Titan's Throne

Splitting Flames

Tino and the other Falsified Daughters were aware of Bastian's identity from the moment Bastian met V at Cole Family Compound. They had been stationed there for a while gathering intel and were hidden in the shadows. Guy's troops on the other hand were not in the know. 

They were working together, but Tino and her sisters withheld some information to give themselves an advantage in the future. They might have become slaves of the Thunder Tiger Empire, but they did not have much of a shred of national loyalty. 

Bastian's identity was part of the reason they were willing to follow him without much opposition. Especially the fact that his bloodline had made such drastic changes to his body. Intel with descriptions of Bastian's original body stunned the Falsified Daughters. They could not believe their eyes and ears. A great shift like this meant only one thing. A highly pure bloodline!

After seeing the bloodline legacy skill display at Tyson's home and linking it with the information they had on Bastian through the Thunder Tiger Empire's vast information networks, it all came together.

'The Tyrian Double-Headed Storm Dragon'

Many a cultivator had identified the super colossal metaphysical projection of the beast. It was known as one of the most powerful beasts in existence and had been confirmed to be in many bloodlines, but it was extremely dormant. 

Awakening it was as difficult as ascending to Immortality. It had incredibly stringent requirements on character, soul power, and elemental attributes among others.

The beast had only been awakened by a handful of people. And the last to do so lived thousands of years ago. But only one of them mattered to the Daughters.

Brutus Tirius! Second Patriarch of the Tirius Family and arguably its strongest leader. He had awakened the Tyrian Double-Headed Storm Dragon power within him and used it to dominate his generation. He was Invincible among his peers and had only been defeated by opponents multiple levels above him.

His ability to leapfrog levels and battle those stronger than him caused listeners of his legends to have chills in their spines. Not much information on the man had survived to this day, but his martial prowess and power were heavily emphasized by those who lived during that period.

Bastian's sudden growth, the apparition, the odds of him being a mark bearer, his ancestry, and the legacy skill display caused Tino and her sisters to hold a certain amount of respect for him. It was not Bastian's display of power that night that garnered respect but it was his potential. Not to mention the size of the apparition revealed that Bastian had awakened an extremely pure type of bloodline.

So long as he survived, he would be a powerhouse. But his odds of making it to old age were not good. Too many factors made his survivability small.

'Hunted by his own family… No, his own brother. Hunted by other mark bearers, now an enemy of 3 C Rank City peak families. Not to mention, he could end up being Prince Tendai's enemy. If all these factors come together, then he will not survive ten years. This is what I thought. But now…'

Phantasma's thoughts were a mess but her eyes were clear. Bastian's brother alone was a threat capable of wiping out his chances at surviving greatly.

'He is a person who can easily contend with Prince Tendai. To have someone like that as an enemy. But, the boy before me has something about him.'

The visage of a muscular youth with short purple hair-splitting an ocean of flames with chop burned itself into her retina. A burst of concentrated bloodline power burst forth from Bastian's body. A feeling of safety and comfort surged into her body along with the bloodline power.

Bloodline power or bloodline aura was distinct from other energies and easy to detect for experienced fighters. Bastian was 13 years old but he had the body of a muscular 15-year-old. With his bloodline power activated he had the aura of a king. A regal disposition that radiated power suffused into Phantasma's mind. But it was not a power she rejected, on the contrary, it was a power that gave her comfort, that gave her a feeling of safety. 

'This is a buff that is powered by bloodline power. Was he not inexperienced in bloodline power manipulation? This level of mastery should have taken him at least a year to reach!'

Thanks to the simulation powers of the Medici Area, Bastian had long gained basic mastery of his bloodline. The Tyrian Double-Headed Storm Dragon had multiple area of effect skills. And this was one of them.

Empyrean Equilibrium Void Shattering Spirit: Sovereign's Might.

The flames had been split apart by Bastian's arm, making it seem as if the duo was stuck in an empty ravine, walled in by endless black. The cold from the passing flames was freezing the air around the duo, but Phantasma could feel that she was safe from harm. 

The aura Bastian released seemed to have a powerful shielding effect that not only lifted the suppression the flames had on her, but also seemed to boost her abilities as well. She could feel that her overall combat skills and soul seemed to become slightly stronger with each passing second.

'This! Is this a shield and a buff?' As Phantasma marveled at the aura, her vision locked onto Bastian's figure. In particular, she focused on his right arm. 

The flames had completely sealed Phantasma's spatial awareness. Her senses could not pass through anyplace that the flames traveled to, so she could not clearly see what Bastian was doing from behind, but she knew one thing.

'From this angle, it looks like he is touching the flames directly.'

The fact that Bastian could casually split the flames with an arm horrified Phantasma because it meant Bastian had another high-tier skill she didn't know.

'He can manipulate these flames!'

Bastian had produced superb wind magic in the past. It resulted in people assuming he was a specialist in fire element magic. The Sovereign Continent had very few wind-type bloodlines. Hence most who could use such skills were of the fire element creating fierce winds. 

Bastian had used his knowledge of heat and convection currents to create pressure magic. Hence people thought he was a fire mage!