The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 2020: First Blood Claim Ritual (3)

Aylith didn’t want to accept it.

She didn’t want to accept that she couldn’t get her warning through Mayar’s thick head.

But now, it was clear that no matter what she said, he would never heed her warning.

For him, she was already dead.

And no matter how badly she wanted him to understand the situation he was in, there was simply not a chance for her to be heard. In order for her to really force a reaction from him, she needed her old power back, using force to get his attention.

So, there was no other choice but to give up.

Even now, while being trapped by the foreign power, Mayar was still growling and struggling.

Still didn’t see her.

Since he was so adamant about ignoring her as if she were nothing but air, she resolved to step back—and let nature run its course. Many would call it cruel for her to do this, as after all, he was still her son, but this height of power was not the same as the world of the weak.

Hard and demented choices needed to be made.

For the sake of power, many forgot about the crucial things in life.

Either way, it was Mayar’s decision to be stubborn, and she has no right to force him to do anything.

Mayar might not realize it until now, but his life was on the palm of his mother’s hand.

Roar—!

He struggled, desperately. His monstrous form trembled with the sheer force of his divine might. Sickly green fur blazed as immortal energy erupted from every pore, a maelstrom of God-power that should’ve reduced everything around him to meat paste.

Rex, Davina, Lilliana—all of them should’ve been erased by that pressure alone.

But the Uncrowned Matron of Ire held him fast.

Her crimson presence coiled around his body like chains of solidified blood—and no matter how much divinity he unleashed, there was no crack to exploit. No point of weakness. He could not even shift one finger, much less break free.

Rex watched with a pleasant expression, entirely unbothered.

In fact, he was inspecting Mayar as if he were a scientist inspecting a specimen inside a glass tube.

Even though the divine might was completely held by the Uncrowned Matron of Ire, he could still feel Mayar’s power. The wind rising from Mayar’s immortal energy was completely different from his own. It was denser, richer, and layered with a magnitude he couldn’t hope to match.

Clearly, there were levels to immortal energy.

That was useful information.

One that would cost a fortune if he asked about it through the System.

ROAR—!

Another eruption of divine might exploded from Mayar’s body.

And this time, it overpowered the Uncrowned Matron of Ire’s presence for a fraction of a second.

Rex could see that Mayar was trying to morph—into something else. Another form that was even more monstrous than the one he was using right now. But there was no need to worry about it. The Uncrowned Matron of Ire didn’t say a thing to him, so it must be all under control.

Just then, a notification flashed into his vision.

Several notifications, to be exact.

<Notice: the user has been exposed to a higher version of immortal energy!>

<...50%>

<...67%>

<...100%!>

<Due to the long exposure to a higher version of immortal energy, the user’s body, mind, and soul have adapted to it. Obtained Divine Pressure Resistance passive skill!>

"Oh...?" Rex was pleasantly surprised by these notifications. "I thought I needed to devour something to trigger the Nigh-divine Adaptation skill. What happened?"

<Notice: Just being exposed to a higher form of power would help the user in resisting its pressure. In this case—the user has never been exposed to the real presence of a God and its power. Being exposed to it for the first time allowed the user to adapt to it naturally without the need for the skill.>

It was the same with being in a cold climate.

A person from a tropical climate would struggle in a cold climate, and he would get sick fast. But once the initial shock passed, adaptation comes quickly. He would adapt to the temperature naturally. In this case, Rex’s body had learned to endure the presence of a God.

Of course, based on the passive skill he obtained, he could only resist the pressure.

Not the immortal energy itself.

A good passive skill, but not an excellent one. But regardless, it would help him in the Purgation Duel.

But then, to his surprise, it didn’t end there.

<Notice: the user’s Betas, Davina and Lilliana, had also adapted due to the long exposure. Both obtained the Divine Pressure Resistance passive skill, too.>

Rex looked over his shoulder and saw them breathing heavily not too far behind him.

And now, almost instantly after the notification from the System, the two were straightening their backs as their bodies endured the divine pressure even more. Bringing them along was the right thing to do—despite the fact that it was dangerous.

Once their backs were straight, their eyes didn’t go to him.

Instead, their eyes went straight to the crimson apparition overhead—the crimson phantom of a woman seated on some kind of throne, legs crossed in a relaxed manner, and exuding a presence that made their souls feel like glass in a storm.

Rex glanced at them and offered them the most casual reassurance he could manage.

"Meet the Uncrowned Matron of Ire," Rex introduced—gesturing at the crimson phantom with an open palm. "She’s a part of the faction I’m in, and she’d help me with this in exchange for something else. And don’t worry, she’s friendly... At least for now."

"For now...?" Lilliana repeated and swallowed harshly.

Beside her, Davina also did the same—her eyes couldn’t peel away from the crimson phantom.

Even though her mind was spinning from her bloodline’s completion, she couldn’t look away.

That phrase Rex used, for now, sent a chill racing down their spines.

