Gospel of Blood

“Lady Lilith? Lady Lilith?”

A distant call gradually sounded, carrying a hint of tension and growing closer with each passing moment.

Charlotte felt as if she were a fish submerged in water, with all the sounds of the world seeming distant and unclear, like the land on the shore.

As the call grew clearer and closer, Charlotte’s consciousness slowly revived, like grass buds emerging after a harsh winter.

She opened her eyes, her unfocused pupils gradually regaining their light. The first thing she saw was Rowena’s worried and delicate face.

“Lady Lilith, is there something seriously wrong with my body?”

Body… problem?

Charlotte felt a bit confused.

Her mind instantly cleared, and the memories before entering the time-space gap resurfaced.

Before being pulled into the time-space gap by “Lilith”, she was examining Rowena’s body…

After that, she had a conversation with “Lilith.”

Conversation…

No…

Wait…

Lilith, and… Harald!

As she seemed to remember something, Charlotte’s expression changed.

However, she quickly took in the surrounding scene and saw Rowena’s worried expression.

She immediately composed her fluctuating expression.

“No, it’s nothing. I’ve conducted a thorough examination; your body is very healthy. No need to worry.”

She exhaled lightly and comforted Rowena.

After speaking, she suppressed some thoughts in her mind, hesitated for a moment, and then patted the girl’s shoulder again.

“Familiarize yourself with your power as soon as possible. Once you fully merge with the new bloodline power, you can go further.”

Hearing Charlotte’s words, the worry on Rowena’s face finally dissipated. She looked at Charlotte cautiously, with a mix of nervousness, anticipation, and apprehension.

“Then… when you plan to select maids… can I apply?”

“Select maids?”

Charlotte was momentarily stunned.

“Isn’t it… the announcement from the City-State? You plan to select maids soon, just like those personal guards…”

Rowena said weakly.

Charlotte suddenly realized, remembering this was something decided long ago by the Free City-States Alliance. She had also seen related documents on previous time travel.

Of course, although it was called selecting maids, it was similar to selecting personal guards. The terms “personal guard” and “maid” were just to avoid alarming surrounding forces.

The true purpose of the selection was to grant extraordinary blood to outstanding “seeds”, creating stronger third-generation bloodbornes and expanding the Free City-State Alliance’s military strength.

However…

“Maids, huh…”

Charlotte looked at Rowena with a complicated expression. She once again felt the subtlety of historical forces.

Although what she was doing now was supposed to mend history, as “Lilith” said, history that has already happened cannot be “changed.”

Charlotte never thought that in this timeline, it would be her who led Rowena down the path of becoming a maid.

“Yes, you can.”

Charlotte patted the girl’s shoulder again.

Rowena became even more excited.

She respectfully and eagerly bowed to Charlotte, saying,

“Lady Lilith! Savior! Please rest assured, I… I will not disappoint your expectations. I will stand out among all the candidates and become your most trusted maid!”

Charlotte’s expression grew more complex.

Looking at the eager bloodborne girl before her, she felt as if the image overlapped with the figure who fought fiercely in the countless buried “cycles.”

Through the girl’s sincere eyes, she could feel her admiration.

It was not just for “Lilith.”

After all, whether it was Silver City back then or the recent border defense, it was the time-traveling Charlotte who saved her each time.

Rowena was grateful to “Lilith.”

But equally, to “Charlotte.”

And when Charlotte thought of the inevitable future that awaited her, she felt a strange blockage in her heart.

Sighing lightly, she nodded and said,

“I believe you can do it.”

…

After “examining” Rowena’s body, Charlotte returned to the temporary office in the fortress specially prepared for her.

The strange sensation from the Gospel of Blood had disappeared. That backup plan left by “Lilith” on Rowena was a projection of the Gospel of Blood remaining within her, a fragment that crossed time and space.

Although Charlotte didn’t know how “Lilith” managed to do it, the fact that she could actively cross into this time node and meet her in the time-space gap was enough to prove that “Lilith” had originally mastered the ability to traverse time and space.

Of course, now that the “projection” of the Gospel of Blood had been retrieved, Charlotte could clearly feel a more acute connection to it, and its power had also become stronger.

