Orion's presence became otherworldly as his body became illuminated by crimson runes and blue veins that coursed through his body.
The earth beneath him instantly melted as he floated in the air.
The beast seemed unbothered by this as it lunged at Orion.
Not feeling the need to dodge, Orion simply sent a palm out.
As his fingers came into contact with the beast's torso, he met no resistance whatsoever as his hand plunged into its chest akin to a hot knife into butter.
Gouging its heart out, Orion remained indifferent as his flames gathered into a burning crimson spear.
Impaling the beast with it, Orion vanished as his spear exploded into a horrifying explosion of flames powerful enough to turn the void into mere ashes.
¡BOOM!
"Oof, that was pretty sloppy but it's good enough. I have a lot of training to do." Uttered Orion as he exhaled a deep ashen breath.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Why am I even surprised? Someone with a soul as powerful as yours would obviously be able to master so many Dao arts." Said Pillar Brimstone as she applauded Orion.
"That was amazing Ori!" Congratulated Hera as she immediately appeared by his side and healed the internal damage he had sustained.
"That was clever, boy. Using the spear as a catalyst for the dao to then allow your flames to manifest. Impressive." Proudly complimented Eros.
Before Orion could even answer the plethora of praises that came his way, the atmosphere completely changed as Pillar Brimstone kneeled in front of him.
"If you allow me to, I'll become your Teacher and Sky Knight."
Instantly, all Pillars and Ancestors of the clan appeared, surrounding Brimstone as they bore serious expressions.
Stepping forth, Pillar Chrome Heart took the lead as he spoke.
"Brimstone, are you sure? This is-"
"With the Heavens and Hells as my witness, I, Cecilia Divienor Erebus, swear a Dao oath of allegiance and truth to Orion Emrys Almos Erebus. May the Primordial Daos bind my soul and heart to his origin as I become the earth he stands on." Announced Cecilia as she cut Pillar Chrome Heart's speech short.
From the Heavens, golden chains covered in pure white runes appeared as they immediately shot to Cecilia and bound her soul and Dao to Orion.
Seeing this, the Pillars and Ancestors that had just appeared could only quietly vanish.
For the first time in their clan's history, a mighty and revered Pillar had become a Heir's Knight.
On the side, Eros' gaze narrowed as his mind churned and a myriad of possibilities were considered.
'What is she planning…'
"Well that was fast, you didn't even let me answer. Either way, it's not like I would've refused. So you're gonna be the one to protect me from now on huh?"
"Yes, master."
"Oh, don't call me that, for now. Just call me Orion."
"I shall call you young master then."
'Fuckin hell, isn't she supposed to serve me? Why is she so hard headed…' fleetingly thought Orion.
"Alright, can we go now? I wanna go train."
"Yes, you can go. We'll see you at dinner time." Answered Hera with a sigh.
Immediately, both Orion and Cecilia vanished, heading to one of the Clan's various training grounds.
"She's way too brazen! For fucks sake, who's even gonna be able to take over her overwatch and posting hours?!" Complained Pillar Chrome Heart as he vanished as well.
Being left alone, Eros and Hera could only look at each other with foolish smiles as they remembered Orion's battle.
———
Six months passed in a flash.
After harsh training regimes and hours spent in their clan's archives, Orion was finally ready to step into the realm of Blood.
The realm of blood is one of the most pivotal yet controversial realms within the cultivation world.
The goal of this realm is to build a bloodline and racial signature that will later be used to create their blood avatars, the metaphysical source of a cultivator's physical strength as some say, the equivalent of the soul but for the real.
By assimilating multiple bloodlines, the cultivator would gain various abilities and oddities as they formed a new bloodline.
This realm was divided into five stages. There was no real requirement needed to be attained to break past the realm of blood but the more bloodlines assimilated, the more powerful the new bloodline will be and the stronger the blood avatar will be.
The first stage is the early stage where one can assimilate with three bloodlines, followed by the middle stage where one can assimilate with three more bloodlines, then the late stage where one gained another three bloodline and finally the peak stage where one would once again fuse with three bloodlines, totalling to twelve assimilated bloodlines.
If the cultivator was particularly talented, their body would allow them to reach the perfect stage and assimilate with a thirteenth bloodline.
The difference between a cultivator that formed a perfect bloodline and a peak bloodline was akin to the difference between heaven and earth. They were incomparable.
The levels of the bloodlines the cultivator could assimilate with entirely depended on their innate talent and how much blood force their body could handle.
Sat in an empty room, Orion faced a floating vial containing dark swirling blood.
"My first bloodline will be of the Shadow Dragon of Endless Darkness."
Taking a deep breath in, Orion drank the vial.
Instantly, all his bones shattered as he puked everything within his body.
He felt his skin peel off and his muscles melt away as new, more powerful organs took their place.
Beside his myriad heart of war, another heart appeared.
Completely covered in golden runes, this heart immediately started pumping a humongous amount of mana and aether through his body.
Being fueled with its preferred energy source, the dragon bloodline went wild as the transformation sped up.
From the ashes of his old bones, new obsidian bones covered in golden runes appeared as his skin reappeared.
His organs greedily devoured the exorbitant amount of mana his heart produced as his strength rapidly soared.
His Primordium body Arte went into motion as runes covered his skin.
Orion felt so overwhelmed by this sudden influx of seemingly endless power that he forgot to breathe as he couldn't help but release a primal roar.
"ARRGGHHHGGGGGHHHHGG!"
The walls of his rooms violently shook as his roar reverberated through their ancestral land.
Exhaling a deep breath, Orion looked at his hands with an incredulous expression.
Squeezing his right fist, he felt every muscle fiber in his hand call upon his heart's mana as the space surrounding his fist ruptured from the sheer power he displayed.
Devilishly smiling, Orion slicked his hair back as he pulled another vial out.
He wasn't done yet.