Pirate Kingship-Chapter 604 - 433: Advancement to Rank 4, Mythical Creature!

Byron now realized he had indeed wronged Teris.

Previously, when they eliminated those controlled Molten Giants, their two families had each contributed half the effort, yet they each received only a third of the reward. Now, having each independently taken down a Governor, their share of the spoils had merely increased to a paltry half. This indicated that not only had they both been deceived, but it also seemed that in this trial, no matter who killed a Descendant of the Sun God, a third party would always get a slice of the pie. Ultimately, as long as a Descendant of the Sun God died, that other party always retained a share of the contribution.

Even though Byron had now taken down a Prince, eradicating not only the problem but also its source, the Decryption Rate of "[Hidden: The Ominous Clouds over the Succession of the Sun Empire Throne, Historical Influence 30]" remained stuck at 70%, without budging an inch.

That third party is clearly not among the trial-takers participating in the ceremony; or rather, this 'Holy Lake Coronation Ceremony' has been part of their scheming from the very start. Teris and I, the interlopers, are the ones they truly detest. Under normal circumstances, the instigator should be more frantic than us. But we have already killed two Governors and taken a sizable chunk of the cake, yet the third party hasn't shown themselves. What does that tell us? It means that compared to Teris and me, they are not in a hurry at all. That third party is confident that most people will die in the trial ceremony, and then they can simply reclaim what they lost. So, who could possess such confidence that everything is under control? An eighty percent chance it's one of the rulers of the Sun Empire!

Pondering this outcome, Byron searched for its cause. He instinctively thought of the previous King who had committed suicide using the 13th Crystal Skull, the Goddess of Suicide—a figure shrouded in several oddities!

Could it be him?

However, seeing the dividing wall between the two groups rapidly vanishing after the outcome of their battle was decided, Byron felt it was best to deal with the pack of wolves before him before considering the fierce tiger that lay ahead.

A blood-colored Divine Light flashed in his palm, revealing the bone Holy Grail. The bone had already been thoroughly soaked in his own blood and that of his enemies, turning it into a true crimson color. In a day's time, Byron's own Blood of Metamorphosis within the grail, mingled with the blood of his political adversaries, had fused into a ruby-like, bright red liquid—crystalline, translucent, and dazzling. It seemed to have a life of its own, swirling counter-clockwise, creating a small whirlpool in the center of the cup. Tiny tentacles clung to the cup's inner wall at the edge of the whirlpool, as if trying to crawl out bit by bit.

This was indeed the Blood of Immortality, which countless people had gone mad for, yet could never obtain!

Moreover, that Third Prince, who proclaimed himself the "[Wine God]," had brewed this cup of Blood of Immortality with an additional rich, mellow aroma of fine wine. The 108 varieties of Blood Brew were not even worthy to carry its shoes in its presence.

GULP...

The sound of many people swallowing saliva echoed around. Just by smelling the fragrance of the Blood of Immortality, every cell in everyone's body, whether friend or foe, was shrieking frantically: "Get it! Get it!..."

Only Violet's situation was slightly better. If Byron drank the Blood of Immortality, she could drink from Byron; even an indirect taste would at least satisfy her craving.

At this point, even though Teris was suppressed by the Prince of Night Demons' Rank and couldn't discern Byron's Night Demon essence, she finally realized he was actually performing the fourth bloodline ascension ritual: the Crimson Holy Grail. She also understood why he had previously attacked Perta, whom she was possessing; it was clearly to steal the knowledge of the Pleasure Banquet Sisterhood! The culprit responsible for a portion of the Panacea vanishing without a trace was also, as a matter of course, identified by her as Byron.

She never imagined that after hunting geese all her life, she'd be pecked in the eye by one. Growing increasingly furious, she shrieked, "Stop, you thief! Don't you dare drink my Panacea!"

Her response was another GULP.

Byron lifted the Holy Grail and drained the entire cup of Blood of Immortality. The cup itself dissolved into a ball of blood-light that vanished into his mouth. The exquisite taste, making every cell in his body cheer and tremble, instantly spread throughout him.

The ritual was complete; the ascension began!

SPLASH...

The mighty sound of a great river rushing echoed within Byron's body; his heart throbbed like thunder.

He let out a low shout, "Whistling Deity's Descent!"

His Self God emerged, precisely grasping every minute change within his body from a third-party perspective, preventing forbidden knowledge from breaking through prematurely, which could potentially trigger a rampage of Beastliness. As it turned out, the Anchoring on him had long far surpassed the upper limit required for a Fourth Order Mythical Creature. The power from his Beastly side was exceptionally Tame, merging perfectly with him in just a few breaths.

