**Chapter 546: Bloodline**
In the western region of Adus, Karnak.
After the thunderous roar that surpassed all, the sandstorm dispersed, the clouds parted, and beneath the sunlight that poured down, the entire small city of Karnak was blanketed under a thick layer of dust. Soldiers, having survived destruction, crawled out from the debris, dazedly surveying their surroundings, as if the apocalyptic scenes of moments ago were merely illusions.
After the storm incited by Diadeen completely dissipated, the Revolutionary Army in Karnak began to organize activities once again. Under General Shadi’s orders, all Revolutionary Army soldiers started to clean up the aftermath of the apocalyptic calamity that had befallen Karnak.
Reorganizing the troops, recalling those who had retreated, searching for and suppressing remnants of the Savior Faction’s armed forces, and looking for any local survivors, under Shadi’s command, the soldiers of the Revolutionary Army in Karnak quickly recovered from the chaos, and everything was operating in an orderly manner.
“Over by the municipal building, there are still a few people firing black guns. See if you can persuade them to surrender; if not, bombard the building to blow it up. Don’t launch a direct assault to avoid casualties… There are reports of a distress call from the eastern market; it seems there are local survivors. Send more people over to confirm the situation and rescue them if possible…”
Standing atop a tall building, Shadi skillfully directed his troops as they attended to various tasks. Since the Adus Revolution reached the national revolutionary phase, Shadi had taken to strategizing more, rarely directing a unit in such detailed terms. This time was crucial, as the Battle of Karnak was the final confrontation of the Adus Civil War, and facing the undead forces required his presence at the front lines to boost morale, which was why he assumed the role of a frontline commander.
Finally, after initially assigning the tasks, Shadi let out a long breath and glanced at the clear sky. Remembering the enormous sound that had reverberated through the heavens and shattered the hurricane, a touch of sentiment washed over him. He then addressed the ancient spirit that lingered in his heart.
“Hey, Setute, have you figured out what that sound was?” Shadi inquired of Setute, who had remained silent since hearing the enormous roar, rendering him completely mute. This was somewhat contrary to Shadi’s perception that Setute could explain any bizarre phenomenon. A hint of worry edged into Shadi’s voice as he asked, and after a brief pause, Setute responded with a sigh.
“Not yet… About that sound… and the principle behind such immense power… I haven’t comprehended it fully. I only have some speculations at most…”
“Speculations…”
“The sound possesses a certain profound rhythm and resonance. To me, it might be a form of language… a language that I have not recognized before.”
“Language… Is that really a form of language? There are even languages you don’t understand in this world?” Shadi expressed his surprise towards Setute, as he had never heard of a language that was beyond Setute’s comprehension.
“Of course, I’m not an all-knowing deity. That sound was indeed quite unique and powerful; just a few syllables can generate such tremendous force. I still cannot see the principle behind it. It could be a type of primal word spirit that has an inherent deep connection with power…”
“Primal… Hmm… word spirit?” Hearing Setute’s words, evident confusion appeared in Shadi’s eyes, and Setute continued.
“This is related to the profound domains concerning the origins and structures of everything… Even during the height of the Second Dynasty, it was at the forefront of research… It was a key topic of study during the First Dynasty. In short, there is a lot of poison recognition involved here; I can’t get into too much detail… Even if I did, you wouldn’t understand…”
Setute replied to Shadi’s inquiry, and Shadi, taken aback by Setute’s response, found himself at a loss for words. So, he decided not to probe further into the mysterious language and shifted his angle to ask.
“Then… if your judgment is correct, doesn’t that mean the Judge of Heaven Church has begun to gain substantial control over the inheritance of the First Dynasty? They’ve even inherited cutting-edge research and can utilize its results.” Shadi pressed on with his questioning, and Setute pondered Shadi’s question for a moment before replying.
“There is a possibility… Perhaps I underestimated them too much. Kid… in the future, find a way to cooperate with them on a deeper level; I need to understand them from more perspectives…” Setute instructed Shadi, already prioritizing formal contact with the Judge of Heaven Church in his mind.
