Vlad 'Ragna' Arcanon...
The Youngest Nephew of Duke Arcanon.
Son of Duke Reza Arcanon's sister, while his father is unknown (possibly came from the Demon Sect).
In the lineage, Vlad wasn't supposed to be put on the list due to his mother. But Duke Arcanon decided to let him in for some reason as he, like the rest of the Children in House Arcanon, had to undergo harsh training since birth, doing gruesome fights, even worse...
Killing each other.
* Neck sliced. *
Vlad sliced a servant's neck as his blade is still dirty. He was having a time when his uncle and the gods like Zeus decided to meet in another place.
* Vlad tasted the knife's tip of the blade with his tongue. *
" It's sharp, sharper than ever... " Vlad deems the knife worthy of his weapon.
[ Weapon Name: Adamantine Knife ]
[ Type: Legendary Item ]
" I need more of this once I'm out of here. " Vlad smirks while continuing to lick his weapon clean.
" I can't wait... "
" Hope he's much of a challenge... "
" The White Demon... " Vlad hopes as he smiles maniacally.
( Meanwhile. )
[ House Arcanon, Private Meeting Chamber. ]
" Nope, nope! " Loki stands up as it was his turn in his meeting.
" Do any of you have any brains left!? " Loki asks with the loudest tone he can bring.
" Are you all sure..., that Vlad is indeed the 'Sanct Avataris'...!? " Loki shouts it while Duke Arcanon, Matron Supreme, the Demonic Sect Leader, and last but not least, Zeus himself, sees each other and then looks at Loki.
" He is promising, Milord. " Duke Arcanon replied to him.
" My nephew here is quite strong, even with him simply having a small portion of Lord Zeus' Gift back then. "
" Do you believe it? He was once Tier II..., but now... "
" He's at Tier 5, simply using the Gift Core he possessed, not even aided by Zeus himself for all these years. "
" He's worthy of becoming Lord Zeus' Avatar. " Duke Arcanon laughs while saying that.
" If Vlad 'Ragna' is permitted to access Lord Zeus' great extent of power combined with his great ferocity... "
" He could be our key to victory and... "
" The Sanct Avataris, the Divine Avatar that we seek... "
" The true symbol of the gods' Divine Authority over the humans... " Matron Supreme explains it which is logical for the most part.
" But I'm still not convinced... " Loki replied.
" I know, we need all arsenal we could get..., but for Vlad..., I- "
" Lord Loki, if I may say a word- "
" Shut up, Grand Demonic Sect Leader, you're not permitted to say anything! " Loki points while immediately making the Sect Leader's eye go green, implying him taking control over the Sect Leader again.
" You're worried too much... " Zeus smirks while his hands are in the defensive position.
" Even if the child's too wild to handle, he's still indeed useful to be used as a weapon to cut the White Demon down. "
" But still... " Loki interrupts.
" With him becoming your Divine Avatar..., should you be? "
" Inside him? " Zeus replied.
" Yes, I should, even better..., I already did it during his battle earlier*. " Zeus tells Loki, shocking him.
" You what!? " Loki shouts.
" Yes, I already tested him out... "
" Fighting the foes in the Battle Halls, simply by injecting more of my Divine Power into his body, making his usual physical strength times seven..., powerful enough to defeat other Divine Avatar, simply with me only borrowing the boys' body and empowering his limbs to do so. "
" Seeing such results, I began to wonder how powerful Vlad would be with me granting him more access to my Divine knowledge and skills, or even perhaps... "
" My Authority... " Zeus says which makes Loki gulp.
" You're insane..., uncle... "
" Despite that kind of promise..., for me, Vlad is too dangerous to be released, while- "
" Your people are also in the upcoming battle? " Zeus replied, smirking.
" I know..., you already invested so much in your Hunters, Inquisitors, and Priests. "
" They were promising, yes, but for me, that is not enough... "
" Especially when we're against a Demon who had the power to kill multiple gods at once... "
" Remember the Niigata Sea Massacre...? " Zeus reminds Loki, making him silent as he continues to explain.
" Do not worry about it, my friend. "
" Despite me finally having myself an Avatar..., I will still be around helping you in the chain of command. " Zeus tells Loki, making him confused, an expression that Zeus sees.
" What, you didn't know? "
" Instead of me trapping myself within the Gift Core in his body, I will instead empower him with everything I had from far away as my Divine Might is already imprinted inside him once he became my Avatar. "
" You should know this, Loki... "
" For one of my children had already done such a feat... " Zeus tells Loki as he quickly finds the answer.
" Athena... "
" Yes, she's one of our kind that can support their Avatar while not having to risk themselves on having their lives linked. "
" A great feat..., so unique and rare that had me asking her to train me of such skill. "
" And that skill, I plan to use it for victory. "
" To make the White Demon pay for the loss of my two hands back in the Niigata Sea, as I can't wait to use Vlad's body to crush him from afar. " Zeus grins while Loki just accepts the idea as he sees no harm in doubting it anymore.
" Well, the next thing we should care for now is how we put Vlad into our mortal garrison... "
" Should we put him alongside the Hunters..., or the Inquisitors...? "
" The Inquisitors..., of course. "
" Ever since you heroically promote the Hunters, the Inquisitors began to be like the ones who do your dirty job, ain't that right, Loki? " Zeus asks as Loki nods.
" Very well, it seems you already made me convinced now. "
" I was afraid if you want to put him alongside my Hunters earlier..., with his current status, he'll kill 'em all before he was sent against the White Demon. "
" But still, as my doubts of your plan are cleared, uncle..., my new doubts are now on Vlad... "
" For his power, I am quite aware... "
" But recently, I see his body having the Scales of the 'Black Dragon'... "
" Might wanna tell me how that works or perhaps it was still aligned with him being your Avatar, Uncle Zeus? "
" The scale injection, ahh... "
" Yes, we injected it perhaps weeks ago..., preparing his body as strong as we can. "
" But, aside from the scales... "
" There were other things that we 'added' to him..., that is... "
" ... "
" [Thorns of the Great Manticore]... " Zeus says, describing a wing body part of a being he and the people there purposely add to Vlad's body pre-Avatarhood.
" Okay, this is too much..., the 'Great Manticore's thorns? "
" Yes Loki, the thorns of our powerful friend from the Celestial Pantheon back then. "
" The Great Lion of the Sun, and also the progenitor of the Manticore itself also known as the 'Great Manticore'... "
" The Crimson Flame, the Sun God..., Marticorax*. "
________________
Extra:
* I already did it during his battle earlier.
He means what happened in Chapter 396: 'Day -1: Sanctus Sorores'.
* Marticorax.
See the first Chapters of this Novel, Ragna Twelve fought him. Speaking of which, yes, he is indeed the Progenitor of some Lion-based monsters, such as Manticores, Griffins, Sphinxes, Leonine Dragons, Lamassu Lions, Komainu Lions, Mizimu Lions, and the Haechi Lions.