Rip—
Sharp fangs slid lightly across the surface, like a blade cutting through fragile silk.
Xu Feiyan's black stockings were torn open in an instant, a long gash splitting apart to reveal her fair, slender calf beneath.
Kurose Akira stared fixedly at that pale, faintly flushed skin.
From a vampire's unique perspective, he could clearly see the blood flowing beneath her flesh—every pulse, every vein, vividly outlined.
He swallowed instinctively.
A low, husky gulp echoed from his throat.
"This is… bad," Xu Feiyan murmured.
She noticed the naked hunger flickering in Akira's eyes. Her delicate brows knit together as a sense of unease welled up inside her.
But if she called Petico and the others over right now, the demon lair event would—
Hiss—
"Ah!"
Before she could decide, Akira's sharp fangs had already pierced into her calf.
A burst of intense pain shot through her entire body, making her tremble uncontrollably. Her suspended, jade-like form flushed crimson in an instant, like a ripened apple bathed in heat.
"Guild Master, please—don't do this!"
Vilora scrambled to her feet and rushed toward Akira, trying desperately to stop him.
Yet his reaction completely exceeded her expectations.
Akira reached out with one large hand and pulled Vilora tightly into his embrace.
Holding her and Xu Feiyan on either side—
And then, forcefully—
…
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the fighting had reached a fever pitch.
Half an hour into the battle, nearly one-third of the tens of thousands of demons had already fallen. The adventurers now held an overwhelming advantage.
And once that advantage became clear, a new phenomenon emerged on the battlefield—
The struggle for prey.
"Move!" the players commanded.
Several adventurers acted at once, rapidly adjusting their positions and turning their weapons toward Lucia and her group.
"They finally can't hold back anymore!"Lu Bo immediately barked orders to his level-50 mage. "Stop them!"
"Yes, sir!"
The mage began chanting counter-magic at once, preparing for a sudden attack from rival factions.
At the same time, another team of adventurers quietly closed in on Lucia's position. Their intent was obvious—mages with weaker physical defenses were their primary targets.
Watching this unfold, Lu Bo stroked his beard gloomily."This is worse than we thought. Those two factions have formed an alliance."
"What do we do now?" Shen Jun looked miserable, worry etched across his face. "Can we really hold them off with just us?"
"Even if we can't, we still have to try," Fu Bin said, adjusting his hat. "That's why we joined this event in the first place. We must stall them long enough—absolutely cannot let them interfere with my cousin and the others."
"Looks like we'll have to pay a price this time."
Lu Bo rubbed his beard again and pulled several beads radiating destructive energy from his pocket. His narrowed eyes locked onto the distant battlefield, waiting for the right moment.
…
Boom!
Another magical explosion thundered across the battlefield, drawing Azkman's attention.
"Do we need to help them?" she asked Delorie.
"Stick to the plan," Delorie replied calmly. "If something unexpected happens, I'll report directly to the Guild Master."
"Understood."
Azkman nodded slightly. They all knew the core objective of this event—accumulate contribution points and fight for first place.
Unless they could wipe out every other adventurer on the field, intervening would only slow them down.
Besides, fighting tens of thousands of demons while also confronting nearly a hundred high-level adventurers was no simple task.
…
On the battlefield, Lu Bo was speaking to Chen Feng through the adventurer interface.
"I never thought your two factions would actually work together," Lu Bo said coldly.
"We didn't have a choice," Chen Feng sneered. "The Fairy Concubine Guild is too strong. If we don't eliminate you first, we'll never break into the top three. And besides—"
His smile widened.
"The reward for first place this time is a relic of a god. Who wouldn't be tempted?"
"So that's why Xu Feiyan cares so much about this event," Lu Bo muttered, a flash of greed flickering in his eyes. After a moment's thought, he spoke heavily."But I've already taken her money. I won't let you interfere."
"Lu Bo, you can't stop me," Chen Feng said firmly. "I will take first place in contribution points."
With that, he ordered a level-55 bear-kin warrior to charge straight toward Lucia's position.
"Don't even think about it!"
Lu Bo immediately transferred the beads to his guild's mage using player permissions."Hold him!"
