The Blade of the Demon King of the East rises.
Due to being saturated with magic, the sharp magic spreads along the trajectory of the blade, but I couldn’t care less.
“Heavenly Horse’s Dominance.”
Kughung!
As I stomped down once more, the blades shattered and the Demon King of the East, with a giant’s body, knelt.
The Demon King of the East was a giant-shaped demon with an arsenal of weapons.
With a physique and abilities distinctly different from the magic-specialized demons.
Weapon skills were a talent unique to the Celestial Race… but this guy was definitely not like your typical demon.
“The Demon King of One must be different…”
“Yup. You can be sure he’s in the castle, right?”
“…That’s correct.”
The outcome of the battle was decided in two exchanges, unlike the Demon King of the Three.
It’s not just because the Demon King’s Life Vessel was inside his castle, but his stats were a complete mess.
‘If he’s a giant, he should either attack with his body or wield weapons with that massive frame.’
Why is he shooting weapons like a mage?
Is it because he’s a magic-using demon?
But he definitely seemed to have boosted his physical capabilities.
It didn’t make sense, but I just let it slide.
Demons are known for having all sorts of oddities, and trying to understand each one would just tire me out.
Having killed or subdued the other Demon Kings, all that’s left is the Demon King of One.
He’s a completely different existence compared to the other Demon Kings warned about by Loreliess.
I approached the castle of the Demon King of One with a slight tension.
As I got closer to the castle, the first thing that caught my eye was a bright red flag.
It proudly displayed a size that was several times larger than the castles of the previous Demon Kings, and I could see quite a few elite soldiers with considerable power standing guard.
As soon as I arrived at the castle, I felt it.
First, there was definitely the Life Vessel of the Demon King of the Three here, and the Demon King of One is…
“Oh wow.”
Strong.
Definitely strong.
The Manus, which was Loreliess’s weapon, was also powerful, but this aura I was feeling was much stronger.
Moreover, with this energy, that guy must be…
Clunk!
“What?”
‘Come in.’
A voice that echoed throughout the castle.
Without hesitation, I stepped through the open castle gates.
Surrounding me were elite soldiers exuding hostility, glaring at me with desperate eyes, eager to kill.
‘Don’t touch him.’
However, they retreated at a single word from the castle’s master.
Following the reddish energy, I ventured deeper into the castle.
Red drapes and elite soldiers growing increasingly crimson.
Even as I saw the red staffs the soldiers were holding…
“It’s nice.”
“?”
By the time I got this far, I was certain about that guy’s identity.
My tension completely dissolved.
In fact, I even felt a sense of comfort.
Finally, a bloodstained carpet greeted me as the inner fortress doors opened to reveal a long, elegant table.
Various delicacies and ghostly servants without legs lined the walls to help with the dining.
Ghostly, footless servants positioned at the end of the wall to assist with the feast.
At the table’s end, the castle’s master welcomed me.
Holding a wine glass filled with red liquid…
“Welcome, O Angel.”
“Indeed.”
That guy is a vampire.
■
The progenitor of all vampires is Lasty.
An experiment conducted for thousands of years in a place where time flowed incredibly slow, by a top-class demon, on a human girl.
Her name was Lasty Erbenus, and she endured the agony of her soul being torn apart, gaining the power to manipulate blood and the curse of ‘semi-immortality.’
Thus was born the world’s first vampire, the progenitor of bloodsuckers.
She lost everything to demons and went insane, giving birth to other vampires, but that’s not important here.
What matters is that vampires are closer to ‘corpses’ than anything else.
Any living being does not have a beating heart or circulating blood.
Their bodies are as cold as ice, and they can live forever without eating food or drinking water.
It can be considered immortality, but with many flaws—it’s ‘half’ immortality.
Because of that, I thought Kofus, the demon of corpses, wouldn’t have failed to create one of the most representative races of corpses, the vampire.
With liches, ghouls, and giants around, could there really be no vampires?
So, I thought there would be one among the six Demon Kings, but I never expected it to be placed right at the top.
“Sit down. Before you fall into eternal sleep, one must indulge in the last supper.”
“True.”
I sat down across from him.
As soon as I sat, the footless servants approached and prepared a meal for me.
Even in this isolated world, where did they get such food?
In response to my question, he smiled, sipping the red liquid, blood.
“There’s nothing impossible with magic. For example…”
Swish.
In an instant, the food before me transformed from a sumptuous feast into fresh meat soaked in blood.
Not just any blood, but blood infused with the powers of a vampire.
“This is also possible.”
“Are you suggesting I eat this?”
“It would be nice if you did.”
Bloodsucker’s blood.
If an ordinary life form consumes this, they would lose control of their own blood and transform into one of two possibilities.
Either lose control of their body and become a puppet of a vampire.
Or transform into ‘a vampire itself.’
“I don’t see why I should eat this.”
“Aren’t you greedy to become stronger?”
“I’m already sufficient. Besides, I don’t think it would be efficient.”
I’ve already tried my fair share.
The Demon King of the One, as if anticipating this, waved his hand, and the servants began moving busily.
“Resend the meal. Wait a little. What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
You told me to eat, right?
I sliced the blood-soaked meat with my knife and placed it in my mouth.
