The Hound of Devouring Flesh

“Tap, tap, tap.”

Irina moved with an elegant stride, celebrating yet another victory, as crimson blood wine flowed from her lips down her throat, painting a look of profound satisfaction on her face.

“Wuwuwu.”

When a whimpering sound reached her ears from nearby, Irina’s brow furrowed in annoyance, and she began to move with small, quick steps toward its source.

“Oh dear, why does the little girl look as if her lover has died?”

Under Robin’s murderous glare, she even kicked Xiu Lan’s corpse.

“Thump.”

Alas, even the corpse remained protected by the Shadow Protector; gritting her teeth against the sudden pain in her foot, Irina reluctantly pulled her leg back.

‘Damn thing, it won’t even rest in peace after death.’

Ignoring Irina’s idiotic behavior, Robin hugged Xiu Lan’s body tighter, her mind lost in thought.

‘What exactly is my relationship with her?’

‘If I were to call her a friend, we’ve only met once. Oh, no, twice, though this fool never recognized me.’

‘…Perhaps I’m merely her protector, and a burden. If she hadn’t met me, would she have died here?’

‘She’s so strong, yet…’

‘I truly am a harbinger of misfortune.’

‘Whether it was my parents, my friends, or even the Bloodthirsty ones I reported out of a misguided sense of justice—anyone who came into contact with me always met a bitter end.’

“Hey, hey, little girl, can you hear me? I’m talking to you.”

That disgusting creature was clamoring again.

Disregarding her, Robin buried her head deeper into Xiu Lan’s chest. A familiar mobile phone suddenly called out her name; though she didn’t know why the voice had suddenly become a girl’s, it was undeniably Liu Yu, the boy who used to chat with her during physical education class.

“I said.”

A powerful force lifted Robin, and blood-colored claws compelled her to face Irina, whose repulsive grin forced her to confront reality once more.

“Heh, can you hear me now?”

“Get lost!”

“Oh dear, are you really going to snap at your savior?”

As ever, the blonde Bloodkin’s voice was cloyingly affected: “How about this, to ensure you live a better life, I’ll just turn you into… a vampire.”

“Wh…at…”

“What a brilliant idea! So many cultivation subjects died today, so I’ll just use you to fill the void a little. This is a glorious evolution; let me liberate you from the shackles of weak humanity.”

‘This is what happens when you don’t listen to me. Become a monster that only thirsts for blood. I won’t leave you even a shred of your intellect.’

“This is a specially formulated inhibitor. I guarantee it will make you a very powerful vampire.”

‘A Prototype Inhibitor. Not a single one who’s taken it has retained their sanity. Drink it all up.’

Irina’s malice surged closer, and she conjured another blood-red claw, holding the inhibitor before Robin and pulling down her mask.

“Please open your mouth.”

“Thump.”

Robin struck the potion to the ground with her face.

“You truly have no appreciation for what’s offered.”

Irina wasn’t as angry as Robin had expected. She strolled over to where the inhibitor had fallen, parasol still in hand, and crushed it underfoot.

Just as Robin wondered what new mischief this scoundrel was up to, she realized her body was slowly being drawn closer to the spot where the inhibitor had shattered.

“Oh dear, I accidentally crushed it. I suppose I’ll just have to trouble you… to lick it up with your mouth, ohohoho.”

“Uh… uh…”

“Who’s speaking?”

The sudden voice instantly heightened Irina’s vigilance.

“Gi…ve…me…”

“Xiu Lan!”

Robin gazed at Xiu Lan, who had risen again, with a surge of joyous surprise. Her friend, who had been a corpse moments ago, was now standing, making her feel as if she were caught in a dream.

‘How is this possible? Did I miss my mark?’

The blonde Bloodkin’s expression morphed into one of astonishment. While the power that had entered Xiu Lan’s body lacked the amplification of a gem, it should have been more than enough to annihilate a normal human.

‘Did she not die completely, or does she possess a resurrection ability…’

Several blood-thorns materialized before Irina, shooting toward the reanimated figure in black.

As expected, they were entirely swallowed by shadow.

