“Just as I thought!”
The grand duke cried out as if something had finally clicked.
“There was no way someone as exceptional as you would simply vanish without any plan at all!”
Shrrrack...! Boom!
The massive tendrils kept hurtling toward the grand duke.
Blocking those attacks, the grand duke shouted:
“I thought you had to be alive somewhere, but I could never find your presence no matter how hard I searched.”
Boom!
“Now I understand. Of course you would be impossible to find like this!”
Boooom...!
“You were hiding inside a toy!”
The tendrils moved with terrifying speed and precision.
In fact, judging only by the principles and technique contained within those movements,
even that grand duke was not worthy of comparison.
In the past,
Ariella had described Isabella as someone exceptional even among all the grand dukes.
It had not been because Isabella was someone close to her, and so she had praised Isabella out of affection.
If anything, to Ariella, Isabella had been an object of hatred.
Even so,
Ariella had been forced to acknowledge Isabella’s ability.
“Thank you... No.”
...The problem was this.
“Thank you, Sister!”
No matter how extraordinary the technique was,
there were limits.
Craaaaack...!
One of the black tendrils flying toward the grand duke was seized in the grand duke’s hand,
and the muscles in that arm swelled to a grotesque degree.
The grand duke’s appearance, which had resembled that of a refined middle-aged figure, twisted into something hideous.
“Because I could never find you in the end, I had no choice but to struggle and search for another method.”
The reason the grand duke had set out to conquer this land was because of the power of the 97% Conquest War
embedded in the grand duke’s heart.
That power could neither be removed nor endured.
Even if the grand duke restored Ariella’s rank and devoured her,
Ariella would never obediently accept that rank.
And so, there had been no choice.
The remaining 3% of the Conquest War had to be completed.
But.
Now things were different.
“To think you would reveal yourself like this!”
Ariella had regained her rank.
And on top of that—
the grand duke’s blood hidden within her had now revealed its presence.
Craaaack...!
The massive shadow resisted,
but separate from technique,
the difference in sheer power was far too obvious.
Pulling that shadow in, the grand duke advanced toward Ariella.
“Do not worry.”
The grand duke’s eyes were filled with passion,
and that attention was focused solely on the single drop of blood flowing somewhere through Ariella’s veins.
“In your place, I will... the Progenitor...”
...Right.
Fortunately for me.
“Grand Duke.”
“...?”
The grand duke was so focused on that blood that there was not even room to spare a glance at the surroundings.
“You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you?”
“You...?”
That meant all the grand duke’s attention was fixed on that blood alone.
***
Just before the grand duke’s hand could reach Ariella,
I called out to the grand duke as I approached while hiding my presence as much as possible.
“You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you?”
In truth,
separate from Isabella permitting Ariella’s ascension,
we could have hidden her presence if we really wanted to.
All we had to do was ask her to go back underground into that mist mana again.
But.
Ariella and I had chosen to reveal her presence on purpose.
The reason was simple.
'If it’s a being on the level of a grand duke... there’s no way it wouldn’t have sensed it.'
There was no way the grand duke had failed to notice
the power swelling inside me right now as if it might burst at any moment.
The moment I approached,
the grand duke would have tried to eliminate me first.
But—
“...!”
And.
That was still true now.
“You bastard!”
The grand duke noticed my presence, eyes widening as it turned toward me.
It looked ready to rush at me that very instant.
But.
Shrrrk...!
“!”
Unfortunately for the grand duke,
someone was there to hold those steps in place.
“Where do you think you’re going...”
Craaaack...!
“Grand Duke.”
“Marquis?”
Massive black pillars turned into whips and bound themselves around the grand duke’s body.
If the grand duke had been farther away,
then no matter how remarkable the technique and principles within those pillars were,
holding the grand duke would not have been easy.
“Bella told me something.”
But.
The grand duke had approached Ariella on its own.
“She said Valarak is a child full of blood and playfulness, like a puppy... and that you have to keep a tight hold on such children.”
Craaaaaaaaaack!
That was the reason Ariella’s shadows had become capable of restraining the grand duke.
“...What are you thinking?”
At that fact,
the grand duke looked at Ariella with eyes filled with suspicion.
“When fleeing from me should be your only concern, why would you do this?”
From the grand duke’s perspective,
if it could only secure Isabella’s blood within Ariella,
then it would undergo a further ascension in rank and move on to the next stage.
Anyone who knew that would understand that an enemy of the grand duke should be hiding Isabella’s blood.
But the result was the opposite.
“To use Sister’s blood as bait.”
It was dangerous to an absurd degree.
And.
If they were trying something that was worth taking a risk like that,
then—
“What exactly are you planning to do...?!”
—anyone could guess
that the reward would be just as great.
'Ah, damn it.'
And.
Under that gaze full of suspicion,
I looked down at the object in my hand.
[Serum Containing the Devotion and Miracle of an Apostle-Class Healer]
A small vial filled with red liquid.
In the past,
it was the medicine Luca had made to heal my body.
And at the same time...
'Luca did tell me not to use this unless I absolutely had to!'
This was something
Luca had hoped I would avoid using if at all possible.
***
...When I first started thinking that the grand duke had to be brought down,
the thought in my head had been simple.
'How the hell am I supposed to kill something like that?'
The objective difference in strength was far too obvious.
Even if I somehow managed to isolate that thing all by itself,
that would be nothing more than the starting line.
The grand duke being alone did not mean I could actually defeat it.
'The difference in strength is too obvious.'
