Beyond the Bloodline-Chapter 335: Ocean Beneath the Moonlight

"Sir Jamie is currently helping me out, but I’m sure you know better than anyone that his power isn’t what it is supposed to be."

Davina barely managed to hold back a reaction to that statement, though it was pointless since Lapis already knew about Jamie’s weakened state.

"With his incomplete power, he can’t take any significant public action without risking exposure of his loss.

But that problem could be solved if we create a space where he can fight without any prying eyes."

Turning to meet Davina’s crimson-red eyes with her calm lapis-blue ones, Lapis continued.

"That is where I come in.

I plan to use a specific technique to trap that creature inside a secluded section of space with Sir Jamie, and with my Authority as this Galaxy’s Ruler, make it completely imperceptible from the outside.

However, not only am I lacking my full power, I also don’t have enough control over this vessel to properly wield it since my soul is still damaged."

At last, Lapis stood and took a single step that spanned the distance between them.

"Staying awake while I still hold some control over your body would be harmful to your soul, given the vast gulf in our power.

It is in your best interest to help me assist Sir Jamie, so he can restore your body to you.

Because, frankly, I have no intention of giving up such a perfect vessel."

Davina remained silent. Lapis’ tone held no trace of remorse, and no hint of apology. It was clear that if given the chance, she would steal Davina’s body again without hesitation.

Right now, relying on Jamie to force Lapis’ soul out of her body was Davina’s best option.

But was that really all there was?

By Lapis’ own admission, she was practically omnipotent within this Soul Realm. So who could say for certain that the scenes Lapis had shown her were even real?

What if the memories of the time Lapis controlled her body had been altered?

What if this was all an elaborate trap designed to reclaim full control over her body?

Davina’s distrust was written all over her face, and her anger toward Lapis for attacking David was equally obvious.

Yet, faced with that anger and blatant mistrust, Lapis remained calm.

Her wealth of experience, accumulated over hundreds of millions of years, involved her dealing with the rage and resentment of billions.

Compared to that, the anger and resentment of a single teenager were insignificant.

The two women stared at each other in silence for what felt like an eternity, until Davina, clicking her tongue in irritation, finally agreed to help Lapis.

At that, Lapis turned and walked back to her seat, sitting down before she spoke.

"You control my energy within your body, and I will control the Authorities within my soul.

With the power left in the remainder of my blood, it’s possible to fully activate the necessary technique."

Her eyes glowed with a faint light as she said,

"Without further ado, let’s get started."

Before Davina could even open her mouth to say anything, her vision shifted abruptly, and she found herself staring at an unfamiliar landscape.

"...where?"

"Davina?!"

The sound of David’s voice reaching her ears was far too slow compared to the speed with which the young man pulled her into a hug. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

However, their touching reunion was quickly interrupted by Lapis’ calm voice.

[You can save your reunion with your sister for later, David Evangelista. There is much to be done.]

David flinched as Lapis’ voice came from Davina’s mouth, but by the time he pulled away, Davina was back in control, though not completely.

That much was evident in her eyes.

While her left eye still held Davina’s crimson pupil, her right eye was dyed with Lapis’ signature shade of blue.

[Now then, Davina Evangelista, head to the crash site. There should be a gate to the pocket dimension where the rest of my blood is stored.]

At Lapis’ words, Davina took a deep breath and dashed toward the wreckage. Inside the crashed ship, she spotted traces of spilt blood everywhere, but before she could say anything, Lapis’ voice echoed again.

[That’s not yours. I’m sure you can tell that much.]

True enough. For a pure-blood vampire like Davina, it was easy to tell that the blood on the floor did not belong to her.

She moved deeper into the ship, following Lapis’ instructions until they reached the room where the Blood Transference ritual had taken place.

[Place your hand on the floor at the centre. I’ll temporarily take full control.]

Davina slowly placed her hand on the floor, and immediately her body twitched as the barrier there tried to reject her.

But before it could completely obliterate her arm, Lapis seized full control of her body and exerted her Authority, disabling the barrier and revealing a spatial rift.

Inside the rift was an oval crimson crystal about a meter tall and a bit over half as wide.

Using Davina’s body, Lapis lifted the crystal from the rift, its sheer weight and contained energy distorting space and causing localised gravitational anomalies.

[Now then. Shall we begin?]

With those words, Lapis gave control back to Davina and activated her Ultimate Skill: Moonlight Empress’ Authority.

The oval crystal unleashed a powerful burst of energy that rippled out at light speed, engulfing the planet within seconds.

The energy surged into Davina’s body, and she grunted in pain as the overwhelming energy coursed through her circuits.

[Don’t try to hold it in. Your body would burst if you did.

Expel it in the direction of that beast in the sky.]

Following Lapis’ instructions, Davina looked up through the shattered roof of the ship, her eyes locking onto the massive undead ASB clashing against the small but mighty figure of one of the universe’s Legendary Hybrids.

She raised her hands and directed the energy skyward.

Absorb energy from the blood crystal, then use her body as a conduit to channel that power into the space surrounding Jamie and the ASB.

It sounded simple in theory, but in practice, Davina felt her soul groan beneath the weight of the immense force.

Blood dripped from her nose and splattered onto the floor, and though David and Wanete wanted to rush to her aid, the waves of magical energy surging from her body kept them rooted in place, unable to approach.

[Hmm... that’s good enough.]

Lapis abruptly seized full control and launched their shared body upward, piercing through the planet’s atmosphere in an instant and escaping its gravitational field moments later.

The sudden loss of control disoriented Davina. She could feel the unbearable heat of breaking through the atmosphere at near-relativistic speed, something she wouldn’t have survived if not for the 25% of Lapis’ blood flowing through her veins.

The moment they escaped Anadus Prime’s gravity, Lapis relinquished control again and spoke.

[Extend your hand and direct the power of the Authority about to flow through you.]

Clutching the blood crystal in one hand, Davina wiped the blood from her nose and followed Lapis’ instructions, seizing control of the energy she had released into space and hurling it in Jamie’s direction at faster-than-light speed.

In that instant, all the Vampire Rulers at the Amphitheatre of Eternity felt their Race Ruler Authorities resonate. Their gazes all snapped in the direction of Anadus Prime as they cried out.

|Her Majesty is here!|

Their cries were ignored, though.

Gasping for breath, sweat running down her face, Davina fought to stay conscious within the protective bubble Lapis had conjured to keep her alive in the vacuum of space.

Biting her lip to focus, she spoke hoarsely.

"...ready..."

[...

Then, command in unison with me.]

Lapis seemed to hesitate for a moment, but that hesitation vanished in the next second as she gave her instruction.

Her activated Authority unleashed more power from the Origin Core within her soul, flooding into Davina’s body and overwhelming the energy the girl was barely controlling, even with Lapis’ aid.

And then, in unison, the two of them declared.

|"Domain Declaration: Ocean Beneath the Moonlight."|

Lapis’ Authorities as of the Moonlight Empress and the Galactic Ruler of Pinecone overwhelmed the three-dimensional space surrounding Jamie and the undead ASB.

Due to the mass it had lost from Jamie’s earlier Void-based attack, the undead ASB had already diminished in size as it regenerated its tail from its remaining reserves.

Then, it reduced itself even further, shrinking to less than half its original size, compacting its power in the process. It was an instinctive move: minimise the energy spent maintaining its colossal form, and maximise the power available for combat against Jamie.

But this downsizing played directly into Lapis’ hands, reducing the amount of space her Authority needed to dominate.