# Chapter 121
—
‘That taste of Yenika’s blood… it was good, wasn’t it?’
Arthur licked his parched lips and gauged the distance to the monster.
Then he shouted toward Undine and Gnome, who were keeping their eyes fixed on him.
“Hold it off for a moment, Undine, Gnome!”
At his cry, Undine and Gnome, who had been biding their time, leapt forward to block the monster’s path.
\[Kki, kkikkik, kkieeek!]
The monster shrieked hideously and charged at them.
Arthur seized the chance and moved toward Yenika.
But halfway there, dizziness struck, and his foot caught, sending him tumbling to the ground.
He nearly rolled his way to her, collapsing limp at her feet, unable to rise.
Yenika, who had been in a daze, noticed him only then and gasped belatedly.
“…Young master?”
“Hello, Yenika?”
Arthur beamed as he made his request.
“Sorry, but could you help me up? I can’t muster any strength.”
“……”
Yenika hesitated for a moment, then reached out her hand.
Clutching it, Arthur managed to get to his feet, grumbling as he did.
“You skipped midterms—what in the world were you doing here instead?”
Yenika’s eyes twitched violently.
“Is that really important right now?”
“Well, not particularly. I just asked out of courtesy.”
“……”
Yenika clicked her tongue.
‘Honestly, he never changes… this man.’
Even when faced with such a thing, he showed no fear—no different from usual.
At that moment, the monster roared at Gnome and Undine.
\[Kki, kkikkik, kkikkikkik!]
Startled, Yenika turned her head.
The monster was spraying blood at Gnome and Undine.
The blood hammered them mercilessly.
Watching that, Yenika muttered to herself.
‘That’s not the Vampire King.’
Though it had absorbed the power of the Grail, because an unfit successor had taken it, the backlash had twisted it.
‘A creature that almost became king… nothing more than a monster.’
The wretched end of a fool who coveted the power of the Grail.
Arthur tilted his head.
“What even is that thing? I took my eyes off for one moment and Ian’s turned into a monster.”
To his question, Yenika, her eyes still unfocused, explained.
“It’s the power of the bloodline.”
“The power of the bloodline?”
“The dwellers of the moon. The tribe of the night. The power belonging to the one called the king of them all.”
Arthur let out a whistle.
“I don’t understand a word, Yenika.”
“……”
“Spell it out. What does it actually mean?”
Yenika sighed.
“…Simply put, Ian stole the power hidden within the Grail. But since he couldn’t fully accept it, he turned into that monster.”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
‘The power hidden within the Grail? Ah… that must be what Leon was talking about.’
If a true vampire grasped the Grail, something new would be born.
Arthur recalled Leon’s words, lips curling upward.
‘The question is, how did Ian, not even a vampire, manage to steal that power…?’
Shrugging off the thought, Arthur smirked.
“Well, this just got interesting. I’ve got even more questions to ask Ian when I catch him.”
From Bayern’s secrets to the Grail’s secrets.
Nodding to himself, Arthur turned to Yenika.
“Hey, Yenika?”
“Yes?”
“Could I get some of your blood?”
Her eyes flew wide.
“B-blood?”
Arthur grinned at her reaction.
“The blood you promised me back then. I’d like to have it now—can you spare some?”
—
—
Yenika’s face twisted violently.
“What are you even—”
Her body suddenly convulsed.
Arthur’s eyes widened.
“Yenika?”
She couldn’t answer.
Instead, something slipped from her mouth.
Her essence, her very soul—the being called Yenika Hazel.
Not knowing what it was, Arthur muttered in shock.
“Good heavens… what’s this? Why is smoke coming out of Yenika’s mouth?”
Her spirit, her soul, streamed from her lips and drifted toward something.
Arthur turned his head and his eyes shot wide.
“Well now…?”
The monster was inhaling the pale-white smoke from Yenika’s mouth.
A chill ran down Arthur’s spine at the sight.
‘That’s dangerous.’
His sharpened instincts warned him.
The monster drawing in that smoke was truly dangerous.
He had to kill it before it became something even worse.
Just then, he turned back to Yenika to secure her blood—
“Oh?”
