Swan walked off, her mind heavy with thought.
Only after confirming there was no one else around did she continue her mental exchange with Iguneel, her tone carrying a hint of bitterness that she herself hadn’t noticed.
“Iguneel, what did you mean earlier when you said he ‘perfectly merged with your blood’? Does that… does that Li En actually have a better aptitude for carrying your power than I do?”
Iguneel’s dragon soul remained silent for a moment, seemingly sensing and weighing the situation carefully. Finally, he responded with a trace of uncertainty.
“This human… his constitution is very special. It seems he was born with an extremely high compatibility with my power! Even… his soul’s wavelength seems to have some sort of… indescribable harmony with my remnant soul.”
Swan unconsciously puffed out her cheeks. A strange emotion welled up in her heart, and she blurted out, “Since he’s so suitable, why didn’t you choose him back then? Go follow him now instead!”
Iguneel: “…”
After a brief silence, Iguneel’s voice rang out with a hint of surprise and teasing.
“Swan… have you noticed that the influence of my power on you seems to be getting deeper and deeper?”
“Not just your body, but even your personality… it’s no longer the same as that gloomy kid who only thought about revenge.”
Upon hearing this, Swan felt as if she had been struck by lightning. A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.
With Iguneel’s reminder, she suddenly realized it.
Ever since she had used the power of Dragonification multiple times, her mindset had indeed been quietly changing during this period.
It seemed… she had become more sentimental, and her emotions fluctuated more easily.
Just like now—she had actually spoken to Iguneel in such a jealous tone, like a petty little girl throwing a tantrum?
‘Holy crap! This is a bit scary!’
Swan wailed inwardly, feeling as though she was starting to no longer recognize herself.
Sensing Swan’s internal panic and horror, Iguneel hurried to comfort her, though his voice grew subtly weaker at a key point.
“It’s… it’s fine, Swan! I will definitely never leave you! After all, our souls are now in… a tight symbiotic state!!”
When it came to the words “symbiotic state,” Iguneel’s voice dipped with obvious guilt, as if he were hiding a deeper reason.
However, Swan, who was currently in a state of shock and self-doubt, did not catch this subtle anomaly.
She shook her head, forcing herself to calm down and pull her attention back to the matter at hand.
“So, according to what you said, is that Li En also able to use the power of ‘Dragonification’ just like you?”
“Yes,” Iguneel confirmed. “I can feel a fairly strong Dragon Power latent within him. His mastery of Dragonification should be roughly the same as yours right now. This is likely the limit he can reach at present.”
“But that can’t be helped,” Iguneel added with a hint of pride in his voice. “He is, after all, only a product of consuming a diluted version of my blood. Naturally, his upper limit cannot be compared to yours—someone who directly carries my soul—or to that fellow who stole the source of my remains.”
“If he wants to further control the power of Dragonification, unless… he can obtain other parts of my remains or a more core source of power.”
Swan nodded, understanding.
Although she was surprised that Li En also possessed the ability to Dragonify, as long as he didn’t take the initiative to provoke her, it had nothing to do with her for now.
At the moment, what bothered her more was the mysterious change in her own mindset. It made her feel more uneasy than any external enemy.
……
On the second day after Luke arrived with the Wilson family reinforcements, the Blood Race camp also welcomed two heart-palpitating “guests.”
On the city wall, everyone looked into the distance with solemn expressions.
In front of the Blood Race army stood two figures radiating an intense sense of pressure—it was Bart and Chise, whom they had encountered once before.
Dio’s brow furrowed, his sharp gaze sweeping over the two figures. He asked in a deep voice, “Senior Sister Sara, looking at your expressions, do you recognize those two vampires in front?”
In the memory fragments of his past life, he had never fought these two vampires and knew nothing about them.
Sara took a deep breath, her eyes filled with a mixture of vigilance and recollection.
“When we went to the Raymond Territory to investigate last time, we fought them.”
She paused, her voice growing increasingly heavy.
“Especially that tall male vampire, Bart. His strength is… terrifying, far beyond what Heart or the vampirized Rose can compare to. I judge that both of them should be at the Blood Pillar level.”
The distance between the city wall and the front of the Blood Race army was not short, but Bart’s eyesight and hearing were clearly far superior to ordinary people.
He clearly captured Sara’s words and couldn’t help but let out a loud, arrogant laugh. His voice rolled across the battlefield like thunder.
“Hahaha! Blonde human girl, you have quite the eye! Since you’re so smart, I actually appreciate you quite a bit!”
His crimson eyes shamelessly sized up Sara, filled with undisguised possessiveness.
“How about it? I happen to be lacking a Blood Servant to serve tea, pour water, and massage my shoulders and legs. You look quite suitable. Are you interested in following me? I guarantee it’ll be much more interesting than being a human.”
Sara’s face was as cold as frost. She didn’t even bother to give him a single look, completely ignoring him.
Yize was stunned. ‘Does this guy have such good hearing?’
He took a step back to hide behind Luke and began to mutter in a low voice.
“Why do these vampires love collecting servants so much?”
“Do they not have families? Are they that starved for love and a sense of presence?”
He thought that since they were so far away, the other party couldn’t possibly hear him.
However, the smile on Bart’s face instantly froze, then transformed into explosive rage.
He abruptly raised his hand, his thick finger pointing directly at Luke’s location as he roared.
“That red-haired brat over there! What are you muttering about? Are you tired of living? Get out here for me!”
Yize’s body stiffened. ‘He can even hear that?’
His expression immediately turned serious, taking on a look of “disappointment in a junior.” He lightly pushed Luke and “reproached” him in a low voice.
