Bright red life crystals sat glistening on the table in front of Vega, glowing faintly like molten rubies. Their surface shimmered with an unnatural luster, and a shy, sweet aroma hung in the air—cloying yet enticing.
Vega looked at Kevin and the assembled members of the Ten Rings, all of them standing at attention. His gaze was casual, but the weight of his words was anything but.
"These are life crystals," Vega said, holding one up between his fingers. "Carefully refined using my Vampire Fruit ability—repeatedly distilled and fused with a concentrated blood source drawn from my own body. This enhances the effect and strips away most impurities."
Kevin's expression turned solemn, his eyes flicking to the crystal Vega held. The Ten Rings listened in complete silence.
"But," Vega continued, "this also means my life force is now a part of these crystals. Anyone who consumes them will have my blood essence woven into their being. From that moment forward—your lives no longer belong solely to yourselves. They are tied to me."
Kevin didn't flinch. He stepped forward and took one of the crystals reverently, without a trace of hesitation.
"I already swore loyalty to you, Master. Betrayal has never crossed my mind. So why fear it?"
Without waiting for a response, Kevin swallowed the crystal in a single gulp.
The Ten Rings followed his lead, one after another, their faces full of reverence as they consumed the potent red stones.
The transformation was immediate.
As the life crystals dissolved into liquid in their bodies, an enormous surge of energy burst forth. Their muscles tensed, skin rippled like disturbed water, and waves of heat radiated from them. Blood rushed faster through their veins, and a glow of crimson pulsed beneath their skin.
Vega watched calmly as their bodies underwent rapid metamorphosis. Their physicality—strength, endurance, reflexes—was being reforged in real time.
Kevin's transformation, however, brought something unexpected.
The shard of the Four Soul Jade embedded in his hand pulsed with a dark light. Thin black lines spread across his skin like corrupted tattoos, glowing faintly before shifting to a deep violet hue. The dormant grudge sealed within the jade shard had awakened—and now it was fusing with the power of the life crystal.
Kevin doubled over in agony, his organs twisting and convulsing under the surge of conflicting forces. He let out a pained wail, but moments later, a cooling sensation flooded through him, repairing the damage just as quickly.
At the same time, a wave of resentment energy burst from Kevin's body, washing over the others.
Vega raised an eyebrow.
The Ten Rings, who had already begun awakening their Nen through the enhancement, were swept up in the backlash. Their essence nodes—the "sperm holes" through which Nen flows—opened violently under the stimulus of Kevin's grudge aura.
Nen flared to life.
But what emerged wasn't ordinary Nen.
It was steeped in resentment. Tainted, perhaps—but powerful. As if the life crystals had birthed an entire new breed of Nen user, one fueled by pain, grudges, and stolen vitality.
Vega observed in silence, thoughtful. So, if you awaken Nen through resentment, does it mean… you carry a grudge yourself?
The Ten Rings' energy surged, chaotic at first, but after several hours of adaptation, it stabilized. They began to rein in their Nen, learning to control it, mastering it—much faster than ordinary users ever could.
Vega's sharp senses noted the level of their aura. Comparable to the Yin Beasts already, he thought. These crystals work.
He turned to Kevin and the others, now kneeling in control of their newfound power.
This is more than a success. He clenched his fist in satisfaction.
With these results, I can take the Ten Rings with me when I move against Monroe… Let the underworld know—the era of the Ten Elders is ending. The era of the Pengellet family has begun.