Chapter 644: A different perspective. 2
"What truly makes a difference is…" Then, the fireball began to rotate horizontally slowly, and little by little, the color of the fireball started to change.
It went from a red-orange to a bluish-orange, then to full blue, and finally, a white flame.
"..." Everyone started to sweat from the unbearable heat in that white fireball.
"Control."
"Bloodlines always have room to develop, especially Bloodlines that focus on Elemental Powers." Slowly the sphere of white fire began to shrink until it completely disappeared.
And as if everyone had come out of the trance, everyone started breathing heavily, as if they had completely forgotten to breathe.
The only ones who weren't so affected were the Maids, Ophis, and Nero.
"Giving up halfway through, even knowing Bloodlines can evolve, just speaks volumes of you, Adam."
"Ugh…" Adam felt an arrow pierce his heart at Victor's words.
"Adam, you weren't born with a lesser version of your mother's Lineage. Such a thing is impossible coming from a Progenitor's son."
"Huh…?" Adam looked at Victor, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Vlad's blood empowers any Bloodline; that's a basic trait of a Vampire Progenitor."
"The same applies to me as the Second Progenitor."
'Although this basic trait of mine has been potentiated to the extreme thanks to my set of powers.' Victor thought vaguely to himself.
"...."
"So the right way to think about it is that your Lineage has not been fully explored due to your own lack of work; tell me, how was your training these years?"
"... I focused more on how to use the Racial Powers of Vampires and my Power as support." Adam humbly replied. When he saw that he didn't get his mother's full Power, he felt like a failure, so he just focused on the Racial Aspect of Vampires and used his Power as a support rather than a primary Power.
He even considered 'evolving' his Lineage, but he felt it was a wasted effort; he preferred focusing on more 'concrete' options.
"What a foolish thing to do." Victor shook his head in disappointment.
"...." Adam flinched at that comment.
"Your Power has the ability to be as destructive as the Bloodline Powers of the Four Vampire Count Clans. If you are strong enough, creating a damn hurricane in the middle of the battlefield is not impossible."
"I can't create wind out of thin air, I can only control it, and even then, I can't control large amounts of wind, so creating a hurricane is impossible!" Adam snapped.
"Tsk, that is the mindset that's holding you back."
'How can anyone give up before even trying?' Victor couldn't understand such a concept.
"You must not think that it is impossible, but that it IS possible and that you WILL do it! You lack motivation, Adam!" Victor spoke with a clenched fist towards him as his eyes flashed blood red with a mad smile.
"Ugh, I'm not you. I can't get motivated all of a sudden." Adam growled.
'... Is this man really Vlad and Jeanne's son? He lacks hunger for power; he lacks motivation; he lacks everything! He's just doing the basics and getting by with it. He's completely lost and aimless.' Victor's disappointment was immense.
"Haah, just keep practicing your Lineage from now on and get your mother's advice. I'm sure she can help you with many things, and you will progress more steadily with her help."
"But… I don't want to bother her."
A vein bulged on Victor's head, and he spoke in a heavy tone:
"Just do it."
"... Y-Yes…"
Victor looked at Lilith and Elizabeth, "The same goes for you two, especially you, Elizabeth."
"Eh...?" Lilith was surprised that her name wasn't called.
"… Me?" Elizabeth pointed to herself.
"Yes, you're still a Young Vampire, Elizabeth. If you work hard now, you won't be as weak as your older sister in the future."
"Ugh." Lilith felt this damage deeply, but she couldn't say anything. After all, it was true.
"... Hmm, I'll go talk to my mother later."
"Good... Now, let's go, Nero and Ophis."
"Yes, Father!" The two shouted at the same time.
Wasting no time, Nero jumped on Victor's shoulder and grabbed him like a baby monkey.
"... Mm..." Ophis looked at Nero with a pout on her face and eyes glowing blood red.
Nero smiled at Ophis as if she were saying, 'I won today.'
The little girl just snorted and grabbed Victor's hand.
"Wait, Victor."
"Hmm?" Victor looked at Tatsuya, and when he saw the gleam of determination and motivation in Tatsuya's eyes, Victor raised his eyebrow in an interested manner.
"What do you want?"
"Can I train with Scathach?"
"What…?" Adam, Lilith, and Elizabeth all looked at Tatsuya like he was crazy.
"... That question shouldn't be asked of me."
"I know, but I just want your opinion. Do you think she would accept me?"
"...." Victor was silent for a few seconds as he looked at Tatsuya until he spoke:
"I think she will. You have talent, but that's not the problem; rather… Do you have the determination to go through her training?"
"I do." He spoke with determination.
'And those were his famous last words.' Victor thought in amusement.
He might seem to be playing with Tatsuya's resolve, but that wasn't it. Even if Victor tried to 'scale' how difficult Scathach's training was like he did in the previous explanation, in the end, he couldn't accurately get across just how 'demanding' Scathach's training really was. It was truly insane.
Only people who had gone through this training truly understood the difficulty.