After their brief exchange, Shadi resumed his command of the Revolutionary Army in cleaning up the battlefield and handling the aftermath. Meanwhile, in the distance, atop a clock tower in the city of Karnak, a figure of Nephnis stood, gazing at Shadi in the distance, her expression revealing a hint of complex emotions.
“Is that… the current ruler of Adus…? The end of Baruch?”
Watching Shadi from afar, Nephnis murmured softly, and beside her, a zombie puppet clad in robes responded under Doro’s control from a distance.
“Yes, Shadi, the leader of the Adus Revolutionary Army, the man who killed Diadeen in body and destroyed the dynasty you crafted by hand. What do you think, Your Majesty Rahman? Would you like to rally another army to strike down this rebel and restore Baruch?”
Hearing Doro’s somewhat playful words, Rahman, who relied on Nephnis, did not respond immediately. Instead, he surveyed the many wounded within the city and the numerous corpses of civilians who had perished due to the necromancy ritual outside the city before responding steadily.
“Let’s see how it goes. If he truly has the qualifications to rule Adus… then there’s no need for Baruch’s revival. The funeral of rebellion is its best resting place. If he doesn’t qualify, then I can only let Adus bear a few more wounds…”
“Oh… So you want to assess him?” Doro curiously asked Rahman, who confirmed her inquiry.
“Something like that… After I mend the wounds of my soul, I will travel throughout Adus to see how he is really doing…”
“Assessing… then does that count as your royal trial for Shadi?”
“Royal trial? Ha… please, don’t mention that phrase again. I originally thought that by designing this system, I could ensure a long-lasting peace for Adus, but unexpectedly, it ended in such a tragic outcome. The royal trial… was the most foolish decision I ever made…”
Listening to Doro’s words, Rahman let out a light chuckle, followed by a self-deprecating remark. Hearing his confession, Doro couldn’t help but feel curious.
“So… Your Majesty Rahman, can you elaborate on what exactly the royal trial entailed?”
Hearing Doro’s question, Rahman paused slightly, then sighed before opening up.
“Alright, at this point, it’s not something that needs to be kept secret…
“The so-called royal trial was an institution I set up to ensure the basic qualities of the future kings of Adus and to inherit my powers.”
“Inheriting power… It turns out the royal trial had this function?” Doro asked, intrigued by Rahman’s explanation, initially thinking the trial was solely to test qualities.
“Of course, or rather, inheriting power is the primary goal. After all, in this world, a king must possess kingly strength; the foundation of a nation must be some extraordinary power that can stably function over the long term or be continuously inherited. Other countries are like this, and so is Adus…”
Rahman continued, extending his hand to take hold of Neve’s and gazing intently.
“Adus is not some tiny nation; it is one of the major countries in Northern Ufeiga, ranking among the top in both population and territory. To stabilize a nation of this scale, extraordinary inheritance at the red tier level is essential, and shaping extraordinary individuals at the red tier is incredibly challenging, requiring not only massive resources but also chance and the qualifications of the person being shaped.
“To become an extraordinary being at the red tier, resources, chance, and qualifications are all necessary… Often, even the king of a country cannot guarantee that their heir will definitely advance to the red tier. Thus, for royal families, allowing each heir to ascend through the usual promotion methods to reach the red tier is not a preferred option. Instead, we are more inclined to establish a separate system of extraordinary inheritance outside the normal promotion framework.”
As Rahman spoke about the extraordinary inheritance system independent of normal promotion, Doro immediately recalled the Pseudo Moth breeding methods of the Black Dream Hunter Group. This method, which relied on coexisting with extraordinary beings to obtain extraordinary powers, fits what Rahman described. According to Rahman, this unconventional extraordinary system may not be uncommon.
“So… what method did you use to stabilize the inheritance of red tier power in the Adus royal family?”
Doro continued to ask Rahman, who placed his hands behind his back, responding lightly.
“In life, I was an extraordinary being of the ‘Cup’ domain supporting ‘Silence’…”
“‘Cup’ supporting ‘Silence’… the path of plague?”
