Under the orders of the Progenitor, Dogo and Erzebeth walked leisurely. They ignored the suspicious gazes directed toward them, heading toward the lightning tower as casually as if they were out for a stroll. Though unfamiliar with Claudia's terrain, the vampire predators were keenly aware of places where blood flowed.
With such a strong and pervasive scent of blood in the air, it would be impossible not to notice. Erzebeth, staring at the blood-soaked tip of the tower, spoke.
"Dogo. Do you feel it now?"
"..."
Dogo didn't respond. Erzebeth, accustomed to his silence, answered herself.
"Let's stop with the cherry-picking, shall we? I won't argue with your vows of never speaking to women, nor your vow never to flirt, even if it means death. It’s far better than the vow to leer at them even in death."
Even after becoming a vampire, Dogo still followed his strict ascetic rules. He refrained from eating or speaking to women, never slept on soft bedding, and adhered to the teachings even in his afterlife. As a vampire with no desire for food, lust, or sleep, there was no issue with this.
But there was an exception—the Progenitor.
Looking at him maintaining his silence, Erzebeth sighed behind her fan.
"If you don't follow the Progenitor’s orders due to your stubbornness, I might just contempt you."
Erzebeth, a noble vampire who had taken the blood of a thousand, was an immensely powerful blood mage. Her reputation was further solidified because she had achieved this feat before becoming a vampire. Excluding the Progenitor, she could handle the most blood at once. Having been well-versed in white magic before death, she was a master of control and destruction through blood magic.
Even Dogo could not be dismissed lightly. If he had been a man, Erzebeth might have answered him politely or slapped him. But with Dogo being a vampire, it made things more complicated.
"The awe I once felt for the Progenitor... it no longer exists. What on earth happened? No matter how much I meditated and reflected, I couldn't find the answer."
Dogo mumbled as if talking to himself. His reasoning was obvious—he had thought through his vows to maintain silence. Erzebeth covered her mouth with the fan and replied.
"Perhaps the Progenitor is being affected by the wind. His dominion remains intact."
"How can I find the answer to this? With my shallow wisdom, it’s beyond me."
"A simple matter. Even if I use my powers, I can’t influence the True Blood in the slightest."
The flower holds thorns. From behind the fan, a dangerous scent wafted, one that even Dogo flinched at.
Attempting to control the Progenitor's blood—if she had succeeded, it would have been nothing short of treason. The Progenitor might have obliterated her the moment he detected the attempt. Dogo remained silent, not out of adherence to his vows, but because he was truly at a loss for words.
Erzebeth, her face hidden behind the fan, smiled slyly.
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"One thing is certain—the Progenitor has changed. If it were before, he would have never even dared attempt such things."
"..."
"When your curiosity is satisfied, shall we leave? I’m eager to fulfill the Progenitor’s orders and see him soon. Perhaps... during that, we might discover something rare."
As Erzebeth prepared to move on, she noticed Shei descending and muttered.
"One of our escorts has come to meet us."
Shei seemed ready to attack at any moment. Dogo noticed her combat readiness before anyone else. Just before Shei landed, Dogo also gathered his hands and prepared for battle.
"Dogo. Erzebeth. The Elders from the Mist Duchy, right?"
For someone as young as Shei to speak so irreverently, especially when she was nothing more than mere food to them, Dogo’s eyes sparked with fury. He was a man of old, a strict adherent of the ascetic teachings even in death, and as a senior, he would not tolerate such disrespect from someone of a lower rank. Dogo prepared to scold the youth before him.
"--Hmph!"
Or rather, he had intended to. Yet, something about the strange resistance he felt made him hesitate.
Shei gave Dogo a puzzled look, noticing his odd reaction. She had provoked him slightly, but his response wasn’t what she expected—it was more like a strange grunt that cut off abruptly. Surprised by the unexpected reaction, Shei pressed forward.
"Tyrkanzyaka sent you? What’s an Elder doing here?"
Challenging an Elder was easy. Most of them were nothing but ancient relics from a thousand years ago, stuck in outdated views, and their fanatical followers would go into a frenzy at the mention of the Progenitor’s name. If one truly wanted to start a fight, it would be enough to provoke the Progenitor.
That’s what should have happened... but the reaction was strangely different. Instead of getting angry, Erzebeth simply brushed her lips with her fan, as if savoring something.
"Heh. You look like a tasty little cherry."
"...Tasty?"
Erzebeth, taken aback by Shei's unusual response, quickly closed the distance between them. The Blood Path. A technique where the user slides along a path made of blood without moving their hands or feet. Fast and, above all, eerie in its ghostly-like movements, it startled Shei, causing her to retreat.
Erzebeth, sensing Shei’s retreat, seemed to trace the space Shei had vacated with an almost disappointed tone.
"Fair skin, youthful appearance, and a neutral aura, yet the small spot under your eye adds the perfect touch. From your body scent to your looks, everything about you is exactly to my liking. You must taste wonderful."
Vampires have no true hunger. However, they have preferences for blood. Depending on how delicious the blood is or how compatible it is, even vampires can be picky, choosing certain humans over others. Because their urges are faint, there's little difference in the blood they drink, but there are Elders who enjoy the specific taste of certain humans. For them, blood-drinking is one of their few pleasures, almost akin to a gourmet experience.
An extreme example of this is a favored concubine.
Erzebeth, with her fan fluttering gently, continued.
"Not to mention, you’re pure and healthy. I imagine the Progenitor might fancy your blood as well. Ah, perhaps there is still joy left in the world after all."
