[Detected host behavior matching Ken Kaneki! Portrayal Sync increased — 3%!]
The notification ringing in Adrian Vale's mind made his heart twitch.
He paused for less than a breath, then steadied and muttered under his breath, almost amused:
"…Well. That's an unexpected bonus."
He didn't react beyond that.
Because right now—
the half-dead Nolan Mercer in front of him was far more tempting.
The part of Adrian that belonged to a ghoul—those RC cells—boiled violently through his bloodstream, rampaging like a tide.
It was as if something was whispering right beside his ear, over and over:
Eat him. Eat him. Eat him.
Adrian Vale had been holding back for a while.
And under that "whisper," he finally stopped hesitating.
Facing a man barely clinging to life, Adrian no longer had any interest in continuing the torture.
The appetizer was done.
It was time for the main course.
Nolan Mercer's body was almost completely ruined.
The only thing that could still be called "intact"…
was his eyes.
But even those were dull and empty—staring blankly, as if waiting for the next pain to arrive.
Then—
those dead eyes flickered with disbelief.
Because under the stunned gaze of the entire world—
Adrian Vale calmly picked up a "piece of food" that had fallen aside earlier.
"Crunch. Crunch. Crunch."
A scalp-prickling chewing sound came from behind the Ghoul-Eye Mask.
Fresh blood—blood that didn't belong to Adrian—slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth.
It traced along the carved fangs of the mask, slid down his jaw, and ran along his neck—soaking into the collar of the Black Reaper suit.
For an instant, it looked like it wasn't only Adrian drinking—
like the mask and the suit were drinking with him.
"Crunch. Crunch. Crunch."
The sound didn't stop.
That black-red ghoul eye behind the Ghoul-Eye Mask made Adrian Vale look like something dragged out of hell and dressed in human skin.
Cold. Sinister. Inhuman.
A chill ran down spines across the planet.
"…Gulp."
Only when the swallowing sound came did the world finally snap back to reality.
And in Dragon Nation's livestream chat—
there were no words left.
Only shock, confusion, and disbelief.
The screen flooded with:
"???"
"???"
"???"
Not just Dragon Nation.
Everyone watching, everywhere, went numb.
No one needed to say it aloud—everyone knew what everyone was thinking.
He actually… did that?
Even Nolan Mercer, barely alive, broke down when he saw it.
He tried to scream.
Tried to curse.
But his throat wouldn't form anything coherent anymore.
He could only watch, helplessly, as pieces of what used to be his own body were taken—
bit by bit—
and swallowed.
The chat's screams, Nolan's hoarse, meaningless howls…
Adrian Vale shut it all out.
Then something even more horrifying unfolded.
Adrian's gaze locked onto the "food" in front of him.
His movements—once slow and casual—turned faster… rougher… more feral.
He finished one piece.
Spat out a few shards of bone like it was nothing.
Then, without pausing, he grabbed another.
"Crunch. Crunch. Crunch."
Now his hands, the corners of his mouth, the Ghoul-Eye Mask—
even the Black Reaper suit—
were smeared with vivid, sticky red.
And right then, another notification rang through his mind:
[Detected host is feeding! Behavior matches Ken Kaneki! Portrayal Sync increased — 0.2%!]
Adrian Vale acted like he hadn't heard a thing.
He didn't stop for even a heartbeat.
"Crunch. Crunch. Crunch."
Across the world, everyone watching Dragon Nation's feed felt something crawl up from the bottom of their hearts—
a primal, instinctive revulsion.
Dragon Nation High Command: Dead Silence
In the conference hall, Dragon Nation's top brass stared at the screen.
Even men who'd weathered wars went blank.
Silence swallowed the room.
A few civilian officials squeezed their eyes shut, covering their faces with both hands—unable to watch.
General Zhao swallowed hard.
He'd seen battlefields.
He'd seen severed limbs.
He'd seen hell.
But even so, watching what Adrian Vale was doing right now made his brow knot tight.