Blood was gushing from her mouth as she fainted.
Arthur let out a delighted gasp and clasped his hands together.
“Thank you for the meal, Yenika.”
With that, he scooped a mouthful of her blood and gulped it down—then frowned.
“…Huh? Why doesn’t it taste good?”
For some reason, Yenika’s blood had lost its flavor.
Though puzzled, Arthur didn’t dwell on it.
Brooding in the face of such a monster was a luxury.
Dusting off his clothes, Arthur rose.
\[Arthur, careful…]
\[Uaaagh…!]
Undine and Gnome, who had been holding the monster back, were finally forced into resummoning to the spirit realm.
Freed, the monster fixed its gaze on Arthur.
Meeting that gaze, Arthur muttered.
“Hmm… since I erased Furis’s bloodline by taking on Yenika’s, I can’t use spatial-leap anymore.”
It was a shame—the ability had been handy.
But shaking off idle thoughts, Arthur leveled Beast at the monster.
Bang—!
The gunshot rang, tearing through the monster’s shoulder.
But the gaping wound instantly sealed with gushing blood.
Arthur didn’t flinch, rushing in.
Kang—!
The monster’s arm clashed with the aura of the cursed sword.
Arthur unleashed the Tacen bloodline, forcing it back.
The monster stumbled a step under his strength, but then Arthur’s body suddenly rose into the air.
“…Huh?”
He blinked, and the monster laughed.
\[Kkikkik, kkikkikkik!]
At its laugh, his limbs were bound.
“Ugh!”
Arthur groaned as if his arms might be ripped off.
From the monster’s hand sprouted something.
Jiiing—!
A massive crimson-clawed hand.
Arthur clicked his tongue.
“Ouch… that looks painful.”
And he was right.
The claw pierced his abdomen.
Arthur vomited blood and twisted his body, and in that skewered state, drove his cursed sword into the monster’s crown.
\[Kki, kkikkik, kkiaaagh!]
This time, it was the monster that screamed.
The two struck each other hard—and clashed again.
Kang!
Claw against sword aura, wildly exchanged.
Amidst the frenzied struggle, Arthur’s eyes went wide.
“Aura?”
The monster’s claws shimmered with a gray aura.
‘So that’s why they wouldn’t cut.’
Though a monster, its essence was still Ian.
His sword aura coated those claws.
Arthur let out a dry laugh.
‘This is ridiculous. Aura and magic both? What kind of nonsense is this?’
Suddenly, the monster’s body spewed blood.
Arthur flinched aside, but the blood redirected midair, targeting him.
Then it hardened into solid blades, stabbing from all directions.
Paaat—!
Arthur’s body shook violently.
Blood poured from his wounds, dizziness pounding his head.
Barely holding on, he loaded a black bullet into Beast.
And fired.
Kwaaang—!
With a deafening blast, the monster’s upper body exploded.
Arthur muttered at the sight.
“Got him—huh?”
From its severed lower half, something surged upward.
A brand-new torso.
Arthur whispered, aghast.
“…That’s even worse than Tacen.”
At once, he was hurled backward.
“Ghhk!”
Slammed into the altar, he dropped both Beast and his sword.
Chwaak—!
More precisely, the monster’s blood had sliced off his wrists, taking the weapons with them.
Arthur, both hands gone, was bound atop the altar.
The monster, dripping blood, approached.
“Uh… what?”
It loomed over him, grinning grotesquely.
\[Kkikkik, kkikkikkik—!]
At that instant, the ceiling burst open, revealing a full moon shining bright.
So beautiful that Arthur couldn’t help but gasp—just as the monster’s claw stabbed his chest.
“Ah…”
Arthur closed and opened his eyes, vision blurring.
‘No focus… the Tacen bloodline’s powers… not working properly…’
Through the haze, he saw it.
Death.
Something he had already experienced once, beckoning.
‘What? Am I dying again like this?’
Arthur shook his head.
‘No… I can’t die. I must live, no matter what.’
There was still far too much left undone.
Things he had failed in his past life—he could not fail again.
So Arthur pushed death away.
‘Not yet, Death. I’ll come later.’
