SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God Chapter 699 Blood Avatar

"A... clone?" Phoenix repeated, her eyebrows arching high in surprise. Meira blinked a couple of times, her flames wavering hesitantly until they faded away. Erin refused to drop her defenses, though. Her serpentine coils adjusted position, causing the stone floor to creak faintly under her bulk as the heavy abyssal aura grew denser in the air. "A blood clone that moves on its own, speaks, deceives, and battles?" she questioned in a composed tone. "One able to unleash abilities, conceal its presence, and trick even your linked companions?" Her narrow pupils sharpened further. "That's far from an ordinary method."

Damon let out another chuckle. "Naturally not. Simply dubbing it a clone sells it short. See it as... my blood avatar. A far-off form cultivated from my blood, bearing a portion of my soul, resolve, recollections, and might. It serves as an advanced take on my shadow clone." In truth, more elements went into it beyond this summary.

Damon continued to delve into the ability. Though the core technique came from one of the werevampires, he had fused it with the blood avatar method that Little Red instructed him in, along with elements of the shadow clone approach.

The sole downside involved surrendering a fragment of his soul. Provided he reunited with the clone, that soul piece would flow back to him effortlessly, blending in without trouble. The merging happened smoothly, yet Damon couldn't misuse it recklessly. Should the avatar get obliterated prior to reunion, that soul fragment would vanish permanently. Not sufficient to weaken him severely, but potent enough to sting. Potent enough to warn him against treating this ability as disposable.

Erin drew in a soft breath, her head dipping in comprehension. Reverence shone in her gaze as she eased her stance. "Pardon my caution, my lord. I only sought to safeguard my mistresses."

Damon dismissed it with a relaxed gesture, a swirl of blood mist briefly coiling around his fingertips before vanishing. "No apologies required," he replied casually. "That very vigilance is precisely why I entrust them to you."

Erin lowered her enormous head in deep respect, every movement radiating devotion, and the final remnants of abyssal aura seeped out of the cavern. She shifted back to her human-like shape once more. The crushing heaviness evaporated as though it had never been there, giving way again to the soft trickle of water drops and subtle waves on the pool's surface.

"In any case..." Damon grinned. "Ready for one final session of meridian clearing before the tournament kicks off?"

Aurora let out a light laugh and bounced over to him, linking her arms with his. "Come on, darling. I aim to grow as powerful as you." She began prodding him in various spots. "Wow. It all feels exactly like the real you."

She murmured contentedly, her fingers jabbing his arm, then his torso, then looping around repeatedly like a researcher verifying data. "Mmm. Identical heat. Identical hot hubby. Fantastic! Darling, will you show me how to do this? Pretty please. Pretty please. That way, I could craft a shadowy avatar too and stick by your side wherever you venture."

Damon's expression flickered. Having this playful temptress trail him constantly seemed risky, yet intriguing too. "I'll assist you. We'll tackle it once the event wraps up." He chuckled and gave her a gentle pat. "Meanwhile, how about we train a bit?"

At that, the group dove into activity, with Damon guiding their mana channels.

Over at the camp meanwhile, Damon's primary form snapped his eyes wide with a wide smile. "What an incredible ability." He wiggled his fingers, mirroring the motions of his blood avatar. He maintained a degree of linkage with his shadow clone across distances, able to view its sights, direct it, and even swap places. The clone could deploy certain of his techniques as well, though it felt like overseeing a subordinate. A separate being.

But this felt entirely distinct. The blood avatar acted more like a limb of his own being. Not another person. It was him, divided in two, present in dual locations. Damon shut his eyes and reached out to perceive all that unfolded in the cavern.

After a while, he attempted exchanging his true form with the blood clone, and suddenly he stood amid his companions in the basin. He swapped back flawlessly without a hitch.

Excitement sparkled in Damon's gaze. Armed with this clone, his options expanded greatly. Regrettably, he could summon just one at present, though two blood avatars already labored within his soul realm.

Damon realized he could produce additional ones, but his soul power held him back once more. It appeared progress in numerous fields hinged on bolstering his soul power beforehand.

Damon breathed out steadily. Soul power. It all revolved around that core. Bloodline, avatars, elite techniques—every potent route required a soul robust enough to endure the load. Currently, his physique and bloodline surged forward rapidly, leaving his soul trailing, pulled taut like a sword hammered in haste. If a foe ever struck that flaw head-on... the fallout would prove dire.

It stood as his weakest base right now, and the barrier that would determine his peak strength before mightier forces arrived at his threshold.

Damon shifted attention to various vampiric abilities he'd acquired from slaughtering the vampire forces. Maybe due to the ancient souls from bygone eras fused with the creatures, they offered a wealth of fascinating techniques.

Overall, his gains from this venture proved remarkable. For starters, the blood avatar ability. Next came the bat technique he'd recently wrapped up testing.

[Murder of Bats: Allows the user to dissolve their physical body into a swarm of blood-forged bats. Each bat carries a fragment of the user's will, perception, and blood authority. The swarm may scatter, reconverge, or reform into the user's body at will. While dispersed, the user gains omnidirectional vision and enhanced stealth. Damage dealt to individual swarm units is partially negated, but sustained destruction of the swarm places strain on the user's soul.]