HP: The Arcane Thief

Chapter 224: New Bloodline

Aslot couldn't believe it. 

'His other bloodline…' 

'No!' Aslot quickly denied the possibility. It was impossible to awaken that Bloodline without the Entity's influence. 

But still, his urgency to defeat Axel increased. Just the possibility was enough to terrify him. 

"You are going to die now." He uttered, one of his eyes turning green. 

"Try it. I will survive, no matter what." Replied Axel. 

Powerful winds were generated, mixing in with Aslot's water attack to enhance their destructive power. In order to defeat Axel, Aslot even brought out his other bloodline, the bloodline of Vanox, the Wind Septis. 

"Sylthia's power…?" 

Axel, on the other hand, was taken by surprise. Having no strength to block it, he absorbed the power of the dangerous attack. 

As a result, he was thrown away several hundred kilometers due to the sheer power behind the attack. 

'What the…' 

This was definitely that bitch Sylthia's power. The Wind Arts of the Varnox Septis. 

'Slythia Varnox… Aslot Regius Varnox… Of course.'

Of all the girls in the kingdom, his great grandfather only had to have an affair with someone who belonged to one of the most powerful Septises of Atlantis.

So, Aslot not only has extremely high proficiency in water arts, but also in wind arts. Of course, using the two in conjunction must take a significant toll on Aslot, but it was effective, since Axel almost died just now. 

[Skill Steal] 

Instantly, Axel began to learn the Wind Arts, not to get the power of winds, but to understand Aslot's attacks better in order to defend against them. 

[You have awakened the Wind Affinity

Proficiency 1.2%]

[You have unlocked: Wind Arts]

'What in the hell…?'

[The members of the Royal family, having mixed their bloodlines with the other Septises throughout generations, can learn all affinities to a certain extent.]

Axel wasn't allowed to ponder that piece of information as Aslot once again appeared in front of him to launch another attack. 

As Aslot's onslaught continued, Axel once again adapted to it. Understanding the basic principle of the magic Aslot was using, he was able to better counter it.

[Wind Affinity ^]

[Wind Arts ^]

[Water Arts ^]

[Water Monarch ^]

The damage Axel had accumulated made it seem that he might die at any moment, and it was only increasing with each of Aslot's attacks. And even the amount of water he could mobilize was slowly decreasing. 

'But, why…'

'Why does he NOT DIE?!' 

'Why does he keep getting better?!' 

Aslot was at his wit's end now. 

Certainly, that much damage was enough to kill anyone. And even if they don't die, they should be incapacitated, unable to do anything due to the pain. 

But Axel… he was still fighting with a calmness and composure as if having a leisurely game of chess. And his skill proficiencies were increasing. 

'He has "that" mentality...' 

The main reason why Axel was still alive was not because of his many fancy abilities. 

In history, there have always been people who've managed to achieve impossible feats, beating overwhelming odds. The reason these people were able to succeed was not just because of their extraordinary talent. It was a kind of special mentality. An unexplainable power. 

It wasn't something which you could get through bloodlines. 

Talent doesn't really mean much if you can't use it properly. It doesn't mean much if you give up easily. It doesn't mean much if you can't go through hardships. And not when you don't have the ability to focus on surviving, no matter how bad the situation. 

But this boy has it. On a level he had never seen before. 

Talent in spades, and the mind that could use it all. 

Aslot's gaze once again went to Axel's eyes. 

!!!

In the blue eyes, the specks of the dying embers were now replaced with now glowing bright enough to rival the blue. 

It was only then did he notice. 'His control… has improved?' 

Axel's control over the magic in water was improving in real time. He was able to now handle his attacks even when using very little amount of water. 

'He's… actually awakening it?!' He realized. 

That bloodline had gone dormant for generations. Without the Entity's power, it cannot be awakened. 

Aslot's trepidation towards Axel increased. Since the beginning of the fight, the boy has not only managed to increase his combat strength considerably, but also awakened his Royal Bloodline further. 

So, even if it might seem impossible to awaken that Bloodline in a logical sense, but Axel is not someone who follows logic. 

'I have to end it.' 

It was at this moment that Aslot realized. If he dragged the fight, he might really die. 

Aslot stopped attacking for a moment, distancing himself from Axel. 

"I will confess, this has been the worst battle that I've ever fought," he said. 

This battle could have ended the moment he had seen Axel. The power difference between them was just that large. If this was a game of chess, then Axel would have a few pieces left on his side, while Aslot would have knights, rooks, bishop, queen, dragon, and more. 

But. Axel played his pieces with extreme trickery, using everything he had while Aslot just tried to play using his pawns. 

The whole time, Aslot was given the impression that the game was in his control through his offense, but while defending, Axel had been slowly converting his pawns into higher pieces while strategizing to trap dragon and queen. 

The situation now? He had lost his Dragon, which is, his ability to bring out the full power of the Relic. On the other hand, even though Axel had lost many pieces, he now had a queen of his own, his improved water control.

If the match was previously 99 to 1, it had now taken a dramatic turn to being around 75 to 25, with the scary part being that Axel's pieces still have the potential to grow further. 

"I have been extremely foolish since the beginning of the battle." Aslot admitted, looking at Axel who was already using this brief time to recover and prepare his offense. 

He has a wealth of experience, but nothing he has experienced so far could ever prepare him to have a fight against a thirteen year old who is actually a monster more terrifying than any other Altantian. 

"But, as they say, learn from your mistakes." 

