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In the end, the God of Shadows, Gagras, sealed his own god-core, and Jibril added several more layers of her own seals. The god-core was the very essence of a deity. If a war god loses it, they'd die. With Jibril's seal on top, Gagras was now in a complete state of hibernation. Whether or not he ever wakes up... would depend entirely on Riku.
That was honestly the best outcome, considering the alternative was complete annihilation.
Afterward, Sonia publicly announced that Riku was now the supreme commander of the vampire race. None of the vampires objected.
Because it was their creator's decision. They had no choice but to obey.
And even if someone wanted to rebel, they'd have to think twice—Riku defeated their creator, after all. Anyone thinking of rebelling better check their power level first.
"Um, Master... could I maybe... have a sip of your blood? Just a little?" Sonia asked hesitantly as Riku was about to leave.
"Hey, little bat, you sure got bold real quick for a newbie follower," Jibril said meaningfully. Vampires could boost their power based on the quality of blood they drank.
A vampire who regularly drank the blood of powerful beings could grow ridiculously strong. On the other hand, if they drank from regular humans or only consumed sweat, they'd get weak fast.
"That's not what I meant," Sonia said calmly, even as Jibril and Schwi stared daggers at her. "I just think that, as your new follower, it would be better to establish a special kind of contract."
"I see. So where do you want to bite?" Riku nodded slightly and asked. He had a contract card, sure, but he wasn't planning to use it on Sonia. Her abilities were decent, but not quite up to his standards.
"My finger will do." Sonia looked him dead in the eye, signaling that she had no other motives.
"Alright." Riku extended his index finger and relaxed his body as much as he could. With his insane physical resistance, a vampire would have a hard time piercing his skin unless he let them.
Pfft———!
Staring at his finger, Sonia's cheeks turned a little red. She reached out with both hands, gently held his finger, then opened her mouth slightly to reveal her sharp fangs. She bit down softly, just enough to break the skin and start drinking.
Apparently, Riku's blood was incredibly high-quality. Even someone as calm and composed as Sonia quickly flushed with color, her expression unconsciously melting into one of pure enjoyment.
Kinda... suggestive, to be honest...
Seeing Sonia's utterly blissed-out face, Riku's eyes flickered. Damn.
And that fang bite… Sonia's version felt even more... uh, intense... cough...
Some strange scenes started forming in Riku's mind, and he hurriedly shut down his imagination.
Just then, a small blood-red magic circle appeared. A mysterious link had formed between Riku and Sonia.
It was something like a blood pact. But this one had Riku completely in control. Sonia's life and death were now entirely at his mercy. Any order he gave, she had to obey—or suffer unimaginable pain.
That's some serious commitment.
Riku looked at the girl in front of him and shook his head slightly in admiration.
"Thank you for your gift, Master." Sonia stepped back, cheeks still pink, and let go of Riku's finger. Her aura had clearly grown stronger. Then she respectfully bowed.
"Mhm." Riku glanced at his now-blood-covered finger and nodded with a weird expression.
"Ara~ Just joined the harem and already got a blessing from Master? I've never even had that kind of intimate bonding time," Jibril suddenly butted in.
"Ahem. Anyway—Sonia, we'll be heading off for now. I'll contact you if anything comes up," Riku said, shaking his head.
"I'll be awaiting your orders, Master," Sonia replied with a light bow.
Then, with just a nod, Riku teleported the three of them back onto Zhu Yue's back. In the next moment, they vanished completely.
"Serving a Master for life, huh..." Back in her room, Sonia hugged a panda plushie and murmured in a daze.
Meanwhile, up in the skies above the Beastman tribe, the sudden appearance of a man, a dragon, a Flügel, and a Machine Species freaked everyone out.
Especially Zhu Yue. Her overwhelming presence nearly made the beastmen collapse from shock. They had no idea Riku had gone to recruit a dragonkin.
But once they recognized Riku, Jibril, and Schwi, everyone's eyes went wide. Then—straight into full-on fanatic mode.
Clearly, they figured it out: their master Riku had just brought another high-ranking race under his control. And not just any—a dragonkin! A step above even the Flügel!
Leaving behind a very frustrated Zhu Yue, Riku, Jibril, and Schwi teleported again, back to their room.
"Honey! You did it?!" As soon as he appeared, Fiya (Fia) threw her arms around his waist, beaming with excitement.
"Of course! When I get involved, things get done," Riku said with a grin, patting her on the head.
"Hehe, little lady~ Not only did Master win over the dragonkin, he even beat a Soryu. And to top it off, the Shadow God Gagras sealed himself, and the vampires were brought under control," Jibril said gleefully, listing off his accomplishments.
"H-Honey...!!!" Fiya's eyes widened as she stared blankly at him, stunned.
This was insane. It hadn't even been that long, and he'd already defeated a Soryu and a god?!
She'd always known her man was strong—but this? This was something else.
Off to the side, Shinku was pouring tea when her hand suddenly shook. She nearly dropped the tray. She, too, was staring at Riku, completely dumbfounded.
She'd acknowledged how freakishly strong Riku was—a human with that kind of power was unheard of. But even she hadn't believed he could beat a war god. Now, though... she was starting to doubt herself. In just a short time, he'd gone from casually defeating Jibril to taking down a Soryu and a divine being...
Was he even human?
Shinku stared at Riku, her mouth twitching.
"Well, I did have to put in a lot of effort, you know. It wasn't as easy as Jibril makes it sound." Riku rubbed his face and shook his head.
"Honey, I'm starting to feel like I'm not worthy of you anymore," \\\\\\\\\\\ Fiya said with a complicated smile, letting go of him.
Just a few weeks ago, they had been on equal footing. Now, Riku had soared to a level where he could take down Soryu and gods... and she was still in the same place.
"....."