Vlad’s eyes were closed when he suddenly began to frown, and a painful expression appeared before he suddenly woke up. Confusion and shock appeared on his face as he saw himself surrounded by blood, and panic arose for a moment as he worried about drowning.
However, Vlad soon noticed the device over his mouth that filled his lungs with air. A confused expression appeared on his face as he attempted to remember all that had happened, and as the images became clear, a sense of sadness flooded his eyes.
"Cazan." Vlad would never forget the peaceful expression of the man in his last moments of life. He remained unmoving for several minutes as he reconciled all that had happened, and finally, focus returned to his eyes.
"A.I. Chip, how long have I been unconscious?" It did not take a genius to understand that he had been unconscious for a long time.
[Beep! The Host has been in a coma for the past 29 days, a state induced by the severe damage to the body after the use of Heart of Wrath!
The Host had been submerged in the pool of Molten Demonblood Essence during the last 20 days, improving the healing speed!
The Host has been periodically removed to avoid psychic energy overload. To ensure the Host’s safety, soul force has been used to devour the psychic energy and increase the Depravita Fog.]
A sharp light appeared in Vlad’s eyes as he heard all that. It was clear that Jormungandr was in charge of his recovery since only the small yellow cat was aware of the uniqueness of his Depravita Racial Heritage and that his soul force needed to rest from time to time to avoid being contaminated by the abyssal’s psychic force.
Vlad closed his eyes and focused on his brain. He noticed how the size of the Depravita Fog had grown immense and was much thicker, and his energy pool had also grown much larger.
’Good, the damage did not reach my Soul Dimension,’ Vlad was relieved that the backlash from recklessly using Heart of Wrath did not extend into his spirit.
After ensuring his energy pool was safe, Vlad turned the focus of the A.I. Chip back to his body, wanting to see just how much he had recovered. "Chip, scan me."
Immediately, the robotic and faithful voice of the A.I. Chip emerged, echoing in his mind along with the current condition of his body.
[Beep! Scanning the Host.
Lineage: Thunder Lord (Champion Tier)
Strength: 25.7 --> 35.9 (12.4)
Agility: 19.1 --> 26.5 (8.2)
Vitality: 27.5 --> 39.6 (15.4)
Energy Pool (Force): 2.9 --> 3.4
Lightning Forged Charge
Note: The Host’s body is weakened due to the severe internal injuries. It will require a longer recovery before being able to use the full power of the body.]
Vlad showed a complex smile as he saw that his body had managed to break into Level 10, and his energy pool was on the verge of breaking into the Champion Tier. However, due to the deep and serious injuries he had endured, he was extremely weakened.
After a few seconds, Vlad began to swim to the surface, soon emerging from the pool and seeing several figures. There were Jormungandr and Freya, along with the nineteen bloodline soldiers.
As soon as Vlad’s head rose from the pool of blood, everybody turned toward him. The nineteen bloodline soldiers immediately rose and adopted a kneeling stance. Freya showed a small smile as she nodded to the young man, happy to see him better.
"Boss, how do you feel?" Jormungandr was not surprised to see Vlad rising as he had been monitoring the young man’s condition the entire month with the help of his A.I. Chip.
"I still need to recover, but I am much better." Vlad nodded to Jormungandr and smiled at Freya before looking at the nineteen bloodline soldiers.
Those nineteen were still in the Mortal Realm and should find it challenging to endure the abyssal blood radiation on the peak of the Nagan Mountain, yet it seemed it was actually strengthening them.
’Mmm, I guess it makes sense, considering that devils and demons have always looked at each other as food. A devil bloodline would naturally improve in the presence of abyssal blood radiation.’ Vlad nodded to the bloodline soldiers, indicating they should relax before turning his eyes back to Jormungandr with an inquisitive gaze. "Where are the Royal Guards?"
"I left them in the Silent Wind Military Base. Without us, they will act as its shield." Jormungandr paused for a moment before showing a sad expression. "Also, they needed to prepare Cazan’s funeral, and it was better if Mirena was not alone."
Vlad could not help but sigh as he thought about the pain Cazan’s sister must be feeling. He remained silent for a few seconds before taking a deep breath, putting his emotions in order, and regaining focus. "What happened after I blacked out?"
"Your last attack killed most of the high-ranking soldiers from the Azarin Empire and devastated the rest of the forces inside the base. Upon losing their leaders, the rest of the soldiers simply ran." Jormungandr stared at Vlad momentarily as he considered his following words before carrying on, "We captured some of the high-ranking wounded Warriors and Mages, but the old man in papal robes managed to escape."
"He is still alive!?" Vlad shouted, his eyes burning with rage as he realized that he had failed to kill the one who murdered Cazan.
The nineteen bloodline soldiers and even Freya could not help but feel tense as they saw the wrath in Vlad’s eyes, the image of what he could do in that state still clear in their minds.
On the other hand, Jormungandr remained calm, his eyes firm as he nodded. "It seems that he used a last trump card to escape your attack, and once he reached a safe distance, he ran back to the Azarin Empire."