In video game terms, Scathach training is like an MMORPG player fighting a level 1000 Monster Boss while being at level 1 with all negative statuses and only regeneration sustaining the character's existence.
When you enter the Boss room, the level 1000 monster will torture you in every possible way so that your stats go up to the point where the monster can teach you something.
'Few endure Scathach's real training, and by Scathach's own words, I was the only one who completed her training in its entirety. Even her own daughters still have yet to complete their training.'
Victor thought of Eleonor, who Scathach also trained. 'The case of Eleanor is very similar to Vlad's children, with the only difference being that Eleanor really wanted to train with her, but Scathach wouldn't because Eleanor already had two Masters at home ready to train her 'properly'. Because of that, Scathach merely focused on establishing Eleonor's basics.'
The Leader of Clan Scarlett's standards were very high, and she didn't accept mediocrity. She put off training her daughters because they weren't ready for the final part yet; probably only Ruby was prepared to finish her training.
The rest of the girls still had a lot to improve.
"You're going to need that motivation when the time comes," Victor said after collecting all his thoughts about this situation.
Victor turned around again, "If Scathach accepts you, and you train with her... Remember your motivation to get stronger, no matter what it is. That determination will take you further than anyone else."
"....." Tatsuya just nodded his head as he absorbed Victor's words.
While still walking with his two daughters, Victor said, "Remember control, it works for all of you girls too… But, mainly, Yuki and Kaguya, don't forget that."
"...." The two women opened their eyes wide in realization.
'Did he specifically demonstrate the Snow Clan's Lineage because of me...?' Yuki thought, 'He did it for me...'
... She conveniently forgot about Kaguya; Natashia's syndrome was spreading...
'As expected, that's why he did that... He even demonstrated it slowly so we could see each step properly... Master...' A small, imperceptible smile appeared on Kaguya's face.
"Fufufu, Master is very kind, isn't he?" Maria displayed a knowing smile. However, inwardly she was thinking about the lesson her Master had taught just now.
'Control, huh… Could this be used with the Ghouls?' An evil smile appeared on Maria's face.
"That's obvious; there is no being kinder than him," Bruna spoke for Kaguya as she patted her chest, causing her full breasts to swell.
Kaguya remained silent, committing all the processes she saw into her memory.
"AHHH! I just realized it was that same light that we saw that day!" Elizabeth screamed suddenly.
"... Was he the one who lit up Nightingale...?" Lilith swallowed hard.
"..." The three siblings felt a cold sweat break out across their bodies when they realized Victor's level. Being able to produce such great power was ridiculous from their perspective.
The Maids merely displayed proud smiles when they saw the siblings' scared faces and Tatsuya's incredulous face.
[As expected of our Master. He's the best!] Alter Eve internally screamed.
Eve nodded in agreement with Alter Eve. Victor was one of the rare occasions that the two agreed on something.
[That demo gave me an idea, we should test our other Power, Eve.]
'What are you planning?' Eve asked.
[Perhaps if we use the other Power, we can amplify the destructiveness of our Dark Flames.]
'Hmm, it doesn't hurt to try.'
[That's the right attitude!]
When Victor left the room, he found Jeanne with her arms crossed and her back against the wall. The blonde had her eyes closed, a gentle smile on her face.
"Oya? Were you listening?"
"Mm." Jeanne nodded, opened her eyes, and her red eyes met Victor's violet ones.
"I hadn't noticed you were here."
"Liar. It is impossible to completely hide from someone connected to Nature." Jeanne laughed and walked elegantly over to Victor.
"Well..." Victor scratched his cheek with a vacant hand. He didn't refute her words because Jeanne was correct.
Thanks to Roxanne, he could feel Nature all around him, not to mention that he could also feel people's feelings even if they were not in his field of vision.
That is, it was virtually impossible to catch him off guard, but Victor never let his guard down. After all, some beings could hide in other dimensions, like Agares, out there.
"I'm sorry if I-... Mmff!?"
When Victor was going to apologize for being too hard on Adam, the woman invaded his personal space, grabbed him by the collar, and kissed him passionately.
Victor awoke from his stupor, took Jeanne's waist with his free hand, and kissed her even harder.
The tongue war only lasted for a few seconds, and soon the blonde pulled away from Victor with a seductive smile on her face as she licked her lips to savor the taste of 'Victor'.
"So this is your taste~, the Blessings of the Goddesses on your body, and Roxanne have left you utterly delectable. I love it..."
'I should have done this much sooner.' Jeanne thought internally.
"..." Victor didn't really know what to comment on that statement, so he just said, "Thanks, I guess?"
"Father..."
"Hmm?" Seeing Ophis's gaze, he understood everything she meant, "Of course, Ophis. Just let me talk to her, okay?"
"… Mm." Ophis nodded, but she was clearly displeased, as the little girl looked at Jeanne with a neutral gaze and hugged Victor's leg as if to say, 'Mine.'
"Fufufu~, you will be a great father in the future, Vic~. You handled Adam perfectly yourself."
"Aren't you upset by what I said?"
"No, Adam needed that." A melancholic expression appeared on Jeanne's face, "It pains me to admit it, but thanks to my condition, I really couldn't be around him as much as I'd have liked..."