"E-Elder Long… this…"
Elder Long inhaled sharply, then let out a long, heavy sigh.
His expression twisted into something complicated.
"…Cut the feed."
At his order, Victor Hale switched the screen to the I Watch the Divine Domain studio view.
Once the footage was gone, Elder Long closed his eyes and massaged his temples again and again, as if trying to untangle a knot that wouldn't loosen.
And it wasn't only him.
Everyone in that room—
and half the nation—
fell into stunned, wordless silence.
Because no matter how much they didn't want to believe it…
That chewing sound…
That brutal image…
everything was screaming one message:
It was real.
I Watch the Divine Domain: No One Can Speak
In the studio, the guests watched with blank stares.
Sienna Blake had already stepped off-stage earlier, citing discomfort.
No one questioned her.
Because she was just a young woman in her twenties.
And honestly?
Even Captain Cole—who'd spent his life around violence—could barely force himself to look.
Not because of "morality."
Not because of "politics."
Just because humans, by instinct, rejected this.
No one spoke.
Silence was the only answer.
Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone — Feeding Continues
Back in the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone, Adrian Vale finished four or five "pieces."
But it was obvious—
it wasn't enough.
He picked up another, lying nearby.
His movements stayed steady.
"Crunch. Crunch. Crunch."
By now, Nolan Mercer had fallen silent.
No one knew whether he'd fainted from terror…
or whether he'd already died.
No one could focus on that anymore.
Their attention had been swallowed by Adrian's act itself—
or they shut the stream off, hands shaking, to calm their racing hearts.
Outside World: The Perfect Excuse
Dragon Nation fell into silence.
But outside Dragon Nation?
The world erupted.
Especially the nations aligned against Dragon Nation—the God-Nation Alliance.
Under subtle direction, their netizens raised their online blades.
They knew this was the perfect chance.
The cleanest excuse to carve into Dragon Nation's throat.
"This—this—Adrian Vale is…???"
"This isn't something a human does!"
"How dare you still exist on Blue Star after doing this?!"
"This is inhuman! Is he even human? Or a monster from the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone?!"
"I propose: Adrian Vale out of Blue Star! Dragon Nation out of Blue Star!"
"OUT! OUT! OUT!"
Within minutes—
"Dragon Nation out of Blue Star" spread across platforms like wildfire.
And because the God-Nation Alliance was already a global focal point, the incident detonated at terrifying speed.
Somehow—whether by coincidence or by someone fanning the flames—
even Dragon Nation was shoved into the center of the storm.
But Adrian Vale, inside the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone, knew none of it.
He kept eating.
No pause.
No hesitation.
Around him, "food" was gradually replaced by clean white bone.
It was like a dam had broken.
Once hunger was unleashed, it became unstoppable.
The RC cells kept hammering his brain, driving him to feed, to feed, to feed—
More.
"More."
Soon only one or two "pieces" remained nearby.
And judging by Adrian's state…
that wouldn't be enough.
The notifications began stacking:
[Detected host is feeding! Behavior matches Ken Kaneki! Portrayal Sync increased — 0.2%!]
[Detected host is feeding! Behavior matches Ken Kaneki! Portrayal Sync increased — 0.2%!]
This was Adrian Vale's second full feeding since arriving on Blue Star.
And he still didn't realize what kind of disaster he'd ignited outside.
Eastern Isles: "A Chance We Can't Waste"
The Eastern Isles high command watched the feeding and went pale.
Then an ugly light flickered in the balding official's eyes.
"Quick!" he snapped. "We can't miss this opportunity!"
"Launch another global condemnation immediately. Stronger than last time!"
The ministers below him understood instantly.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opening.
They rushed out to execute the order.
When the room emptied, the balding official muttered, voice low:
"Nolan Mercer… your death has meaning."
"I won't waste the chance you've given us…"
Sienna Blake Returns: "Why Can't We Support Him?"
Back in the studio, Sienna Blake returned to the desk, visibly forcing herself to stay composed.
