Hideout….
Julius had seen a lot of shit in his life, but not what he witnessed. Fuck this. There were some things that was not worth dying over, even for an adventurer as strong as him.
He continued to shove his belongings into a suitcase while muttering to himself.
"Fuck this group, fuck this city, fuck this weather, fuck these people, and fuck vampires." He was out! And that guy…Seth's leader. He saw that transformation. "I'm getting the fuck out of here. I need a break. Maybe some dark elf company."
They called themselves Alethian, dwelling in a nation known as Messalay. He hoped that rumor wasn't true about the once-peaceful race giving themselves over to the supreme demon lord. It was enough that they were an all-female race that relied on human men to seed them. Magically, the babies somehow remained pureblood. The last thing anyone wanted was them to become monster girls. Julius loved sex, but he would be damned if he let a woman take away his dignity. Julius let his thoughts wander back to an hour ago as he locked up his suitcase. That pink-haired girl was…a Kitsune. Fox pseudo-entities from myth. Insanity. He shuddered. She hurt, a lot but blocked out the pain, maybe ignored it. She was fading… That winged…angel, not…Julius didn't know what it was—but the monster seemed to be holding itself back. A war within himself—his little brother did call it leader.
Julius's eyes widened as he realized the answer. The Omen's sphere. He absorbed it and…Oh fuck no—he'd get the hell out of there before they came after him. He could face them down when they weren't going all god mode.
That kitsune risked being erased from time—in fact, would've been dead if she took only a few seconds longer to accomplish whatever the hell she did. But even worse is that…the god could've simply deleted her. Julius felt that ability. Why didn't he? Hell, why did Julius's so-called leader send him there? Fuck this. He wanted no part of the taint and monsters internally fighting with it.
Julius made the Jump with his suitcase. He knew the Blood Servant watched him go. Fuyuko would soon know—as if Julius gave a fuck. He was no slave. He made no oath to the group. Only his own interests mattered.
**
The mansion…
"So the dragons didn't wipe all of you out," Alena said. "To think that you'd hide it from them. I didn't say anything because I do have respect for light deities, but you should consider—"
"No," Harumi interrupted. "I don't have much control over it. It's a miracle really, Clyde went easy on me. He wrestled for lucidity the entire time, stopping the taint from simply erasing me." Harumi caressed the young man's cheek, dropping a tear. "I grew up a human—in fact I'm still human…I just can't control my other half."
"Not your other half," Alena said. "Just you. I wouldn't be surprised if parts of you sometimes seeped out randomly during the day. Harumi, you must learn to accept yourself—"
"Do not lecture me, angel," Harumi snapped. "I risked a lot tonight. Was seconds from being wiped from existence, risked drawing in dragons, and still, two of the vampires remain. Turning into the kitsune is losing my sense of self, my human heart—and I wouldn't doubt I'd hurt my friends without caring a wick."
Alena nodded.
"Very well, it is your choice. You were cute though. Such ears and tail could win any man over."
Harumi glared at the smiling angel.
"Well angel," Harumi said. "You and I are now in oath. Do not speak of this."
Alena placed a hand on the pink-haired young woman's shoulders.
"Your secret is safe with me. One day I hope you share it with them."
"Two of us remain, angel," Harumi said with an icy undertone. "And we were never brought up properly. Remember that."
"I will," Alena said.
**
Tuesday. Week 4. Month 1. Year 1. Season: Autumn. Last week of the month…
[You have triggered Unsatisfying Sleep. Defense down by 35% ]
The sound of the alarm from his phone and in his head woke him… After all of the bullshit from the previous night, he was expected to just go back to school?
He decided, before moving a muscle, to inspect his stats because holy hell did, he slaughter. Delayed prompts out of the ass. The first one made him feel alarmed. So much shit was happening to him too fast—he needed answers as soon as possible. Just what is the Stone, its purpose? His lost family line…. Who is Tokken? A name…that popped into his head.
