"?"
Kurose Akira's gaze shifted toward Petico.The Vampire Progenitor's words had genuinely caught him off guard—
Petico's blood purity… was actually comparable to that of the very first vampires?
That was completely beyond his expectations.
It seemed Petico carried secrets of her own—things even he had yet to uncover.
Still, the way that Vampire lady phrased it left Akira momentarily speechless.
Miss Vampire… are you sure there isn't something wrong with you?
At the same time, Petico's ruthless slaughter on the battlefield immediately triggered Marley Laine's displeasure.
"So it's just a vampire. Flashy magic tricks, that's all."
Marley Laine let out a light, contemptuous laugh.In the next instant, white steam erupted violently from her armor, while her eyes ignited with a deep crimson glow—like blazing infernos burning within.
"These are my prey!"
Before her words even finished echoing, she transformed into a streak of red light, plunging like a meteor straight into the heart of the demon army.
"AAAH—!"
Screams erupted instantly.
That single impact alone claimed the lives of dozens of demons.
What followed was pure carnage.
Like a god of slaughter, Marley Laine rampaged through the demon ranks without restraint.
With a single swing of her razor-sharp dragon claws, space itself seemed to tear apart as multiple demons were ripped into pieces.
And those crimson eyes of hers—now glowing intensely—fired destructive red beams.Wherever the beams passed, everything was swallowed by annihilating flames.
"…This half-dragon's power…"
Xu Feiyan watched every movement through the perspective screen, her heart trembling at the sheer simplicity and brutality of Marley Laine's killing methods.
Though Marley Laine's stature was small, on the battlefield she was an undeniable focal point.
In mere moments, nearly a hundred demons had fallen to her hands.
At the same time, Ivsha and Alice were also fighting at full capacity, cutting down demons nonstop and rapidly accumulating contribution points for Akira.
In a very short span of time, Akira's total contribution value had already soared past 5,000.At this pace, by the end of the demon lair event, he could reach roughly 7,000.
However—
Even so, claiming first place still seemed… difficult.
Akira's eyes unconsciously turned toward Xu Feiyan.
The Fairy Concubine Guild held overwhelming advantages in numbers, levels, and equipment. Surpassing them would not be easy.
Besides, Akira had always been curious about the reward for first place in this event.
Now was the perfect time to ask.
"Guild Master Xu—"Akira was just about to speak when Xu Feiyan had already turned toward him, smiling knowingly.
"I know what you want to ask," she said first."It's about the rewards for this event, right?"
Akira nodded.
"This event's reward is extremely valuable," Xu Feiyan explained calmly."It consists of petals from the Seven Valkyries of the Starfall Kingdom—rare items known as Divine Relics."
"There are seven Valkyrie petals in total. Each contains a trace of divine essence capable of granting tremendous enhancement."
"And the one who places first… has a chance to obtain all seven petals."
"So that's how it is…"
The moment Akira heard the words Divine Relic, he immediately understood how extraordinary these Valkyrie petals were.
At that moment, Xu Feiyan's lips curved upward slightly, her smile turning mysterious.
"But—this isn't the whole story."
Akira's eyes narrowed slightly."There's more to it?"
"Of course~"
Xu Feiyan gently waved her folding fan, her smile deepening.
"There's a legend that says—if the seven Valkyrie petals are woven together in a specific way, they can form an item of near-mythical quality."
"With it, one can temporarily summon a Valkyrie to fight on their behalf."
"That… is the true secret behind this event."
"Of course," she added lightly, "I only learned this by chance through a quest. Whether it's true or not remains to be confirmed."
"Summon a Valkyrie… to fight for oneself?"
Akira was genuinely shaken.
The Seven Valkyries were god-level beings.Their power alone was enough to shake the entire Magic Continent.
If one could truly summon such an existence, even temporarily…
Who on this continent could possibly stand in his way?
Yet—
The key lay in one word.
Temporarily.
How long did "temporary" mean?
