The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 1817: Rain of Blood

Rex touched down with a resounding thud in the central plaza of the devastated Sky City.

Like discarding worthless refuse, he hurled the maimed Rezar aside and gazed forward.

In the midst of that central plaza, Varya positioned herself. Her hand traced patterns across the pale marble surface.

Blood served as her medium.

The pattern resembled a formation, vast enough to extend past the plaza's boundaries.

Surrounding it, bodies of Sky City's inhabitants lay spaced a meter apart. Countless thousands lined the streets oriented toward the Blood Moon. A few remained alive and gasping, though maimed. The recently deceased still oozed blood.

The blood seeping from wounds halted at the formation's edge, gathering there in pools.

Black serpents in hordes labored like obedient servants, hauling additional bodies from distant areas and arranging them precisely. When space ran out, the bodies piled up centrally, forming a heap of flesh.

Rex had struck a bargain with Dorn for clemency.

He honored it, but solely for the territory Dorn guarded, sparing none of the other survivors.

Harsh. Yet no one would spare a thought if he pleaded for Devo's return.

With dominance secured, he saw no need to hold back.

Upon inspecting the formation, Rex found astonishment in its superior quality.

...

<Original Rite of Kaiser>

Description: This represents the initial iteration of the Rite of Kaiser, prior to its dilution aimed at curbing the fierce backlash from the Blood Moon. Such a formation generates twenty percent extra energy relative to the standard one.

...

The Shade Crawlers positioned themselves beyond the formation's perimeter.

They formed an eager crowd for the grand display.

Several failed to suppress their wild eagerness, eyeing the assembled victims destined for sacrifice. Some erupted in savage howls to release their exhilaration, yet this soon escalated into a fight.

The Blood Moon continued its glow. A mere unintended shove sparked a savage clash.

Yet a sharp, icy glance from Rex pierced the disorder. The brawl ceased at once.

In its place came a vigilant, subdued quiet.

No moment for such distractions.

This was his chance to seize the opportunity.

For thoroughness, Rex examined the formation as Varya completed it and indicated the boundary.

"You missed one rune there," he stated bluntly. "Fix it."

Varya felt shock that Rex could inspect her crafted formation, but this deepened her loyalty to his rule. "Yes, Your Highness," she swiftly mended the oversight. "It's been ages since I drew this formation. I apologize."

<Scanning....>

<Notice: the Original Rite of Kaiser formation is 100% completed!>

<Due to the presence of the Blood Moon, the rite’s efficiency would be doubled!>

Rex entered the formation and took his assigned spot.

The formation buzzed alive without delay. A deep red hue enveloped the stacked corpses, the orderly arranged ones, and Rex himself. He observed the forms dissolving into bloody vapor. As before, Rex remained unable to comprehend the energy generated.

His sharp perceptions failed to detect it.

Yet he believed this energy represented a superior type linked to his Divinity.

When his divinity advanced sufficiently, sensing this energy would become possible.

He anticipated that moment's arrival.

Screams filled the air as forms were pulverized into bloody vapor.

The vapor of blood twisted upward through the formation like a twisting serpent, Rex extending his arms outward. Kaiser's actions had enraged him, stooping to aid a Half-Angel in his assassination. Payback's hour had arrived.

Splash—!

As the bloody vapor gathered overhead into a raging vortex, it exploded with a splattering noise.

Rex let out a quiet chuckle. Unlike his initial rough performance of the rite, the current magnitude exceeded his forecasts. The power's outburst proved so fierce that it transformed the descending Black Rain, converting the dark liquid drops into red droplets.

Within the outburst's core, drifting in the crimson gale, hovered numerous red crystals.

Every one pulsed with vast, restrained force.

Precisely ninety in number.

Three bigger, shadowier crystals among them projected a might surpassing the others.

Rex's eyes gleamed with delight, "Don’t mind if I do."

Blood Moon Crystals.

Rare gems ideal for forging divine strands.

Flunra had cautioned him initially that the rite essentially compelled Kaiser to grant power via the offerings. Employed chiefly in dire straits. No one could withstand a Lunirich God’s fury head-on.

Hence, repeating this ritual was unthinkable. Not until a milder variant emerged.

Solely the Origin could perform this primal ritual multiple times, though even he refrained from overusing it.

The enhancement tempted greatly, yet the fallout proved equally dire.

Rex possessed the System, however. In his enhanced state, any backlash meant little.

Furthermore, concerns over provoking Kaiser held no weight.

Ill will already festered between them. A godly grudge ignited when Rex agreed to champion Nivellen. It turned intimate as the Lunirich Gods decreed his survival hinged on their approval.

Thus, why dread angering a deity already antagonized? He ought not.

Varya gazed skyward. She fixed on the Blood Moon, anticipating its strike against Rex. The retaliation would devastate. Most bodies belonged to Eternal Spirits, some surpassing that level, given Sky City's nature.

Strength levels here defied norms.

On impulse, Varya retreated farther to widen the gap from Rex.

