Above a distant sea far from Itogami Island, August faced off against Giada Kukulcan.
Boom!
Around them, terrifying magic surged wildly.
The once-calm sea grew restless, waves spiraling outward in all directions.
Buzz!
Giada's eyes turned scarlet, her fangs peeking from her lips, lending her an air of eerie allure.
August didn't hold back either, entering his demonic transformation. Dark runes emerged on his forehead, and wings of shadow unfurled behind him, spanning over a dozen meters.
His magic warped the surroundings, turning day into night.
A full moon hung in the sky, a sight that caught Giada Kukulcan off guard.
"To turn day into night—impressive. But I'm a progenitor. Night is my domain too."
Giada smiled at August, her magic intensifying slightly. She wasn't bluffing.
"Night may be your domain, but I'm its master."
"In a way, you're a lot like Cain—always so confident, even arrogant."
In her mind, August's figure overlapped with a memory of that fool.
That man was a genius, a prodigy, a lunatic.
He'd dared to touch the world's taboos, attempting to rewrite its laws—and the scariest part? He'd succeeded.
"Third Progenitor, Chaos Empress, Giada Kukulcan—out of respect, I'll face you with my full strength."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Giada Kukulcan smiled faintly as a massive familiar appeared beneath her feet.
It didn't attack, serving merely as a "stepping stone" for her to stand upon.
August smirked. Having fused with the Original Sin of Sloth, he now wielded five of the Seven Deadly Sins. His power had reached the peak of the ninth tier's initial stage, a hair's breadth from breaking into mid-tier.
Pride, Wrath, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth—these primal sins were the wellsprings of his strength.
"Black Cero!"
August extended a finger, darkness coalescing.
Boom!
A torrent of black energy erupted forth like a flood.
The Black Cero's blast halted less than a meter from Giada, blocked by an invisible force.
The raging magic parted around her, leaving her unscathed.
"Camaxtli!"
Crack!
Suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning tore from the sky, aimed at August.
Zap!
Before it could strike, the Dragon's Legacy, transformed into a shadow blade, intercepted it.
Neither had moved an inch. This exchange was mere probing.
"I recall you have familiars too. Why not use them?"
"Those? I gave them away."
"Gave them away?"
"Yep. Their power disappointed me—tasteless to wield, a pity to discard—so I handed them off."
"Tasteless to wield, a pity to discard?"
Giada Kukulcan's smile faded as she fixed her gaze on August.
A flicker of killing intent sparked in her eyes. She was angered.
To any vampire, familiars were their greatest asset, the source of their power.
Even for progenitors, their might stemmed from commanding numerous progenitor-level familiars—like her, with twenty-seven under her control.
"If that's the case, let's see what you've got. Xolotl!"
Roar!
At Giada's command, a towering skeletal giant emerged on the sea's surface.
Its eyeless sockets, gaping maw, and exposed ribcage were filled with pitch-black voids that reflected no light. The ribs could swing open like gates, firing darkness like cannonballs, gouging space with insatiable hunger.
One of Giada Kukulcan's familiars.
"Familiars are just beasts tamed by vampires. At their core, they're not your own power."
"Such arrogance. Familiars are a vampire's strength—why nitpick?"
"It's a matter of perspective. To me, they're not true power."
"Then show me how you defeat my familiar with your own strength."
Roar!
The skeletal giant bellowed, lunging at August.
"Dragon's Legacy!"
Whoosh!
A jet-black shadow blade streaked forth. Forged from a dragon's shadow and fueled by August's magic, the Dragon's Legacy was formidable—one of his top abilities.
Clang!
The skeletal giant clashed with the shadow blade, the sheer force whipping up waves around them.
But after the collision, the giant was flung back.
Giada Kukulcan's eyes widened slightly. Her familiar had been repelled with a single blow.
"Familiars are just constructs of magic. Find the right method, and they're easily dispatched."
The Dragon's Legacy flared with ravenous flames—power drawn from Gluttony.
Even Yukina Himeragi, bearer of the Gluttony Precept, could devour magic and nullify it. As Gluttony's embodiment, August could do the same.
Spurt!
Though it appeared as a skeletal giant, it was ultimately a vessel of condensed magic.
The shadow blade pierced its body, unleashing Gluttony's power. In moments, it devoured the giant entirely.
After consuming a progenitor-level familiar, the Dragon's Legacy doubled in size.
Giada Kukulcan felt her connection to Xolotl sever. She was stunned—her familiar had truly been devoured.
Familiars were immortal by nature. Even if "killed" in this world, they'd return to their host.
Once recovered, they could be resummoned—an ironclad rule.
But now, Xolotl had been slain by this man and severed from her entirely. She'd lost a familiar!
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