Chase nervously sat in the tub of blood and listened attentively to Marcus.
The young lord uttered the first word of the mantra, and it didn't sound like any language any of them recognized.
In fact, a few of them even wondered if Marcus was saying anything intelligent.
However, for Chase, the moment he repeated the first word he had heard from Marcus, he felt the blood in the tub resonate with him.
This caused his brows to shoot up.
Marcus, who had also been paying attention to everything happening in the tub, was also astonished. Though he couldn't tell that there was some resonance between the blood and Chase, he could only tell that there was a reaction.
Nonetheless, he continued chanting, and Chase repeated after him.
There were only nine words in this mantra, and in no time Marcus had finished reciting it. And then he started from the beginning again.
A few minutes went on this way, and with each completion of the mantra, the temperature of the blood in the tub increased, boiling.
Chase's body started to turn red.
At this point, he could recite the mantra without Marcus's assistance.
With each minute that went by, Chase felt as though his body was going to melt. He clenched his teeth and fists, resisting the urge to scream his lungs out.
The blood of the beast seemed to corrode him, and at the same time, he could feel his Blood Force being pushed past its limits.
It got thicker and purer, and almost beastly, in a sense.
Chase's Blood Force began clashing against the Beast's blood, causing his organ to quake painfully.
Just when he felt the urge to quit, an invisible energy shrouded him, bringing ease and comprehension to his mind and body.
Only Marcus and Chase could sense this energy at the moment. The former was the cause and the latter the effect.
It was one of the effects of Marcus's [Lord With A Will] title. It had the ability to assist his men in growth, and this was the first time Marcus was sensing it in action this way.
To him, it was as though a part of his mind stretched out to cover Chase's body, calculating and organizing what should be organized.
It was astounding and marvelous, but at the same time, extremely weird. It made the young lord feel as though he was touching Chase's body.
Nonetheless, he ignored this repulsive feeling and focused on the fact that he was assisting his Knight's growth.
A few minutes passed, and then suddenly, Chase's facial expression changed. The frown had calmed and turned into a smile.
His eyes shot open, and the aura of his Blood Force flared out.
"Whoa!" The knights around took a few steps back with a look of shock on their faces.
A considerable pressure threatened to overwhelm their minds, and it all came from Chase.
The pressure was somewhat… Beastly. As though he was a beast in man form.
As for Chase, his mind wasn't on his surroundings; rather, he was being overwhelmed by the emotions going through his heart. He had finally broken through and made it to the Tidal Wave rank.
For a while now, he and Lesley had been feeling left behind and even useless. Their talents couldn't be compared to the rest whom the young lord had helped to gain unique abilities.
Knowing that the decisions they made in the past all affected them. Knowing where they started from and the options they had.
The dejection, anxiety and depression that came from all the chances they had missed out on ate at his heart greatly.
But now…
Chase closed his eyes and smiled.
I will serve you even better with this strength, Lord Marcus.
He swore to himself.
The blood within the tub was still hot, but not as much as before. And while there was still some energy left within, it wasn't enough to push growth in Chase anymore.
"How do you feel?" Marcus's voice cut through his thoughts.
The young knight faced him and showed his teeth at him. "Stronger, Milord."
"Any complications?"
"None that I can sense at the moment."
"Good!" Marcus turned and faced Bradley. The latter flinched secretly when this happened. "Get in here quickly before the remnant energy disappears."
Bradley didn't know how to refuse this order, but it was clearly written on his face that he was scared of it.
He had watched Chase's body change color under the heat of the blood. The way the man's body tensed under pain.
"Sir, I might die," Bradley uttered as he stared at the steaming blood.
Marcus rolled his eyes, "Just get in."
Thanks to the perspective and understanding he gained from his [Lord With A Will] title, Marcus was almost certain that anyone could use the Blood Bane Arts.
And with his direction, the percentage of success would increase.
Rather than calling this an experiment on his steward, he was acting on confidence…
Going against his fear, Bradley bent to put his hand inside the tub to feel the heat, and that was when he felt a kick on his backside.
Splash!
He landed chest first into the tub.
"Argghh!! Milord, it's boiling!" Bradley shouted as soon as he raised his head. He was even about to jump out of the tub.
"Hold him in! Don't let him come out or our efforts will be wasted." Marcus ordered, and Logail stepped forward.
The knight held Bradley's shoulders and pressed him back into the bucket.
"He's being overwhelmed by pain; how would he recite the mantra?"
"That's not needed. I can recite it for him." Marcus said and suddenly began reciting the mantra.
At the same time, the blood in the tub resonated with the chant and began invading Bradley's body.
Simultaneously, perhaps because Bradley was a normal person and needed immediate intervention, the [Lord With A Will] title activated once again.
"Argh!! I hate you! I hate all of you!!"
Bradley screamed out as he could feel all the muscles in his body tear. His bones quaked as though a huge rock had been placed on top of his body.
"Mommy!!!"
The moment he screamed this, the knights around burst into laughter.
Even Marcus couldn't help but chuckle.
Almost half an hour passed before the blood within the tub turned transparent, like water. But it carried an earthy smell that was a bit pungent.
At this point, Bradley had stopped screaming, and Logail had left his shoulders.
With a smile on his face, Marcus asked, "How do you feel, Bradley?"
The steward, with a look of confusion plastered on his face, could only frown. Unable to give an accurate answer.
However, from the aura coming from his body, everyone could tell that he had made it to the Awakened rank.
"Congratulations, Bradley," Marcus said.
"Congratulations, Steward Bradley!" The knights around echoed.
Although they found Bradley's reaction funny, all of them could only feel excitement and awe towards what they had witnessed.
A man who would have been judged generally to never be able to awaken Blood Force had gone against all odds and done so in front of them.
To them, silently, history had been made before their eyes.