[Year 126: With a shrill tiger's roar, you withdraw the death essence, feeling the power within your body grow more harmonious. You begin to attempt the third transformation.]
The tiger vampire's stronger demonic power made erasing its consciousness take longer than the Leviasaur.
However, I didn't feel the slightest bit of regret.
This battle with the Toad Lord had allowed me to truly experience the power of a vampire's innate abilities. That kind of innate ability was not at all weaker than powerful human martial arts.
In that bottomless chilling lake, I could move with ease, even feeling more at ease than when on dry ground.
This was something that ordinary martial artists could hardly imagine.
With a vampire lord's abilities, I could one day dive into the depths to capture dragons and soar through the skies to hunt eagles, gaining more vampire lifespan. It was worth any price.
[Year 127: You consume the toad core. With two previous experiences under your belt, your methods have evolved from gentle taming to more forceful control. Under the guidance of your vitality, the Toad Lord's demonic power responds with a mix of fear and joy, accelerating the process.]
As the toad core was digested, the remaining absorbed lifespan began to decrease at an frightening rate.
A nearly perfected crystal core quickly integrated into my limbs and bones.
[Year 720...]
[Year 1300...]
[Year 1972: A fierce, peerless vampire stirs within you, but you ruthlessly subdue it deep inside your body.]
[You are the Toad Lord, born from heaven and earth, at peace in extreme cold. You accumulate the poisons of a hundred lifetimes within your body. There is nothing in the world that you cannot devour. All living beings fear your deadly poison and dare not approach.]
[Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection - Journeyman]
A deep and prolonged toad croak echoed in my mind.
I slowly raised my hand, my slender fingers twitching slightly. I silently pursed my lips, my expression solemn, until I finally clenched my fingers completely.
I suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and a joyful expression finally appeared on my face.
I had originally thought Journeyman of Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection would only let me match crystallizing warriors in power. Whether due to the Toad Lord's exceptionally powerful core or the profound nature of Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection technique itself, the power now coursing through my hand could utterly dominate crystallizing vampires.
At this rate, won't I be able to crush fully crystallized vampires once I reach Master's level? And when all nine transformations are complete, I could perhaps suppress even nascent harmonizing vampires with a single strike!
Only now did I truly grasp the profound meaning behind the "angelic grade" designation of Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection.
General Grant's image flashed through my mind. That supposedly unstoppable halberd strike no longer seemed as terrifying as before.
After a few weeks, I finally felt confident I could withstand that attack.
And this was just my pure physical strength. If I added the power of the Vampire Devouring External Crystal, even if the crystallized Lord of Chuckanut Mountains came, I would let him taste the might of a body-tempering martial artist.
Speaking of the Vampire Devouring External Crystal, I reached out and took it out. The fight with the Toad Lord had consumed about another fifteen percent of its reserves.
I used the remaining tiger cores to replenish it to fifty percent, and then put it away.
I looked at the panel.
[Remaining Absorbed Lifespan: 484 years]
Should I encounter new vampires to capture, I would prioritize advancing the Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection. Otherwise, with any surplus lifespan, I could focus on developing the Melting Sun Furnace—connecting more orifices to its power.
If I could fill the External Crystal to full capacity, I would instantly gain the essence reserves of a perfected crystal core out of thin air.
I would then be more confident in taking down the Mountain Lord.
It had only been a few days since I left Bellingham, and I had already marked this vampire as my next target. Yet I remained uncertain about conditions in its territory—whether it had allies, or what dangers might lurk in its lair.
Escorting H.A.R.M. personnel back to Surrey with Rose would give me a chance to ask her for information about the territory. As for getting help from a H.A.R.M. general—if she was willing, that would be wonderful, but if she wasn't serious, it wouldn't bother me. I was accustomed to working alone.
I really need to acquire one or two more powerful offensive techniques.
Killing Crystal Realm vampires was becoming increasingly difficult with just a ceremonial blade and my bare hands.
The application of Bloody Quintet, against a Crystal Realm enemy, was already a bit crude. I urgently needed new martial arts to make up for it.
I shook my head and closed the panel, then spread my hands to activate the Toad Lord's innate ability. A layer of sinister, venomous green appeared instantly on my palms. When I drew my ceremonial blade to test it, I discovered that this toxin could coat the blade just like my aura.
After mastering the power flowing through my body, I discovered multiple ways to wield this deadly venomous ability.
The sky gradually brightened.
Rose gently knocked on the door. "John, are we departing now?"
I pushed open the door and stepped out. Having stowed away the fierce wolf-emblazoned cloak, I wore simple civilian attire—black jacket and pants.
The colonels and numerous agents surrounded the disheveled Kourosh Zarrinkamar. The old lieutenant general had lost even the strength to stand—what appeared to be watching him was actually two people supporting him on either side.
No matter how much mental preparation he had made, how much ambition he harbored, or how much blood he had on his hands, when the moment to truly embark on the journey arrived, Kourosh still couldn't maintain his composure, and his emotions were clearly on the verge of collapse.
… …
Rose Hightower was not moved in the slightest.
Had Kourosh been willing to tell the truth when we first arrived, there might have been room for negotiation.
Instead, he had chosen the most brutal approach to drive us away.
Not only that, while I was fighting the vampire with all my might, this old lieutenant general had the audacity to mock his colleague, hoping I would die at the Toad Lord's hands.
Rose would faithfully report every detail to General Laurent.
Unlike the military, H.A.R.M. had no martial law or trial system—admirals and generals held complete authority over cases of vampire collusion and treason. With countless civilian lives at stake, H.A.R.M. could not waste time on lengthy proceedings and investigations.
Within H.A.R.M., General Laurent was known for his humility and deep respect toward subordinates, particularly the aged veterans whom he treated as elders.
But in matters involving vampires, everyone who had lived in the Admiral's residence—from Albany Laurent to Max Vierkant—showed absolutely no mercy.
"Let's go," I said, brushing off my clothes before taking the lead as our group began the journey back.
… …
Rose pursed her lips, watching John's back. Beyond reporting Kourosh's situation, she intended to give General Laurent a detailed account of John's heroic battle against the vampire.
A rising young powerhouse was already demonstrating the potential to protect Cascadia.
To be both a Vampire Hunter and a personal attendant colonel—and to excel so remarkably in both roles—was truly extraordinary.
If Cascadia could overcome its difficulties and remain stable for a few centuries more, perhaps another Golden Warrior would rise in the Martial Abbey, casting light across New Terra!