The human mage crushed the beads instantly.
In the blink of an eye, terrifying magic surged outward.
Dark-purple lightning crackled wildly above the mage's head.
"Lightning Fall!"
He pointed straight at the charging bear-kin warrior.
A moment later, bolts of dark-violet lightning descended like divine punishment, striking the bear-kin squarely.
"ROAR!"
The warrior howled in rage as paralysis slowed his charge, lightning wrapping tightly around his massive body.
But in the very next instant—
The silver-white armor he wore burst into radiant light. A mysterious force surged forth, instantly breaking free of the lightning's restraint as he resumed his ferocious charge toward Lucia and the others.
"He must not get through!"
Lu Bo issued another order.
"Yes, sir!"
Several even more violent bolts of lightning fell in rapid succession, each one striking true.
This time, the overwhelming power finally halted the bear-kin completely, pinning him in place as lightning formed a cage around his hulking frame.
"Hah. So that's all," Lu Bo chuckled smugly when he saw his level-50 mage successfully stall a level-55 warrior.
But at that exact moment—
A half-transparent figure flickered silently in front of him, like a ghost.
"Shit!"
Lu Bo's face went pale.
He never expected a level-50 assassin to be lurking nearby, slipping past while his attention was focused on the bear-kin.
They were already close to Lucia.
"Got you," the assassin grinned slyly.
His dagger flashed with cold light as it shot toward Lucia's vital point.
At that critical instant—
Loserine appeared in front of Lucia even faster.
The soul-light wings on her back flared open, radiating brilliance.
With a light sweep of her Oathbound Sword, she knocked the enchanted dagger aside with ease, neutralizing the lethal strike.
"Damn it!"
The assassin immediately tried to fade back into stealth.
But Loserine gave him no such chance.
Her blade danced—and black dragon breath erupted, engulfing him just as he attempted to vanish.
"AAAH!"
A scream rang out before his figure disappeared entirely within the dragon's breath.
When the black-gold flames finally dissipated, only a charred skeleton remained, lying motionless on the ground.
The sudden turn of events plunged Chen Feng and the others into stunned silence.
A level-50 assassin—instantly killed in a single strike?
"Damn it! Kill her!"The B-rank player snarled, immediately ordering his adventurers to attack Loserine.
And among his guild's strongest members—
Was the beast-kin warrior Shen Siqi had previously warned Xu Feiyan about.
"ROAR!"
The beast-kin warrior let out a thunderous roar and charged forward like an armored vehicle, massive battle-axe in hand.
"I'll intercept him!" Honglian moved to act—but Loserine was faster.
She shot forward like a meteor, murmuring softly to herself:
"He's weaker than her."
"Loserine!"
Honglian tried to stop her, but Loserine had already crossed the distance in an instant with her soul-light wings.
Gripping her Oathbound Sword with both hands, she slashed upward with overwhelming force.
The beast-kin warrior roared back, raising his enormous axe to meet her attack head-on.
Clang!
The sharp clash of metal echoed through the demon lair.
The sheer force of their collision warped the surrounding space, creating visible distortions.
The watching players were stunned.
They stared at Loserine on their screens in disbelief.
A level-45 female knight—matching blows with a level-58 beast-kin warrior?
It was unthinkable.
And as they reeled in shock—
Lucia turned her gaze toward the adventurer factions attempting the ambush.
Her cold voice echoed through the cavern.
"Insignificant vermin. Your farce ends here."
She raised the Sun Scepter high, like a deity commanding heaven and earth.
A golden magic circle rapidly expanded beneath her feet, resonating with the blazing sun above.
As the magic built, a miniature sun condensed above her head, pulsing with terrifying power.
The sight struck terror into every adventurer present.
Even the demons halted their charge, instinctively cowed by the overwhelming energy.
"What… what is that?"
"That's high-tier magic, right?"
"No—this is beyond that. This is pseudo-forbidden magic!"
"Pseudo-forbidden?! That's impossible! Those spells are worth tens of thousands of gold! Even A-rank guilds might not have one—how could it appear here?!"
"Is she from the Fairy Concubine Guild?"