An entity capable of holding a God in utter helplessness—and it was only friendly for now? Neither of them appreciated that horrifying thought. The thought of having to face something like this entity, which existed beyond the scope of power comprehensible by their minds.

"Okay... Go on ahead, and do what you need to do," Lilliana said. Her voice was somewhat softer than it was before, like she had lost her voice. "Davina and I are going to wait right here."

Rex shrugged his shoulders and walked toward Aylith.

"Are you ready?"

"Hm?"

Aylith blinked and peeled her eyes away from the crimson phantom. An entity that she realized was stronger than her even back in her prime. Not by much—but meeting an entity like that was still a rarity. Especially one who would even entertain a meager individual like Rex. Unless the two originated from the same place or faction.

And then, her mind suddenly clicked.

"You’re a Sci—"

"Shh... Let’s not talk about that and focus on the moment."

Realizing that she almost said the faction’s name aloud, she closed her mouth and sealed her lips.

No need to speak about something she didn’t need to.

At least now she has the justification for why she felt like Rex was someone dangerous from the start.

"Let’s start by making a connection between us. Make me your Demigod."

"You want... me to make you my Demigod? Do you even want that? I’m a fallen Goddess."

"I don’t care about that. I told you I can help you return to your prime, didn’t I? Just leave those things to me. I valued loyalty. Allies. And in my eyes—a fallen Goddess who cared about her children, whom I wanted to kill, is a perfect match, no?"

Rex didn’t filter any of his words.

Being truthful seemed to be the right thing to do right now, and he was right.

Now, Aylith knew what he wanted from her, and didn’t need to feel burdened by this.

Rex didn’t waste any more time and sat down on the moonlit ground in a meditative position—turning his back away from Aylith. He moved decisively, as if he knew the process, as if he was living a second life.

Nevertheless, she decided to comply and follow his lead.

But then, as she stood behind Rex, she stopped as a thought came to mind.

"In order for me to make you my Demigod—to forge a connection that is both mature and stable—I needed energy." Aylith hesitated; the admission dragged something hollow out of her. She felt powerless once again. "After the Realm Degradation... there’s nothing left. I have nothing."

"Oh, right." Rex stretched his hand towards Mayar, and then flicked his fingers.

Behind him, the blood circle began to glow. Dark light pulsed through the intricate symbols, and from its edges, wicked tendrils of blood seeped upward; twenty in total. Each rose like a serpent seeking prey, and then hissed at the one above them.

They hovered around Mayar’s trapped form, swaying with terrible patience.

Mayar thrashed and snarled, or at least tried to, but he remained utterly helpless.

"Royal Black Prince!" He roared. "What are you doing to me?! Do you think you can get away with—doing this to me?!"

Instead of getting the answer from Rex, he got a reaction from the blood tendrils instead.

All of them struck at once as if they had a united mind.

The tendrils stabbed deep into Mayar’s skin, piercing through divine flesh as though it were paper.

The God let out a guttural, agonized growl that tore through the broken realm. His body convulsed—as the tendrils brightened and began to feed. They wobbled, swelling like throats gulping down liquid, and with each pulse, something vast and sacred was siphoned from him.

His divinity.

The very essence of his godhood, sucked into the blood circle like wine through a hungry mouth.

Rex activated the First Blood Claim Ritual, and now it began to feed.

And Mayar, the God of the Harvest Full Moon, could do nothing but howl in agony.

"Did you think I’m only going to kill Mayar?" Rex glanced over his shoulder and stared at Aylith, who was shocked to see what was happening to Mayar. "No—I’m going to sacrifice him and use his divinity to complete this process and more."

"Having his divinity pulled out of him forcefully... That pain is beyond any pain in existence."

"Oh? Are you feeling sentimental? Want to go back on your word?"

"N-No... I already gave you my word, so I’m going to go through with it. Regardless of what."

"Then start the process."

Aylith closed her eyes, and the world around her stilled. She drew a slow breath—and her divine senses unfolded like petals in the dark, stretched beyond. The blood circle pulsed not too far away—humming with stolen divinity, and she reached for the silver star mark at its center.

A greenish streak of energy rose from the mark, coiling upward like a serpent of living moonlight.

It swayed before it merged into Aylith’s body.

Her body absorbed it without resistance, and the process began. She didn’t simply pass the harvested divinity through. She refined it, filtered it through the essence of the Greater Moon that still lived within her wounded divinity.

Once done, she turned her focus inward, toward Rex.

Her divine senses slipped past his flesh, past the borders of his mortal frame, and found the hidden space within him—the divine space, the source of his immortal energy. She probed it—mapped its contours, and understood its nature.

Only then did she move.

Her energy infiltrated the space, flowing into it like moonlight through a broken sky. She gathered every shred of the divinity she had harvested and began to shape it, pressing it together. The power condensed, folded in upon itself, and slowly, it transformed into a sphere.

A celestial body of pale, radiant light.

The Greater Moon took form inside Rex’s divine space, and it elevated him to a true Demigod.