"Not to mention that due to Vlad's 'greatness' as a King and Progenitor, his children would always seek his approval." Jeanne looked at Ophis with a kind expression. She could see that this was not Ophis's condition anymore; she didn't need attention because she already had Victor, and Vlad had improved a lot compared to the past. Moreover, the Prime Progenitor always was more considerate of Ophis due to Otsuki Hana, Ophis' mother.
"My son was no different from his brothers, he always sought his father's approval, but you know how Vlad is."
"Yes, I know..." Victor sighed. He still couldn't understand how someone so old could be so clumsy at something he considered 'simple.'
"Because of that, I'm glad you had this conversation with Adam since the opinion of someone like you is pretty important, considering that you're the only Vampire in our society who can be 'equal' to Vlad." Jeanne chuckled as she tucked her hair behind her ear.
"And you are technically his father, even though he is 500 years older than you."
"No, he isn't." Ophis quickly denied it.
"He's My Father."
"Don't forget about me, little sister," Nero announced.
"..." Ophis nodded her head with a blank expression.
Victor and Jeanne had gentle expressions,
"What Adam needs is not a father but someone to guide him. He is lost and aimless, and even his own desire to get 'stronger' is not concrete. He will never find strength like that."
"A goal, a motivation is necessary; only with these factors, determination, and obstinacy is strength born," Victor said.
"Hmm, I never thought about it that way… Perhaps, you are correct." Jeanne spoke as she thought about it.
Victor's gaze went to Jeanne. The woman wore black leggings, black boots, and a simple white blouse that left her navel showing; she was dressed very modernly.
"You look beautiful, Jeanne."
Jeanne opened her eyes wide at the sudden compliment. She felt her heart flutter as if she were having a heart attack, but she wouldn't act like a little girl just for that! She was not that weak!
Jeanne quickly managed to control herself and assumed a satisfied, playful smile:
"... Oh? Are you looking at me? What a surprise. Normally, you ignore me and just look at your Wives."
"I'm always looking, Jeanne; I just keep silent and keep my opinions to myself."
"Don't you know women like compliments?"
"Compliments are good, but too much praise is just exhausting for women who are beautiful and know they are beautiful. Complimenting at important moments is key." Victor laughed.
"Spoken like a true playboy, fufufu~."
"Playboy? How rude. I was never a playboy; I was always faithful. Besides, women used to look down on me." Victor snorted
"..." Jeanne rolled her eyes, "Who is the stupid woman who will ignore a man as beautiful as you and one who cares so much about his Family? You really don't understand how precious you are to the women of the Supernatural World, huh? Most men, with your power level, are more concerned with how much more power they will gain or their own 'Kingdom'. So they completely ignore what they have."
"... Well, it's good that you're with me now, right~?" Victor pulled Jeanne.
"Oh-... Mmff?"
Just as Jeanne suddenly kissed Victor, he did the same.
"That way, you won't need to worry about things like that~." He said between kisses.
"Jerk, don't do that kind of thing all of a sudden~." She responded between kisses.
Victor just laughed, but when he noticed that Jeanne's lust and desire started growing, he lightly bit Jeanne's tongue.
"Ugh, what is this? Why did you bite me!"
"Remember where you are now.."
Jeanne looked at Ophis and Nero, who were staring at her with murderous looks on their faces, "... Oh."
'I can't believe I almost lost it in front of the kids!' Jeanne screamed internally, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks.
Victor was delighted with the embarrassed expression of the woman who was older than many civilizations out there, so he added in a gentle tone:
"I have to go. I am counting on you to keep everything in order."
"Mm, have a safe trip. On the way here, I saw Natalia waiting for you at the entrance to the mansion."
"Thanks, Jeanne."
"You're welcome, Vic."
Victor turned and left with Ophis and Nero in tow. Jeanne continued staring at his back, but Victor's amused voice was heard before he had gone very far.
"Be careful of the Demon hiding behind the pillar."
"Demon…?" Jeanne turned her head in confusion until realization hit her, and she quickly looked towards a pillar of the mansion. She directed her 'Energy' in that direction and found something.
"Morgana..."
Slowly, Morgana's appearance started to become visible, it was as if she was invisible, but in reality, it was all just an illusion.
"Morgana… You can use Illusions now!"
"Yes, but it's still not as strong as when I was a full Demon. But, at least it's better than it was before… But putting that aside for now."
A dark pressure fell on their location:
"Bitch…you did it, didn't you?" Morgana's distorted voice mixed with the horns, wings, and tail and the black sclera eyes glowing blood red caused a frightening image.
Jeanne stammered a little, "M-Morgana, listen to me."
"You did it!"
A vein bulged on Jeanne's head, "You were taking too long! I have needs, too, you know!?"
"Traitor! Horny, bitch!"
"Said the excited Succubus!"
"Oh, don't hurt yourselves too much, girls." Victor's voice resounded through the room.
"Okay." The two responded simultaneously and soon returned to their 'fight'.
.....
