I had actually succeeded in creating a God!!!

I'd never thought that I would ever say these words. The massive Purple God wasn't just a random creation that would dissipate once I stopped supplying magic to it.

I knew that I stood no chance against the High Elder in his Blood Angel state once he relied on his battle experience. After all, my forte was magic, not physical combat. And so, to match the man, I summoned the Spirits of legendary warriors and congregated them into one massive entity. And to house those Spirits, I used my Creation magic to construct this enormous Purple Buddha with four arms and a gigantic third eye.

And as a conclusion… I had created a God.

A God powered by the experience of the top fighters to ever grace our planet and a God that contained enough magic power to fight off an entire army all on its own.

A God of War.

BOOMMM!!! BOOMMM!!! BOOMMM!!!

Each time the Purple God swung his hand, a sonic boom denoted through the clouds, severely impeding the Blood Angel's ability to close in the distance. Although the God of War was my creation, it wasn't under my control. Far from it, in fact.

The Spirits I had gathered had developed a hive mind that shared their experiences, power, and wealth of knowledge. And drawing from the world's most battle-seasoned mind, the Purple God would make its own decisions. Plus, I had only given it one order.

Protect me and kill the Blood Angel that dared to charge into my airspace.

And so it did.

The Blood Angel was being slapped in all directions by flying palms that moved ten times the speed of sound. Each time it attempted to evade, the Battle God would attack confidently as if it had perfectly predicted where the Angel would be. No, given the circumstances, the God of War was truly adapting and calculating the Blood Angel's movements.

Before I'd even realised it, the Purple God had already exceeded all of my wildest expectations and had truly become the amalgamation of the perfect warrior. Powered by an infinite magic source, the Battle God used attacks that I couldn't even trace. Its speed far exceeds anything a Werewolf or Vampire could even hope to reach, and the raw physical strength it possessed was truly befitting that of a giant.

And the cherry on top of it all…

CLINK!!!

Knowing that it was disadvantaged, the Angel swapped tactics once again. It ignored the giant monstrosity towering over it and tanked all its hits without blinking an eye. As the Blood Angel swooped in from afar, it attempted to pierce through the Purple God and perhaps rid the power source that gave it life… Me.

However, as its daggers made contact with the heavy armour, the blades were reflected straight at it. Every ounce of force it used was returned with interest back at the Blood Angel, and it was sent spinning to the corners of the reality marble.

"The ultimate warrior and the ultimate defence… You don't stand a chance, Julien. Well, not that you can hear me now."

The Blood Angel, the former High Elder of the Bloodborne House, was flabbergasted by my new creation. With his mind lost, the High Elder was nothing more than a shell of his former self, as all that remained were his battle instincts and incessant desire to rip me to shreds. And well… I wasn't going to allow him that luxury.

Sensing my desire to end the battle, the Purple God moved without my verbal command. Its four arms danced in unison, creating an endless web of physical attacks that the High Elder couldn't escape.

If the Blood Angel was fast, the Purple God moved at twice its speed. If the Blood Angel had the strength to pummel a mountain into dust, the Purple God had the power to create earthquakes with a simple stomp. In every aspect, my Battle God was superior to the Blood Angel, and it was only a matter of time before the souls in the High Elder's body ran out.

"ARGGHHHHH!!!"

With a banshee's wail, the Blood Angel ripped through the sky with one final battle cry. Its daggers were dyed with the souls of the damned, burning with Bloodfire that could even make the Sun boil away. In its last move, the Blood Angel attempted to charge through the Purple God's defences, hoping it could at least scratch my flesh.

But alas…

CRAACCKKKKK!!!

Unable to break through my defences, the Blood Angel's daggers were crushed by its own force, sending the last bit of energy trickling down its desolate body. Fissures opened up cracks in the Blood Angel's body, unveiling the High Elder's sorry state. Battered and bruised, the man had his mouth opened like a mentally deranged person. However, even in his weakest hour, the High Elder's mouth still moved with the same thing he'd been saying since we'd begun this battle.

