NOVEL NEXT Chapter 411: Savior of the Shoals!
The cyclone shattered. What had once been an unstoppable wall of wings and wind disintegrated into a blizzard of feathers and blood. The lesser crows were torn apart in droves, their shrieks cut short as chains of blood dragged them screaming into nothingness.
The horrendous cacophony that had terrorized the sky suddenly broke apart into silence, abrupt and absolute. One heartbeat ago, the skies had thundered with shrieks and storms of wings, yet now only the wind remained, howling through the shredded forest and across the torn shoreline.
For the merfolk cowering beneath their wavering barrier, the change was unreal. They had braced for annihilation, their hearts drowning in despair, only to look up and find the impossible. Their executioners had been turned into a flesh heap.
High above, wings of blood spread wide against the purple heavens, as Damon slowly descended, continuing to absorb all of the blood essence. The blood essence of hundreds of slain crow demons poured into him in a torrent, searing through his veins like molten fire, and he loved every second of it.
His wind affinity was shooting through the roof. He had once again gained ten levels, which was an amazing feat as gaining levels after hitting level 100 was a huge pain in general.
Thanks to the crows being simple beasts with just a few skills, he even ended up upgrading the [Wind Blade] and [Wind Hurricane] skills to level 5. Not to mention the hundreds of demonic beast cores he had gained in the blink of an eye.
Overall, he had gained a harvest so outrageous it bordered on absurd. His stats surged across the board. The system's flood of notifications hadn't stopped yet.
Dealing with a horde of level 100 plus beasts was not a simple feat. Entire guilds in his last life had been wiped out by less. Hence, the reward for such an impossible accomplishment was equally outrageous.
A normal player would have needed weeks of grinding, countless raids, and entire guilds backing them just to scrape a fraction of what he had gained tonight.
Damon let out a deep sigh, taking everything in. He tilted his head back, crimson eyes glinting against the purple sky, and allowed himself the briefest smile. The Bloodlands were proving to be everything he had hoped for.
Brutal, unforgiving, yet endlessly rewarding for those willing to claw their way through. And Damon was more than willing. If this was the power he could gain from one night of slaughter, then just how far could he climb?
The shredded coastline stretched before him, a graveyard of black feathers and broken wings. Erin had already started collecting all the drops and the demonic cores. Even as the corpses started disappearing one after another, plenty remained for them to harvest.
Damon's gaze then shifted to the merpeople. Thankfully, it looked like none of them had been hurt or injured during the battle. "Is everyone fine?"
Damon's words snapped them out of the daze they were in. The merfolk blinked, their glowing eyes darting between one another as though confirming this wasn't some fever dream.
Slowly, cautiously, they lowered their shields, the dome of shimmering water collapsing back into the lagoon with a hiss. A few warriors still clutched their tridents tightly, knuckles white against coral shafts, but most let their weapons dip beneath the surface, their tension unraveling into awe.
"Yes…" The lead merwoman whispered, her jade-colored scales gleaming faintly. She pressed a trembling hand to her chest as if steadying her racing heart. "Yes, Blood God… we are alive. Because of you."
Her words rippled through the gathering. Merfolk voices rose, some choked with disbelief, others exalting in raw relief. A few whispered prayers to the Tides, others simply floated in stunned silence.
They had prepared to die tonight, to be ripped apart by the murder of crows, and yet, here they were, whole. Safe. Saved by the vampire who stood calmly amidst the wreckage as if what he had done was nothing more than a casual stroll.
"Blood God!" they cried, tails thrashing the water in reverence. "Savior of the Shoals! Slayer of the Murder!" The lagoon erupted into frenzied praise, the sound rolling like a tidal wave across the coast.
What had begun as fear turned into unrestrained worship. Everyone bowed towards Damon in unison. The lead merwoman then stepped forward. The burly merman joined her, driving his trident into the sand in a solemn pledge.
"Blood God, tonight, our tide binds itself to you. Should you call, we will answer. Should you bleed, we will fight at your side. This, I swear in the name of the Tides."
The lead merwoman lowered her head, hair floating like strands of black-green silk in the current. Her jade-colored scales shimmered faintly as she pressed both palms together, lifting them toward Damon in a gesture of sacred offering.
"You have not only saved our Shoals from a cataclasmic doom… You have given us back our pride. We are yours to call upon, Blood God. From this night forth, the Crimson Shoals will pledge ourselves to you. We are yours to command as you please."
The burly merman drove his trident deeper into the sand, bowing until his scaled brow touched the shore. His voice rumbled like a storm beneath the sea. "This oath will not break. Not while the tide flows, not while our scales gleam beneath the moon. By the Shoals, by the Tides, we are yours."
[Ding! Your reputation with the Crimson Shoals has increased.]
[Ding! Your reputation with the Crimson Shoals has increased.]
[Ding! Your reputation with the Crimson Shoals has reached the maximum limit.]
[Ding! You are now revered with the Crimson Shoals.]
[Ding! You are now honored with the Crimson Shoals.]
[Ding! You are now Exalted with the Crimson Shoals.]
[Ding! The Crimson Shoals have offered you the role of faction leader. Do you wish to accept the faction under your command?]
The lead merwoman and burly merman both knelt lower, their scaled hands pressed flat against the sand. Their voices rose together in solemn unison. "Take the Tide, Blood God. Lead us, and the sea shall bend to your will. Refuse, and still we will follow, for our Shoals belong to you."