[Your full deity form has been sealed. Let it be known that it will not hold very long, probably no more than a week. The sealer has no idea that you merely accessed just 5% of your power.]
[You have earned the title Vampire Slayer. You have earned the title, Massacre Man!]
[You have nearly eliminated an entire vampire clan. Finish the job. Quest: kill the vampire king and emperor. Accept? Reward: unknown.]
Clyde shrugged and just accepted. He felt this one should've been mandatory.
[Secret quest completed: Chika's revival with the help of the heavens. Warning: if anyone in your party dies, they will stay dead. It is a harsh reality that is best learned now before you leave this city. Reward: there is one more thing you must do to achieve it. Step 2: Chika's bane.]
[You have gained 2.5 million EXP. 2 million dollars. You have reached levels 65-68! Several of your skills gained two levels! You have learned Tier 1 skill: Star storm level 1.]
Clyde sat up, not eager to deal with school…School. Something about that triggered an odd feeling. He made the redhead speak about her leaders before…
Fuck, he really wasn't himself. And ONLY FIVE PERCENT? How overpowered would he become?
[You will be powerful enough one day to stand toe to toe with the Founders of Taint and Purity.]
Ominous, Clyde thought. Hisa cried that information to him as well, that among the most powerful of the light and dark elements were taint and purity. Shit that no one, not even the most evil motherfuckers, wanted to deal with.
Clyde could vaguely remember showering the previous night…well, getting thrown into the shower by someone. The water jolted him awake long enough to wash and dry off. It explained why he was currently naked. His life mate peered at him with loving eyes. Eyes that accepted him, no matter what.
In a flash, she melted into his embrace then they kissed.
"Could you promise not to go all evil overlord on us again," Alice said after they washed up. Clyde laughed.
Harumi looked worse for the wear, head on the table, barely looking up at them.
"Poor girl's got the worse of headaches," Yuki said. "I gave her something that should help."
"Harumi, I don't know what you did and how, but…thank you for slapping some sense into me last night," he said. "I honestly have little memory of it, just vague impressions and fighting with a worse taint. I think it kicked my ass this time."
Harumi lurched from the seat, wrapping her arms around Clyde. He was a bit taken back.
"Don't scare me like that again," she said. "Please don't."
[Your relationship with Harumi has increased to Absolute endearment, friend closer level 7.]
Absolute…? A fluke? Maybe Absolute and Supreme relationship levels weren't reserved for just dietic beings and entities. He was sure he would've sensed that by now. And with all of the fight…the thought dropped.
Harumi faced him alone. She hid a form from them. Clyde had no choice but to honor her decision. Why hide it? He'd like to see what she looked like. How strange, she felt so human…right? What did it truly meant in this world to feel human?
He snapped to himself when he realized he was rubbing Harumi's head. Like a dog.
[Talent, Main character stuff: head pat.]
Harumi seemed to melt into him, her face in a place of bliss.
[Your relationship with Harumi has increased to friend closer level 9, Absolute endearment, and ???]
Clyde's eyes widened, but he stopped, quite frankly unsure what to feel. For some reason, it didn't feel as embarrassing as before. He hoped he wasn't becoming an embodiment of an anime main character. Too late for that, probably.
"Don't stop," Harumi said, triggering a loud throat clearing from Yuki.
"Could you refrain from sexual activity in the dining room?" she said. Clyde cleared his throat too.
"No idea what you're talking about—anyway, we've got classes," Clyde said. "Where's Melody?"
"She left with Maki," Yuki said. "Doing me a favor this morning. That grape-headed girl keeps asking to see you. Annoying. You know, I think I'll make you walk her on a leash."
"One second," Alice said, "let me check on Mother." She darted toward the back.
"And Chika?" Clyde said, forcing himself not to imagine Maki with a leash on all fours.
"Here!"
Chika dove into his arms. She was damned cheerful for someone who literally died the previous night. The young man wouldn't dare say that aloud though. She kissed him.