“Hmm.”
I expected it to be disgusting, but it’s surprisingly decent.
Feels like raw meat dressed with a secret sauce?
Is it like a special sauce on the raw meat?
The blood doesn’t taste like blood and has a surprisingly mild flavor.
Sizzle…
The meat melts away.
The blood melts away.
“Oh?”
The blood that invaded my body begins to take control of me.
In an instant, all my strength drains away.
“You crazy girl!”
Clang! The Demon King of the One stands up abruptly and points a finger at me.
Looking at the blood gathering on his finger, it seems he wants to give an order.
“I thought you were smart, but you’re quite dull!”
“Nyaaam.”
“Get down on your knees, you worthless thing!”
“It’s delicious. You should try some too.”
“You foolish one, you don’t even know your own situation.”
Is that so?
As I tilt my head, did he think I was resisting? This time, he presses my body down with his whole hand instead of just a finger.
Wham!
The blood of the Demon King of the One wrapped around me, making me drop the knife.
“Oh.”
I was enjoying my meal.
“Resisting is useless. The moment you swallowed my blood, you had to move as I wished.”
“Servant? Could you bring me a new knife?”
“This girl still…!”
Kwahhh!
Now he uses both hands.
I dropped the fork too.
“Oh, and the fork as well.”
“…?!”
Leaving the raging Demon King of the One to himself, I took the knife and fork back from the servant and continued my meal.
Slowly but surely, the Demon King’s blood accumulates in my body, but he cannot control me.
I’m not burning the blood with my holy power either.
On the contrary, I was protecting the blood from my holy.
Cold sweat dripped from the forehead of the Demon King of the One.
“Who… what are you?”
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“……”
“If you’re not…”
My hand moves.
As the blood of the Progenitor in my heart stirs, in an instant, the body of the Demon King of the One is pinned down onto the chair.
His eyes widen in shock.
“…! What have you done!”
“I told you to sit down.”
“Why is my body moving against my will…!”
Clink.
I play with the knife.
Plop. The meat stuck on the fork and the blood dripping down.
With every drop of blood falling, the Demon’s throat quickly swallows.
“The power contained in the blood is impressive… but the rank is surprisingly low. It must be a copy.”
“What, what did you say?”
“Considering you can’t resist the Progenitor’s power, you don’t seem to be a True Blood.”
The Progenitor, Lasty, gave me the Progenitor’s blood, ‘True Blood,’ when she was sealed long ago.
This blood can stand up against my holy power, so I had prepared it by embedding it in my heart to use whenever necessary.
Of course, if I disconnected from Lasty, I wouldn’t need it anymore, but recently summoning her and becoming closer allowed me to partially wield her power.
If the connection with Lasty was cut off, I wouldn’t have any use for her, but recently, as I summoned her and the connection grew closer, I was able to exert some of her powers.
“You. Lasty didn’t make you, did she?”
“…If you’re talking about the Queen of Bloodsuckers, then no. I am the masterpiece of Lord Kofus.”
Brrr…!
The Demon King of the One struggles desperately to break free from control.
But it’s still not enough.
Blood drips from the corners of the Demon King’s mouth.
“I’m not a body that can be defeated by such a mere experiment!!”
“Looks like it was just a copy after all.”
Since the birth of the Vampire, as Lasty spread her influence in the human world, some demons continued experiments to create their own Vampires.
Of course, it was impossible while the original creator, the Top-Class Demon, was alive, but now that he’s dead, it was only natural that control was released.
The corpse demon Kofus was no exception, and he had indeed created a fairly convincing Vampire based on a few he captured.
The problem is the part about ‘capturing to create.’
Since the original is a subordinate of Lasty, she could never escape control if she put her hands on it.
Ideally, he would have wanted to not only escape Lasty’s control but to create something even more powerful…
“The Top-Class Demon isn’t top-class for nothing.”
Overcoming his immense intellect and thousands of years of experiments was impossible, except for the Six Demon Kings.
“Huff… huff…!”
“You should just give up.”
From the moment I realized he was a Bloodsucker, he was no more than the Six Heavenly Kings to me. No, he was less threatening than regular corpses.
In the end, he conceded.
“Demon King of the One.”
“Yes…”
“Riche. No, the Demon King of the Three Life Vessel, right? Bring it here.”
“…Understood.”
The sight of the retreating back of the Demon King of the One seemed strangely nostalgic.
—What’s the relationship with the Queen of Bloodsuckers?
“Lasty?”
Lorelaiess, who had been quiet until now, asks.
As for the relationship…
“We’re close like sisters. Similar circumstances?”
—Celestial Race?
“I’m not of the Celestial Race. So I can be friends with half-demons… and also…”
Clang.
“I dislike Celestial Race more than demons. So please stop scratching at it.”
—For someone who says that, aren’t you killing demons more enthusiastically than anyone else?
“If the situation were reversed, it would have been the same.”
If Kofus was the one who requested the mission, and offered compensation to destroy the Temple of the Celestial Race and Lorelaiess, I would have killed them without a second thought.
In fact, I would have done it with even more joy.
—……
“I’ve brought it!”
“Nice.”
Now, let’s take a look at that cheeky Lich’s face.
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