The sleeping Whispering Bat's aura was growing stronger and stronger, like a dragon hatchling about to break out of its shell.
Boom-boom~
Boom-boom~
Its heart beat like muffled thunder, and in the vast, open space, the sound carried far.
Li De silently observed without speaking, while Emi and the other Bloodline Descendants stared intently at the Whispering Bat, afraid that something might go wrong.
The air fell into a hush. Birdsong from the distant sky flitted into their ears, and a cool breeze rustled the treetops of the faraway mountains.
Silence reigned supreme.
Three sun-hours passed. The sky gradually dimmed, and the sun sank into the valley.
A cascade of colorful clouds painted the horizon.
Yet the Whispering Bat's transformation still showed no signs of ending. Li De kept a close eye on the attribute panel, tense with concern that something might interrupt the process. Thankfully, the transformation progress finally reached 99%.
Just one step away, this unknown behemoth was about to return to the mortal world.
At that moment, from a cave beside the bluestone platform, the ordinary bats that nested within seemed to sense something.
Whooooosh.
Tens of thousands of small bats burst forth from the cave, flapping their wings in a surging wave. The sheer scale of it felt as if the Abyssal Plane itself had shattered.
The Whispering Bats were all already employed in production around Dawn City, so these were only regular bats.
But once numbers reached a certain threshold, even ants could evoke fear.
And bats, creatures long shrouded in mystique and dread were no exception.
Flap-flap-flap.
The mountain cave, tens of blades tall, opened like the maw of a demon from the Abyss. Countless bats surged out, and the gusts from their wings were like a Category 12 typhoon. The spectacle was overwhelming.
Yet every single bat veered away the instant they approached the still-unawakened Whispering Bat.
Their shrill cries carried immense fear, as though facing a terrifying existence they could never resist.
Thanks to bloodline suppression, Li De and the others were afforded the same respect. The surrounding air became a buffer zone.
The black mass of bats swirled around the bluestone platform, cloaking half the sky in a sea of wings.
Meanwhile, from the nearby Holy Land, another surge erupted as the sleeping bat colonies there were also startled awake by the tremendous commotion.
Flap-flap-flap.
Tens of thousands more bats poured out of the Holy Land. The two massive swarms converged, turning the sky into a sea of bats. Their piercing screeches grated on the ears.
Anyone looking up from Dawn City would see the sky darkened like a rolling black cloud.
Even more terrifying than the emergence of Abyssal Demons, it felt like the end of days.
Li De furrowed his brow slightly as he surveyed the surroundings.
Isn't this... a bit too dramatic?
Boom-boom~
Boom-boom~
The heartbeat of the Whispering Bat grew louder.
With its escalating rhythm, the swarm in the sky grew wilder, their high-pitched cries surpassing even the roars of demons in sheer horror.
"Lord Progenitor, it's about to awaken!" Emi exclaimed, his voice filled with delight.
He could feel an incomparably powerful life force reawakening. The Whispering Bat had evolved to a state beyond imagination.
Li De's eyes lit up as well, because at that moment, he heard the system notification.
"Ding~ Whispering Bat transformation successful. Bronze Cyclops bloodline and Vampire Progenitor bloodline have deeply fused. Bloodline has evolved into a new bloodline: Bronze Bloodline."
"Ding~ The power belonging to the Vampire race, Bronze Whispering Bat has successfully evolved into a new race. As the creator of this new race, please name it."
What the… it actually evolved into a new race?!
Li De was stunned by the news.
After a moment of thought, he spoke slowly, "Let it be named in the honor of Dawn City. After all, they exist to protect this city. The name shall be… Dawn Bat."
"Ding~ Naming successful. As the progenitor of the Dawn Bat, the first of its kind automatically activates its bloodline power. Reward: +1 Level. Current level: 15."
"The first Dawn Bat has been automatically granted a name: Castro Kachar."
It even got a system-given name? That formal??
Joy spread across Li De's face, he immediately sensed something was different.
The system had rewarded the Whispering Bat. That had never happened before.
Not only had the Dawn Bat's bloodline been activated, but it had even been leveled up from 14 to 15.
This was a big win.
"Ding~ Congratulations! You've created a new race. In the future, as long as the evolution conditions are met, Whispering Bats can evolve directly into Dawn Bats."
"Dawn Bat: Initial Form: 10, Mature Form: 12, Elite Form: 14, Perfect Form: 15.
Evolution Requirements: One Bronze Cyclops Bloodline, 500 Faith Energy, Evolution Time: 30 days."
"Ding~ You've created a new race. The power of the Vampire race has expanded. You have gained Character Experience: 3000."
"Ding~ Your level has increased."
After creating a new race, Li De's level had finally risen from struggling at Level 13 to Level 14. But right now, he had no time to pay attention to his own level-up.
Because in front of him, the Dawn Bat was awakening.
Boom-boom~
Rippp.
Massive chunks of bluestone beneath its claws shattered with a deafening crack, shards of stone flying in all directions.