"Gooood morning," she said.
"Morning," Clyde said. "Hey, you sure you don't want to take a sick day off?"
"Heck no," Chika said, playfully. "Besides, I need to speak with Kiko."
Alice returned to the room with a cupcake in hand. Sweets…very early. Clyde gave her a look. She smiled innocently.
"Shall we go?" she said.
"Yep-yep, hang onto your stomachs," Clyde said.
Harumi groaned.
**
The Academy….
The dean grinned at Sazuki after he locked the door. He knew the look of defiance in her eyes was simply a mask. He smelled it. The scents he craved at last. Nothing would get in the way of this. A prepared meal that needed last-minute spices.
"My dear Sazuki, you've ignored the jobs that I've given you," he said then raised his voice to a dangerous low snarl, almost like an enraged father. "Do you have any idea what hell I went through with that detective? I do not appreciate being accused of conspiracy. It is ludicrously—You…"
His cute little student council president trembled. The scent of fear oozed, palpable. Delicious.
"Your future…"
"Please," Sazuki said. "I've worked so hard—"
"Silence! You should've just done as you told, gave me what I wanted about the Clyde boy, so that I could've passed that on to the detective. With nothing, mentioning him was pointless. I also can't do anything to Maki due to her family's influence. You have disappointed me, young lady. You have angered me." He shook his head. "Scholarships, Dean's list, the job I had with your name in mind—do you believe I can trust you with any of that?"
Tears streamed from Sazuki's eyes as he wanted. He wasn't interested in the sex, not during school hours. But lunch. That was another thing.
Raising a finger, which she didn't suspect to be filled to the brim with vampire magic, he unleashed his spell. His fangs ached to be stuck into something…
[Hector Von Lin activated Concrete air whip.]
The invisible whip bashed and slashed the wide-eyed girl into the bookshelf behind her. Large textbooks fell on top of Sazuki. And no one came.
"Thanks for the meal, human trash."
Hideout….
Julius had seen a lot of shit in his life, but not what he witnessed. Fuck this. There were some things that was not worth dying over, even for an adventurer as strong as him.
He continued to shove his belongings into a suitcase while muttering to himself.
"Fuck this group, fuck this city, fuck this weather, fuck these people, and fuck vampires." He was out! And that guy…Seth's leader. He saw that transformation. "I'm getting the fuck out of here. I need a break. Maybe some dark elf company."
They called themselves Alethian, dwelling in a nation known as Messalay. He hoped that rumor wasn't true about the once-peaceful race giving themselves over to the supreme demon lord. It was enough that they were an all-female race that relied on human men to seed them. Magically, the babies somehow remained pureblood. The last thing anyone wanted was them to become monster girls. Julius loved sex, but he would be damned if he let a woman take away his dignity. Julius let his thoughts wander back to an hour ago as he locked up his suitcase. That pink-haired girl was…a Kitsune. Fox pseudo-entities from myth. Insanity. He shuddered. She hurt, a lot but blocked out the pain, maybe ignored it. She was fading… That winged…angel, not…Julius didn't know what it was—but the monster seemed to be holding itself back. A war within himself—his little brother did call it leader.
Julius's eyes widened as he realized the answer. The Omen's sphere. He absorbed it and…Oh fuck no—he'd get the hell out of there before they came after him. He could face them down when they weren't going all god mode.
That kitsune risked being erased from time—in fact, would've been dead if she took only a few seconds longer to accomplish whatever the hell she did. But even worse is that…the god could've simply deleted her. Julius felt that ability. Why didn't he? Hell, why did Julius's so-called leader send him there? Fuck this. He wanted no part of the taint and monsters internally fighting with it.
Julius made the Jump with his suitcase. He knew the Blood Servant watched him go. Fuyuko would soon know—as if Julius gave a fuck. He was no slave. He made no oath to the group. Only his own interests mattered.
