Primordial Awakening: My Bloodline Evolves Infinitely

When the contact was made, the black roots suddenly swelled and changed color, shifting into red.

Sharp thorns and beautiful crimson sepals began to grow upon them, their influence spreading outward in every direction like a plague.

Faster than a blink, the once-haunting atmosphere transformed into a painter-like spectacle, with crimson petals rising into the air while the once-black vines clinging to the fortress walls now brought life to the scenery, making it look like a dream come true.

"How is this possible?" Everyone among the team was rendered speechless.

True, the once-gloomy atmosphere was nowhere to be found, yet as they watched the surroundings alter themselves in mere seconds, they began to think that perhaps they preferred the fortress when it looked like a ghost town instead.

"Pff! What’s the matter with you? It’s not like a little wilderness can actually harm us!" Russell laughed loudly at their cautious display.

He knew that this was his moment! While the rest of the scholars were too fearful to touch the vines surrounding them, he finally had his chance to shine before Elizabeth and Arabella by proving there was nothing to worry about!

"Behold! The wisdom of a Heavenly Bloodline, and take notes!" He declared proudly as he unsheathed his sword.

Nobody was able to stop him in time as he slashed toward the crimson roots.

’I have cut enough of these things to know that they aren’t a big deal!’ He thought, his sword descending toward them.

Yet the next second, his blade was repelled backward as if it had struck a boulder, his eyes narrowing in shock.

"No! I just didn’t get a proper foothold! Let me try again!" Russell blurted out the first excuse that came to mind and stretched out his hand toward them.

"You moron! Stop!" Leonard yelled, trying to stop the idiot before he could kill himself.

Unfortunately, he was too late.

When Russell’s palm wrapped around the roots, his skin was pierced by the poking thorns.

Pain unlike anything he had ever experienced assaulted his senses.

"AAAHHHH!" He screamed at the top of his lungs and pulled away, falling onto his backside.

In horror, he gazed at his hand. He saw the veins beneath his skin turn black as thorns began to emerge from his limb. Crimson sepals blossomed across his arm and quickly spread toward his shoulder and beyond.

"Help me!" He pleaded, tears filling his eyes as he stared at the two healers in the party.

"What are you waiting for, bitch?! Save me now!" Russell roared, his voice sounding more like a monster’s than a human’s.

"R—Right!" Cassie stammered, scrambling to raise her staff toward him and cast a healing spell.

Yet, to her horror, her efforts had the opposite effect. The roots fed upon her healing power and spread even faster, reaching Russell’s face.

"No! Stop! You made it worse, you useless wretch!" Russell shouted, trying to grab hold of her.

"Eek!"

But before he could, Leonard intervened and pulled Cassie away.

"L—Leonard? W—What should I do?" Cassie whispered, shaken to the core.

"There is nothing we can do." Leonard’s eyes darted across the mess that had become of Russell.

"These... vines and roots seem to feed on blood. If they awaken and invade your body, they devour you from the inside out until nothing remains. Given that they literally feed on you, healing magic will only accelerate the process since repairing the damaged tissue will simply give them more food to work with."

It wasn’t necessary to say that contact was strongly discouraged, since they didn’t know every possible way the disease could spread.

Silently, everyone took a few steps back, distancing themselves.

"What are you doing, you fuckers?! Don’t tell me you are just going to let me rot to death!" Russell stared at Leonard with sheer hatred. "You! This all started because of you! It’s all your fault! I curse you until my dying breath!"

The other healer in the party, Samantha, felt her face grow pale from fright. "I... have never heard of such a condition. Does anybody have a cure?"

"..."

She was met with deafening silence. Whether they were elves or humans, none of the Elite grade scholars knew how to deal with the plague they were witnessing.

"I can’t go out like this! Let the others die, but not me! I was destined for greatness!" Russell screamed, turning frantic.

Soon enough, crimson roots spread from every corner of his body, while his flesh and blood were sucked away, leaving only a husk of human skeleton with hollow bones remaining.

He looked just like the skeletons the scholars had found all across the fortress.

"Don’t tell me..." Leonard was at a loss for words, his eyes darting across the place.

"All the fallen soldiers we saw... died the same way?"

Upon his realization, General Godfrey erupted into laughter.

"To think that we would get a live specimen! How fortunate!"

He wiped away a tear that had formed in the corner of his eye.

"However, that’s not quite right. The stronger the Bloodline of an awakener, the faster the vines will take root. That fool died fast, so he must have had a high-ranked Bloodline. Meanwhile, the majority of these fallen soldiers were much weaker... Their end was much more agonizing."

Leonard’s eyelid twitched, his gaze settling on the enemy general in the far distance.

He had grown up believing that monsters were the bane of all evil and that humans were meant to unite and put an end to them.

Yet this general had teamed up with a monster against his fellow humans?

Even though Sandromia had waged war due to a lack of food, such actions were simply...

"Unforgivable..." Leonard’s jaw tightened, rage boiling deep within him.

"You madman!" Albert roared and charged to attack. "What good will come of awakening such a monster before our fight?!"

"As long as we avoid letting them take root, everything will be fine!" General Godfrey grinned and met his charge. "We have been delayed for more than enough. It’s time we claim this fortress!"

Sandromia’s soldiers followed the order of their leader and lunged forward.

Some of them began firing arrows and harpoons with ropes tied to their ends.

When their metal tips embedded themselves into the stone, they were pulled back, with the aim of bringing down the walls.

As for the scholars stationed upon the walls, many began to descend and meet the soldiers in open confrontation. The fortifications had become unstable, and fighting outside was safer since most of the crimson roots were inside the outpost.

Meeting humans in combat was preferable to dealing with a potential disease that they didn’t understand.

"Goddammit! I misinterpreted the situation from the very start!" Leonard cursed bitterly.

Elizabeth’s eyes grew cold as she rotated her war scythe.

"Remember our purpose. We will cut them all down."

Leonard nodded, thankful that she had helped him regain his composure.

His attention shifted toward his party.

"Everyone, listen up—"

He began, only to see their eyes widen simultaneously in fear, all of them staring at him.

Before Leonard could react, an arrow pierced his throat sideways.

His blood splattered across Elizabeth’s face, her cold eyes melting into stunned disbelief.

Coming out the other end, the arrow was pulled back, dragging Leonard away from the fortress wall and right into the enemy’s ranks.

"LEONARD!"

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