"O-okay, that's enough."
Inside the cocoon formed by chakra, Sāra released Seiryū after only a dozen seconds.
The blush on her cheeks had deepened, making her look soft, charming, and truly beautiful.
Although she was still trying to maintain the dignity of a queen, at that moment, she looked more like a shy young woman.
"Why does everyone like catching me off guard? I wasn't mentally prepared."
The lingering warmth and faint sweetness of the ritual still remained in Seiryū's senses.
Looking at the blushing Sāra, he shamelessly suggested, "How about one more time? It ended before I could even understand what happened."
"In your dreams."
Sāra rolled her eyes at him, her face still flushed.
Was this man still not satisfied?
How greedy.
Sāra suppressed the shyness in her heart and asked curiously, "More importantly, do you feel anything? Did the forbidden jutsu succeed?"
This was her first time performing the technique, so she was not certain whether it had worked.
"It seems to have failed. We should do it again."
Seiryū looked at Sāra with a solemn expression. "I think the contact wasn't long enough."
Sāra fell silent.
Did it really fail?
However, before she could say anything, a faint glow appeared around Seiryū's body.
As the Queen of Rōran, Sāra was very familiar with that chakra.
It came from the same source as her own.
"It seems it succeeded."
"No, it didn't."
"Do you think I believe you?"
Sāra rolled her eyes at him again and continued, "All right. You now possess the power of Rōran's royal bloodline, the power to control the Dragon Vein. But you still need to be careful."
"One of my ancestors once tried to fully master the Dragon Vein and failed. When the Dragon Vein went berserk, it nearly destroyed Rōran."
"We can control the Dragon Vein, but we cannot truly master its power. This should help you, but in the end, whether you succeed will still depend on you."
Sāra reminded him seriously.
From what Seiryū had told her, she knew his control over the Dragon Vein was already unusually deep.
He had achieved things that no member of Rōran's royal line had ever accomplished.
Even so, Sāra did not know whether he could completely master the Dragon Vein.
The power of her bloodline could only assist him.
Whether that assistance would be enough depended on Seiryū himself.
"I'll test it first. Your Majesty, I'll send you out."
Seiryū had indeed discovered another special chakra inside his body.
It had the same quality as the chakra in the First Hokage's necklace.
It could suppress the Dragon Vein Chakra.
It was a type of Yang Release chakra.
Curious, he wanted to try it immediately.
"Wait, don't rush."
Sāra wanted to say more.
But Seiryū had already used the Reverse Flying Thunder God Technique to send her away.
"What a special chakra. And this forbidden jutsu is impressive too."
"If I can figure out how it works, I wonder if I can let other people use Kidō."
Seiryū was very curious about the chakra passed down through Rōran's royal line.
He could not yet imagine the principle behind the forbidden jutsu.
That made him even more interested.
It was also why he had sent Sāra away so quickly.
"Hmm. I'll ask her about it later and see if I can learn it."
Seiryū did not continue speculating about the forbidden jutsu. He would understand after asking Sāra later.
"Now, let's see if I can completely master the Dragon Vein Chakra."
Without wasting time, Seiryū released the Yin Seal and allowed the Dragon Vein Chakra to surge out.
Hum.
As the volume of purple chakra increased, its color gradually shifted toward dark red. A dragon-shaped cloak of dark red chakra wrapped around Seiryū's body.
This was proof that Seiryū had not yet controlled the Dragon Vein Chakra well enough to enter Dragon Vein Chakra Mode.
Seiryū sensed it carefully.
"I have to admit, it really is useful. But this thing is still unruly. It keeps trying to attack my mind."
The chakra of Rōran's royal line was effective.
It suppressed the violent and ferocious will of the Dragon Vein.
Even without actively entering Dragon Vein Chakra Mode, Seiryū could now keep the Dragon Vein Chakra in a controllable state.
Of course, that was also because Seiryū was prepared. He would not be so easily influenced by the Dragon Vein's will.
Even so, the Dragon Vein was far from obedient.
It treated Seiryū as an enemy, and its consciousness continued to assault his mind.
"This time, you are going to hand over all your power obediently."
Seiryū grinned, and his own consciousness struck back against the Dragon Vein's will.
He began seizing the Dragon Vein's source power.
The Dragon Vein only possessed a primitive consciousness. It could not communicate.
That meant Seiryū could only use the most direct method.
He would seize its source power, brand it with his own mark, subdue the Dragon Vein, and completely make its power his own.
"Roar!"
Sensing Seiryū's intention, the Dragon Vein's consciousness instantly went berserk.
It began resisting his attempt to seize its source power.
