The impromptu side quest and the system's comedic tone brought Konrad no relief. As the black crystal siphoned his blood and the very essence of his demonic lineage, Konrad's skin paled, and his eyes widened with blood filling and leaving the sclera at a rapid pace.
Shivering, he channeled all the infernal forces remaining in the black mar and some of the more overbearing energies lying in the purple ram amulet to stop the lineage siphoning.
*Crack*
But as the demonic energies' pressure suppressed the crystal, cracks appeared on its surface, clearly telling Konrad that if he interrupted the process, the crystal would collapse, bringing alongside it the loss of this once in a lifetime opportunity.
That was only the first issue. More importantly, if the crystal collapsed within his heart, the consequences were hard to fathom! Even if he didn't die, he'd surely experience lasting damages!
For the first time in a very long time, Konrad's face violently distorted, contorting in a horrible grimace.
Played!
The system and that damnable father had joined hands to play this joke on him!
How could it not know that exposing the statuette to a vast source of infernal forces would automatically trigger the crystals' release? With its perfect eyesight, how could it not know of the crystals?
It knew, of course it did, and purposefully omitted the information to leave him no choice but to dive into this situation!
"Son of a…"
But Konrad couldn't finish his words, the veins on his temple beating harder and life leaving him at breakneck speed. The integration was failing, his blood and essence seemingly unable to satisfy the crystal's greed.
"Traitorous scum…I…will never forget this."
Konrad inwardly pledged before letting the entirety of his demonic powers erupt! Purple filled his sclera while his skin turned red and two imposing pairs of horns sprang from his forehead. A pair of flesh wings sprouted from his back, and alongside it, Konrad's demonic energies reached a new level.
Tapping in his deepest reserves, he stimulated his bloodline to the limit, using his essence to contain the crystal and mend the cracks that formed beforehand. The cracks vanished, and the crystal began using the massive blood and essence it robed to entirely meld with Konrad's heart, all while harmonizing the foreign force with his veins.
The excruciatingly painful process dilated his pupils and made him quiver like an average mortal undergoing a violent seizure.
"RAAAARGH!"
Konrad roared and forcefully stood up. Draining the last bits of infernal forces within the mar, he used it to supplement his own bloodline and essence, allowing his inner body to sustain the integration.
Meanwhile, the mar went from black to transparent, the toxins and infernal forces within cleared, making the scattered treasures simple to spot.
At the same time, the soaring demonic energies sprouting from the deepest recesses of the mar erupted in a purple brazier, alarming the clashing forces above.
…
Initially, Jasmine's whip effortlessly terrorized Volker. But as the fight went on, and he released his strongest innate skills, the situation reversed, and he slowly regained the advantage.
The same scenario repeated on all battlefields. Only the ninety disciples failed to turn any waves, some killed, and the rest suppressed by the combination between Daphne, Faidra, and Aliki.
"Weren't you being arrogant? Did you really think your evil art could corrupt a spirit of my caliber? Nonsensical!"
Volker sneered while his body bathed in blinding sunlight. In that instant, sitting crossed-legged, with his arms folded, in the middle of his daunting sun, he looked like a celestial being descended straight from Heavens to punish immorality.
Jasmine remained impassible, her Origin Sight drawing Volker's pattern.
"I already know that you've been using Origin Sight to obtain my pattern. But so what if you do? Do you think I've never met anyone with Origin Sight? Allow me to be blunt, before supreme strength, grasping the pattern matters not!"
Volker raised his hand, gathering his solar force for a fatal strike. But at that time, the infernal forces within the mar vanished, and from black, it returned to a clear, transparent hue.
At the same time, a new source of infernal forces seemed to burst from the bottom of the mar, shooting toward the sky in an intimidating brazier of purple flames.
Alarmed, all turned toward the purple brazier, and Jasmine's eyes shone with fright.
"Konrad? Wait…his lifeforce is weakening. How could it be?
Something went wrong…horribly wrong."
Jasmine inwardly thought while shifting her attention from Volker. The same thought echoed in the minds of all the others.
"Turning your back to your enemy? Courting death!"
Volker stretched out his hands, causing his solar force to erupt in a massive explosion aimed toward Jasmine!
But at that time, in a twister of purple light and flames, vast demonic energies burst from her form. And within her right hand, a spiked, jet-black hammer appeared!
With a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn, Jasmine swung her Man-Breaker at the incoming solar explosion, dispersing its force in a single blow.
"Plans changed. I no longer have time to play with you."
Volker's eyes widened in fright, and he aimed a wobbling index at Jasmine's anxious face.
"Y-you…are a demon noble…of Talroth's lineage?
How could it be? How could it be?! What is the mean-"
But before he could finish, Man-Breaker's suppression force erupted and crashed onto him, locking him from all sides. Jasmine vanished, reappeared before him, and brought her demonic war hammer down in a ferocious smash!
*BANG*
Volker's left arm was directly lopped off, and he plummeted toward the ground!
"AAAAARGH!"
