"—!"
Kurose Akira's brows drew tightly together, his heart filled with confusion.
The curse of the Vampire True Ancestor had clearly been suppressed once more by Pettico—so why was her voice still echoing inside his mind?
Even more unsettling was the realization that this existence seemed capable of hearing everything from the outside world through him.
"What are you confused about?"The voice sneered within his consciousness."Did you really think a Moon Ritual and the power of some tiny, tiny junior would be enough to suppress me? Are you dreaming, brat?"
The voice rang out again, and a sharp pain exploded through Akira's skull.
In that instant, he truly felt the overwhelming, irresistible might of a Vampire True Ancestor.
"Heehee, little brat, don't delude yourself into thinking you can escape my will. Your blood is mine. One day, I will taste it myself!"
Her laughter echoed relentlessly, making Akira's body shudder violently.
At the same time, a tremor surged from deep within his bloodline, igniting an intense craving for sweet, fragrant blood.
"Damn it!"
Akira clenched his teeth, forcing himself to suppress the urge rising from his core.
But the Vampire True Ancestor's temptation continued to coil around his thoughts, attempting to seize control of his consciousness.
"Struggling? Useless. You'll only become my blood meal in the end. Give up. Follow your desire—see that beauty beside you? Drain her blood dry! Oh, and that half-deer girl too—her blood smells quite delightful as well!"
"Damn you…!"
Akira's fists tightened, every muscle in his body going taut.
His vision bled red—his pupils turning a vivid crimson like a vampire's, radiating an eerie, dangerous aura.
Even the air surrounding Xu Feiyan stimulated his nostrils again and again, nearly pushing him past the point of restraint, making him want to inhale deeply—violently.
"Guild Master Akira?"
At that moment, Xu Feiyan noticed his abnormal state. She quickly pulled her gaze away from the adventurer-view screens and asked with concern.
"I'm fine…"
Akira shook his head sharply, pouring every ounce of willpower into suppressing the urge to feed as he slowly lifted his head.
At the very least, he had to endure until this event was over—until he returned to the guild.
His gaze shifted to the battlefield feed where Lucia and the others were.
There, endless waves of demons were pouring out from the twin ice-and-fire mountains.
Though these demons were only between levels 20 and 40, their numbers were terrifying. Still, to truly powerful guilds, they were nothing more than lambs waiting for slaughter.
"Master, your condition feels… off. Are you truly all right?"
Through the soul link, Alice sensed Akira's instability and asked urgently.
"I'm fine," Akira replied calmly, forcing steadiness into his voice."Everyone, prepare yourselves. The enemy numbers are massive—do not fight alone."
"Understood, Master!"
The group answered in unison, eyes fixed firmly on the battlefield, fully prepared.
At the same time, voice messages began coming through the group chat from Lu Bo and the others.
Lu Bo: "Guild Master Xu, we're fully prepared on our side."
Fu Bin: "I'll keep an eye on Chen Feng's group. I won't give them any chance to interfere."
Shen Siqi: "Sister Xu, there's something I should warn you about. There's a very strong adventurer in that B-rank guild—we might not be able to stop him. Please be careful."
"…"
"Alright, thank you all for your help this time," Xu Feiyan said with a gentle smile, lifting a round silk fan and waving it lightly.
Lu Bo: "Guild Master Xu, you're too polite. We took the money—of course we'll do the job properly."
Shen Jun: "Exactly! Guild Master Xu has always helped us a lot. This is only right."
Shen Siqi: "Sister Xu, Akira is with you right now, isn't he?"
"Akira…"
Xu Feiyan turned her gaze to Akira beside her. She had noticed earlier that something felt off about him, and concern stirred in her heart.
Just then, Akira turned toward her, a faint smile forming as he spoke:
"Yes. I'm at Guild Master Xu's guild right now."
Fu Bin: "!"
Shen Jun: "You little bastard—we haven't even been to Guild Master Xu's guild yet!"
Shen Siqi: "I heard Sister Xu spent several thousand gold coins decorating her guild. It must be gorgeous! I really want to see it someday!"
Lu Bo: "Sticker: stroking beard smugly"
"Alright~"
Seeing that Akira's condition had stabilized, Xu Feiyan finally relaxed and addressed everyone.
"Get ready. The event is about to begin."
"Mm!"
...
Perspective Shift — Demon Lair Battlefield
Lucia stood at the very front of the formation.
Her white veil fluttered lightly, faintly revealing her golden-red eyes beneath. Her gaze was like a frozen lake—calm, deep, and unwavering—as she stared at the massive demon army in the distance.
"The demons' strength is recovering faster than expected…"she murmured softly.
After returning from the Abyss with Akira, she had devoted herself to studying the history of wars between the demons and the Magic Continent over the past millennium.
She learned that several hundred years ago, the demons had launched a massive invasion.
That war dragged on for years and ultimately ended in victory for the Magic Continent—but at a terrible cost.
The Sun Theocracy lost several cardinal bishops.The Dragon Holy Kingdom's dragon knight legions were left severely weakened.The Beastfolk tribes lost multiple powerful Beast Kings.
And yet, compared to the Magic Continent, the demons suffered even greater losses.
One Demon King fell in battle. Several others were gravely injured. Countless demons perished.
The entire Abyss was shaken, and demon power fell into a deep trough for a long time.
And yet—
In just a century, the demons seemed to have recovered from those wounds…and were even preparing to rise again.
Lucia frowned slightly.
Why had demon power recovered so quickly?
And what exactly had changed within the Abyss?Why were the demons so eager to invade the Magic Continent once more?
"Lu… Lucia, you seem deep in thought."
Saint Delorie, who had been watching Lucia the entire time, finally stepped forward, concern in her voice.
After all, her gaze had never once left Lucia.
Lucia shook her head gently and replied in a calm tone,"It's nothing. Just thinking."
"I… I see…"
At that moment, Red Lotus strode over with her massive sword slung over her shoulder, curiosity in her eyes.
"Delorie, do you know Lucia?"
Delorie froze for a moment, then forced an awkward smile.
Lucia had explicitly warned her not to expose her identity as the Pope.
So she could only answer vaguely,"Mm… yes. We both serve the Holy Light Church."
How could she possibly disobey the Pope's orders?!
"No wonder your auras feel so similar," Red Lotus said with a grin, patting Delorie on the shoulder."Later on, you two can focus on casting spells from the rear. Azkman and I will make sure you're safe."
"Mm…"
Delorie nodded, but her light-blue eyes flicked helplessly toward Lucia.
Inside, she was screaming.
That's the Supreme Pope of the Holy Light Church!The strongest existence on the Magic Continent!Someone who could wipe out a kingdom in an instant!
Does she really need protection?!
Just as Delorie was inwardly lamenting her fate, Lucia's cold, authoritative voice echoed inside her mind.
"Mind your words. Or I won't mind letting you receive the judgment of holy light."
Delorie instantly fell silent, fear flashing through her eyes.
"U-Understood, Pope Your Holiness (〃＞X＜)!"