[Ding! Your actions were too abstract, you have gained 33,500 Abstract Points!]
The system notification sounded in Victor's mind, confirming his successful harvest.
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Victor wasted no time. He casually waved his hand, and an invisible force erupted from his palm, crushing the surrounding vampires to powder! Even the nearby stone buildings crumbled under the devastating pressure!
Watching this display of overwhelming power from afar, Krul Tepes felt panic flash through her crimson eyes.
Too strong!
She had initially assumed that the intruder possessed only strange abilities, but she had never expected his raw power to be so terrifyingly overwhelming! A casual gesture could unleash the destructive power of a tidal wave!
I must flee!
There's absolutely no chance of winning!
She refused to die in such a humiliating manner!
With this desperate thought, Krul turned without hesitation and prepared to flee into the depths of the palace. Hidden within the ancient corridors was a secret escape route known only to her.
But just as she took her first step forward, a cold blade pressed against her delicate neck. The icy aura emanating from the steel made her pale skin sting with supernatural cold.
However, her attention wasn't focused on the physical discomfort. Instead, she was staring wide-eyed at Victor, who had somehow appeared right in front of her without any warning.
What incredible speed!
Even she couldn't tell when he had moved!
"You want to run away? It won't be that easy."
An invisible force locked around Krul's body, rendering her completely immobile despite her vampiric strength.
"From now on you'll be my little maid."
The closer he got to this petite vampire queen, the more enchanting she seemed. Victor found himself growing more and more fond of his future servant.
"Don't even think about it!" Krul gritted his teeth and snarled with defiant fury. "You can kill me or cut me into pieces as you please, but don't ever think that I'll stoop so low as to become your servant!"
Who does he think I am?
I'm the Third Progenitor!
Queen of Sanguinem!
How could she stoop to serving a mere human? Even if this human's strength far exceeded her own, her pride as a vampire royalty would never allow such a degradation.
In the face of this arrogant and stubborn vampire queen, Victor smiled gently. He lifted her delicate chin with his index finger and whispered in a voice like silk, "Don't worry. You will change your mind. It won't be long before you're ready to serve as my maid."
After speaking, Victor lightly tapped Krul's forehead, inscribed a sealing formation into her vampiric essence, and casually threw her into his dimensional space.
At the same time, he released Shinoa Hiiragi from her temporary refuge.
"Oh my, I'm finally out! The environment inside was so oppressive, it's much more comfortable out here."
Shinoa took a deep breath of fresh air, but immediately choked on the overwhelming stench that assaulted her senses. She quickly covered her nose with both hands.
"Ahem, I take back what I just said. It's absolutely disgusting out here. I think your dimensional space was actually preferable."
Everywhere she looked, the ground was littered with blood, dismembered corpses, and... other indescribable substances. It wasn't hard to guess what kind of battle had just ended.
Victor waved his hand nonchalantly, summoning a gentle breeze that dispersed the stench that lingered in the air. Only then did Shinoa lower her hands from her face.
"Where are we going next?"
Victor replied without hesitation, "To the headquarters of your Japanese Imperial Demon Army."
"Ah? Are you planning to attack the Imperial Demon Army?"
Shinoa suddenly felt uneasy, fear creeping into her voice. Victor possessed such overwhelming power that if he decided to attack the Imperial Demon Army, no one would be able to stop him!
Although the high-ranking officials of the Imperial Demon Army were corrupt scum who deserved no mercy, most of the lower-ranking soldiers were decent people who were simply trying to protect humanity. Of course, she didn't want Victor to take hostile action against the organization.
At least not against the ordinary soldiers who were only doing their duty.
Victor shook his head reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'm just going to retrieve a certain piece of the cursed equipment. I have no interest in fighting them."
They were just a bunch of weaklings, hardly worth his time or effort. Even if he wanted to farm Abstract Points, finding them would be a waste of energy. Given the pitiful strength of most of the Imperial Demon Army's personnel, he estimated that he wouldn't gain much from them anyway.
After all, except for a few who had mastered powerful spells, most of the soldiers in the Imperial Demon Army relied solely on their cursed equipment to gain the necessary strength to fight vampires. Without their weapons, they were only slightly stronger than ordinary humans.
There was nothing to be gained from such encounters.
"What do you need the cursed equipment for? Don't tell me you're actually interested in such equipment?"
Shinoa looked genuinely surprised. Did immortal cultivators really value cursed equipment? Couldn't they refine magical weapons and artifacts far more powerful than anything the Imperial Demon Army possessed?
"You'll find out soon enough."
Victor chose not to elaborate, explaining would be a waste of precious time.
Soon the two had returned to Shibuya, the headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army and one of the few remaining areas in all of Japan still under human control.
The entire district was protected by massive defensive walls. Outside was nothing but ruin and desolation, while inside were gleaming skyscrapers and bustling streets, two completely different worlds separated by concrete and steel.
With Shinoa Hiiragi serving as his "inside contact," Victor soon arrived at the facility where the Imperial Demon Army stored their cursed equipment. This was a massive research facility dedicated to the development and maintenance of Cursed Gear technology.
Shinoa used her identity as a member of the prestigious Hiiragi family to gain them easy access to the restricted facility.
"What cursed device are you looking for?" she asked once they were inside.
Victor replied without hesitation, "Its name is Asuramaru."
That was right, he was looking for the very weapon used by the protagonist in the original story! Asuramaru had another identity that few knew: he was actually Krul's beloved brother, Ashera Tepes, transformed into a demon weapon!
Krul had spent centuries searching for her missing brother. Now that he possessed Asuramaru, how could he worry about the vampire queen refusing to serve as his handmaiden?
"Asuramaru?"
When Shinoa heard that name, she felt a nagging sense of familiarity, even though she couldn't immediately place where she had heard it before. Soon, however, she stopped thinking about it.
She approached a nearby computer terminal, inserted her ID card, and used her security clearance to search for Asuramaru's current location in the facility's database.
"Hmm?"
When Shinoa entered Asuramaru's name, the information that appeared on the screen surprised her.
Seeing her expression, Victor couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Can't you find it?"
Shinoa shook her head slowly. "No, I found it. It's just that Asuramaru is not stored here. According to the records, he's currently in someone's possession."
"In someone's possession? Would that be Guren Ichinose?"
"Yes, the database shows that Asuramaru is under the custody of Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose."
At that moment, Shinoa finally remembered why Asuramaru had sounded so familiar. It was that sword, the weapon that had once belonged to her sister, Mahiru Hiiragi!
Come to think of it, the arrangement made perfect sense. After all, Asuramaru had been Mahiru's Cursed Gear while she was alive. As Mahiru's former lover, Guren would naturally want to preserve his deceased girlfriend's most precious possession.
"Where is it now?"
Since Asuramaru was in Guren's hands, Victor would have to get him from him directly. The method of acquisition would depend entirely on the lieutenant colonel's attitude and willingness to cooperate.
Shinoa knew that Guren was probably in serious trouble. Given the man's stubborn personality, he would definitely refuse to surrender Asuramaru without a fight. A confrontation seemed inevitable.
Although she hated to see her sister's former boyfriend suffer an unfortunate fate, there was nothing she could do to stop Victor from pursuing his goal. All she could do was tell the truth.
"According to the mission logs, he accepted an assignment and left for Chiba Prefecture."
"Then let's go there."
Having said that, Victor turned and headed for the exit, with Shinoa reluctantly following behind him.