Ino paced back and forth in her room as she thought hard about this. Just before dawn, she had woken up from a nightmare of her husband still suffering from his nightly torments.
Dracula had returned with the power of the Cosmic System, as he said he would. He was now a god feared and revered by everyone in the known world. He had established himself as all he had set out to be. They now lived on the wealthiest estates the world could afford. The other two Emperors, who once stood as rivals, are now acting like prefects and ambassadors under his rule.He was the wealthiest and most powerful man in the world. Immortal to all and all-powerful to most.But yet, even with all these blessings, he was suffering.He had been having persistent nightmares of that witch troubling him in his dreams, just as it had been before he sought after the cosmic system, which gave him the powers of a god.The both of them had finally agreed that the wPokol and Ino sat relaxed in the large hot spring behind the castle. It had been a long morning for the Empress, and thanks to her constant worrying, she never realized just how comforting it was to be there.As she came down into the water, it felt like it went through her skin, through her muscles, and right into her bones. It was as if every nerve in her body felt the warmth of the water. It was so comfortable once she settled in that she couldn't help giving a loud moan as she rested."It feels nice, doesn't it?" asked Pokol from the other side, which was covered by a shade."It sure does," Ino replied in a blissful whisper. But her eyes remained closed, trying hard to savor the pleasures of that moment without distraction."Just between the two of us, sometimes I would abandon my job back in my province just so I could enjoy this," she said. "But you act like this is your first time being here. When we stepped outside, you were looking around
"I don't mean to tease you, your excellency," Pokol said. "But what changed your mind so suddenly? Another bad hallucination?""I'm coming in," Ino said as she walked into the room without the general's permission."Sure, go on without my permission. It's alright," Pokol said, rolling her eyes as the Empress walked in. She rested on the wall where the window was and naturally felt like opening it."Are you trying to tease me right now for not having immunity to sunlight like you do, or are you truly trying to burn me to a crisp?" asked Pokol with a raised brow. The sun was still up in the sky at this time, although it was approaching sunset."Pardon me," Ino said as she sat on Pokol's bed. The general leaned against the wall closest to the bed, indicating that she was ready to talk."Alright then, start talking," Ino said to her, and Pokol gave her a look, which somehow indicated that she didn't know what the Empress was talking about.
That night, as usual for all the nights the Emperor had been absent, the Empress could not sleep. It was the same nightmare that had always plagued the Emperor's mind when he was with her. Now those plagues were hunting her, and it almost made her suspect the castle was haunted.She got out of bed, panting and sweating. It was now almost nighttime, which was the active time of the day for Ketsuki.So at least she had managed to sleep well.She washed her face and got ready to dip herself in the hot springs and the backyard of the castle's ground floor.It was the perfect rest she needed for herself right now, and she couldn't wait to dip herself in that beautiful gift of nature, which so happened to be where she lived.She prepared her towels and bathing lotions, ready to take her bath first before heading there. But before she could leave the room, she heard a firm knock coming from the door.She asked who it was, and when she h
With great speed, the duo moved past the middle belt, flying over territories that would have taken days to traverse within minutes.Dracula had evolved to a new level, one that barely looked human anymore but had in turn gained a higher power.Soon, they were past all the rivers and swamps, and within seconds, the weather changed.Dracula and Darius landed where there was snow in all directions, with glaciers of ice on the far horizons."We are here," Darius said as they came down."This is the core of the land. The home of the cosmic spirit."Dracula was taken aback by just how beautiful the scenery was."This place is the smallest among all the regions of this land, and if what is written in the scriptures is correct, then the cosmic spirit is somewhere close by," Darius said as he looked around.Dracula could see further ahead than Darius, thanks to his enhanced vision, and in the far distance,
"What?" asked Darius in disbelief."You heard me right, young human," the old man said to him. "Neither of you is qualified to host the cosmic spirit.""Why is that so?" asked the young prince."The Spirit deems you unworthy. I hope that is enough of an explanation," the old man replied."And how do you know that?" asked the young prince."Who do you think you are talking to?" asked the old man."I've been serving in this sacred place for several centuries before your grandparents were conceived. Since the foundation of the earth was laid, I was entrusted with the task of guarding the cosmic spirit, and to do that, I had to learn its ways.So I can tell when something it approves of comes in here and when something abhorrent makes its way into this temple.And you, my friends, are the latter.I will give you each a sackful of diamonds worth enough wealth to last for multiple generations as a blessing fo
