Amidst the ruin and dancing flames, my own triumphant screams echoed between the cries of the dying and the sounds of destruction.
"Legacy, buy me the Bloodflame Dragon spell!"
I screamed at the top of my lungs as I drove my blade into another body, tearing through flesh as if it were brittle paper.
Blood sprayed into the air, mingling with dust and fire, as corpses collapsed around me like autumn leaves.
[As this is the first time you are unlocking a Primordial Branch, the process will be free of charge!]
[The "Alphabura" Branch of the Primordial Nikos abilities has been unlocked!]
[Main Vampire Path Unlocked: Alphabura]
The sky above me twisted into a horrifying blend of dark colors, with flashes of purple light on the horizon. The wind carried the wails of the dead, as if the world itself were mourning its fate.
[Ding!]
[Not enough gold!]
[Do you wish to convert Mission Points to gold? (Current conversion rate: 1 Mission Point = 50 Gold)]
"Huh? Whatever. Yes, convert them all!"
[Converting Mission Points to gold...]
[Store Wallet: 5500 Gold]
[3500 Gold has been deducted!]
[Spell: Bloodflame Dragon]
Type: Active (Growth-Type)
Rank: Unranked (0-Star)
Level: 1
Current Mastery: 0%
Cost: 0.1 Units of Royal Blood Essence
Description: Consumes a portion of Endurance and Vitality stats to unleash a flame dragon made from the blood of the Royal Amora bloodline, incinerating everything in its path. Its power and effect increase as it levels up and can gain additional properties with growth.
Usage Conditions: Vampire race, possession of a pure royal bloodline or the approval of a royal bloodline.
I felt a strange energy course through my body as I absorbed the power of the new spell. The very air around me vibrated, as if the world itself recognized the sudden shift in my power.
[Title Unlocked: Noble Leech!]
[Number of Available Branches for Use: 1/7]
["Alphabura" Branch Abilities: Bloodflame Dragon]
BOOM!
A semi-transparent image of a blood-red dragon appeared, breathing crimson flames. The inferno swept over everything, turning the earth into a sea of embers. My own health points began to tick down, as if I were being drained by some unseen force. I felt an unbearable heat, my body trembling as I watched massive trees collapse under the fire's weight. The screams of monsters faded into the horrifying howl of the scorching winds.
"Woooah, yes! I like this!" I yelled with exhilaration as waves of power surged through me, charged by the flames of destruction all around.
Tongues of fire danced in the air, devouring everything in their path as if responding to my ecstatic cries.
The city beneath my feet had become a field of ruin, its streets filled with charred bodies, its collapsed buildings still shuddering from the successive explosions.
Above me, the translucent blood dragon continued to soar, spewing its crimson fire, testing my endurance, and swallowing all hope in the darkness of ruin.
I felt my power multiplying, as if the flames themselves had become a part of me.
The ground beneath me cracked, emitting a frightening purple light, and the air grew heavy with a malevolent energy I had never experienced before.
I laughed manically, then waved my hand, unleashing a wave of deadly flame toward what was left of the wreckage.
This was my world now, where chaos was the only law, and I was its absolute master! The sky became a curtain of thick smoke, and the sun was no longer visible, as if the entire world had been plunged into a living nightmare. And yet, amidst all this desolation, I couldn't stop myself from smiling… because I knew this was only the beginning.
Thanks to the synchronization between my Records of Origin and the Legacy System, I could open my "Status Window" through the Legacy.
This system gave me a glimpse of my power, but until now, it hadn't been the most useful tool… or so I thought. In my "Status" window, incredible changes had occurred.
For some reason I couldn't fathom, I wasn't just trapped in a beta I was supposed to be testing.
I had become the "Master of Nightmares," the "Bringer of Destruction," the "Scion of Amora"—or rather, the "Scion of Selenium"—the cosmic empire that had dominated countless galaxies in the ancient era, spreading terror and destruction to every corner of the known universe.
Amora was the progenitor of vampires in that age, or perhaps, the very first vampire in all of existence.
But what about me?
How could Lloyd Reinhart, a mere human, possess a royal bloodline of such purity?
It should have been impossible under any circumstances, but…
[Innate Traits: Anomaly, The Rational Savage, Celestial, Child of the Legacy]
My eyes stopped on a particular trait, one I had never heard of… "Anomaly."
Even as one of the developers of this damned game, I had no idea something like this existed.
How did I get it? Was it there before I was trapped, or did I acquire it when it happened?
I was 99.9% sure this trait was the key to what was going on.
"Anyway, there are too many unknowns in this 'Status,' and unfortunately, I don't have time to dwell on it," I muttered, shaking my head to focus on my current situation.
