"But it doesn't matter, tomorrow is the full moon, and everything about you will vanish… Hehehehehe…" A low, eerie laugh echoed in the dark shack.
The people of the town, now without streetlights, slept peacefully, unaware of how many would be fortunate enough to survive.
…Soon, the night slowly passed. The morning sun peeked out in the distance, and the town was gradually becoming lively.
Ryougi Raku drew the curtains, leaving only a faint light visible in the room. On his bed, Arcueid was sound asleep. Ryougi Raku let out a helpless, bitter smile. This Princess, truly, to be able to sleep so defenselessly in front of someone she had only just met… Although Ryougi Raku didn't need to sleep, he sat in meditation to adjust himself. He knew there would be a big battle tonight, and though he didn't know who his opponent would be, it certainly wouldn't be easy…
---
A day of laughter and joy quickly passed. The townspeople happily returned home, and lights flickered on, replacing the starlight even in this remote town.
"Alicia? Alicia? Are you inside?" Alicia's parents knocked on the door from outside, their voices filled with anxiety. Alicia hadn't come out of her room all day. At first, they didn't think much of it, but now it felt a bit strange.
"Could she be sick?" Alicia's father asked worriedly, his voice full of deep love for his daughter.
Alicia's mother grew even more concerned upon hearing this. "How about we break down the door?" she suggested.
Alicia's father nodded in agreement, stepped back a few paces, and prepared to kick open the door… Just then, the door eerily opened on its own… However, their worry for their daughter prevented the two parents from noticing this supernatural phenomenon. They immediately walked into the house.
Alicia sat on the floor, her face buried in her knees, her body trembling slightly.
"Alicia, are you sick?" her mother asked softly, walking closer, her voice full of concern.
She reached out her hands and touched Alicia's body, but its temperature was as cold as a corpse.
"Alicia, why is your body so cold? Get into bed quickly, I'll take you to the doctor." Alicia's mother exclaimed.
Hearing the shout, Alicia's father also quickly stepped forward, his face filled with anxiety.
Despite being such a delicate girl, the two of them couldn't move her at all.
Alicia slowly lifted her head. Her eyes, which were once like sapphires, had turned a eerie red, and various cruelties emanated from them. The ordinary couple was completely terrified by these eyes. However, their love for their daughter temporarily overcame this fear.
"Alicia, you…" Alicia's mother asked cautiously.
But her answer was a cruel sneer and a pair of sharp claws that tore their bodies apart!
Like tattered cloth, Alicia's parents' bodies were instantly shredded. Limbs and internal organs scattered across the small room.
Licking the blood off his claws, Alicia—no, Roa—laughed heartily.
"I'm finally resurrected… This little girl's consciousness has finally merged. I didn't expect her obsession to be so deep that it took so long… Princess, come and embrace this feast!"
Due to his resurrection, most of the people in the town also turned into vampires, but they were merely the lowest-level ghouls, without any consciousness of their own apart from obeying Roa's commands. Perhaps with time, some talented individuals might become higher-level Dead Apostles, but it seemed they wouldn't have the chance.
Screams of agony echoed throughout the town as normal humans were attacked by ghouls. Houses burned, their flames lighting up the sky. Ryougi Raku stood by the window, staring at the entire town, and murmured, "It has begun…"
"Mhm, I can feel Roa is not far away." Arcueid's expression was serious. After a night of recovery, her power had reached its peak—of course, only the peak after suppressing her vampiric urges.
"Then, Arcueid, Roa is yours. These disgusting low-level Dead Apostles I'll take care of. After all, even without me, you'd still have to clean them up after killing Roa, wouldn't you?" Ryougi Raku said, in line with their previous decision.
Arcueid nodded in agreement. "Then Raku, be careful. These ghouls aren't strong, but there are many of them." Arcueid said with concern.
"Mhm, don't worry, I don't put these guys in my eyes. After you deal with Roa, I'll treat you to something delicious again, how about it?" Ryougi Raku smiled.
"Okay, okay! Raku, we're set!" Arcueid immediately beamed with joy. "…Hmm." After a moment's thought, Arcueid held out her hand. "Let's pinky promise…" Her large, red, crystal-like eyes looked at Ryougi Raku with anticipation.
Ryougi Raku gave a wry smile, but still extended his hand and pinky-promised with Arcueid. "…Alright, are you convinced now?"
"En, I'm convinced! Then Raku, I'll go first!" And then, this princess, taking an unconventional route, opened the window and with a light push, shot out a great distance.
Ryougi Raku watched Arcueid disappear from his sight before unhurriedly opening the door and stepping out. A ghoul at the doorway, devoid of reason, lunged at him. With a slight movement, so swift that no one could discern the drawing of his blade, the ghoul's head was already separated from its body.