Pokol headed back to her quarters at the Emperor's residence almost immediately after the Empress was destroyed by the witch.Back then, after the Empress was eviscerated by the witch's white flames into powdered ashes blown away by the wind, her natural instinct was to turn and run immediately.She didn't wait to say anything to the old woman, but instinctively ran off. Whether it was fear or just her playing along while the witch ignored her, it still remains unknown. But after the Empress's death, she just couldn't stand there anymore and ran away.As she ran away, the young girl took note of it and tried to notify her grandmother about it. "Grandmother?" The young apprentice called the witch but couldn't bring herself to point at the person who was getting away. With the young girl's clear conscience, she couldn't tell her grandmother to kill another young woman the same way the Empress was just killed.The young girl hadn't seen
The last time Pokol left for Val-d'Oise was on a carriage, but this time it was on horseback. She was accompanied by Valise and Zaraki, both riding on separate horses.In less than an hour, riding at full speed, they made it to the village. Pokol showed them the open fields where the Empress had died, and it still had onlookers trying to make more sense of the situation by finding clues at the spot where the Empress was eviscerated."I suppose too many people witnessed the event," Zaraki said, taking note of the several people who were there. "Do you think they may have known who died in the fire?""I don't think so," Pokol said. "I hope they don't.""That would be nice of you. At times like this, it's best to assume the worst-case scenario just to be safe.There is no way one bystander wouldn't figure out that the person who just died was the Empress, given how her portraits and figurines have been scattered throughout the Empire ever si
"We are dead," Pokol said right after the sinister figure whooshed above the town of Val-d'Oise, heading straight to Brannuka. No doubt Strego was at the castle, ready to delight in the moment of Dracula's return so he could give him the news of what happened to his wife.Pokol fell on her knees and began to cry, calling down curses upon herself. With her sharp talons, she began to scratch herself, causing severe bleeding injuries everywhere. But contrary to what she wanted, all the injuries kept closing up.She wanted to die, but her body wasn't letting her. She even began trying to slit her throat. But before she could land an effective blow upon herself, Vasile held both of her hands very tightly until her talons were withdrawn and then held her close.He tried to comfort her, rubbing one hand on her back and using the other to stroke her hair as she cried out loud in terror."Don't worry!" he said. "I swear by my life as a Ketsuki that I will
Thanks to Daisuke's newfound strength, Satoru, Mikasa, and Hina were rescued from the debris. Hina was the one in critical condition, with her head severely hit. She was breathing, but there was no sign she would remain that way for long, while Mikasa's two legs were crushed.Like Daisuke some minutes ago, Satoru's back was fractured as well. He could barely stand without crying out. Instinctively, Daisuke placed his hands on each of them, and just by channeling some of his magical energy into them, they were healed.Daisuke got to his feet and looked around him. He shut his eyes and stretched forth his hands, and several piles of rubble went up in the air. Then, from the crevices beneath the rubble, several slave goblins, outcasts, and elves crawled out, all severely injured. All of them were injured by the debris that had covered him.A visible blue aura emanated from Daisuke's body and swept through the entire region. It was warm to everyone who came into contact with it, and all w
When Daisuke gave his loud shout, full of despair and desperation, he noticed something odd. He was still shouting but couldn't hear himself anymore.He looked around him, and it seemed like time went still for that moment. He also noticed that he could move his body without feeling any pain, and so he quickly got up, not having the strength to worry about how that was so. This just had to be the system giving him a chance to save Asuka. Perhaps he was right in trusting that the system would help him at a time like this.He had to save Asuka somehow, but when he tried to get a hold of Dracula's arm, his hands passed through it.He also noticed that he couldn't touch Asuka either. Even the ground didn't feel all that firm now that he thought about it. And when he looked at Dracula's feet, he could see his pathetic human body still clutching on to Dracula as if that was going to accomplish anything.Just as he thought, it had to be the system. It had brought him to another dimension of t
"Rachel?" Daisuke called the system telepathically.Yes, Daisuke?" replied the system.How many healing vials do I have left?" he asked.Six," the system replied.With those six, what are the odds that I will survive this?" asked Daisuke. the system put on a transparent holographic screen.And yet you put me up against him?" asked Daisuke. "Are you trying to kill me or what?"Failure to complete your mission will have dire consequences," the system replied. "I would recommend that you proceed immediately. Or does this make you want to give up?"Not a chance," Daisuke said with an angry smile. "I trust you. Just administer the vials whenever you deem appropriate, alright? And don't manifest them as vials in my hands, but just as liquid in my mouth to save time."Sure thing, Daisuke," the system replied.Then the first healing vial was administered, with only the fluid substantiating in his mouth. A sudden surge of strength came to Daisuke as he stood before Dracula.The powerful K
