Germany.
Lest Karr was enjoying some blood.
"I'm getting a bit tired of the human blood here; I really want a change of pace."
A young Vampire dressed like a gentleman stood behind him.
"If you wish, my Lord, we can change some components of the humans' nutrient solution to adjust the flavor of their blood."
Lest Karr poured out the wine in his glass.
"No need. The lowliness in humans' bones cannot be changed. I plan to..."
Lest Karr suddenly froze, then looked in one direction in disbelief.
"The Progenitor's aura?!"
The young Vampire nodded.
"My Lord, I felt it too—a resonance from deep within my bloodline!"
Lest Karr's expression turned grave. The Progenitor had been missing for countless years; for an aura to be released so suddenly today, there must be a scheme afoot.
It would be easy for the Progenitor to conceal his aura. Releasing it intentionally could only be to attract Progenitors like them.
After a while, the aura vanished.
"That direction... Japan! Is Krul behind this?"
Suddenly, a Vampire ran up to Lest Karr, bowed, and reported.
"Lord Lest Karr, Lord Urd wishes to speak with you."
Lest Karr could probably guess Urd's purpose. As the Second Progenitor, Urd's resonance with the Progenitor would only be stronger.
A few minutes later, Lest Karr initiated the communication.
The connection was established immediately. Before Lest Karr could even offer a greeting, Urd spoke solemnly.
"Go to Japan immediately."
As soon as he finished speaking, Urd unilaterally cut the connection.
Lest Karr rubbed his nose awkwardly. He hadn't even had the chance to make a sound, and Urd hadn't given him an opportunity to refuse.
Though, Lest Karr wouldn't have refused anyway.
During this time, Vampires all over the world sensed the Progenitor's aura; some were surprised, some terrified, and others excited.
Progenitors from all over the world also made plans to head to Japan.
As for what they would do in Japan, they'd figure it out once they arrived... Ferid stared blankly at the Progenitor, the bloodline resonance informing him of the other's identity.
Although Ferid had long since analyzed various clues to deduce that the Progenitor was the backer behind the Imperial Demon Army and understood many parts of the Progenitor's plan...
He hadn't known the Progenitor was possessing the head of the Hiiragi Family!
While Ferid was brainstorming, the Progenitor moved.
Ferid instinctively retreated into a defensive stance. Since he had no weapon in hand, this reaction made him look like a stressed puppy.
With a wave of the Progenitor's hand, a severed arm floated over and landed in front of Crowley.
The Progenitor's smile was gentle and pleasant.
"This is your arm, isn't it? It would be quite a hassle to lose it."
Crowley didn't take it; instead, he frowned at the arm, unable to gauge the Progenitor's intentions.
After checking it over and feeling nothing was wrong, Crowley cautiously reattached the arm.
It was safe and non-toxic.
From beginning to end, the Progenitor's gaze never fell upon Luke; he looked down at Ferid.
"You destroyed my puppet. You must compensate me."
The Progenitor's tone was calm, yet it gave Ferid a feeling that he could not refuse.
Ferid chuckled and said,
"You must be joking, Progenitor. That old man exploded on his own."
The Progenitor shook his head.
"Since you killed him, you'll have to take his place."
"Reporting, Teacher Sigmado. We're still here; do you need us to excuse ourselves?"
The Progenitor turned to look at the Vampire who had spoken.
Luke had his left hand flat against his chest and his right hand resting on his left, held perfectly straight, like a student raising their hand in class.
The Progenitor smiled and nodded.
"That would be a great help. Sorry for the trouble."
The Progenitor didn't dwell on how Luke knew his name.
"It's a small matter. If you ever find yourself unable to get by among the Vampires, just mention the name Luke. They'll take good care of you."
Having finished, Luke forcibly dragged away Crowley, who was reluctant to leave.
Ferid felt like crying but had no tears. Now he was truly isolated and without help. He didn't know how strong the Progenitor was, but he certainly wouldn't be weak.
Ferid felt that if he wanted to escape from the Progenitor's hands, he would have to reveal some of his trump cards.
The Progenitor narrowed his eyes at Luke's departing back—or rather, at the asuramaru behind Luke—unknown thoughts crossing his mind.
The Progenitor turned back, his smile still approachable, but his gaze scrutinized Ferid with intense coldness.
