Born in Blood

"I'll be absolutely blunt and say I'm perhaps the weakest powerhouse out of them all," Sir Cornelius said with a wry look. "And here's the shocker…"

Silence.

Cornelius paused for dramatic effect.

"I can't even cultivate through normal means anymore."

Silence again.

Liam raised his brows in slight surprise.

What?

How… was that even possible?

How was that even allowed?!

What did Cornelius do to have the Law of Balance imposed so harshly on him?

Noticing Liam's surprise, Cornelius laughed, causing his double chin to jiggle a bit.

"The truth is more boring than you think," Cornelius said. "It was actually my own choice." 

Now, Liam was a little more than surprised.

How could one even do that?

Liam didn't ask, though.

This wasn't an explanation of abilities.

It was a demonstration.

That's all it was, in reality. 

In the first place, speaking in-depth to others about one's Path could affect another's. 

But that was specific to lower ranking cultivators, who might get obsessed with a certain power.

To Zeniths that had a general idea of who they wanted their powers to be, knowing about another person's Path could actually be more beneficial. 

But Liam wasn't inclined to explain his abilities, and neither was the Mayor. 

A few seconds passed in quiet silence. 

"In reality, my cultivation depends on this very mountain!" 

Liam raised his brows. 

This was even more surprising.

Were Paths so broad and diverse?

How the heck did that even work?

Liam hadn't used Spirit Sight on the Mayor, since it might seem a bit rude, and the Mayor could probably find out. 

"I actually specialize in Formations and Inscriptions more than anything," the Mayor continued conversationally. 

"I'm sure you've wondered why my butlers and maids don't have any particular power?"

Liam gave a slow, firm nod.

The Mayor smirked. 

"They're actually just inscribed puppets," Cornelius said. "They're not actually alive."

Silence.

Liam was genuinely amazed.

Did the Mayor invent the first robot ever? 

Well, they lacked the vestigial flesh and metallic frame, but they were formed from the same idea. 

Not only were they robots, they were also paired with artificial intelligence!

The Mayor was a little bigger in Liam's eyes, and not just because of his fat stomach and double chin.

"I would gladly show you a live demonstration of me building one, but they take quite a bit of time, you see." 

Liam was a little bit disappointed in that.

Noticing his expression, the Mayor instantly made amends.

"Don't worry! I'll go a little more in depth to make up for it."

Liam hid a smile, limiting himself to a nod.

"Battle-wise, even a peak Rank 5 cultivator could kill me with a bit of effort," the Mayor said. 

That was… sad.

Despite that, the Mayor smirked proudly. 

"But in my own domain?" 

"On this mountain?"

Cornelius smiled broadly.

"Not even the Queen, Alucard or the General combined could lay a finger on me!"

Absolute silence.

No wonder they accepted the Mayor's invitation.

If the Mayor spoke the truth, which he definitely did, they had to realize the sheer strength that the Mayor possessed.

'But that power is specific to his 'domain'. 

Essentially, his defense and offense was absolutely impregnable within Mount Mayhem.

Mount Mayhem was one massive superweapon! 

Except, that superweapon could not fire from a long distance. 

And the Mayor himself was much, much weaker when he wasn't holding it. 

That was a good thing, though.

If it wasn't, Liam was pretty sure the Mayor would have ruled the world by now.

A choice that the Mayor seemed happy with. 

There was a slight pause. 

"Oh, and I have absolute control over this place," the Mayor said proudly, waving his hand. "It's part of me, after all." 

Wherever the Mayor's hand moved, the room's interior transformed. 

The bookshelves retracted into the walls, while the flat ceiling expanded, growing out a ruby chandelier shaped like a rose. 

Pillars burst from the ground and connected to the ceiling. 

From a wooden office, it quickly turned into a marble hall lit by a rosy light.

The Mayor smiled again.

Liam wasn't too surprised by this ability. 

From his knowledge, even Alucard had that ability, since the Pashah's castle had changed forms from the first time he had entered it. 

It was also similar to Liam's Inner World spell.

Except, that didn't extend to the Outer World.

This did. 

In short, it was just amazing. 

"Just to add," the Mayor continued, "my Formations allow everyone to be equal in strength once under my domain, and all forms of power will be disabled."

Wait…

"Meaning you, me, Alucard and the Queen will all be the same level of strength as a regular person."

Time after time, the Mayor kept shocking Liam to his core!

What kind of stupid ability reduced a powerhouse's ability to a normal level?

Not to mention, take away their powers entirely?

Albeit, it was only doable under the Mayor's domain, but wasn't this a bit too much?

"It's for a valid reason," the Mayor said firmly. "Otherwise, the powerhouses could just study your powers and use them against you."

Silence.

True.

Very true.

In fact, Liam appreciated the man more than ever.

After that, the Mayor didn't add anymore.

That was an overview of his strongest powers, and each one was more ridiculous than the next. 

Now, it was Liam's turn to share.

Sir Cornelius was doing his best not to show his excitement.

But it definitely showed.

"Well," Liam said after a short pause. "As you know, I'm a darkness elemental."

Liam raised a hand, and dense flames of darkness surged from them.

The Mayor nodded profusely again, and Liam's eyes fell on his chin as it jiggled. 

"I can also manipulate my blood contents."

Liam raised a finger to the ceiling. A clot of blood emerged from his nail.

Then, it slowly took the form of a mini-Liam! 

Then, it crystalized, turning into a pop-figure, which Liam put on the Mayor's desk.

The Mayor's eyes widened in shock and amazement.

"I… I get to keep it?" 

Liam paused, then smiled.

"No."

The figurine shattered apart.