It was noontime, and things were going just as expected. Lord Vlad and the other Ketsuki had gone to bed, anticipating waking up by nightfall, when they would be at their most active.However, this was the moment when Kabuto was the most awake. Unlike other days, he wasn't preparing for his daily siesta. He had to be watchful and vigilant, as it was time for him to do as planned. Daisuke and his friends should be waiting for him outside the castle, not on standby for the signal. But first, he made sure that every member of the Ketsuki was stuck at their quarters without a reason to come out anytime soon.He checked and discovered that all the ketsuki had gone to sleep. However, Strego was still awake, but it was expected. Unlike the others, he wasn't purely nocturnal. Just like elves and goblins, he preferred to be active most of the day and rest during part of the night.However, he was still stuck in his room, enjoying the comfort of a terrified female elf.With everyone distracted
Following the old hag's instructions, instead of getting more sleep after she had disappeared, Kabuto put on some clothes and went out.He got down to the stars of the castle and headed out to the open. He passed through the streets of the city. There, he could see a lot of goblins and elves working very hard, with a few Ketsuki watching and supervising them as slave masters.As they worked, they would frown at Kabuto whenever he walked past them. But once their eyes locked, the poor slaves would get a heavy lash on their backs from their supervisors for getting distracted. This wasn't the first time he had seen this, and it was a grim reminder of how jacked up the city was. Seeing this motivated him to keep up with what he was doing, putting to rest all the voices of doubt in his mind.He walked on two feet, as taking animal transportation was uncommon on the land. After almost an hour of walking, he finally arrived at the slums. He got to the house of his family and knocked several
It had now been over three centuries since Dracula's defeat, and Brannuka was thriving at its peak. The barrier was still thriving, and thanks to the unlimited life force within the sleeping Dark Emperor, the Ketsuki no longer lived in fear of the sun.The elves had reproduced in the hundreds, ensuring an adequate supply of blood for the Ketsuki.Thanks to the slavery of the powerful goblins, the walls of the city had been completed in such a way that allowed for only one entrance into and out of the city through the front gates.All the slaved outcasts were doing their jobs perfectly, bringing all the much-needed resources from outside the city during the day when it was most dangerous for the purebreeds.The economy was at its all-time highest, and no Ketsuki within the walls lacked anything, as they could move about in broad daylight thanks to the magical barrier that surrounded the city. They had all the rights and freedoms that the elves, goblins, and outcasts could only dream of
Just as planned, by the next evening, Vasile had assembled all of the Ketsuki, ready to send them off on their mission. They would be going in pairs to the two different empires to take down the Emperor and scatter their regions.He told me about the shield and how it came into being. And all the other Ketsuki were surprised that Dracula's body was tight in the castle. But it explained the suddenly grim aura that has filled the castle ever since that shield came up. And it was almost frightening for them to know that the castle would be like this forever.He had announced to them earlier that they would have new names. These would be the names the masses would know them as. They would each have a name that originally belonged to Lord Dracula to honor his memory. It was a big deal to the Ketsuki, and they each wanted to have a name that once belonged to the most powerful Ketsuki to ever live.Right there and then, he declared the new names for himself and t
The next morning, Vasile took his time to introduce Sinbad to the other Ketsuki.At first, they weren't all that impressed, but his charisma won them all with only a few verbal exchanges. Nobuharu hated the way he looked and tried provoking him into a fight. But the new Ketsuki's kind words threw him off guard in such a way that the others almost laughed at him.Because of that, Nobuharu never liked him but also didn't hate him.Pokol was impressed by his charm and charisma. But unfortunately, her heart had already been stolen by Vasile. But it was too bad that the new Emperor seemed to see her as a little sister, even though her heart ached for her to mean more to him.Strego, however, was the most impressed by the new Ketsuki and wanted to truly get to know him. Though he wasn't much of a pretty boy like Strego, his face somehow still demanded the same level of attention, and his outlook naturally drew respect from all who gazed upon him.
Vasile was with Zaraki, brainstorming through all the conclusions he had come up with throughout the day.They had to take their time to find out what was and was not going to work as new policies for the Ketsuki.They discussed and debated about it for a while, and before they could tell what the time was, midnight was already far past. It was less than three hours before sunrise, and yet there were a lot of things to cover.Zaraki's wisdom amazed Vasile, and what he thought would have taken only a few minutes and, at most, an hour to get through took a lot more time than expected. There were a lot of loopholes in his judgments, and Zaraki could easily spot and correct them. And each time Vasile conceded a point that was proven foolish by Zaraki, he felt all the more stupid that it took a whole day to come up with such bad conclusions.It was as if, with every time Vasile spelled out his proposal, Zaraki would come up with an instant rebuttal and