The Price of Usurpation and a Commoner’s Fury

“This outfit, I had a human tailor custom-make it for the Blood Feast, a commission that cost me twenty thousand…”

Head held high, Iqiyah strode before Sevilya, her gaze chillingly fixed on the enemy sprawled on the ground.

“Tell me, how do you plan to compensate me?”

“This, this…!?”

As she met the jubilant crimson glow in those scarlet eyes, fear surged through her, an uncontrollable torrent flooding Sevilya’s very being.

“This is impossible!”

“Even with [Raise Dead], there’s no way you could have recovered your power so swiftly! How could you possibly be… now!”

“Yes, logically speaking, it’s impossible.”

Behind Iqiyah, Seraphina extended her fist, slowly opening it to reveal a glowing orb, radiating brilliant golden light in the dim corridor.

“But what if… I applied a boost?”

Though Seraphina wore an expression of triumph, her back remained slick with cold sweat.

‘Phew… that was too close.’

“It’s fortunate, truly fortunate, that you’re such a chatterbox.”

“If you were a cold-blooded killer, I probably wouldn’t have had time to apply the boost to Iqiyah.”

“But how could this be possible!?” Facing a miracle beyond her comprehension, Sevilya gritted her teeth, “With your Level 1 magic power, it’s impossible to sustain the cost of a divine-tier spell! How could you even cast it repeatedly!?”

“Ah,” Seraphina placed a finger to her lips, deliberately adopting a curious pose, “Is there a possibility that I can cast supportive magic without any cost?”

“Hehe, don’t lie to me…”

“I’m not lying…” Seeing Sevilya’s disbelief, Seraphina shrugged helplessly, “Just use your [All-Seeing Eye] to see for yourself.”

“Tsk!” For some reason, Sevilya suddenly became furious, “Impossible! There can’t be a second person who can cast magic without cost!”

With a frantic wave of her hand, Sevilya summoned Seraphina’s status panel.

She gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowed to angry slits, and her brows furrowed into a deep ‘川’ shape, a picture of absolute fury.

“Impossible! This is impossible!”

As Sevilya swiped through the panel before her, the anger on her face gradually vanished. Her narrowed eyes widened, and her tightly furrowed brows slowly lifted from their downturned position.

“How can I see nothing at all!”

Sevilya’s fingers twitched rapidly, but no matter how hard she swiped and struggled with the panel, it consistently displayed only two lines of information—

Seraphina Scarlett:

[Race: Bloodkin], [Level: 1], [Strength: 1], [Endurance: 10], [Health: 20], [Magic: 1].

Oh no, there was actually another line of small text—

[We sincerely apologize, this information may not be viewable due to the following reasons: invalid information link, or inappropriate content.]

“Guh… My [All-Seeing Eye] is special! My [All-Seeing Eye] can see information others can’t!”

Faced with the failure of her trusted skill, Sevilya became hysterical.

“Clearly, relying on my [All-Seeing Eye], I’ve peered into the weaknesses of countless opponents! I’ve defeated countless foes a hundred times stronger than you!”

“But why? Why can’t I see your skills?”

“Can see information others can’t?”

Hearing Sevilya’s words, Seraphina was taken aback.

Distant memories flooded her mind, memories of the first day she met Iqiyah, when she had prostrated herself at Iqiyah’s feet and activated her [All-Seeing Eye]…

‘Come to think of it… my own [All-Seeing Eye] also displays an exceptional amount of information.’

“It seems to be the same type of [Blessing] as mine.”

“The same type of [Blessing]? Don’t make me laugh!”

Sevilya clutched her knees, staggering to her feet.

“You Bloodkin are nothing but a bunch of rats, doomed to hide from the sun your entire lives, only daring to scurry in dark, damp corners!”

Still reeling from the blow, she reached out towards the silver sword lying on the ground. With a whoosh, the sword flew up, returning to her hand in an instant.

“Filthy race, how dare you possess the same [Blessing] as me!?”

