The next morning arrived with gentle sunlight filtering through the curtains, gradually illuminating the room. Victor stirred from his peaceful slumber, his consciousness slowly returning to the waking world.
When he opened his eyes, he discovered that Krul had already awakened. She was holding his head tenderly against her petite chest, her delicate fingers running through his hair with practiced affection. Despite her small stature, she radiated the mature, nurturing aura of an older sister.
"What are you doing?" Victor asked, his voice still thick with sleep.
Krul's pale cheeks flushed pink as she shook her head. "Nothing really... I just wanted to hold you like this."
Though she appeared to be a young girl, her actual age exceeded two millennia. Compared to her vast experience, Victor seemed like little more than a child. The thought inevitably led her mind to wander toward their future together, perhaps they would have children of their own someday. The fantasy made her embrace him even more protectively, as if he were already her precious little one.
"It's getting late. We should get up," Krul said reluctantly, finally releasing him from her gentle hold.
She was genuinely worried that if they lingered much longer in such an intimate position, her ancient instincts might overwhelm her completely, and she'd end up treating her beloved like an actual child.
Naturally, Victor remained completely oblivious to the complex thoughts racing through Krul's mind. If he had known, he would have gladly played along with whatever maternal fantasies she harbored.
After dressing themselves, they stepped out of the room together.
"You two are awake! Breakfast is ready," Shizune called out warmly as they encountered her in the hallway.
Following Shizune's guidance, they made their way to the dining room, where a sumptuous morning feast had been prepared and was waiting for them. Tsunade and Nawaki were already seated at the table.
"Good morning, Brother Victor! Did you rest well last night?" Nawaki greeted them enthusiastically as soon as they sat down.
Victor chuckled, a slight blush coloring his features. "Thank you for your concern. I slept very well last night."
Krul couldn't help but recall the previous evening's intimate moments, causing her own cheeks to flush a delicate shade of rose.
Tsunade observed their reactions with barely concealed amusement, rolling her eyes at the obvious display.
Of course they slept well, she thought wryly. While she couldn't say exactly how long their nighttime "activities" had lasted, the satisfied expressions on both their faces made it clear that neither had any complaints about the experience.
After finishing their breakfast, Victor bid farewell to Tsunade and prepared to transport Krul to the Seraph of the End world.
Shinoa Hiiragi had returned to her original world earlier than the other two. When she spotted Krul clinging affectionately to Victor's arm, a flash of unmistakable envy crossed her violet eyes.
"Excellent progress! You've already reached the tenth level of Qi Refinement. It's clear you've been working diligently during our absence," Victor observed, instantly assessing Shinoa's current cultivation state.
Shinoa lifted her chin with a hint of pride. "Since my natural talent can't compare to others, I have no choice but to work harder than everyone else."
Indeed, when it came to dedication and effort, no one in their group could match Shinoa's relentless determination. While the other members spent time socializing in their chat group, she remained focused on cultivation. When others took breaks to rest and recover, she continued her training without pause. Her unwavering commitment stemmed from her desperate desire not to fall too far behind the others.
After all, Rin Tohsaka, who had joined the group around the same time as Shinoa, had already achieved Foundation Establishment, while Shinoa still struggled within the Qi Refinement stage. Now, with two new members possessing exceptional talent joining their ranks, the urgency to improve had become even more pressing.
"Here," Victor said, retrieving a pristine white pill from his system storage and tossing it to Shinoa.
"Is this... a Foundation Establishment Pill?" Shinoa stared at the pill in her palm with wide-eyed amazement.
Victor nodded. "Indeed. I've been practicing my alchemy recently."
Foundation Establishment Pills were exactly what their name suggested, elixirs designed to help cultivators in the Qi Refinement stage break through to Foundation Establishment. They were considered relatively advanced among low-tier pills.
In the past, Victor's cultivation level had been insufficient to refine such sophisticated elixirs. However, now that he had reached the Golden Core stage, creating pills of this caliber posed no particular challenge.
"Thank you!" Shinoa carefully stored the pill in her chat group inventory space.
She chose not to consume it immediately, as their current location wasn't particularly suitable for a breakthrough attempt.
"Now, let's focus on our primary objective," Victor said, shifting the conversation to their main purpose.
Upon hearing these words, both Shinoa and Krul adopted more serious expressions.
"What exactly are we going to do?" Krul asked, unconsciously tightening her grip on Victor's hand.
The moment to reunite with her brother was finally approaching!
"First, we need to locate your brother's remains," Victor explained. "Then I'll use the Edo Tensei technique to give him a temporary body, followed by the Rinne Rebirth technique to truly resurrect him."
Having successfully performed this process once before, he was confident in his ability to replicate the results.
"But my brother has been dead for over a thousand years," Krul said, her voice tinged with worry. "How could we possibly find his remains after all this time?"
Instead of answering directly, Victor turned to Shinoa. "Let me borrow your Shikama Dōji."
Without hesitation, Shinoa removed the necklace containing the transformed demon weapon and handed it to Victor.
"Good, the sealing formation is still intact," Victor observed after examining the weapon carefully.
The binding spell he had placed on Shikama Dōji appeared to be more durable than he had initially estimated.
Refocusing on the task at hand, he addressed the demon within. "Sigmado, I know you can hear our conversation. As you've gathered, we're searching for Ashera Tepes's remains, Asuramaru's original body. Tell me where we can find it."
Sigmado?!
Upon hearing that long-forgotten name, Krul's crimson eyes widened in shock. She stared at Shikama Dōji in Victor's hands, a mixture of fear and recognition flashing across her delicate features.
However, when she remembered her current power level and the protective presence of Victor beside her, Krul quickly regained her composure.
After a moment of tense silence, a gentle masculine voice emerged from the weapon. "I can tell you the location of little Ashera's body, but I have conditions."
Victor's expression darkened with irritation. "Do you really think you're in a position to negotiate with us?"
"You are undeniably powerful," the demon acknowledged. "But even if you destroy my soul completely, I will never reveal the location. I am the only being in existence who knows where it is. If I die, you will never find what you seek."
"Furthermore, my conditions are quite reasonable given your capabilities."
Victor's frown deepened at the blatant threat. He despised being coerced by anyone or anything.
However, for the sake of Krul, his beloved companion and future wife, and for her brother's resurrection, he forced himself to swallow his pride.
"Fine. What are your conditions?"
"When you revive little Ashera, I want you to also resurrect my child, Mikaela."
This request was indeed well within Victor's abilities, it would simply require performing the resurrection process twice instead of once.
"Very well, I agree to your terms. Now tell me the location."
After another brief pause, Shikama Dōji spoke again. "All the remains of the vampires I claimed and transformed into demon weapons, including my son Mikaela's body, are stored on a remote island. This island is protected by a concealment barrier and doesn't appear on any maps. The coordinates are..."
The Shikama Dōji proceeded to reveal the exact location of the hidden island.
Once Victor had committed the coordinates to memory, he prepared to depart for the specified location.
"You two go retrieve Asuramaru's body," Shinoa interjected. "I need to return home and collect my sister's remains as well."
Victor nodded in understanding. "Agreed. Let's split up for now and reconvene here afterward."
"Understood!"