When Yize and Rhea returned one after the other to the square serving as the temporary assembly point, they found that the groups from the other three major academies had already arrived.
Sarah, Emma, and Luke from Star Brilliance Academy; Leon from Crescent Moon Academy; Roger and Elsa from Lemon Academy; and the students from Sting Academy were mostly exhausted. They bore the marks of battle on their bodies, and the atmosphere was heavy.
Sarah spotted the unharmed Yize immediately. Her tense nerves finally relaxed a little, and genuine concern flickered in her eyes: “Yize, it’s good that you’re alright!”
She stepped forward quickly, then noticed Yize wasn’t alone. Her gaze drifted between him and Rhea behind him, and she asked with a hint of confusion: “But… why did you come back with Rhea?”
Beside her, Luke’s eyes instantly lit up. His brain began to spin uncontrollably at high speeds, and a “just as I thought” expression appeared on his face.
‘So Senior Yize’s main purpose for going out to scout on his own was to worry about and protect Lady Rhea!’
Even though he couldn’t explain why, his subconscious had firmly rooted the idea over this period that the relationship between Yize and Rhea was “extraordinary.”
Facing Sarah’s question, Yize’s expression remained normal. He calmly explained using the excuse he had already prepared: “We just happened to run into each other while scouting, so we came back together.”
He deliberately maintained a flat tone to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. At that moment, Leon also walked quickly toward Rhea.
His face showed obvious concern, but deep within those sharp eyes lay a thick, inseparable sense of confusion and scrutiny. “Senior Rhea, are you… alright?”
His voice carried a trace of nearly imperceptible hesitation.
Rhea frowned slightly, looked at Leon, and asked back: “Should something be wrong with me?”
Her tone carried its usual distance, showing no sign of anything unusual.
Leon’s heart tightened, and he quickly covered up: “No, I just meant it’s great that you’re okay.”
However, while speaking, he had already quietly activated his unique talent—[Mana Attribute Perception]. An invisible wave of sensory power swept toward Rhea like a ripple in water.
The feedback he received left him even more confused. The mana flow within Rhea’s body… although it seemed more condensed and restrained than usual, carrying a faint, subtle chill, the overall structure was still centered on her original fire-attribute mana. He did not sense the violent, chaotic, or entirely different evil energy he had imagined.
This completely contradicted the prophecy from the “voice” in his head, which had implied that “Rhea would become a member of the Blood Kin.”
‘What is going on? Now that Rhea is back, does that mean she didn’t turn?’
Leon’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and his doubts deepened. He didn’t understand why Yize would return with Rhea, and he certainly didn’t understand why Rhea’s state was so different from what he expected.
His inquisitive and subtly dark gaze involuntarily fell once again upon the seemingly harmless Yize.
Sarah didn’t notice the subtle atmosphere between Leon and Rhea. She clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention and spoke with a grave expression: “Everyone, based on our clash with those monsterized citizens and our analysis of their remaining habits, we can confirm the following points.”
She looked around the group and continued: “First, these monsters have an extreme craving for blood, which is their primary drive for attacking. Second, their individual combat strength isn’t actually high—it’s even lower than the goblins from before. But—”
Sarah’s voice grew heavy, emphasizing the most critical part: “They possess an incredibly strong ability to infect and assimilate! The speed at which they create companions is terrifying!”
She raised her arm. Although the wound where she had been bitten had already healed under healing magic, some traces were still visible. “After I was bitten, my internal mana was in a state of disorder for nearly half an hour, constantly eroded by a stream of cold energy. If I hadn’t used light magic in time to disperse and purify it, I’m afraid… I would have eventually become just like them.”
Her tone was heavy, laced with a lingering fear. “Furthermore, for the time being, we have found no way to reverse this process and restore the transformed citizens to normal.”
She took a deep breath and made a decision: “In summary, the culprit behind the monsterization of the Raymond territory’s people is likely the same entity or group mentioned in the previous intelligence reports regarding the unknown monsters. Their danger lies more in this horrifying transmissibility.”
“I believe that with our current manpower and the information we have, the risk of continuing the investigation is too high. I suggest that after we properly settle these surviving children, we withdraw immediately. We must bring all the intelligence we’ve gathered—including the goblin mutations and the information on these new ‘monsters’—back to our respective academies as soon as possible, to be decided by the deans and the higher-ups of the Empire!”
Goblins that had evolved intelligence and strength, along with this unknown existence capable of rapidly turning humans into bloodthirsty monsters… The ominous premonition in Sarah’s heart grew stronger, forcing her to adopt the most cautious strategy.
