With a face full of excitement, I left the arena to my parents as they were chatting with Sos's parents. Unlike me, Sos's round did not consist of a champion candidate and so she was able to pass barely. I guess luck really pys a factor in this kind of competition.

  As my parents saw me, they consoled me and encouraged me that I had done well and that it was just bad luck and timing that I ended at that time. I just nodded along as they consoled me and before long they said goodbye to Sos's parents and we left for home.

  When I arrived at home, I went to the training ground to vent. Although I know I shouldn't be, I was quite upset that I lost against someone in the competition. I summoned various skeletons in my technique and fought with them. As I got injured more and more, I could feel the scent of iron from my blood as I got scratched more and more. I suddenly felt slightly light-headed. The scent of blood from my body kept filling my nostrils as I lost my senses

  What I didn't notice was that my technique's field had suddenly started glowing a deep crimson. A gas like substance floated from the field of blood that incorporated into my body.

  In my mind, I felt disoriented as I floated in my own mind. After some time, I heard a murmur in the distance. I focused my mind and felt myself chanting along with the voice.

  Celine: The crimson flows from seas to rivers and rivers to seas. Only when the body encompasses all the rivers and seas may all flows resonate in one voice.

  I took a deep breath at this time. As the flow of my blood kept rushing all over, I felt as if I had become as light as a feather. I felt the blood suddenly burst out of my body. Instead of pain though, I felt released. As I let the blood flow according to instinct, I heard that voice echo and I once again mirrored its words.

  Celine: Sanctuary of Blood - Blood Unison.

  Outside of my body, I felt the flowing blood energy flow into a specific shape. A beast like form that resembled various animals like snakes bats and lizards.

  An elongated slender figure with snake like body with arms like a lizard and bat like wings. The fangs on my body glowed with a sharpness that could tear apart steel. Scales upon the body yered like a most protective armor and eyes that glowed with a golden tint.

  In this form I moved around and flew about the training ground in this new form. After a while, I reverted back due to the high cost of keeping up the transformation. When I changed back to my usual form, I had fully understood what had happened.

  From my own technique, I received an inheritance of sorts. Due to my emotional fluctuation as well as a certain amount of accumution, I got to learn a preliminary version of a skill that one of the previous users had made. According to what I just experienced, it seems to be a body enhancing type skill that boosts individual combat power in exchange for the numbers advantage.

  The actual effects will have to depend on practical experience when training in the future. Before that though, I sat on the floor of the training ground to start meditating. My overall energy values have been drained while using that technique so I need to make up for the lost energy before practicing again.

  After recovering, instead of practicing my new form, I practiced with my original technique first. My technique's usage as a domain is still my most familiar and the base of my combat pattern. Although that new form has its own advantages, I need to get used to it before using it in actual combat.

  So I went back to training my swordsmanship and cooperation with my skeletons. After some while, I checked around for a bit and finally chose to ask someone to watch me while I transform. Although I did successfully control it before, it might not always be that way. And I want to show it off of course.

  Since I decided so, I went ahead to where I knew my dad would be. At the temporary office in this manor, I knocked on the door and after I heard an affirmation I opened the door and came in.

  Warren: Any paperwork can be left on the desk. Remember to close the door after you leave.

  He didn't even look up from his paperwork. In order to not disturb dad, I went to the sofa on the side of the office to sit at. After not getting a response, he looked up and saw me sitting at the sofa. A quick nod and grin was given to me before he went back to work. I guess his current paperwork is quite important since he decided to focus on finishing it first.

  A while passed and he finally finished a part of his work before going to rest on the sofa seat next to me. After greeting each other, he asked the reason I came here.

  Celine: I came because I suddenly learned a skill while using my technique and I want you to watch while I train with it for the first time.

  He gives a look of surprise before nodding.

  Warren: It is a good thing that you told me this. This phenomenon is not uncommon and is a miracle passed down by blood. Most lost ancient techniques are slowly built by receiving knowledge passed down from blood. Due to us Vampires having such an affinity for blood, we have developed special medicine to work with this ability. I will go get it quickly, don't train before I give it to you.

  He then goes off as I wait in his office. After a while he returns with a bottle of medicine as well as Mifune along side him. He then gives the medicine to Mifune before expining to me.

  Warren: The medicine in this bottle is in its concentrated state. The best way to use it for us vampires is to prepare a bath of blood and to pour in the vial before soaking in the blood. The blood not only will dilute the medicine, but it will also make it easier for you to absorb. I have already called for a blood bath to get prepared and Mifune will take you there.

