For a brief moment, Alucard almost laughed.
Not because anything was funny—
But because of how utterly, confidently wrong Lysander sounded.
He spoke with such certainty, such calm authority, as if the truth of the world itself bent around his words.
And yet—
"Your father is the Sinner of Envy."
It was absurd.
Completely absurd.
Alucard pressed his lips together, forcing the laughter back down before it could escape.
Mocking something like this… felt like a very fast way to die.
Instead, he spoke calmly.
"…Why do you think he's my father?" Alucard asked, his tone measured. "I've never even met the guy."
Lysander let out a soft chuckle.
Not loud.
Not mocking.
Just… amused.
He continued walking at that same slow, leisurely pace, hands clasped behind his back as though they were simply strolling through a garden rather than a death zone.
"Ah…" he said lightly. "Didn't I already explain that?"
He glanced over his shoulder.
His violet eyes gleamed faintly.
"Perhaps you have trouble hearing. Don't worry—"
A small smile curled on his lips.
"I'll repeat myself. Just this once."
He turned his gaze forward again.
"You carry his lineage."
A pause.
Calm.
Certain.
"Though… I must admit, you don't resemble the description of him at all."
His voice softened slightly, almost thoughtful.
"But then again… when one is the child of an unholy being, resemblance is rarely a concern."
Alucard froze for a fraction of a second.
Unholy being?
That single phrase echoed in his mind.
Unholy.
Not divine.
Not sacred.
Something twisted.
A corrupted existence.
Alucard's thoughts began to spiral.
If what Lysander said was true…
Then the Sinner of Envy wasn't just powerful.
He was something curropted.
Something closer to a Nightmare Creature than a god.
But that didn't make sense.
Dracula was a Sacred Terror and he was also a Sinner.
Not corrupted.
Not twisted.
So what changed?
Was he corrupted later?
Could something like that even happen?
And if it could…
Then what exactly was a sinner?
And another thing—
Feltan had said that all the other sinners were dead.
All of them.
Yet here Lysander stood.
Alive.
Talking.
Laughing.
Walking.
Which meant one of two things.
Either—
Feltan was wrong.
Or—
This thing in front of him wasn't a sinner at all.
Alucard wasn't sure which possibility was worse.
One meant that this guy was powerful enough to escape even the knowledge of other sinners.
The other meant—
Lysander was lying.
And if he was lying about that…
Then what else was a lie?
Alucard exhaled slowly.
I'll ask Feltan later…
If I make it back.
A bitter thought.
He immediately shut it down.
No. I'll make it back.
I always do.
Even if he didn't fully believe it.
Still—
If he was going to survive this encounter, he needed information.
And more importantly—
He needed to keep Lysander interested.
Preferably without giving him a reason to kill everyone.
"…Actually," Alucard said, breaking the silence, "I didn't get his lineage because I'm his kid."
He shrugged slightly.
"I have the lineages of three other sinners as well."
Lysander stopped walking.
Slowly.
Then turned.
His expression didn't change.
Not even slightly.
But something in the air shifted.
Something subtle.
Something… heavier.
"And how," Lysander asked quietly, "did you manage that?"
His voice was still calm.
Still pleasant.
But now—
There was something underneath it.
Curiosity.
Sharp.
Precise.
"And which lineages do you possess?"
Alucard hesitated for a split second.
Then chose honesty.
Partially.
"I got Envy's lineage through my Aspect Legacy," he said. "The others… I obtained by consuming the blood of a sinner. Or someone related to one."
For a moment, Lysander said nothing.
Then—
A faint smile appeared.
"...Marvelous."
He stepped closer.
Not aggressively.
Not threateningly.
Just… closer.
"What is an Aspect Legacy?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
That question caught Alucard off guard.
He doesn't know?
Still, he answered.
"It's… something tied to my Aspect," Alucard said. "It gives me abilities or items when I unlock it."
A pause.
"That's the simplest way to explain it."
Lysander nodded slowly.
"I see…"
Then he smiled again.
Wider this time.
"So you can consume lineages not your own…"
"And make them yours."
His eyes gleamed faintly.
"How fascinating."
Then, almost casually, he added:
"That would explain the bastard shadow you travel with."
Alucard frowned.
"…Bastard shadow?"
Lysander waved a hand dismissively.
"Yes, yes. The small one. The one clinging to you and that vile nephilim like a parasite."
"…Sunny?"
"Yes."
Lysander nodded.
"He carries the lineage of Weaver."
Alucard blinked.
"…The lineage of who?"
Lysander opened his mouth to respond—
"Weaver. The Demon of Fate. Firstborn of the—"
He stopped.
Mid-sentence.
Then laughed softly.
"Ah…"
His gaze shifted back to Alucard.
Playful.
Dangerous.
"I almost said something I shouldn't."
His smile didn't reach his eyes.
"For a moment there… I nearly had to kill you."
Alucard felt it.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Killing intent.
Pure.
Overwhelming.
Ancient.
It vanished as quickly as it appeared.
But it was enough.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
…Noted.
He would definitely be asking Sunny about this "Weaver."
If they survived.
Lysander, meanwhile, continued as if nothing had happened.
"So, Alucard…"
His tone turned light again.
Curious.
"You said you can take a sinner's lineage… simply by ingesting their blood?"
Alucard met his gaze.
Then nodded.
He already knew where this was going.
And he didn't like it.
Not one bit.
Lysander smiled.
"Then…"
He raised his hand.
Slowly.
Elegantly.
"Open wide."
The glove of his armor dissolved into nothingness, revealing his bare hand.
Perfect.
Flawless.
Too perfect.
Then—
A small wound appeared on his finger.
No blade.
No motion.
It simply… opened.
Blood began to drip.
Dark.
Thick.
Surrounded by faint strands of that same violet mist.
It moved unnaturally.
Like it was alive.
Like it was watching.
Alucard stared at it.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him not to do this.
That blood—
Was wrong.
Utterly wrong.
But the alternative?
Lysander.
Killing him.
Killing everyone.
That was worse.
Much worse.
As if reading his thoughts, Lysander spoke calmly:
"Don't worry."
A soft smile.
"I am suppressing its effects with my will."
A pause.
Then—
"You probably won't die."
That was not reassuring.
Not even remotely.
But Alucard still opened his mouth.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
A single drop of blood fell onto his tongue.
Then—
He swallowed.
And instantly—
Pain.
A searing, burning agony exploded throughout his entire body.
Alucard collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing as the sensation spread through every nerve.
It felt like his blood was boiling.
Like something was clawing its way through his veins.
Like his very existence was being rewritten.
"Gods… damn it…" he hissed through clenched teeth.
Why does it never get easier…
Time lost meaning.
Seconds.
Minutes.
An eternity.
Then—
The pain began to fade.
Slowly.
And in its place—
A familiar voice.
Cold.
Indifferent.
Absolute.
The Spell.
[Your soul falls deeper into sin.]
A pause.
[You have received the Sin Lineage of Sloth.]