"Legacy, where am I right now?"
[Ding!]
[The Heir is currently in a city within the Northern Duchy of the Silver Sun Kingdom.]
"Hmm. So, I'm basically in a starter village, right?"
Well then, why don't I send them a message?
Not just them… but the entire world!
...
The Northern Duchy had a population of nearly a million people, but at this moment, it had turned into a genuine slaughterhouse, where nothing remained but cries for help and the smell of blood and ash filling the air.
For a mere Silver Dormant like Lloyd Amora, killing ordinary people was child's play; slaughtering them took no effort at all. Unfortunately for him, he didn't receive a single [Blood Point].
At that moment, on top of a distant mountain, 5 kilometers from the battlefield, a powerful old man noticed something strange.
His expression changed suddenly.
He turned to the guard beside him and issued a stern command.
"Quickly! Organize the army… something unnatural is happening on the northern front. We move as fast as possible!"
This old man was no ordinary person, but one of the great generals of the kingdom, tasked with protecting the Northern Duchy. Even so, he sensed something was terribly wrong.
Meanwhile, the bloodflame dragons spread in every direction. Screams filled the air, houses collapsed, and fires consumed everything.
No one knew why this was happening, and no one understood why this young man was attacking the kingdom's citizens!
The kingdom was already at war; they had no idea where this bloody butcher had come from to suddenly attack them from behind, like a monster crawling out of the depths of hell.
The massacre continued for hours before a deadly silence fell. No birds sang, no breaths could be heard, only the stench of death filled the air.
Nothing was left but a 16-year-old boy, standing amidst the corpses, collecting severed heads in a grotesque manner.
It was Lloyd Amora.
Using his ability to manipulate flame and blood, he formed chains of fire, linking the heads of soldiers and citizens together. He then raised them into the sky, keeping the flame low enough so the heads wouldn't turn to ash.
Finally, using the burnt corpses, he formed a giant, glowing message written in their midst.
"CONTINENT... WELCOME THE DESCENT OF SELENIUM'S SCION!"
"AND PERSONALLY... THE EMPEROR, LLOYD AMORA."
Moments of silence followed the declaration before the sky trembled with a massive thunderclap, as if the world itself shuddered before that name.
...
As morning dawned, the royal army finally reached the Northern Duchy. But the moment they laid eyes on the horrific scene before them, their faces turned pale, and their legs began to tremble in terror.
This was not a battlefield… it was an open grave. Charred bodies were scattered everywhere, severed heads dangled from chains of flame, and the ground was still saturated with blood.
"What in the hell-creator's name happened here?!" one of the captains screamed, gripping his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white.
The old general froze in place, his eyes staring into the void, before collapsing to his knees.
"Llo… Lloyd…" he stammered in a trembling voice, as if the mere utterance of the name was a curse in itself.
But his fear wasn't just of this new name that had appeared so suddenly. It was of something much worse… the King himself. How could he face his king and tell him he had failed to protect the Northern Duchy? That an entire city had been annihilated in a single night, and no one could stop it?
Suddenly, amidst the chilling silence, a soldier screamed, making everyone turn to him at once.
"Sir! We've found the bodies of the Blackbird Kingdom's army!"
The old man's eyes widened in shock.
"What?!"
"All 2,000 of their soldiers have been completely wiped out… here!"
Utter disbelief swept through the ranks. How could an entire army be annihilated like this? Who did this? And who was the real enemy in this battle?
The old general couldn't believe what he was hearing, his mind struggling to comprehend the situation, but the scene before him defied all logic.
"The enemy was also killed? What in the hell is going on?!"
His thoughts began to tangle. Suddenly, after moments of deep thought, he realized the horrifying truth. His features changed, and he screamed in a shaky voice, "A third party! An unknown power interfered here! The Selenium Empire or something… Damn it, I've never heard that name before!"
"Withdraw!"
Without another thought, the general gave his orders, and the army of 10,000 knights retreated in dismay, burdened with fear and shock. It was like a living nightmare, and their expressions were like those of a child seeing a murder for the first time.
But the truth was far more gruesome.
News of the annihilation of a quarter of a kingdom spread like wildfire, and with every telling, the accompanying terror grew.
This wasn't just the fall of a pivotal city and the capital of an entire duchy. It was a declaration—the arrival of something new, something the continent had never witnessed before.
And at the heart of it all, there was one name whispered in the shadows, a name that made rulers tremble and whose echo amplified the dread…
Lloyd Amora.
The one who came from nowhere, but had left his mark carved in blood and fire upon the heart of the continent's history.
[Congratulations!]
[Quest Complete!]