**
The mansion…
"So the dragons didn't wipe all of you out," Alena said. "To think that you'd hide it from them. I didn't say anything because I do have respect for light deities, but you should consider—"
"No," Harumi interrupted. "I don't have much control over it. It's a miracle really, Clyde went easy on me. He wrestled for lucidity the entire time, stopping the taint from simply erasing me." Harumi caressed the young man's cheek, dropping a tear. "I grew up a human—in fact I'm still human…I just can't control my other half."
"Not your other half," Alena said. "Just you. I wouldn't be surprised if parts of you sometimes seeped out randomly during the day. Harumi, you must learn to accept yourself—"
"Do not lecture me, angel," Harumi snapped. "I risked a lot tonight. Was seconds from being wiped from existence, risked drawing in dragons, and still, two of the vampires remain. Turning into the kitsune is losing my sense of self, my human heart—and I wouldn't doubt I'd hurt my friends without caring a wick."
Alena nodded.
"Very well, it is your choice. You were cute though. Such ears and tail could win any man over."
Harumi glared at the smiling angel.
"Well angel," Harumi said. "You and I are now in oath. Do not speak of this."
Alena placed a hand on the pink-haired young woman's shoulders.
"Your secret is safe with me. One day I hope you share it with them."
"Two of us remain, angel," Harumi said with an icy undertone. "And we were never brought up properly. Remember that."
"I will," Alena said.
**
Tuesday. Week 4. Month 1. Year 1. Season: Autumn. Last week of the month…
[You have triggered Unsatisfying Sleep. Defense down by 35% ]
The sound of the alarm from his phone and in his head woke him… After all of the bullshit from the previous night, he was expected to just go back to school?
He decided, before moving a muscle, to inspect his stats because holy hell did, he slaughter. Delayed prompts out of the ass. The first one made him feel alarmed. So much shit was happening to him too fast—he needed answers as soon as possible. Just what is the Stone, its purpose? His lost family line…. Who is Tokken? A name…that popped into his head.
[Your full deity form has been sealed. Let it be known that it will not hold very long, probably no more than a week. The sealer has no idea that you merely accessed just 5% of your power.]
[You have earned the title Vampire Slayer. You have earned the title, Massacre Man!]
[You have nearly eliminated an entire vampire clan. Finish the job. Quest: kill the vampire king and emperor. Accept? Reward: unknown.]
Clyde shrugged and just accepted. He felt this one should've been mandatory.
[Secret quest completed: Chika's revival with the help of the heavens. Warning: if anyone in your party dies, they will stay dead. It is a harsh reality that is best learned now before you leave this city. Reward: there is one more thing you must do to achieve it. Step 2: Chika's bane.]
[You have gained 2.5 million EXP. 2 million dollars. You have reached levels 65-68! Several of your skills gained two levels! You have learned Tier 1 skill: Star storm level 1.]
Clyde sat up, not eager to deal with school…School. Something about that triggered an odd feeling. He made the redhead speak about her leaders before…
Fuck, he really wasn't himself. And ONLY FIVE PERCENT? How overpowered would he become?
[You will be powerful enough one day to stand toe to toe with the Founders of Taint and Purity.]
Ominous, Clyde thought. Hisa cried that information to him as well, that among the most powerful of the light and dark elements were taint and purity. Shit that no one, not even the most evil motherfuckers, wanted to deal with.
Clyde could vaguely remember showering the previous night…well, getting thrown into the shower by someone. The water jolted him awake long enough to wash and dry off. It explained why he was currently naked. His life mate peered at him with loving eyes. Eyes that accepted him, no matter what.
In a flash, she melted into his embrace then they kissed.
"Could you promise not to go all evil overlord on us again," Alice said after they washed up. Clyde laughed.
Harumi looked worse for the wear, head on the table, barely looking up at them.
"Poor girl's got the worse of headaches," Yuki said. "I gave her something that should help."