"Jin… Valter…"

Perhaps it was through sheer willpower the High Elder's fatigued and damaged body, which was on the verge of complete collapse, moved towards me slowly. It was as if… He believed he could still continue the battle if he tried.

"How regrettable…"

Even as I loathed and was disgusted by his deeds, I couldn't help but admire the High Elder's mentality. Perhaps in another life, we might have been colleagues and partners. But alas, his sins were far too deep for me to forgive.

"I'll at least give you a dignified death."

I raised my hand, and the God of War raised its serpent spear. The Purple God I'd created was the amalgamation of the best battle Spirits in history, and it was supplied together by a Progenitor's magic. And even though it was a one-sided affair, the High Elder had put up a fight against that overpowered entity.

The least I could do was to send this indomitable warrior off… with the hands of the Warrior God.

Lightning started to coil around the serpent spear as the heavens above became completely overcast. Heavenly teardrops fell, and the clouds spiralled together into a vengeful eye of the storm. The spear shimmered ever so brightly, with the High Elder utterly oblivious to the threat hanging over his head.

Like a pole vaulter ready to launch a record-breaking throw, the Purple God held the spear steadily. The reality marble, which had been at its limits before, finally broke apart with the force I was putting into the God of War.

It was then that the High Elder finally looked up.

And for the first time since he'd turned into the Blood Angel, I saw something within his blood-stained eyes.

Recognition… Acceptance… and finally, relief.

I couldn't read the man's mind, but I would like to believe… that he'd accepted his fate. And as the victor, I must see this punishment through. That's why…

"Goodbye… Julien Bloodborne."

??

What went wrong?

The Bloodborne House was the most dominant Vampire House in the land. In the past, our name was synonymous with Vampires, and every living creature feared our name. Our powers were the most elite, we had the most loyal servants, and everything was given to us on a silver platter.

We were the strongest House, the most powerful House, the most… dignified House.

But the day Father died… Everyone turned on us.

The lower Houses all grouped together to pin us down. They laughed at our misfortunes as they viciously stole from our coffers. They preyed on the naivety of my elder brothers, influencing them to slowly decay our vast influence and wealth until nothing was left.

One by one, the invincible army that the Bloodborne House once proudly used to dominate the world had been picked apart. My idiotic siblings died from stupidity or went into an eternal slumber, hoping everything was just a dream. Consorts of my Father, stricken by their grief, all perished like flies until only three remained.

Even my mother… My mother herself contemplated ending it all.

Some remained loyal and continued with their eternal servitude, but those weren't enough to keep the Bloodborne House's position at the top.

If we wanted to rise again, we needed something drastic.

We needed Father.

And so, when I gained control over the Bloodborne House, I made that my primary mission. I'd spent all our remaining assets and resources on funding that one goal. I'd secretly kidnapped thousands, started wars to covertly steal their souls, and even instigated terrible relationships with the other Houses just to distract them from my true purpose.

Everything was falling into place.

I had the ritual perfected… I had the right vessel and gathered all of the necessary materials… I obtained all of the sacrifices… Everything was completed to perfection.

And yet, at the very last minute…

This one boy came and ruined it all.

I'd thought he was Father's reincarnation, but I couldn't be further away from the truth. This brat wasn't Father… He was a whole other beast.

He was someone who exceeded Father... Someone that surpassed the First Vampire… Someone… Who I could only describe with one word…

God.

As I watched the purple lightning fall from the heavens, I could only let out a stupid smile. Perhaps everything that happened was meant to be. I'd come to the Elven Forest hoping to bring back a Progenitor, and I had done just that.

I had asked myself that question. What went wrong? No, I didn't do anything wrong. If I had succeeded, history wouldn't think I did anything wrong. If Father had been resurrected, the world would have been bent at my feet, begging the Bloodborne House for forgiveness.

I just… Lost.

I lost to a man named Jin Valter.

And now… I must accept my fate as the loser. But I shall send a warning to you, cruel world that abandoned the Bloodborne House.

Beware…

Of Jin Valter.