“Ha ha… The main subject of that path is indeed called that, but I have somewhat of a difference; my extraordinary tier is a subclass under the path of plague, achieved through a special ritual.” Rahman continued, “My red tier tier name is bl**d Knight. The main tier name for plague at the red tier is Plague Knight…”
“Subclass…”
As Doro listened to Rahman’s words, her mind recalled the information about subclasses, which was one of the foundational topics on extraordinary beings that Audric had taught her long ago.
A subclass tier is a unique branch that distinguishes itself from the main tier on an extraordinary path. If an extraordinary path is a tree, the trunk represents the main tier names—for instance, the path of suffering that stretches from the black earth’s ascetic monk all the way to the golden pinnacle suffering lord, where each step has corresponding promotion rituals, is referred to as main tier names. Beyond the main tier are the subclasses, which act as offshoots of the tree.
Subclasses are branches of the main tier and can appear at any position from apprentice to gold tier, achieved through different rituals than those of the main tier. For example, the “Cup” taster that Doro had once seen.
Generally speaking, subclasses share many common abilities with their corresponding main tiers, but in addition to shared abilities, subclasses tend to lack some capabilities of the main tier while gaining unique abilities of their own. Subclasses are simply another manifestation of the main tier, a variant of it.
Due to their intrinsic nature as branches of the main tier, subclasses do not have their own promotion paths. For instance, Rahman’s bl**d Knight is promoted from the main tier class of the path of plague’s white chalk tier, but if he aims to ascend to the golden tier, he cannot be promoted to the golden tier bl**d Knight position, as that class does not exist. To progress, a subclass must return to the original main tier to be advanced to the golden tier position of Plague Knight, rather than independently continue onward, for branches are ultimately dependent upon their trunks.
As Doro pondered the information pertaining to subclasses, Rahman continued to speak.
“As the bl**d Knight… my ability to create diseases is indeed weaker compared to the main tier of the path of plague, but conversely, another ability has been greatly enhanced, which is to utilize bloodline abilities. In simple terms… I can use flesh and bl**d as a medium to establish a soul connection with others. I can read longstanding memories from the bloodlines of life, allowing me to gain power from these fragments and even replicate the powers or partial forms of ancient beings long extinct.”
As Rahman described his abilities, Doro raised her eyebrows in intrigue. She mused, could this guy’s ability be to read the genetic information within biological entities and use that data to manifest the powers of ancestral species in the evolutionary chain? If dinosaurs existed in this world, could he perhaps summon them?
As Doro speculated about Rahman’s abilities, Rahman continued to elaborate.
“Thus, my power is intricately linked to bloodlines, which is why I was able to relay messages to all Adusians just now. Seven hundred years ago, when Adus was in the midst of chaos, for the sake of convenience in warfare and governance, I required everyone who joined my ranks to offer a drop of bl**d to establish a ritual contract with me, with my sword serving as the medium. Therefore, after unifying Adus, all Adusians share a connection with my soul through bl**d, a connection that continues to be passed down through their bloodlines. To this day, I can still communicate with all Adusians because they are the descendants of my people back then.”
Rahman explained further, and hearing his words, Doro now understood why she couldn’t hear anything when Rahman denied Diadeen earlier, as she was not an Adusian.
“My power resides in the bloodline, so as long as I’m willing, I can directly grant my power to my direct descendants through tight bloodline links. This holds true even after my d*ath; as long as my soul remains in this world, it will suffice. This is the truth behind the inheritance of red tier powers in Adus over the centuries.
“The only one of the Baruch royal family to truly reach the red tier is me. The others are essentially white chalk tier extraordinary beings. I simply used the characteristics of the bl**d Knight to extend my power to them through bloodlines. After receiving my inheritance, a Baruch king can attain red tier strength, stabilizing the dynamics of Adus.
“However, such red tier beings are not the true red tiers; while the power they possess isn’t discounted, their lifespans still follow those of ordinary people. Therefore, for the Baruch dynasty to endure, this type of inheritance must be continuous. To ensure that my descendants can forever wield my power to protect Adus, I decided to refuse returning to the netherworld after my d*ath and instead let my soul rest in the mausoleum, providing power across generations and also reclaiming power. I originally thought that Adus could thus enjoy a lasting peace, but did not expect to have made such a grave mistake…”
