197. Smiling Embryo
Skyler Grant coughed loudly a couple of times, avoiding eye contact with Aisha. "Well, idleness really makes people nosy. I'll go write those messages now."
He hurried away, moving swiftly as the wind despite his old age, and vanished from sight within moments.
Aisha Patani maintained a calm expression, yet she was amused to see the old general acting like a young boy.
General Grant was one of the most cautious person that Aisha had ever seen. Even though asking younger colleagues for help would damage his reputation, whenever he sensed things slipping even slightly out of control—like detecting a mysterious vampire on Crown Mountain—he would rush to send a message to Sacramento, even if the vampire itself hadn't done any harm.
For him to send messages to eleven cities and offer help now meant he must be truly confident.
Aisha turned to look at John. Clearly, the Old General's newfound confidence stemmed from him.
A slight smile played on her lips. "I wonder what the old general saw that made him cast aside his usual worries and caution?"
"I think he's still quite cautious." I gazed in the direction General Grant had left, admiring his ability to pretend not to see Aisha while his eyes was wide open.
"Actually, there's no need for General Grant to send those messages anymore." Aisha walked closer and said, "I had planned to resolve this matter at the Strait of Georgia first, then come find you."
I turned back, puzzled. "Find me, for what?"
"About a week ago, the prominent vampires near Cascadia's borders abruptly began withdrawing." Aisha's voice carried a hint of wariness. "Does this have anything to do with you?"
After they parted last time, she recalled John's need for vampire cores. Since her realm had hit a bottleneck and idleness served no purpose, she decided to contact H.A.R.M. Generals in other cities to ask if they had any vampire sightings.
The replies she received were all strikingly similar.
Within mere days, the vampires that had terrorized the twelve cities vanished without a trace.
Only the Blood Moon Vampire King could have orchestrated such a withdrawal.
It seemed as if the old Vampire King had deliberately granted H.A.R.M. and the Vampire Hunters a vacation—allowing them time to rest and recuperate.
I lowered my eyes, pondering for a moment, then shook my head. "Possible, but unlikely."
A week ago, I had just finished killing the Nemean Lions and the Red Mane Snow Rabbit. Although this might have caused other harmonizing beast vampires to become alarmed and retreat, very few people knew about these deaths—only General Laurent, Keisha Ellis, and Rose knew about the Lion brothers. I couldn't fathom how the information could have spread so quickly.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Aisha had grown comfortable enough to share her thoughts with me. "The Ascendant King is wounded. They would never normally allow H.A.R.M. to have free rein—it goes against all their usual tactics. Yet now they're acting completely out of character, even sending the old Leviasaur to try assassinating General Grant..."
Had it not been for me, their assassination attempt would have succeeded.
This would have thrown H.A.R.M. into a state of absolute fury.
Aisha wondered about Blood Moon's true motive—why withdraw the vampires only to then enrage H.A.R.M.'s? It seemed unlikely their goal was merely to lure Theodore Montgomery out of Cascadia to revenge.
After so many years of conflict between them, the Blood Moon Vampire King surely knew that nothing except threats to breach Cascadia's borders could provoke the Admiral into action.
"..."
I frowned deeply. I had only killed five vampires, yet they were already withdrawing.
This was not good news.
Once gathered, they would undoubtedly discuss the deaths of the harmonizing Vampire Lords. Even without discovering my identity, they could deduce that Cascadia now possessed the ability to eliminate them without leaving any traces.
What a pity!
With sufficient vampire cores and lifespan, both the Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection and the CosmicDevouring Crystal could enable a direct breakthrough to the next realm.
Based on my calculations, there were more than enough Vampire Lords under the Blood Moon Vampire King to meet my needs. Given my current strength, I could assassinate them with virtually no risk—provided I had proper intelligence about their whereabouts.
The situation had become a bit uncomfortable.
Observing my expression, Aisha pursed her red lips. Sure enough, she wasn't the only one who sensed something amiss.
She spoke softly, "I'd like to accompany you for a while."
Last time we were together, merely chatting with me had somehow advanced her realm.
After gathering my thoughts, I understood the woman's intentions and couldn't help but feel both a little uncomfortable and amused. "I told you before—you could replace me with a log and it would have the same effect."
