Chapter 590: Jealousy is My Power (90)
Chapter 590: Jealousy is My Power (90)
It was an action driven by the raw instinct to survive. The man spat blood once more and was sent flying into the distance.
"No... Nooooooo!"
The one driven to the brink of madness was 'Greed'.
Veins stood out in the eyes of the girl who had been composed until now. She gripped her own hair so tightly that several strands had already been torn out.
In a state of extreme agitation, 'Greed' glared at the vampire.
"Jealousy, if anything happens to my brother, you will personally...!"
"N-no. But he just appeared out of nowhere..."
"How could my brother suddenly appear out of nowhere! Are you insane?!"
She pointed a pale finger toward the distance.
There, the man struck by the vampire's blow lay as if dead. To anyone's eyes, he was no different from a corpse.
"Look at the state of his body! How could he suddenly appear before your eyes? Are you saying my brother stopped time?! He shouldn't even be able to move!"
"But, he really did..."
"You only get one excuse!"
Creeeak. The girl clenched her fists so hard her palms bled, her eyes erupting with a fiery gaze.
"If my brother's life is put in danger even one more time...!"
Right then.
Thud. A sound that shouldn't have been heard echoed.
The girl's dazed gaze turned toward the spot she had been pointing at. There, the man who shouldn't have been able to move was picking himself up.
He stumbled, his knees hitting the ground once or twice.
But he didn't stop. Using his sword as a cane, the man forced himself up once more.
It was already the second time.
In the moment the girl lost her senses at a sight that defied medical explanation—
A gale surged again.
It could no longer be denied. This time, the blur of motion brushed right past the girl.
A sharp wind left a shallow scratch on her pale cheek as it passed.
And once again, Boom!
The man was sent flying and tumbled away again. Only then did the blood vessels burst in the eyes of the stunned girl.
"Jealousy, I clearly...!"
"He's coming again."
A blunt remark.
No further explanation was needed. 'Greed' tried not to even turn her head, as if refusing to believe the lie.
But the gale surged once more.
An explosion rang out, and the man was thrown back into the distance.
A tattered rag?
That body was already beyond being described by such a word. How on earth were his bones and muscles still functioning?
It almost felt like an illusion, as if time were being rewound at set intervals.
Again and again.
The man stood up and charged. The vampire responded by blasting him away, 'Greed' screamed, and the man rose again, repeating the cycle.
How many times had it been?
By the time even 'Greed' had screamed herself hoarse, the vampire, who had been responding mechanically at first, finally shrieked in spiteful frustration.
"Stay down, stay down, stay down, stay down...!"
She struck him.
She drove her fists into him, blew off his limbs, and even shredded his internal organs with her claws.
Yet the man kept rising. It was incomprehensible how his broken limbs were reattaching and returning to normal.
Even after tumbling across the ground so many times.
Finally, the vampire had no choice but to call for help.
"Greed, you help too!"
"B-but...!"
"Or should I just blow his whole body away? If you want to save that man, get over here and suppress him now!"
The girl's eyes wavered aimlessly.
But her hesitation was brief. No matter how madly in love she was, there was a fact she couldn't help but realize after seeing the same scene repeated dozens of times.
Something was dangerous.
Her intuition was ringing an alarm. Moreover, she secretly felt that the vampire's words were right.
If it was to save her brother.
Once her mind was made up, the girl's fingers twitched, manipulating blood-red threads. A web-like net spread out, and the man's body, which had been running as if time had stopped, could not escape its constraints.
As the man faltered and hung in the air, a hand imbued with a blood-red charge struck out.
Zap, crackle, sizzle!
Beads of sweat had formed on the forehead of the vampire, who had driven her hand into the man's solar plexus. For the first time in a very long while, she grit her teeth as if offering a prayer.
"Please, let this be the end...!"
Boom! The man's body floated limply into the air.
Then he hit the ground with a thud, and that was it.
The man's breathing gradually slowed. Seeing this, 'Greed' was about to scream in terror again, but the vampire's explanation was faster.
"He's not dead."
The girl's wide-eyed gaze fixed on the vampire. It was a look that made it clear she wouldn't let it slide if it were a lie.
Nevertheless, the vampire simply looked exhausted.
"His organs and blood vessels are all shattered. If we want him to keep his life, we have to put him in a state of suspended animation."
"Those words better be the truth...!"
"Hmph, as if I'd lie about that."
The vampire grumbled and let out a sigh of relief.
He had been a nuisance until the very end, but she felt glad it was over.
However, she couldn't just let things go quietly.
The vampire attempted to negotiate in a haughty tone.
"Still, I should be compensated for the trouble I went through at the end. Do you know how hard it was to accommodate your demands? I'm claiming my rights to that man as well."
"W-what?!"
At that bombshell declaration, 'Greed' practically jumped in place. A faint murderous intent could even be felt from her indignant expression.
Honestly, whenever it involved her brother.
The vampire clicked her tongue inwardly, but what could she do? It was best not to touch upon matters that were absolutely non-negotiable.
