The moment Ian laid eyes on the approaching woman, he had a gut feeling.
That person was a calamity.
— Tap. Tap.
Her steps were graceful yet enchanting.
But the crucial part was not her appearance.
Just one step. She had only taken one step forward, yet the distance between them closed in an instant.
Her flowing hair was jet black.
The eyelids, seemingly painted with the darkness of the entire world, contrasted sharply against her black-and-white face.
As a backdrop, her eyelids, drawn out like a long brushstroke, blinked slowly, as if heralding the start of a play.
Her gaze, with eyes redder than any devotee of the Bloodstone Cult, fixated intensely on Ian.
“So, you’re Ian. It’s my first time meeting you face to face like this.”
Her voice, murmuring from crimson lips, was alluring yet disturbing.
“…Blood Witch?”
Ian mumbled unintentionally.
The woman’s ruby-like eyes narrowed slightly.
“You know who I am?”
Her tone was casual.
But her smile was captivating.
With just a slight lift of her lips, the world seemed to grow redder.
“But wouldn’t it be better if you just called me ‘Blood Girl’? I don’t like being called a witch.”
Ian nodded silently.
Putting together the information he knew, her abilities ranked among the top in the Bloodstone Cult.
No.
There was no need to piece together information.
The frozen platform where thousands of hours lingered.
The momentum in her tone and gestures.
That she surpassed the realm of a blood witch was something one could easily feel with their own body.
For now, he’d go along with her rhythm.
“What do you want from me?”
“Ah. Such a cold tone.”
A hint of madness flickered in the Blood Girl’s eyes.
“It’s quite heartbreaking when the one I’ve always watched acts so cold.”
Her eyebrows furrowed as if genuinely saddened.
The Blood Girl wore a sad expression, reminiscent of someone missing a lover.
“…”
Ian gritted his teeth inwardly.
Always watched.
When, where exactly?
No. Why?
One thing was certain: being bitten by a seriously crazy woman had to mean something. Something quite strong.
“But I suppose I can overlook it for a momentous occasion.”
“…?”
“You defeated Richard.”
The Blood Girl’s face lit up with a smile.
It was a smile of genuine happiness, like that of a parent or a proud pet owner.
“I was watching to help, and you managed to defeat him splendidly.”
“How can I believe that? You, a member of the Bloodstone Cult, wanted to help me…”
The Blood Girl’s brow furrowed.
— Ssrrrk
Her figure disappeared.
At the same time, Ian’s vision blurred.
He closed his eyes and opened them again, only to find crimson eyes glaring at him as if filled with rage.
They were so close that their noses almost touched.
— Ssrrrk
Between her swaying black hair, the Blood Girl’s eyes flashed with anger.
“Doubting my feelings towards you is unforgivable, even coming from you.”
“Doubt?”
“Just now. You doubted whether Richard, an old man, was more important to me than you.”
Of course, he thought they’d both prioritize the Bloodstone Cult. But voicing that thought seemed like it might get him in real trouble.
“Answer.”
His whole body tingled under the Blood Girl’s gaze.
“Did you doubt me or not?”
The heat of anticipation left Ian with dry lips and a parched throat.
He managed to speak.
“… No.”
In an instant, the intensity in the Blood Girl’s eyes softened.
The tension vanished, replaced by a gentle smile on her face.
“Good. You really do know me well.”
Watching her, Ian thought to himself.
‘… Crazy b*tch.’
Suddenly, the Blood Girl’s eyes took on a crescent shape.
Could she have read his thoughts too?
It felt eerie, but that wasn’t it.
“I really liked how you didn’t flinch even when I approached.”
Her breath touched his nostrils.
“It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t take a step back.”
Ian had a simple reason for not fleeing.
He knew he’d be caught if he tried to escape.
“When caught in a spider’s web, it’s best not to move.”
“Ahaha. You’re indeed clever. But let me tell you one more thing.”
Ssrrrk.
The Blood Girl’s face glanced past and froze.
Her throat was starkly white.
A seductive breath escaped as she leaned in.
“… When caught in a spider’s web, you should pray.”
She whispered close to his ear, her breath tickling.
“… Spider, please spare me.”
A thin, long finger slid around Ian’s neck.
“… I’ll do anything, please spare me.”
Goosebumps ran down his spine.
His instincts urged him to flee immediately.
But Ian clenched his teeth and endured.
For whatever reason, this woman wasn’t going to kill him.
If she had wanted to kill him, there would be no need for this bothersome act.
“But you won’t beg, will you?”
“……”
“As if you believe I wouldn’t harm you.”
“If you wanted to kill me, you would have had plenty of chances.”
“You’re smart indeed. But listen.”
Ssrrrk.
Her touch tousled Ian’s hair.
“What if I couldn’t control my excitement and wanted to open your smart brain?”
Her breath was thin.
“Even if I were to savor every bit of your clever thoughts and make them mine.”
Her mouth opened as if to devour his thoughts.
“Would you still think the same then?”
Instead, her soft lips wrapped around Ian’s ear.
— Kka-deuk
Her tongue lightly touched his earlobe.
Trailing down from his earlobe to his neck, the Blood Girl’s tongue left a long streak of saliva on his skin, akin to a beast marking its prey, leaving behind a long strand of saliva.
“Your neck looks delicious.”
Lick.
Ian shivered.