Somewhat surprisingly, the first person to explicitly state their support was actually Rhea.
“I have no objection,” her cold voice rang out, her tone crisp and decisive.
As a long-time rival of Sarah, Rhea knew Sarah’s judgment and sense of responsibility well. She appreciated this kind of decisiveness that prioritized team safety and the big picture of the mission during critical moments.
More importantly, as a newborn member of the Blood Kin, she could clearly sense other vampire auras lurking deep within these ruins. Those were opponents the students here could definitely not handle.
Withdrawing early was the wisest choice.
However, just as everyone was preparing to carry out Sarah’s order—
“Clap, clap, clap!”
Several crisp, mocking claps abruptly broke the brief silence of the empty, dead square.
From the thick darkness at the edge of the square, two figures slowly walked out.
A man and a woman, dressed in magnificent clothing that looked completely out of place amidst the surrounding ruin. The man’s face was handsome but carried a hint of malice, while the woman had a sultry figure and eyes brimming with seduction.
“Oh my, oh my. When I came out today, I originally just wanted to use the blood of those little guys hiding in the ruins to satisfy a craving.”
The leading man, Bart, licked his slightly pale lips. His eyes flashed with greedy light as if he were sizing up prey, scanning all the magic academy students present. “I really didn’t expect to run into such a big ‘surprise’.”
He bowed slightly in an exaggerated gesture of etiquette, his tone full of arrogance: “Allow me to introduce ourselves. We are the ‘unknown monsters’ you have been looking for.”
His gaze swept across the shock and wariness on everyone’s faces. He seemed to enjoy the effect, adding slowly: “However, rather than the vulgar term ‘monster,’ I would prefer you remember our true name—the ‘Blood Kin’.”
“Blood Kin?” This unfamiliar term caused ripples in everyone’s hearts.
The two people before them looked no different from humans from any angle, except for that overly composed sense of danger.
Luke subconsciously shrunk his neck and lowered his voice to ask Yize for help: “Senior Yize, you’re well-traveled. Do you know what kind of things the ‘Blood Kin’ are?”
The corner of Yize’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. He subconsciously glanced at Rhea beside him, who was already a member of the Blood Kin but perfectly disguised, and felt speechless inside.
‘How could I not know?’
But on the surface, he maintained a bewildered look and whispered: “I don’t know. But these two feel very dangerous.”
“Oh, I see…” Luke nodded as if he understood, becoming even more nervous.
The moment Bart identified himself, every nerve in Sarah’s body tightened to the limit! The pressure emanating from the opponent felt tangible, far surpassing that of the Lord-level goblins from earlier!
“Fifth-tier Composite Magic—Wind-Rock Barrier!”
Without any hesitation, Sarah instantly mobilized all her mana, her hands moving rapidly!
As she chanted, the ground rumbled, and a massive, thick stone wall wrapped in violent whirlwinds slammed up from the ground like the sturdiest of shields, standing between the group and the two uninvited guests!
“All members below the fourth tier, cover the children and withdraw immediately! Move!”
Sarah’s voice rang through the square with an unquestionable urgency.
However, before her words could fully land—
“Thump! Thump! Thump!”
Several dull thuds, sounding like a giant drum being beaten, suddenly came from the Wind-Rock Barrier!
The sturdy barrier, which had condensed all of Sarah’s power and was strong enough to withstand multiple impacts from Lord-level monsters, was suddenly covered in a spider-web of cracks after just a few casual kicks from Bart!
Then, before everyone’s disbelieving eyes, it shattered with a roar, turning into countless pieces of rubble and scattered mana dust!
“Heh, little girl, your judgment isn’t bad. You knew to protect your companions first.” Bart casually pulled his foot back and patted non-existent dust from his pant leg, his tone carrying a condescending air of appraisal. “However, the strength of your magic… is still a bit too weak.”
Having broken Sarah’s strongest defensive magic so effortlessly, Bart demonstrated the insurmountable gap in strength between the two sides in the most direct way possible.
Bart seemed to completely ignore the group standing in battle formation. He turned his head to the female Blood Kin beside him named Qisi and said: “Qisi, look. So much ‘food.’ How about we each take half?”
Qisi gave a seductive smile, her eyes sweeping over the crowd as if she were picking out delicious pastries. “Bart, are you sure you don’t want to bring a few back to keep? Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy them slowly?”
Bart shrugged and revealed a cruel smile: “Bring them back? Those starving lunatics in the castle would probably sneak a bite while we’re away. It’s more practical to eat our fill right here!”
