Life With an Arcane Heart-140 – A Taste of Blood
"I can't believe you knew from the beginning!" Luce laughed, holding her stomach.
"...And you still went to meet with me on your own! Are you stupid?!"
Cyril narrowed his eyes, giving her a discerning gaze.
"I am enough to deal with you."
Luce put hands on her hips, staring up at him without any fear. There was a certain sense of excitement showing through her anger.
"Uh huh. Anyway, I am very lucky you are that way," she said, beginning to walk around him.
Cyril stood in place, calmly observing her.
"If you ran away, then how am I going to seek revenge? You are a noble. It would be very hard to reach you. None of the elders even wanted to help me try."
She rolled up the sleeves of her robe, the nails on her hands growing sharper.
"Don't worry. You did point to a way out for me back then, and you are Anna's friend. I am not going to kill someone she likes."
Luce's smile widened, her sharp fangs peeking through.
"I remember you asking me if we can turn others into vampires. Yes, we can. Those who are made through this method have to unconditionally follow their sire's will. You'll get to research it all you want on yourself soon."
She subtly glanced at the butterfly flying near Cyril, her eyes wary, before adopting a fighting stance.
"This way, Anna will get a boyfriend who I'll definitely know will not do anything foolish, and I'll get my revenge. It's a win-win."
"Ho, disgusting bloodsucker."
Cyril cast a spell. A fireball flew out, crashing to where Luce was standing.
A loud explosion rang out in the empty building with dust falling from the ceiling.
As Cyril stared at the smoke, a vision flashed in his mind. Suddenly, Luce would appear at his side, almost instantaneously, and grab at his throat.
"...!"
He ducked and swept with his leg. It caught onto Luce, making her fall to the floor.
But before he could pursue, she was already up and leaping away.
He frowned, standing up as well. Her speed was frighteningly fast. Much faster than when he first met her.
"You were able to react to that?" Luce said, wariness written all over her face.
She walked around him again, gazing at him like a predator sizing up a competitor.
"It wasn't that fast," Cyril lied with a straight face.
Before she could reply, he cast another fireball. This time it flew faster, reaching Luce in a moment.
However, the vampire's body turned into a blur, the spell heading straight through.
Leaving an afterimage, she circled behind him and stood there.
Cyril calmly turned around. The butterfly in the air twitched her antennae with worry. She wasn't fast enough to seize the moment to strike.
The vampire's movements were beyond what he expected.
"…You are a bit better than in the past," he said, his voice calm.
Luce thoughtfully rubbed her chin, staring at him without moving. There was clear doubt in her red eyes.
Finally she smirked again.
"The difference is literally night and day. Also, I am no longer starving. It's not too late to accept defeat, you know? Don't worry, I'll be gentle," she said, her words filled with suggestive intent.
"…Some priestess you are. How were you able to use a miracle? Are gods so uncaring they grant powers to monsters?"
Luce's playful smile turned angry, sending him a glare.
"Why shouldn't monsters get blessed too? We are all equal in Their eyes,' she said with reverence, holding back her anger.
She was more upset than when he called her a zoo animal.
Once again Cyril was shocked, staring at her with obvious surprise. He assumed the priestess's identity was a front.
"You are actually a believer?"
"Hmph!"
Instead of replying, Luce lunged forward, her body turning into a blur.
Suddenly a vision flashed in Cyril's mind. She would appear in front of him, swiping with her claws.
Cyril immediately lunged forward as well, throwing a fist with all his strength.
Sure enough, Luce appeared in front of him.
But before his fist could reach her. Luce's body turned into a dark cloud.
She phased through the attack, solidifying a short distance to the side.
Luce swiped at him with another hand.
A loud tearing sound rang out in the empty building.
Cyril took a few steps back, almost stumbling in the process.
Only then did Morpho have the time to dive in at Luce, hitting her while her claws were still outstretched.
Luce jumped away, her face briefly flashing with pain.
Cyril observed the five deep red gashes on his chest before glaring at the vampire.
That's another uniform torn to pieces...
Luce had already recovered. Having dealt with Selene's technique in the past, she already knew how to neutralize it.
As pain left her face, it was replaced by a smug smirk.
"Hahaha! I knew it! You are not nearly fast enough!" She pointed at him, laughing.
"You must be using a spell to anticipate my moves ahead of time. Too bad it's pointless in the face of raw strength!"
Cyril frowned, the butterfly near him fluttering closer.
Usually, Rhamn would speak these words against his opponents. The feeling of being physically overwhelmed by a peer, at least in appearance, was peculiar.
The doubt in Luce's red eyes was cleared completely. She stared at him with confidence, as if her victory was already in sight.
The vampire, slowly, began walking closer, a smirk on her face.
Suddenly her body was enveloped by a dark cloud. It soon spread to the side, creating a dark silhouette of a bat flapping its wings.
The dark bat flew higher, slowly getting closer to Morpho.
"Tsk."
Then, Luce raised her hand. Starting from her wrist, a stream of blood flowed, forming a sword in her grasp, its jagged edge clearly sharp.
"No more holding back. I can reattach your limbs if something happens anyways."
Luce's body turned into a blur.
Reacting to a vision, Cyril jumped back, dodging a slash, but before he could even land, Luce slashed again.
Cyril only had the time to block with his hand, meeting the jagged blade with bare skin.
"…!"
Destroying the golden bracelet on his arm, the blade failed to tear through the muscle, getting stuck. Luce's red eyes widened as she observed it.
Morpho wanted to use this opportunity and attack, but the dark bat flew at her, forcing her to dodge.
The two winged beings tussled with each other, appearing as an orb of red and black. Whenever Morpho would land a hit on the bat, it would melt and transform into another one. It was seemingly unending.
"You are tougher than before…" Luce mumbled, staring at the blade stuck in his arm.
"But I have a way~"
Before Cyril had the time to do anything, the bloody blade changed. Its jagged edge began moving in a circular motion, faster and faster.
"Hahaha!"
It soon began sawing through, the tearing sounds mixed with laughter echoing in the building.
Enduring the initial pain burst, Cyril used his other hand, throwing a fist at Luce's open body.
However, her body instantly turned into a dark cloud, phasing behind him.
Like that, Luce grabbed onto his head, moving it aside to reveal his neck. Faster than it takes for a human to blink, she opened her mouth and bit down.
It didn't feel painful. Rather like a gentle caress from a loved one, it made his head somewhat muddy.
"Cyril!"
The feeling immediately went away, his eyes refocusing. Cyril grabbed the hand holding his head and threw Luce forward.
Surprisingly, he succeeded.
Luce let herself be thrown, rolling on the dusty floor a few times before coming to a stop.
"…?"
Something wasn't right. Luce slowly lifted herself from the ground, her expression confused.
Her cheeks were flushed red as she smacked her lips a few times, like a parched human finally finding water.
Even the dark bat fighting with Morpho froze, allowing itself to be destroyed, with no new copy taking its place.
Twitching her antennae in confusion, Morpho landed on Cyril's shoulder.
Cyril held onto his hand as it slowly recovered from all the damage, staring at the priestess.
…Is my blood normal?
"I thought it was."
.
!
140 – A Taste of Blood
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