Chapter 583: Jealousy is My Power (83)
Chapter 583: Jealousy is My Power (83)
“It would have been better if I hadn't been caught… If I hadn't, your father would have been mine, and the Yurdina family would have been yours. But because of that damn old man……”
[Seria, about that day…….]
Delphine had worn a troubled expression that day.
It was unlike her. Hadn't Delphine always been cold and dignified?
It was around this time that a realization, like a divine revelation, struck her.
You knew, didn't you, Sister?
“But don't worry too much. It’s not too late. You are my daughter and the niece of a vampire, so if you only awaken to your power……”
That’s why you couldn't tell me.
Even if it meant enduring my resentment, you kept the truth of that day from me.
“Wha—wha—what……”
Whether it was a sob or a snarl of rage, her voice, stained with an indistinguishable emotion, trembled precariously. Seria’s face had long since been distorted beyond recognition.
Crying, laughing, despair, anger, hatred, resentment.
In a face where every emotion was concentrated, only one thing shone.
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Now, my daughter. Won't you lend me a little blood? Since you've consumed the dragon's blood, surely for me too…?”
Thwack!
At the sensation of something sharply piercing her solar plexus, the silver-haired woman wore a dazed expression. Her eyes, filled with disbelief, slowly drifted toward her abdomen.
A fist was buried there.
None other than her own daughter’s fist.
The woman had no time to voice her confusion.
Boom!
Like a cannonball, the woman’s body was sent flying, crashing into the distance amidst a thick cloud of dust. The momentum was so terrifying that several trees were crushed and toppled in her wake.
Then, a shadow dashed through the scattering wood splinters.
A few teardrops remained in her wake like an afterimage. A sorrowful scream was let out, though she knew not who it was directed toward.
“What—what have you doooooone…!”
She didn't need a sword.
It hadn't been long since she had awakened from her berserk state. The current Seria was less a rational human and more akin to a beast.
Above all, there was no need to wield a weapon.
Her entire body was already a lethal instrument. Once she surrendered herself to blind rage, her physical form became a more threatening weapon than any blade.
The silver-haired woman was just then staggering to her feet.
She had been heavily wounded and then caught by a surprise attack.
It was an injury that would have meant certain death for even a high-ranking demonic beast. The fact that she still had the strength to stand meant that the woman’s body was on a different level of durability.
Not that it mattered to Seria.
Seria’s body was also robust enough to be compared to metal. No matter how strong the opponent, Seria had no reason to fear being overpowered in a physical brawl.
Thump! A heavy shockwave erupted.
It was hard to believe it was merely the result of two women’s bodies colliding. Once again, several trees snapped with a loud crack, and Seria, who had already pinned the silver-haired woman down, began raining down punches without hesitation.
Smack!
With the sound of flesh tearing, the woman’s head snapped to the side. Soon, a trail of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
It was proof that Seria was striking with everything she had.
A voice soaked in resentment burst from the girl’s lips in succession.
“Wha—what did you… what on earth did you do…! Do you have any idea what it feels like to lose a mother?! No, you of all people should know! What did you do to my—my sister… no, to our family!”
“……Seria.”
Her tone was unexpectedly calm.
The woman, who had softly called her daughter’s name, slowly turned her head back to the front. In the gaze looking up at Seria, an undeniable affection was reflected.
It was a disgusting love.
For the first time, Seria realized that love could be revolting.
“You’re still pretending to be human.”
“I am human……!”
“No, you’re my daughter.”
With a faint smile, the woman once again wore a gentle expression.
Seria felt the urge to crush that face with her fist.
“You’re just like me. Don't you remember? What you did?”
“What did I—what did I do……!”
“The blood on your clothes.”
Seria’s breath hitched, her hatred cut short without warning.
Her blue eyes silently looked down at her own clothes. There were several dark bloodstains there, hinting at an undeniable truth.
Finally, the fog clouding Seria’s brain cleared. The memories of her berserk state, which she had forgotten until now, came flooding back.
The silver-haired woman wore a pure white smile.
“Do you really think that’s your blood? From where I’m standing, it doesn't look like it……”
Seria’s body began to tremble violently once more.
Memories, memories, memories.
Blood spraying. Seria is laughing. As if the pain of others meant nothing to her.
Only one thought filled her mind.
‘I have to have Senior Ian.’
“Ugh, ah, ugh……”
“Do you still feel like a human? You and I—what exactly is the difference?”
Grip.
The woman’s hand firmly grasped Seria’s shoulder, but there was no resistance. As if she understood Seria’s heart, the woman added in a benevolent voice.
“Blood can never be deceived.”
Pat, pat.
The woman’s hand tapped Seria’s shoulder twice, as if praising a daughter who had grown up.
“……You truly are my daughter, Seria.”
Ah, hugh, haak.
Seria couldn't offer any words in return, only whimpers. She was simply hyperventilating, her eyes drowning in despair.