"Doesn't look like it!"
"Shit—we've kicked a steel plate! Retreat! Now!"
Panic erupted as players urgently ordered their adventurers to flee.
"Run?"Lucia snorted softly and swung the Sun Scepter.
The miniature sun fell from the sky.
Her voice sounded like a whisper from the abyss.
"Do you really think you can?"
The miniature sun crashed into the center of the battlefield.
A deafening roar followed as solar power swept across the field like a tidal wave.
Adventurers and demons alike were consumed instantly.
The scene left everyone who witnessed it utterly dumbstruck.
A single spell—erasing over a dozen adventurers and nearly a thousand demons in one blow.
And those adventurers were elite members of B-rank guilds.
Their annihilation instantly shattered the opposing faction's ability to resist.
"…What?"
Even Honglian and the others turned to stare at Lucia, stunned by the sheer scale of her power.
Meanwhile, Delorie—who knew Lucia's true identity—remained silent.
As a Holy Maiden of the Church of Light, she herself possessed one pseudo-forbidden spell.
But compared to the power displayed by Lucia—the Pope—it was negligible.
She also knew she needed to report this to Xu Feiyan.
"Guild Master, there's been a new development on the battlefield," Delorie reported."The opposing factions have formed an alliance and launched a joint offensive."
"Y-yes… I know… mmh…"
Xu Feiyan's broken, nasal voice echoed in Delorie's mind, instantly making her expression serious.
"Guild Master—are you alright?" she asked urgently.
"I—I'm fine… really… Kurose Akira, please… be gentler…"
"???"
Delorie froze.
What…?
What exactly was happening back at the guild?
"Guild Master, are you sure you're alright?" she asked again, concern thick in her voice.
Xu Feiyan replied, her voice even weaker and trembling now:
"De… Delorie, focus on the battlefield. Lucia might be weakened for a short time after using that spell—protect her… ah! I—I have something to deal with here. I'll handle it quickly! It hurts (」＞＜)」!"
"…Understood."
Delorie nodded, though her mind was full of questions.
What in the world was happening inside the Fairy Concubine Guild?
Why did the Guild Master's voice sound so… strange?
Could it be that they were—
…
Gulp, gulp—
After drinking the sweet blood, Akira finally felt the bloodthirst inside him subside temporarily.
His vision gradually cleared.
But when he took in the chaotic scene inside the Fairy Concubine Guild—
His expression stiffened.
Vilora sat on the ground, tears glistening in her eyes. Two vivid bite marks stood out starkly on her pale neck.
Xu Feiyan looked even worse.
Her black stockings were shredded beyond recognition, her hair disheveled and hanging messily around her face.
Her blue-and-white porcelain cheongsam had been torn open violently, exposing her snow-white neck—clearly marked by where her blood had been taken.
Ah… this…
Akira stood there rigidly, his thoughts in turmoil.
A crushing wave of guilt surged through him.
He cursed himself as a monster.
How could he do such things to Vilora and Guild Master Xu—people he had barely met?
"I'm so sorry! This is all my fault! I'm truly sorry!"
He rushed toward them, reaching out to help—
But at that moment, a lazy, alluring voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Ah~ (yawn) Where… am I?"
"Huh? Was all of this caused by Kanlutia? That girl… I warned her not to mess around."
That voice…?
Akira's expression turned grave.
Was this the Vampire Progenitor?
No—something was off.
The tone, the timbre—it was completely different.
Before, the voice had been sharp and childish, a bratty loli tone.
This one was deep, magnetic, and irresistibly mature.
What was going on?
As confusion flooded his mind, the voice spoke again.
"I'm terribly sorry~ While I was in hibernation due to blood deficiency, it was Kanlutia who controlled my consciousness. I sincerely apologize for her rude behavior."
"To compensate for the harm caused, please accept my blood."
As the words fell—
Three brilliant drops of blood condensed in Akira's palm.
At the same time, a system prompt appeared in his vision.
[Blood of the Vampire Progenitor Kanlutis (Legendary): The blood of a Vampire Progenitor. Effect unknown!]
[Note: This item can be converted into an additional trait — Masochist!]