‘…At least I’ve confirmed it’s not an illusion.’

“Wo…rld…uh…”

Ignoring Irina’s attack, Xiu Lan stumbled and staggered toward the spot where the inhibitor had been dropped. The shadows flowing from beneath her feet devoured the remnants of the potion.

“Not…enou…gh…”

The girl in black continued to survey her surroundings, finally fixing her terrifying gaze upon Irina, who felt as though she had plunged into an icy abyss.

[The Hound of Devouring Flesh] was afraid.

Even a monster devoid of self-awareness felt the terror of death upon encountering that [Light].

Humans, Blackbloods, even the world itself—all were targets for [The Light] to eradicate. And such a thing was about to descend from Xiu Lan’s memories.

‘I…must…’

‘Re…seal…it…’

‘For…all…’

Struggling to open her eyes, her tattered body made even short movements arduous. Though devouring the Prototype Inhibitor had barely restored some of her strength, the power of [The Light] clung to her like a persistent malady.

To curb [The Light].

‘I…can…only…’

Black shadows began to recede from Xiu Lan’s body, flowing behind her to form the ethereal image of an unknown creature. Its intense presence alone was enough to inspire dread in anyone who looked upon it.

“Wh-wh-what is this?!”

‘Is it a legendary evil god? Or an unknown Blackblood?’

Facing an unprecedented terror, Irina for the first time showed a look of sheer panic…

‘As if!’

‘An idiot is an idiot!’

Seizing the opportunity, the blonde Bloodkin donned a sinister smile, grasping the gem that appeared before her and unleashing her ultimate secret art once more.

“I command you to stop now, Time!”

Red ripples spread outwards.

The world, as if on cue, paused.

“Oh dear, if you had stayed hidden in that shell, I truly wouldn’t have been able to do anything to you. What a pity, though…”

Irina reopened her parasol. Her elegant posture, coupled with her beautiful features, perfectly embodied the image of a well-bred young lady.

“But speaking of which, this person truly resembles… that [Vanguard].”

‘No, to say she resembles her would be an insult. It should be said that, aside from her hair color, they are carved from the same mold… Even biological children probably wouldn’t achieve such a degree of similarity.’

‘How troublesome…’

Placing her index finger on her lips, the blonde Bloodkin paced, deep in thought. To kill or not to kill—Xiu Lan’s appearance had plunged her into a rare dilemma.

She did not wish to provoke that renowned hero.

While the Bloodkin’s power far surpassed that of ordinary people, using it against an Association hero… it would be better to choose a coffin and lie in it, waiting for death.

“Indeed… I’ll just kill her.”

After a period of careful consideration, Irina finally made up her mind.

Although she didn’t want to offend that hero, it was now too late for reconciliation.

‘Therefore…’

A blood-thorn materialized before her.

‘Then I shall make you disappear completely from this world.’

Irina swung her parasol.

The blood-thorn shot toward Xiu Lan like an arrow from a bowstring, piercing her body and drawing a single drop of red blood…

‘Hm?’

‘Red blood…’

‘She’s a pure human?’

‘No way…’

‘How could a human possess such immense power?’

‘Could the [Association] have developed something new again?’

“Uh… uh…”

‘Is that a voice?!’

‘The one thing that absolutely shouldn’t exist in this world is a voice other than my own.’

‘So, what was that just now…’

Irina stared intently at the grey-haired girl. In her anxious tension, Xiu Lan’s hand moved almost imperceptibly.

‘She moved!’

A tempest raged in Irina’s heart.

She was certain she hadn’t been mistaken; this person had moved during the stopped time. Her right hand was a full millimeter higher than its original position.

‘No… I absolutely cannot let her leave here alive.’

Her personal domain had been invaded by another, and an intense sense of crisis drove her to attack again.

One, two, three… ten… twenty…

Dense blood-thorns arrayed themselves before her, poised to strike. The blonde Bloodkin shrieked:

“No matter how you managed to survive, your existence is absolutely forbidden in my world, so… disappear completely!!!”

“Hoh… hoh… hoh… You’re the one who should disappear, you disgusting b*tch!!”

