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

A hundred miles away, Ethan saw it—a crimson streak tearing through the sky like a blood-red comet. His heart seized violently.

The aura that followed was suffocating, like the breath of death itself.

"This power… could it be…?"

He'd only ever sensed something like this once before—from that Boss, the Blood King. But even then, it hadn't been this intense.

---

Bongo's strike had ended, yet the blood-red sword she held still shimmered with violent energy.

The blade vibrated once. Then, without warning, a line of blood light erupted from it, cutting through the air and streaking straight toward Alistair.

The moment the blood arc closed in, Alistair's skin prickled. His scalp tingled. A bone-deep premonition of death seized his soul.

But he wasn't just any person—he was a War God-level veteran who'd held that rank for over a thousand years. A supreme expert, feared and revered.

Snapping out of his shock, Alistair clenched his teeth and roared. His body expanded in an instant.

Golden light engulfed him as he transformed into his true form: a massive golden bird, his aura blazing like an inferno climbing into the heavens. With a screech, he raised his claws and slashed down toward the incoming sword light.

"Patriarch!"

Far in the distance, Astrid—flung away earlier by Alistair's palm—cried out. Tears streaked down her face. She recognized that light: he was burning his demon core.

Alistair opened his beak wide, and from within emerged a shimmering golden bone. He spat it forward—an ancestral artifact.

The bone was a wing, radiating light and fury. It blasted toward the blood sword, backed by winds and lightning.

Ethan, watching from afar, recognized it instantly. Having eaten his fair share of chicken wings, he knew—it was the middle section.

---

The two forces met.

The blood-colored sword light sliced through the golden wing bone without slowing.

Hiss…

A sound sharp and soft. The artifact, passed down through generations, was severed like paper.

Next came the claws.

Crack!

With a shrill shriek, Alistair's golden claws shattered. The blood light carved through them cleanly, scattering radiant shards like falling stardust.

"Aaaaaagh!"

Alistair howled. Both his claws were gone.

Thrown back hundreds of yards, he tried to stabilize in the air. But before he could recover, a blood mark appeared on his chest, cutting through his robes. His legs buckled beneath him, and he dropped from the sky.

The sword hadn't just destroyed an ancestral treasure and torn through his beast form's defenses—it was draining the very life from him.

"You... you're..."

Alistair looked at the petite girl standing in midair, her blood sword still humming. Then, as if a horrifying realization dawned on him, his expression contorted in fear.

But he couldn't finish his sentence. A fine line opened on his forehead.

Then, with a boom, his body split cleanly in two—falling to the earth in twin arcs of golden blood, his true form collapsing into broken wings.

---

"Run!"

Ethan's breath caught as Bongo's blazing red eyes turned toward them.

He cursed himself for not listening to Black Qilin earlier. That guy had run faster than a rabbit and clearly knew something.

"We can't outrun her!"

Uncle Jed's hands trembled as he drew his Silver Dragon Spear.

Ormund's figure blurred forward, moving fast enough to create a sonic boom—but even that wasn't enough.

In a blink, Bongo stood before them.

Ormund stopped abruptly. Any further, and he'd have rammed into her.

"You all deserve to die… You all deserve to die..."

Bongo's voice was barely above a whisper, but each repetition dripped with madness.

Standing atop his tiger mount, Ethan clenched his fists. No choice. I'll have to use another forbidden spell... Hope I survive it this time.

"Die..."

Bongo raised her sword again, pointing it directly at Ethan and the others.

They froze.

Uncle Jed held his spear in one hand, forming a finger seal with the other. Golden light coalesced at his fingertip as he aimed it toward his own Core.

He was preparing to unseal his true power. Even if it brought heavenly tribulation down on his head, he was ready to die alone if it meant saving the others.

"Wait!"

Ethan suddenly grabbed his wrist. Jed's fingertip stopped just a breath away from his Core.

Then, as if someone flipped a switch, the aura vanished. The blood-red sword in Bongo's hand dissolved into mist. Her body shuddered—and she collapsed backward.

"Ormund!"

Before Ethan could even shout, Ormund darted down and caught her mid-air.

Dana quickly took her into her arms as Ethan and Jed rushed over.

Bongo lay unconscious, her brow furrowed. Though her eyes were closed, faint trails of red flame still seeped from the corners.

"How is she?" Ethan asked, his voice tight.

Dana shook her head helplessly.

He wanted to use his Soul Sense to check her condition—but hesitated. She was Julian's wife. That would cross a line.

---

"Ethan, run! Now!"

Black Qilin's voice boomed from behind. He wasn't alone—Central Dominion Guards had arrived with him.

Ethan frowned. Blackie was always shouting about retreating, but this time... something was off.

"Ethan... run quickly..." Julian's voice echoed right after.

Then—BOOM!

A deafening roar shook the skies. Ethan turned. His eyes widened.

The sky was splitting open. Countless colossal figures poured through the void behind them—War God-rank powerhouses.

The ones from the intelligence reports... they'd come.

Black Qilin was already beside Ormund, checking on Bongo.

Ethan scanned the approaching army. Then, with a wave of his hand, he swept Jed, Dana, and the unconscious Bongo onto the back of the Black Qilin.

Julian caught her, stunned.

"Ormund, you're with me. We'll hold them off. Julian—there are still ten people alive down below. Get them out.

Make a wide detour. Head for the outskirts of Hurricane City."

Without waiting for a response, Ormund launched himself forward—straight into the enemy tide.

"Ethan!"

Dana and Jed shouted after him.

Julian hesitated. But then he remembered the look in Ethan's eyes as they passed each other. That was all it took.

Gritting his teeth, Julian knocked Uncle Jed out cold.

With his power sealed, Jed was only Sovereign-tier now. He'd be a liability on the battlefield.

"Central Dominion Guard—full speed! Withdraw!"

The 20,000 soldiers stared in disbelief.

Ethan had just blazed past them, and now… they were being ordered to retreat?

But duty was duty. And while Ethan had proven himself over the past two weeks with his unorthodox tactics and string of victories, Julian was still their commander.

Orders were orders.

---

"Ormund…" Ethan stood on his tiger's head, watching the storm approach. "You afraid?"

"Who isn't afraid of dying?" Ormund replied without hesitation.

Ethan let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah... me too. But behind us are twenty thousand brothers. We can't afford fear."

Ormund didn't speak again. He didn't need to. The look in his eyes said everything Ethan needed to hear.