Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

A claw mark, massive enough to span a hundred miles, tore down from the heavens and slammed against the city's protective barrier.

Hiss…

Only two soft sounds echoed.

It was as if the claw had scraped across silk.

And then, the grand array—an enormous, ancient construct—shattered silently. The entire sky dimmed in an instant. But the claw mark… it hadn't disappeared. It merely faded from a deep crimson to a lighter red.

Still lingering. Still lethal.

"Ormund…" Ethan's soul sense pulsed.

From the depths of his Mindscape, the colossal white tiger—previously absorbed into his Mindscape, emerged. It caught Ethan mid-air, just as he released his Ancient Demigod transformation.

"Blackie! Blast him!"

But the words had barely left Ethan's mouth when his two attacks had already landed.

Boom!

The earth cracked wide. Buildings collapsed. Everything in the attack's path disintegrated into dust. From above, Golden Falcon City looked neatly sliced into four sections.

"World-Ending Thunder Art: Infinite Thunders Unleashed — Blazing Inferno!"

The Black Qilin opened its massive jaws and released a compressed orb of lightning and flame. The moment it left its control, it exploded with a thunderous roar. A wave of fire and lightning burst outward, transforming into a sea of destruction. Crimson bolts of lightning poured from the sky, raining down with wrathful fury.

RUMBLE…

"Sigil of the Wild Legion: Anti-Flight!"

Ethan and Ormund executed a sharp turn, soaring above the chaos. Ethan hurled the sigil, activating a wide-range aerial suppression zone. Ten thousand beams of golden light burst outward, forming a dome that sealed the skies.

"Boss, you're a genius!" Blackie flew beside Ormund, watching the thundercloud below unleash hellfire on the city.

Ethan didn't respond. He was focused.

"Everyone, listen up!" he ordered through his soul voice. "Engage freely outside the thundercloud. Leave no one alive. If you meet someone too strong, send a signal!"

"Yes, sir!"

The twenty-thousand-strong army, previously hidden within an illusion barrier, surged outward, forming two sweeping wings that began to encircle the battlefield.

"Dana… unleash the hounds."

That world-ending move from the Black Qilin had been charging for over ten hours. Its destructive force was beyond compare. As the blazing thundercloud began to thin, Ethan saw the devastation it had left behind: a perfect circular blast zone, scorched earth turned a dark red, buildings reduced to ash.

"Dana… unleash the hounds!" Ethan repeated.

"I was waiting for you to say that!" Dana's fingers flashed into motion, rapidly weaving hand signs before chanting under her breath. To Ethan, it almost felt nostalgic—like watching Naruto as a kid.

Buzz…

A black rift opened in the sky, and monstrous roars erupted.

Countless unknown beasts began pouring through the portal.

Ethan had once asked Dana where these creatures came from.

She'd shrugged. "I don't know. That world is overflowing with beasts. Like tipping over a bucket of water—once you crack it open, they just… spill out."

That first rift was only the beginning. Dana formed more seals, and more black holes tore open across the sky.

Level 1 to 3 beasts flooded through the portals. Some crashed into the ground and were crippled on impact, but even broken, they remained savage—dragging themselves upright and pouncing on the falcons below, who had already been battered by thunder and flame.

Dana's psychic level was still too low to summon stronger creatures. She could only open the first layer of that otherworld. Still, it was enough.

Back during the Siege of Beastfall City, Dana had used this technique to overwhelm an entire warfront, even outnumbering the Pincer-Tailed Sand Badgers.

The drawback? These summoned beasts could only remain in the physical world for half an hour. After that, their bodies would dissolve into black energy, dissipating back to their realm.

Still, the damage was done.

The Golden Falcons were in disarray. First shaken by the bloodline-suppressing claw mark, then stripped of their flight—without which they could no longer dodge the bombardment. Ethan had anticipated their reliance on mobility, and the Anti-Flight field sealed their fate.

Millions of them fell. The survivors were wounded, reeling, barely alive.

Then came the beasts.

They were finished.

Ethan stood atop Ormund, surveying the battlefield with narrowed eyes.

"Julian," he called, speaking to the man riding Blackie nearby, "notice anything off?"

Julian frowned. "No War God-rank have made a move…"

Ethan felt it too. Something was wrong.

"Signal the others. Prepare for withdrawal."