Xiu Lan, like a drowning person finally surfacing, gulped down fresh air. She showed no fear of the blood-thorns so close to her, merely fixing a cold gaze on Irina in the distance. The shimmering light in her left eye made the blonde Bloodkin tremble.

The blood-thorns arrived.

There was no resistance, no reversal. As if her recent insult had drained her last reserves of strength, the grey-haired girl stood calmly in place, allowing the blood-thorns to relentlessly pierce her body until she was reduced to dust.

‘Is it over…?’

‘Is she truly dead…?’

“Uh… uh…”

The sound came from behind.

‘How is this possible…’

‘How did she get behind me, and…’

“Aaaaaaah!”

Before Irina could even react, her right arm was torn off in an instant. Black-tinged crimson blood gushed from the wound. She struggled to turn around, only to have her throat seized, slowly lifted by immense force.

“You… what are you…”

As a witch with an ancient heritage, and having been invited by The Doctor to join the Bloodkin, Irina felt she had weathered enough storms. Yet, the oppressive presence of the monster before her still made her tremble with fear.

Black, only black.

Intense blackness swirled ceaselessly around the girl, sometimes calm, sometimes boiling. The massive hand gripping her throat was but a subtle outpouring of shadow, yet it made her feel utterly powerless.

‘I’ll die if this continues.’

So Irina ended the time-stop, then, using her gem, instantly teleported into the air, intending to leave this world and then detonate the gem, completely burying this monster.

Then, she died.

She had no time to react whatsoever before Xiu Lan, who had surged forward to her face, tore her in half, then devoured her entirely with surging shadows, leaving not a trace.

Even at the moment of her death, she still wore that expression of relief, as if she had just escaped a calamity.

“Hoh… hoh… hoh…”

The famished Hound of Devouring Flesh cared nothing for human etiquette. As Xiu Lan’s consciousness grew increasingly blurred, its actions became increasingly violent.

Freed from restraint, and in order to secure its right to continue existing, it began to frantically hunt the remaining [Vampires].

One… two… three… ten…

It consumed an unknown number, sweeping the entire world clean.

But this was far from enough…

[Vampires] were merely a degraded form of [Bloodkin]; the sustenance they offered as food was meager.

Coincidentally, a red gem fell from mid-air to the ground, then tumbled in the whirlwind stirred up by the Hound of Devouring Flesh, eventually coming to rest before a weary Villy.

“This is…”

Villy recognized it—the red gem that had always orbited Irina.

The gem seemed to possess an immense allure, tempting her to draw closer.

She picked it up. And then…

A blurred voice, along with countless memories, surfaced in her mind.

“Long time no see… Iri…”

“I… I… I am…”

The confusion lasted only a brief moment, followed by an unprecedented clarity.

She straightened her posture, quickly locating the restless, anxious figure darting about.

“Indeed, a fool is a fool. No matter where they are, they’re always a cause for worry… such a fool.”

“You… are…”

Her consciousness grew increasingly hazy, and her eyes felt too heavy to open. As if trapped in an endless abyss, she couldn’t discern her location, only falling ceaselessly downward…

Falling…

Always falling…

Until a familiar, warm embrace caught her, pulling her out of the abyss.

“So hard.”

Xiu Lan complained. This was all the strength she had left.

“…”

“My physical hardware is limited; would you mind bearing with it a little more?”

The voice sounded displeased, yet a hand pierced through the shadows, inserting a spherical object.

‘This is…’

“I have already removed the restraints on it; you should now be able to use [Divine Blood].”

Warm currents continuously seeped into her body from the gem. The shadows, previously at a disadvantage, surged like a shot of adrenaline, instantly overwhelming the rampant [Light].

“But this isn’t enough… far from enough…”

The hand rummaged and groped within the shadows. Amidst Xiu Lan’s faint moans, it vengefully kneaded those peerless peaks before finally whispering contentedly into the girl’s ear:

“Now, quickly go and consume the other two [Divine Blood] gems. Don’t worry, no matter where you are, no matter when, I will always be with you… always.”

Having said that, it gently bit Xiu Lan’s earlobe.

Then, the battered world collapsed.