Journey to Become the Zenith

The Blood Monarch Within

”What do you mean cheat? Also who the hell are you and why are you inside my soul?”

Victor calmly looked into the darkness as he asked the question.

The endless void around him trembled faintly, as though the very soul-space reacted to his voice. Strange crimson fragments floated through the darkness like shattered stars, illuminating only pieces of the vast abyss surrounding him.

Cold air brushed against Victor’s face.

No...

Not air.

Mana.

Ancient mana.

Heavy mana.

The kind that carried the scent of old battlefields soaked in blood and death.

Victor slowly narrowed his golden eyes.

Even after hearing the arrogant voice, his expression barely changed. He remained seated calmly within the darkness, his black hair swaying lightly while his gaze searched the void ahead.

Then the voice echoed again.

”Oh, you’re pretty different from Eddy and Kevin, who were in a similar situation to yours. Also you didn’t mind being called a weakling, Ho, how interesting.”

The voice carried amusement.

And arrogance.

The kind of arrogance that came from someone who stood at the very top for far too long.

Victor still couldn’t see the speaker’s face clearly, but strangely enough...

He already understood something instinctively.

The man speaking was smiling.

Not a gentle smile.

Not a mocking smile.

But the smile of someone looking at another version of himself.

A predator recognizing another predator.

Victor leaned slightly forward.

”Funny,” he muttered calmly. ”You sound way too comfortable inside someone else’s soul.”

A low chuckle echoed through the darkness.

Victor’s eyes sharpened.

That laugh...

It felt familiar.

Dangerously familiar.

”Why should I feel uncomfortable?” the voice replied lazily. ”This soul belongs to both of us.”

The darkness ahead suddenly shifted.

A pair of crimson eyes slowly appeared within the void.

Ancient.

Cold.

Yet burning with terrifying life.

Victor immediately felt overwhelming pressure crash toward him like a tidal wave.

BOOM—

The soul-space shook violently.

Countless cracks spread across the darkness beneath Victor’s feet before stabilizing again.

Yet Victor himself didn’t move an inch.

Instead...

He grinned.

Because pressure like this only confirmed one thing.

The being before him was truly powerful.

”Now,” Victor said calmly, ”how about you stop talking about things I don’t understand, and explain already. Also you should at least state your name first before babbling.”

For a moment, silence filled the darkness.

Then—

”Heh, fine I shall tell you my name, I’m Azrial Runious. The one who was once called the vampire and human God of War and Victory. Just call me Azriel if you so wish Victor.”

As the words fell, the darkness finally peeled away completely.

Victor’s pupils narrowed slightly.

A man slowly emerged from the void.

Long black hair.

Crimson red eyes glowing like blood beneath moonlight.

A tall figure wearing a dark imperial coat lined with silver embroidery.

Behind him flowed countless floating crimson particles resembling blood mist drifting endlessly through the darkness.

Azriel.

The Blood Monarch.

The Vampire Emperor.

Victor silently observed him.

A vampire worshiped as a God by both humans and vampires...

Hearing that made Victor smile faintly.

Because the only humans he had ever known to be worshiped as gods were the so-called heroes.

Yet this man before him didn’t resemble a righteous savior at all.

No.

He looked exactly like the kind of monster kingdoms warned children about before sleep.

Azriel crossed his arms while staring directly at Victor.

”You look disappointed.”

Victor snorted lightly.

”No,” he replied honestly. ”Just curious.”

Azriel raised a brow.

”Oh?”

Victor slowly stood up.

Compared to Azriel’s overwhelming aura, his current human body truly looked weak.

Young.

Incomplete.

Yet his golden eyes carried no fear whatsoever.

”A vampire worshiped by humans,” Victor muttered. ”That sounds absurd.”

Azriel suddenly laughed.

A deep laugh filled with old memories.

”In my era,” he said calmly, ”an Abyssal Empire appeared from beyond the northern void. Cities burned every night. Entire kingdoms disappeared before sunrise. Human armies collapsed like paper. Even ancient races started abandoning their lands.”

As he spoke, the darkness around them shifted.

Victor suddenly saw visions forming around them.

Burning skies.

Black armies.

Gigantic creatures crawling from endless abyssal cracks.

People screaming while entire continents drowned in war.

Victor’s smile slowly faded.

Because he could feel it.

Those visions weren’t illusions.

They were memories.

Azriel’s crimson eyes darkened slightly.

”The humans hated vampires back then,” he continued. ”To them, we were monsters wearing human skin.”

A faint self-mocking smile appeared on his face.

