Wizard: Unlimited Profession Slots Chapter 824 - 369: "Loving Father" (Part 3)

As he uttered these words, the tendrils of blood intensified their power even further.

A violent tremor ran through the entirety of the scarlet palace.

The intricate network of blood vessels adorning the palace suddenly erupted with a blinding scarlet radiance, resembling sparking copper wires.

What followed was a truly astonishing spectacle.

Every member of the Blood Race within the palace, irrespective of their standing, was compelled to congregate at the Central Square.

Their eyes, stripped of all former intelligence and reason, now held only a vacant, mechanical obedience.

Even the esteemed Blood Race Nobles moved forward, like shuffling corpses, their former dignity lost.

Uphemia observed this grim scene with a chilling detachment, her heart unmoved.

Having witnessed countless such "harvests" before, she had long grown accustomed to the brutality.

Yet, a faint whisper in the deepest recesses of her heart posed a question:

What if, one day, "Father" no longer required her? Would her fate be any different?

"My children..."

Aiden's voice resonated like a divine decree, saturated with a twisted form of "love":

"The moment of your ultimate glory has arrived – to make the sacrifice for your father... Fear not, resist not, for this is the highest purpose your existence can achieve..."

The instant his words ceased, the Blood Race gathered in the square erupted into a horrifyingly brutal bloodbath.

They turned upon each other with the most primitive, savage fury imaginable.

Claws ripped through flesh, fangs crushed bone, and dismembered organs rained down around them.

The strong preyed upon the weak, and the survivors were forced into an unrelenting cycle of combat until merely a handful of blood-drenched victors remained.

These final survivors, before they could even savor the fleeting triumph, were compelled by Aiden’s power to transmute into pure Blood Dew, collected without a single drop lost.

This entire grim procession, which spanned less than two hours, utterly annihilated Asmond’s accumulated power forged over millennia.

The once thriving domain of the Blood Race was reduced to nothing but lingering bloodstains and scattered bones.

"This Blood Dew... is the rightful compensation for my beloved daughter..."

Aiden’s tone softened once more, as if the preceding slaughter was merely a minor household chore:

"Uphemia, accept it... This is the enduring love of your father for you..."

A Blood Red Crystal Ball, roughly the size of a fist, detached itself from the tendrils, drifting slowly towards Uphemia.

Upon accepting the Crystal Ball, Uphemia could distinctly feel the residual agony and despair of thousands of vanished lives contained within the small orb, a silent, desperate cry directed at her.

However, her countenance remained utterly impassive as she responded with rote formality: "Thank you for your abundant generosity, Father."

"And you, Asmond..."

Aiden’s gaze redirected itself back towards the Blood Tear Duke, who lay collapsed on the ground:

"This recent occurrence serves as a stark reminder that granting you excessive freedom was, indeed, a grave miscalculation."

A potent beam of light shot forth from the spiral, vertical eye, piercing directly into Asmond’s chest.

Instantly, the Blood Tear Duke's form became obscured by a network of blood-red markings.

These markings writhed beneath his skin like living serpents, eventually coalescing into an intricate binding Rune.

This was an irreversible form of bloodline control; from this moment forward, Asmond would be utterly incapable of defying any directive issued by Aiden or his lineage descendants.

His autonomy was completely eradicated, reducing him to a mere puppet, albeit one of a slightly elevated tier.

"Henceforth, you shall execute any request made by Uphemia without question or hesitation."

Aiden’s voice pulsed with unassailable authority:

"She is the very embodiment of my will; to oppose her is to oppose me. Do you comprehend?"

"I... I understand, Master..."

Asmond’s voice emerged as a fragile, wavering thread, his eyes entirely devoid of their former brilliance:

"Asmond pledges to serve you and the esteemed Lady Uphemia until my dying breath..."

"Excellent..."

A flicker of recollection seemed to cross Aiden's mind, and his spiral pupil abruptly swiveled towards Uphemia:

"A moment ago, I detected the imprint of another presence upon you... Could it be that meddlesome old turtle, Uther?"