  After saying this he sat back on the sofa to rex as Mifune took me over to the baths here. When walking over, I could smell a lovely scent flowing from the bath. When I went in, I saw the bath about half full of blood.

  I quickly go to take a bath with Mifune on the side watching me.

  After the bath I felt refreshed and I could sense the blood flow in my body even better than before. Mifune quickly takes me to bed so I can absorb everything in my sleep.

  It was te at night when I next awoke. After washing up, I went to the training ground to sense my changes.

  Celine: Sanctuary of Blood - Unison.

  Becoming that familiar form once more gave me a feeling of liberation. I suddenly felt my mind running faster and my blood flowing on its own. After some checking, I noticed that this was the effect of the blood bath from before. It helps my body develop the instinct to use the ability quickly.

  Unlike when I learned to shrink and expand my domain, new abilities passed down through blood are not abilities we have and learned step by step. So, we vampires need to develop a sort of muscle memory except with energy flow instead.

  So I kept on training there until it was time to prepare to depart for the competition once again.

  Although I may have lost st time, I know for sure that the next competition that rolls about will absolutely be my time to shine.

  Time has passed and it was finally one of the matches I was waiting for. It was the match against Lenn and Krust. While watching patiently at the stands, I noticed Sos sitting nearby so I walked over. She turned her head and noticed me walking over and gave a small nod as we both turned to look at the match.

  Unlike with me, Lenn was more talkative and active against his opponent.

  Lenn: It has been a few years since we st fought hasn't it.

  Krust: Last little cup we also faced each other. Let's see if you have grown further or have I.

  Lenn: I won't lose this time.

  From Lenn's hands a burst of blood spreads from the palms of his hands as two sharp daggers appear in their pce. Krust on the other hand has giant gauntlets that attach to his arms. As the timer rings I saw both sides immediately start their actions. On Lenn's side, he quickly disappeared from view. Krust quickly chanted some words before smming his arms on the ground as he finishes his chant.

  Krust: Earth Magic - Earth Armor!

  The earth around him quickly surrounds him as slight ding sound echoed around the stadium. It was Lenn's bde getting stuck in one of the many yers of earth. He quickly lets go as the bde turns to blood and comes back to him. He quickly steps back as Krust's earth armor was completed.

  Lenn then casted a spell to soften the dirt around Krust, but found that the earth armor not only increased his defense, but also boosted his bance on the ground.

  Then the match became a sort of back and forth as Lenn quickly dashed about trying to pry open Krust's defenses while Krust struck reflexively to potentially threaten a blow. After a while, Lenn stood back a distance and started his chanting. As he did this, Krust started his own spells and both of them completed their chants in turn.

  Lenn: Thunder Magic - Echoes of the Thunder Bird!

  Krust: Earth Magic - Grand Pilrs of Earth!

  Lenn's thunder birds quickly flew out of his dagger and surrounded Krust. Giant pilrs then erupted from the ground disrupting the original flight pattern of Lenn's thunder birds.

  Krust: Did you think you can py a trick I have already seen?

  Lenn clicked his tongue as he quietly slipped behind a pilr and disappeared. His thunder birds quickly flew about unching thunder bolts over at Krust which had little to no effect.

  Krust chuckled as a yer of fighting spirit then covered his gauntlet. He then swung his arm towards one of the pilrs and a shockwave was released from his fighting spirit. The thunder birds quickly dashed out of the way, but when the blow hit the pilr, an all around shockwave was released from the pilr. This resulted in a chain reaction where all the pilrs released shockwaves and destroyed all of the thunder birds while also revealing Lenn's location. Krust quickly spotted him and unched several more shockwaves in his direction.

  Lenn quickly stepped on the ground and released several small shockwaves with his dash that quickly took him out of the shockwave's range.

  Due to the interference of the shockwave pilrs, Lenn was quickly worn down as the shockwaves quickly weakened his strength as the fight went on. Soon Lenn was kneeling with one knee on the ground from the constant damage.

  Lenn: Darn, so I still wasn't your opponent this time.

  Krust: Don't worry, you can rest easy knowing that the opponent who defeated you will be the one to win this competition. I will win this competition and it will be my first step in crushing and era Hahaha.

  Krust ughed wildly as the referee called the match.

  They both went back as more fights went on. The matches for today were finished as the final top 16 were decided.

  I went back home still remembering and simuting matches with the various opponents I saw today. Now that it was down to the top 16 I could tell the quality of the opponents were a lot higher than before. If during the top 64 I could say that I could still compete, now I can confidently say that I would only be able to compare with the absolute bottom of this rank.