Her wet, prickly tongue passed over his neck.
“Tasty.”
Again.
And again.
As if savoring, the Blood Girl pressed her entire tongue against Ian’s neck.
“Mmm.”
Heat radiated from the Blood Girl’s breath.
His neck, moist with her saliva, tingled hotly.
“It tastes like fine soil. Savory. Pure mana. Dirty enough to want to defile it. But someone has already dirtied it. It’s not bad, though.”
Her breath grew rougher.
The already moist neck and tongue slid against each other, making a gurgling sound.
Her breath poured out as if unable to contain it any longer.
“Haah. I was going to wait a bit longer.”
Monk.
Her lips lightly traced the thick veins on his neck.
Then, her pointed fangs touched the saliva-moistened skin.
A sharp sensation.
“… Got to endure this.”
The Blood Girl withdrew her half-buried fangs, leaving behind a thin strand of blood.
She licked it with her tongue and looked into Ian’s eyes.
With eyes burning crimson with all kinds of desires, she spoke.
“You suit me.”
As if about to kiss him, her touch wrapped around Ian’s face.
Their gazes met.
The madness reflected in the Blood Girl’s eyes.
“I’ve always watched you from afar since the first moment I saw you. Delving into the past, unraveling people.”
The Blood Witch spoke with a nostalgic tone.
“I’ve spent every possible moment with you and realized. Your mind, your talents, they all shine brightly.”
It was a soft laugh.
Therefore, it was endlessly sinister.
“Only I can recognize you, so you’re mine.”
Sweat trickled down.
This was the first time Ian had encountered something so sinister since the possession.
Not even Richard was like this.
As if reading his thoughts, the Blood Girl whispered his name.
“I was planning to watch you if possible. But Richard…”
A sharp, biting sound.
The Blood Girl ground her teeth.
“That damn old man threw you into that filthy prison of his.”
Ian couldn’t understand why the Blood Witch was so agitated.
“It was heartbreaking. The first dantian you encountered swallowed everything, that filthy prison of Richard’s.”
In that moment.
Without any time to resist, the Blood Girl clasped her hands behind his back.
“But I’m different. I’ve kept it all to myself without accepting anyone else. Look.”
A sweet voice.
The Blood Girl overlapped each other’s lower abdomen.
Dantians touching each other skin to skin.
He couldn’t escape.
“How’s that?”
Even if she asked, there was no answer.
Her eyes narrowed in disappointment.
“I wish I could share more of this experience.”
“What… Urgh!”
The Blood Girl’s dantian suddenly opened.
A passage was instantly laid between their touching dantians.
Every detail about her dantian was vividly felt.
Its size, strength, contained magical power… even the fullness of blood scent.
It was just a connection.
Nevertheless, Ian’s mana surged toward the Blood Girl as if to be absorbed.
Even though the Blood Girl wasn’t trying to absorb it.
‘What the…’
Ian ground his teeth.
His mana. He had to control it.
However.
The magical power did not flow through the mana circuit.
There was no time to refine mana through battles with Richard.
Impurities mixed with mana disrupted mana control.
‘… Damn it.’
Mana, and everything else, surged toward the connection to her.
All Ian could do was exert all his strength to block the passage.
Smiling enchantingly at Ian, the Blood Girl spoke.
“Don’t hold back.”
She pressed her body closer.
The distance between their dantians grew closer.
“Feel it.”
The Blood Girl gently twitched her lower abdomen.
In that moment.
The mana passageways that had been misaligned slid perfectly into place.
Ian gritted his teeth.
But.
— Crack!
His mana, which had finally carved a narrow path, poured towards the Blood Girl.
“… Tsk.”
The Blood Witch’s slightly parted lips emitted a sharp breath.
She tightened her grip on Ian, exerting force with her fingers.
“Don’t be afraid, pour it all out.”
Her dantian opened wide.
— Gush!
No, there might not even be an entrance to the dantian.
He just felt his entire mana being sucked into her.
Far away.
He couldn’t control it at all.
At this rate, everything would be absorbed.
… In that case.
— Clench.
Ian gritted his teeth.
And he invoked his power.
Not towards the Blood Girl, but through his own body.
He rerouted the power along the same path where healing priests had channeled holy power into him, turning it into a mana circuit.
— Sizzle!
As soon as his power reached her dantian, the Blood Girl’s pupils dilated.
“Ugh!”
With a startled groan, the Blood Girl recoiled.
“You…!”
Blood trickled from her mouth.
“Wow, impressive indeed. Alright. I really like how you resist. Haha!”
The Blood Girl laughed as if amused.
Ian stared at her incredulously.
She seemed even more insane.
Lick.
After gulping down the flowing blood, she smiled a beautiful crimson.
“It was delicious, but you’re not fully grown yet. I look forward to you growing enough to satisfy me. Don’t forget today and satisfy me more next time.”
In a foggy haze of accelerated senses, Ian thought to himself.
‘Crazy b*tch…’
“See you next time.”
Her hair fluttered like silk.
◆
Crash!
A sound like something breaking echoed.
Simultaneously.
— The next Lichten-bound gate will open soon. Passengers, please…
— Clang!
— Damn it! I spilled it all out!
All the sounds that had disappeared returned.
Everything that had stopped moved vigorously as if someone had pressed the play button on a video.
As if nothing had happened.
The world began moving again.
