Chapter 384: The Otherworldly Beasts and the Eternal Blood Contract
The Sky Dragon soared above Rusukaina Island, its white-armored scales glinting like molten silver in the sunlight. Its massive wings beat the air, sending tremors through the sea below and scattering flocks of birds from the island's forests. With a deafening roar, it announced its presence, a living testament to the power that birthed it.
This majestic creature was the product of Giada's unique ability: Family Beast.
Giada's Family Beast ability allowed her to conjure a strange, otherworldly dimension, a pocket of time and space where reality bent to her will. Within this realm, she could channel her imagination, expending energy to craft beasts with specific forms and powers. The success of her creations depended on the clarity and completeness of the information she provided. The more precise her vision, the more likely the beast would take shape as intended.
But there were limits. The strength and number of beasts she could create were tied to the level of her ability and the inherent "beast factor" within it. These creatures, though they could leap and fight as if alive, were not fully real. They remained half-finished, their essence rooted in the illusory nature of Giada's dimension, much like a virtual world or a realm woven from memory.
In Kai's keen observation, the true essence of this ability was memory, or, more broadly, history, information, and knowledge. The foundation of Family Beast lay in this otherworldly dimension, which was tethered directly to the world itself. When Giada imagined a beast, the dimension searched the world for matching knowledge, memories, and data, using her beast factor as a core to shape the creation. The more powerful or contradictory the beast, the greater the energy required to pull the necessary information from the world.
This energy was the price for accessing the world's knowledge through this strange time and space. To Giada, the process was shrouded in mystery. She used the ability in a fog, marveling at how her imagination alone could summon mighty beasts with only a modest cost of renewable power, 760 units, by her count. She felt the raw strength of her gift but didn't grasp its depths.
Kai, however, saw it clearly. This dimension could serve as a recorder and repository of the world's history and knowledge, a living archive of its collective consciousness. For now, its scope was limited, it could only search the present, not the past or future, and its reach was confined. Its method was clever, tapping into souls, memories, thoughts, emotions, and spiritual essences, but it had a flaw: a powerful enough being could detect the intrusion. The search brushed against the boundaries of a person's inner world, stepping into their domain.
When Giada had created her Sky Dragon near Amazon Lily Island, Kai had felt it, an invisible force probing his rhythm, memories, and knowledge, originating from her dimension. It was a mechanical, impersonal search, pure in its intent. But Giada's power couldn't touch him. His own abilities were a glitch in this world's fabric; unless he permitted it, no force could breach his defenses. Still, to ensure her creation went smoothly, he'd gifted her the necessary knowledge, allowing her beast to take form without struggle.
For now, the range of Giada's dimension was small, but Kai could envision a future where it spanned the entire world, delving deeper into its secrets. In simple terms, Giada provided a template, and the dimension acted as a backend, scouring the world for the information needed to fill it. Kai found the mechanism fascinating, sparking a new idea in his ever-curious mind.
Bang! Bang!
Giada leapt onto the Sky Dragon's back with a graceful bound, her emerald hair whipped in the wind. She glanced back at Kai, a fleeting look of affection in her eyes. Kai met her gaze with a warm smile, raising a hand in farewell.
Boom! Boom! Roar!
The Sky Dragon spread its holy white wings, their massive span casting shadows across the sea. With a powerful thrust, it soared into the sky, vanishing into the clouds.
In the sky, Giada's eyes lingered on Kai's distant figure. Her gaze dropped to her left hand, where a blood-red ring had appeared on her ring finger, its surface pulsing faintly with power. She traced it with her fingertips and a smirk curled on her lips. The smirk softened, and her ladylike composure returned, elegant and poised.
Shadows swirled at her feet, coalescing into a throne of darkness. She settled onto it with regal grace, and even the scorching sun, which had irked her moments ago, seemed more bearable now.
Calm Belt, Rusukaina Island, on the shore.
