[You have slain: Vampire Prince Macass]

[You have received: 100,000 coins, 30 maximum energy, Prince Origin Blood(Incomplete)]

[Prince Origin Blood(Incomplete)]

Rating: Epic (Quasi-Legendary)

Effect: Upon use, 20% chance to acquire a duke bloodline, 40% for marquis, 59% for Count, and 1% for random mutations

Note: Origin blood has been divided between two parties, drastically lowering its rating.

As soon as Genji received the killing prompt, he immediately dropped his weapon and reached for his healing items. His body was in a horrendous condition after the trick he had just pulled, but he had no regrets. At least he came out alive, and his enemy was dead, lying by his feet.

After ensuring he wouldn't die from these wounds, Genji picked up [Jaguar] and approached Zephyr, who was in a similarly crippling condition.

"How are you holding up?" Genji asked, reaching down to give him a hand.

"Not too bad, but if you had something to counter his ultimate, why didn't you use it sooner?"

"Because I didn't know if it would have killed me first."

"As crazy as ever," Zepher commented and accepted his hand.

Then they headed for the distant fortress, where severely anxious hunters were waiting. Since the battle started, they had traveled quite a distance as they fended off the vampire prince.

"Anyways, what's with that ability? This is the second time I've seen something like it, and I still can't understand how you're doing it," Genji said as he bandaged Zephyr's wounds.

He might not have noticed during his fight with Daucer, but when Zephyr utilized something similar, he couldn't help but notice the similarities. In both instances, it felt like a piece of equipment had gone into overdrive and presented them with immense strength that defied their stats.

The equipment fluctuations were close enough that he deduced they fell under the same power system. Because of that, Genji wanted to understand it enough so he could be prepared for any future foes that might use the same power. Plus, he could never have too much knowledge of something.

"Second time? In this world?" Zepher asked, picking up on his specification.

"Yeah."

"How rare. It's not often someone unlocks their legacy at this stage. They must have pumped everything into the equipment's spirit."

"Spirit? Legacy unlock?"

Genji pondered over these unfamiliar terms, confused about what they represented. While he had some guesses about "legacy," he had no idea what "spirit" meant.

"I guess I should explain this since this is a higher-level ability. Its official name is Legacy Liberation, but most people just call it Legacy Release or Release for short. All champions have access to this ability through their legacies, but the experience differs for everyone. Everything depends on when the legacy develops a spirit and the circumstances of the champion, though most finish this process around the third step."

"Let me guess, the 'spirit' is one of the upgrades I can specify EverRealm to strengthen during world settlement?" Genji quickly pieced together the clues and asked to confirm his guess.

"Yes, but I don't recommend it. If you specify the spirit for the upgrade, the legacy barely improves in power. It would be more effective to upgrade your legacy normally since you need to accumulate achievements over many worlds if you want to form a spirit. But even if you managed to survive so many pointless upgrades, the spirit needs a strong legacy to fully unleash its powers.

It's like giving a sick, frail man the best fighting skills. While he can beat other sick people, he would be hopeless against someone who has a strong body, but no fighting skills. In fact, he might even hurt himself by trying to execute these skills.

Legacy release is similar in that if the spirit tries to utilize a power it can't sustain, the equipment will break. In serious cases, it might completely disintegrate and remove your status as champion. If that happens, there is no medicine for regret so..." Zepher trailed off, knowing full well Genji got his implication.

"The other person didn't seem so troubled, though," Genji said, recalling how Daucer easily sustained his energy slashes.

"Then their liberation is on the weaker end, barely giving them any boost."

"Weak?"

Something about this statement struck Genji as odd. How could that be weak? He barely won against that werewolf and that was weak? On second thought, it made sense compared to Zephyr's previous state. When Zephyr unleashed his legacy, his combat powers multiplied several times over, allowing him to fight head-on against Macass.

This was something not even Genji managed to do, as he mostly relied on his healing and sharpness to force Macass back. It was amazing to think Zephyr accomplished all of that with a single ability.