"Enough with the vampire flattery. Get to the point, and tell me your purpose."
"Ah, of course. I do have a task, don’t I?"
With a sharp snap of the fan, Erzebeth spoke suggestively.
"According to the great and eternal Progenitor’s will, I’ve come to deliver the order for Lir Nightingale to return."
"Just to deliver an order? Not to take her back with you?"
"Same meaning. There’s no vampire who would dare refuse the Progenitor’s command."
It wasn’t that there was no one. Shei knew that Lir had broken free from her shackles. Therefore, if Lir wished, she would disregard Tyrkanzyaka's command. As long as there was a patient here, Lir would remain. Shei didn’t know what choice Lir would make at this point, but...
"You’d better not be thinking of other women while I’m standing right here, my sweet cherry."
"Who’s your sweet cherry?! I have no intention of giving you any blood!"
Shei snapped, but after a moment of thought, she realized the most important thing was Lir's will. If Lir wanted to leave, Shei couldn’t stop her. However, if Lir wanted to stay... Shei would help.
"Fine. I’ll deliver the message."
"Eh? Deliver the message?"
"Exactly as I said. There’s a patient inside, and I’m taking care of them. I’ll ask Lir’s opinion and let you know..."
"--Hmph!"
With a sudden force, the ground shook with a heavy pressure. Shei instinctively went on guard against the unusual energy emanating from Dogo. Although his expression remained unchanged, Dogo radiated intense emotion and yelled.
"The Progenitor’s command is absolute! Any vampire must kneel and humbly accept it, so why are you not even showing yourself?!"
His words were vague, almost as if directed at no one in particular, but in the face of the rising pressure, such details were trivial. Shei drew her Jizan and, while focusing, covertly compressed her Tianying behind her.
The inherent weakness of immortal vampires was their natural insensitivity. Because death seemed so distant, their sense of danger dulled, leading to a lack of caution.
"Stop causing trouble. If you think just a little bit, you’ll know who I am. If you don’t want to turn all of Claudia against you..."
"What’s needed most on the path of asceticism is indomitable will. No matter what obstacles life throws at you, you must endure and move forward!"
Once again, an overwhelming presence surged forth. The path of suffering, symbolizing the thorny road, shook the earth with force, leaving bloody footprints behind. The emaciated monk, though appearing frail, somehow carried with him a shocking force in each step.
Erzebeth’s Blood Path and Dogo’s were similar in nature but had evolved in completely different directions. While Erzebeth’s path was grand and elegant, Dogo’s was humble yet brutish. It was hard to believe they were both vampires.
"I am an ascetic, and at the same time, the suffering that all mortals must face!"
This was how vampires survived against the Imperial Court. Dogo took a decisive step toward the lightning tower, one that couldn’t be stopped.
"I will go. Come!"
As the towering figure of Dogo drew nearer, Shei, too, readied her Jizan, subtly hiding the force she was about to unleash within its shadow.
‘Blood Ascendant Dogo. He’s incredibly powerful, but there’s one weakness.’
Not a natural one, but a philosophical weakness. Shei stopped thinking of blocking or dodging. Instead, she poured all her strength and energy into her attack.
Dogo was an ascetic. Those who punish themselves, seeking enlightenment through suffering. His choice to live as a vampire revealed his philosophy. He believed that life was suffering, and that immortality was nothing but endless asceticism.
That’s why Dogo wore only a rough hemp robe, exposing his body to the sun, seeking pain and discomfort on purpose. For him, suffering wasn’t something to avoid, but something to accept.
Thus, Dogo didn’t avoid attacks. He endured and took them. Unlike Runken, who relied on regeneration, Dogo’s injuries were part of his technique and his goal.
Dogo was ready to take Shei’s strike, and— Shei had experienced this fact.
It was not just knowledge. The true genius is one who immediately acts on their knowledge. If someone learns through experience, they are called talented, but if they only learn after many failures, they are considered slow learners.
Shei was a slow learner. The difference was that she had experienced failure, learned, and returned again.
"Haaaa!"
Shei added her Heavenly Fist technique to her defense. The technique that always readied itself for defense was now used offensively, wrapped around her Jizan.
Lacking talent, Shei had always been just a step away from success—too little, too late, always falling short. Her attacks were blunt, and her finishes were incomplete. Despite possessing immense power, she often failed to finish her enemies due to sheer lack of finesse.
However, even someone like Shei, without talent, had once made a strike that could be remembered for a lifetime. The problem was, when she needed that flash of brilliance, she could never summon it.
The Sword Saint, seeing this, had compassion for Shei and restructured part of her technique to be used offensively, allowing her to replicate that single strike whenever needed.
This was her Heavenly Fist offensive form. It wasn’t flexible, but it was guaranteed to be powerful—the one strike that marked Shei’s life. She called upon that strike now.
"Heavenly Sword, Taeguk!"
The tip of Jizan curved slightly as it was thrust forward. The extremely compressed Tianying contained the force of a storm, and the immense power rattled even Jizan itself. Shei, binding the force of heaven and earth into a single point, extended her body and unleashed the storm upon Dogo...
And Dogo faced it, determined to absorb the full force. His frail body didn’t resist or yield to the storm’s force; it simply dissolved into the flow, becoming one with it.
Blood-Fighting Technique, Storm.
Dogo and Shei collided, blood and flesh mingling in the storm. Claudia was swept by a literal bloodstorm.