The Dragon Vein's mind was only instinctive, and it had one reaction toward anyone who tried to take its power.
Kill.
A dragon's roar echoed through the chamber.
The dark red Dragon Vein Chakra condensed into the shape of a dragon.
Violent, sinister chakra erupted and surged outward, shattering the chakra cocoon that had formed around the altar.
Hum, hum, hum.
This was the place where the Dragon Vein had been born.
It was also the place where the natural energy beneath the earth was most concentrated.
As the Dragon Vein Chakra appeared and rampaged, the natural energy underground began to boil as well.
The vibrations caused the entire area to shake continuously.
Under the Dragon Vein's influence, natural energy seeped out from all directions.
It transformed into tangible chakra and rushed madly toward Seiryū.
Or more precisely, toward the Dragon Vein.
That made the Dragon Vein even more violent.
And even more powerful.
"Hmm?"
Sensing that the Dragon Vein's aura had become stronger and more unstable, Seiryū frowned.
Then he realized the problem, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"I think I chose the wrong place."
He should have picked somewhere else to test this.
This was the Dragon Vein's birthplace. The natural energy within the earth was feeding it directly, making its resistance even stronger.
"As expected, whenever I leave the village with Tsunade, something always goes wrong."
Seiryū felt a headache coming on.
He truly had not expected this.
It was all Tsunade's fault.
Every time he left the village with her, complications followed.
There was no time to think too much. The arrow was already drawn. It had to be fired.
The Dragon Vein's mental assault grew stronger.
If he was careless, he might lose control again.
"Still, even if this is your birthplace, and even if you can absorb natural energy from the earth to strengthen yourself, you are going to submit today."
Seiryū's lips curled into a smile.
With a thought, his consciousness surged forward even more fiercely, striking the Dragon Vein's will and plundering its source power.
Being here gave the Dragon Vein an advantage.
But Seiryū had also gained the power of Rōran's royal line, allowing him to suppress and control the Dragon Vein.
The Dragon Vein had its advantage.
Seiryū had his.
In the end, it would come down to which side could overpower the other.
Would the Dragon Vein withstand Seiryū's attack, or would Seiryū's assault prove even fiercer?
As for stopping and trying again later?
Seiryū's stubbornness had already flared up.
He did not care what the Dragon Vein was.
Today, this matter would be settled.
Watching Seiryū on the altar, Sāra's face changed slightly. She shouted urgently, "Seiryū, stop for now! This is the Dragon Vein's birthplace. It can draw natural energy from here!"
That was exactly what she had wanted to warn him about earlier, but before she could finish speaking, Seiryū had sent her away.
The Dragon Vein could indeed draw upon the natural energy in this place.
That would make it far more difficult for Seiryū to master it.
"He can't hear her?"
Tsunade frowned.
It seemed Seiryū could not hear Sāra's voice.
Taking a deep breath, Tsunade looked at Sāra and asked, "Sāra, can your ability still help him?"
Sāra shook her head. "I just finished performing the forbidden jutsu, so my chakra is low. And to help Seiryū, I would need to step onto the altar."
Tsunade rubbed her temples.
Looking at the altar, she judged from the smile on Seiryū's lips that this guy was making another reckless choice.
Seeing Sāra's worried expression, Tsunade offered a little comfort.
"Don't worry. That guy isn't so easy to kill. The fact that he can still maintain his sanity means the Dragon Vein has not affected him too deeply."
Since Seiryū had not lost control and gone berserk, that meant everything was still within his grasp.
Tsunade could at least tell that much.
Kurenai clenched her small hands nervously and muttered as if praying, "Please don't let anything happen. You can definitely do it. As long as you're okay, I won't stay mad at you anymore."
Shizune felt helpless.
Why did Seiryū always end up causing some kind of trouble?
She could not tell whether his luck was good or terrible.
Either way, watching him was exhausting.
Hum, hum, hum.
On the altar, the Dragon Vein fought fiercely against Seiryū's attempt to seize its source power.
Waves of chakra hummed through the chamber, and the shaking around them did not stop.
It seemed as though the natural energy underground was being drawn out continuously.
However, just as Tsunade had thought, even with the surrounding natural energy feeding it, the Dragon Vein still could not gain the upper hand against Seiryū.
There was no helping it.
Seiryū was simply a monster.
He had already seized a significant portion of the Dragon Vein's source power. Combined with the chakra of Rōran's royal bloodline, which could suppress and control the Dragon Vein, his hold over it only became stronger.
Seiryū's chakra control was extraordinary.
The more proficient he became at using Sāra's inherited power, the greater his suppression of the Dragon Vein became.
