The moment the diamond-shaped crystal struck Vlad's palm, it instantly began to fuse with his flesh.
A searing pain shot through his hand, followed by a heat so intense it felt as though his entire body might melt from within.
It was only then that Vlad realized just how reckless—how utterly foolish—he had been.
Artifacts of the gods were never simple, and never easy to control.
As his eyes reddened from the agony, Vlad gritted his teeth, gathering every ounce of energy he had to force the crystal out of his body. But in that very moment, a faint strand of consciousness began to stir in the center of his palm.
A flicker of horror lit up Vlad's eyes.
Before he had time to think, instinct took over. He channeled all his strength into his left hand and swung it like a blade toward his right.
But the mysterious crystal, as though sensing danger, reacted instantly. In the blink of an eye, it took control of Vlad's right hand.
A frail yet commanding will—one that felt almost divine—suddenly surged from the crystal, as though its awakening had been accelerated by Vlad's resistance.
An overwhelming force burst from his right arm.
The gap in power between Vlad and the entity was so vast that his full-force strike with his left hand was stopped with ease. The crystal's strength rendered him powerless.
Not only was his attempt thwarted, but the crystal's consciousness grew even more active. That dark presence began to creep deeper into Vlad's mind.
And then, a voice—quiet, broken—echoed within him.
"Who… am I…?"
The voice trembled and flickered.
"I… am Hades… Fire…"
"Underworld… Fire… who?"
"Yes… I am the Dark Flame Demon King… Ai Rui Si…!!"
From confused murmurs to coherent thoughts, the transformation took only moments.
As the voice became clearer, an immense wave of spiritual pressure slammed against Vlad's mind again and again.
Sweat poured down his face.
Despite pouring all his focus into resisting the intrusion, his spiritual defenses were already crumbling under the assault.
"Astonishing… This Demon King has waited thousands of years to encounter someone from the Night Witch's bloodline. Yes, you'll do nicely. Surrender your body."
"I can't wait any longer! Hahaha!"
The moment the laughter rang out, Vlad's consciousness was overwhelmed. His mental defenses were ripped apart, leaving his mind wide open.
He had no chance to resist. A surge of psychic energy erupted from his right hand, piercing what little remained of his will.
At the same time, the crystal unleashed an incredible law-based energy—divine power that began flooding every corner of his body, reshaping it.
This was no ordinary force. The power of laws was something only gods could access. And under its influence, Vlad's entire life force began to evolve.
In an instant, he broke past the peak of his original strength, ascending to a higher state of existence.
Externally, the transformation was terrifying.
Two pairs of thick, curved horns burst from Vlad's forehead, surrounded by ghostly blue flames that gave off both heat and dread.
His skin hardened into crimson bone-like armor, laced with sharp spines.
His height, once under two meters, exploded in size—growing more than tenfold. Gigantic bat-like wings sprouted from his back, covered in jagged scales and bony spikes.
He now looked like a hellspawned demon, descending upon the world in wrath.
"Jiejiejie~"
"A mere Tier-Two Vampire dares to oppose the great Hellfire Demon King Iris? Pathetic! You truly don't value your life," came a low, derisive laugh—from Vlad's own mouth.
"This is my body!" Vlad roared. "I don't care who you are—get out of it!"
"Jiejiejie~ It's far too late. Accept your fate. Becoming the vessel of Lord Iris is your greatest honor."
As those words fell, Vlad's pupils turned crimson. Wisps of dark energy leaked from his eyes.
"I won't…"
"…let you succeed!"
With one last burst of willpower, Vlad's face twisted in defiance. Still clinging to consciousness, he thrust his right arm toward the broken sword embedded in the heart of the Demon King's shadow.
"Jiejiejie~ You thought it was just a broken sword?"
"What?! What's happening?!"
Deep in Vlad's spirit realm, a massive figure—hundreds of feet tall and wreathed in flames—suddenly froze in place. That once-proud expression turned to one of disbelief.
"No… It can't be. Why is she here?!"
Hovering before the Demon King was a glowing orb of blood-red light, radiating an aura of extreme hunger and a terrible will to consume.
It was the mysterious system cheat—something Vlad had long believed to be useless.
From the Demon King's reaction, it was clear he recognized the orb. For the first time, there was true fear in his voice.
Before he could say more, the orb transformed into the shadow of a monstrous spider, lunging forward and enveloping him.
"Don't even think about it!!!" a crazed, screaming voice echoed throughout Vlad's mind.
In the same instant, the sea of his consciousness trembled. The diamond-shaped crystal exploded with violent energy.
A gaping black hole tore open the secret space, and turbulent waves of space began to tear at everything nearby.
The crystal, still clinging to Vlad's palm, severed itself and tried to escape into the rift.
Just as the rift was about to close—
A strand of translucent silk whipped out, wrapping around the crystal and yanking it free of Vlad's flesh.
"No! My Lord, have mercy!!" the crystal screamed in panic.
But the plea was cut short.
A brief gurgle followed… then silence.
Everything fell still again.
And Vlad—now back in human form, drenched in blood—lay quietly in a sea of bones, his fate unknown.