His mournful howl echoed within the air, speaking tales of his grief. But he wasn't the only one, both his partners and the infernal team leaders suffered similar fates!
Erik, the moon spirit, was sent cratering by Iliana's Man-Breaker!
Marian collapsed on a tree, severely battered by Astarte's Infernal Armaments whose might eclipsed that of all the fiends he met!
Jaenera's blood sword failed to contend with Zamira's demonic war hammer, and she too dropped from the sky!
Freya's lineage weapon, a pair of metallic claws, hacked Vozir's face, torso, and abdomen. His flesh and blood rained on the ground as he too collapsed!
Only Miraz who, unwilling to risk Diyana's advice, chose escape and was currently getting chased by Lena, avoided the miserable fate!
The severely wounded team leaders no longer hesitated, using their last bits of force to summon their Fate Destroying War Puppets! Although they didn't comprehend why those women suddenly showcased pure demonic powers and lineage weapons, they didn't lose sight of their priorities.
For now, all questions were set aside. Preserving their lives was more important!
But shockingly, the nine demonesses no longer paid them any heed and shot toward the mar. Alas, before they could dive into it, they rebounded on an invisible wall raised by the massive infernal force!
All recoiled, staggering before stabilizing themselves in the air.
"Hateful!"
Driven by anxiety, many were about to assume their true forms. But at that time, Zamira's voice echoed.
"Let's not act rashly. It is Konrad's infernal force that blocks our path. If he can raise such a screen, he should still be fine. Don't lose faith and observe changes."
Zamira cautioned.
"Indeed, our new powers stem from him. What he cannot solve, how can we solve? Right now, we only need to suppress the enemy and await his good news."
Lena added before turning back toward the team leaders. Following their seniors' advice, the girls calmed their anxiety and shifted their attention back on the team leaders.
Each summoned a talisman that rippled with a peculiar energy. Feeling the power within those talismans, the team leaders' despaired.
"Mid-Grade Holy Nullification talismans. As expected of higher realm experts. How could they lack such tools? End…this is the end for us."
Jaenera sighed and in defeat, lowered her weapon. While her family worshipped Ashara and descended from his blood fiends, their lineage was far removed from the original fiends and couldn't compare to them. Therefore, even in the Infernal Realm, they possessed low status.
For higher realm demons and first-generation fiends, killing the like of them was no big deal. And since they didn't reveal their status until now, they clearly didn't give a damn about the infernal cult's faithful service.
Kowtowing and begging for mercy on account of faith would most likely serve no purpose.
…
Meanwhile, the integration reached its final stages. At this step, it was too late to retreat. And the slightest mistake would result in Konrad imploding.
Still, he didn't lose his composure, the purple brazier retracting and vanishing in his pores to assist his internal effort.
With surgical precision, he supplemented his body's internal systems, mending veins and organs at breakneck speed to prevent inner collapse. The integration then reached its end, with the black crystal merging with Konrad's heart to become one!
At that time, a ray burst from the black crystal to connect it to the white one.
"Congratulations, host, on completing this side quest. In the future, even Primogens shall shiver before your bloodline.
Reward time!"
The system's voice resounded within Konrad's mind. Afterward, an obsidian crystal appeared before him and directly flew into his forehead.
The black crystal within his heart fired another ray toward the obsidian crystal, connecting itself to it. Inestimable power erupted from the obsidian crystal to fill Konrad's flesh, veins, bones, and blood. And with the black crystal serving as a conductor, the Titan blood contained within the obsidian crystal perfectly merged with Konrad's Phantasm Lord blood.
Thus, becoming a brand-new lineage.
A bright red dot appeared in the middle of Konrad's forehead, and his eyes opened. Dazzling light erupted from them, and as Konrad stood up, though his cultivation hadn't increased in the slightest, the intensity of his aura reached dreadful heights!
Perfectly wielding two bloodlines and combining them into a new whole, he'd officially turned into a Nephilim! And while his strength had already experienced startling growth, he knew it far from the limit.
Titans were the last level of humanity. The highest human lineage within the three realms. Their innate strength unimaginable, and all doomed to reach godhood.
As far as bloodline level went, titans surpassed phantasm lords. Only when Konrad upgraded his demonic blood to the next level would he truly reach the peak.
Meanwhile, the white crystal still needed to be filled with a lineage. A Deva lineage this time.
When human, demon, and deva blood of the highest caliber stood in harmony within him, Konrad would not just be the first Artificial Nephilim. He would be the first triple lineage nephilim within the multiverse. The father of an unparalleled race.
Still, he felt no delight. The bitter taste of having been made a fool spreading within his mind! If instead of crystals, explosives hid within the ram statuette, he wouldn't know how he perished!
Trusting that what his eyes couldn't see through, the system would warn him of, he didn't pay the ram statuette more attention, merely awaiting the Holy Rank to refine it and unlock a new physique.
Never did he expect that from the start, its true secrets were concealed from him.
"Explain…yourself."
Konrad's voice echoed within the system, which upon feeling his discontent hurriedly replied:
"Misunderstanding! This is a misunderstanding!"
