The once-prosperous third vampire city of Sanguinem had become a living nightmare, a twisted hell of blood and corrupted flesh.
Flames danced through poisonous fog that clung to everything like a suffocating blanket. The wriggling mass of corrupted flesh that had consumed entire districts continued to pulse with malevolent energy, warping the very laws of physics around it.
Tap, tap, tap...
Hurried footsteps echoed through a tunnel that resembled nothing so much as a massive blood vessel. The walls themselves seemed to pulse with a sickly rhythm.
Several figures burst from the shadows, their faces drawn with exhaustion and fear.
"Ahem... You two need to go. Don't worry about me."
Miju pushed away her companions' supporting hands and leaned heavily against the blood-slick wall. One hand pressed against her bleeding abdomen while the other maintained a white-knuckled grip on her weapon.
"You can't be serious! How could we just leave you here?"
Shigure grabbed Miju's arm, her expression fierce. The woman who'd once hidden every emotion behind an expressionless mask had finally learned to let her feelings show after experiencing too much separation and death.
Sayuri added urgently, "Shigure's right. We're not abandoning anyone!"
"But if you keep dragging me along, none of us will escape."
Miju's voice cracked with despair, unwillingness, and fear. She didn't want to die, who would? But she couldn't bear the thought of being the reason her teammates perished.
Tap, tap, tap...
Another set of footsteps approached from behind, faster this time. Closer.
The three women's faces went pale.
Miju immediately shoved her teammates away with what strength she had left.
"Go! Leave me!"
Before they could stop her, she turned and rushed toward the approaching enemy.
"Damn it!"
Sayuri and Shigure moved to follow, but Miju threw out two talismans that formed a shimmering barrier between them.
"Hurry up! This barrier won't hold them for long. I'll buy you some time! You have to get back alive!"
Her voice echoed through the dark tunnel as she charged forward to meet her fate.
The two women stared after her with desperate, tear-filled eyes. They couldn't let Miju sacrifice herself in vain.
Though every instinct screamed at them to stay, they turned and ran.
But before they'd taken more than a few steps, a spatial rift tore open directly in their path, blocking their escape.
Their brief flicker of hope instantly transformed into crushing despair.
Were they all going to die here after all?
However, to their shock, the figure who stepped through the spatial crack wasn't an enemy at all, it was someone they'd never expected to see again.
"Oh? Looks like we made it just in time."
Victor emerged from the rift with Krul at his side.
"You?! And the Third Progenitor, Krul Tepes?"
Seeing their former enemy appear before them, Sayuri and Shigure felt a complicated mix of shock and... relief? In their entire lives, they'd never been so glad to encounter a vampire progenitor.
"You're here to rescue us, right? Please help Miju!"
Sayuri immediately dropped to her knees in supplication.
Seeing this, Shigure knelt beside her without hesitation.
Victor glanced deeper into the tunnel, his enhanced senses piercing the darkness with ease. He spotted a red-haired woman fighting desperately against a swarm of alien creatures.
He turned to Krul. "Get these two outside first. I'll bring the other one out."
Krul nodded, grabbed both women by their shoulders, and vanished.
Victor shattered the barrier blocking his path with a casual punch and flew toward the battle.
Miju, still locked in combat, noticed the barrier behind her explode. She froze for a split second, but that moment of distraction was all the enemy needed. A corrupted creature swung its blade, the weapon covered in evil runes and pulsing with dark energy.
By the time Miju's attention snapped back to the fight, the sword was already inches from her throat.
Is this it?
Facing imminent death, Miju was surprised to find her heart strangely calm.
She closed her eyes, accepting what was coming.
'Guren, I'm sorry. I have to go first. Mom, Dad, everyone... I'll, '
"Why are you giving up so easily?"
An unexpected voice cut through her final thoughts.
Her eyes flew open. The enemy before her had been reduced to a cloud of blood mist that dissipated into nothing. A man stood in front of her, looking at her with mild reproach.
"Y-you?"
After seeing who'd saved her, Miju's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Well, you look like you're holding up okay."
Miju raised an eyebrow despite her pain. "Are you blind? There's a massive wound in my abdomen!"
Ignoring her complaint, Victor reached out and grabbed her by the collar, lifting her like a stray kitten.
"Wait, what are you doing? Why are you carrying me like this?"
Victor smiled with clear amusement. "You'll see soon enough."
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
A spatial rift opened instantly.
Then Victor simply tossed Miju through it. "Off you go!"
"Ah! You bastard! How dare you treat a wounded person like this!"
"Tsk, so much complaining."
Victor clapped his hands, sealed the spatial rift, and continued deeper into the corrupted city.
Meanwhile, in an abandoned section of the city dozens of kilometers from Sanguinem...
A spatial crack suddenly appeared, and Miju came flying out of it before landing hard on her rear end.
She clutched her backside with tears in her eyes. "That horrible jerk doesn't understand the meaning of 'gentle' or 'considerate' when it comes to women. Ow, my butt..."
"Miju!"
"Miju, you're alive!"
Hearing her companions' voices, Miju instantly forgot about the pain.
"Were you also rescued by that guy?"
Sayuri nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Yes! It was Mr. Stone who saved us."
"Stone?"
Miju blinked in confusion but soon noticed the pink-haired girl standing behind her teammates.
The Third Progenitor of vampires herself!
"Hey, where's my husband?"
Krul's question completely stunned Miju.
Oh my god, the vampire queen is married?!
And her husband appeared to be... human?
Looking at Miju's shocked expression, Krul frowned. "Did she hit her head when she fell?"
"I'm not brain-damaged!"
Miju snapped back to reality, rubbing her sore backside. "After that guy threw me out, he headed toward the Blood Nest alone."
Hearing this, Krul said simply, "Don't wander off," and disappeared.
"Hmph, showing off their lovey-dovey relationship. How annoying," Miju muttered under her breath.
Sayuri lightly tapped her on the head. "Don't be so cynical. If it weren't for them, we might have died back there."
"By the way, here are some pills Miss Krul left behind. They can heal injuries and restore stamina. Shigure and I already took some, and they really work. You should take one too."
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