And as time passed, more and more of the Dragon Vein's source power was taken by Seiryū, causing the Dragon Vein itself to weaken.
At the same time, after mastering more of that source power, Seiryū seemed to gain a slight ability to control the chakra formed from the natural energy underground.
One side grew stronger.
The other grew weaker.
If things continued this way, there would be only one outcome.
The Dragon Vein would be branded by Seiryū, its source power completely mastered, and it would become his possession.
Perhaps only after Seiryū's death would the Dragon Vein be able to escape that fate.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Its power was being weakened and taken away bit by bit. The Dragon Vein, which possessed only a primitive consciousness, began to panic.
It let out furious, fearful roars and continued attacking Seiryū's consciousness.
Its will was like that of a beast driven into a corner, baring its fangs for one last desperate counterattack.
A cornered beast always fought the hardest.
The Dragon Vein's intelligence was no different from that of a wild animal.
When faced with a threat to its existence, it made the most primitive and reckless choice.
It would use every last bit of its strength to unleash its final power, consequences be damned, so long as it could destroy the one taking its power.
How would it do that?
By mobilizing all the power it possessed and making it erupt at once.
"Roar!"
The Dragon Vein let out a desperate, frenzied roar.
Its remaining power tapped into the endless natural energy beneath the earth. With the most violent and primitive outburst, it began forming an unimaginably destructive force.
Boom, boom, boom.
The immense natural energy underground became increasingly violent, like a lit powder keg preparing to explode.
The surrounding earth shook relentlessly, as if the land itself were turning over.
The entire city of Rōran could feel it.
Because of that power, the surrounding space and time also began to distort, creating an eerie and unnatural scene.
The Dragon Vein, after all, possessed the power to interfere with time and space.
"Holy crap, that's extreme. I'm only trying to control you. I'm not trying to kill you. Are you seriously trying to take me and this entire place down with you?"
Sensing what was happening, Seiryū's pupils contracted, and cold sweat slid down his forehead.
In his perception, the power gathering underground was terrifying.
Tailed Beast Balls, Cero Oscuras, Super Shinra Tensei.
Compared to this violent eruption of natural energy, none of them were on the same level.
If this power exploded, its destructive force would be beyond imagination.
In three simple words.
Everyone would die.
"This is bad, this is bad, this is really bad. If I don't stabilize this, I'm finished. Come on, brain, work faster!"
This was life-threatening, and Seiryū began to panic.
He had not expected the Dragon Vein to be this extreme.
It had actually chosen mutual destruction.
He was innocent.
He only wanted to completely master the Dragon Vein.
The Dragon Vein would not die. It would simply lose the ability to resist him.
Why did it have to be so extreme?
Too petty.
"The Dragon Vein can mobilize the natural energy beneath the earth. I already control more than ninety percent of its source power, so I should be able to do the same."
"On top of that, my Quincy power can also control natural energy."
"Control it. Stabilize it. Suppress it."
"I can do this."
"Damn it. I'm going all in."
Seiryū's mind was extremely sharp. In an instant, he came up with a countermeasure.
The natural energy underground was rampaging.
Then he simply had to stop it from rampaging.
Suppress it.
Seiryū had some confidence that he could do it.
But the moment he tried, his expression changed drastically.
"Damn, this is difficult. If I make one mistake, I'm really dead."
The idea was correct.
Executing it was another matter entirely.
It was like trying to press down an erupting volcano with his bare hands.
This was not something a normal person could accomplish.
Fortunately, Seiryū was not normal.
He was a complete monster.
Using every bit of his strength, he could barely manage it.
But he could not fully suppress it.
He was locked in a stalemate.
There was no other choice. Seiryū could only grit his teeth and endure.
If this natural energy exploded, Rōran would be destroyed, and everyone here would die.
Because he did not know how long he could hold out, Seiryū gritted his teeth and shouted toward Tsunade.
"Tsunade, take them and get out of here!"
"If I can't suppress it, then... well, go learn Impure World Reincarnation and summon me back from the underworld. I have a way to resurrect myself!"
After saying that, Seiryū did not even have the time to care whether Tsunade had heard him or how she reacted.
He had no attention to spare.
He was focusing everything on suppressing the rampaging natural energy underground.
The confrontation had begun as a battle against the Dragon Vein's consciousness.
Now, it had become a struggle against the vast natural energy beneath the earth.
One side was trying to erupt.
The other was trying to suppress it.
The distorted scenes of time and space around him became even stranger.
In Seiryū's senses, time itself seemed to slow down.
But what made him breathe a slight sigh of relief was this.
Although it was difficult, the natural energy on the verge of eruption was indeed being suppressed by him bit by bit.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)