The Empyreal Gem Master

A Sacred Ritual!

For Claire, this was something that hit particularly close to home as this was exactly what the Beasts of Corruption wanted to do to her.

To strip her of her Five-Link Gem Sockets and place them in another.

As she looked at the fearful Flame Hound that was pleading with its eyes towards the Caladrius, she became stern and continued watching.

"Any being truly proficient in the usage of life force can do this, with those like me gaining this capability because I Innately possess healing abilities. There are some risks to harming your own Blueprint if you aren’t proficient, but for me…"

A sense of confidence burned in the small bird that had been taking center stage with its words this whole time.

After the clearance from Alexander, it brought the tightly bound Flame Hound with its thick vines and exposed its chest.

The chest of the Flame Hound burned with dim flames as its fur looked tattered, low whimpers being released from it as nobody paid it any heed.

Vines then stretched out towards Azazel as they twirled around his body and elevated it a few inches higher!

The Caladrius in the middle, the Flame Hound to its left, and Gem Master Azazel to its right.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone here, thick verdant vines that looked like spears formed, one piercing its sharp tip into the center of the Gem Sockets of the Flame Hound while the other was akin to a fine needle that slowly sank an inch or two into Azazel’s chest!

Alexander watched on calmly as a moment later, the Flame Hound released a booming muffle of pain while its jaws remained tightly bound, flames sputtering around it as one could visibly see the brilliance of its crimson light flowing from its body and into vines.

This crimson light then passed through the Caladrius and went towards the vine piercing into Azazel smoothly.

…!

It wasn’t just an exchange of a Gem Socket Blueprint.

It seemed that in exchange for such a process, the very lifeforce of the Flame Hound was also being pulled alongside it!

BZZZT!

Its Gem Sockets began to lose their brilliance- such a thing visibly flowing towards Azazel as this process was horrifically fast.

In moments, the Gem Sockets of the Flame Hound deformed and cracked as the Gems within them fell out, the lines connecting them fading as every single ounce of brilliance was taken towards Azazel.

Within seconds, the massive body of the Flame Hound began to shrivel into skin and bones, its life force rapidly fading away.

In its place, Gem Master Azazel showed an expression of pain as on his chest, one could see an additional socket forming rapidly!

The whole process seemed fantastical and gruesome at the same time.

The Caladrius became extremely focused during it as after less than a minute…

CRACK!

The Flame Hound fell down as dried skin and bones.

Not an ounce of life could be felt from it, but the body of Gem Master Azazel seemed to be brimming with brilliance as a fourth Gem Socket fully condensed!

"..."

The process left everyone feeling grim at how fast and horrific it was, with the expression on Claire being extremely sour as the Caladrius retracted its vines while voicing out.

"It is done, Ascendant Master. Another Tier 4 Gem Master joins your side."

Amidst the somber atmosphere, it spoke so simply as if nothing had just occurred.

As if the simplest of processes had taken place!

It acted as a reminder of the callousness of Beasts and how decisive they could be, even against their own kind.

Alexander looked towards Azazel.

"How does it feel?"

The most important question.

Azazel touched his chest that had an additional glow as he shook his head with incredulity while replying.

"As if I’d always had it….it is a genuine Gem Socket."

The results were confirmed.

Alexander looked towards his father who seemed to be lost in thought, both of them knowing some heavy choices had to be made very soon.

Where would they go from here?

Subconsciously feeling his son’s gaze among others, Branch Leader Julius came to focus and gazed around before he spoke with a stern expression.

"We will send word to the Ascendant Branch of the Asmodeus Bloodline regarding what we have learned, and the actions of the Galanis Bloodline. That is paramount to ensure that their actions do not silently continue."

"As for ourselves…" When he got to this point, he came to look at his son.

The one who was able to dominate Tier 4 Beasts as if they were nothing!

"...what do you think we should do?"

…!

He sought advice from his son.

Someone who never made administrative decisions regarding anything to do with Carthage before!

Yet he was asked now as he was the one holding the power to defend Carthage more than anyone else.

They had seen it.

Alexander saw the trust in his father’s eyes as he felt a weight fall on his shoulders that wasn’t there before, but he was strong enough to shoulder it as he breathed out while gazing towards the bundle of information that was the Caladrius Minion!

He could feel waves of its thoughts through their connection, and his gaze right now prompted it to speak up.

"Ascendant Master, if we are to truly stand a chance against all that is out there, we need to increase how much land we control. We need to strengthen our forces and ourselves."

"Ascendant Master is young, and your levels of energy may still be low. If you are proactive, we can set off to ensure the security of the Den of Corruption, enter the Gateway that I and the others utilized to take control of the Fortress that this fool used to lord over.

There are still a few Tier 4 Beasts there that you could easily take down with even just me alone, and then you can further strengthen yourself with their Ascendant Life Gems. With the power at your disposal, Ascendant Master, I dare say we could even branch out further to hunt Tier 5 and Tier 6 Beasts in order to further elevate our forces!"

…!

Expand the land under them.

Strengthen their forces by actively hunting down powerful Beasts.

It was straightforward, but it was the most optimum route as they prepared for terrifying enemies in the future!