CH92 Limitless
***
In the real world, Earl Drake Fury stood on edge, having just witnessed his son absorb far more energy from the Infernal Formation than any child had ever been able to.
The Infernal Dragon head at the centre was meant to help with awakeningânot to feed someone like a starved beast.
"That amount of energy shouldâve been enough for twelve full ceremonies..."
He was just about to stop it when the absorption finally slowed.
The surge of bloodline pressure faded too.
Earl Drake took a breath.
âItâs done.â
Or so he thought.
Then, without warningâAlex collapsed.
Earl Drake rushed forward, panic in his eyes, butâ
Boom!
A fresh surge of bloodline power exploded from Alexâs body, throwing the Earl back several steps.
He braced himself, narrowing his eyes as multiple auras surged into the room.
Furor Bloodline
Auramir Bloodline
Draconic Aura
And... Alexâs own signature aura
All of them clashingâand yet...
Combining.
Earl Drakeâs heart skipped a beat.
"Bloodline fusion?" he muttered in disbelief.
The process which had started back in Uthvaazgolâs lair in the pool of Dragon Blood Essence was finally completed.
Inside the bloodline space, the transformation was visible.
The red and white energies representing the Furor and Auramir bloodlinesâonce immiscibleâwere now blending.
The clashing forces had dissolved.
In their place...
A thick, golden liquid emergedâviscous, radiant, and completely new.
The combined bloodline energy surged out of the space, flowing through every part of Alexâs beingâhis flesh, vessels, mana heart, and mindspace.
Change swept through him.
Fundamental change.
In the outside world, Earl Drake stood vigilant, watching for signs of harm. But none came.
Alex remained safe, though his transformation continued.
The golden energy finally receded after nearly ten minutes.
Alex stirred.
Groggy, as if someone had clobbered his head with a hammer, he groaned and sat up, pressing both hands to his temples.
Then, pain.
A stabbing ache lanced through his mindâand with it, a flood of information.
The fusion of True Names had triggered the full fusion of his bloodline energies... and awakened a new Concept.
Limitless.
There were no effects listed.
Just a name.
A concept.
But the rest of the information focused on something elseâsomething more immediately practical.
Bloodline affinities.
The Auramir Bloodline which was attuned to Solar affinity, a unique fusion of Fire and Light.
And the Furor Bloodline that had the Netherspark affinity, a fusion of Darkness and Lightning.
Alex blinked in amazement.
He could use both.
He raised both palms.
From his right hand, he summoned energy that burned with fire and glowed with lightâyet wasnât quite either.
Solar Mana.
From his left hand, thick black mana pooledâviscous, dark, and laced with flickering arcs of lightning.
Netherspark Mana.
His breath caught in his throat.
Giving in to his instincts, he released control over both elements.
The Solar Mana surged along his right arm, engulfing the entire right side of his body in a blazing gold-red hue.
The Netherspark Mana did the same to his left, covering him in a deep violet-black aura, sparked through with crackling lightning.
Alex looked down at himself.
One side burning with the radiance of the sun.
The other cloaked in infernal darkness.
And more than just a display of manaâit was a statement.
A declaration of what heâd become.
"Aura Coating?"
Earl Drake Fury stood frozen, eyes wide.
He had thought the bloodline fusion was the final surprise of the day.
He was wrong.
Not only had Alex touched the deepest affinities of his fused bloodlines, but nowâhe was using a technique that only warriors were supposed to wield.
"How is this possible?" the Earl muttered.
Alex overheard and turned slightly.
"The line between Warrior and Mage paths isnât as ironclad as most believe, Father," he said calmly. "As you should well know, that line blurs significantly at the Legendary rank."
"I possess both a high-purity warrior-type bloodline and a high-purity mage-type bloodline. After their fusion... is it really that strange Iâve broken the boundaries of both?"
Drake stared in silence, unable to refute it.
The proof stood right before him.
Meanwhile, Alex smiled to himself.
His instincts about the Limitless Concept had been spot on.
âTrue Names and their Concepts arenât born from nothing. Everythingâmy bloodlines, cultivation technique, even Merlinâs lessonsâwas nudging me towards breaking the old classifications. So of course, the fusion would birth a Concept that does exactly that.â
He flexed his hands, feeling the elemental forces at his fingertips.
He could now use Aura Coating with all his elemental affinitiesâsomething unthinkable for a mage.
More than that...
He could now cast spells from elements he had previously never touched.
Darkness. Lightning. Netherspark.
A rush of excitement bloomed in his chest.
But none of that compared to the possibility he cared most about:
Rune-Tech.
Alex believedâthough he hadnât confirmed it yetâthat the Limitless Conceptâs influence extended beyond his body and magic. It touched upon his True path.
His Rune-Tech path.
Everything elseâmage, warrior, bloodline, elementsâthey were tools.
But Rune-Tech?
That was his purpose.
And anything that helped him walk that path was more than welcome.
As Earl Drake processed his sonâs transformation, a sly smile crept onto his face.
"So," he said, "with your fused bloodlines... youâre now both a mage and a warrior, arenât you?"
Alex, pulled from his thoughts, nodded thoughtfully.
"In essence, yes. Iâm not sure I should take up a warriorâs cultivation method, but I should be able to learn battle techniques."
"Is that so?" The Earlâs smile widened.
Alex felt a flicker of unease.
âWhat now...?â
"Then itâs only proper," Drake declared, "that we turn you into a true Fury warrior."
Alex blinked, then relaxed.
That didnât sound bad.
Being formally recognised as a Fury warrior would bolster his standing in the family. He nodded.
"Very well."
Earl Drakeâs expression softened.
"Youâve just returned. Rest for today. Weâll resume this tomorrow."
Alex gave a respectful nod.
"Do you wish to stay in Ashen Castle," Drake asked, "or will you return to your mountain lodging?"
Alex paused.
Then a familiar smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Letâs give them the illusion of safety. Iâll return to the mountain."
Earl Drake frowned.
He didnât approveâbut he didnât argue either.
He simply nodded.
With that, the two left the awakening grounds.
And though their footsteps echoed softly across the stone floor...
The result of Alexâs reawakening ceremonyâearthshattering and unprecedentedâremained a secret buried in the silence here.
***