  The top 16 are all vampires with their own complete combat systems. Even Sos as she inherited the same technique of her mother, she was able to follow along that same road and fight at an extremely high level.

  After going back and training the day passes quickly as the top 16 match up. There is no longer a round robin system as the top 16 are just matched up till the top 2 are decided as well as a resurrection match to decide another 2 to compete in the quarter finals.

  In today's match I saw the full power of the Eclipse domain like technique of Sos's family.

  Sos: Eclipse Mode activated.

  When I saw it, an overwhelming bloody aura flowed from her body as her hair began to involuntarily float on its own. A blood like robe flowed from her shoulder down and cws made of blood quickly sprouted and grew from in between her knuckles. She quickly dashed towards her opponent with her cws aiming to cut straight to her.

  Unluckily for her, her opponent was the other champion candidate, Miles Menafrie. They quickly set up mirrors and slipped between them. After unching an attack from the mirror, her reflections also released blows of simir prowess that all reflect off the mirrors making a complicated maze of attacks from all directions. After smashing some of the mirrors, she was suddenly pulled into a mirror when she attempted to break one of them. When out of the mirror, a reflection of herself was revealed who then attacked her quickly.

  After some hide and seek, Sos was decred the loser as she was unable to keep up with the complex attacks of her opponent while keeping track of her movements slipping through mirrors.

  The matches ended up with the two that I thought of taking the top 2 pces. Krust and Miles. What was gonna be more interesting was who would be winning the resurrection match.

  The resurrection matches began and after a long fight, the winners were Sos and another female vampire I didn't know the name of. They were a vampire with a technique that blossomed blood roses that drain the opponents energy if it bloomed on anything with the enemy's energy in it.

  This draining technique quickly blocked the opponent in sharp thorns that cut into and pnt other parasitic pnts that quickly bind their target.

  The quarter finals were finally going to be pyed. The specific matches were going to be Krust vs Sos and Miles vs the female vampire.

  Although I knew that Sos was likely to lose this match, I still cheered for her on the stands. First would the match between Krust and Sos.

  Unlike with Miles, Krust fights as a melee fighter with shockwaves and those pilrs to support against ranged and quick opponents. Sos is also a melee fighter, but is more speed and damage based. As the fight began, both sides got their weapons prepared and started brawling at the center of the stage. Krust kept on swinging his arms at Sos while she kept dodging trying to cut into him. After some back and forth, both begin getting serious.

  Sos: Blood Moon Eclipse!

  Krust: Earth Magic - Earth Armor.

  A zone around Sos quickly expanded as the earth around Krust began to rise ups and yer on his body.

  Both quickly csh and separate over and over as Sos's speed has increased dramatically due to her technique. Krust's reaction speed had also kept up and he was able to block most of the hits. The hits that do nd do nothing but lightly scratch his invulnerable armor.

  Suddenly, Krust's fighting spirit flowed upon his body as he lifted both of his fists to sm on each other. This quickly created a shockwave that quickly pushed Sos away. He then suddenly smmed his palm on the ground causing debris to scatter around him. He then punched a big chunk towards Sos which smmed her out of bounds.

  The match was called and Sos was quickly recovered as the next match was being prepared. This match was even easier to finish as whatever pnts the female vampire tried to grow were quickly over powered with the constantly reflected magic bouncing off of the various mirrors.

  Even the energy draining effects of the pnts were misdirected due to the newly revealed illusion magic that with the addition of the mirrors quickly overwhelmed the poor opponent.

  There was a short break before the finals were to be pyed out. During that break, I asked Sos who she thought would win the match.

  Sos: From my perspective, Krust is more likely to win. His ability with the pilrs that hit all around is just to overwhelming especially when we haven't grown that strong yet. Although some of the shockwaves can be misdirected via the mirrors, it will only consume a constant flow of energy that won't even break his tough armor anyways.

  After thinking about it, I found myself agreeing with her assessment. The fighting style of the two happened to be exact opposites. One of pure destruction through shock waves and one who uses skillful manipution of mirrors to reflect attacks around. After some researching, I found that copying an opponent costs nearly twice the energy consumption that it they would normally used so it is saved for absolute crushes in strength.

  As I kept simuting battles, the finals were finally about to be pyed. With a face full of expectations, I sat in full attention for the match before me.

  When the match finally began, both sides began setting up for battle. Krust with his earth armor and Miles with his mirrors all around. From the mirrors came an endless onsught of attacks. After a while we could see that the effect was minimal. Krust then summoned his pilrs to prepare for his come back.

