Chapter Sixteen: Jiang Qian's Story

Boom—!

A long, slender blade of ice and snow scattered into a flurry of white light and mist, dissolving slowly from her grip. On the opposite side, the flames of the explosion flickered, their fiery dance reflected in the icy blue depths of Liu Shiyu’s eyes.

The vampire was dead.

Such was the terrifying power of that blow that not even ashes remained—obliterated, utterly erased from existence.

The brilliant blue radiance in the girl’s irises gradually faded, returning to their natural shade of black. With the release of her “Spiritual Energy Liberation,” Liu Shiyu felt no joy in victory; her cold expression was thoughtful, tinged, faintly, with unwillingness.

“…This won’t do.”

“…It’s still not enough.”

“This… me, as I am now… is still far, far behind that person…”

From the depths of memory, an image arose.

An endless sea of fire raged atop ruins. Upon a boundless field of corpses stood a tall figure, a demonic sword in hand—a looming, shadowed silhouette—

The chilly night wind swept by, tousling her silky black hair.

Within those black eyes of the young girl surged the unyielding obsession forged over ten years.

I… must become stronger!

……

Elsewhere.

Cheng Feng: ∑(￣□￣;)

Sister: (=°Д°=)

Cheng Feng: “I…”

Sister: “…”

Cheng Feng: “…Forget it, I give up.”

“Brother, you really need to take care of yourself…”

The awkwardness was evident to both. She quietly excused herself, closing the door behind her. “I… I’ll leave you to it for now…”

“Pfft!” Jiang Qian couldn’t hold back her laughter, covering her mouth as her shoulders shook uncontrollably.

“Have you laughed enough?”

Cheng Feng complained, “It’s all your fault. Honestly, that vampire—why didn’t it just finish you off?”

Jiang Qian’s laughter faded, her tone sharp. “You dare say that? If it weren’t for you, do you think that thing could have possibly hurt me?”

“What’s it got to do with me?” Cheng Feng frowned. “You lost because you’re weak, and now you’re blaming me?”

Weak, am I?

A look of dissatisfaction crossed Jiang Qian’s face.

In the past, she had slain countless demon hunters who had come seeking her life. As the Thorned Rose among vampires, her power and reputation were both formidable; at her peak, she was counted among the top three of her kind. Save for the supreme Vampire Lord, none among her peers dared provoke her recklessly.

The last time she clashed with Liu Shiyu, her retreat had not been out of weakness but simply disinterest in fighting.

Jiang Qian wanted to retort, but the words she’d prepared caught in her throat, unspoken. Given her current state, her protest dissolved into a sigh. “Haven’t you noticed I’ve grown weaker? That’s why I lost.”

With this reminder, Cheng Feng suddenly realized, “Now that you mention it… it does seem that way.”

When they’d first met days ago, Jiang Qian’s vampiric aura had been thick and sinister—a testament to uncountable victims, her strength beyond question. She was, unquestionably, a monstrous entity, far above the rank and file of lesser creatures.

Yet today, she’d lost to a vampire of unremarkable power—there could be no other explanation but weakness.

He had to admit, her words rang true.

Now, she seemed as though she’d just stepped out of a hot bath; the domineering, oppressive presence she once exuded was barely more than that of an ordinary vampire.

He asked, “So how did you become so weak?”

“Do you know that vampires have a special ability?”

Lying back on the bed, Jiang Qian stared at the ceiling. “They can bestow all their power upon their first embrace.”

“No way… Don’t tell me…”

As those words fell from her lips, an incredulous thought flashed through Cheng Feng’s mind. “You became weak because you gave your power to me?”

But that didn’t add up. If she had truly passed her power to him through the curse, why hadn’t he received that strength?

The thought reminded him of the many questions still unanswered. He pressed on, “How did you come to be targeted by that vampire? It called you a traitor. And why were you near my home?”

Jiang Qian looked at him and sighed. “I told you—we’re companions now. There’s no need to be so wary. We’re symbiotic; do you really think I’d harm you?”

Cheng Feng detected a trace of loneliness in the vampire girl’s eyes. Perhaps, after all, she meant him no harm.

Jiang Qian had no idea that their symbiosis had likely been nullified by the system already, so she spoke with conviction. Cheng Feng, for his part, kept silent—he’d saved her, after all, partly out of distrust for the system.

He lay down beside her, gaze fixed on the ceiling as well. “Then explain it to me.”

“Why did I give you my power? From the very beginning, everything I’ve done… there’s a reason.”

“You’re not about to tell me your life story, are you?”

Jiang Qian’s eyes grew distant, as though lost in memories she could not bear to revisit.

“I was born in Romania, in the West—you must have read about it in history books. Romania is now overrun by vampires. In the heart of the city, Bran Castle was built, and there it became the kingdom of the Vampire Lord—Dracula.

Twenty years ago, I was born in Bran Castle. ‘Father’ wanted not only to raise me into the strongest vampire, but into the mightiest undead monster of all… But a few years ago, I escaped. I fled Romania.”

“Escaped? Wait…” Cheng Feng frowned. “The ‘father’ you speak of—is it Dracula?”

Jiang Qian gave a tacit nod, her gaze dim. “‘Father’ showed me no affection. I was merely his puppet, created for the sake of his ambitions.

He raised me to participate in the Parade of a Hundred Demons, to join in that savage dance of monsters and emerge victorious… to become the sixth Abyssal Fiend in the world. And in the end… to be devoured by him, granting him supreme, limitless power and dominion over all fiends.”

Parade of a Hundred Demons…

Abyssal Fiends…

This was the second time Cheng Feng had heard these names—previously, only from Liu Shiyu.

He asked curiously, “I heard Liu Shiyu say Dracula is already one of the five Abyssal Fiends. Why would he go to such lengths?”

“Of course he would. Precisely because of that, he craves yet more power—the strength of a sixth Abyssal Fiend. That way, he can surpass the other four supreme Abyssals.

He would become an ultimate being, one that even the Human Disaster Association could not oppose—a monster invincible beneath the heavens.”

“…I see,” Cheng Feng murmured in understanding.

“When I learned the truth, I refused to be Father’s puppet. If not for the immortality curse he placed upon my mind, I would have ended my life long ago.

I wanted revenge. I decided to find someone unknown to him—a stranger—and make them my first embrace, passing on the power of my bloodline. That way, even if he found and killed me, it would all be for nothing.

Let his twenty years of grooming end in vain.

But… my bloodline is unique. By nature, I lacked the ability to create progeny. Every day, I fed on humans, clinging to a shred of unrealistic hope—waiting for someone with whom I could succeed…”

At this, Jiang Qian’s gaze settled on Cheng Feng.

“And then, just a few days ago, the person I had been waiting for… finally appeared—miraculously. That person was you.”

To be continued…