After that, their conversation dragged on for nearly an entire hour.
At some point, the tension faded. The sharp edges of suspicion dulled, replaced by something much more familiar—idle chatter, sarcastic remarks, and the occasional insult thrown back and forth like it meant nothing.
Eventually, they both seemed to reach the same silent conclusion.
It was time to head back.
They stood up without much ceremony and began walking toward the cohort, continuing their conversation as if nothing significant had happened at all. Words flowed lazily between them, neither of them truly invested in what was being said anymore.
Until the very last moment.
Alucard glanced at Sunny.
Then, without warning—
He knocked him out.
Clean. Efficient. Completely unnecessary.
"…He'll forgive me," Alucard muttered to himself as he caught Sunny before he hit the ground. "Probably. Eventually. Maybe."
Sunny, of course, had no say in the matter.
Alucard carried him back and, with a level of care that almost made up for the betrayal, gently placed him beside Nephis.
Then, after a moment of consideration—
He positioned Sunny as the little spoon.
"…Perfect."
---
Three Months Later
The Crimson Labyrinth stretched endlessly around them, a suffocating maze of jagged stone and oppressive silence.
Alucard walked at the back of the cohort, lazily sipping from a flask that appeared to be woven entirely from silk. The material shimmered faintly in the dim light, almost too delicate to be real—yet it held water perfectly.
He drank slowly, savoring each sip.
Despite the harsh environment, he looked… relaxed.
Almost careless.
The only noticeable change in his appearance was his skin. His tan had faded slightly over time—strangely so, considering how much time they spent traveling.
Then again, sunlight barely reached them here.
And if it did…
Well.
He'd be ash.
Still, he expected to at least maintain the same shade.
But no.
It had lightened.
Of course, the difference was so subtle that no one in the cohort noticed.
Especially Cassie.
…For obvious reasons.
Alucard took another sip—
Only to realize the flask was empty.
"…Gods damn it," he muttered. "It ran out again."
A collective sigh echoed through the group in perfect synchronization.
"You've been saying that every day since you got that damned thing," Effie shouted, throwing her hands in the air.
"Well, yeah," Alucard replied defensively. "It's a Memory that helps me conserve blood by keeping me hydrated. Or would you rather I waste my precious blood just to stay hydrated?"
Everyone turned to glare at him.
Alucard awkwardly tugged at the collar of his armor, clearly searching for a distraction.
He found one quickly.
Pointing ahead, he said, "Hey, look. A Nightmare Creature."
Kai immediately raised his bow, preparing to fire—
But before he could release the arrow, Alucard lifted his hand, forming a crude finger-gun.
"Bang."
A sharp, invisible force shot forward.
The Nightmare Creature's head exploded instantly.
Silence followed.
Then—
"So much for not wasting blood," Sunny said dryly. "Didn't you say that move costs more than Piercing Blood? Or am I misremembering?"
Alucard shrugged.
"Hey, if you had an ability that cool, you'd spam it too."
Sunny rolled his eyes.
"You never explained how it works."
Alucard nodded.
"I will," he said. "Once we reach the arch. I'll need to remove my armor to show you properly."
That was enough to pique Sunny's curiosity.
---
Eventually, they reached the massive white marble arch.
The moment it came into view, the entire cohort let out a collective sigh of exhaustion.
Relief quickly turned into annoyance.
Because now—
They had to climb.
And the climb was, without exaggeration, a complete nightmare. (I want to make it perfectly clear Alucard is exaggerating)
Still, after a long and painful effort, they finally reached the top.
Nephis immediately began preparing dinner, her movements calm and precise as always.
Meanwhile, Alucard did absolutely nothing.
He lay flat on his back, arm behind his head, yawning loudly.
"Make mine with extra blood," he called lazily. "It really enhances the flavor."
Nephis looked at him.
Just looked.
No visible emotion.
No reaction.
Alucard squinted slightly.
"…That was definitely a glare," he muttered. "You just can't express it."
Rolling his eye, he sat up when he noticed Sunny approaching.
"Hey, Sunny," he said, grinning. "Want to see what I was talking about earlier?"
Sunny sat down beside him.
"Sure," he said. "Though, knowing how you explain things, I'm expecting to learn absolutely nothing."
Alucard smirked.
"Not my fault you suck at sorcery."
"You're barely any better than me," Sunny shot back.
Alucard shrugged.
"That's exactly what I'd expect from someone who can only dream of using real sorcery."
Sunny rolled his eyes again.
"Are you done insulting me, or are you actually going to explain how that arm of yours works?"
Alucard brightened immediately.
"Right, right."
Without hesitation, he dismissed the upper portion of his armor.
What it revealed—
Was unsettling.
His body was covered in intricate sacrificial sigils.
Dozens of them.
Maybe hundreds.
Most were concentrated along his right arm and shoulder, forming a complex network of glowing red markings. At first glance, they looked like tattoos—but the faint red pulse beneath them made it clear they were something far more dangerous.
"Alright," Alucard began, pointing at different sections, "these sigils generate energy inside my blood, making it more reactive. These ones here increase its density. And these—"
He tapped near his fingers.
"—these gather the blood between my fingers before I fire."
He moved his hand upward.
"This part activates my Wrath lineage the moment the blood makes contact with a target, causing an internal explosion inside the Nightmare Creature."
Then he pointed to his bicep.
"Everything from here up is just the sacrificial component. Took forever to design."
He leaned back slightly.
"So, in exchange for the blood disappearing instantly after impact, I get all those enhancements—and the attack becomes stronger in basically every category."
A grin spread across his face.
"Which means I can fire shots almost every second."
A pause.
"…As long as I have enough blood left."
Sunny nodded slowly, clearly impressed despite himself.
"How long did it take you to make this?"
Alucard started counting on his fingers.
"Every night I wasn't sleeping," he said. "Pretty much the entire journey."
He smirked.
"Finished it yesterday. Perfect timing."
Sunny nodded again.
"…And how much blood does it use?"
Alucard immediately looked away.
"Oh, not much," he said quickly. "Don't worry about it."
Sunny narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah, no. I'm definitely worrying about it. Give me a number."
Alucard coughed.
"The weather's nice today," he said. "Bit chilly, though. Also, I'm suddenly very tired, so—"
He immediately lay down, curling into a fetal position.
A moment passed.
Then—
Poke.
He ignored it.
Poke.
Still ignored.
By the thirty-second poke, Alucard snapped upright and glared at Sunny, who was casually poking him with his sword.
"Wow," Sunny said flatly. "You woke up. That was quick. Now answer the question."
At this point, it was obvious Sunny didn't even care about the answer anymore.
This was purely out of spite.
Alucard sighed.
"…Around twenty gallons of blood."
Sunny blinked.
"…What's a gallon?"
Alucard shrugged.
"Figure it out."
He stood up, stretching.
"I'm hungry. Food's ready."
Sunny just stared at him, deeply unimpressed, before getting up and walking toward Nephis.
She served him first.
Then the rest of the cohort.
Alucard looked down at his plate.
Then at Sunny's.
Then back at his own.
His steak was… tiny.
Pathetically so.
Sunny's, on the other hand, was massive—easily larger than Alucard's head.
(Poor Sei...)
To make matters worse, Alucard's steak was slightly burnt.
The others?
Perfectly cooked.
Juicy.
Tender.
Alucard stared at it for a long moment.
He knew what this was.
Nephis was sending a message.
Not that it mattered.
He could survive on far less.
Still…
It annoyed him.
A lot.
But instead of complaining, he simply sighed and started eating.
Then—
Sunny spoke.
"So," he said, looking at the group, "how about we talk about my end of the agreement?"