The High Elder was on borrowed time, and he knew it very well. Using the magic power of the souls he absorbed was a great idea in concept, but in truth, it was corroding his body every single second. That was the price of using forbidden magic without thinking of the consequences.

However, in exchange for polluting his soul into extinction, the High Elder had obtained a power that could rival Progenitors, albeit for a brief few moments. At our current level, both the High Elder and I were equal when it came to pure destructive output.

Which was why…

BOOOMMMMM!!! BOOOMMMMM!!! BOOOMMMMM!!!

Detonation after detonation thundered across my reality marble, creating city-levelling destruction with every move. The High Elder would create a blood lance, which had the power rivalling that of one nuclear bomb. Meanwhile, I would counter that magic with my own Ring of Destruction, which possessed enough power to drill a hole through Eyghon's stomach.

Lance and beam met consecutively, creating explosions like supernovas bursting in stellar nebulas. Before long, the entire sky was filled with smoke and magic power, replacing the fluffy white clouds that used to grace the heavens.

"... Just how many souls has he devoured?" I blurted out unknowingly.

Over the past five minutes, the two of us had been lashing out magic nonstop, and any regular Vampire would have been wholly drained right now. For me, I had absorbed centuries worth of magic power that had been gathered by the Bloodborne House, plus my body had been morphed by the World Tree to contain that much power.

The High Elder, on the other hand, was still just a regular Vampire. Granted, he possessed the blood of the First Vampire, but even that wasn't enough to explain his endless tenacity.

Was he just going on willpower? ????????????re???????? ????????????

No, what was there left to fight for?

The Bloodborne House was done. Even if he killed me, there was nothing left for him when he returned. Their gamble had failed, and Dracula was never going to come back. They had spent all their resources on his resurrection and incurred the wrath of every major Vampire House. Now, they had even turned the Elves against them. Given the circumstances, the Bloodborne House didn't have a single place in the world anymore.

So why was he fighting this hard?

Just as I was thinking of the man's motivation, the High Elder switched his tactics.

Dozens of feathers dropped down from his crimson wings and landed midair as if an invisible floor was stopping them. As the feathers dissipated away, they turned into magnificent, bloody roses, each with a tantalising tale. I didn't know if the High Elder knew it, but each rose represented a soul he consumed, and whenever one bloomed, I could hear the screams of the damned within them.

Children… Women… Elderly…

None were spared from the High Elder's arrogant charge to obtain his ultimate dream.

Before long, thousands of bloodied rose petals filled my marble, creating a crimson garden that hid its sinister, true nature. A story of thousands of meaningless deaths in the face of the selfish strong.

Even as a Progenitor, I couldn't help but feel outraged by the High Elder's actions.

"You're even using those souls to make a domain… How disgusting can you get?"

"Jin… Valter…"

The High Elder didn't reply. Rather, his voice seemed somewhat hazy, and his expression was blank. His two wings had shrunk to half their original size, and his eyes no longer betrayed any sense of emotion.

It seems like…

The corruption is finally catching up to him.

"Julien Bloodborne… Can you even hear me?"

"Jin… Valter…"

The High Elder repeated my name like a deranged man who had stayed his entire life in an asylum. Yes, that confirms it. The High Elder wasn't just corrupted; his mental functions had been completely fried. But that didn't deter him from fighting…

"Jin… VALTER!!!"

Roaring at the top of his lungs, the High Elder sped straight at me with two blood daggers. Moving at a speed that I couldn't track, his blades came close to my neck before I could even react.

"Imperium: PUSH!!!"

In a panic, I channelled a substantial amount of magic power into my middle ring and sent the man flying back from whence he came. The immense force sent the man crashing into the side of my reality marble, almost shattering my created domain in the process.

"Jin… Valter…"

Moving sloppily away from the cracks in the marble, the High Elder sent a death glare straight in my direction. And for the first time since ascending… I froze.

His eyes were completely bloodshot, as if Hell itself was reflected in his pupils. His face was filled with a maniacal rage, and his body shook violently like a pit bull being restrained by a collar. Demonic growls escaped from his mouth as saliva dripped down.

