Born in Blood

Giving the Breaker access to Liam's shadows, Liam could make it 'swim' beneath the Sea of Darkness!

He could control it!

As it swam through Liam's office, it caused the shadows to ripple, as though a shark was lurking beneath its depths.

A moment later, Liam made a rising gesture with his hand.

WHOOSH!

In an instant, the sword shot out of the Sea of Darkness.

A little too fast.

BOOM!

It burst through his ceiling!

A massive hole was formed there, and rubble flew everywhere.

So much for leaving rooms in one piece. 

Except, Liam knew that would happen.

He could have easily made the Breaker Blade merge with the ceiling and continue swimming from there.

He just wanted to see how fast he could move it.

As the Breaker Blade continued flying in the air, Liam outstretched a hand to the side.

Shhhhhhh.

It was plunging back to the ground.

As it slowly came back to the earth, it shot back to his hand, like his palm had become a magnet.

CHK!

SHING!

A moment later, his fingers wrapped around its hilt, and he swung through the air.

WHOOOSH!

The air caused by the swing caused a violent breeze to shoot through Liam's room.

Not only did Liam add those inscriptions on his swords, he also improved the base enhancements!

'Good enough,' Liam thought with a nod. 'Once my core arrives at the fourth rank, I'll finally get to work with Primordial Forging.'

'I think it's about time I make something entirely new. Unique.'

'Something the world would be better without, though.'

Liam pursed his lips.

Just five more days until the Important People Convention.

Until then, Liam was free to do whatever he wanted. Although cultivating until then sounded good, this party was important.

The figureheads of the Temple were extremely worried for Liam's sake.

Evidently, Liam sucked at parties and social gatherings. 

He avoided literally every celebration that the Temple hosted, and rarely spoke to people of his own volition. 

That wasn't really a problem anymore, as Liam wasn't so short-sighted and tense.

Before, he was a tumultuous sea. 

Too many waves. 

Too much chaos. 

All the danger was on the outside. 

Now, he was a pond. 

Serene. 

Calm. 

Gentle.

…But beneath the surface, monsters silently awaited their next meal.

'Requirements for a party. Clothes. Suits? There was no specific dress code. I can go naked if I so please…'

Liam shook his head.

'Nevermind. Coming off too strong is also bad.'

'Come to think of it, Alucard had something similar to a suit. He'll probably wear that to the convention.'

The General also had a similar piece of attire last Liam saw him, with minor differences compared to the suits on Earth.

Can't go wrong with that. 

Suit it was. 

Liam was about to head to Jargon's place. 

Tailories, among countless other businesses, thrived within the Temple's lands thanks to him.

Since he came from a poor background, and since Revel taught him everything he knew, Jargon had a business mindset.

He was Liam's Economic Minister.

Just then, Jargon knocked twice on his door!

"Come in," Liam said, and the door opened.

Jargon's gaze first fell on the broken roof and trashed surroundings.

'Again…' Jargon thought in distraught, and Liam could see it in his mental waves. 

"Jargon," Liam called out. "Perfect timing. Do you know what a 'suit' is?"

Jargon paused for a few seconds, then shook his head. "No clue, sir. Is it a food of some kind?"

"Clothing," Liam corrected. "I'll need a pair for the Convention."

Jargon's eyes lit up.

Was Liam finally taking his responsibilities seriously?!

Was he?!

"Give me specifics, sir," Jargon said with an enthusiastic tone. "I'll make sure it… suits your tastes."

Jargon smiled, proud of the pun. 

Liam nodded. Taking out a thin piece of paper, Liam drew a perfect replica of a three-piece suit, paired with a long overcoat.

He had to look different to the General and Alucard.

Copying their attire could seem disrespectful.

And quite frankly, Liam didn't want to make it seem like he was trying too hard.

At the same time, he added a few more modern clothing styles for Jargon to replicate and copy. 

A reward.

Throwing a bone to a loyal hound.

Then, he handed the paper to Jargon.

"Off you go."

Jargon smiled broadly and dismissed himself.

Liam heaved a long sigh and looked up at the hole in his office ceiling. 

"...Who's fixing my roof, though?"

***

Unbeknownst to Liam, while Jargon worked on the suit, Jane worked on the perfume, Aki worked on the adornments, which Jax would inscribe. 

It was obvious to say, but smelling like an unwashed rag used to wipe feces and dirt was not good.

Though, Liam smelled like blood most of the time. Of his own and others. 

Just a day remained for the Important People Convention. 

The Temple was very excited for Liam's sake, even though they weren't going.

"Boss, please tell us stories when you're back!" 

"And who you meet!" 

"And descriptions of how the women loo—!" shouted a young man, promptly silenced by a group of acolytes.

After a while, the Elders' jobs were completed.

Jargon brought the three-piece suit.

The waistcoat was matte-black, while the undershirt beneath was a crisp white. 

Made from the fur of an expensive magical beast, the long overcoat that draped over his shoulders was a smooth, silky black, but its interior was crimson.

From a mixture of chemicals and rare herbs, Jane made Liam a perfume that smelled absolutely amazing.

Somehow, it made him pleasant to look at.

Unbeknownst to Liam, that was done on purpose!

Jane was worried no one would approach Liam due to him being dead inside.

But with this, at least there was a chance.

Aki brought an ornate stopwatch made from black metal, inscribed to look as posh as possible.

It was also connected to a golden chain on his breast pocket, giving him easy access to it. 

There was no special function to it, other than telling the time in a traditional way. 

Realizing something about his attire, Liam scoffed. 

'I look like a british gangster from the 1800's,' Liam thought. 'Just missing the cap.'

But finally, he was ready for it.

The Important People Convention!