She could only adjust the terms of the deal to a reasonable level.
"I'm not saying I want the whole thing, okay? I already know all about your love for your brother. Instead, I'd like a periodic supply of his blood..."
"Ugh, uuuugh...!"
"Don't be like that, 'Greed'. A woman with too much obsession is unsightly, you know? It's just a bit of blood; it's not like your brother is going anywhere just because we draw some periodically."
As the subtle persuasion continued, 'Greed' had no choice but to gradually lower her guard.
Though she had flared up at first, the condition the vampire wanted was by no means excessive. Eventually, after agonizing for a long time, a long sigh escaped the girl's lips.
"Fine, I guess I have no choice... but only a little, okay?"
Just as the vampire, having concluded the satisfactory deal, reached out her hand with a bright face—
"Of course. Hehe. I don't even need that much...!"
Silence.
All sound was deleted at once, enough to give one goosebumps. Not just voices, but breathing, heartbeats, and even the moans of the faceless monsters.
Cold sweat broke out.
Neither the vampire nor 'Greed' could understand the change in their bodies. What was the meaning of the sweat trickling down their foreheads and spines?
Tension, shock, and 'fear'.
It was nonsense. No matter how much they had failed to awaken their true power, both women standing here were members of the Dark Cult's Seven Deadly Sins.
Fear?
Hadn't they lost such a trivial emotion a long time ago?
If, if such a thing were possible.
The vampire's eyes urgently turned somewhere. The Great Witch was positioned there.
If it was the 'Master', it was possible.
A Master capable of using their full power could overwhelm two or three of the Seven Deadly Sins who hadn't awakened their true strength.
But it wasn't her.
The Great Witch's expression was not much different from the vampire's. Her eyes were wide, staring blankly at a single point.
Soon, the gazes of everyone present turned toward the one remaining possibility.
Surely, it couldn't be.
That was when the anomaly began.
"Agh, ugh... Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Suddenly, the Great Witch grabbed her head and rolled on the ground. The screams that erupted hinted at the magnitude of her pain. And she wasn't the only one suffering from the intense agony.
"Ugh, hng... Kyaaaaaaaah!"
Elsie, who had been unconscious, also burst into screams out of nowhere. It was an abnormal situation that left the previously composed vampire and 'Greed' looking bewildered.
But they weren't the only ones making noise.
Vroooooom—!
Hundreds of mirrors began to vibrate in unison.
"What is this...?"
The mirrors reflected unfamiliar memories. Naturally, they weren't scenes from the vampire's mind.
They were all incomprehensible images.
A weeping man appeared. No, countless versions of him.
The hundreds of images all showed a path stained with blood and flames. Cries that seemed to wring out the soul, and eyes filled with despair and a grudge, were vivid and bloodshot.
For the first time today, the vampire took a step back.
She had no choice. Any sentient being feels fear toward a phenomenon they cannot understand.
The scenes reflected in the mirrors grew more intense. As they did, the intensity of the vibration from the hundreds of mirrors grew even stronger.
[Delphirem, Delphirem, Delphirem...!]
Thud, thud, crash!
The man pounded the ground recklessly until the skin on his fists was shredded and bloody. His eyes, which had wept until even the tear ducts had dried up, emitted a dry, piercing light.
Because of that, the flame was even more intense.
If negative emotions could be concentrated into a single drop of liquid, they would be that color.
[You... I will definitely...]
His overworked vocal cords could no longer function properly. He could only barely squeeze out a sound that was somewhere between a voice and the sound of escaping air.
Yet, why was it?
The moment they met those flame-like golden eyes, everyone present realized with chilling clarity.
What that man wanted to say.
[...Kill you.]
Clang, clang, clang, shatter!
Hundreds of mirrors, unable to withstand the vibration, exploded simultaneously, creating a spectacular sight. Particles of light resembling crystal scattered, dyeing the dark space into a fantastical landscape.
And in the next moment.
"...Give me blood, take just a little. Also, whatever. Blah, blah, blah."
A dry voice echoed.
It was a low murmur, yet it felt as loud as thunder.
The gazes of 'Jealousy' and 'Greed' slowly turned toward the source. Every single one of them was frozen with shock.
"You're talking quite a lot of nonsense. As if this body were some kind of trophy..."
Snap.
As the hand of the man who had been lying like a corpse reached toward the sky, the sword that had been stuck in the ground flew back to its place like a bolt of light. Veins stood out on the back of the hand that gripped the sword.
Ian Percus.
No, was it truly 'Ian Percus'?
The man sprang up like a coil and stood tall on the ground. As he brushed off his clothes, his appearance certainly resembled 'Ian Percus', but—
Something was different.
The moment they saw those golden eyes, the vampire and 'Greed' felt it instinctively.
That sorrowful lake, so terribly soaked in exhaustion.
"Is the bullshit over now?"
The man had returned.
Standing with his back to his fallen junior sister and his master, who were both groaning on the ground.