Splat!
Fresh blood splattered across the ground, coating the scattered limbs and torn flesh.
Shino stood, gripping a vampire’s head, his face streaked with blood. His clothes hung in tatters, and his eyes burned blood red.
“Ten Counts, five Marquesses, two Dukes.”
The two Dukes darted at him, charging from left and right with lightning speed, slicing off Shino’s arms in a brutal instant.
Splat, splat!
His arms hit the ground as the Dukes pivoted.
“Now’s our chance!”
The vampires launched forward. Shino clenched his teeth. Where his arms had been, two small, childlike hands suddenly sprouted!
He shoved off the ground with every ounce of strength. The new hands shot out—still fragile, barely held by a thin strip of flesh!
With a violent swing, he lashed out, gripping the heads of two Marquesses.
He crushed them against the ground with a force that echoed, *Crack!*
The strain snapped his weak, newly grown hands, pain surging into his mind in unbearable waves. Ignoring it, Shino sank his fangs into a Count’s arm, ripping it clean off like a wild beast.
“This guy!”
One of the Dukes conjured a blood blade, aiming it at Shino’s head. But Shino whipped his head, spitting a mouthful of blood like nails that pierced the Duke’s eye!
Splat!
The Duke clutched his eye. “You piece of trash! Get lost!”
“Go! Tear him apart!”
“But the royal said to keep him alive!”
“Screw that! I’m tearing him apart first!”
Shino, baring his fangs, bit into his own tongue. Blood sprayed, shaping into threads that slashed around him like a net, cutting through the cluster of Marquesses closing in!
“Coagulate Blood into Threads?”
“What?!”
Shino swung his blood-drenched tongue, ripping into the vampires. But one Duke lunged forward, smashing his palm straight into Shino’s mouth.
Splat!
“Think you can play games, huh?”
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Sharp claws slashed Shino’s neck. Just then, his arms grew back in a blur, and he lashed out, landing a blow on the Duke’s chest and clutching the vampire’s heart.
The Duke froze, staring at Shino’s fierce, unyielding face.
Splat!
Shino crushed the Duke’s heart, and the vampire stumbled back, clutching his chest, realization dawning.
“My… my Blood Energy… it’s gone?”
“How is that possible? What did you do?!”
Blood drained, the Duke turned to flee, but Shino’s blood threads whipped out, severing his legs. Another Duke dashed forward, condensing his blood into a blade, slashing from ruthless angles.
The other vampires sprang into the fray, brandishing their blood blades, eager to strike!
This kid, holding his ground against seventeen vampires, had already felled several of them. Could he truly be just a fledgling turned two days ago?
The two Dukes wondered. In his place, they would have fallen long ago.
The sheer wounds on him, the agonizing bite to his own tongue—such suffering would break a lesser vampire.
They feared not death but pain. Severed arms could regrow, but the agony it took to regrow them was staggering.
Aside from his battle prowess, his will must be unbreakable.
A bead of cold sweat slid down the Duke’s brow. This guy… truly a monster worthy of legend!
...
Dawn broke.
The sun rose in the east as Shino, bloodied and staggering, emerged from the subway station step by weary step.
His clothes hung in tatters, with only half his pants intact. As he stumbled out, barely able to stand, he leaned heavily against the wall.
The first light of day washed over him, leaving him even weaker beneath its golden rays.
Staring at the majestic sun breaking the dark horizon, he pulled a cigarette he’d salvaged from a vampire and placed it between his lips. Striking an old lighter, he lit it.
Huff…
With a slow drag, smoke drifted into the morning air, and Shino’s vision began to blur. At that moment, he recognized the hardest thing of all.
“…To survive.”
Just then, a figure appeared in his fading view—a striking beauty with white hair, dressed in black and holding an umbrella.
“What are you spacing out for? Planning on turning to ash?”
Shino lifted his head, the woman’s face looking both familiar and strange.
Like… Lilith.
“Lilith… Is she okay?”
“I am Lilith.”
“…”
Shino blinked. “Impossible. Lilith isn’t that tall.”
Lilith clenched her fist and closed her eyes. “For the sake of your half-dead state, I’ll hold off on giving you another beating until tonight.”
She extended her hand toward him.
“Come on, let’s go get revenge.”
...
Kitsune Headquarters.
In an underground meeting room, three members of the Chaos Insurgency were gathered around a table littered with dishes.
A red dog devoured the food with fervor, his table manners a chaotic spectacle.
Celestial Beast, or 011, ate with tearful joy. “Finally, something hot and fresh after all these days! I’ve had it with raw meat.”
Nightmare, known as 013 or Fan Ye, sighed. “I told you, we should’ve set up a separate table for him.”
Zero, watching, took out a cigarette. “When you all capture 008, we’ll have a celebration with a table just for him.”
“Until then, Fan Ye, I need you to help Naira Sorkin and the others capture 008. Your abilities should help keep casualties and damage to a minimum.”
Fan Ye nodded. “Alright, but I’m not asking for money—well, maybe just a little extra reward if it goes well?”
Zero exhaled a plume of smoke and entered a sequence of numbers.
“Alright, check that account. I’ve transferred 500,000.”
Fan Ye’s phone chimed, and he looked at his account, eyes widening.
“You’ve used your abilities responsibly—no crimes, no selfish gains. You still live an honest life, studying and working hard. These qualities speak volumes.”
“I have faith in you. Consider this your appearance fee. There’ll be more rewards if the mission succeeds.”
Fan Ye stared at the newly added 500,000, jumping to his feet.
“For the organization, I’ll give my all!”
Five hundred thousand! It was more money than he’d ever seen.
Of course, what truly thrilled Fan Ye was Zero’s unwavering confidence and respect toward him.
A rare dream for college students today, to find someone in authority who believes in you.