Leo sank to the temple floor, the weight of his reality finally catching up to him. As the adrenaline faded, he focused on the flickering interface of the newly unlocked Hero Banner.
[Hero Banner Unlocked]
[Warning: The souls of the fallen are not tools.]
Heroes are former Lords who succumbed to the Origin.
Retained: Indomitable Will, Prime Combat Mastery, Sealed Talents.
Lost: Sovereign Authority, Lord Privileges, Linear Memories.
Summoning Cost: 500 Sanguine Essence.
Risk Profile: Heroes are independent entities. They may demand tribute, resist your commands, or, in extreme cases, orchestrate betrayal.
'Even in death, the Origin keeps them on a leash,' Leo thought, a chill running down his spine at the thought of such a cycle.
Before he could process the grim nature of his new banner, the sky outside the temple shattered with light. A pillar of gold pierced the scarlet clouds, and a voice resonated in the minds of every living soul in the Umbra Expanse.
[Regional Announcement]
[A Pioneer has emerged. The first Rank Advancement has been achieved.] [Identity: Crimson Lord] [Race: Unknown] [Status: The First Ascendant]
[Reward: Unique Chest (Rare Rank) has been delivered]
Leo watched the text burn against the heavens, his heart sinking. "So much for a quiet life," he whispered, a sharp, self-deprecating laugh escaping him. "The entire region just watched me put a bullseye on my own forehead."
'Unknown race... at least that buys me some mystery,' he mused. 'If the human Lords knew a vampire was leading the pack, they'd stop fighting each other and turn on me in a heartbeat.'
In various corners of the Umbra Expanse, the golden message lingered. In a territory filled with shimmering marble and white light, a Lord with four feathered wings stared upward. His cold, blue eyes narrowed.
"Crimson Lord?" he whispered, his voice like grinding glass. "An unknown race has taken the lead before the High Heavens? This is a stain that must be washed away."
Elsewhere, in a dark forest where the trees seemed to bleed, a human Lord named Barron punched the stone wall of his shelter. "How?" he hissed, his teeth gritting in frustration. "I've been killing nonstop since I arrived. I haven't even reached fifty percent progress. Who is this monster?"
Back in the temple of the Blood-Veined Stone, Leo ignored the chaos he had caused. His focus was entirely on the blue chest resting before him.
"Let's see if being first was worth the target on my back," Leo muttered.
[System Note: Unique rewards have been calibrated to the Lord's current evolutionary path and primary deficiencies.]
He placed his hands on the cold lid. The silver carvings flared with light, and the chest clicked open.
[Unique Chest (Rare Rank) Opened]
[Reward 1: Territorial Authority Sigil: First Ascendant]
Rank: Rare
Effects: Resource production +15%, Construction time -20%, Unit synchronization efficiency increased, suppresses unrest.
The second reward was a gacha token that reduced the price by half.
[Token of the Heroic Soul (Unique)] - Reduces the cost of the next Hero Summon by 50%.
The final reward was a swirling orb of grey mist. [Combat Experience (Level 1)]
"Combat experience?" Leo Muttered.
Malphas nodded. "This is the greatest privilege of being a Lord, my master. While warriors and knights spend decades bleeding on the battlefield to master their blades, a Lord can absorb the essence of that struggle."
Leo didn't hesitate. He reached out and crushed the orb. Suddenly, his vision blurred. He felt thousands of phantom strikes and the cold calculation of a killer rushing into his mind. His muscles twitched, adjusting to movements he had never performed. When he opened his eyes, he stood differently. His center of gravity was lower, and his hands were steady.
"That... was insane," Leo said, clenching his fist. "I feel like I've been training for years."
"Now," Leo said, his eyes glowing with a new, dangerous hunger. "Let's see who is waiting in the Heroic Echoes."
He focused his mind, and the golden gates of the Hero Banner finally swung wide.
The Primordial Sanguinary Archive opened- but this time, it did not welcome him like before.
The familiar cathedral of bone and blood was still there, but the air was heavier. The mirrored blood-lake no longer lay still. It churned slowly, as if something beneath it was turning in its sleep.
A third structure emerged behind the two tomes.
It was not a book.
It was a gate.
Massive, half-buried in the blood-lake, forged from broken banners, shattered crowns, rusted weapons, and cracked sigils of authority. Names were carved into its surface- thousands of them. Most scratched out. Some burned black. A few… still glowing faintly.
Above it, crimson text formed.
[Hero Banner]
Cost per summon: 500 SE.
Current Cost (Token Applied): 250 SE
Probability: Extremely Low
Pity Counter: 0 / 30
He tapped the button.
The Token of the Heroic Soul shattered into crimson dust, swirling into the golden gates of the banner. The temple was filled with a blinding, regal light. Leo held his breath, his heart hammering against his ribs. He expected a legendary figure to step through the light, someone who would change everything.
The light flared, turned a deep violet, and then... vanished.
[Summoning Result: Failed]
[Heroic soul resonance not achieved.]
[Pity Counter: 1 / 30 (Chance for Hero Grade increased by 0.5%)]
[Current SE: 16]
Leo stood there in the sudden silence, his hand still reaching out toward the empty air. The excitement that had been bubbling in his chest died instantly, replaced by a cold, hollow frustration.
"One," Leo whispered, his voice cracking. "I spent 250 essence, and all I got was a one on a counter?"
Leo let out a long, shaky breath and sat back down on the cold floor. 'I really am a gacha victim,' he thought, rubbing his face with his hands.
Malphas exited the temple with a silent bow, leaving Leo behind. The young Lord remained curled on the cold stone floor, a hollow look in his eyes as he whispered to the empty room, ''My essence... it is all gone.''
Outside, the third day dawned over the Umbra Expanse. The atmosphere had shifted; the other Lords were now energized, driven by the shock of Leo's sudden ascension.
While the various alien races were left guessing as to the identity of the Crimson Lord, the human chat was in an absolute frenzy.
Channel 86 :
[User: Stonehand]: Crimson Lord is HUMAN. I don't care what anyone says, that meat trade yesterday wasn't a coincidence.
[User: Ash Warden]: Agreed. No other race floods the market with raw meat on day two. That was human logistics.
[User: Dawn Seeker]: First Ascendant… if that's one of ours, then we're not done yet. We can still stand.
[User: Iron Scribe]: Careful. His race is hidden for a reason. If he wanted attention, he'd have claimed it openly.
[User: Blade Fury]: Or maybe he's scared. Hiding race screams weakness.
[User: Elias Crowe]: Wrong. Hiding race is intelligence. Other races don't negotiate. They hunt.
To the struggling masses, he was a symbol of hope, a sign that their race could compete with the monsters of the cosmos. But to those at the top, he was an obstacle. They didn't see a hero; they saw a rival who needed to be cut down before he became too powerful to manage.
Steven Lockwood sat in his own territory, his face twisted in a mask of pure rage. The fact that someone from Earth had surpassed him was a blow to his pride that he couldn't stomach.
He was already reeling from the existence of Silent March, and now this Crimson Lord had claimed the ultimate prize of being the first to ascend. To Steven, this wasn't an achievement to be celebrated; it was a personal insult that required a response.
'I don't care who you are,' Steven thought, his grip tightening on his weapon until his knuckles turned white. 'I will find you, and I will take everything you have.'