Then, his body expanded and contracted, sometimes large, sometimes small, sometimes flat, sometimes round. Eventually, it melted into a ball like modeling clay, then twisted and elongated amidst a dazzling blood-red light. As his Life Essence sublimated, he also acquired a completely new form, entirely different from a Human.

As an Affiliated of the Mother of Creation, Lilith, Night Demons were unlike all other Mythical Creatures from other paths. Each Night Demon possessed its own unique form, different from all creations in the world, even other Night Demons—unique in all existence. This was even more so for Byron, the Prince of Night Demons.

Soon, his original Human form completely vanished. In its place appeared a ∞-shaped, resplendent blood-red band. Its main body seemed to be of crimson light, or perhaps a flowing Blood River, surrounding a brilliant golden-red Crown.

SHING—!

Within the band, hundreds of Giant Dragon-like golden vertical pupils suddenly snapped open. With a shift, it transformed into a blood-red Giant Dragon. Another Transformation, and it became a Leviathan Whale cruising through a heavy rain. Yet another Transformation, and it turned into a colossal tentacled monster...

Clearly, Byron had taken the crucial step. The Blood of Metamorphosis, deeply imprinted with his mark, had become his true body. It was somewhat like an enhanced version of a Shape-shifter; or rather, at this moment, he *was* Transformation itself! Although currently only a Fourth Order Mythical Creature, compared to others of the same Class, he was incomparably closer to those beyond-specification... Indescribable beings!

Then, the ∞-shaped mythical form disappeared, and Byron reappeared in his original Human form. Immense Power and Crimson Spirit Light surged within him. His physical attributes had long since thoroughly surpassed the limits of carbon-based mortals, reaching the level of large Demon Monsters. The series of Black Sorcery spells he had once mastered were all significantly enhanced. Most crucially, his quota for First Embrace increased severalfold, enough for him to establish his envisioned Demonic Banquet Council.

Additionally, he gained three entirely new transcendent abilities.

One, Golden Triangle: This was also an exclusive ability for their trio of "One King Two Queens." Spirituality and life force could flow freely. What advanced further was not transcendent abilities as initially imagined, but the souls of the other two individuals, and everything their souls carried. The souls of the "One King Two Queens" could instantly transfer via the Golden Triangle, using another's body to exert their own abilities. Once the Kingly Title was obtained, this method could indeed achieve a three-in-one fusion.

Two, Echoes of Hell: A derivative ability of the Golden Triangle. Byron had once encountered a selective entry: "Rise, my Love." If, after your death, your teammates said to your Corpse, "It moved! Holy crap, it moved! He actually came back to life!" you could rise as Undead Creatures and continue living. Echoes of Hell sounded domineering, but it was actually a similar recovery ability. The three of them, based on the Golden Triangle, shared this ability. As long as all three were not killed simultaneously, the other two could be reborn from the Blood of Metamorphosis within the last survivor. Apart from Byron, who represented "Transformation" itself and could use it freely, the price for the two girls to use it once was a one-Class reduction in their own Class. Of course, regardless of who used it, the prerequisite was that the soul escaped quickly enough. If the enemy possessed an ability like the Mad Hunt Legion, which could capture the soul while killing the body, even the strongest recovery ability would be useless.

The final, third ability was a powerful Secret Arcane Art that only Fourth Order Mythical Creatures could master. Byron had comprehended it just after his breakthrough, leveraging his existing specialized knowledge of Genetics.

—Bloodline River: By utilizing his understanding of Genetics, he could summon a conceptual Bloodline River, manifesting countless ephemeral Demon Monsters from his own Beastly side to fight for him. Or, he could reshape real creatures at will, becoming a true Father of Monsters!

BOOM—!

Just as Byron finished reviewing his information, the barrier in the middle of the coliseum completely vanished. Byron and Succubus Teris, who was charging at the forefront, met eye to eye. She resorted to her old trick, seductively licking the corner of her lips, her eyes shimmering with a pink glow as she cast Charm Human on Byron.

"Kneel!"

But Byron didn't use any of the new abilities he had just acquired.

We are now of equal Class. Although Teris has reached the limit of the Fourth Order, even found the Immortal Stairway, and is just one step away from crossing the Ascension Stairs to Godhood, she still hasn't achieved a qualitative transformation of her Life Essence.

Having made up his mind, he gave a strange smile.

Suddenly, three pairs of golden Dragon Eyes, arranged vertically, opened on his face. He looked at Teris, who was rushing towards him, and activated... Dominate Lesser Servants!

"Ugh..."

The Succubus, who had boasted of making Byron her dog, froze abruptly. Then, inertia carried her forward, causing her to stumble and slide to her knees before Byron, her head bowing just enough to kiss the tip of his boot.