"This Roa, what a grand gesture. Even though it's a remote area, to slaughter an entire town and turn everyone into ghouls… even if Arcueid didn't come to hunt him, the Holy Church wouldn't let him off… Perhaps, this is all intentional? Intentionally attracting Arcueid to kill him?" After pondering for a moment, Ryougi Raku stopped thinking. He believed his normal human mind couldn't comprehend a guy who had reincarnated so many times that his brain was probably already broken from it.
The scene before Ryougi Raku reminded him of the apocalypse novels he had read in his previous life. Countless ghouls, like zombies, hunted living people. However, extraordinary individuals were always a minority. None of the surviving people had awakened any so-called superpowers. Perhaps some did, but they might have also turned into ghouls and then, after a period, transformed into Dead Apostles?
However, none of this was what Ryougi Raku wanted to know… "Shinkage-ryū Secret Technique – Hundred Cherry Blossom Slash!" Countless cherry blossom sword qi, accompanied by swirling whirlwinds, appeared around Ryougi Raku. The ghouls that lunged at him couldn't withstand it for even a second before being reduced to a bloody mess.
At the same time, "Shinkage-ryū Secret Technique – Thunder God Sword!" In various myths and ancient texts, lightning has always been the most righteous and unyielding force. Whether it was Zeus, the king of gods in Olympus, or the lightning magic of the immortals in the Celestial Empire, lightning has always been the most effective tool against such sinister beings.
The electricity, imbued with demon-slaying properties, spread among the ghouls like fork lightning. Every ghoul struck was reduced to ashes.
Ryougi Raku suddenly remembered the old man, felt a slight pang of annoyance, and then hurried towards the old man's house. Ryougi Raku had entrusted a trace of his power to the old man; as long as the old man wasn't foolish and stayed hidden, these ghouls wouldn't be able to harm him.
However, things did not go as planned. When Ryougi Raku arrived at the old man's house, the small house was already engulfed in raging flames.
The old man's fate was predictable, but Ryougi Raku felt no regret. He had given the old man the right to choose, and the outcome was due to the old man's own choice. Once a choice was made, all consequences had to be borne.
Ryougi Raku pushed away the almost burnt-down door and walked in amidst the raging flames. The flames seemed to part spontaneously, as if in reverence.
The house was a mess, burnt and cluttered with various items scattered everywhere. Seeing several ghoul corpses on the floor, it was clear that the old man, facing this fierce apocalypse, chose to resist rather than go with the flow.
After walking a few more steps, the old man's body appeared before Ryougi Raku. His body was already torn apart, and some flames were burning on it, but due to the temperature, it was unable to reduce a human body to ashes.
Even though the body was disfigured, the old man's hand was still tightly clenched, as if holding onto something most precious.
Ryougi Raku didn't care about the disgusting state of the corpse. He quietly walked over and used a little force to pry open the old man's hand. The fact that Ryougi Raku needed some strength showed how tightly the old man was holding on.
What met his eyes was just an ordinary pendant. A small photograph showed a happy family of three. Ryougi Raku recognized the young man as the old man, who had accompanied him for over a month, in his youth. A beautiful young woman held his arm so happily, and a small boy laughed joyfully between them.
Next to the old man's body was a notebook, eerily untouched by the fire. Ryougi Raku picked it up, quickly flipped through a few pages, and finished reading its contents.
It was the old man's diary, just like the plots of various cheesy novels and soap operas. The old man once had a happy family, with a beautiful wife and a lovely child.
However, when his child was 5 years old, he contracted a strange illness. The old man searched for doctors everywhere but couldn't find a cure. The exhausted couple didn't give up, working hard to earn money while relying on government relief, still searching for a way to treat their child.
Even as their living conditions became increasingly impoverished, the three of them remained so happy.
But a car accident took the child's mother. The hit-and-run driver was never found, and the old man, left alone, began to fall into despair, smoking and drinking. But his child's smile brought him back from the brink. He had a sudden realization and, carrying his wife's share, continued to seek a cure.
However, life is not a novel, and a happy ending did not come. Several years later, his child still passed away. The old man, who had lost the will to live, unintentionally came to this town and settled down. Perhaps the people of this town infected him, giving him the motivation to continue living. He always used to ramble about his 'little rascal,' which was merely his longing for his son… This might be why, when facing the ghouls, he chose to confront them rather than go with the flow—to help this town as much as possible… After reading, Ryougi Raku gently placed the pendant and the diary in the old man's embrace. Then, a blood-red flame burned through, carrying intense heat, and soon sent the old man's body and his mementos away together.
Ryougi Raku did not linger. He walked out of the house and continued his journey of hunting Dead Apostles.