Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

Seven hours earlier...

Azarion didn’t waste any time after escaping from Velmira.

The moment he arrived at the underground laboratory; he immediately headed toward the main chamber where Veyron was already waiting for him. The three Chimeras had been left behind to slow Velmira down, but Azarion knew they wouldn’t be able to stop her for long. Hell, he was even worried she had stopped holding back and would destroy them in an instant. He had already felt the difference in strength between them, and remaining anywhere near the battlefield would only give her more opportunities to kill him.

Veyron looked toward Azarion as he entered the laboratory, his expression remaining calm despite everything that had happened outside. ”Your Majesty, I think you would be better off proceeding with the ’-----’ inside the Hell Belt prepared for you.”

Azarion nodded immediately, although his gaze shifted toward the massive Crucible standing in the center of the chamber. Project X’s enormous body remained suspended inside the strange liquid while countless Relics continued stabilizing its physical structure. Even without releasing its full power, the creature’s presence made the surrounding space feel heavy.

”How long until everything is ready?” Azarion asked.

”Everything is already prepared your Majesty, I only need to move Project X and begin the final calculations.” Veyron answered calmly as he bowed slughtly.

Azarion continued looking at the Crucible for another moment before his eyes moved toward Veyron, ”Hmm, what about the Seed?”

”It is inside your and Project X’s bodies exactly as planned. It has already synchronized with Project X, but I haven’t activated the final connection yet.” Veyron started explaining as he reminded Azarion that at the third day the seed was planted inside him, which was none other than a portion of the scroll relic.

Azarion slowly nodded after hearing that. The fact that everything had proceeded according to their plan was reassuring, but he still had one concern before entering Hell Belt.

”Alright, let’s proceed quickly then.” He looked toward Project X again before asking, ”Once the process begins, can it be stopped?” Veyron’s expression became slightly more serious as he shook his head. ”Not after the first stage your Majesty, once the seed connects your body to Project X, stopping the process halfway would leave both bodies incomplete, which could cause a massive disaster.”

Azarion remained silent for several seconds. He had expected there to be risks, but hearing that the process couldn’t be stopped once it began made him consider the consequences more carefully. His gaze remained fixed on the Crucible before he finally asked the question that mattered most.

”And if something goes wrong?”

Veyron’s fingers tightened slightly before he answered. ”Then you...you will most likely die, Your Majesty.” He gulped as sweat ran down his chin, clearly uncomfortable with having to say those words directly to the King.

Azarion noticed his reaction and gave a small smile. The possibility of death didn’t seem to bother him nearly as much as it bothered Veyron, ”The higher the reward, the higher the risks, Veyron. Proceed with the ’-----’. I have been waiting for this moment for over a century.” His smile remained as he looked back toward Project X. ”If death could make me afraid, I wouldn’t be here, nor...would I be the King.”

Veyron slowly nodded before turning toward the control platform, but before beginning the preparations, he seemed to remember something important. ”I should inform Your Majesty of one more thing. If everything proceeds according to the calculations, you won’t simply gain Project X’s power. Your body will become the foundation from which Project X’s complete form is reconstructed.”

Azarion’s expression became slightly more serious. ”Explain.”

”The Relic we recovered from the first Eternal Ruin will analyze your body, Project X, and the Seed simultaneously. Instead of forcing Project X into your existing body, it will determine which parts of both structures are compatible and reconstruct them together.”

Azarion listened carefully before slowly nodding. ”So, I won’t be absorbing it.”

”Yes, Your Majesty. It’s not absorption, but in a way, merging.”

Veyron pointed toward the massive Crucible as he continued explaining. ”Project X will be dismantled at the structural level. Its energy, physical structure, and the Unknown Substance will be separated and analyzed before being transferred to you. Your body will remain at the center while the Seed acts as the anchor. The Relic will then reconstruct Project X around you, replacing your biological structure wherever Project X’s structure is superior.”

Azarion’s gaze remained on the Crucible as he processed the explanation. The method itself wasn’t what concerned him. He had already accepted the possibility of his body changing completely. What he wanted to know was whether the person inside that body would still be him.

”And my consciousness?”

”It should remain yours.” Veyron paused before adding, ”Although we can’t tell that for certain. The chances of success in this case are sixty-forty.”

Azarion’s eyes narrowed slightly. ”Completely?”

”Unless the Seed interferes with your mind, yes.”

Azarion remained quiet for a moment before looking directly at Veyron with his narrowed eyes, ”You said ’unless.’”