  Unexpectedly, before he could send out a shockwave, Miles showed a sly smile as a mirror suddenly slipped under his footing. Krust was sent into the mirror and popped out of a mirror out of bounds aiming to disqualify him in this way. His eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly activated his technique.

  Krust: Lord of Earth!

  From his body, massive amount of soil flowed out and quickly came in contact with the arena and kept him stable above the ground. Then he was pulled by the earth back onto the arena.

  He looked at his opponents with a face full of dissatisfaction before he smmed his palms together. A giant earth golem was made with that cp that went ahead and fought against Miles. He then opened up mirrors that reflected those strikes back at him which only slid of the mud not harming him in the slightest.

  Krust then sat on the ground. Suddenly, an energy from the ground emerged and was absorbed by Krust. Seeing this, Miles, tried again to trick him out of the earth. A mirror appeared below Krust trying to drop him in. Before he fell in, Krust let some streams of earth connect to him dragging him upwards not into the mirror while still drawing energy through the streams of earth.

  Seeing that trick no longer working, Miles then started casting illusions.

  Miles: Illusion Magic - Sense Manipution.

  Krust then suddenly felt as if his body was suddenly falling, after quickly waking from his meditative state. He quickly checked his surroundings and found that he was likely in an illusion. He then let his senses with the earth connect him with the earth and let the earth be his eyes and ears.

  Suddenly, he unched an attack behind him. As the attack struck, a feeling of impact was felt as a previously invisible Miles was sent back as in the original spot he was seen disappeared. He had used an illusion to attempt to distract his fighting attempts and waste his energy. Now that he knew his exact location, he started bombing the area with his giant golem. Miles quickly evaded the strike.

  The battle kept on going like this for a few minutes. Right when I thought this match would stay this way for a while, Krust let his golem suddenly strike two pces at once. The first strike was dodged, but the pce he escaped to was also getting struck at the same time.

  Miles suddenly took a full hit and was sent out of the fighting zone with that strike.

  Seeing that, I knew the match was over. Although the match didn't go exactly like Sos's predictions, it was quite a bit more exciting.

  We all appuded the match before the fight to decide the third pce was pyed. There, Sos had taken third pce as she quickly defeated the pnt based vampire through quickly blitzing her with her speed in eclipse mode and quickly aiming at a lethal point.

  Finally, the award ceremony was finally being pyed. I cheered as the top ten were called up. As the announcer announced all that was going on, a sudden shaking appeared. We were suddenly all called off of our devices. After waking up a little groggily, I heard the ruckus going on outside of our area.

  Hearing this, I had a bad feeling and I began calling everyone here to wake up and start preparing. After everyone woke up each other, we quickly fell under the lead of Krust and Miles. They both went and let everyone file according to our respective ranks. I fell in line and we all went out with Miles at the head and Krust at the back just in case.

  After some walking we finally reached the main waiting room we usually waited at. There were several unknown vampires that were watching outside while also watching to see if we appeared. After seeing us they sighed a sigh of relief as they went towards us.

  Before they could arrive, Miles and Sos suddenly gave each other a look and suddenly activated their techniques.

  Miles: Mirror World!

  Sos: Blood Moon Eclipse!

  The sudden eclipse surprised us as suddenly the vampires in front of us had their disguises torn as the blood moon irrigated their body.

  Under their disguise was the iconic fur of a certain well known race. Indeed, the voice I heard next confirmed our suspicions.

  Miles: Werewolves, are you the one causing this ruckus?

  As he said this, several mirrors appeared in yers in front of us like walls. In the back, Krust quickly also activated his technique as more faces appeared from our back. Seeing their cover was blown, they all took off their disguises. The pale skin and fangs as well as the faces of the vampires around us all melted off revealing a more ferocious visage. Fur growing all over and teeth like a wild beast.

  At the head of the front, one of the werewolves responded.

  Head Werewolf: Indeed, and while the stronger vampires are being held off by our kin, we were told to hunt you younglings.

  They all suddenly bared their fangs and cws as they rushed towards us.

  Some of us were frozen stiff from the sudden situation, but some of us immediately took action. Several vampires quickly released their techniques and I was among them.

  Celine: Sanctuary of Blood!

  My regur domain expanded and from the ground, several skeletons suddenly gripped onto the legs of some of the were wolves. When this happened, Miles, Krust, Sos and Lenn who kept himself in stealth state around Krust immediately unched several attacks to the enemies around us. When this happened, several other vampires finally got the memo as they began preparing their techniques.