"That's right," Xu Feiyan continued."These seven petals—I intend to claim them all."
"Even if I can only borrow a Valkyrie's power once… I'd be satisfied. As long as—"
Her voice abruptly stopped.
A cold, sharp glint flashed through her eyes.
Akira's heart stirred.
He realized Xu Feiyan likely had a major plan—one that required the power of a Valkyrie to carry out.
But that was the Fairy Concubine Guild's secret.He had no intention of prying further.
As for whether her information was true—
Once they obtained the seven petals, the truth would naturally reveal itself.
"Then what about second and third place?" Akira asked.
Xu Feiyan paused briefly, then replied casually,"Second and third place each receive one piece of epic-quality equipment. Nothing particularly noteworthy."
"..."
Akira fell silent for a moment, then turned his gaze back toward the battlefield.
After nearly half an hour of fighting, the demons within both lairs had been completely exterminated.
The final contribution values were locked in:
Kurose Akira — 7,652Xu Feiyan — 8,999
"So… there's still a gap."
Akira let out a wry smile.
He knew this was already the absolute limit of Lucia and the others' efforts.
Without advantages in numbers, gear, or levels, being able to compete this closely was already remarkable.
A B+-rank guild truly was on a completely different level compared to his D+-rank guild.
"This cooperation was truly a pleasure, Guild Master Akira."
Xu Feiyan looked at the results with satisfaction, then stood and extended her hand.
"Thanks to your assistance, everything went so smoothly. I owe you a favor."
She knew very well—
If Akira had been on Chen Feng's side, or acting as an independent player, then with the strength of his adventurers, the top rankings would have been impossible to predict.
"The favor isn't necessary," Akira said, rubbing his nose."And please… don't take what happened earlier to heart."
The image of himself drinking Xu Feiyan's blood surfaced in his mind, stirring a trace of guilt.
"I do care a little," Xu Feiyan replied, covering her lips with her fan as she laughed softly."I've lived in a garden of comfort since childhood. I've never been treated so… thoroughly before."
It was, admittedly, a rather unique memory.
"But my words still stand. If you ever need help in the future, come to me. I'll do everything I can."
"Then I'll take you up on that."
Akira clasped his hands politely, then informed Lucia and the others to return to the Fairy Concubine Guild.
Soon, teleportation arrays appeared at both demon lairs.
"The teleportation array is active—let's head back!"Honglian and the others quickly moved toward the glowing light.
Lucia, however, continued observing the battlefield.
She noticed that once the fighting ended, soldiers from the Starfall Kingdom swiftly appeared, collecting demon corpses.
Moreover—
The demons in this event had clearly been weaker than usual, almost as if they'd been deliberately arranged to feed experience.
"Do you sense something off?"
Loserine walked over and asked quietly.
As a Vowbound Knight, she felt the same unease—but couldn't pinpoint the Starfall Kingdom's intent.
Lucia responded with a question of her own.
"Does the Starfall Kingdom possess any undead-type forbidden magic?"
"Their power originates from the stars," Loserine replied."They don't have undead-type forbidden spells."
"…However?"
Lucia's gaze sharpened.
"However, the Starfall Kingdom does possess a forbidden ritual involving sacrifices to the stars," Loserine said gravely."It requires a massive amount of pure magical energy as an offering, used to inherit or draw upon stellar power."
"Must it be pure?" Lucia asked softly.
Loserine nodded."Yes. Stellar power is aligned with justice. If impure magic is used, backlash or loss of control is highly likely."
Lucia's thoughts churned.
If magic refined from corpses was involved, it could never meet the requirement of purity.
Then why collect demon bodies at all?
Unless—
They possessed a vessel capable of purification.
And such a vessel would need power at least at the demigod level.
Or perhaps… something special.
A saint.Or a witch.
"Let's return for now," Lucia said calmly."I'll have this investigated."
She stepped into the teleportation array.Loserine followed.
Back at the Fairy Concubine Guild, the members immediately noticed Xu Feiyan.
