As the women approached Kairos, their movement halted when they were just a meter away. Two men surrounded him and held him tightly by his arms. Kairos questioned and exclaimed, feeling the tight grip. Confused, he called out to Richy and Marco, seeking answers.
"Don't bother. They can't hear you. I charmed them long ago. It's a pity that you are somehow immune to my charm. Your endurance in non-stop combat for three months and your astonishing transformations have impressed me. I've always known you as a pure human, immune to a vampire's charm, a dragon's suppression, and even the elves' illusions. Your transformations explain it. A human who can become a vampire, dragon, and elf. You truly deserve the title of the number one genius in the last universal millennium[1], making you the greatest threat. Unfortunately, now that you have obtained and completed the God Tier item, you are no longer useful," the woman explained as she circled behind Kairos.
"Jessica, what exactly happened to you? You used to be a kind yet fearsome woman. But lately, you've just been cunning and ruthless, like some cowardly snake who hides and strikes others at their lowest. What you're doing now is exactly like how your mother was. Just how does doing this make you any better than her?" asked Kairos to the woman, before she could circle behind him.
Jessica approached Kairos from behind and extended her hand, summoning a vivid black sword that gradually turned dark red, then dark golden.
*SHIK* *CHUT*
"Well my dear little boy, the answer is really simple. It's because the moment Jessica stabbed my heart, I had cast a unique bloodline curse on her. The Bloodline Possession Curse. With it, you can possess your descendants and live forever. So, you see, the Jessica you knew, had actually died back then. As to why nobody noticed, well, since my elements were a higher variant grade than my poor little lamb, I had easily succeeded without so much as an energy fluctuation. " Whispered evilly, 'Jessica', in Kairos's right ear as she stabbed him with her dark-golden sword from behind and then pulled it out.
*Drip* *Drip*
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Kairos let out a howl of agony as blood started leaking from his chest, corroding his body with darkness. A visible hole could be seen from the back through his heart, and a fully golden pocket watch fell into the hole. "Cough… Cough… Hfff… Judy… JUDY!!! HOW DARE YOU!!! HOW DARE YOU KILL MY JESSICA!!! I HOPE YOUR SOUL BURNS ETERNALLY IN THE DEPTHS OF HELL!!! I WILL MAKE SURE TO HAUNT YOU UNTIL I REINCARNATE AND BURN YOUR SOUL IN MY HANDS TILL THE DAY I DIE AGAIN!!!" Kairos howled furiously with pain and anger.
"Haha. Reincarnate? Haha. Oh, that's right. Kairos~, before you disappear forever, don't say I was forgetful. Happy 400th Birthday! Haha!" mocked 'Jessica', who was actually Judy, disdainfully.
Amidst the chaos, the blood flowing from Kairos's heart gathered above his head.
*BUZZ* *CRACKLE*
The blood then started forming a summoning circle with a star at its center. The star was made from two triangles, with one of them inverted, layered on top of each other.
*HUMM* *SWOOSH*
Emerging from the middle of the circle was a 30-inch blood-red raven.
*CAWW* *CAWW*
Seeing Kairos, the raven cries out in anger at his impending demise.
"Sigh… Ravena… I didn't think you'd force a summoning," Kairos lamented.
The appearance of the blood raven surprised the women. Followed by a short silence, the other two women, along with Judy, started laughing.
"Haha, is this a joke?" said one of them.
"It has to be, surely, what kind of idiot takes a lowly blood raven as their familiar? The trashiest and worst beast known to never awaken past level 15[2]" disdainfully mocked the other woman.
"True, but it is a bit surprising that he managed to even level it up to 750 as, reaching awakening level 15 alone is almost impossible on its own" Judy disdainfully replies.
*SIZZLE* *HSSS*
Hearing the mockery of the women, further infuriates the blood raven named Ravena, causing her to burn her life-force and vitality.
Looking at this, Kairos screams out "RAVEEENNAAAAAA!!!".
*CAAAAWWWW* *CAAAAWWWW*
Ravena cries out again. Her feathers start becoming sharper and more radiant. Her strength started increasing and what had thought to be a myth was occurring in front of everyone's eyes. The blood raven, known as the trashiest and weakest beast, limited by its level cap at the 15th awakening level, power level 750, had not only surpassed power level 750, but exceeding all expectations, she jumped all the way to power level 800, reaching awakening level 16.
*HUFFF* *HUFFFF*
Ravena prepared for her final attack, filled with determination.
*ZOOM* *WHOOSH* *SWISH* *WHIZ* *SWOOSH*
*SPLURT* *SPLURT* *SPLURT* *SPLURT* *SPLURT*
With swift and deadly precision, Ravena pierced the hearts of all five women as she flew around like a bloody shadow.