“That’s true.” Qisi nodded in agreement, extending her slender fingers to count the people as if no one else was there. “Then half each. We can enjoy ourselves tonight.”
They discussed “dividing the food” so shamelessly, treating these elite academy mages as if they were nothing.
And after witnessing that scene, no one dared to speak up easily. The absolute power Bart displayed was like a giant boulder pressing down on everyone’s hearts.
Luke swallowed hard, his voice trembling: “S-Senior Yize… what kind of monsters are these two… Senior Sarah’s defensive magic was actually—”
Hearing this, Yize subconsciously glanced again at the expressionless Rhea. Out of a subtle sense of “looking out” for her, he corrected in a low voice: “Don’t keep calling them monsters; isn’t that harsh? They have a name, they’re called the ‘Blood Kin’!”
His voice wasn’t high, but in the dead silence of the square and given the extraordinary hearing of the Blood Kin, it was exceptionally clear.
Qisi’s soul-stirring eyes immediately followed the sound, locking onto Yize with precision. An aggressive smile of interest appeared on her face. She pointed at Yize and said to Bart: “Bart, that one is mine.”
She sized Yize up as if admiring an interesting toy. “He looks like the most ‘sensible’ one. I’m not planning to eat him; keeping him by my side as a pet should be quite fun.”
Yize’s scalp instantly felt numb. Almost as a reflex, he gently pushed Luke, who was standing in front of him, forward, trying to divert the trouble. He let out a dry laugh: “Congratulations, Luke. You’ve been picked by a beautiful big sister.”
Luke looked bewildered, pointing at himself: “Huh? Me??”
Seeing this, Qisi waved her hand in disgust, as if shooing away a fly. “Red-haired brat, move aside. Who said anything about you? I’m talking about the black-haired brat behind you!”
The eyes of the entire field focused instantly—Yize, the only black-haired person present, suddenly became the center of everyone’s attention.
Yize: “???”
His heart was practically roaring: ‘I just wanted to be a quiet background character, why is it so hard?!’
Qisi beckoned to Yize with her finger, her smile becoming even more seductive and her voice cloyingly sweet: “Come here, baby~ As long as you listen to big sister in the future, sister guarantees you’ll be… very happy.”
When she said the word “happy,” she deliberately emphasized her tone, the suggestive meaning being unmistakable, causing many of the young students present to turn red.
However, the moment Qisi finished speaking—
“Swish!” “Swish!” “Swish!”
Three figures, almost simultaneously, took a step forward and stood firmly in front of Yize!
On the left was the ice-faced Sarah, with wind elements already beginning to condense around her.
On the right was Emma, whose face was somewhat pale but whose eyes were exceptionally determined.
And the most surprising was the person in the center, with eyes sharp as knives, locking directly onto Qisi—Rhea!
Sarah and Emma almost simultaneously glanced at Rhea out of the corners of their eyes, their gazes filled with obvious surprise and confusion, as if asking: ‘It’s only natural for us to protect our junior, but why are you… so proactive?’
Rhea seemed completely oblivious to their stares. Her entire attention was focused on Qisi. In her eyes at that moment, a trace of icy hostility—born from bloodline instinct that even she hadn’t noticed—flickered.
Being targeted so directly by Rhea, Qisi felt an unprompted pang of heart palpitations. It was a subtle pressure originating from their level of existence. She frowned slightly and turned her head toward Bart with uncertainty: “Bart, don’t you think… that silver-haired kid is a bit… off?”
Bart’s attention was still on “dividing the food.” He glanced casually at Rhea. Other than thinking the person was remarkably good-looking, he felt nothing else. “What’s wrong? Isn’t that one just your type? What, you want to keep two at once? Then I’ll say this now: if that’s the case, you have to take a smaller share of the ‘food’ this time.”
Qisi couldn’t say exactly what was wrong, but the faint sense of threat and strange familiarity she felt from Rhea made a spark of vigilance rise in her heart.
In this moment where tensions were high and the atmosphere was suppressed to the limit, Luke—who had been pushed out by Yize only to be “returned”—looked at the three figures standing in front of Yize. He couldn’t help but lean closer to Yize and complain in a low voice that was a mix of envy, grievance, and disbelief.
“Senior Yize… this isn’t fair! Why is it that as soon as you get called out, three… uh, ‘fighters’ proactively protect you?”
“Why did nobody stand in front of me when you pushed me out just now?!”
Yize: “…”
How was he supposed to know? He didn’t want to be noticed either!