This fight has already cost him a lot so far. So much so that his whole plans have been ruined. But, the least Aslot can do is to learn from this experience and not repeat the same mistake again. 

He has been trying to hold back, thinking of ending the fight with minimal effort. That ends now. 

He has to acknowledge… that this boy right here, is the biggest threat he has ever faced. 

An unusual energy began radiating from Aslot. "Do you know, I defeated the previous king even when he had the possession of Relic," said Aslot. 

He is not some nobody who only had his water affinity and Royal Relic as his powerful pieces. He is Aslot Regius Varnox, the man who is the reason why the previous king has been bedridden for years. 

It is true that the water affinity and the Royal Trident are the most formidable pieces in his arsenal, even more powerful than all the ancient spells and other techniques he has learnt over the years. If the boy can defend against these, he can defend against pretty much everything else he has as well. 

But, that is only when counting pieces that don't need sacrifice. 

"Didn't think I would willingly go through this again." He said, preparing the magic. For a moment, Aslot's blue eyes suddenly had a light amber glow in them as strange energy began radiating from him. 

!!!!

Axel, who had been trying to recover, suddenly shifted to offense, his eyes widening at the unusual form of magic. 

Axel's water, which had been mobilized sole for defence, suddenly started to attack Aslot. 

'Good sense.' Even as he arranged his defense, Aslot admired Axel's battle instincts. The boy is decisively using everything on offense to prevent Aslot from casting whatever magic he's preparing. 

'Too bad it's useless.' 

Aslot's [Water body] dramatically increased his defense against almost all kinds of attacks, whether physical, mental, or magical. So, from the beginning, Axel hasn't been able to do much against him. 

Axel doesn't really have anything that was powerful enough to give him damage. The only reason he's still alive is because he's able to successfully use weak abilities to efficiently deflect the power of Aslot's attacks. That's not very useful when it comes to attacking Aslot, is it?

The water bodies around Aslot were able to block Axel's water attacks, which had copied from Aslot's water arts, only much weaker. 

"Give up, boy. This is the en—" 

Aslot couldn't finish those words. The composition of the water around him changed and billions of volts of electricity were generated, giving him a lot of damage. 

What Axel had done just now was to change the composition of the water that he had attacked Aslot with by separating positive and negative charges, thus naturally generating a huge amount of lighting without having to use his own magic. 

And… the power was enough to actually damage Aslot in his [Water Body] state. 

'What....?!' 

The magic that Aslot had been trying to cast was suddenly interrupted, saving Axel a few more seconds. Aslot was shocked, literally. 

"The Lightning Arts… how did you…?" 

These were the Lightning Arts of the Ignis Septis. Jolts of electricity was running throughout Aslot's body while his brain processed this 'shocking' revelation. 

Axel did have the Lightning Affinity, which he had inherited from his grandmother of the Ignis Septis. It was revealed in the beginning of the water when the boy had used Lightning against him. 

But, at that time, the Lightning he had used was too weak, not even enough to give him an iota of damage. It was a very crude and amateur attempt at offense, which he had made using his own meager magic. 

But- just now, the Lightning attack he had used was made through the Lightning Arts of the Lightning Septis. Meaning either he has been hiding it from the beginning, or in just a short while, the boy has dramatically increased his comprehension of the Lightning Arts, thus also increasing his Lightning affinity. 

Aslot didn't know which option was more terrifying. 

The Extreme Lightning of the Ignis Septis is one of the things that can actually threaten Aslot. That's the reason why he had gone as far as using the Relic's full abilities on the Lightning Relic wielder. But the bastard had managed to use [Lightning Body] at the last moment, thus managing to save himself. 

The saving grace was, Axel's proficiency still hadn't reached a high enough level and neither did he have the Lightning relic. Furthermore…

'You're not the only one with Lightning…' Aslot was a member of the Royal Family, which has been mixing the bloodlines of the other septises for generations. Water and wind might be his strongest affinities, but over the years, he still has gained some proficiency in it. 

So, the attack just now was...

'Still… bearable.' 

Aslot realized that it was only because of his decision to use his strongest card that forced Axel to reveal this. Had the battle stretched further, the damage Aslot would have taken would have been much, much worse. 

'This time for sure… you're dead.' Even while under extreme pain, Aslot managed to finish the chant for his magic. 

[Soul Extinguisher]

*ZZZZZZZZZZZZNNNNNNNN*

Both Aslot and Axel fell to the ground. 

A piercing shriek filled the area. Surprisingly, it was coming from Axel, who wouldn't scream even when being infected with painifera venom. 

Axel's mind was blank. He didn't even know what happened , but he was suddenly screaming his lungs out while his body writhed on the ground. 

Then he felt it, his soul. He had felt it before, like when it was almost sucked out by the dementors or when it accepting the burden of [Limit Break], or when practicing [Zen Focus]. 

Only this time, it was being disintegrated.

[Zen Focus]

He tried his very best to stop the spell from rampaging in his soul, but the pain was making him lose control. 

[Limit Break: Max]

Axel used up [Limit Break], something he had decided not to use again, ever. But what choice did he have? That magic was intent on destroying his very soul. 

A huge amount of strength filled up his soul, as a result of change in his Akashic records, blocking the magic that he was rampaging in his body, but his eyes remained wide open, his body spasming uncontrollably as the water fell around him. 

'What the fuck… is that magic... what the fuck... is this pain…?' 

...

A.N.: POWERSTONES! For today and give tomorrow as well when they refill. Tell me if these chapters and this book is worth it or not. 

Next: Dead?

Next next: That Brat... Is the Crown Prince?

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