the Black Dragon Bloodline had exceeded 50%. That had unlocked this new power.

For regular Dragon Bloodlines, such a top-tier Authority usually only manifested once synchronization reached 80%.

Which made this one all the more powerful.

Its effect? A massive boost in destructive power.

When the Dragon Horn is active, any technique used by a descendant of the Black Dragon Bloodline becomes exponentially stronger.

But the Azure Sea Dragon Horn was a Trueblood’s Authority.

<Authority: ‘Azure Sea Dragon Horn’ is amplifying your mana!>

Which meant its effect was even more immense.

Not only did it boost destructive power—it also amplified his mana itself.

The Dragon Heart surged with power. That power met the Azure Sea Dragon Horn and multiplied several times over.

Mana erupted from Kwon Hanul’s body. Even without transforming it into Aura or Dragon Spirit Energy, it was so intense that it became visible to the naked eye.

It was nearly too much for Kwon Hanul to control alone.

<Activating Authority: ‘Dragon’s Eye’>

So he invoked another Authority.

His forehead split open, revealing a third eye.

Using Dragon’s Eye, he focused the rampaging mana into a single point.

Then unleashed it all at once.

The condensed energy struck the wall. And the walls behind it. One after another, they exploded in succession—like dominoes falling.

Kwon Hanul grinned, satisfied, as he looked at the newly cleared path.

“Now that’s satisfying.”

He walked down the newly formed corridor toward the maze’s center. With every wall he passed, other contestants began to appear.

“W-What the hell…”

“K-Kwon Hanul?!”

Panicked contestants occasionally attacked him.

It was futile.

Skill-based attacks were blocked by the Dragonheart Bloodline. Physical ones bounced off his Dragonscale Armor.

Each time a contestant appeared, Kwon Hanul released a blast of mana. Without exception, they were all blown away.

After about the fourth explosion—

“They’re running now.”

He could sense the presence of other contestants fading away. They were scattering to avoid him.

Kwon Hanul kept walking. Eventually, he encountered another intact wall.

As before, he blasted it apart with his mana.

<Dragonheart Bloodline operation has ceased.>

Had it already been 30 minutes? The Dragonheart Bloodline powered down.

He also deactivated the Azure Sea Dragon Horn and the Dragon’s Eye. The overwhelming aura around him vanished instantly.

And just as he crossed over the shattered wall—

The air reeked of blood.

Bodies were strewn everywhere, soaked in red.

They looked like they’d been attacked with bladed weapons—gashes covered their entire bodies.

Some were already dead. The rest looked like they were seconds away.

“Huh?”

A sound came from the center of the corpses.

A woman, drenched in blood, was looking straight at Kwon Hanul.

“Where have I seen that face? Oh, right—you’re Kwon Hanul, aren’t you?”

Kwon Hanul lowered his gaze. Another woman lay at the blood-drenched woman’s feet.

“Why aren’t you answering? You are Kwon Hanul, right?”

To his shock, the woman on the ground was Sasha Babel—a contestant from the prestigious Babel family.

She had stood so proudly at the banquet. Now she was barely breathing, her body riddled with wounds.

“Can we stop worrying about her already?”

The blood-covered woman spoke irritably, then drove a dagger into Sasha’s shoulder.

Sasha let out a piercing scream.

“Ahhh!”

She clutched her shoulder in pain. It was a pitiful sight for someone who’d once been the Babel family’s golden child.

But it made sense.

Because the one holding the dagger… was a disciple of the Dragon Slayer.

Her name was—

“Mano Stonelight.”

As Kwon Hanul spoke her name, the Dragon Slayer’s disciple smiled brightly.

“Correct.”

Mano Stonelight pulled the dagger out of Sasha’s shoulder.

At that moment, a sinister energy filled the air.

<The aura of ‘Red Dragon Star’ has been detected!>

<The Black Dragon Bloodline is being suppressed!>

Kwon Hanul’s body tensed. Seeing this, Mano bared her fangs in a grin.

“Looks like my final prey just walked in on his own.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]