The Bloodline System

Chapter 1474  The Warp Demolator's Appearance

Author's Note: Unedited Chapter

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The tension in the air remained thick as Gustav nodded curtly. His expression was a mask of controlled bloodlust as he followed Stark through the hallways of the building.

They silently passed the servants and guards, all of whom gave them a wide berth, their eyes wide with a mixture of respect and fear.

The hallways were lined with ancient artistry of dragons and portraits of dignified ancestors. Marble floors gleamed underfoot, reflecting the soft glow of the wall sconces that lit their path. As they walked, the noise of the household faded until all that could be heard was the soft thud of their footsteps.

Finally, they arrived at a heavy, ornately carved door at the end of a secluded corridor. Stark paused and turned to face Gustav.

"Behind this door lies the reason I had to bring you here."

With a deep breath, Stark pushed the door open.

Gustav stepped into a starkly different environment than the luxurious hallways they had just traversed.

The room was austere and clinical, with plain walls and a single light source casting a stark beam onto the center of the space. There, on a pedestal, lay a seemingly ordinary pamphlet, but its presence was anything but mundane.

Gustav approached cautiously, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the foreign script on the parchment. Despite its unfamiliarity, the words resonated with him, and understanding flowed through him as if he were recalling a forgotten language.

"I knew you'd understand it. That's why I brought you here. It explains why I had to intervene," Stark voiced from the side.

Gustav picked up the pamphlet, the paper old and delicate under his fingers. He read aloud, his voice echoing slightly in the empty room.

"'The Vertigon family will be the first to perish should the outworldly ride the Warp Demolator.' What is this, Stark? Some kind of prophecy?"

Stark's expression was grave as he stepped closer, his gaze fixed on the document in Gustav's hands.

"It's more than a prophecy; it's a premonition that has been in my family for centuries. Since my father is long gone, it is my duty to protect our lineage at all costs. I had to do what I had to do."

Gustav's frown deepened as he processed the weight of Stark's words.

"And you believe this? That by preventing me from reaching the Demolator, you can change this supposed fate? What if it is a lie and you just committed an act that would bring ruin not just to the Vertigon family but to the entire universe as a whole?"

"I have to believe it, Gustav. I have to believe that as the outworldly you must have another way to save us all."

"Do you only care about your own?" Gustav shook his head as he thought about all the times he felt Stark was different from the rest.

"I'm not heartless, Gustav but as the head of the Vertigon family, my first responsibility is to protect my own. I won't apologize for that," Stark responded firmly.

Gustav placed the pamphlet back on the pedestal and turned around with a dark look on his face.

"So, this is it? You drag me across the universe based on an ancient text that gives no further details beyond a few lines? The warp demolator will not appear again until over a year has passed. Do you realise that there is no other way to get to the remnants of planet Humbad?

Do you realize that this means universal catastrophe? Do you realise that you could have informed me of this so-called premonition so we could find another means of protecting your family instead of dragging the whole world into this?"

With each word, Gustav's voice boomed with a deeper aura of ominousity.

"I didn't tag you as a selfish person... But of course, you're part human. It lingers in the depths of your existence," Gustav shook his head in disappointment.

"I've spent nearly three years of my life considering it, turning it over in my mind, consulting with seers and scholars. My ancestors believed it and so did my father.

He left me a last message saying I had to do whatever it took to prevent it. This was the last resort, Gustav. If there were another way, do you think I wouldn't have taken it?"

Stark tried to do his best to appeal to Gustav's understanding.

The room filled with a tense silence as both men stood, locked in a conflict of duty against friendship. Gustav's gaze drifted back to the pamphlet.

"Send me back. This is something that can be dealt with on another day," Gustav demanded once more.

"Even if I wanted to... I can't. It's a one-way usage with the Ezoila," Stark responded remorsefully.

Gustav recognized the name of the relic. A priceless item that could bring anyone or anything from anywhere in the universe to a particular location no matter how distant it was. However, it only worked once and would become obsolete afterwards.

It was extremely rare and according to what he knew, there were only around seventeen Ezoilas left in the universe. All priceless. So how did Stark get his hands on one?

"You little... You had Axiler get it for you, didn't you?" Gustav realized why he found Stark a bit suspicious back then on planet Ozious.

He had been preparing for this moment since back then. Stark's current expression harbored a bit of guilt but he still felt he did right by his family.

"The reason you didn't get pulled into an enclosure or restrained is because we know you won't be able to get back there in less than two days no matter how much you try," Stark revealed.

Gustav's anger boiled over as Stark admitted the impossibility of returning in time. The dimensional bracelet was still at fifty percent and didn't have enough power to send him back.

The realization that he could miss the critical moment of the appearance of the Warp Demolator ignited a fierce rage within him.

He lunged at Stark, his hands finding Stark's neck. Lifting him off the ground, Gustav's grip tightened, and Stark gasped for air, his feet dangling helplessly.

"Gustav... killing me won't change anything... I've... saved my family... from the crisis,"

Gustav's eyes blazed with fury as he stared into Stark's struggling face.

"Then die!" His voice was a low growl, filled with lethal intent.

...

...

...

Meanwhile, back on the spacecraft, Aildris, Endric, Ria, and Falco faced their crisis. They had exhausted every method they knew to locate or retrieve Gustav, but nothing had worked.

The tension was palpable as they gathered around the navigation console, watching the time tick down to the Warp Demolator's emergence.

"The Warp Demolator will appear in just thirty minutes," Endric announced.

 "Do you think rival will make it back in time?" Ria questioned.

"We can't be sure. We need to move the spacecraft further from the projected path of the Demolator. We can't risk getting caught in its pull," Endric answered with a look of uncertainty.

The group swiftly maneuvered the spacecraft to a safer distance, all the while keeping their sensors trained on the area where the Demolator was expected to appear.

As the countdown reached its final moments, space seemed to shudder.

A vast, ashy trail materialized, snaking its way across the void. The Warp Demolator was not just a simple phenomenon; it seemed almost alive, its immense form writhing and twisting through the stars.

"There it is... the Warp Demolator," Aildris voiced while opening his beautiful eyes to take on the unfathomable view.

The structure of the Demolator was mesmerizing and terrifying. Its body, if it could be called that, resembled a gargantuan celestial serpent made of swirling ash and cosmic debris.

It moved with a purposeful grace, undulating through the vacuum of space, its path unpredictable and its destination unknown.

"It's even more massive than we had anticipated," Falco mumbled.

As the group watched the Warp Demolator carve its path through the cosmos, a mixture of awe and dread settled over them.

From their vantage point, they could see the massive entity dragging celestial bodies along its turbulent trail, stars and moons wrenched from their orbits by its formidable gravitational pull.

Falco, peering out through the viewports with a concerned expression, noted the alarming phenomenon.

"Look at that... it's pulling everything with it. It's like it's rewriting the map of this sector."

Aildris observed the Warp Demolator and noticed something.

"It's increasing in size. Our current distance isn't safe anymore—we're too close!"

Suddenly, the spacecraft began to shudder, the initial signs of being caught in the Demolator's gravitational field. Alarms blared throughout the control room.

 "We're being pulled in!" Aildris announced.

Endric extended his hands, his eyes glowing silvery as telekinetic energy spread forth.

"Hold on!"

A visible field of energy enveloped the spacecraft, shimmering like a protective bubble.

Endric's face contorted with effort as he mentally wrestled with the opposing forces trying to counteract the pull of the Demolator.

"Its pull is incredibly powerful... I can hold us back, but not for long! We need to boost the engines, try to break free from its pull!"