Noctis opened Genesis Core and reviewed the formation process rather than the entire Bloodgrave Ascension Scripture. The requirements remained exactly as he remembered them: refined blood essence from his own body and an actual physical fragment separated from the foundation of his Genesis Core. Nothing within the method stated that the process could occur only once, and the first Blood Crystal was not described as a unique artifact whose existence prevented another from being formed. There was no restriction limiting him to one vessel.
That meant he could repeat the formation.
The significance did not require dramatic reconsideration because the practical advantage was straightforward. Several Blood Crystals would remove the need for every useful battlefield to depend on one vessel being physically carried from place to place. One crystal could accompany Noctis into the Demon Crucible while others remained available for future operations on the current planet, allowing him to prepare for more than one collection environment instead of forcing every campaign to wait on whichever location currently held the only vessel.
Noctis did not assume that his followers could independently operate a Blood Crystal simply because multiple vessels could exist. The scripture had not established that mechanic, and treating an untested possibility as fact would make the planning unreliable. Even if collection ultimately required Noctis's direct involvement, however, multiple Blood Crystals still had value because he could create them in advance, use different vessels for different campaigns, and avoid tying every source to a single object that had to accompany him everywhere. If later testing showed that trusted subordinates could assist with collection, that would become an additional advantage rather than something his current plan depended upon.
The potential benefit made the cost worth examining immediately. The first Blood Crystal had not been formed from materials Noctis could simply purchase or gather from the environment, because both of its essential components came directly from him. Creating another required more refined blood essence from his own body and another actual fragment from his Genesis Core. That made the process repeatable but not trivial.
The first core fragment had been tiny compared with the entire foundation, yet its size had done little to reduce the pain involved in separating it. Noctis's body had resisted the removal through regeneration until he deliberately suppressed that response around the selected portion, and the final separation had been severe enough to disrupt his breathing, blur his vision, and leave his fingers trembling. His Genesis Core had reconstructed the missing section completely by morning, but recovery did not change what the injury had required. Removing several fragments close together without supporting that reconstruction could turn an efficient collection strategy into a prolonged cycle of self-inflicted damage.
The blood-essence cost created a separate limitation. The first formation had consumed enough refined essence for Noctis to feel the depletion even after the ordinary physical components of his blood had recovered, and his body had needed time to rebuild what had been spent. Several formations performed in succession would multiply that loss even if the Genesis Core itself reconstructed rapidly. Multiple Blood Crystals therefore became practical only if Noctis could support both sides of the recovery process.
For the Genesis Core, his thoughts went naturally to Celestial Crystals. Their concentrated celestial energy operated at a level appropriate for supporting a divine foundation, which made them far more suitable than ordinary cultivation resources. Noctis did not expect a Celestial Crystal to reconstruct the missing structure in place of his body, because his Genesis Core had already demonstrated that it could reproduce the lost architecture on its own. What he wanted was an external source of concentrated celestial energy capable of accelerating a process that otherwise depended entirely upon his natural recovery.
He did not know how dramatic the acceleration would be, and there was no reason to pretend certainty before testing it. A Celestial Crystal might reduce an overnight recovery to several hours, or it might provide only a modest improvement if the limiting factor proved to be structural regeneration rather than available energy. Either result would be useful because Noctis would gain an actual measure of how practical repeated Blood Crystal formation could become. He only needed enough Celestial Crystals to test the process before deciding how many vessels were worth creating.
The blood essence required a different resource, and that answer was simpler because Noctis had been a vampire long before he acquired the Bloodgrave Ascension Scripture. Fresh blood could replenish the biological essence his body expended much more efficiently than waiting for natural recovery alone. The exact amount he would need remained uncertain because he had formed only one Blood Crystal so far, but the requirement would scale with the number of additional vessels. If several formations were eventually practical, then Noctis would need access to enough blood that recovery did not become the slower half of the process after his core reconstruction improved.
With the two requirements separated clearly in his mind, Noctis contacted Vaelrath and asked whether he could provide several Celestial Crystals. Vaelrath did not begin by asking how many Noctis wanted, because the resource was valuable enough that the purpose mattered first. He instead asked what Noctis needed them for, giving Noctis an opportunity to explain the relevant mechanics without revealing anything about the Genesis Interface itself.
Noctis told him that the cultivation method he had selected allowed him to create Blood Crystals and that each formation required some of his own refined blood essence along with a small physical fragment taken from the foundation of his Genesis Core. He explained that the first Blood Crystal had been formed during the previous night and that the missing portion of the core had reconstructed completely by morning. Vaelrath remained silent while he processed that information, but his concern became apparent when he clarified whether the fragment itself became part of the vessel rather than serving merely as a temporary source of core energy.