Kai watched the Sky Dragon fade from sight. His eyes fell to his own left ring finger, where a matching blood-red ring had materialized. This was no ordinary ring, it was the embodiment of a profound power, a symbol of something far greater.
The Eternal Blood Contract was a sacred ability of the Blood True Ancestor, one they could invoke only once in their existence. It required two conditions: an indescribable state of connection, emotional, spiritual, and beyond, and the absolute willingness of both parties. This contract was a vow of eternal love, binding two souls in a way that transcended words.
Its function was simple yet profound: it forged a connection. The Blood True Ancestor shared their power, vitality, and essence with their chosen partner, elevating them to the same status, a co-equal True Ancestor. For the one who initiated the contract, it was an act of selfless devotion, a surrender of their being to their beloved.
Kai's ring was unique, a fusion of two contracts. Giada had offered hers to him, pouring her heart into the gesture, and Kai had reciprocated, granting her a contract infused with his own multifaceted power. Their rings, now intertwined, symbolized a mutual bond, each bearing the weight of the other's commitment.
To Kai, the contract was more symbolic than transformative. His power was vast, a tapestry of abilities far surpassing the Blood True Ancestor's, which he considered modest by his standards. The contract's permanence, unbreakable to ordinary beings or even other True Ancestors, was trivial to him. With a thought, he could unravel it. It held no real gain or loss, just a gesture.
But Giada cherished it, and that was enough. Her joy in its meaning warmed him. She was easy to please, her vibrant spirit is a delight to indulge.
No mention of Giada now.
Another matter weighed on Kai's mind, one of greater consequence: the system that powered his avatars. After creating Giada, he'd discovered a limitation, the system's quota for avatars was full. It was now anchoring Giada's presence in the world, a process that would take less than a month to complete.
Once finished, the system would reset, preparing to allocate new avatar slots. Kai understood the mechanics. Each avatar drew reputation points from the world by anchoring itself within a special field, a metaphysical tether that converted fame into power. It was a brilliant way to exploit the world's dynamics, but it had constraints. The first batch of avatars, Sukuna, Hisoka, King, Orochimaru, Retsu, Esdeath, Artoria, Iori, and now Giada, had maxed out the system's capacity. Until new slots opened, no further avatars could be created.
Fortunately, this wouldn't affect the ongoing accumulation of reputation points. King and Sukuna, in particular, would continue to amass fame, their godlike presence etched into the world's consciousness.
Tap, tap, tap.
Soft footsteps approached. Kai turned to see Yin, her silver hair catching the sunlight, her crimson eyes clouded with quiet disappointment. She stood hesitantly, her small frame radiating a mix of longing and fear.
Kai's heart softened. He could sense her worry, that her constant presence might annoy him, that her clinginess might push him away. Such a simple, earnest soul.
Without a word, he stepped forward and swept her into his arms. Yin stiffened at first, her body tensing, but his warmth calmed her, and she relaxed against him.
"Don't worry, Yin," he whispered in a low and reassuring tone. "You are someone I care for deeply."
Her eyes widened, the crimson glow brightening with hope. The air grew still, charged with the weight of his words.
After a moment, Yin gathered her courage. "Master…" she said softly, her voice trembling. "I want to be closer to you."
Her gaze met his, earnest and unguarded, her cheeks flushing as she spoke. Kai smiled, cupping her face gently with both hands. As her blush deepened, he leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
"Wait a little longer," he said in a gentle but firm tone. "Until you have grown a bit more."
Yin's mind, still shaped by the void and death she had endured, was fragile, not yet fully mature. Kai wanted to wait until her soul and spirit had blossomed, until she could fully embrace their bond. Only then would it be a beauty worth savoring.
"Okay…" Yin murmured in a soft tone as she looked down at her feet. "I'll listen to you, Master."
Kai took her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers. Under the dappled light filtering through the trees, their figures moved together, a quiet promise woven into their steps as they left the shore behind.
(End of this Chapter)