The gigantic body of the Dawn Bat now stood tall, and an aura beyond words filled the air.
Majestic. Powerful.
Li De immediately turned his gaze to the newly awakened Dawn Bat that now bore his surname.
His eyes lit up with undisguised astonishment.
Handsome. After its transformation, the Dawn Bat no longer resembled an ordinary bat, it was more like an entirely new lifeform.
Its two gray claws looked as if they'd been cast in bronze, brimming with a soul-shaking strength. Even casual movements carved deep gouges in the bluestone ground.
The Dawn Bat stood a towering 4 blades tall. Its hairless gray skin shimmered with a bronze metallic luster, like an indestructible warrior's shield, capable of withstanding even a knight's charge.
This behemoth radiated an overwhelming sense of oppression just by standing still. Not even Cyclopes could ignore its presence.
Its wings had changed even more drastically. Once spanning 12 blades, they now stretched to a full 16 blades.
The leathery wings were inscribed with dark red mystical markings, imposing and regal.
These strange markings emanated a faintly sacred aura, contradicting the bat's dark appearance yet blending together with inexplicable harmony.
The row of terrifying barbs lining the front edges of the wings had grown even sharper. Their chilling gleam outshone even spears. One could only imagine the devastation when this creature dove from the skies in a winged assault.
Its sharp ears twitched slightly on either side of its head, as though no sound could escape its detection.
Its eyes were pitch black, carrying a subtle sacred light that contrasted starkly with its demonic body.
The massive mouth parted slightly, revealing teeth sharper than razors, like the scythe of death itself, radiating a destructive aura.
Li De took a deep breath.
Satisfaction gleamed in his eyes.
The Dawn Bat's transformation had far exceeded his expectations.
And it aligned perfectly with his aesthetic preferences. The Whispering Bat had been a standard bat, albeit an enlarged one.
But the Dawn Bat, whether it was the stylish dark-red wing patterns or the bronze-sheen skin, radiated a sculptural elegance, like a titanic beast cast in bronze.
Powerful, and incredibly cool. He could already imagine the sensation of flying this majestic creature over Green City, it would absolutely cause a sensation.
With high expectations, Li De opened the Dawn Bat's status panel. The moment he read its attributes, his eyes widened in shock.
The king of this new race was… this strong?!
Castro Kachar
Title: King of Bats (First-generation primal king; can command bats; +1000% intimidation against bat-type magical beasts, +100% regeneration speed, +100% Constitution, +100% Strength, innate high intelligence, immune to mind-affecting spells)
Age: 32
Level: 15
Bloodline: Bronze Bloodline (Extreme) — A newly fused bloodline born from the union of Bronze Cyclops bloodline and Vampire Progenitor bloodline under divine influence; fully activated.
Bronze Bloodline:
Immune to Tier 4 and lower spells
+300% Physical Defense
+300% Constitution
Can regenerate all wounds through blood consumption
Gains shapeshifting ability
Gains high Mana Affinity
Gains Superhuman Physique
Description: A powerful being born from the fusion of ancient Bronze Giant blood and Vampire Progenitor blood under divine power, with limitless potential for growth.
Powerful. Li De couldn't find another word to describe this newborn King of Bats.
Castro, a name granted directly by the system, was absolutely insane.
Though it had technically been born at Level 14, the system had immediately promoted it to Level 15.
What's more, the Bronze Bloodline had already been fully activated by the system.
The bloodline traits left Li De green with envy.
Immunity to Tier 4 and below spells, this was the defining trait of Bronze Cyclops like Kosso. It was this terrifying magic resistance that allowed Kosso to survive battles against enemies like Grote.
But now, Castro had inherited this trump card flawlessly.
Li De could already envision Castro's devastating presence on the battlefield, a nightmare for any demon.
Who could stop that dive attack from the skies?
Not even dragons, probably.
And that wasn't all, +300% Physical Defense, +300% Constitution. This new bloodline was utterly overpowered.
The vampire's regenerative ability was standard, an iconic Vampire trait. Superhuman Physique was also understandable.
But the two added abilities of Shapeshifting and High Mana Affinity left Li De slightly puzzled.
He turned toward Emi and Harrison to ask but then, a scene played out that left all of them dumbfounded.
Before their eyes, Castro, the massive Dawn Bat, began to shrink rapidly at a pace visible to the naked eye.
The giant with a 16-blade wingspan vanished in just a few seconds.
In its place appeared… a bat the size of a human palm.
"L-Lord Progenitor, i-is that… Shapeshifting?" Emi's eyes widened to the extreme, his voice stammering with disbelief.
How could this be possible? To shrink such a colossal being into a palm-sized bat, that would require an astronomical amount of mana!
But the real shock came next.
"Master~"
Castro now in his miniature bat form flew up beside Li De and spoke.
A bat had just spoken.
The entire scene froze.
Everyone stared at the fluttering mini-bat in stunned silence, utterly speechless. They didn't know how to describe the emotion roaring inside them.
Since when can transformations reach this level?? Are we hallucinating??