But the oppressive silence still wouldn't lift.
She took a breath, then spoke first:
"Everyone… I've just received news."
"Right now, Dragon Nation has apparently become the public enemy of Blue Star—condemned by countless people."
No one answered.
Not the guests.
Not the viewers.
Everyone stayed silent.
Sienna paused, then continued—her voice hardening, sharpening, catching fire:
"No matter what—Adrian Vale has been fighting in the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone for Dragon Nation."
"He's someone who threw his own life onto the line to protect us."
"And someone like that… is being slandered by the whole world."
"Why?"
She raised her voice:
"I want to ask—why?!"
Her words became sharper, more forceful.
"I know what Adrian is doing looks unbelievable."
"But do you know how many times things like this happened in ancient history?"
"And even if you don't want to look that far back—look at the Eastern Isles!"
"What Nolan Mercer did—was that forgivable?!"
"Didn't the world just watch him chew on a Shambles Nation competitor not long ago?!"
"And what did the Eastern Isles netizens do then?"
"They ignored it."
"They defended him."
"They supported him anyway."
"So why can't we support Adrian now?!"
"And don't forget—Nolan Mercer tried to kill Adrian first!"
"He tried to torture-kill him!"
"With what Nolan did before, what makes you think he wouldn't have eaten Adrian too?"
"So if we're being brutally honest…"
"What Adrian is doing right now is self-defense."
Sienna's eyes were bright, fierce.
"And has Adrian ever harmed an innocent person?"
"Think about Raven Shaw."
"When Adrian was with her, did he ever hurt her?"
"Never."
"Adrian Vale hasn't harmed a single innocent."
"And he's still risking his life in the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone for our country, our people!"
"Other nations can slander him if they want—we can't control that."
"But us?"
"We—the ones being protected—what right do we have to doubt him?"
"What right do we have to suspect him?"
"What right do we have not to support him?!"
Her words hit like a hammer.
At last, people began to stir.
Hesitation and conflict flickered.
But then—
a single voice cut through the moment.
Derek Vaughn sneered:
"So what?"
"Do you even know what he did?"
"I will never forgive him."
"Just like the foreigners said—he doesn't deserve to be called human!"
"He doesn't deserve to live on Blue Star!"
"He doesn't deserve our support!"
That sentence—
was a fuse.
The chat erupted.
"Are you even Dragon Nation?!"
"Get the hell out!!"
"You can't forgive this? If someone was about to torture-kill you, you'd be singing a different song!"
"This is emergency self-defense!"
"You want Adrian to be eaten first before you're satisfied?!"
"You want Dragon Nation's resources to get wiped before you're satisfied?!"
"Adrian Vale is our competitor! Our national fate! I will always support him!"
"Support Eat-Stream Adrian!! Eat-Stream Adrian forever!!"
Dragon Nation High Command: Resolve Rekindled… Then Crushed
Because the main screen was switched to the studio feed, Sienna's words reached Dragon Nation's high command too.
The heavy atmosphere lifted—just a little.
A spark returned to their eyes.
When Sienna finished, General Zhao stood up hard.
"That girl is right!"
"We have no right to doubt a man who's fighting and bleeding for us!"
He turned toward Elder Long.
"Elder Long!"
Elder Long clenched his fist, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.
"…I never thought I'd live long enough to see the day."
"I've spent half my life in power… and my awareness is still not as high as a young girl's."
"I really am getting worse with age…"
But then the screen carried Derek Vaughn's brain-dead take again.
The entire room fell into deathly silence.
Faces darkened.
Then Mr. Zhou broke the silence, voice low:
"Gentlemen… that kid…"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
Everyone understood.
Elder Long, however, had no restraint left.
He sighed, voice heavy:
"…There are bad people among the people."
"Elder Long! Everyone!"
Victor Hale suddenly spoke, urgency in his voice.
"I just got word—Miracle Nation has officially joined the God-Nation Alliance!!"
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