Back on Haruki's side—he walked ahead while Nina and Gin followed behind, carrying Tsukushi and Pony on their backs. Before long, they arrived at Haruki's residence.
The entire way back, Haruki had been pondering how to treat Tsukushi and Pony. Their injuries were undeniably severe—conventional methods simply wouldn't be enough.
He had two options in mind. One was to spend some exchange points to obtain medicine from the system. The other was to have them drink his blood, turning them into his blood kin—similar to the "First Embrace" seen in vampire stories.
Haruki was leaning more toward the second option.
The first method might work, and he certainly had enough exchange points, but after healing them, he would still have to send them back to the Assassination Unit—which felt like a total waste. Haruki had always felt a deep sympathy for the Elite Seven.
In the original story, these children had been sold to the Empire's Assassination Unit at a young age. They endured brutal training and were forced to kill again and again, becoming numb and stripped of their own thoughts—living only to complete missions, sometimes even having to kill their own friends. The saddest part was that even at the moment of death, they still believed they were fighting for the Empire, for its people.
In the end, their fates were all tragic. Except for Akame, who eventually defected, every one of them died.
Now that Haruki was here, he couldn't let that same fate repeat itself.
As for the second method—in legends, vampires were mysterious and powerful beings. They possessed immortality, great strength, and stunning beauty. But in return, they had to regularly consume blood to survive.
Over time, vampires developed the tradition of raising blood kin. A blood kin was someone who became a vampire by receiving the blood of a higher-ranked vampire. In doing so, they gained all the abilities of a vampire, but in exchange, they had to regularly offer their own blood to their master—the one who had turned them.
Vampires were a race with a rigid hierarchy of bloodlines. From highest to lowest: True Ancestors, Progenitors, Nobles, Commoners, and Servants. The higher the rank, the purer the bloodline. There were vast differences in power between the classes, and upper-tier vampires had the authority to control the lives of those beneath them.
For blood kin, the higher the rank of the one who turned them, the higher their own standing. But with that came absolute obedience, dictated by their very blood.
Haruki himself stood at the pinnacle of vampire society—a True Ancestor. This meant his blood kin would become Progenitors, second only to him in rank.
As Progenitors, they would possess overwhelming power and terrifying regeneration. A few broken bones would be nothing. Even if they were shattered into pieces, they could fully recover given enough time. Unless they were completely incinerated, they were nearly impossible to kill.
Having made his decision, Haruki turned to the two girls still carrying Tsukushi and Pony.
"Nina, Gin, lay them on the bed."
"Brother, with injuries like that... can they really be saved?"
As she followed his instructions, Gin glanced at Haruki and asked. She had trained alongside the Elite Seven before their selection. Although she wasn't close with them, she still recognized Tsukushi and Pony.
"Of course! Who knows—this might be a major opportunity for them. Just wait and see."
Hearing Haruki's words, Gin said nothing more and quietly stood beside Nina, watching to see what Haruki would do.
A flash of red light flickered from the ancient-looking ring on Haruki's right middle finger. In the next moment, two test tubes filled with a pale red liquid appeared in his hand. They contained his blood, heavily diluted through a special method. Haruki had stored some of his blood a thousand years ago when he created the Teigu, Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract.
Back then, the concentration of his blood used in the creation of Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract had been far higher than what was in these two vials. That's why, even though using Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract came with tremendous risk, successfully controlling it would grant powers vastly superior to those of a typical Progenitor Vampire.
Haruki tilted Tsukushi's chin up, coaxing her lips to part. Like Pony, she was only thirteen—still young, yet with an alluring blend of youthful features and a voluptuous figure. There was no denying her appeal to men. But now, her entire body was wracked with grievous injuries, each ragged breath punctuated by pained whimpers.
Uncorking a vial, Haruki carefully tipped its contents into her mouth. Yet Tsukushi's throat remained clenched shut in her unconscious state, leaving the liquid pooled uselessly inside. A flicker of frustration crossed his face—this medicine was far too precious to waste.
With no other choice, he leaned down, sealing his lips over hers to draw the fluid back into his own mouth before carefully transferring it back, drop by drop, ensuring none was lost. He repeated the process with Pony, administering the second vial with the same intimate method.
By the time he finished, Haruki's ears burned. Technically, that had been his first kiss—not exactly how he'd imagined giving it away, especially to someone completely unaware.
Nearby, the two girls who had observed the entire exchange now stared fixedly at Tsukushi and Pony, their eyes simmering with something sharp and envious.
Just as the silence grew stifling, a sudden, dramatic transformation overtook the two unconscious girls—snapping all attention toward them in an instant.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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