"Your body is a bit strange. You're not entirely a Vampire. It seems... you've even consumed your own kind?"
Ferid's heart skipped a beat as he played dumb.
"I've drunk a bit of my kind's blood here and there..."
The Progenitor shook his head, his smile fading.
"No, you are tainted with a curse from another Vampire. Simply drinking blood wouldn't cause that."
Ferid fell silent for a moment. He had considered that the Progenitor might see his body had undergone experiments, but he hadn't expected him to see that he had consumed his own kind.
The Progenitor continued,
"I originally intended for you to replace Hiiragi Tenri as my new puppet, but I don't like you."
Ferid's body tensed, ready at any moment to react to the Progenitor's move.
"Die."
The Progenitor spoke those words flatly, then pointed a finger at Ferid.
Ferid quickly retreated, but finding no attack landing where he had just been, he couldn't help but feel strange.
The Progenitor wasn't the type to just put on an act.
On the other side, Krul was currently frowning as she looked in the Progenitor's direction.
As the Third Progenitor and being so close to him, Krul naturally felt the call of the bloodline and recognized him.
He was the one who had taken her brother away back then, and her brother's transformation into a demon certainly had everything to do with him.
But Krul knew the Progenitor's power was unfathomable; she had no confidence in being able to deal with him.
At the same time, Krul was worried that Luke would do something foolish and challenge the Progenitor.
Krul kicked a piece of rubble toward Luke.
Swish!
The sound of something cutting through the air echoed.
Luke tilted his head to dodge it and looked toward where the stone had come from.
Seeing Luke turn around, Krul made a gesture, signaling him to come to her side.
Luke pretended not to understand and responded with a smile, using his arms to form a large heart.
Krul stomped her foot in anger and was about to go grab him when she suddenly frowned slightly and turned her body.
A scythe flew past Krul's eyes, less than five centimeters from her face!
Krul looked toward where the scythe had flown from; Shinoa Hiiragi and the others were still unconscious.
She then looked back toward where the scythe was heading.
The Progenitor was pointing at Ferid, who was in the middle of a dodging maneuver.
Before Luke could even pull back his arms from making the heart for Krul, he saw Shinoa's Black Scythe flying this way.
While Ferid was wondering what was happening, he suddenly felt movement behind him; he sensed danger.
Without time to look back, Ferid leaped into the air.
Luckily, he was decisive enough; if he had hesitated any longer, he would have been split in two by the scythe!
The Progenitor reached out, and the scythe landed precisely in his hand.
The Progenitor's true form was recalled, and his body became solid; what had been in Hiiragi Tenri was merely his will.
It was just a coincidence that Shinoa happened to be nearby.
Ferid felt a wave of lingering fear. Not to mention he had no weapon now, even if he did, he felt a natural pressure facing the Progenitor.
"Mother Ferid, don't embarrass the Vampires! Here, use my weapon!"
Ferid turned and saw Luke tossing a sword to him.
Ferid caught the sword; the feeling in his hand was different from both Vampire Armaments and cursed gear.
Although Ferid suspected Luke's motives, the Progenitor was already slashing at him with the scythe.
With no other choice, Ferid had to use the magic sword to block.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out, and Ferid was blasted back more than ten meters.
In a place he wasn't paying attention to, a mischievous smirk still lingered on the corner of Luke's mouth.
Crowley didn't have time to watch Luke either; once his arm was fully recovered, he decisively charged forward.
The current situation was not part of the plan, and Crowley didn't dare to gamble on Ferid's chances of survival.
Crowley joined the fray. The Progenitor smiled as he raised the scythe and slashed toward Crowley's neck.
"How ungrateful. I clearly helped you save your arm."
Crowley was slammed into the ground by the Progenitor's strike, falling into the basement, but he wasn't injured.
Crowley jumped back onto the ground.
"Sorry, but Ferid can't die yet. You're truly incredible; my strength is actually so far below yours!"
Ferid and Crowley began to coordinate their attacks.
But facing the Progenitor holding his true scythe, they still steadily lost ground.
Luke watched with great interest from the side, analyzing information about the Progenitor.
So engrossed was he that he hadn't noticed Krul had already come up behind him.
You will get 30 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
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