*THUD* *THUD* *THUD* *THUD* *THUD*
Causing them to crumble and wither away, without being able to say a word.
*Flutter* *Plop*
Finally, Ravena landed gently on Kairos's hand as he lay on the ground.
In his last moments, Kairos reached out and gently stroked Ravena, who closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. Tears streamed from her closed eyes as they shared a profound connection.
"Hehe... I knew it... You were never limited to level 15... Good girl... I'm sorry... Sorry it had to end like this... Sorry to Alucard, Lavinia, and Michael too... Let's journey together... in the underworld... and continue our adventure there..." Kairos whispered as he watched Ravena slowly turn to dust.
Suddenly, time froze, not because Kairos had finally perished, but due to the radiant glow emanating from his heart where the God Tier item had fallen. The surroundings plunged into darkness, and flashes of his memories flickered before him, playing in reverse like a movie. The memories abruptly stopped at a pivotal scene—the moment just before he awakened his first element, marking the true beginning of his journey. A blinding light emerged, transforming the memory into reality, and time resumed its flow.
**Planet Earth, Year 2040[3]**
Inside a cozy living room, a family of four gathered near the couch. A young man in his early twenties sat with closed eyes, appearing almost entranced. The others, including another young man of similar age and two women, one in her early thirties and the other in her early seventies (though they looked much younger, one in early twenties and the other late thirties, respectively), watched with anticipation.
*BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP*
After a minute, an alarm began to ring, promptly silenced after a few beeps.
*BUZZ* *CRACKLE*
Cyan-colored lightning crackled from the young man's chest, both in front and behind, near his heart.
*CRACKLE* *CRACKLE*
The lightning expanded, changing from cyan to yellow, then to green, and the pattern repeated until it transformed into a vibrant purple. After a few seconds, the energy receded, as if nothing had happened.
*WHEEZE* *HUFF*
"Urgh… What… Where am I?" confusion filled the mind of Kairos, the young man who had been in the trance-like state, asked, disoriented by the sudden awakening.
*Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap*
"Congratulations on awakening the purple variant of the lightning element!!!" exclaimed the woman who appeared to be in her late thirties, while the other two were left stunned, their mouths agape.
Kairos turned his head, feeling a wave of shock greater than the others. The individuals around him were his adopted mother, Mary Crossfin, his adopted older sister, Claire Crossfin, and his adopted younger brother, Jon Crossfin. They had all passed away over three centuries ago.
As Kairos recollected the events that had transpired, he instinctively tried to communicate with the voices in his head, only to realize that he had not awakened them yet.
'Hmm… If I remember correctly, I have to reach Power Level 250 to awaken Alucard, 500 for Lavinia, and 750 for Michael. Although Michael did mention that he won't be able to communicate with me until I reach Power Level 900.'
"WOW!!! A LIGHTING ELEMENT!!! AND THE PURPLE VARIANT TOO!!! OMG!!!!" exclaimed Claire in disbelief.
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE! HOW?!" Jon shouted in shock, unable to comprehend what he was witnessing.
"Not only does he possess the Lightning element, but it's the third variant as well," Claire said, still amazed.
"The third variant? What's that?" Jon asked, looking puzzled at his older sister.
"Hehe~ Since you'll be awakening next week, I suppose it's okay to tell you now. Each element has variants, up to a maximum of five. However, the last two cannot be obtained from birth. For the Lightning element, its base color is Cyan. The first variant is Yellow, which enhances defense. The second is Green, which increases awareness. The third is Purple, which enhances agility. The fourth is Red, which boosts strength. And finally, the fifth is Golden, which enhances spirit and encompasses all the previous enhancements. The colors may differ, but the pattern of usage remains the same. The first variant for defense, the second for parrying, the third for speed, the fourth for damage, and the fifth for a combination of all, including a soul-related aspect," Claire explained.
"Wow, so Kairos not only awakened the exceptional Lightning element but also possesses the third variant, making him truly remarkable. That's incredible," Jon contemplated, trying to grasp the magnitude of Kairos's achievement.
Returning from his thoughts, Kairos looked at his family and offered a slow, heartfelt smile. He then turned his gaze towards Mary, his adoptive mother, with a tinge of melancholy.
Sighing, he approached Mary and embraced her tightly. "I missed you so much, Mary," he whispered, a tear streaming down his cheek.
Mary, Claire, and Jon were taken aback, expecting Kairos to laugh or boast non-stop. After a few moments of surprise, Mary smiled and returned the embrace.