Chapter 572: Jealousy is My Power (72)
Chapter 572: Jealousy is My Power (72)
The interrogation did not last long.
I didn't have much time, so my hand axes had to perform a merciless, bloody dance. It took only a few minutes for the woman’s limbs to be completely crushed.
And in that process, I realized one thing.
Unfortunately, the woman’s resolve was the real deal.
Vampire kin were bound by a suffocatingly tight sense of familial love. Every time I applied torture, the woman screamed and eventually even pleaded, but not a single piece of meaningful information escaped her lips.
How troublesome.
No matter how strong a body is, it has its limits. Her mind and body, devastated by continuous blood loss and excessive pain, were now a wreck, barely clinging to life.
The flickering flame of her life was guttering out; I didn't even need to pay her any more attention.
Just as I stood up to turn away—
"Heh... hehehe... You... you'll never... cough... you'll never be able to win..."
A curse, whispered in a faint volume, tickled my ear.
Naturally, my eyes drifted back toward her.
The skin of the woman’s face, which had been crumpled in an endless scream, couldn't even maintain a proper smile. It merely twitched, forming something vaguely resembling an arc.
Even so, she was trying her best to mock me.
"You... you've done something... these past few days. I know... cough. I once... made an irreversible choice too... I don't know what choice you made, but seeing the state you're in now, I can guess how it ends..."
At those words, my eyes shifted slightly to the side.
My reflection was visible in the deep puddles of blood. Though the shape was blurred, one color radiated an especially intense presence within it.
Fatigued golden eyes were staring back at me.
"Hehe, cough, hehehe! Yes, a price... there is no power without a price... shortcuts always demand payment... You'll be paying yours soon enough."
"You're surprisingly meddlesome."
"In a way, aren't you just like me...?"
As she spoke, the vampire kin coughed up a handful of blood.
The light dwelling in her eyes was slowly fading. Her eyes, staring blankly at the sky, had likely lost most of their function.
Even as she died, she continued to sneer.
"But still, you won't win... You don't know the power of the true-blooded kin... 'Mother' is waiting for you... As long as we've kept you pinned down here, our goal is already achieved...!"
Thwack.
A thrown hand axe buried itself deep into the woman's forehead. She was already on the verge of death, so her passing was inevitable.
The hand axe spun through the air and returned to my hand. It was only then that my fatigue-clouded mind cleared.
Wait, what about Emma?
The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. My body, startled, shot forward like a gale.
My destination, of course, was the fallen Emma.
Had I performed emergency treatment? I had been so agitated that I couldn't even remember clearly.
The moment I hurriedly turned Emma’s body over—
I let out a deep sigh of relief at the sound of her soft, rhythmic breathing.
"Thank god..."
My legs almost gave out. Emma’s condition was better than expected; more importantly, the wound on her abdomen had already begun to close significantly.
Had I performed first aid in the midst of that chaos?
At this rate, there was no need to worry about her life. Of course, since it was a serious injury, it would take time for her to return to daily life, but any lingering aftereffects could be treated by using expensive sacrifices.
After all, the current me was a big shot who wouldn't blink an eye at tens of thousands of gold.
I carefully gathered Emma into my arms. My plan was to take her to a safe place, then regroup with the Great Witch to find the core of the barrier.
But right then.
Stab. A sudden flashback pierced my brain. It was an unexpected and incredibly intense pain, forcing me to stagger without even being able to let out a groan.
Reddish-brown hair. The pattern engraved on her back was a symbol of truth and immortality. For some reason, I felt an intense sense of revulsion at the scene that suddenly surfaced.
Why?
The question didn't last long.
[How long do you plan on just standing there blankly?]
A voice suddenly struck my eardrums. The tone was humming and beautiful, yet it possessed a certain sticky, seductive quality.
My brow furrowed as I regained my senses.
It was obvious who the owner of this voice was.
"...What did you do?"
