[Vol. 7] Chapter 102: A Mother’s Teachings Are Important
Sensing blood flow is the most fundamental and crucial ability of all vampires. It’s how they judge the strength of their enemies. For a prince-ranked vampire like Augustine, this skill had already reached an unparalleled level.
Among the six great vampire princes, Augustine Constantius was the most skilled in [Blood Perception]. Even Lucine Constantius, Avrilia’s mother and the strongest vampire, couldn’t compare to him in this regard. Not even the ancient mythical races, who had reached godlike realms, could completely hide their blood flow from his detection.
Since Augustine had no reason to lie to her, there were only three possible explanations for what he sensed.
The first possibility, that woman wasn’t a normal living being. She might be some kind of puppet, like a magic automaton or a golem. However, there was a big difference between having no detectable blood flow and having no blood at all, and vampires could usually tell the difference at a glance.
The second possibility, she was using a special artifact that could block [Blood Perception]. But this seemed unlikely. [Blood Perception] was an innate ability unique to vampires. Few would go through the trouble of crafting an item specifically to counter it unless they were mortal enemies of the vampire race.
Even if such an artifact existed, it would have to be on the level of the Holy Kingdom’s Three Holy Artifacts to fool someone as powerful as Augustine. And as far as Avrilia knew, no such item had ever been recorded.
That left only one last possibility…
The woman’s power was so overwhelmingly strong that she could completely crush them. So strong that she was on the same level as the High Ancestor of the vampires. To Avrilia, there was only one term that could describe such an existence.
A true god.
Realizing this, the vampire girl’s ruby-red eyes shrank slightly in fear.
“Y-You’ve got to be joking… Uncle Augustine, are you sure you’re not mistaken? A being of that level descending into the real world just like that, and we happened to run into her? And she’s hanging around with a bunch of adventurers who don’t even come close to matching her power? That’s way too weird!”
Seeing Avrilia’s startled expression, where disbelief outweighed fear, the old prince let out a small sigh.
“I hope I’m wrong, too. To be honest, ever since the [Divine Catastrophe] a thousand years ago, since the fall of the High Ancestor of the vampires and the departure of the gods, I haven’t encountered anything like this in over a millennium.”
"But that mysterious girl was able to completely block [Blood Perception]. That means she must possess a Divine Artifact. Actions involving higher beings always have deep meaning and purpose. And now, with the Church of Truth stirring up trouble, it’s hard to believe their encounter was just a coincidence…"
"This conspiracy… Just how many powerful factions and ancient entities are watching from the shadows? It’s truly concerning…"
………………………………….
Somewhere in an underground chamber.
Golden light slipped through the cracks of a boarded-up basement window. As it gathered, the figure of a young blonde girl reformed.
Seeing her return, a brown-haired girl in an elegant dress immediately lit up, hopping excitedly toward her.
"Sister Light, you're back!"
"Mhm."
Little Dragon Girl glanced at the small girl in front of her, one who had, by chance, ended up working under her. Ignoring that, Dragon Girl turned to the still-closed front door, her expression stern and authoritative.
"No problems?"
"None! But there were a lot of people running around outside. Also… uhh, I’m kinda hungry, ahaha…"
"Tch…"
Rolling her eyes, Dragon Girl knew full well that lower lifeforms couldn’t regulate their energy intake as efficiently as she and her master could. They needed frequent meals to maintain their strength. Without a word, she pulled out some jerky that she had prepared before and stored in the spactial ring given by her master as an experimental subject and reserve food, and tossed it to the girl along with a can of water.
"Eat quickly. Something’s off outside. Those cultists seem to have gotten some kind of news. They all started moving a while ago, looks like they’re planning something."
"Huh?... Mmf!... Really?... Mmf!... But isn’t it… Mmf!... just a—"
Little Dragon Girl pressed her palm firmly against Lenka’s mouth, forcing her to swallow all the food in her mouth instead of mumbling through it. Then, without a care, she wiped her hand, now covered in drool and grease, on Lenka’s fancy dress before calmly explaining.
“Yeah, there are still two days left until their planned ritual, but something must’ve happened outside. It’s forcing these cultists to act sooner than expected. They’ve already started waking up and moving the captured kids. It won’t be long before they come for us…”
After a brief pause, she added, “Do you remember the combat techniques I taught you?”
“I remember… but, Sister Light, don’t you think they’re a bit… crude? Mama always told me that girls should be graceful…”
“Idiot!”
Without hesitation, the little blonde smacked the slightly taller, clueless girl on the head, then lectured her in an old-fashioned, know-it-all tone.
“You don’t need fancy moves in a fight! As long as they work, that’s all that matters! Just remember, when the time comes, don’t overthink it. If anyone gets close, spray them as hard as you can! Got it?!”
“Oww, oww! I got it! …But, um, Sister Light, when exactly is ‘the time’ you’re talking about?”
“I’ll give you the signal when it’s time. For now, just—”
BANG!
Before she could finish, the locked door suddenly burst open from the outside. A dozen cultists wearing metal masks rushed into the room.
“Move, move, move! This is the last batch! Wake them up and get them to the meeting point now!”
The lead bishop barked orders before turning around. Only to lock eyes with two little girls who were already awake. He blinked. They blinked.
“……”
Lenka quickly stuffed the last pieces of jerky into her mouth, then wiped her greasy hands on the exact same spot Xiao Guang had just used. She looked almost paranoid, as if afraid the man would snatch her food away.
“What the—?! Two of them are already awake?! Something’s wrong—grab th—”
Before the bishop could even finish his sentence, the little dragon girl had already leaped into the air. With her bare, delicate foot, she kicked him square in the metal mask, sending him spinning like a missile. He shot out of the room, crashing through the door and disappearing into the distance.
“Didn’t your mother teach you that interrupting people is rude? Try to remember that in your next life.”
With one clean strike, the golden-haired girl executed a mid-air spin and landed gracefully. Her radiant, sun-like golden pupils swept over the cultists with unhidden disdain. That single glance was enough to make them tremble and instinctively back away.
“W-What the hell?! These brats…!”
“How should I know?! What do we do now?!”
“Isn’t it obvious? Grab them! They’re perfect specimens, ideal candidates to become Saints! Move! They’re just kids! No matter how strong they are, it’s only two of them! For the glory of Truth!!!!”
“Yeah! For the glory of Truth! CHAAARGE!!!!”
As if triggered by that battle shout, the cultists, who had hesitated moments before, suddenly seemed to explode with fanatical energy. They roared in unison and charged forward like a tidal wave toward the two girls.
A strange, ash-colored mist rose from above their heads, as if granting them some kind of supernatural blessing. Their fear disappeared, their bodies strengthened, and in that instant, they became fearless fanatics, suicidal warriors willing to throw themselves into battle without hesitation.
And then…
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!!
They were all sent flying like sandbags.
Her punches and kicks were raining down like an unstoppable storm. Each cultist she struck was launched into the air like a battered sandbag, their bodies colliding into walls, furniture, and each other.
The sheer strength and speed bursting from her tiny frame was beyond terrifying. It was something no normal child, or even most adult warriors, could possibly possess. Even with their enhanced bodies, the cultists stood no chance. Not a single one managed to fight back.
“Hah, pathetic trash. I've had enough of you. Now it's payback time.”
“Sister Light, you’re amazing!”