In the Abyss, Tyr offered me a single drop of True Blood. He handed it over as if doing a favor, claiming there were no treasures of value, and I had my skewer absorb it.
After that, things fizzled out somewhat when Tyr lost his dominance. But even after taking the regressor's True Blood, the single drop left on my skewer remained.
And the skewer that had absorbed the True Blood remained miraculously intact even amidst all that chaos.
No, it was intact *because* it was that skewer.
The skewer thrust up from between the shattered desk. A hidden move I had concealed beneath the desk during our conversation. Its glowing red tip aimed for Rutric's arm.
'Foolish. Don't you know how meaningless a blade is against a vampire?'
Far from stopping, Rutric only intensified his momentum. Even if that skewer pierced him, he would use the opening to attack me.
'Vampires don't get hurt. Blades that draw blood are meaningless. A shield or hammer would have been somewhat effective... If you had known that, you wouldn't have provoked me. Your foolishness is what kills you, Beloved!'
I'll return those words exactly as they are.
What killed you wasn't someone else. When Elder died and Tyr's dominance vanished, you gained the right to die of your own will. Put differently, you gained the right to live.
As Elder's limbs, they had finally become human.
The skewer tore through his body. He had intended to ignore it and attack me, but he flinched at the unfamiliar sensation. There should have been at least some resistance, but my skewer tore through his blood-filled body as easily as paper.
"What—!"
There was no time to hesitate. I pulled my wrist back and slashed the skewer in a wide arc. His flesh tore like paper, and blood and muscle spilled out from within. My pickpocketing skills hadn't rusted—I was able to turn his right arm into a tattered mess.
But my opponent was a vampire, one who casually discarded arms on a regular basis. This level of loss was everyday to him.
"True Blood! So that was your trump card!"
'Then, how about this!'
He quickly formulated a counter and twisted his left arm and right leg. Attacks coming from two directions. Moreover, this time he intentionally pulled back his strike points. Even if I intercepted his attack midway, his limbs would bend like whips and wrap around my body.
It really is like facing whips. Experienced, highly skilled, and adept at wars of attrition against humans. One-on-one, I would never have won even if I died and came back.
If it were one-on-one.
Snap.
Red threads wrapped around Rutric's entire body. Behind him, Count Elte had extended countless blood threads and seized him.
"Beloved! Flee!"
Showing his back to threads—this single timing was the only attack opportunity he had been allowed. Count Elte didn't miss his limbs that had been pulled too far back from drawing in his strike points. She too was a battle-hardened vampire.
Count Elte, who had grabbed Rutric to protect me first, shouted.
"I shall take responsibility and completely annihilate this traitor, so... Beloved?"
"I'll take responsibility."
Holding the skewer, I casually stabbed both his shoulders. It took considerable effort, but thanks to the skewer that had absorbed the True Blood, I was able to sever even Rutric's left arm without much difficulty. In the meantime, Rutric raged trying to kill me, but Count Elte continuously tightened and loosened the blood threads to keep him restrained.
Count Elte is better at dealing with vampires than I am. As if she had learned with that in mind from the start. Anyway, only after driving the skewer into one of his legs did I finally have breathing room, and I let out a heavy breath.
"How is it? How does it feel to kneel to your pet?"
Wounds cut by True Blood cannot fully regenerate. Furthermore, Count Elte was driving blood threads into his severed limbs to seal them. After failing several times to resist, Rutric muttered in despair.
"Kuh. To think the Progenitor's famed Beloved is such a ruffian... The nation will fall indeed."
"You're the one who kicked the nation away, what are you talking about. How is it? The taste of rebellion?"
"The taste of rebellion? After insulting the Kin who lost their Elder? I only did what I ought to have done."
"But when Elder was alive and Tyr's dominance still held, you couldn't even do what you ought to have done, could you?"
I pressed down on the skewer embedded in his thigh with my foot as I spoke.
"How pathetic. You barely gained your freedom and the first thing you did was suicide. For the crime of daring to oppose the Progenitor's Beloved, I'll grant your wish and kill you."
"...I had prepared myself to be abandoned someday from the day Elder passed, but I never imagined I would meet my true death at the hands of the Beloved."
Having lost both the strength and will to resist, Rutric muttered in self-mockery.
"Annihilate me."
'I thought I was already a dead man... but this much counts as a meaningful death. If I die by the Beloved's tyranny, the other blood kin who were hesitating will side with us.'
Having read his thoughts, the Ruskinia blood clan had been plotting a rebellion. Against none other than the Progenitor, Tyr.
'It has been 10 years since Lord Ruskinia was annihilated. During that time, we were nothing. Kin who lost their Elder are destined to vanish. Only the Progenitor could take us in... but even the Progenitor cast off the blood bond and abandoned us.'