Yet astonishingly, the Blood Moon merely wavered.

’The Blood Moon Lunirich God refrained from striking him? How...? ’ Varya gaped at the heavens in astonishment. ’Even the Origin endured its backlash. What transpired in the Mortal Realm? What's become of our kind?’

"Better get used to this," From the earth emerged a shadow—Linthia. "He’s always full of surprises," She regarded Rex as if he were her hero. "You made the right choice of accepting him as your Alpha. He’s overtly protective of those under him, so mind your position from now on.

"Or else..." She motioned to the surrounding carnage. "Many people are going to die."

"Overtly protective?" Varya arched an eyebrow.

"Yes. Possessive." Linthia’s mouth formed a grin. "And in this world full of dangers, who wouldn’t want safety? Had you been on the other side, you’d be on the ground right now. Sacrificed. You elders have a really great intuition."

Varya let out a soft laugh.

She remained unaware of Linthia's identity or her bond with Rex. No lunar child aura clung to her. Yet motives carried their aroma, and Linthia's exuded pure benevolence. Her statement landed like a promise.

At that instant, remaining uncertainties faded away.

Aligning with Rex wasn't optional—it marked the sole route to salvation.

Survivors always recognized the moment to choose wisely.

Beyond raw power, instinct held equal value.

"Elders?" Varya furrowed her brow. "Is there another elder in the pack? I can’t sense the others properly. Only the Luna."

"Flunra is in the pack," Linthia shrugged. Then paused, realizing her mistake. "I meant Arnulf."

Varya started puzzled, but the name startled her. Delight followed. "Arnulf the Special?" She echoed, then sighed in ease while shaking her head. "If he’s with the Silverstar Pack, then I can rest assured. That old man is beloved by luck. There are some Betas back in the day who followed him throughout a battle, and managed to remain unscathed."

The tale sounded absurd.

Initially, upon hearing it, Varya dismissed it as mere hype.

How could trailing another ensure safety? Absurd.

Yet it held truth.

She had witnessed it personally. Magic and blades skirted Arnulf's vicinity.

"Any attack veered away. It’s like the Black Omicron was protecting him. He’s really special."

"That, I do not doubt."

The rite concluded only as the Sudden Quest's countdown dipped below two minutes. Spectators from beginning to end could merely gawk and absorb the scene. Foes found it chilling to witness Rex offering thousands to the Blood Moon.

Those fortunate enough to receive mercy kept breathing, yet bore profound scars.

Scars that endured indelibly.

Similar to Mirza instilling caution in the Spirit Realm toward Mortal Realm arrivals, Rex etched his presence in gore. Henceforth, the Spirit Realm dreaded the Mortal Realm. Blending in wasn't his intent initially, but events unfolded thus.

He sought integration, yet the Spirit Realm opted to offer him up.

This marked the fallout.

Rex bounded to the nearest elevated spot. A tower marred by fissures ran its height. Its intended dome lay in ruins, providing a level platform. Confronting the Blood Moon, he loosed a victorious roar.

The roar boomed with authority and force.

His tongue flicked. Muscles swelled. Claws extended. Eyes blazed red.

A proclamation of triumph. Directed not just at the Blood Moon, but the Highseat of Invincibility too.

The sound carried across vast distances.

Beneath Sky City, gripped by chaotic destruction, the royal barrier teetered. Frantic figures dashed about, pursued by shadowy beasts that breached their haven.

Certain voices proclaimed apocalypse.

Claiming angelic safeguards extended no further.

Imperial forces lay dispersed. Unsure if duty called to shield civilians or flee for survival. No leader guided them. Why would one, with nobility suffering worst?

Emperor Dominar hosted the feast honoring triumph over the rebel.

A blade meant to purge Rex's allies.

Yet that blade pierced his core, bypassing the foes.

Surviving elite nobles bore severe injuries; aides pulled them from slaughter to hidden spots, stemming flows and clinging to life's remnants. Solely Emperor Dominar lingered in the royal sphere.

He withdrew to his power's core.

Resembling a weary eternal, he claimed his seat. Encompassing silence rang loud, interrupted solely by his steady breaths' faint rebound. Grandeur and ostentation persisted as through ages past.

Gilded lamps. Luxe rugs. Towering barriers. Relics. Treasures.

Yet the fortress stood vacant now. Absent were the guards and servants that thronged passages.

Realizing one individual wrought this proved crushing. A heritage enduring millennia. A realm shielding against myriad beasts. Might defying global strains. All undone by a single soul.

Emotions eluded Emperor Dominar presently.

Emptiness hollowed him within.

Gradually, his quivering right hand rose, palm turned to his visage.

A groan slipped his slender mouth as the Reap and Sow Echo appeared, floating over his hand. Briefly, he remembered acquiring the Echo, its enduring allure and potency. Then violet taint erased the display.

Emperor Dominar hacked up blood while his right hand pulsed in agony.

Countless would damn him for dooming the empire.

Yet he and select few grasped reality. Alternatives simply lacked.