At that moment, I couldn't help but stop and reflect on the scene right before my eyes.

I'd… never been on the receiving end of such extreme emotions in my life before.

No… I must get used to this. Now that I have become a Progenitor, the whole world will monitor my every movement. Some might hate me like the High Elder; others might revere me. Many will be jealous of my newfound powers; some might even take it one step further and plot against me.

And the High Elder… Was just one of those many people.

With his mind lost, only one instinct fueled his body.

To kill me.

The High Elder knew he couldn't beat me in a battle of pure magic, so he switched to his close-combat skills. His extreme speed and superior battle experience were something that I lacked at the moment, and he was about to take full advantage of that. Even with his mind lost, the High Elder's body remembers.

And well…

Whooossshhhhh!!!

Like a rift through Spacetime, the High Elder dashed forward with his twin daggers, reaching my flesh within a split second. Fortunately, I'd learned from my mistakes this time and mentally prepared myself for his attack. My Spacetime ring lit up with a dazzling hue, creating a spatial barrier between the reckless Blood Angel and me.

Like a gymnast landing on a trampoline, the blades were sucked in for a moment before they were reflected back at the High Elder. Alas, the Blood Angel wasn't going to give up that easily. Twirling his blades, the Angel sucked up much of the rose petals littered all over the reality marble and absorbed everything into the tips of the twin daggers.

Swinging them around like a switchblade, the Blood Angel swung the daggers violently, leaving a trail of endless Bloodfire behind.

"Fuck!"

I cursed out loud as I noticed the cracks that formed on my spatial barrier. The High Elder might have lost his mind, but his combat experience was still heavily retained. Not to mention, his speed and concentrated power was something I couldn't match just yet.

Tch, must I attempt to do that?

I've never tested it before, but at this critical juncture… It's my only hope.

Once more, I sent magic power to my Spacetime ring to keep the spatial barrier from breaking further. All I needed to do was buy a few more seconds to attempt this ludicrous spell. It would cost the most magic power since I've turned into Progenitor, and any distractions would prove fatal.

"ARGHHHHHH!!!"

Sensing the danger, the Blood Angel moved even more frantically as its daggers swung with concentrated Bloodfire that could burn down an entire volcano. Bit by bit, the cracks on my barrier were becoming larger, and it wouldn't be long before the Blood Angel could collect its prize.

But fortunately for me, my spell was almost complete.

Magic power flowed down my fingers and into the two rings I needed for this spell. Genesis, the Ring of Creation, and Vita, the Ring of Life. Ten percent of my Progenitor-level reserves were being drained in an instant as the two rings glistened with a radiance I'd never seen from them before.

Genesis… Vita…

Creation… Life…

These two rings were joining their powers to conjure up the most ambitious spell I'd come up to date. The spell that every human had been dreaming of since their creation and the spell that would make one the ruler of the entire world.

And with the light at its brightest, I could feel my spell coming complete.

BOOOOMMMM!!!

A massive shockwave thundered through the clouds, forcing the Blood Angel that attempted to reap my life to fly hundreds of metres back. I would love to see the look on its face, but I had to focus entirely on my current state.

Wreathed in purple flames, an external skeleton covered my entire body, eventually growing to dozens of metres high. The skeleton soon developed purple flesh and, eventually, hardened armour reserved for the most esteemed of Generals. Four arms split off from the giant's body, one holding a giant sword, another grasping onto a serpent spear. The other two hands on the bottom were free from weapons, but they were shaped like a palm and fist respectively.

A human face with elongated ears graced the massive head of the giant, making it look more like a Buddha than a Vampire. Especially since at the centre of the forehead, a massive third eye opened up, drowning the reality marble with ethereal purple lights.

Smiling down at the Blood Angel, the Purple Entity gently slapped the air, and an immense purple palm appeared in midair, slamming the Blood Angel violently into the side of the reality marble.

Oh my lord…

I actually did it…

My spell… It actually worked!

I glanced up at the massive being that protected me, and I couldn't help but laugh.

I had succeeded in…

Creating a God.