章 46: Menhir Tribe Bloodline
Edalas smiled bitterly, holding Jean's blood-soaked body tightly in his arms.
If he had the chance to go back two years ago... Would he have acted any differently?
He truly never planned on killing Tsyun's family and starting a blood feud, but the situation spiraled out of his control.
But even as he thought back on this, he came to the same conclusion.
Even if this path was a dead end, he would walk it again. His hands were drenched in the blood of the innocent, and his soul stained with countless atrocities—there was no other path for him.
He shook his head, considering the one exception. If he has the chance to live again after death... He would live a simple life alongside Jean.
That was the only other outcome he would accept.
"Even if this is the end of me, my goal never changed. Unlike countless others—I stayed true to myself. Then again, is staying true to oneself always the right thing?"
Edalas laughed at himself in retrospect.
'Why does he have so many thoughts on his deathbed?'
He snickered, "I must be losing all the oxygen in my brain."
Quint and the Krose clan members continued to glare at him with a deathly glare, yet they didn't make a move.
Rentaro's gaze was complicated, but he couldn't help but frown considering the loss of his left arm.
Life is much different now... But at the very least, cultivation existed in this world.
If this was in his old life, he wasn't even sure how he'd have reacted to the loss of his arm.
Edalas took notice of his gaze, and gave a long sigh.
He spoke, "You, what's your name?"
Rentaro paused, his glance asking, 'You talking to me?'
"Yeah, you, who else would I talk to? Everyone else hates my guts, I can't blame them though. Even I hate myself for some of the things I've done."
"My name's Rentaro... Why are you asking?"
Rentaro squinted his eyes, 'Is he trying to pull something?'
"Rentaro, my end is near as you can tell." Edalas coughed out a mouthful of blood, "I'm disappointed that I failed my life's goal, but that doesn't matter now."
"I've already told you my story, about the bloodline I've been given—from the Menhir Tribe. That beast that accompanied you, could you tell me what it's called?"
Rentaro felt skeptical as he listened to the man. They were enemies, so why would he help him?
"I can see the questioning look in your eyes. Heh, Even when I am near death, my vision is so clear. Amazing, huh? Anyway, it would be a shame if the Menhir bloodline vanished with my death, and I owe Grisk far too much to allow that to happen."
Rentaro nodded along, "My partner Roy, he's a chimera."
Edalas loosened a smile, exclaiming, "As I thought. I've actually seen some chimeras before, but they were all failed lab experiments. Hey! Don't look at me like that, I'm not the one who conducted those experiments! I've only ever done bloodline mutations, and slight body modifications."
"Anyways, I couldn't awaken much of the Menhir bloodline, I'm sure Grisk would be rolling in his grave if he saw how incomplete I awakened it—I can't even grow horns! Just two light bumps on my head!"
"But a chimera, ahem, Roy—he could awaken it to a fully developed state! Grisk told me way back that I'd never be the same as a Menhir Tribe member, but Roy could! So with my death, I'd like to request that you allow him to accept my bloodline! It would be good for the both of us!"
Rentaro wanted to accept, but couldn't help but worry.
Would the members of the Krose Clan despise him?
Tess voiced out her interest, [He seems to be telling the truth. There's no harm in accepting, and it truly would be a shame for the possible last remnant of a bloodline to just vanish like that.]
Wilhelm followed, [Rentaro, this is a blessing. There's no harm, and it will be greatly beneficial to Roy.]
Quint placed his hand on Rentaro's shoulder, giving him the last push needed,
"Rentaro, just consider it as plundering. When you fight to the death, the survivor takes the dead's possessions. That is the harshness of life, don't hesitate or think about it, just act."
Rentaro looked down towards the ground, but quickly answered back with a bow.
"Thank you, Elder Quint!"
Quint waved him off with a smile while Rentaro summoned Roy once again.
Roy was yawning, still worn out from the fight.
Edalas' eyes lit up, as he said, "Great! Before we get started, let me give you a short warning. As I said, I've seen chimeras before, experimental ones at least."
"Back one I worked at a research facility—before I was kicked out for wanting to share my bloodline research with all people, not just the facility—I met another researcher. He was far more cruel than I, which was why they banished him from the facility."
"He's got an obsession with chimeras, and if he happens to learn about Roy, well, trouble will be heading your way. He was also much stronger than me, so I'd never pick a fight with him myself if we're being honest. Anyways, he goes by the name of Khai. Just keep that in mind for the future."
Edalas ended up being quite the blabbermouth, sharing much more than Rentaro had expected.
Why help him so much? Does the preservation of the Menhir bloodline really mean that much to him?
To Edalas... The answer to that was a simple yes. It was his encounter with Grisk that ultimately changed his fate.
Edalas' cough worsened, and he felt it getting harder to breathe.
"Rentaro, I've said everything I wanted to. I'll use the last of my energy to transfer the bloodline to Roy. Being a chimera, the assimilation should happen smoothly."
Without a second's delay, he beckoned Roy closer with his hand, placing his palm on Roy's head.
Roy approached slowly, but still held a grudge, visible irritation in his eyes.
"Roy, even if you despise me, this bloodline will allow you to protect Rentaro. I hope you can accept it and fully assimilate its effects, though it won't be easy, nor will it happen in a single day."
Edalas smiled one last time. While he failed to accomplish his own goal, at least he found someone who could make better use of the Menhir bloodline than him.
Grisk wouldn't give him a beating in the after life, right?
The entirety of his body started to shrivel at a rapid pace, easily visible to the naked eye. A visible flow of blood traveled along his arms, before breaking out of his hand as it entered into Roy's forehead.
It merged into Roy's body, and Roy felt a strange sensation. It wasn't the same feeling as a new elemental affinity, but he felt as if his gaze was sharper, like he could see the most minute of details on a microscopic level.
Another two molten-like eyes sprouted into existence, going from the original four to now six, And likewise, he now had six horns instead of four. Lastly, his body seemed to slightly grow in size.
Tess voiced, [It's important to note, Roy hasn't taken on the actual Menhir bloodline form yet. Whenever he acquires a new bloodline, you can expect a similar occurrence.]
Rentaro asked, "Roy, how do you feel?"
"Great! My vision is much stronger than before, I feel like I can see right through you!"
Smiling at the side, Edalas' body collapsed to the ground next to Jean's, his eyes slowly closing.
With his remains energy, he weakly muttered.
"I'm glad you were able to assimilate it alright. I'll be on my way to the other side—"
Rentaro couldn't help but give him one final glance in despondence.
'Will all of this become natural to me one day? Watching people die, and even taking the lives of others?'
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