Noctis confirmed that the physical fragment remained inside the Blood Crystal permanently and that his Genesis Core regenerated a replacement rather than recovering the original piece. That distinction mattered because Vaelrath understood core injuries well enough to know that structural loss and energy depletion were not the same problem. Once that was clear, Noctis explained why the Celestial Crystals had become relevant now rather than during the first formation. He had discovered that the process could be repeated, and multiple Blood Crystals would make the cultivation method more practical, but he did not want to rely on unassisted reconstruction after every fragment he removed.
Vaelrath asked how long the first recovery had taken, and Noctis told him that the Genesis Core had completely reconstructed by morning. That shifted the Demon God's concern away from whether Noctis could recover at all and toward whether repeated formation could be made practical without allowing cumulative damage to build faster than his body repaired it. Noctis explained that he intended to form only one additional Blood Crystal first, use a Celestial Crystal during the reconstruction, and measure both the speed and quality of the recovery before deciding whether another formation was worthwhile.
That answer satisfied Vaelrath more than a predetermined number would have. He remarked that testing one formation before deciding on several was considerably more reasonable than removing multiple pieces of a core and discovering afterward that the later injuries recovered differently from the first. Noctis pointed out that he had never proposed creating several blindly, and Vaelrath answered that Noctis had opened the conversation by asking for several Celestial Crystals without first explaining why. The exchange remained practical rather than argumentative because both understood the actual issue.
Vaelrath agreed to provide some Celestial Crystals and said Ceravath should also have access to a limited reserve, so he would coordinate with him rather than forcing Noctis to repeat the same explanation separately. Before ending the contact, Vaelrath told Noctis to wait until the crystals actually arrived before removing another fragment from his Genesis Core. Noctis replied that he already intended to do exactly that, which earned enough silence from Vaelrath to make it clear the reassurance had not been entirely effective. They ended the conversation with the important point settled: the resources for testing accelerated core recovery would be arranged.
That solved only half of the problem because Noctis still needed blood to replenish the biological essence consumed during repeated formation. He looked across the training grounds again and considered the scale involved. A few isolated monsters would provide little if he eventually created several Blood Crystals, and sending his followers through the wilderness to hunt one creature after another would consume time and manpower while accomplishing almost nothing beyond feeding the cultivation process. There was no reason to separate resource gathering from the conflict already taking place when the holy side controlled fortified positions filled with exactly the kind of living sources Noctis needed.
A Holy Fortress could contain hundreds or thousands of defenders concentrated within one position, along with supplies, weapons, records, defensive infrastructure, and control over the surrounding territory. Taking one would provide fresh blood and viable blood essences while weakening an enemy they already intended to oppose. The concentration mattered as much as the number of defenders because Noctis still did not know how deeply several Blood Crystal formations would deplete his own blood essence. If the cost scaled directly, a captured fortress would give him access to enough fresh blood that recovery would not depend on searching for additional prey afterward.
The idea also solved another problem that scattered hunting could not. Any blood gathered from monsters in the wilderness would have little strategic value beyond the resource itself, whereas every defender removed from a Holy Fortress weakened the Church and every captured stronghold potentially altered supply routes, patrol coverage, local communications, or the security of nearby holy positions. Noctis preferred objectives that solved several problems at once, especially when the additional value did not interfere with the cultivation requirement. A fortress therefore became the better source even before he considered how many blood essences it might provide.
He waited until the current sparring exchanges ended before calling the senior fallen angels away from the training grounds. There was no reason to discuss future military operations in front of Academy students who had gathered only to observe training, and several of those students looked disappointed when some of the more experienced fallen angels left the field. The remaining fighters resumed practice soon afterward, allowing the gathering to continue without the students knowing that the interruption had anything to do with an upcoming assault. Noctis then headed toward the mansion with the senior members following him.
Nocthyrael joined him before he entered the residence. She had been elsewhere on the grounds and approached once she noticed that several senior fallen angels were being called away from training, but she did not ask where Noctis had been because he had already told her that morning he intended to speak with Valdred. Noctis likewise saw no reason to stop and explain the entire conversation before the others gathered. She simply accompanied him inside while the people needed for the meeting assembled.
The gathering remained limited to those who could contribute directly to planning or execution. Senior fallen angels joined Noctis and Nocthyrael, along with experienced fallen clergymen currently present at the Demon Academy whose knowledge of holy methods could become useful during a fortress assault. Servants and unrelated personnel remained outside, while the fallen angels who had not been called into the meeting were free to continue training. Noctis wanted the discussion large enough to benefit from different experience without turning it into an announcement to everyone living around the mansion.
Once they were settled, Noctis explained the requirement in terms relevant to the operation rather than exposing the internal mechanics of the Bloodgrave Ascension Scripture. The people in the room did not need to understand Genesis, the initiation condition, or why the cultivation method required distinct living sources. They needed to know that Noctis required a large quantity of viable blood essence and that whatever operation produced it should accomplish something valuable beyond resource collection. When one of the fallen angels suggested organized hunting parties in nearby monster territories, Noctis rejected the idea and explained that taking another Holy Fortress would serve both purposes more efficiently.
