Beyond the Bloodline-Chapter 251: No. 1, The Hedonist
Halrith City
Efvahona Region (Elf)
Neutral Continent
December 6th
Year 2018
The city was in ruins.
Flames clawed hungrily at the ashen sky. Buildings, once proud monuments of civilization, shattered to millions of pieces.
The air was thick with the acrid stench of burning wood and metal, and rivers of molten debris carved paths through the streets.
Above it all, an eight-headed dragon loomed, its serpentine necks writhing as eight pairs of predatory eyes gleamed with rage. Its tails lashed violently, cracking through the air like whips, each movement sending shockwaves rippling through the already ravaged terrain.
Facing this colossal dragon stood a single figure, calm amidst the destruction.
His silver hair caught the fiery glow around him, and his azure blue eyes held a hint of amusement as he looked at the dragon.
Draped over his shoulders was a long overcoat that fluttered in the wind. His three-piece suit, immaculate even in the wake of devastation, seemed to mock the pandemonium.
In his right hand, he held a sword—a weapon so beautiful it seemed out of place in such a grim setting. Its blade shimmered with the brilliance of cosmic energy, reflecting the swirling image of stars and nebulae as though it contained an entire galaxy within.
This man was essentially the most influential being in the entirety of the Zanerth Universe.
Of the Six Hybrids, the Myths of Estea, he bore the title of the Azure Void Paragon.
Jamie Franklin Westley.
All around Jamie, the city was—
"All right, stop. That’s enough of the description of the whole city’s destruction, isn’t it?"
Jamie interrupted suddenly, his voice breaking the immersive imagery with an almost playful tone.
Laughing lightly, he held up his left hand and clenched his fist.
In an instant, the chaos froze.
The flames halted mid-dance, embers suspended in the air like fireflies caught in amber. The writhing necks of the dragon stilled, their furious motion arrested by an invisible force
Even the sound of destruction ceased, leaving behind nothing but silence.
A silence that was broken by Jamie’s words as he turned his gaze outward and spoke to the readers in a conversational tone tinged with amusement.
"Now then, you’re probably wondering how I ended up fighting an eight-headed dragon. To understand that, we need to backtrack to yesterday.
To December 5th, just like the other Hybrids in the previous Chapters."
◇ ◇ ◇
OmniVerge Industries Incorporated Headquarters
Regional Capital
Efvahona Region (Elf)
Neutral Continent
December 5th
Year 2018
After his little escapade in the Vampiric Academy of Erudition where he forced a complete curriculum overhaul, Jamie returned to the Elven Regional Capital on the Neutral Continent, home to OmniVerge’s Headquarters.
As always, Nimon was eager to welcome Jamie back. He even suggested summoning the CEOs of Jamie’s other enterprises across the planet to convene here, sparing Jamie the trouble of visiting them individually.
But, naturally, Jamie preferred to make unannounced appearances.
Surprises were far more effective for ensuring that his subordinates were doing their jobs properly—and for exposing any who weren’t.
Corruption, embezzlement, and other forms of betrayal were almost inevitable with his occasional millennia-long absences, the most recent spanning 12,000 years.
It was unlikely all of his subordinates remained entirely loyal during such periods, and Jamie had no patience for those who exploited their positions.
Anyone caught stepping out of line would need to be swiftly reminded of their place.
"So, Estea, just send back any souls I accidentally send your way, okay?"
[The Planet ’Estea’ questions your sanity.]
Such was the sharp response Jamie received, which only made him laugh aloud. He wasn’t the least bit fazed by ’her’ retort.
After all, he had just asked Estea to meddle with the law of death itself—to reject souls from entering ’her’ underworld at his request.
Why in all seven dimensions would ’she’ do that when there was absolutely nothing in it for ’her’?
"Just do it, okay? I may end up killing some by mistake."
Estea didn’t even bother to respond the second time and Jamie also put the matter behind him for now, instead, turning his gaze to the holo-screen on the wall.
He casually scrolled through various planetary news channels until he came across a breaking news segment.
A bright, shimmering image of a massive spatial rupture, evidence of a spatial gate collapse took over the screen, the swirling chaos of law energies on display accompanied by the anchor’s tense voice explaining the catastrophic event.
[Massive Dungeon Gate destabilization reported on the outskirts of Evress City. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of this unprecedented collapse, and rescue operations are currently underway—]
Jamie tuned out the anchor’s words and focused on the collapsed gate displayed behind them, studying it intently until a knock came at the door, followed by someone announcing.
"Your guests have arrived, my lord."
The door opened, and the secretary showed a trio of teenage vampires into the room. David, Davina, and Wanette, with their crimson/amethyst eyes and refined posture, greeted him in unison.
"""Lord Jamie."""
Jamie tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement, the faintest of smiles playing on his lips.
"Do you know why Seren sent you to me?"
"Yes. To experience growth through travelling with you."
Davina responded to Jamie’s question and the man nodded again, his gaze shifting back to the news screen.
He gestured towards the video of the spatial rupture still playing in vivid detail and spoke.
"Then why don’t we start there?"
The three teenagers exchanged confused glances, their brows raising. Before they could ask what he meant, Jamie leaned back and called out.
"Nimon."
In the blink of an eye, the aged elf appeared, his presence as sharp and attentive as always.
"Yes, my lord?"
"Create fake IDs for me and these three. We’re going into a Dungeon Gate incognito."
David and Davina’s jaws dropped, while Wanette stared at Jamie as though he’d just sprouted another head.
"Wait, what?"
Wanette finally managed to ask, and David chimed in right after.
"Um...Lord Jamie, why are you suddenly deciding this...?"
They had totally not expected to be sent right into a Dungeon Gate within minutes of arriving here, so it was understandable that they were stunned. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
In response to their questions, Jamie stood up, removing the creases on his shirt as he responded.
"Well, it seems fun to enter one of those gates. I want to see the other worlds on the other side. I’m curious about where Zanerth connected them. But mostly..."
His azure eyes sparkled mischievously.
"Because it’s fun."
He turned to leave, his coat floating into the air and landing on his shoulders. But when he got to the door, he paused and cast a glance back at the teenagers.
"If you three are going to be around me for a while, take note of this: I firmly believe that the pursuit of pleasure is the most important thing in life. So, if I see something that seems fun, I will NOT hesitate to jump in."
He laughed lightly, the sound almost carefree, and walked out of the room, leaving behind three thoroughly dumbfounded vampires.
The silence hung heavy until, out of nowhere, a strange ’woman’ appeared on the chair Jamie had just vacated. ’Her’ arrival was so sudden that even Nimon, the ever-composed elf, froze in stunned silence, his wide eyes betraying his disbelief.
It was not ’her’ otherworldly beauty that shocked him; it was because he recognized who ’she’ was.
Laughing as ’she’ appeared, ’she’ looked towards the teens and addressed them.
"Hahaha! Your grandma pawned you off to that lunatic. Good luck."
Before they could process ’her’ words or respond, ’she’—Estea—let out another laugh and vanished into thin air, leaving them even more bewildered.
◇ ◇ ◇
Within the next thirty minutes, Nimon had acquired S Rank Dungeon Adventurer identification cards for the four of them, confirming the reality to the three teenagers that they were indeed going to enter a Dungeon gate immediately.
Jamie had looked at a map of gates around Efvahona on a wall and threw a dart randomly. It landed on a city called Halrith, so Jamie decided that was where they were going to go.
The man’s decision-making was as random as ever, and the three teenagers could only follow along with his antics regardless of what they really thought.
Then again, this Dungeon was suitable for their level, with the average monster level only being slightly higher.
It was perfect for them to experience growth.