They were the ones who most desired the Progenitor's return. The Progenitor would punish Rir, take his True Blood, and establish a new Elder... or perhaps take them in directly.
But the Progenitor who returned after so long had completely changed.
'Revenge against the Progenitor who abandoned us.'
What a grand reason for rebellion. The problem is, it's a reason that makes perfect sense to vampires.
I've read everything I needed to read. Seriously. All I did was free them from the blood bond, I never imagined it would lead to this outcome.
Count Elte glanced at me. It meant she could kill him now. But I still had one more thing to ask.
Pulling the skewer from his thigh, I asked casually, as if in passing.
"You said something earlier, didn't you? That you had circumstances that made you sensitive about matters concerning the Beloved."
"...."
Rutric didn't answer. That's fine. A telepath can read the answer without hearing it.
"Did Lord Ruskinia have a Beloved too? I heard he was harsh to humans... Well, those types usually fall deeply when they do fall."
"...You talk too much."
"What was he like? He must have cherished his Beloved more than you who are the same vampires, right? You keep calling me a pet and whatnot, but you're actually used to being treated worse than a pet, aren't you? I don't know why you suddenly picked a fight with me."
Vampires aren't ruled by emotion. Even on the verge of true death, they formulate plans coldly rather than feeling fear. But would there truly be no regret right before dying?
Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to leak the rebellion plans just because I provoked him. However, even he had enough humanity to leave one remark that would annoy me before dying.
"She died. She paraded around treating Lord Ruskinia's grace as her own rightful possession and got herself annihilated. Directly by Lord Ruskinia's own hand."
Even as he marked the end of his long life, Rutric mocked me with gleaming eyes.
"And you too, shall meet the same end."
He might have meant it as a curse, but thanks. That was exactly the information I wanted to know. I spoke to Count Elte, who was starting to look strained.
"Count Elte. Shall we step out for a moment?"
"I would appreciate that."
"Ah, wait. Before you go."
To help a little with the work, I picked up the skewer one last time. Gripping it tightly with one hand and steadying it with the other, I aimed for Rutric's heart.
"Farewell, Rutric. The desires of the dominated only gain meaning after escaping domination. The fact that your desire upon gaining freedom was... revenge against domination, is a surprising yet regrettable outcome."
'Showing courtesy and spouting nonsense right before killing. You talk too much.'
Choosing rebellion as the very first thing after gaining freedom... Did he desperately hate being dominated, or did he long for it deeply? It must be one or the other.
Or perhaps both.
"Since you too are human, I will respect that will."
'...Will?'
Stab. I drove the skewer deep into his heart. Rutric's consciousness wavered. Vampires don't die from this alone, but the skewer imbued with True Blood dealt a certain blow. It steadily eroded his immortality, which would help Count Elte annihilate him.
In his fading consciousness, certain this was the end, Rutric thought:
'I have put an end to my long life... but there is no regret that humans speak of. Is it because I am a vampire, or is it because I truly acted of my own will?'
Rutric was a limb. He had lived to hear Elder's commands and faithfully follow them. Elder's commands were absolute. Moving as a limb without even a chance to doubt within the blood bond.
Countless similar Kin died as limbs... but only Rutric died as a human. He hadn't died yet, but he would.
In his severed consciousness, the power of blood manipulation weakened. Count Elte released the blood threads she had been gripping tightly. Moving to the front, Count Elte drove blood threads into his torn chest. She stitched the torn wounds with blood threads so they wouldn't heal and spoke.
"I shall take the traitor's blood and heart. It may be an uncomfortable sight for a human."
"I'll step out for a bit. Finish it."
"Don't go too far. There might be sympathizers."
"I'll be right in the next room."
I shook my hands and stepped outside. Glancing back, I saw Count Elte plunging her hand into Rutric's heart. With her embedded hand, she controlled his blood manipulation art and stopped the flow.
Since she wasn't a promoted Elder, Count Elte couldn't take Rutric's blood. All she could do was release Rutric's blood—the power that composed and moved him—into the world.
That was enough. True death means not even a trace remains.
The existence called Rutric melted into the world. I watched the scene for a moment before leaving.
The hospital where the Divine Physician had stayed and left was more peaceful than expected. Pain and groans were barely audible, and recovering humans were chatting cheerfully. There were almost no Ruskinia blood kin left. Instead, humans who had their lives saved thanks to the Divine Physician were volunteering as nurses to care for the patients.
As I walked slowly, a girl in nurse's attire approached cautiously and asked me.
"Excuse me. I heard a loud noise from that direction earlier—did something happen?"
It's not hard to tell. I stated the facts honestly.
"I just finished purging a Kin who dared show disrespect to the Progenitor's Beloved. I did well, didn't I?"
"Father. Have you finally lost your mind?"
Why. What of it.
Why should I have to hear that from someone who's playing nurse here?