RD 4 Ch 57

The Mul Branova moved around, working to rebuild from the wreckage.

The fortress was shattered, but thankfully, there were people amongst us with the abilities and power to fix it far more quickly than one might expect. Each member of the Mul Branova possessed the strength to be their own piece of industrial equipment, making the task move far faster than it could before the Rapture.

"What are we doing with her?" Circe asked, over at Venthra.

I had just finished ripping through her spatial ring, finding multiple trackers and destroying them one after the other. I burned her clothes, explaining that given how many trackers I found, there was no doubt some were sewn into them. It wasn’t worth my time to dig through them and find each one.

Vidar had wanted to keep a tight hold on her.

Satisfied there were no more trackers, I turned and leveled a look at Venthra that told her not to lie to me. "I need you to tell me that you're not here to betray me and mine."

"I swear on my soul," she replied. The fierce warrior woman I had fought one-on-one was gone and replaced with a defeated warrior. She had just lost so much of what she had once held as important. Her own adoptive father had turned on her, and she knew she wouldn't be welcome back into her broader family, not until her father’s betrayal was proved.

"Well, you certainly can't stay here," I said, glancing around.

Too many inscriptions had been broken. We'd be able to repair this place quickly, but not quick enough. Vidar might send more here thinking we were a soft target after the fight.

"For now, you're coming with me. We're going to return back to where we were training," I said, this time addressing Circe and Merlin.

Simone had disappeared, most likely doing her best to heal any of the injured.

"Is it wise to take her there?" Circe asked.

"Even if he has an inscription etched into her bones, he won't be able to find her there," I replied, glancing at Venthra. "She'll have no idea where she is, and she won't be able to send any messages."

I handed Venthra's spatial rings to Circe to hold onto.

"We'll come back in a couple of days. We'll have Merlin shuttle a few more Mul Branova back here with one of the generals," I told them all.

Many of the Mul Branova were glancing over, watching me with barely contained awe as they started sifting through the rubble. They glanced over their shoulders, holding my gaze whenever our eyes met.

I knew I needed to do something to thank all of them. The care you treated your troops with after a hard-fought battle was often the most important. It rallied their spirits and made them prepare for the next one eagerly.

"Those of you who stood your ground, come," I said, my voice booming despite my weakness. I'd harvested a good number of bloodlines, and I'd been collecting even more in the hopes of forming a second M-ranked bloodline that I could use for the tournament while restoring my own.

That didn’t matter right now.

The Mul Branova all hurried forward, many of them throwing themselves prostrate in front of me. These women had just been through a heavy battle, and many had lost friends. They needed a reward, and they needed hope.

I began looking over each and every one of them, my eyes slowly passing through the crowd. "For your steadfastness, for staying here and fighting for what was yours, you deserve a reward." I grinned at all of them as I held up the globe of blood, streams flying from it and into the several dozen Mul Branova before me.

Many of them gasped, hunching over, arching their backs. Some sounds were of pure, unadulterated joy, while others were of pain comparable to childbirth. Regardless, the effect did not take long.

I transferred bloodlines to many, soaking up others back into the ball where I advanced their bloodlines all at the same time. My spirit worked wonders. It helped me multitask to an inhuman level.

The globe of blood revolved in my hand, shrinking and giving them upgraded bloodlines. After a moment, I gasped, feeling a wave of weakness. Altering their bloodlines had robbed me of some of those empowering me.

Simone reappeared and must have known what was wrong. She took over, raising her hands high. "Lord Bran has seen your accomplishments and rewarded you for them!" she shouted, getting all of their attention.

Murmurs of ‘Saintess’ rippled through the crowd.

"Those of you who've received new bloodlines, reaffirm your oath to Lord Bran. Give him but a drop of your blood, newer and stronger. Commune with your lord and complete the cycle." Simone pulled out a small silver bowl that she cupped in her hands as if it were some religious artifact.

As she passed by the Mul Branova, they hurried to cut their fingers or their wrists. Those who were more excited than others splashed far too much blood compared to the drop that Simone had requested. But one and all, they added their blood to the bowl excitedly, glancing from it back to me.

Simone walked at a sedate pace through the crowd, never breaking her stride once as the Mul Branova orderly shed their blood into the bowl. By the time Simone reached me, the bowl was three-quarters full, sloshing with blood.

"For you have given to Bran, and he has given to you, thus we must complete the cycle. We will renew the bonds between Lord Bran and his devotees." Her words echoed around the courtyard. She bent her knees, dipped her head, and raised the bowl above it. “We offer a token of ourselves so that you might protect us in our darkest hours.”

I took the bowl delicately from her hands, mostly because I was worried about my weakened state and spilling the bowl. But the move had the added effect of looking particularly reverent as I accepted my worshipper's blood and tipped my head back, pouring it down my throat.

Blood was not exactly my favorite drink, but I managed not to grimace as it flowed thick and rich down my throat.