"Fine, I won't argue with you on that. But can you tell me how you managed to unleash your legacy with such powers if you didn't develop your spirit?"

"The thing about forming a spirit is that it's not hard. It's just a matter of time. But this time is a long one, lasting at least multiple years. Only then, does the legacy develop a spirit that is compatible with you."

At his explanation, Genji's eyes shifted to the red bandana tied around Zephyr's arm. It was a familiar bandana, one that Zephyr had always worn during his pirating days. If memory served him, Zephyr was in his eighties.

That meant even if Zepher had obtained this bandana only a few years before their meeting, it would have had plenty of time to get familiar with Zepher. Plus, the bandana looked way older than that with the jaded colors. Zepher might have taken good care of it, but time had left its mark.

This meant the bandana had easily fulfilled the time requirement. At this fact, Genji could only sigh in envy.

[Vampire Hunter War has ended. Due to your contributions, you have received: 4 Duke Origin Blood, 39 Marques Origin Blood, and 345 unnamed rare equipment.]

At this moment, the war officially ended, and both of them obtained their reward summaries. Because Genji's poison mists played a big part in these casualties, Genji got a huge part of the reward. While the unnamed equipment wasn't anything spectacular, the quantity more than made up for it. The main income, though, lay in the vampire-origin blood.

Each one of these represented a chance to change someone's race, making them a hot commodity. Genji was certain he would gain enough money to fully optimize his knowledge pool and mass-produce his epic consumables to allow for external sales. It was a favorable end to everything, but fate had other plans.

[Main mission has been completed. You will return in 5 min-]

[Outside judgment detected. SanguineRealm has issued an objection.]

[It has been detected that the subject indirectly obtained the help of EverRealm in the form of another Champion. Since this is a violation of the punishment agreements, SanguineRealm suggests this kill be invalidated.]

[ManaRealm concurs.]

[LuminalRealm concurs.]

[OmegaRealm concurs.]

[EverRealm objects.]

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[A conflict in judgment has been detected. The issue will be referred to a neutral party for judgment.]

[Blue Maelstrom has been informed.]

{Evidence in review...}

{It has been detected the subject in question has a record of breaking many rules of the Spatial Battlefield. A request for details has been sent to Eternal Void.}

{Awaiting confirmation...}

{Confirmation complete. Since the subject had damaged the interests of the other realms unfairly, the other realms can agree on a punishment.}

{Terms of punishment have been reviewed.}

{Term #374: "The subject can not receive any help from the realm backer" has been semi-violated.}

{The realms have jurisdiction in invalidating this fulfillment condition.}

{Fulfillment condition will now be reset. Your mission remains unchanged: Kill a vampire prince 0/1}

{Conflict resolved. Withdrawing...}

{Withdrawing paused. EverRealm has reported the other realms for overstepping their bounds in this act.}

{Reviewing behaviors...}

{It has been detected that SanguineRealm, LuminalRealm, OmegaRealm, and ManaRealm have interfered with the mission of a member of another realm.}

{Compensation will be deliberated between the realms...}

{Compensation has been settled. All conflicts have been resolved.}

{Blue Maelstrom has withdrawn.}

Just like that, Genji was set back to the start. No, he was worse off since he was heavily injured and running low on consumables. Even then, the realms still expected him to kill another prince. How was this supposed to be reasonable?

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Genji hollered, trying to vent all his frustrations. This, however, only made him angrier as he recalled the lousy reason for his predicament.

"What do you mean EverRealm helped me? I nearly died back there!"

At his outburst, the other hunters shot him lots of surprised looks but he was too preoccupied to care. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, EverRealm gave him another piece of bad news.

[You have triggered the response mechanism: Awakening of the Princes]

Description: The other two vampire clans have detected the death of a Prince and have started the blood ritual to awaken their own princes. Prince Roragen will awaken in 7 days, 21 hours, and Prince Kulo will awaken in 9 days, 2 hours.