Struggling to steady her swaying body, Sevilya tilted her head back, nostrils flaring, and haughtily gazed down upon the Bloodkin before her.

“Ignorant Bloodkin, open your eyes and witness! The true power of my [Blessing]!”

[Divine: Absolute Usurpation]!!!

Like specters, countless wisps of white mist seeped from Sevilya’s body, twisting like tentacles in the air, surging forward to envelop the two of them.

“This is bad!” In that critical moment, Iqiyah lunged towards Seraphina, who had no protective power, “Seraphina, quickly, get away!”

Thud!

Though Iqiyah had managed to tackle Seraphina out of the mist’s path, the white vapor seemed to possess a tracking ability, abruptly veering in mid-air and hurtling straight towards the two figures prone on the ground.

“Hmph↓ Hmph↑ Hmph↓ Hmph↑ Hmph↓, abandon your futile struggles!”

As the white mist enveloped them, a look of wild arrogance bloomed on Sevilya’s face.

[Absolute Usurpation] is a gift bestowed upon me by the gods! This skill can completely, utterly, plunder the power from your bodies and add it to my own!”

“Not only that, once activated, no matter where you flee, my [Blessing] will track you! It will drain every last drop of power from your bodies!”

‘This is bad!’

Seeing no escape, Seraphina quickly activated her [All-Seeing Eye].

‘Since evasion is impossible, I can only try to find a flaw in her skill!’

However, the scene that unfolded before her utterly dumbfounded Seraphina.

Within the [All-Seeing Eye]’s display, Sevilya’s panel showed precisely the same information she had just described—

Aside from her name, race, four basic stats, and that ‘sincerely apologize’ message, no other information was displayed!

“What’s wrong, Seraphina?” Seeing Seraphina’s shocked expression, Iqiyah quickly asked with concern, “Did you see anything on her panel?”

“N-no…” Seraphina stared at the panel, “I didn’t see anything…”

“Hehehehe!”

Simultaneously, before the two of them.

“I feel it! I feel it!”

Sevilya stood hunched, like a monstrous creature, amidst countless white mists.

The swirling thick mist, like a storm, began to rotate around Sevilya’s body, engulfing the surrounding air to form a powerful circular wind wall, so vast in its reach that it encompassed both Seraphina and Iqiyah.

“Hahahahaha! Power! It’s constantly surging into my body!”

Sevilya’s golden hair obscured her face, making it difficult for Seraphina to see clearly.

Yet, even so, two faint red glows were vaguely discernible, flickering within the swirling white mist.

“Wryyyyyyy!!! This feeling of being filled with power, it’s making me absolutely ecstatic!”

“Hey, Seraphina, what do we do now?”

Seeing Sevilya absorb her power, Iqiyah immediately panicked.

“Our power, plus her power… wouldn’t that just give her the upper hand again!?”

“…Not quite.”

“?”

Facing the formidable enemy who had seized Iqiyah’s power, the black-haired Bloodkin showed no trace of panic on her face.

“Though I couldn’t see it before, now, I see it perfectly clearly.”

Seraphina hunkered down, struggling against the fierce storm raging around her.

At the same time, she stared intently at the floating panel before her. Unlike the blankness from earlier, Sevilya’s panel was now densely filled with various pieces of information.

“Lady Iqiyah, she has indeed acquired your power.”

“But… she doesn’t seem to have taken the [Boost] I applied to you.”

“And at the same time, you yourself are extremely weak; the power of the [True Ancestor’s Blood] is almost depleted…”

“Therefore, there’s only one thing she could have taken—”

[Blood Debt]!

Gah!

As if to confirm Seraphina’s words, Sevilya, who had just been in such ecstasy, suddenly let out a miserable shriek and collapsed to her knees.

“Wh-what’s happening? My life force is draining away!”

With [Blood Debt] taking effect, the white mist around Sevilya rapidly dissipated, and the wind wall swiftly collapsed.

“Gah! My power! My power is also gone…”

It seemed [Blood Debt] had come due, and Sevilya instantly lost all her power, collapsing to her knees with a thud.