"Guild Master, why did you change clothes?"
Xu Feiyan waved it off casually."That's not important. You all performed excellently. I'll grant each of you one small wish."
"Thank you, Guild Master~! That pure-gold Life Shrine I've wanted—"
"Buy it."
"The new diamond armor?"
"Approved."
"A Firefruit that boosts fire-element mana?"
"All of it~"
"..."
As the Fairy Concubine Guild erupted into excited requests, Akira's guild members all turned their eyes toward him.
Their guild master.
"Cough—"
Akira cleared his throat.
"We'll do the same!"
"Yay! Guild Master!"Alice hugged him happily.
Akira immediately felt pressure mounting.
He had a feeling their requests would be… creative.
"You—"
Just then, Petico stepped in front of him.
Her crimson eyes stared straight at him, as if she'd discovered something unsettling.
Akira asked, "What is it?"
Everyone's attention turned toward them.
After hesitating briefly, Petico spoke slowly:
"The aura of the curse on you has changed. It's now the presence of another Progenitor…"
Xu Feiyan followed up immediately,"Petico, your method failed. After you left, Guild Master Akira's curse erupted again."
"…Failed? How could that be?"
Confusion and contemplation flickered through Petico's eyes.
She had followed the bloodline memories exactly.
How could it have failed?
"Don't worry," Akira said reassuringly with a smile."I'm much better now. And I already have some ideas about how to resolve the Vampire Progenitor's curse."
Since he had awakened a second Progenitor, he was confident she held the key.
Perhaps Petico's inherited memory was flawed—
But the Progenitor herself would surely know the correct method.
"I'm truly sorry I couldn't help you more," Petico said sincerely."If there's anything I can do, please tell me."
"I was the one who asked for your help," Akira replied, waving it off."Even if it failed, I never blamed you."
He then turned to his guild members.
"Let's head back."
"Yes, Guild Master!"
"Guild Master Xu, until next time~"
"Mm~ Goodbye~"
...
In a flash of white light, Akira and his guild returned to their own base.
The moment he stepped through the doors, a system notification appeared before his eyes:
[Your adventurers Fuli and Floro are undergoing the Blessing of the World Tree.Their rarity may change (10%).]
"Rarity change!?"
Akira's eyes widened in shock.
He never expected the World Tree's blessing to have the potential to alter adventurer rarity.
As he was still processing the surprise, Ivsha suddenly hugged him tightly from behind, her voice dripping with allure.
"Mr. Akira~ It's time for you to fulfill your promise~"
Akira smiled and lightly tapped her forehead.
"Ivsha, it's not night yet. Be patient."
"Aww~"
She pouted slightly, heart-shaped tail swaying as her eyes sparkled.
Perhaps due to massive mana consumption, Ivsha was especially eager for a vigorous life ritual—preferably one that left her completely full.
"Getting affectionate the moment you return, Guild Master. Your stamina is impressive."
Lucia cast them a cool glance.
"?"
Before Akira could respond, Lucia had already turned and left, her footsteps light and swift.
As she departed, her voice drifted back calmly:
"I have urgent matters to attend to. As for your promise—I'll come collect it tomorrow."
"..."
Akira felt a wave of helplessness.
Lucia's "unpredictability" always brought him unexpected surprises.
Meanwhile—
The moment Lucia returned to the Holy Church of Light, she immediately summoned Saintess Winnisan.
"Holy Father, what are your instructions?"
"Go to the Starfall Kingdom at once," Lucia said."Investigate something for me…"
...
At the same time, back in the guild hall—
While Ivsha and the others were bathing, Akira stared intently at the drop of Vampire Progenitor blood in his hand.
A lazy, seductive voice echoed in his mind.
"Young one~Are you that interested in my blood?"
"If you want it~I can give you a few more drops~"
..…
Want to unlock up to 60+ early-access chapters and exclusive novels ? Join my Patreon today and dive deeper into the adventure!
patreon.com/denji21