He barely finished the sentence when a piercing whistle echoed from the northeast.

"Trouble," Julian said grimly.

It was the emergency flare—sent by the Central Dominion Guard.

Ethan's soul spread out, sweeping the battlefield—

"Shit… It's Bongo," he growled.

Without hesitation, Ormund surged forward, wind tearing past.

Hearing the name, Julian's expression darkened. The Black Qilin didn't wait for commands. It launched forward, thunder clapping with each step.

Bongo had been leading a ten-person stealth unit under illusion cover. They hadn't run into enemies—until now.

Two figures suddenly burst from the rubble—an old man with white hair and a beautiful young woman at his side. The girl's face was pale, clearly frightened. The old man had blood at the corner of his mouth.

It was Astrid and her grandfather—Alistair, Patriarch of the Golden Falcons.

They'd been caught in the center of the claw mark's path. The blast had injured him, despite his attempts to shield Astrid.

Bongo's gut twisted when she saw them.

Astrid—top of the tournament three years ago. A real talent. And Alistair… his aura was terrifying.

Worse still, his eyes locked onto their position immediately. Bongo realized the illusion was useless.

"We've been seen," she muttered.

Without hesitation, she launched a signal flare.

"Withdraw!"

But it was too late.

Alistair reached out with a withered hand. A golden projection materialized, stretching toward them like a giant's grasp.

"Stay."

Bongo's face hardened.

"Combined Strike Formation—Annihilation!"

Ten blades of energy converged into a single blast—BOOM!

The golden hand didn't flinch.

Blood burst from the mouths of all ten squad members and their Qilin mounts.

"Sister-in-law, run!" someone shouted.

The others didn't hesitate. They leapt forward, forming a living shield. They had one goal: buy Bongo a chance to escape.

"No!" she screamed.

But the illusionary Qilins moved too. Purple light flickered as the mounts threw themselves in front of their riders, raising protective shields.

Ethan saw everything unfold through his soul sense.

Bongo's Qilin twisted midair, fleeing toward Ethan's direction.

They were bonded now. After weeks of life-or-death battles, these mounts were no longer just illusions.

Bang!

The protective shield shattered like glass. The golden hand dimmed but didn't vanish. It swept through, catching Bongo and her entire team midair.

Blood sprayed from their mouths.

Then—Bongo disappeared.

Julian, who had been watching from afar, turned pale.

"BONGO!"

He urged Blackie forward, but the Qilin suddenly slammed on the brakes and reversed in panic.

"She's about to lose control—RUN!"

Without explanation, the Black Qilin turned and bolted, lightning trailing in its wake. It dragged Julian with it, ignoring his protests.

"What the hell was that?" Ormund hesitated, caught between advancing and retreating.

Then…

"You… deserve to die."

A soft, cracked voice pierced the air.

Bongo, who had been limp in the air, suddenly opened her eyes. She rose, her limbs straightening until she stood in the sky—radiating power.

"War God-level?" Ethan's eyes widened.

"No…" came a voice beside him.

Uncle Jed, weakened and resting on Ormund's back, sat up slowly. His eyes were wary. "Ethan, we need to get out. Now. That girl's not in her right mind."

"Ormund, retreat!" Ethan commanded.

Even as they turned, Bongo began to move. She crossed her arms before her chest, then sliced through the air.

A crimson light exploded before her, tearing open the sky.

"You deserve to die… You deserve to die…" she whispered again and again.

She extended her hand into the glowing rift.

Buzz…

The sky turned blood red. The atmosphere twisted. Reality inverted.

She pulled. Out came a hilt—then a sword, glowing with murderous energy. The moment it emerged, the killing intent surged like a tidal wave.

Bongo trembled. Her face paled. Her crimson eyes burned with literal flame.

She seized the sword with both hands. Her aura exploded—no longer that of a mere Awakened warrior. She was something far greater.

Something terrifying. As if she'd slain billions in lifetimes past.

"The sword must drink blood when it's drawn. It must extinguish all life when it returns."

A whisper echoed across the battlefield.

Bongo raised the sword—and slashed.

Alistair, once proud, now frozen in place—realized too late.

"ASTRID! RUN!"

With his last ounce of strength, he shoved the girl away, but his eyes, filled with horror, never left the sword bearing down upon him.