[I am a Seven Deadly Sins of the Dark Cult. Delivering my voice is possible from anywhere.]
My flesh and blood, and one of the highest-ranking executives of the Dark Cult.
'Greed' whispered to me from an invisible distance.
[You'd better move quickly, Oppa. You can just leave that girl anywhere; it doesn't matter.]
"What do you know about Emma...!"
[Because there's more than one princess looking for her knight.]
I had no choice but to fall silent at the information she giggled out.
Come to think of it, hadn't the vampire kin said the same to me?
That simply keeping me tied down here was a success.
Before my thoughts could go any further, Greed’s excited voice continued.
[Now, you'd better run to the place I'm about to tell you. Normally, I'd demand a price, but... oh, what the heck! Consider it a service for my beloved brother. Just make sure to prepare a special reward for your sister later. The location is in the Southern Forest...]
It was at that exact moment.
Boom.
A vibration echoed from somewhere, shaking the very earth. My eyes turned toward the source of the shockwave.
The Southern Forest.
The frantic flapping of birds taking flight was desperate—the characteristic movement of creatures trying to survive at any cost.
There was no rule saying the battle would only take place in one location.
The war had already begun.
Even over there.
I calmed my racing heart and toyed with the medicine bottle in my pocket.
It was the final battle.
Deep within the Southern Forest.
A girl stood alone, trembling piteously. A beauty with dark blue hair reminiscent of the night sky and light gray eyes, she held her hands tightly together and squeezed her eyes shut.
She was trying her best to steel her will.
Though she couldn't even wipe away the tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
Standing before the girl was a woman no less beautiful. With silver hair and blue eyes, she was a beauty who perfectly embodied the representative colors of the vampire kin.
If there was one flaw, it was her faded eyes.
The blue eyes that used to shine like jewels had sunk into a gloomy, dull light. It was a shade that felt beyond depressing—it felt sinister.
The two were well-acquainted.
In fact, hadn't they been comrades who once trusted each other with their lives?
Though now, the dynamic was like that of a predator and its prey.
The small animal facing the predator—the Princess—barely suppressed the tears that were about to spill as she spoke. Her delicate voice was shaking violently.
"Se-Senior Yurdina..."
"Senior Ian isn't here."
The voice that murmured back was empty, devoid of any emotion.
It was truly colorless and odorless.
Without a smile or a tear, the silver-haired girl continued her murmuring.
"Mother isn't here, and the Great Witch isn't here either... This is good."
Normally, there was no reason for the Princess to feel such terror.
The Princess was also one of the proud top students of the Academy. Even if Seria was called a genius of the sword, she shouldn't have been able to overwhelm the Princess to this extent.
Yes, that should have been the case.
The Princess peeked through narrowed eyes to gauge Seria’s presence. When she did, a phantom-like image covered her vision.
A fiend.
What better expression could there be? A shadow filled with fierce malice and greed was rising behind Seria, preparing to pounce on the Princess.
And its strength transcended imagination.
The 'Dragon's Eye' was sending burning signals of pain. It was a clear warning of danger.
I can't win.
How long had it been since she reached that conclusion?
Crunch. The sound of stepping on fallen leaves echoed.
As Seria took a step forward, a faint light was returning to her eyes. Showing her gritted teeth, Seria flashed a cold smile.
Between her pearly white teeth, sharp fangs boasted an especially prominent presence.
Cien almost burst into tears.
"...Give me your blood."
At that resolute demand, Cien attempted to negotiate with a trembling voice.
"C-can't I just pay you with money?"
Of course, the answer to that was obvious.
With her eyes flashing brilliantly, the monster who had first awakened the blood flowing through her half-vampire body roared.
"Give me bloooooood!"
And then, a single strike.
With a thunderous crash, the earth shook, and dozens of trees collapsed all at once.
The Princess, having narrowly dodged the slash, could only roll on the ground and shed a single tear.
'Sir Ian...'
I miss you.
Today, her unrequited love felt particularly painful.