The next day dawned clear and bright.
The night prior, the angel had nearly single-handedly matched both factions, leaving the GPA grim and frantic. They hastily sent a flurry of ominous messages to Kitsune.
“The two from yesterday, weren’t they your folks? Tsk, tsk. That one was fast—too bad they didn’t compete in the hundred-meter sprint.”
“Hey, no way! It’s just that our angel is too strong.”
“What’s this called? Invincible.”
Zero chuckled at the tone of the GPA. “The monster who called himself invincible is now gone,” he remarked, referring to 009.
Once he ended the connection, Zero turned toward a cabinet in the corner, his expression darkening.
“An angel who can evolve by devouring sound. The GPA truly delights in making humans miserable,” he muttered. “They allow a monster to grow unchecked and treat her as a weapon; they’ll be the first to face the consequences.”
“It doesn’t matter whether the GPA survives or not. But if that monster continues to grow, reaching a point where no one can handle her, all of humanity will pay the price for their folly.”
“I must find a way to eliminate her before she becomes too powerful.”
...
In New York.
Inside a row of houses in Manhattan, 008 sat in her feminine form, lovingly stroking her cherished gun.
“They must know by now that the angel is stronger than me, stronger than all the Vampires combined,” she mused.
Faerûn smiled from the side. “Yes, everything is going according to plan. We deliberately showed weakness, and now the angel has become the most obvious target.”
“Whether it’s CI or Kitsune, they’ve surely realized the angel’s danger.”
“Now we just have to wait…”
Faerûn was interrupted by Zane. “Empress, forgive my bluntness, but we can’t simply wait or fish in troubled waters. It does us no good if they destroy each other.”
“I suspect it won’t be long before they figure out you were feigning weakness. It won’t be too long. I suggest we stick to our original plan. While they’re still reacting, we should head to Hawaii.”
008 checked her ammunition, then took out a handkerchief to wipe her gun, an ominous smile forming on her lips.
“The North Pacific… I smell fish. A particularly unpleasant one. If he were here, I’d relish the chance to shoot him in the head.”
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In her white-haired, feminine form, 008 exuded a terrifying aura, causing all the royals to tense up.
“You… know the creature in the sea?” one of them ventured.
008’s eyes turned steely. “He’s killed me three times, and all three times successfully.”
“I am what I am today because of him. He took ‘us’ from me. One day, we’ll make him pay in blood. But not now.”
“The Lord who sent me here instructed me to remain for a year before I can leave.”
“It’s not been a year yet.”
Um…
Which Lord?
“But Empress,” a female royal urged, “the Lord’s orders are important, but your safety is paramount!”
008 exhaled sharply, placing the gun on a shelf.
“No, my safety isn’t important.”
“Nothing in the world is more important than the Lord’s command.”
“The Lord decreed a year. Until that time is up, I won’t leave New York. Not for a second.”
Faerûn immediately interjected: “I agree with the Empress!”
“Why should we run? This is our home, our territory. They should be the ones to flee!”
“Empress, I, Faerûn Baji, will fight alongside you to the death!”
At this declaration, 008 shifted form, transforming into her black-suited, blood-eyed male guise.
The four royals immediately knelt before her.
“Greetings, True Ancestor!” they chorused, voices unison.
The True Ancestor form of 008 stood tall. "There’s no need to do that every time. It’s all the same—him, her, and me."
"We are one."
The four royals straightened. "Yes, True Ancestor. Regarding the situation earlier…"
The True Ancestor turned his gaze to Zane. "If the angel had gone all out in yesterday's fight, I would have been at least sixty percent confident that I could kill her within ten minutes."
Sixty percent?
The probability caught everyone off guard. The True Ancestor typically maintained a win-loss ratio of 10:0 or 9:1 against opponents.
Sixty percent this time?
Yet, upon reflection, it made sense. After all, they were dealing with an angel.
As they pondered this, the True Ancestor’s pupils suddenly dilated. In an instant, he dashed to the window of the skyscraper.
Through the glass, he beheld the starry sky and the full moon.
"It’s… a full moon?"
For reasons unknown, the True Ancestor erupted into eerie laughter.
The group of royals exchanged puzzled glances. What difference did a full moon make?
A full moon wouldn’t grant a vampire any special power.
This wasn’t a movie or a game; the moon’s phase held no real significance for them.
Theoretically, the moon had no connection to their existence.
But the True Ancestor seemed different. He extended two fingers from each arm, bringing them together in the center, as if aiming a camera at the full moon in the sky.
"Seven days from now, huh? Not too late."
In the True Ancestor’s eyes, a red dot appeared on the full moon, slowly expanding.
This was a newly discovered ability: lunar transfixion.
Until this day, he hadn’t even realized he possessed it.
It appeared this ability had a trigger condition: it could only be activated under the glow of a full moon.
And once activated, it required a brief cooldown period.
Once the cooldown completed, the Blood Moon would descend!
At that time, blood would engulf the earth, all life would tremble, and vampire abilities would experience a qualitative leap under such circumstances!
The Blood Moon would grant them nearly limitless Blood Energy, allowing even non-high-level vampires to double their growth rate!
The only drawback was the absurdly long wait time and the requirement for a full moon.
The True Ancestor turned back to the royals. "Now, I’m eighty percent confident."
"Shar, bring Lilith back. I want all five of you to witness this unprecedented, magnificent spectacle with me."
...
Meanwhile.
Lilith and Shino peeked out from behind a wall.
"Seems like no one’s following us."
"Yeah, I’m not blind."
"The royal isn’t here, the angel isn’t here. On the bright side, maybe your True Ancestor and the angel fought, and Faerûn got dragged into the fight, and the angel killed him?"
"Hey, it’s possible!"
"Right!"
"Right, right!"
At that moment, a woman’s voice came from behind them.
"Stop playing around, Lilith. The True Ancestor sent me to find you."