That immediately changed the discussion from gathering resources to conducting a military operation. A fortress assault affected territory, supply routes, communication, defensive infrastructure, and Church manpower whether Noctis needed blood afterward or not. The blood essences would therefore become one benefit of an operation whose strategic value already justified the fighting. Noctis made it clear that he did not intend to select a target merely because it contained the largest number of bodies.
The fortress needed a meaningful garrison, but population alone was not enough. Noctis wanted a position that controlled something worth taking, supported surrounding holy sites, guarded an important route, stored valuable supplies, or otherwise weakened the Church in a way that remained useful after the blood had been collected. A stronghold filled with soldiers but connected to nothing important could provide immediate resources while changing very little outside its own walls. A smaller fortress supporting several patrol stations or minor defensive positions might produce fewer bodies but create far greater consequences when captured.
Reinforcement risk also mattered because the best blood source became a poor target if reaching it triggered a larger battle they had no reason to fight yet. A fortress connected directly to several major holy positions might contain more soldiers and supplies, but those same roads could carry reinforcements rapidly once the attack began. A target too close to the known activity of one of the surviving Holy Gods introduced an even greater risk because Noctis had no intention of turning a controlled operation into a divine confrontation merely to increase the number of available sources. The Bloodgrave Ascension Scripture required scale, but it did not require abandoning judgment.
The need for viable blood essence created an additional battlefield constraint. Noctis explained that the defenders needed to remain sufficiently intact after death for their blood essence to be usable, which ruled out widespread attacks powerful enough to erase entire sections of the garrison. The same principle applied to the fortress itself because destroying the stronghold would waste supplies, records, defensive structures, storage facilities, and anything else the Church had concentrated there. The most efficient assault therefore required killing the defenders cleanly while damaging only what genuinely needed to be destroyed.
The fallen angels understood that requirement without difficulty. Their superiority over ordinary holy soldiers did not depend on overwhelming every opponent with area-wide destruction, and they could fight through a garrison using speed, weapon skill, coordination, and controlled techniques. The fallen clergymen could contribute differently because several of them understood Church defensive habits, holy barriers, command structures, and the mentality of soldiers expected to hold fortified positions against demonic attackers. Their experience would not make every fortress identical, but it could help identify dangers that a map or population estimate would never reveal.
One of the fallen clergymen pointed out that fortresses nearer major holy population centers often relied on purification formations stronger than their visible troop numbers suggested. Such formations would not threaten Noctis personally, but they could complicate the assault for fallen angels and clergy while increasing the chance that defenders destroyed their own resources rather than surrendering them. Another noted that some commanders were trained to burn records, poison stores, or overload formations if a position became impossible to hold, which meant speed inside the fortress could matter as much as the force used to breach it. Noctis incorporated both concerns into the broader requirements rather than treating the attack as a simple problem of killing everyone before reinforcements arrived.
He would personally need to exercise the greatest restraint during the battle. His strongest techniques had long since passed the point where they could be used casually inside a fortress without destroying everything around their targets, and attacks designed to threaten gods were unnecessary against ordinary defenders. The battle against Aurelion and Malgoryth had demanded overwhelming force because the opponents themselves justified it. A Holy Fortress demanded control because the objective was to preserve what remained after the defenders were defeated.
Once those conditions were understood, the meeting moved naturally into target selection. Several Holy Fortresses were already known to the Demon Academy, but nobody in the room wanted to choose based solely on memory because the destruction surrounding the former 3-Star Fortress had already altered holy behavior across several regions. Positions near demonic territory tended to be better prepared for direct attack because their commanders expected raids, while fortresses deeper inside holy territory could be less immediately fortified but harder to approach without revealing movement beforehand. Neither category was automatically better.
One senior fallen angel favored targets close enough to demonic territory that retreat remained simple if something unexpected happened. Another disagreed and pointed out that border fortresses often existed specifically because they were built to endure repeated attacks, which meant stronger barriers, clearer reinforcement plans, and commanders accustomed to functioning under pressure. A fallen clergyman suggested that a position slightly deeper inside holy territory might prove easier precisely because the defenders relied upon distance and surrounding territory for security. His argument was not that deeper territory was safer, but that confidence often created routines that became easier to exploit than the constant readiness maintained by soldiers expecting attack.
Another fallen clergyman reminded them that assumptions formed before the destruction of the 3-Star Fortress could already be outdated. The Church still did not understand exactly what had happened to Aurelion, and the destruction surrounding the fortress had given local commanders enough reason to become more cautious even without accurate information. A position that once considered itself secure might have changed its patrols, reinforced its barriers, or altered supply routes in response to events it did not fully understand. Noctis agreed that old intelligence could guide the discussion but should not determine the target.