As I consumed the liquid, I felt all of those bloodlines blossom once again, and my stats bloomed even in my weakened state. The sudden influx of bloodlines helped cover up my weakened state after using Last Stand. My body filled itself back out, my complexion returning to normal as if it had all healed me. In truth, I had just regained stats, buffs on top of a debuff, to cancel out a portion of the debuff.

The Mul Branova, however, took the effect differently and began cheering with excitement as it appeared I had healed from the effects after using their blood. As if this was something they needed to do to restore me after what I’d done.

My Saintess didn’t miss a chance. "As Lord Bran has strengthened each of you, you have strengthened him in turn. Your connection to Lord Bran is deeper now than ever. As I've said before, fighting for our cause only makes us stronger." Simone held a fist up, and the Mul Branova cheered.

I watched her, still amazed at how well she could manage the group. If there was one among our group who had a good shot at the Trial of Kings, it was Simone. She was a natural at leading and controlling the Mul Branova.

Their combined shouts were loud enough to shake the ground. Nearly fifty of them, all rippling with stats, used them to their full effect as they squeezed their lungs and shouted, "Lord Bran!" in unison.

I grinned at them, satisfied with the display, not because of their fervor, but because I knew that each and every one of their lives had been irreparably changed for the better by joining Simone's Mul Branova.

By giving them a powerful class and the structure needed to start their new life in the new world after the Rapture, they had become the core of my army, my most dedicated forces. I knew that whatever would come from here on out, they would have my back, as I would have theirs.

For a moment after I'd come out of the vault, my plans thrown aside, I had worried that I wouldn't be able to raise a force to make a difference in the grand scale of the Rapture or the Demon War to come. Instead, I now looked proudly over the Mul Branova and knew that without a doubt, I had made a difference to each and every one of them. They, in turn, would be my hands onto the world, and they would change the lives of dozens each, magnifying my purpose in this second chance and passing it on to more than I could alone.

The scrambling I'd been doing since the beginning of the Rapture had worked; it had been worth something more.

The Mul Branova continued to chant, "Lord Bran," and Simone stepped back with one foot, kneeling before me. While chanting, all of them fell to the same kneeling posture. Their chanting grew louder until I raised a hand and motioned for them to quiet down.

"Thank you, all, for everything you gave to build this fortress and protect it when our enemies approached. Your training has helped you get here, but the passion and ability were all your own. This was your first real battle that tested your resolve, your will, and your faith in me. To each and every one of you, I like what I saw. You fought with courage, and you fought in my name to protect each other from our enemies. And in turn"—I gestured over the fortress—"they are dead, and we have drunk their blood, growing ever stronger.”

I looked over the crowd, not just the Mul Branova in front but also the laborers who hung in the back. “There will be more who come for us. There will be others who think that they can stand up to you, that they can stand up to the Mul Branova, but they cannot. You are greater than the sum of your parts together. You sweep away all obstacles, destroy all barriers set before us. You are the devotees of Lord Bran. We do not falter. We do not tire, and we do not fail. Instead, we grow stronger with each fight, more powerful with each enemy that bleeds on our blade. Together, we will make a difference. In this new world, it will be our new world," I said, holding up the empty bowl for lack of other ideas. "Let the world bleed and restore us!" I boomed.

It seemed that was enough because it resonated through them to the point that my blood shook, and I knew theirs did, too.

They immediately repeated my call. "Bleed and restore us. In Lord Bran, we trust." Those words began to echo amongst them as they became more and more excited. A fervor built up amongst them that I knew would ripple out and infect the rest of the Mul Branova once they were allowed to mix.

I glanced at Simone, who had peeked up from kneeling, a giant grin on her face as she nodded rapidly, telling me I had done well.

I turned back to Circe and Merlin. "If you two wouldn't mind, let's head back to Tartarus. I don't want to leave them alone for too long, and we need to bring some more people back here to the fortress. I will not leave it as unprotected as before."

"Yes, please," Circe said, glancing around. "I feel like if we stay too long, they're going to start sticking knives in me and taking drinks."

Simone laughed from where she now stood, skipping over to rejoin our group. "That was wonderful, Bran! I'm glad you finally embraced it." She grinned from ear to ear.

I noticed her illusion had changed ever so slightly. She was still the sexy blonde-haired nun, but now her eyes glowed red. I noticed a few of the devotees had noticed Simone's newly red eyes and were whispering.

"Don't cause too much trouble," I chided her, but there was no heat in the words. "Let's go get them some help, so they can get all of this patched up sooner."

Simone bobbed her head eagerly, and I glanced over at Merlin, just in time for the world to flash as she finished her teleportation.

"I'm going to go gather some of our warriors," Simone said hurriedly, skipping away to collect some of her Mul Branova. I had a feeling she was going to grab more than enough. Simone would want them to see the excitement and adoration permeating our fortress.

It was certainly showmanship, but it also could move people into action. The energy of the group could buoy those who were nearly depleted. And I was glad to have been able to give them that infectious energy; it would sustain them through far harder trials to come.