The blinding light covered Shirley's vision, making her raise her hand to shield her eyes.

When she lowered her hand and looked around, she realized that the figures of Karina and the others had disappeared.

She was in a closed room, and in front of her was a small square box on a pedestal.

"This feeling, could it be related to spiritual power?" Shirley guessed.

During the recent transfer process, she hadn’t felt any fluctuations of magic.

Among the abilities she knew, it seemed that only spiritual power could cause such an effect.

Silent and mysterious...

So, what was the purpose of this room?

Had the others also gone through similar experiences?

Shirley wasn’t sure, but in any case, what was in front of her seemed to indicate a single path.

— It was the box.

Could there be a treasure or a danger inside?

Curious, Shirley approached the black box, which appeared to be unlocked.

Preparing for any danger, she carefully opened the box...

She still hadn’t seen what was inside, but she jumped back.

At the moment the box opened, a strong and seductive aroma of blood, filled with power, enveloped her.

It was blood.

A gleaming drop of blood emerged from the box, and the scent that emanated from it made Shirley’s body tremble.

So delicious!

She wanted it!

It was an urgent need!

Every drop of blood in her body, every cell, seemed to scream the same.

However, her will prevented her body from moving.

Even though she had never seen or smelled something like this before, her instincts as a vampire made her immediately recognize what that drop of blood was.

— Divine blood!

Incredible!

How could there be a drop of divine blood in this place?

And moreover, it was so fresh, as if it had just flowed from the body of a deity.

If she could devour this drop of divine blood, it would be a huge boost to her growth.

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Unfortunately, divine blood wouldn’t be as easy to control as human blood.

As soon as the divine blood floated out of the box, it began to expand rapidly, gradually taking the shape of a vague figure that looked at Shirley.

Even though it was just a drop, the divine blood still possessed its own will and wouldn’t allow itself to be consumed easily; furthermore, it could fight back.

The figure made of divine blood sliced through the air, leaving a scarlet trail as it attacked Shirley.

Realizing this, Shirley quickly conjured three defensive shields in front of her, trying to block the attack.

However, as soon as the figure's hand touched the surface of the shield, it shattered like a bubble.

"The divine power is indeed maintained so intact..."

This result didn’t surprise Shirley much.

The strength of deities was common knowledge in this world, especially for beings of her lineage.

They had a basic understanding of the interactions among deities, which included divine power.

This type of force, exclusive to gods, makes any conventional attack incapable of harming them; on the other hand, attacks based on divine power easily destroy conventional defenses.

This explains why deities are seen as noble and powerful.

However, deities are not invincible.

Some unconventional techniques can inflict damage on them, and even... kill a deity!

Among these techniques is spiritual power.

Using this transcendent ability, if strong enough, it can cause fatal injuries to a deity.

However, at that moment, Shirley hesitated to activate her battle armor.

The attacks from the figure made of divine blood were easy to avoid for someone as agile as Shirley.

As she dodged, she carefully observed the room.

It was a small space, poorly suited for spellcasting.

No exits...

Opening the box and defeating the figure of divine blood seemed to be the only way out of there.

The others were probably in similar situations.

This meant...

That no one could know what was happening there.

Thinking of this, Shirley suddenly smiled.

Since no one could know about the situation...

Shirley crouched down, using her hands and feet to touch the ground, adopting a posture similar to a beast about to attack.

"If no one is watching, I can use this!"

Red began to dominate Shirley’s eyes, and strange, threatening patterns started to appear on her body.

When these patterns covered her entire body, they emitted a red light, and Shirley’s body began to change.

Her skin turned red, dry, and ugly, but her figure seemed to grow slightly.

Particularly, her hands and the soles of her feet began to thicken, with nails that stood out.

"This state is really comfortable—"

Shirley’s previously melodious voice became hoarse and unpleasant, and when she opened her mouth, sharp teeth were visible.

As mentioned before, beings of her kind, in times of human prosperity, had to hide and find ways to conceal their identities.

This habit had become instinctual over generations.

Even though humanity had declined, they still maintained a disguised appearance.

What they disguise is naturally their true form.

As beings of another race, both internally and externally, they are not as simple as they seem.

Tearing apart the false identity, Shirley revealed her true ancestral form.

With this form, facing the figure of divine blood with just a simple will, the answer seemed obvious.

A few minutes later.

The figure of divine blood, shattered by spiritual power, transformed back into that gleaming drop of blood.

"Then, I won’t be polite!"

Shirley exclaimed, swallowing the drop of divine blood.

As soon as the drop was swallowed, Shirley regained her composure.

If she devoured the divine blood this way...

An intense pain radiated from her abdomen as the power of that drop expanded within her, as if it wanted to make her explode...

No, she couldn’t absorb the divine blood in such a short time, but now it was impossible to spit it out, so the only thing she could do was...

...

"Um, where is Shirley?"

Karina, who reappeared in front of the door, tilted her head, making a clear cracking sound in her bones.

In front of the door, besides Shirley, the others were present.

She had been suddenly transported to a place, fought, eaten a delicious meal, and after being transported again, realized that Shirley had disappeared.

"Shirley must be in a situation similar to ours; she will appear soon," Luna said, holding the arm she had let fall during the fight.

Indeed, Shirley appeared as they expected, but her appearance was...