Veyron hesitated after hearing the question, he knew Azarion wouldn’t ignore something like that, especially when his own consciousness was involved.

”The Seed was designed to connect you with Project X, not overwrite your consciousness. However, I cannot guarantee that two consciousnesses won’t interfere if Project X has developed one of its own.” Azarion’s expression changed slightly at those words. Until now, he had treated Project X as nothing more than the result of years of experimentation, but the possibility that something inside it could possess its own consciousness changed the situation.

”Has it developed its own consciousness?”

”I don’t know, Your Majesty.” Veyron shook his head. ”It has never been freed from the Crucible, so there has been no way for us to determine whether it possesses one. But a Dragon specimen was used in its creation, so it’s highly likely that it has developed its own consciousness.”

Azarion frowned slightly as that answer brought back the memory of the day he had captured that little Dragon and used all its organs in Project X. He had never cared about whether the creature could think because that had never been relevant to the experiment. Now, however, the possibility had become a problem that could determine whether he remained himself after the merge.

Veyron continued before Azarion could say anything. ”Its physical body was completed only two days ago, and the amount of Unknown Substance inside it has already surpassed every previous specimen. If it has developed an independent consciousness, we will discover it during the merging process.”

Azarion remained silent for several seconds before slowly nodding, there was no point worrying about something that couldn’t be confirmed beforehand, ”Heh, then let’s find out.”

Veyron activated the massive lift-like structure beneath the Crucible.

The entire platform began descending, carrying Azarion and Project X deeper underground. Several minutes later, they reached the hidden chamber nearly a kilometer beneath the surface.

Hell Belt.

The facility was far larger than the laboratory above it, with countless Relics embedded throughout the walls and floor. At the center stood another Crucible several times larger than the one used to contain Project X.

Veyron immediately began preparing the chamber. Relics activated around the Crucible while hundreds of calculations appeared across the surrounding displays as he entered the remaining information from the divided Relic.

Azarion stepped toward the Crucible. ”Once I enter, how long will it take?”

”Approximately six to seven hours, Your Majesty.”

”That much time?” Azarion arched an eyebrow. ”You already know that Velmira can sense me even here. She has somehow regained all her strength.”

Veyron felt a chill run down his spine. ”The process cannot be accelerated. The Relic needs to reconstruct both structures gradually. If the speed is increased, the synchronization between your body and the Seed will collapse.”

Azarion nodded and said, ”Alright, then start. Also tell all nineteen SSS-ranks to move. When I wake up, release the Army of Monsters in all the Continents except the Dragon Continent. Only use those disposable pawns of nobles from different Continents to cause chaos inside the Dragon Continent.”

Veyron nodded. ”I will do so, Your Majesty. Should I send Mark to support the SSS-ranks? His ability could be incredibly handy against her.”

Azarion nodded before turning toward the Crucible. ”Do that. You might see me in a completely different appearance after this.”

The moment Azarion entered the Crucible; the chamber sealed around him. Dozens of Relic-made conduits connecting Project X’s Crucible to his own activated one after another as the Seed inside his chest immediately reacted. A thin black line appeared across his chest before more markings spread across his entire body, with Null beginning to flow through his veins. Veyron’s eyes remained fixed on the calculations as the ancient Relic began comparing Azarion’s body, Project X, and the Seed before initiating the first stage.

”Now the greatest Monster in the history of Eliomor will be born.”

...

..

Seven whole hours passed...

And the process in front of Veyron showed 99.9%, Almost finished...the next second it finally hit the hundred percent mark, the moment it did, the entire Hell Belt shook violently.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The massive Crucible exploded apart as an enormous beam of Null and Spirit Energy shot upward from Azarion’s body. It tore through the ceiling and destroyed layer after layer of the underground facility before breaking through the surface and entering the sky. The ground above cracked as the clouds were pushed apart by the immense pressure.

Veyron immediately raised a defensive Relic around himself as debris fell throughout Hell Belt, but his eyes remained fixed on the destroyed Crucible.

Far above the Human Continent, the enormous beam continued rising into the sky.

It did not remain unnoticed.

The disturbance spread across Eliomor, and dark clouds began gathering over the Continents as countless powerful beings sensed the sudden release of some unknown energy and Spirit Energy. Velmira and Atlas were not the only one to see and sense it, every powerhouse, every Explorer capable of sensing that level of energy turned their attention toward the same direction.