Forcing his eyes into focus, he saw the monster’s arm—bleeding heavily, its wound from Beast not fully healed.
After a moment’s hesitation, Arthur sank his teeth into that arm.
As expected, still unhealed—he easily tore away flesh and blood.
\[Kki, kkikkik!? Kkikkik!?]
The monster struck his head in shock.
Arthur’s skull smacked against the altar.
\[Kkikkikkik!]
Snorting, the monster raised its claw again—aiming for Arthur’s chest.
But then Arthur muttered.
“Mm… this blood tastes good.”
“…?”
“Oh, I see. All of Yenika’s delicious blood moved here.”
He smiled at the monster.
“Mind giving me some more, Ian?”
“……”
“Or rather—not Ian anymore. Monster, I’ll be taking more.”
Rising, Arthur ripped the monster’s arm off.
\[…]
The creature reeled in shock.
Arthur clutched the severed arm, drinking its blood, eyes flaring.
‘Huh?’
Something flickered in his mind.
‘A young Yenika?’
He saw her abused.
He saw her meeting Tacen and Carpe when they were still young.
He saw her looking at him.
‘Oh… what’s this? I’ve never seen visions when absorbing bloodlines before.’
Then the vision snapped, and radiant light burst from Arthur’s body.
It was moonlight streaming through the broken ceiling.
“…!”
Both monster and Arthur gasped.
The moonlight grew stronger, enveloping Arthur on the altar.
The monster shouted in panic.
\[Kkikkik!?]
But Arthur remained unmoving within the light.
The monster lunged at him—only to be blasted back by the moonlight, which acted as a barrier.
\[…]
Recoiling, the monster staggered.
Meanwhile, the moonlight gathered into where Arthur stood—along with every other light in the plaza.
Fwoooosh—!
Torches, the cursed sword’s gleam—all were pulled in.
Darkness fell over the square.
\[…]
The monster swallowed hard.
And from the darkness, something emerged.
“Oh.”
A pair of bright red lips.
—
—
The monster’s body trembled.
Darkness was its domain, yet it felt inexplicable fear.
Breathless, shoulders quaking.
As it roared, shadows rippled.
\[Kkikkikkik!!!!]
It shrieked and stumbled back.
The red lips floating in the void glistened grotesquely.
Looking at them, the monster felt primal terror.
But it couldn’t accept the feeling.
Why should I?
I am the King of Night.
Why should I cower?
Grinding its teeth, it bellowed.
\[Kkikkik!]
Wings sprouted from its back.
Ten sharp new claws grew.
Ready, it lunged at the lips.
But then—
A pale, deathly hand shot out from the darkness, clutching its throat.
\[…]
Shocked, it thrashed.
But for some reason, its body wouldn’t budge.
\[Kkikkik!]
Like a whipped dog, it trembled.
From the darkness, the owner of the hand stepped forth.
A human with skin pale as snow, in stark contrast to the dark.
The monster muttered despite itself.
\[Vam… pire… Lord?]
Arthur’s lips curled into a smile.
“Ah. So this bloodline is called Vampire Lord?”
\[…]
“Hmm… ‘Lord’ does sound a bit grandiose. Still…”
He thrust his hand into the monster’s chest.
“…not bad. The power’s overflowing.”
At once, smoke poured from the monster’s body.
Chiieeek—
The fur burned away, revealing bare skin.
Claws turned to smoke and were absorbed into Arthur.
Wings on its back dissolved into him.
Stripped bare, the monster became Ian again.
“……”
But unlike before, he was decrepit.
His hair snow-white, sharp features sagging with wrinkles.
Arthur withdrew his hand from Ian’s chest.
Thud.
Ian collapsed to the ground.
His shallow breaths tickled Arthur’s ears.
‘He’s dying. Ian is finally dying.’
The lifelong enemy.
One of those who had stolen everything from him.
At last, death was before him.
Arthur rested his chin on his hand and muttered.
“Ian. How do you feel right now?”
Ian turned his gaze.
“……”
On Arthur’s blank face, he saw Bayern.
Looking at him, Ian answered.
“Like shit.”
Arthur laughed.
“Perfect answer. That’s exactly what I wanted.”
—