This made it hard for her not to suspect that the fragmentation of the Gospel of Blood was a deliberate act by Lilith, aiming to embed some pieces into history to facilitate Charlotte’s time travel.

Thinking about this, Charlotte’s thoughts once again drifted to her conversation with “Lilith”, and her expression became serious once more…

…

“To become the new Creator God? You really think highly of me…”

“You shouldn’t belittle yourself like that. You are an extraordinary being and have obtained the origin key. No one is more qualified than you to ascend to that position revered by the Gods.”

“The origin key? Do you mean the Gospel of Blood?”

“Yes, but the Gospel of Blood is just the key. What you truly need to do is awaken the true power of the bloodborne.”

“The true power of the bloodborne?”

“Yes, you should have already sensed it. The blood divine power is inherently superior to other divine powers.”

“Are you referring to the suppression and devouring of other divine powers by the blood divine power?”

“Devouring? No, that’s just the return of power. All power originates from the origin, and the power of the bloodborne is an incomplete origin power.”

“Incomplete origin power? Does this relate to the ‘curse’ on the bloodborne?”

“Mortals cannot bear the origin power, so for them, possessing origin power inevitably comes with the side effects of origin power, which manifests as a desire for other active energies. This desire, in mortal terms, translates to a craving for blood.”

“Because extraordinary power is hidden in the bloodline?”

“Exactly.”

“The origin power… it really is quite sinister.”

“To mortals, perhaps. As the favored children of origin power, the bloodborne does not bear the blessing of the Creator God but the curse of power. This curse is part of the origin ‘malice’, a desire for the return of power. For the bloodborne, this power is a reward of the bloodline but also the price for a fate destined to madness.”

“So, the reason bloodbornes who don’t drink blood in time go mad is that they haven’t satisfied the origin’s desire for the return of power, thus triggering the origin ‘malice’ deep in their bloodline? So, once I became a Demigod as the master of the Gospel and truly mastered the blood divine power, I became fully immune to the various side effects of the bloodborne’s bloodline?”

“Exactly.”

“Can I understand it this way: if I can’t bear the origin ‘malice’ power, I will eventually go mad like those fallen bloodbornes, like the Sun God Helios?”

“Theoretically, yes, but you have an advantage that no one else has. This advantage allows you to retain a shred of sanity even in the most desperate moments.”

“Because… I am an extraordinary existence?”

“Yes.”

“Do I have no choice?”

“From the moment you were chosen by fate, the gears started turning. And now, the origin ‘malice’ has set its sights on you. Although it can only follow you and interfere with your historical corrections, any slight negligence on your part could lead to an irreparable disaster.”

“Alright, so what should I do next? You hope I can become the new Creator God, but honestly… I don’t even know how to become a true God. Moreover, becoming the Creator God is just the ultimate result, right? What you really want me to do is to fight Helios, who has fused with the origin ‘malice’, isn’t it?”

“Sorry, you need to explore this path yourself. Compared to you, I am a failure of fate. My past path doesn’t apply to you. After all, only you can reach that step, and the origin key will guide you.”

“So, you have no good advice for me and want me to rely on my instincts?”

“Sorry…”

“Alright, but at least… I know who my enemy is.”

…

Charlotte and “Lilith” talked a lot.

Through this conversation, many of her long-standing doubts were resolved, especially about the secrets of the bloodborne.

She didn’t think “Lilith” was deceiving her. After all, there was no need for it.

Of course, if the conversation had ended there, Charlotte’s expression wouldn’t be as solemn as it was now.

What made her expression serious were the last few exchanges before “Lilith” disappeared.

…

“Teacher, my time… is almost up. Do you have any other questions?”

In the illusory crystal mirror, the increasingly blurred “Lilith” respectfully asked.

“Um… there is one more. If everything is as you say and you want me to become the new ‘Creator God’, then how did Harald become the ‘Creator God’?”

“Harald? Who is that?”

In the mirror, Lilith looked bewildered.

…

Exhaling lightly, Charlotte opened her eyes.

She stood in front of the window in her temporary office, gazing at the distant mountains, the tents below the fortress, and the City-State Alliance soldiers moving in and out of the tents.

Her gaze deepened, and her expression grew more solemn.

The “Lilith” who awakened her “past life” memories… did not know Harald.