Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 155: Devil bloodlines

Chapter 155: Devil bloodlines

The soldiers were surprised by the words coming from the Xaos King. Although the men and women in those cages were all criminals, they were supposed to have a military trial before their sentence, and one could not just do as they wished with them.

However, none of the soldiers dared to refuse, as they knew the Xaos King could break through the bars and take these people, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"Which prisoners will you take, Your Highness?" A middle-aged soldier with a large scar on his face spoke to Vlad, his face showing respect.

Vlad did not waste time and pointed to 32 people in the cells. The moment the soldiers saw the marked individuals, all their apprehension vanished, and smiles appeared on their faces.

The ones the Xaos King would take were utter scum who had abused and tormented the people under them. None of the soldiers cared about what would happen to that bunch, showing no hesitation as they took them out.

Vlad nodded to the soldiers before taking four of those criminals and exiting the dungeon. He moved like a shadow back to the foundation level of the Xaos Tower. After leaving the criminals, he returned to the dungeon and took four more.

In less than half an hour, the 32 criminals had all been sent to the underground level of the Xaos Tower.

Vlad’s eyes showed no hesitation or mercy as he grabbed three criminals and placed them in the Soulbinder’s Claim Runic Formation. After that, he carefully dislocated the joints in their arms and legs.

A flash of pain appeared on the faces of the criminals, but they were so drugged they barely felt it. It would have been better for them if they had remained unconscious during the entire process, as they would have avoided the agony of what would come next.

Unfortunately for those people, Vlad needed them to be conscious for the Soulbinder’s Claim Runic Formation to work, so he gave each a potion. The potion was a simple Rank 1 Alchemy Potion meant to heal damage, but it would also help their bodies counteract the effects of the drugs.

Vlad waited a few minutes, and his eyes grew sharp as he saw the criminals begin to wake up and regain focus. The trio was confused as they regained consciousness, the puzzlement growing as they saw the young man standing before them. However, all that was replaced by waves of pain due to their dislocated joints.

"Ahhhhh, damn it, what happened?"

"Bastard, what have you done? You will pay!"

"Damn, I will kill you!"

As one would expect, the trio’s reaction was shouting and raging. However, these people were not simple. Even in that strange situation, they could remain focused enough to start accumulating their energy.

Vlad could see everything the trio did, including their futile attempts to escape. He had no interest in speaking with them, and before they could fully channel their Force and Magic, he placed his hands on the Runic Formation and channeled his energy into it.

As the Soulbinder’s Claim Runic Formation activated, a palpable shift occurred in the room’s atmosphere, signaling its dark power at work. The runes, freshly inscribed in the ground, glowed with a sinister crimson light and began to pulse rhythmically, casting eerie shadows across the surroundings.

The criminals shouting in rage froze as they felt an oppressive weight in the air. Their hearts raced, and their breaths quickened, a primal fear gripping their chests. Before they could even understand what was happening, their eyes widened with terror, and immense pain assaulted their minds as tendrils of dark energy began to seep into their bodies.

Vlad’s eyes were impervious to the agony these people were suffering, and he continued channeling his energy. If they like to inflict pain on others, they should also be ready to receive it.

The core rune glowed fiercely, and a faint, ghostly brand appeared on the criminals’ skin. This brand, the mark of the Soulbinder, pulsed with each heartbeat, gradually draining their resistance.

Their eyes darted around, filled with a mix of confusion and dread. They were unable to focus or use their energy as the Rune of Fear did its work. Every second felt heavier, and they struggled to breathe as dark marks spread across their skin.

"¡AHHHHHHH!"

Screams of utter agony and pain emanated from the trio as the power of the Soulbinder’s Claim Runic Formation spread into their souls. Their spirits were ensnared by the Hellish Anchor, leaving a mark that would inexorably draw their souls toward Hell.

Their screams did not last long, as they soon lost the strength to even do that, leaving them with blank expressions on their faces and drool dripping from their mouths. While they were still alive, they were all in a comatose state as the effect of the Hellish Anchor rune had done severe damage to their spirits and consciousness.

The coldness in Vlad’s face only grew stronger as he saw the pitiful state of the trio. For them to fall so fast to the power of the Soulbinder’s Claim Runic Formation meant their souls were beyond corrupted and wicked. They were no different than fiends in human flesh.

Vlad was tired, as the Soulbinder’s Claim Runic Formation had consumed a good portion of his energy, but he did not waste time. He placed the catatonic trio to the side and another group inside the formation.

Vlad dislocated the criminals’ extremities so they could not move and gave them a potion to help them regain consciousness before channeling his energy into the Soulbinder’s Claim Runic Formation.

The trio screamed in pain as the power of the Runic Formation expanded through their flesh and soul before being left in a comatose state like those before them.

The process was repeated once more before Vlad was utterly exhausted. He had consumed the totality of his energy pool, but a smile appeared as he saw the nine bodies marked with ghostly brands and void eyes.

Although the next part would not require his energy, Vlad chose to rest to maintain his focus. It would also be better if it did not seem too easy for him so the Legendary devil would not have ideas about changing the contract.

Their contract already specified an exchange rate between souls and bloodlines. However, neither side was forced to carry on with the deal, and if the Legendary devil refused to continue negotiations, Vlad would find himself in a problem.

After five hours of rest and feeling as good as new, Vlad woke up energized and full of strength. His eyes were sharp as he took the nine bodies of the branded criminals and placed them inside the Vengeful Runic Formation.

Vlad took a deep breath and allowed the A.I. Chip to take control of his body and speech pattern before activating the Vengeful Runic Formation. Instead of blindly searching through the fog of space-time, the Runic Formation’s power focused on the mark left behind by the Legendary devil.

It did not take long for the Vengeful Runic Formation to glow with energy, and a fiery face emerged the next second, showing the beautiful and charming Legendary devil.

The Legendary devil immediately looked around and focused on the nine bodies piled on top of the Vengeful Runic Formation. She observed them for a second before a flash of surprise appeared. "You managed to mark their bodies and souls so thoroughly in such a short amount of time."

Vlad could feel the sharp and inquisitive gaze of the Legendary devil. Still, he remained impervious, showing not even the slightest microexpression, simply gazing back with empty eyes before speaking, "Those are nine souls. I expect the bloodlines."

The Legendary devil’s eyes narrowed as she once again felt like she was gazing at emptiness, void of emotions. A flash of annoyance appeared in her eyes but lasted less than a second and was replaced with a smile. "Of course. A deal is a deal."

After uttering those words, the flaming face of the Legendary devil transformed into a fiery sea that consumed the bodies of the nine criminals, vanishing with them and leaving behind five crystal spheres, each containing a large drop of blood inside.

Vlad’s eyes remained impervious, showing nothing to the bloodlines until the connection was cut off. Only then did the A.I. Chip stop controlling his body, and a sense of utter desire and thrill appeared on his face.

"A.I. Chip, analyze them!" Not wasting a second, Vlad immediately went forward and grabbed the spheres before commanding the chip to analyze them.

As always, the robotic voice of the A.I. Chip echoed inside Vlad’s mind, answering his command.

[Beep! Each crystal sphere contains a devil bloodline!

...

By their energy radiation, four are Mortal Tier, and one is Champion Tier!]

Vlad’s smile only widened as he heard the last part. A Champion Tier Bloodline could be of immense help. However, his thrill did not last long.

[Warning! Warning!]