Krul and Luke walked to the edge of the cage, watching as the Lower-ranking Vampire opened the door. Rig walked in alone. Although his face was extremely calm, his unconsciously clenched fists still betrayed the turmoil in his heart.
The being he had pursued his entire life was now like a lion without fangs or claws. At this moment, Rig only wanted to figure out the Progenitor's plan as quickly as possible; he needed to understand everything.
Seeing Rig enter, the Progenitor did not initiate conversation. His expression was unreadable, completely ignoring Rig.
Rig didn't comment on this and began to speak softly.
"You should know what I want to ask you."
The Progenitor didn't even look up.
"...Don't you already know everything? Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to hinder me time and again."
Rig was silent for a moment, then spoke the conclusion he had analyzed.
"You want to resurrect your child, to resurrect Mikael, don't you?"
"..."
The Progenitor opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
"I was once an experimental candidate for Mikael, and so was Urd," Rig continued, seeing the Progenitor did not refute, his mind now made up. "You once intended to create a vessel capable of inheriting the soul of your deceased child, but neither Urd nor I qualified. The next generation, Lest Karr Karr and Krul Tepes, were also unsuitable. So, you changed your approach..."
As Rig spoke, the expressions of the surrounding Progenitors all showed varying degrees of disbelief. When Rig had briefed them earlier, he hadn't mentioned that they too were experimental candidates!
Krul was just about to discuss this with Luke when she turned and found him looking around, completely unaffected by the bombshell news in Rig's words. Or perhaps he simply hadn't been listening? Sensing her gaze, Luke turned and met Krul's questioning and suspicious look.
Luke thought to himself, 'I have the script, this is a normal reaction.' He was just about to play dumb to get through this, but his sixth sense told him it was best not to. Feeling a slight chill on his neck, he swallowed hard. Luke leaned down and whispered into Krul's ear. Fortunately, Rig's words were captivating enough that no one noticed the little couple's antics.
As he spoke, Rig also sighed with emotion.
"You promised us eternity, yet you discarded us like worn-out shoes!"
Hearing the implication in Rig's words, the Progenitor finally looked up at this moment and asked.
"...So, you've held a grudge all this time?"
Rig smiled and began pacing inside the cage. The Progenitor was bound by chains, unable to do anything.
"That's hard to say. After all, we were granted eternal life. At the very least, we need to find a reason to live, otherwise how boring would it be~"
"One day, while investigating you, I discovered the religious organization 'Emperor Demon' you had humans establish, and there you were conducting experiments to turn Vampires into demons."
The Progenitor nodded and couldn't help but laugh.
"So you immediately intervened, repeatedly obstructing it. You even mixed your own genetic factors into the Ichinose Clan and established a rival organization, didn't you?"
By this point, Rig was no longer satisfied with just speaking; he began supplementing his'speech' with body language.
He spread his hands, gradually growing excited.
"That's right, the 'Hyakuya Sect' was born. I wonder if you noticed the irony in its name? In hundreds and thousands of nights, we, the abandoned ones, lived without meaning or value."
Hearing this, the Progenitor replied in a somewhat mocking tone.
"I didn't notice at all~ Furthermore, I regret to inform you, nothing in this world has any meaning..."
The Progenitor's words were abruptly cut off as a cold hand clamped around his throat.
There was a hint of coldness in Rig's eyes.
"Stop talking nonsense! If there's no meaning, why are you so obsessed with resurrecting your own child? If you knew it would be like this, you shouldn't have dragged us into it! If living is truly meaningless, what are we, who were given eternal life, supposed to do?!"
For the first time, Rig's emotions were somewhat out of control, surprising the surrounding Progenitors and the Vampires in the distance. But after the surprise, they recalled the most unforgettable time in their Vampire lives—perhaps only the first month or two after becoming Vampires, because back then, they at least still feared death.
With his throat constricted, the Progenitor struggled to laugh and reply.
"Learn to stand on your own..."
Rig adjusted his emotions and offered a polite, fake smile once more.
"Hahahaha, stand on our own under your control? Aren't I still within your plan? The 'Hyakuya Sect' I founded is still being used by you... To be honest, I've had enough!"
Rig released the Progenitor's neck. He had been too forceful; his fingernails had even dug into the Progenitor's flesh. For the first time in a real sense, the Progenitor suffered an external injury, but... "Hey! Blue blood. The Progenitor really isn't a Vampire. What in the world is he?"
Guren exclaimed this in surprise, and Lest Karr's eyes also showed astonishment.
The Progenitor coughed a few times, looked up to meet Rig's gaze, and laughed with a somewhat carefree air.
"You all broke free from my control long ago. Am I not under your control right now?"
Hearing this, Rig moved his fingers, and several chains pierced through the Progenitor's chest. The Progenitor offered no resistance.
"Shut your mouth that only spews lies. We are the ones asking questions. You only need to answer; no need for anything else."
Luke and Krul had finished their whispered conversation by now. Seeing Rig act so decisively, Luke inwardly cursed him as a shady bastard, especially since he kept using honorifics in their exchange. It gave off a 'you kneel down, and I'll apologize to you' kind of vibe.
Luke genuinely felt some admiration for Rig. Could anyone else do this?! Achieve things to this extent, create such a situation?!
Rig straightened his clothes.
"One day, the organization I founded established an orphanage without my permission. There were thousands of children there, subjected to experiments and slaughter, until..." Rig pointed his finger towards Yuichiro, who was being held in the distance and hadn't yet recovered. "A familiar-looking face, a familiar-sounding name. It seems you've found a new vessel, prepared for the resurrection?"
He was likely referring to Mika, but since Mika was currently inside Yuichiro, pointing at Yuichiro wasn't incorrect.
Hearing this, the Progenitor's tone finally held an emotion called anger.
"If it weren't for your interference, everything would have been settled! Mahiru, Shinoa, and Yuu—you meddled in all of them!"
Rig, however, found the Progenitor's reaction a bit excessive and felt it was strange.
"But weren't all these things within your control?"
"Hah, I'm not a god. I want you all to listen to me; our interests are aligned..."
Before the Progenitor could finish, Rig shook his head.
"You have no credibility."
After speaking, a chain pierced the Progenitor's throat, rendering him speechless. However, this had no effect on him.
"Vampires cannot die normally. Even if they die, they become mindless demons!"
All the Vampires, including Luke, suddenly clutched their heads, feeling intense discomfort.
This voice! It came directly into their minds!
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