It was the same when the woman slowly pulled Seria’s upper body toward her.
Pure white fangs, hidden between her lips, revealed themselves. She intended to bite her daughter’s neck and seize her blood.
Slowly, slowly.
Even as Seria trembled, the woman’s fangs drew closer. Just as the woman’s breath was about to touch Seria’s neck—
Thwack!
An axe blade buried itself in the woman’s forehead.
“……Seria.”
As the woman’s body collapsed with a thud, the man could only let out a deep sigh.
It was Ian.
He walked over with heavy steps and grabbed the scruff of the still-shaking Seria’s neck. He then practically dragged her off her mother’s body.
Even then, Seria had not regained her senses.
“It’s not your fault.”
As Ian said this, he quietly knelt down. In the eyes of the man who placed both hands on her shoulders, an undeniable pity was visible.
“You were simply used. What you did wrong was……”
“It’s my fault.”
It was a confession that burst out like a sob.
As if that were a signal, clear dew began to overflow from Seria’s eyes. It was a torrent of emotion Ian hadn't seen in a long time.
“Because I—because I’m a monster… because I felt such… hic, presumptuous… love……”
“A monster?”
“Because I’m the daughter of a monster.”
Faced with a lament uttered through streaming tears, how could one speak carelessly?
Ian hesitated for a moment, unable to find the right words.
He wanted to offer some comfort.
Unfortunately, the world would not leave the two of them in peace.
Rumble!
It was a violent vibration.
For the second time, the ground began to shake out of nowhere, letting out a powerful, dragon-like roar. The intensity was several times stronger than before.
The source was clear.
The center of the forest, likely the place where the Great Witch and the Vampire were locked in combat.
It was by no means a positive sign.
Even without this, the Great Witch’s power was slightly inferior to the Vampire’s. If the battle was still ongoing, there was a high probability that the Great Witch was being pushed back.
Furthermore, it was unknown how many cores of the barrier had been destroyed.
But that wasn't the only problem.
Stagger, stagger.
Sensing something rising, Ian let out a deep sigh and slowly turned around.
There, the silver-haired woman with an axe stuck in her forehead was standing on trembling legs. Blood sprayed from the mark left by the hand axe as she forcibly ripped it out.
The sight of the woman, dripping with blood, was not normal by any standard.
First, there was the fur beginning to sprout all over her body. Her ears grew long, her eyes became thinner and more predatory, and her arms and legs developed abnormally.
A beast.
Yes, this was the true form of a Fiend.
Those who had contracted with the Evil God and stood on the boundary between human and demonic beast.
Ian spat out a sentence as if he were fed up.
“I’m busy. You should start running now.”
“I can't do that, son-in-law.”
The giggling voice was grating. The excessively high pitch was unpleasant, like a needle poking his eardrums.
Even so, she must have sustained a fatal wound.
The man licked his lips and slowly stood up. If he didn't finish this quickly, the Great Witch might be in danger.
End it as fast as possible.
Just as he reached that conclusion—
Zap! A groan erupted along with a spray of blood.
“Guh, ack……?!”
Naturally, the sound didn't come from Ian’s mouth.
A streak of blue light traced a path past the man. That light bomb had pierced the arm of the monster that looked like a bat.
The man’s eyes blankly turned toward the point where the light bomb had been fired.
“Senior Ian, go, quickly!”
“……Her Highness the Princess.”
Because it was such an unexpected person, Ian could only let out a dumbfounded response.
How could this be?
For the Princess to appear at this moment?
Considering her usual self, it was practically impossible.
However, the reality reflected on the man’s retinas was all too clear.
“Senior Elsie has already left for the center of the forest! Most of the cores of the barrier have been destroyed, and I can handle what’s left. So please, go and face the Vampire!”
“But……”
“Hurry!”
Grit.
Ian only snapped out of it after hearing that sound.
The Princess’s resolve was firmer than he had imagined. Firm enough that adding any more worry or concern wouldn't shake her.
However, there was one remaining concern.
Seria.
Ian’s eyes swept over his junior with lingering regret, but time was already measured in seconds.
Boom!
The ground shook once more, and Ian had no choice but to make a decision.
He had to go.
The Princess shouted, her teeth gritted.
“I am of the dragon’s bloodline. I have no intention of remaining a burden forever!”
Though he hesitated for a split second, there was only one path Ian could take.
He eventually gritted his teeth and took a step forward. And just before he kicked off the ground, his yearning gaze turned toward the Princess.
“I leave Seria in your hands. And, you must survive.”
“You don't even need to say it……!”
That was the end.
Bang! Another discharge rang out. Ian began to run at full speed, leaving the sound behind.
Forward, and forward again.
Likely, the ‘Vampire’ would be waiting just ahead.
The final battle was before his eyes.
The last struggle, for which the man had squeezed out every final resort.