"Is this okay?"
As he adjusted his posture, Kurose Akira asked Lucia quietly.
"Mm… this will do."Lucia's voice was soft and gentle.
She had tried her best to keep some distance from Akira, to avoid excessive contact. However, under the combined effects of Crimson Withering and her Sensitive Authority, she had no choice but to press her delicate body tightly against his back.
This immediately led to an awkward situation—
The closer she clung to Akira, the more pronounced the effects of her Sensitive Authority became.
If Lucia herself were not exceptionally powerful, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Yet the subtle tremors transmitted through skin contact kept her body in an extremely sensitive state. In order to suppress and dispel that sensation…
Lucia slowly extended a finger, her fingertip lightly touching Akira's waist.
"?"
A sudden, inexplicable sensation surged through him. Akira turned his head in shock to look at Lucia.
What did she just do?
Why could he suddenly feel part of Lucia's sensations?
Sensory sharing?
Seeing Akira's confusion, a faint smile appeared on Lucia's face. She leaned close to his ear and whispered softly,
"Then… I'll be counting on you~"
Wuh—
That gentle tone sent a jolt through Akira's mind.
That kind of voice…Coming from the Saintess of the Holy Church?
It was the first time Akira had so clearly felt Lucia's reliance on him.
Not bad~This really gets the blood pumping.
The group advanced toward the ancient castle in a dispersed formation.
Each guild maintained a certain distance from the others—about ten meters apart.
At the very front was the second-ranked C+ guild, a team that included four adventurers above level 50. Their strength was nothing to scoff at.
"We're almost at the castle. Why haven't any demonkin appeared yet?"Roxia scanned their surroundings, her expression vigilant.
They were on the verge of reaching the castle, yet not a single demonkin had shown itself.
Akira was equally puzzled. Ever since entering the Demon Lair, they hadn't encountered a single living creature or demon. Yet the stench of blood in the air only grew thicker. Even with Lucia's holy light enveloping them, the smell still seeped relentlessly into their nostrils.
Some people had already begun using mana to disperse the blood aura around them, or had put on masks designed to dull the smell of blood mist.
"They're probably all sleeping inside the castle," Lu Bo, who was walking ahead, said slowly. "Vampires usually act at night. We haven't awakened them yet."
Akira didn't respond immediately.
He felt that the blood mist permeating the surroundings wasn't just a byproduct of the environment—it was more likely a medium, feeding information back to the vampires inside the castle.
And that blood-red sun hanging above the castle… it was watching everything inside the Demon Lair at all times, like a gigantic eye.
This expedition was definitely not going to be simple.
Before long, the group arrived at a wide clearing in front of the castle. The ancient structure loomed before them, exuding a bone-chilling, oppressive aura.
"This is it."
Lord Rupert of Sunset City gazed at the castle two kilometers away. A trace of something unreadable flickered in his eyes, as though long-buried memories had surfaced.
"Then we'll leave it to you, my lord, to wait here and support us until we return victorious over the demonkin."
A male player clasped his fists toward Rupert and spoke firmly.
"Mm."Rupert nodded solemnly. "I will await your triumphant return here. When you come back, Sunset City will offer you its finest delicacies and most fragrant wines."
The knights of Sunset City had no intention of entering the castle. They would remain here as rear support, guarding the front line.
Naturally, this was a decision made after careful consideration by the players.
In terms of raw combat strength, Sunset City's forces likely couldn't even match two adventurer guilds combined—only the city lord himself was truly formidable.
At the same time, the players had no desire for the knights to compete for demon kills. Every demon represented precious contribution points—there was no way they'd give those up.
Thus, having the knights remain here was the optimal choice.
"Then we thank you in advance, my lord."
"Move out! Adventurers!"
With the command given, all the adventurer guilds surged toward the castle.
"I'm going with you."
Roxia followed closely behind Akira, her gaze resolute as she declared her intention to enter the castle as well.
"…"
Akira was silent for a moment, but in the end, he agreed. After all, staying by his side was the safest place for her.
Soon, the adventurers reached the massive gates along the castle's outer wall. A burly beastman warrior stepped forward and shoved the enormous doors—each more than ten meters tall—open with brute force.
A wave of icy, deathly air rushed out, making everyone shiver.
Beyond the gates lay six separate paths, all leading deeper into the castle—dark, narrow, and ominous.
"Since there are six routes, how about the three of us each take two?"The C+–ranked player suggested, turning his gaze toward Lu Bo.
Among the twenty players who entered the Demon Lair, they were roughly divided into three factions.
Lu Bo's side had six people.The C+ guild faction also had six.The remaining eight were solo players hastily banded together, their overall strength noticeably weaker.
"Do whatever you want."Lu Bo rubbed his mustache casually, utterly unconcerned.
No one objected. The routes were quickly assigned.
Akira naturally chose to follow Red Lotus and her group down the second path, accompanied by Shen Jun and Shen Siqi.
Lu Bo, along with the other two C+ players in his team, took the third path.
"This castle is incredible… Its scale might rival the royal palace of the Star Kingdom,"Shen Siqi said as she looked around, her curiosity obvious.
"You're familiar with the Star Kingdom's palace?" Akira asked.
"Yes!"Shen Siqi nodded with a smile, then gestured behind her to a Royal Knight."One of my team members is a Royal Knight. He once took us on a tour of the Star Kingdom's palace. That's when I even got to meet Princess Vivian."
"Vivian…"
Hearing that name, Akira fell briefly into thought.
The princess of the Star Kingdom—now the Dark Witch—had indeed left a deep impression on him.
"By the way, Akira,"Shen Siqi asked curiously,"what's wrong with your adventurer? Is she injured?"
She had noticed that Akira had been carrying Lucia on his back the entire time.
"Mm, she's not feeling very well."Akira smiled as he answered, gently squeezing Lucia's snow-white, soft ankle.
Lucia's beautiful eyes instantly narrowed. She reached out and pinched the flesh at Akira's waist.
Hiss—
Akira immediately withdrew his hand, silently reminding himself:
The Saintess's feet are a forbidden zone.Absolutely no touching in public.
"But I've been wanting to ask this for a while," Shen Siqi lowered her voice, half-curious, half-teasing."Why are all of your adventurers so good-looking? Look at my brother's adventurers—crooked melons and cracked dates. One dog head, one crocodile head."
"Pfft—"
Akira chuckled, his gaze drifting over Shen Jun's adventurer team. It was true—they did look… unconventional. But calling them that might be a bit harsh.
Also, judging from Shen Jun's setup, he probably had a certain 5v5 competitive game installed on his computer.
"Hmm?"
Just as Akira was chatting with Shen Siqi, Red Lotus's instincts suddenly flared. She sensed something strange approaching—
But the presence vanished in an instant, leaving her with a puzzled expression.
Soon, they passed through a side door of the castle and entered what appeared to be a dining hall.
The hall was eerily empty. The only striking feature was a coffin, standing open in the center of the room.
"Everyone, be careful!"
Instantly, the entire group went on high alert. Red Lotus and the centaur female warrior were the first to approach the coffin—but what they saw inside made them freeze.
There was no corpse within.
Instead, there was a painting.
The woman in the painting had deathly pale skin, eyes as red as fresh blood, and long golden hair that shimmered faintly in the dim light. Her beauty was suffocating—yet it carried an indescribable sense of eeriness and evil.
[Portrait of the Vampire Progenitor (?):This is a painting. When you collect three such portraits, you will obtain the rare trait "Vampire."]