Plus, Zepher had returned during this process, disappearing like he was never there. Genji was literally alone in his problems. Now he could either die trying against another prince or give up and accept his new home. Genji, however, refused to pick the second option, leaving him with only one choice.

At this revelation, a glint of madness shone in his eyes and gave him an insane look.

"You want another dead prince? Then I'll give you one. Hell, I'll even give you a second one. Let's see how you will trap me here after that!"

Then Genji walked out of the medical room, crackling with maniacal laughter. The other hunters looked upon this scene, confused expressions, but not thinking much of it. Genji had always been a strange hunter to them, and this display only reinforced that fact.

All of them thought like this, except for one person. A person who was lying on the ground, bedridden from severe injuries. A person with bright blue hair. It was Connor, who had a thoughtful look as he processed Genji's words.

"Another prince? Is that what that monster is called?"

Connor shuddered at the thought of more vampires on par with that walking disaster. One of them was terrifying enough and you're telling me there was more? How is that possible?

Then intrigue sparked inside him as he realized Genji wanted to kill two more princes.

How would he go about doing such a thing? How does he even know about them? And why does he sound like he knew where they were?

These questions buzzed around in Connor's head, and soon, he wanted answers. He slowly pushed himself onto his legs and stumbled after Genji, ignoring the medics' warnings against such exertions.

As Connor followed in Genji's footsteps, he soon reached the strategy room where all the oldest hunters gathered to discuss the tragedy that had happened previously. While Connor didn't know how the conversation started, he knew it ended badly.

"As long as you can gather the two of them in one place, I am certain I can heavily wound them," Genji's hoarse voice came through the crease of the open door.

*Sigh*

"As reliable as you are, we simply don't have the manpower anymore. We can't afford to gamble like this. If we fail, all of humanity will return to the slave age."

"I see. I'll figure this out myself then." With that, the door opened, and Genji walked out with a somber expression.

Connor stepped aside and allowed Genji to pass. It was obvious the negotiation had failed, but something inside Connor compelled him to speak up. Maybe it was his hatred for the vampires or his naivety, but he wanted to hear Genji's plan.

"How confident are you in killing them if they are lured into the same place?"

Connor's sudden question stopped Genji in his tracks. Turning around, a pair of bloodshot eyes assessed Connor's injured body. Instantly, Genji knew this kid was in no condition to be walking around.

"Stay out of this. You barely survived the war, so don't throw your life away. Not even a gold hunter could stand a chance against them, let alone a half-dead silver hunter."

Connor didn't take offense at his words, and a self-mocking smile appeared on his face.

"You're right, but I want to try. If you're that confident, I also want to gamble with you," he replied, but Genji immediately refuted him.

"But I'm not confident. Rather, this is only a last-ditch struggle before I end up dead since the princes would never let me go after everything. So do you still want to bet on me?"

"But what choice do I have? If I don't bet on you, wouldn't I just be waiting for death? I would rather strike first and take my chances there than sit in paranoia, counting my remaining days," Connor answered instantly, his voice firm with determination.

Hearing his decisive response, Genji let out hearty laughter, happy to meet someone with the same philosophy as him.

"I like you, kid, so I'll give you one last chance to back down."

"No."

"I'll admit, you have guts, but what good is it when you don't have the strength to back it up?"

With that, Genji shook his head and turned back around, walking away without care. Connor would only be dead weight in this event so why endanger him unnecessarily?

At this sight, Connor made a hard decision and called out to Genji.

"Wait, I might have a way to rapidly increase my strength."

Hearing this statement, Genji was intrigued enough to stop again, giving Connor a chance to explain himself. Connor took in a deep breath and prepared to explain his secret. A secret he had kept to himself until now.

"I can drink vampire blood."

"That doesn't change anything. Your body would break down before you could do anything."

"No, I'm different. For some reason, I haven't experienced any side effects since I started. Instead, my strength grew by leaps and bounds to reach my current level."

