SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God Chapter 662 What happened?

Damon blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to clear his vision. For a fleeting second, the carnage of the battlefield, the suffocating poison, and the shifting shadows felt distant, as if he were observing a dream that didn't belong to him. A lingering afterimage caused his head to throb painfully. He saw flickering shapes, endless blood, a crown carved from bone, and a blade that hummed a melody in a tongue predating civilization.

"Wait... what just happened? How did I—"

"My liege… You broke into my memories… recollections that even I cannot fully command." Blood Reign stared at Damon, her eyes wide with shock. "I am the one meant to be searching your depths, my liege. Instead, it was you who pried into my past."

Damon massaged his temple. "It wasn't intentional. I have no idea how I managed to do that."

Blood Reign fell into a brief silence before letting out a soft sigh. Noticing Damon's agitation, she took on a more composed demeanor. "Everything shall be revealed in due time, my liege. We must remain patient."

Damon gave a nod of agreement. "What about the attributes? Did you manage to find a way to handle them?"

Blood Reign simply shook her head in disappointment. "I am sorry, my liege… I have failed. I believed that by merging our minds and souls, I could grasp the mechanics of the blood extraction, but I was foolish to assume it would be that easy."

"Oh?"

"I could not even get close to understanding it, my liege."

"It's alright. It was a good effort." Damon’s tone softened instinctively. He meant what he said; the entire plan had been nothing more than a daring experiment.

A bitter smile touched Blood Reign’s lips. "I am intended to be the ultimate weapon… yet the pattern of your extraction skill remains beyond my comprehension. Even worse, when our souls intertwined, it was you who shattered my sealed layers. You were the one who delved deeper into me."

Damon blinked. "…Are you feeling embarrassed?"

Blood Reign went rigid. "Certainly not."

"You definitely sound embarrassed."

"My liege, there is no shame in being inferior to you," she countered quickly. However, her obvious frustration only made Damon grin. It was clear this woman wasn't accustomed to failure. In contrast, he had far more experience with falling short than succeeding. He would have been more shocked if they had succeeded on the first try.

Damon gave a small snort, a smirk playing on his lips. "It really is fine. You gave it your all. That’s what counts."

Blood Reign lowered her head, avoiding his gaze. "My liege… please do not show me kindness right now. I haven't earned it."

Damon arched an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"Because," she whispered, "I vowed to facilitate your ascension. To hone your edge. To raise you up. Yet today, you were the one exploring my soul and pulling me higher. You were also the one who provided the weapon for me to devour and evolve. The roles are reversed. It is unacceptable. I cannot continue to fail."

Damon let out a breath, settling the matter with finality. "Blood Reign, this isn't a failure. It’s a beginning." Blood Reign went still as Damon continued in a steady, confident voice.

"You didn't decode the extraction skill today? Fine. You'll do it eventually. You didn't find a new way to store my attributes? Fine. We’ll figure it out together. We have plenty of time. We'll keep at it until we succeed."

Blood Reign gazed at him, stunned by the sheer simplicity of his belief. "You helped me reach your memories," Damon added. "Whether it was an accident or not, that counts as progress."

After a long pause, Blood Reign finally spoke. "My liege… You truly have a way of making one believe in the impossible. My liege… given time… I will succeed. I swear this upon the very origin of my creation."

"I know you will," Damon replied, rising to his feet and cracking his neck. In response, the toxic mist rippled outward. "Now, let’s bring this war to an end. I’m starting to get bored. Go back inside and brainstorm a better method for the attributes. I don't think I'll need your help to win this battle."

Blood Reign’s eyes sharpened, regaining their lethal spark. "As you wish, my liege. I will not disappoint you again. I shall devise a method. I will not let all this power surrounding you go to waste, regardless of the cost. I swear this on my honor."

Damon nodded with a faint smile. The crimson figure faded into his body, leaving him standing alone in a city choked by miasma.

Damon surveyed the area with satisfaction. His poison skills were performing perfectly. He triggered another wave of the Poison Blood skill and used Shadow Step to begin terrorizing a fresh group of NPCs and guild members.

Simultaneously, he kept Blood Rain active all around him to relentlessly train his blood manipulation. Perhaps leaning on Blood Reign had been the wrong approach. Bloodline Extraction was a power woven into his very DNA. He doubted anyone could grasp its nuances better than himself.

Assigning the poison analysis to his avatars for the moment, he focused entirely on his blood manipulation. With so much blood readily available, it was the ideal time to study his extraction skill.

He repeatedly processed the mounds of corpses nearby. Each time he drew in the essence, he focused on every minute sensation in his body, his blood, his mind, and his soul, trying to perceive the exact mechanics of the process.

He could no longer treat the skill as a black box. He was missing out on too much potential.

To hell with it. He wanted to master this, and he was going to take it by force.

Damon's eyes blazed with resolve as he entered a state of deep training. His frame trembled as he pulled in another surge of blood essence. This time, he wasn't a passive vessel. He forced himself to experience every detail: the way the essence flowed, how the extraction skill clamped onto it like a predator, and the way it consumed traits—refining and condensing them into raw stats and skills. He visualized every tiny movement within his being as the blood essence was meticulously sorted.

The path wasn't clear yet, but he was finally grasping at something. Something just beyond his reach.

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