Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Four-Winged Lone Star Wolf
Zach watched Luke return to the valley with a quiet awe. The former human commander had never envisioned sharing the battlefield with demons, certainly not one as ambitious as Luke.
"What are you going to do now?" Zach asked as Luke landed.
"An empire," Luke replied firmly. "The First Demon Empire."
Zach frowned. "And humanity?"
Luke smiled. "Livestock needs a herdsman too."
The valley roared and echoed with howls of wolves, their allegiance unwavering as they pledged to Luke a dark future of power never before seen.
[Ding, congratulations to the host! You've triggered the Twin Lotus special rewards.]
[You can blend these rewards into one to receive a specialty reward.]
[Will you fuse, host?]
The sound of the mechanical voice reverberated through Luke's mind, the tone even and overpoweringly important. He could feel himself twinging with excitement now that the announcement he had waited for had actually come. All that labor invested in Tanya Reed, all of it, was finally paying off, and thank God, it wasn't all sweat.
Luke had been thinking very fast on this. At one point, he thought Tanya could drink herbals. For the past few weeks, Luke had been wondering about concocting some special tonics for Tanya to enable the softness in her body tone to be greatly improved. But now it wouldn't even matter.
"Twin Lotus?" he repeated, and his grin stretched wider. "Are they twins? Tanya sure pushed it this time; either it's going to be nothing or extreme!"
Now he felt it swell with pride. Two children would mean two times the rewards, and on top of that, he now has a chance to fuse and receive an even greater reward.
A moment of uncertainty clouded Luke's mind while he deliberated possible options. The dark territory had already unfolded into a treasure offering solutions for the cultivation of shadow matter, as well as for practicing dark magic cultivation. Yet still, the temptation to accept the fusion option that promised a "special reward" was attractive.
"System, go ahead and proceed with the fusion. I choose the special reward," Luke urged, with an anticipatory voice.
[Ding! Fusion completed. Congratulations, host. Reward: Bloodline Boost.]
[Options]
[Totem Wolf King Bloodline – Celestial Star Wolf]
[Lone Star Wolf Bloodline – Lone Star Wolf.]
[Note: Both bloodlines are capable of breaking through their roof levels.]
The proclamation from the system rendered Luke momentarily breathless. A bloodline was of utmost importance in the ranking of demons, determining the limits of potential. A robust bloodline could remove any invisible ceilings that would otherwise be very difficult to surpass.
The Celestial Star Wolf was legendary, a totemic ancestor of the Skywing Wolf Clan. This creature had once rivaled the Four Spirits, becoming second only to the medium emperors before its untimely death fighting against the Green Dragon.
He was an even more admiring figure after he heard about the Lone Star Wolf. Luke recollected the murals he had seen in childhood-the lone wolf, separate from its pack, and the four-winged demon that had bitten off the Green Dragon's thunder whisker. The latter had proven its mettle against the mightiest, and with it ran a fierce independence and birthright strength.
"The Lone Star Wolf," murmured Luke. There was no doubt now. The old path of the totem belonged to another age. He wanted something fresh, something that would scream raw power and freedom.
"I want the Lone Star Wolf bloodline," Luke ordered.
[Ding! Bloodline enhancement in progress. Current Activation: 10%]
[Effects]
[All-attribute magic purity: 2 times]
[Additionally, new attribute type: Dark Magic - Cursed Magic]
[Transformation starting.]
Luke was engulfed by a surge of this dark energy that completely and immutably enveloped him. As the Lone Star Wolf began to reshape his body, his form began to change.
The bone spurs characteristic of the Skywing Wolf began to be sucked back into his body. The azure-black fur turned a sinister black-red, whilst a halo of white flame encircled his neck, popping with an eager intensity. Juxtaposed, the most startling change was that the two new wings had suddenly formed in between the original pair.
Four wings.
Luke became the Four-Winged Lone Star Wolf.