It seemed she had hit another bottleneck and was growing rather desperate.
"I have nothing better to do anyway." A smile tugged at Aisha's lips. "With General Kane here, even General Grant has no need of my help. And if I'm not mistaken, those three Vampire Lords you mentioned eliminating earlier—they were from Surrey, weren't they?"
"Truly remarkable," she concluded, her voice warming from its usual coolness into something crisp and pleasant.
"It's all right." I felt as though this conversation had happened somewhere before.
After a moment's consideration, I didn't mind Aisha following me. After all, I had nothing to do at the moment either.
For the first time since becoming a Silver Bell Vampire Hunter, I found myself in an unusual predicament—there were no vampires to hunt.
I turned and headed toward the residence where the widow and madman lived.
They had already prepared a room for visitors.
In the wood-fenced yard, Old General Grant sat with pen in hand, contemplating how to craft a message that would project perfect composure while subtly inspiring envy among the other city generals.
Until the girl in black armor appeared silently behind him, hands clasped behind her back, and watched him write. "I see you've even written one for me."
Skyler Grant coughed dryly, awkwardly crumpling the letter he was preparing to send to Sacramento.
Alex Vierkant rose and bowed respectfully, hiding his amusement. In all of Cascadia, not a single soul who wasn't afraid his senior sister.
… …
Inside the room, behind the tightly closed door.
Rather than resting, I retrieved the old Leviasaur's crystal core from the silver bell.
The vampires' sudden change in behavior was highly unusual.
Though the reason remained unclear, it surely spelled trouble.
My power had grown significantly, but I still lacked the strength needed to challenge a true Vampire King.
I had already used one Leviasaur core for the Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection. I planned to use this new core for the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization.
I opened the panel and used the Leviasaur's core to fill the External Crystal.
A vast amount of absorbed lifespan began to flow away.
One hundred years... six hundred years... one thousand three hundred years...
Perhaps the world within the panel was truly monotonous, with millennia passing by unchanged—I wouldn't know. But here in reality, right before my eyes, the vibrant Seed of Hope within my body was taking form with breathtaking pace!
The crystal core from the fully harmonized old Leviasaur held nearly seven thousand years of cultivated energy. Through the external core, it continuously replenished the Cosmic Devouring Crystal, nourishing the seed.
The fierce vampiric energy was wholly consumed by my Seed of Hope.
Following the blood threads that extended from the seed, a body and head gradually took shape, growing more defined. Within the inner crystal, it curled up like a sleeping baby.
[Year 2670, you successfully condense an embryo upon the seed. Drawing from heaven and earth, this demonic power forms a living being—an embryo born of cosmic forces themselves. As you gaze upon its blurry face, an irrepressible excitement stirs in your heart]
I turned my gaze from the panel to the Leviasaur's crystal. It had lost its luster, appearing gray and lifeless.
Having developed a frugal nature, I slowly chewed and swallowed the Leviasaur's nearly depleted crystal core.
[Year 1, you consume the Leviasaur crystal core, dissolve its impurities, and strengthen your Leviasaur Power talent]
[Crystal Realm (angelic grade) — LeviasaurPower]
I had consumed a total of seven Leviasaur cores altogether, and in the process, my Leviasaur Power apparently broken through some invisible barrier.
The sacrifices of both elder and young Leviasaurs had finally borne fruit.
My blood began to boil and my chest tightened with pressure. An inexplicable urge to throw punches and release this energy surged through me.
I instinctively clenched my fist, bringing my emotions under control.
After completing the seventh transformation of Sanguine Resurrection, my physical body had already reached a terrifying level of power.
Yet remarkably, the Leviasaur clan's blood talent still managed to grant me a noticeable boost in strength. Being thrifty and resourceful had paid off.
Winter had descended upon Cascadia, bringing with it early sunsets and crisp evening air. Through the window, I could see stars had adorned the inky sky. Exhausted from the day's events, I closed my eyes, letting the quiet darkness of the room envelop me as I sought rest.
While I was drifting to sleep, within my sea of essence, the embryo suddenly opened its eyes and flashed a mocking smile.