"You speak as if you drink it often."

"I do. That's how I survived the war. I'm sure if you can give me enough vampire blood, I can become strong enough to help out."

"How fascinating. Then it's settled. If you can lure the two princes into one location, I'll handle the rest," Geni said, reaching inside his storage to bring out a wooden box. This was where Genji stored the all vampire blood he had obtained. Genji walked back to Connor and handed the box over.

"Here's the blood. We'll set off in four days. In that time, condition yourself, and we'll make our move."

Don't underestimate this box. When I say all the vampire blood, I mean it. This includes the 7 Duke level and even Prince Macass's! Genji was literally betting everything on this. If Connor couldn't bear the burden as he claimed, Genji would have wasted a large portion of his income.

Genji, though, remained unfazed by this fact. What good would the blood be once he's dead? He might as well put everything on the line like what Connor was doing. At least that way, he has a chance of getting some help in completing this stupid mission.

Days later, Genji walked out of an isolated room in a coughing fit. His face was pale from exposure to his toxins, causing weakness and lightheadedness. Genji endured this discomfort and checked his emptied storage space.

Other than usual items, all his supplies had vanished. In their place, a black, tar-like orb sat in the corner of his storage, away from anything else. This was what Genji had been working on in the past few days and why they had to delay this mission.

He had used everything he had gotten from scamming Silver Empress to create this one poison bomb. Since he didn't have access to his advanced lab, the entire process was very dangerous. Just one slip-up and it would have exploded, turning this fortress into a cemetery.

It was an exhilarating stake, forcing him to overcome multiple close calls. It was a good thing he never told the hunters about this creation, or they would have instantly kicked him out. Just imagine telling someone that they may or may not die the next moment if he screws up.

Genji leaned against the wall for support and slowly walked to the stables where he agreed to meet Connor. When Genji saw him, he noticed that Connor's body had become unnaturally more muscular. So much so that his clothes became more of a hindrance than anything. One long motion, and he would shred everything.

Heavy blood scent and aura also surrounded him, portraying him as an asura that climbed out of a sea of blood. Luckily, his eyes remained clear and in control despite the intense blood he had consumed.

They exchanged a small nod before getting on their nightbanes and setting off. Once they were further away, Connor pulled out one last vial and chugged it. This was the prince's blood that he held off since he was uncertain about the effects.

Was his unusual resistance strong enough to overcome its strong effects? Would he turn into a monster if he failed? What about his comrades? Would they die under his hands if he lost control?

These worries circled his mind and discouraged the act. While he wanted to gamble, he didn't want to make stupid bets. But now that they are alone, these thoughts disappeared and he found the courage to try.

The dark liquid flowed down his throat and his heart palpitated wildly. Blood rushed to his ears and turned them into a deep shade. His muscles twitched uncontrollably and contorted in disturbing ways. Then it bulged out, ripping his clothes and exposing his whitening chest.

It was a painful process as his body reformed itself into perfect proportions that resembled a Greek god. By the end of this process, Genji felt an intense danger ooze from Connor's very presence. Whatever Connor had become, there was no doubt it unsettled their mounts.

Genji steadied the terrified nightbanes and gazed up at Connor. His body was tense, and his hands clenched his weapons, ready to react at a moment's notice.

"You still there?" Genji asked, trying to confirm if Connor had become a mindless beast.

"Yes," Connor answered before breaking out panting.

"Let's rest. Bruce, it's time to work again."

Then Genji handed Connor a cloak and made a campfire, fully aware that Connor was severely drained from his transformation. After Bruce came back, Connor gave him a weird look.

This was the first time he saw a nightbane hunt for food, let alone relish cooked meat so much. Seeing how his peer was enjoying himself so much, the other nightbane also nudged Connor for a piece. Speechless, Connor had no choice but to hand over his half-eaten meal.

"What a strange nightbane you have."

With that, they smothered the fire and continued deeper into vampire territory.