She struggled to extend her hands, staring desperately at her palms, trying to gather even a shred of power, but it was utterly impossible.

“Alright, give up struggling, little upstart.”

Facing the disheveled Sevilya on her knees, Seraphina slowly walked up to her, hips thrust forward, arms crossed, looking down at her imperiously.

“Lots of fancy tricks, but unfortunately, they’re useless.”

“Seraphina, be careful, don’t get too close to her.” Seeing Seraphina too near Sevilya, Iqiyah couldn’t help but worry, moving to stand beside her, “Who knows what other tricks this one might have up her sleeve.”

“Don’t worry, Lady Iqiyah, I have some questions I want to ask her.”

Seraphina raised a hand, declining Iqiyah’s protection. Then, she bent down, and with a delicate grasp, pinched Sevilya’s cheek.

“Hmm~ quite fair-skinned.” Seraphina smiled faintly, “Pretty lady, may I ask you a question?”

“Get lost! Don’t touch me with your filthy hands! You lowly Bloodkin!”

A mouthful of spit landed directly on Seraphina’s face.

“Hmph, black hair… Let me guess, you’re one of those Bloodkin transformed from a rat, aren’t you?”

Even gripped in Seraphina’s hand, Sevilya remained utterly arrogant, her eyes brimming with contempt for Seraphina.

“To not even have heard of my title, Sevilya the Blessed, you must be some wild spawn from an unknown backwater…”

For some reason, Sevilya, who had expressed respect for Seraphina not long ago, now mercilessly mocked her.

“To fall into the hands of such a minor character like you, it truly makes me feel pathetic.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Seraphina felt her hand tremble uncontrollably.

“To a bumpkin like you who doesn’t even know the name Sevillas, I have nothing to say.”

‘Bumpkin.’

“Alright, just kill me quickly. Every second in your hands is…”

Thud!

The tip of the staff was fitted with a sharp spike for self-defense.

Used correctly, it could easily penetrate a person’s skull.

Pulling out the blood-stained staff, Seraphina coldly eyed the Knight, who lay dead with eyes wide open. She then extended her hand, conjuring a ball of light.

[Divine: Raise Dead]

Waaah!!!

As blood flowed backward and her skull reknitted, Sevilya’s recently departed life miraculously returned to Seraphina’s hands once more.

This time, however, it was not such a gentle kneading.

“You listen to me, you idiotic noble.”

Forcefully yanking Sevilya up by her hair, Seraphina ignored the wails in her grip and violently shook the golden head.

“I, Seraphina Scarlett, hate being called a bumpkin more than anything.”

“That’s right, I am a commoner. I am a commoner from a rural place whose very name is unknown.”

“Without noble lineage, without inherent wealth, I existed alone in this world, enduring your noble insults and humiliations every day, as if it were my predetermined fate.”

Seraphina recalled those days of humiliation, the disdainful gazes of those three nobles.

“But… you remember this.”

Staring intently into the continuously trembling blue pupils before her, Seraphina gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with crimson light.

“King Goujian of Yue endured hardship, sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall, and ultimately destroyed the State of Wu…”

“One day, I will conquer this world and stomp all you disgusting nobles underfoot.”

“I will make you truly savor the taste of being humiliated by the commoners you despise!”

“Pipe dreams…”

“What did you say?”

“I said, pipe dreams!”

Without warning, Sevilya’s brows furrowed, and she suddenly erupted with immense power, forcefully tearing free from Seraphina’s grasp.

Immediately after, with a tremendous boom, a cloud of thick white smoke suddenly billowed around Seraphina.

“Seraphina! Are you alright!” Seeing the turn of events, Iqiyah quickly rushed to Seraphina’s side, grabbing her arm and shielding her.

“I’m fine…”

Seraphina looked at the thick smoke.

After a long moment, the smoke cleared, revealing that the previously intact wall now had nothing but a massive hole.

Looking inward, similar-sized holes marred every parallel wall—clearly the work of the same person.

“Tsk, she got away…”