  From the middle of the crowd I suddenly yelled out some commanding instructions.

  Celine: All Melee users quickly head to the front and face the werewolves. Ranged attackers, watch them from behind them. Support, move to the center and quickly strengthen and support everyone. Rogue types help support the melee fighters.

  Hearing these instructions, the vampires suddenly felt like they gained some support and began following the instructions. The 64 of us had several people with various techniques that all complimented each other in a scuffle like this. I then chanted my magic to boost the speed of my summons as well as some of the rogue type vampires.

  When we were finally organized, we were all able to unite together and hold off the werewolves in front of us.

  Seeing this, they got a little anxious and some of the wolves began going all out and using their own techniques. In the front the head wolf howled and a glow appeared on all of the wolves that boosted their original abilities.

  Sos went and expanded her eclipse to cover all of us giving us a simir boost.

  All of this fighting was all in a constrained space as all of us were fighting in a room not made for fighting. Soon, Krust just activated his pilrs and smashed the walls and roof o the room opening up the space around us. I quickly shrunk my domain as I prepared to summon my giant skeleton.

  Suddenly, one of the werewolves activated a golden talisman at their side. Suddenly, a fsh of golden light glowed from the talisman. From the front I could hear horrified screams from Sos.

  Sos: Holy Light! The werewolves have cooperated with the Church to raid us!

  The group began falling into chaos. It didn't help that all of our abilities were weakening due to the glow of the holy light.

  Before it descended further to chaos I stopped summoning for the giant skeleton and prepared my new form with my technique.

  Celine: Sanctuary of Blood - Unison!

  A dragon's roar echoed from my new form as my voice echoed from my new form.

  Celine: Don't worry about the church, we just need to hold these guys before support comes to help us! This is our territory so we just need to dey for time.

  My voice helped calm down the most discordant voices and we all quickly went back to position as I quickly rushed to support Miles and Sos. I reached out my cws and quickly sent some of the werewolves flying as I rushed to the front. The scales in this new form were able to easily take the attacks of the weaker enemies as I rushed in to charge. In pce of my skeletons, control of the werewolves, the female vampire took the role of holding the werewolves in pce for us.

  With my assistance, the werewolves in the front were easily disordered and defeated one by one. When we finished and went over to the back to support Krust and Lenn, they had just finished off the on in the back.

  After quickly meeting up we quickly checked all of us. Except for a single casualty from one of the people here being too reckless and charging headfirst into danger, most of the injured were quickly drawn away from the battlefield and were currently recovering on their own. Healers were never the most powerful so there were no healer in the top 64 so we just had to give them a pce to recover on their own.

  Some time waiting a sudden portal appeared in front of us. We all stayed alert until a group of actual vampires quickly emerged from the portal stood at watch around us. One of the vampires went towards us and introduced himself.

  Vampire Captain: I am the 3rd Captain of the capital's security team. We ran over as soon as we could, can someone please expin the current situation.

  Sos went ahead and quickly informed the current circumstances and the captain gave a nod before responding.

  Vampire Captain: You have done well to organize before our arrival. My full team will be here, the other captains are facing the enemy as we take you to a more secure location.

  As he said that, the final person emerged through the portal and the portal closed behind them. The team the made a formation around us and led us over to a secure hiding base where we were able to watch what was going on out there through various screens outside.

  Like we thought, the werewolves and the church have joined hands in order to take us vampires down. We were able to see that various battlefields were taking pce all over the city. At the center of it all, an entire squadron of the church led by a padin in massive armor as well as a strong and vicious looking werewolf were facing off with a young vampire figure. From beside me, I could hear Lenn give an involuntary reaction.

  Lenn: Prince...

  It was then that I found out that the young figure I saw was the famed Vampire prince. I then saw the two sides speak. As there was no audio, I couldn't tell exactly what they were saying, but both sides suddenly went into a fight. From his space, a giant mechanical structure fell beside the prince. It was a giant floating warship that looked like a giant sideways skyscraper from a distance. Suddenly, the ship was multiplied and entire fleet was quickly summoned.

  On the other side, the padin suddenly gave a shout and the squad around him fell into position around him. When the pieces were in pce a glowing spell circle like existence suddenly emerged below them that connected all of the the people together.

  The werewolf on then other end suddenly howled and a glowing cocoon emerged around him that quickly emerged a massive white wolf with a cold breath around them.

  All three sides stood there waiting before quickly cshing as the screens went out.