An enemy even stronger than the nearly perfect body Luca had created.
And unlike that one,
this enemy did not have any clear weakness.
Even the only weaknesses it did have—sunlight and divine power—were blocked by that red mist.
There was simply no way to defeat it.
'But... when I think about it.'
But.
The moment that thought came to me,
a memory brushed past my mind.
'There was a time in the past when I thought the same thing.'
An enemy that was overwhelmingly strong.
The difference in power had been obvious,
and I had once faced someone far beyond anything I could handle alone.
But.
I had definitely survived that enemy.
It was not because I had become stronger than that enemy,
or anything like that.
'If I use that method.'
I had only found one way to survive by struggling desperately to stay alive.
And.
'It might work this time too.'
If I used that same method now,
I thought that even against this grand duke, I might somehow have a chance.
Even so,
I had still spent a long time wondering whether there was really no other choice.
And for good reason.
'Even if it works... the result could be irreversible.'
Because it was an ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) excessively reckless method, one with no telling what the outcome would be.
But.
What else was I supposed to do?
'This is the only method I’ve got.'
Then I’ve just got to try it.
With that thought,
I looked at the item that would let me attempt that method.
[Serum Containing the Devotion and Miracle of an Apostle-Class Healer]
The serum Luca had made for me.
[This was a world once ruled by a divinity of medicine that could revive even the dead.]
[And the one who, even in that world, received more of that divinity’s favor than anyone else created this serum for a single purpose, using any means and methods without restraint.]
[Geniuses sometimes create miracles no one else could even imagine.]
[And when that genius becomes so absorbed that even their own mind collapses, free of all restraint, that becomes even more true.]
[Even if what is produced is the product of grotesque madness.]
[What that genius created still possessed a value worthy of being called a miracle.]
When Luca made this serum,
it had been in a state that was mentally a little broken.
Back when it would use absolutely any means necessary to achieve its goal.
To put it bluntly,
if you compared the Luca of now to the Luca from back then,
the one from the past would have been so much more capable that comparison itself would have been meaningless.
And.
This was something created by that thing.
So naturally... what was inside it
had not been born from any normal line of thought.
Pop!
That was why,
even though I had been told not to use it unless I absolutely had to,
I had also been told that if things became unavoidable, then I would have to use it.
“Ghk...!”
That was why,
even with the cap already off, I could not help hesitating for a moment.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do...!”
“My lord!”
“Do not think... we will allow it so easily...!”
Ariella, resisting as she held the grand duke in place.
The grand duke, looking like it might break free and lunge out at any moment.
Seeing that,
I threw away my hesitation.
Gulp.
I tossed the contents of the vial into my mouth.
Srrr...
The red liquid born from my own blood slid down my throat and flowed back into my body.
[Skill - Absolute Taste has activated.]
[The effects of consumed food are greatly increased!]
To me, drugs were also a kind of food.
Because of the skill I possessed, the power contained within it was enhanced another degree.
And the effects of that dish were just about to spread throughout my entire body...
right at that moment.
Ding!
[A warning! A warning! A warning!]
A status window appeared before my eyes.
[The compositional ratio of the elements constituting the awakened one’s body has changed rapidly.]
And.
Looking at that message, I thought:
[Use caution!]
Luca had told me while examining my body.
The reason I had nearly died was because I had lost all the vital energy I had been born with as a human.
And...
the reason I was still alive in spite of that was because of the blood of another race that made up roughly 49% of my body.
[If not addressed immediately.]
And.
If you said that in reverse, it became this:
The reason I was suffering from a lack of vital energy was because of the weak human blood that made up 51% of my body.
And the reason I had survived even after my vital energy was depleted was because of that other blood making up 49% of my body.
In that case—
[Your race may change!]
—didn’t all I had to do was reverse which side held control?
It was an incredibly simple thought...
and an incredibly stupid one.
***
“...!”
As the grand duke stared at me in shock,
I felt the change inside my body and spoke.
“You made a promise... didn’t you?”
That bastard had definitely made me a promise.
Not just any promise, either.
It had spoken an [Oath] infused with mana.
“No way...!”
It had probably meant it as nothing more than empty words to coax Ariella.
From the start, it had intended to devour Ariella once she had grown enough.
It probably had never even imagined the moment would come when it would have to keep that promise.
[Awakened One: Shin Youngjun]
[Class: War Chef Lv.45]
But what was it supposed to do?
“The moment I am reborn as a noble... you said you would share your blood with me.”
“You bastard...!”
[Race]
[Primate - Human?]
A promise is a promise.
Shouldn’t you keep it?
[Race]
[Vampire (Primate - Human)]
Crack, craaack...
That swollen body.
The center of it bulged outward by force.
Riiip!
The thick skin tore open.
And from inside it—
Puhwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!
a crimson wave burst out like an explosion.
***
[Warning, warning, war—]
Bzzt...
[Due to the rap—id change in the bo—dy, the r—ace is ch—anging———.]
Bzzt, bzt...
In the past,
I had once met those who had stopped being human because they had devoured too many others.
And back then, I learned something.
The human body is weaker than you would think.
It is easily corrupted by the mana of other beings.
If you devour other beings chaotically, consuming their blood and flesh and filling your own blood and flesh with theirs,
then before you realize it, the host and guest reverse places,
and you are no longer human at all.
And I had learned one more thing when I met people like that.
Bzzt...
[If you do not can—cel at this t—me]
That in front of their eyes,
a broken system appears like this.