”And honestly? They weren’t entirely wrong.”

The visions shifted again.

Victor saw countless vampires slaughtering villages beneath moonlight.

Blood.

Corpses.

Fear.

Then suddenly—

Another image appeared.

Azriel standing alone before a black abyssal army stretching beyond the horizon.

His long black hair fluttered wildly while crimson blood aura exploded around him like a sea.

Behind him stood terrified humans.

Elves.

Beast warriors.

Even ancient forge clan warriors from Forge God Mountain.

Everyone staring at him.

Depending on him.

Azriel looked toward Victor calmly.

”So tell me, Victor... if a monster protects the world while humans hide behind him...”

His lips curved faintly.

”What does that make him?”

Victor remained silent.

Because strangely enough...

He understood the answer already.

Azriel continued walking slowly through the darkness.

”In the end, I killed until the abyssal forces retreated. Humans survived. Kingdoms survived. The world survived.”

He glanced sideways toward Victor.

”And humans started worshiping me after that.”

Victor suddenly burst into laughter.

A genuine laugh.

Azriel blinked once.

”You became humanity’s hero because you were violent enough to save them?” Victor asked while laughing lightly.

Azriel smirked.

”Exactly.”

The two stared at each other briefly.

Then both started laughing.

Because somehow...

It made perfect sense.

After the laughter slowly faded, Victor’s expression became thoughtful again.

”Well then Azriel, tell me what the hell are you doing inside my soul?”

Azriel stopped walking.

”You still haven’t guessed it yet? You and me we’re one and the same. I am you and you are me, we share the same soul. So why shouldn’t a part of me be here.”

Victor’s eyes flickered slightly.

Honestly...

He had already suspected this answer.

The visions.

The voices.

The strange familiarity.

The instincts.

Everything pointed toward this conclusion.

Previous incarnations.

Fragments of the same soul reborn endlessly throughout time.

Still...

Actually hearing it spoken aloud felt different.

He slowly lowered his gaze.

”I already guessed it was a possibility...” Victor muttered quietly.

Then after a brief hesitation, he suddenly looked back up.

”But...”

Azriel tilted his head slightly.

Victor scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

”Hey Azriel,” he asked slowly, ”were you a hero?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Victor immediately regretted asking.

Because somehow...

He already knew the answer.

Azriel noticed his reaction instantly.

A grin appeared on the vampire emperor’s face.

”I myself don’t really consider myself a hero,” Azriel replied casually, ”but many labelled me as such.”

Victor’s face twitched slightly.

Azriel continued mercilessly.

”Heck most of our incarnations were heroes of their time. The only time we got out of the cycle of being heroes was the time when Kevin fought the Universal Emperor and was able to damage it a bit...”

Silence.

Complete silence.

Victor froze.

Then slowly...

Very slowly...

His expression started breaking apart.

”I...” he muttered blankly.

His golden eyes widened slightly.

”I... the demon lord Anos...”

He looked genuinely horrified for the first time in a very long while.

”...was a hero in my past life...?”

Azriel watched him quietly.

Victor took two steps backward.

”No.”

His voice sounded deeply disturbed now.

”One of those self-absorbed righteous bastards...?”

He pointed at himself.

”Me?”

Azriel’s shoulders started trembling slightly.

Victor looked completely shaken.

”Impossible.”

He rubbed his forehead aggressively.

”There’s no way.”

Azriel finally lost control and laughed loudly.

Victor stared at him with disbelief.

”You think this is funny?!”

”Yes,” Azriel answered immediately while laughing harder.

Victor looked genuinely offended.

”I destroyed kingdoms.”

”Hero.”

”I massacred armies.”

”Hero.”

”I literally called myself Demon Lord Anos.”

Azriel smirked.

”And before that you apparently saved civilizations.”

Victor’s face darkened.

”That somehow makes this worse.”

Azriel folded his arms while grinning lazily.

”You’re overthinking it.”

Victor frowned.

Azriel’s crimson eyes sharpened slightly.

”Hero. Demon lord. King. Monster.”

He shrugged casually.

”They’re just titles people create when they’re scared of power.”

Victor fell silent.

The darkness around them became calm again.

Then Azriel suddenly smirked.

”Besides...”

Victor raised a brow.

”You honestly think heroes can’t become monsters?”

Victor didn’t answer immediately.

Because deep inside...

He already knew the truth.

Sometimes heroes became monsters faster than anyone else.

And somehow...

That answer disturbed him more than anything.

Hearing Victor mumbling such things made Azriel chuckle.