“Luke! Look at you, failing to control your mouth and talking nonsense again! Is this the kind of occasion where you can just crack jokes?”
Luke turned his head in a daze, his eyes wide. His face was a picture of innocence and grievance. “Senior? I… what did I say? Weren’t you the one behind me just now—”
He didn’t want to take the blame for his senior, especially in front of a Blood Pillar who looked like he wasn’t to be trifled with.
Although Luke was blunt, he wasn’t stupid. He instantly understood Yize’s intention.
He immediately turned his head, avoiding Bart’s murderous gaze. Looking up at the sky, he began to whistle non-chalantly, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.
Seeing Luke “admit” it, Bart’s anger flared even more. He spread his wings and suddenly flew into mid-air, glaring down at Luke from above. His voice was like ice.
“Red-haired brat! Don’t play dumb with me! I’m talking to you!”
Emma watched from the side, dumbfounded. She subconsciously gave Luke a thumbs-up, her tone carrying a hint of admiration.
“Junior Luke… I didn’t see that coming! Are you really that brave? The person opposite is a Blood Pillar! You actually dared to mock him to his face?”
Luke scratched his conspicuous red hair and asked back in confusion, “Blood Pillar? What is a Blood Pillar?”
He really didn’t know much about this newly emerged information.
Seeing this, Emma had no choice but to briefly and quickly explain the information they had learned recently regarding the grades of the Blood Race and the “Ten Pillars.”
When she mentioned their thrilling experience of encountering Horn and nearly being wiped out, Luke’s eyes widened even further.
“A Blood Pillar… is that powerful?!”
He sucked in a breath of cold air, only now realizing what kind of terrifying existence he had provoked (on his senior’s behalf).
Sara nodded and added, “I just don’t know where this Bart ranks among the Ten Pillars…”
Hovering in the air, Bart heard their conversation perfectly. Hearing this, the corners of his mouth curled into a proud and cruel arc as he announced loudly.
“Listen up, ants! I am the Fourth Blood Pillar — Bart!”
Chise, standing beside him, also spoke up at the right time. Her voice was cold and carried a hint of eeriness. “I am the Sixth, Chise.”
Her gaze swept across the city wall, eventually fixing on Yize, who was trying his best to shrink his body and hide completely behind Luke’s back. She sneered.
“Three months have passed, and you’re still in this state. Still so fond of hiding behind others?”
Having been directly called out, Yize knew he couldn’t hide anymore.
He helplessly walked out from behind Luke, a forced, innocent smile on his face.
“Oh my, you really have a good memory. You’re still thinking about me after all this time? Are you really that obsessed with me?”
The muscles in Chise’s cheeks twitched. She was clearly extremely dissatisfied with being addressed so familiarly.
She suppressed her anger, her gaze sweeping over the people on the city wall once more. She suddenly asked, “Where is that silver-haired person with the frozen face? Didn’t she stand up for you last time? What, is she acting like a coward this time?”
She was naturally referring to Riya, who had briefly fought her and left a deep impression.
Yize narrowed his eyes, his tone carrying a trace of undetectable inquiry. “What? You seem particularly interested in her?”
Chise licked her lips, a spark of intense interest flashing in her eyes. “Indeed. Compared to you lot, I’m much more interested in her now.”
Yize spread his hands, his tone flat. “Then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. She’s not here at all.”
“What? She’s not here?!”
This time, Bart and Chise exclaimed almost in unison, their faces filled with disbelief.
Bart’s eyes widened, his voice rising. “She’s not here?! Then how did Horn die?!”
In Bart and Chise’s understanding, Horn’s death must have been because he encountered an absolute suppression at the bloodline level, forcing the activation of the restriction set by Master Casimir and causing him to self-destruct.
Apart from that silver-haired man who was suspected of being an ancient vampire, they couldn’t think of a second possibility.
A perfectly timed look of confusion appeared on Yize’s face. He turned his head to look at Sara beside him and asked “sincerely,” “Senior Sister Sara, that night when I wasn’t there, did you see who finally dealt with that vampire named Horn?”
Sara gave Yize a long look. This junior of hers was quite good at acting.
She cooperated by shaking her head, a look of regret appearing on her face. Her voice carried clearly across the area.
“That senior seemed to be wearing a high-level magic tool capable of concealing their form and aura. Their figure was blurred, and their voice might have been processed. I didn’t see their true face, and I couldn’t determine their identity.”
Only then did Yize turn back, shrugging helplessly at Chise and Bart. His tone carried a hint of innocence.
“You heard her? Horn’s death really has nothing to do with us.”
Emma also nodded vigorously from the side, helping out. “Exactly! If you’re looking to avenge Horn, you’ve got the wrong people. We don’t know that senior at all.”
Luke blinked. Seeing that the atmosphere seemed to have “softened,” his brain heated up, and he blurted out, “You haven’t even figured out who to get revenge on?”
“Since that’s the case and it’s all a misunderstanding, then… could you consider just heading back home?”
Bart looked at Luke as if he were an idiot, the words squeezed through his teeth.
“Red-haired brat… do you think that’s possible?”
He twisted his thick neck, the joints making a cracking sound. A hideous and violent smile appeared on his face.
“That fool Horn died because he wasn’t strong enough. He deserved it. We don’t have the time to avenge him.”
He stared fixedly at Luke. No matter how he looked at this red-haired kid, he found him eyesore.
“But, red-haired brat, do you know what I want to do most right now?”
Luke felt his skin crawl under that murderous gaze. He subconsciously looked at Yize beside him and whispered, “Senior… what… what does he want to do?”
Yize sighed and patted Luke’s shoulder, saying in a flat tone that stated a simple fact.
“I think… he wants to kill you.”
Luke: “…”