"Harumi, I don't know what you did and how, but…thank you for slapping some sense into me last night," he said. "I honestly have little memory of it, just vague impressions and fighting with a worse taint. I think it kicked my ass this time."
Harumi lurched from the seat, wrapping her arms around Clyde. He was a bit taken back.
"Don't scare me like that again," she said. "Please don't."
[Your relationship with Harumi has increased to Absolute endearment, friend closer level 7.]
Absolute…? A fluke? Maybe Absolute and Supreme relationship levels weren't reserved for just dietic beings and entities. He was sure he would've sensed that by now. And with all of the fight…the thought dropped.
Harumi faced him alone. She hid a form from them. Clyde had no choice but to honor her decision. Why hide it? He'd like to see what she looked like. How strange, she felt so human…right? What did it truly meant in this world to feel human?
He snapped to himself when he realized he was rubbing Harumi's head. Like a dog.
[Talent, Main character stuff: head pat.]
Harumi seemed to melt into him, her face in a place of bliss.
[Your relationship with Harumi has increased to friend closer level 9, Absolute endearment, and ???]
Clyde's eyes widened, but he stopped, quite frankly unsure what to feel. For some reason, it didn't feel as embarrassing as before. He hoped he wasn't becoming an embodiment of an anime main character. Too late for that, probably.
"Don't stop," Harumi said, triggering a loud throat clearing from Yuki.
"Could you refrain from sexual activity in the dining room?" she said. Clyde cleared his throat too.
"No idea what you're talking about—anyway, we've got classes," Clyde said. "Where's Melody?"
"She left with Maki," Yuki said. "Doing me a favor this morning. That grape-headed girl keeps asking to see you. Annoying. You know, I think I'll make you walk her on a leash."
"One second," Alice said, "let me check on Mother." She darted toward the back.
"And Chika?" Clyde said, forcing himself not to imagine Maki with a leash on all fours.
"Here!"
Chika dove into his arms. She was damned cheerful for someone who literally died the previous night. The young man wouldn't dare say that aloud though. She kissed him.
"Gooood morning," she said.
"Morning," Clyde said. "Hey, you sure you don't want to take a sick day off?"
"Heck no," Chika said, playfully. "Besides, I need to speak with Kiko."
Alice returned to the room with a cupcake in hand. Sweets…very early. Clyde gave her a look. She smiled innocently.
"Shall we go?" she said.
"Yep-yep, hang onto your stomachs," Clyde said.
Harumi groaned.
**
The Academy….
The dean grinned at Sazuki after he locked the door. He knew the look of defiance in her eyes was simply a mask. He smelled it. The scents he craved at last. Nothing would get in the way of this. A prepared meal that needed last-minute spices.
"My dear Sazuki, you've ignored the jobs that I've given you," he said then raised his voice to a dangerous low snarl, almost like an enraged father. "Do you have any idea what hell I went through with that detective? I do not appreciate being accused of conspiracy. It is ludicrously—You…"
His cute little student council president trembled. The scent of fear oozed, palpable. Delicious.
"Your future…"
"Please," Sazuki said. "I've worked so hard—"
"Silence! You should've just done as you told, gave me what I wanted about the Clyde boy, so that I could've passed that on to the detective. With nothing, mentioning him was pointless. I also can't do anything to Maki due to her family's influence. You have disappointed me, young lady. You have angered me." He shook his head. "Scholarships, Dean's list, the job I had with your name in mind—do you believe I can trust you with any of that?"
Tears streamed from Sazuki's eyes as he wanted. He wasn't interested in the sex, not during school hours. But lunch. That was another thing.
Raising a finger, which she didn't suspect to be filled to the brim with vampire magic, he unleashed his spell. His fangs ached to be stuck into something…
[Hector Von Lin activated Concrete air whip.]
The invisible whip bashed and slashed the wide-eyed girl into the bookshelf behind her. Large textbooks fell on top of Sazuki. And no one came.
"Thanks for the meal, human trash."
