Flourishing, unnatural, teeming with vitality, twisted and depraved.
Dense grass and blossoms grew wild and unchecked beneath the crimson moonlight, spreading some terrible spirituality and corruption outward.
Amid the writhing blades of grass, two faces gradually emerged, both filled with ecstatic rapture. From certain features, one could faintly make out Galis and Argos, the two believers of the "Primordial Moon."
They moved on legs wrapped in dried grass and flowers, as though conjoined, stepping out through the doorway, tilting their heads back to gaze at the moon, muttering in mad whispers.
"Founder above... what in the world is this thing?"
Emlyn's scalp prickled. "Does that man even know what he's holding?!"
Screams kept erupting from the apartment building, and the nearby residents, upon seeing this horrifying transformation, fled the scene in desperate haste.
The twisted monster, bathed in moonlight, advanced like a small hill amid the rustling of grass, its body continuously swelling in size.
Shhk! Shhk!
Plants burrowed out from every crack in the apartment walls. They had originally been nothing more than small weeds, but under some strange power they spread rapidly, echoing the monster's every movement.
The entire building had turned into a green hell, grass, vines, and flowers swaying without cease.
Too dangerous!
Emlyn thought to himself.
Shhk!
Black mist burst from his back, instantly transforming into bat wings. The situation before him had already exceeded what he could handle; perhaps it was best to retreat for now.
"Mama—"
Just then, Emlyn heard a little girl's heart-wrenching cry.
Blades of grass, sprouting from a corner of the building as though alive, seized her by the ankle, capturing their prey.
At the same time, the enormous monster writhed forward toward the girl, both of its grass-covered faces filled with hunger for warm living flesh.
The girl's mother screamed in despair and anguish, flailing her arms uselessly, biting at the vines with her teeth.
Unfortunately, not only did she fail to pull her daughter free from the grassy prison, she got herself caught as well. She too was seized and dragged by the grass, unable to break free.
More and more innocent poor townsfolk became the monster's prey, and its two faces broke into smiles as it reached toward the mother and daughter with arms formed of woven grass.
Boom!
A dazzling bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, blasting that arm black and charred.
Emlyn hovered in flight before the apartment building, his wings beating the air, his fingers flipping rapidly through a notebook.
"Run, quickly, you foolish humans."
His young, handsome face wore an arrogant expression, his blood-red eyes reflecting the moonlight, as he spoke to the stunned mother and daughter.
As a noble member of the vampire race, if he still thought about fleeing in a situation like this, that would be far too shameful!
"Roar—"
The monster's two heads roared with fury in unison, swinging their arms at Emlyn, the vines cracking through the air like powerful whips, lashing out at him with a piercing shriek.
Emlyn's wings snapped, yanking his body sharply away, dodging the powerful lash. At the same time, he flipped through his notebook and pressed a finger to a page that carried a tingling sensation.
"Lightning Strike"!
Boom!
Boom!
For some reason, the notebook had recorded a great many uses of "Lightning Strike."
Blazing, brilliant bolts crashed down one after another, striking the monster's flourishing, unnatural body, drawing pained howls from it and diminishing its momentum somewhat.
Still not quite enough...
Emlyn thought, reaching into his coat, feeling through the lining. Inside that lining sat rows upon rows of potion vials.
As a vampire baron, also known as the "Potion Professor," his abilities allowed him to concoct a wide range of powerful potions.
Against plant life, an incendiary potion would be best... but the entire building was already covered in weeds; setting a fire would burn all the people alive!
He thought to himself, hesitating a moment before drawing out a vial of dark purple liquid and hurling it at the monster.
Splat!
The glass vial struck the monster's tree-like torso and shattered, the dark purple liquid instantly exposed to the air, spreading rapidly.
Sizzle...
The liquid crept along the plant's veins, and wherever it passed, leaves withered and flowers wilted.
An herbicide made specifically for plants!
"Roar—"
The monster's roar began to weaken.
Emlyn didn't hesitate; he pulled out a red vial, uncorked it, and drank it down, the spiritual energy in his body surging instantly.
Then, seizing the moment, he rose upward before diving down sharply, both hands thrust forward, fingernails sharp and swift, slashing a fierce arc through the air.
Shhk!
The monster's struggling stopped at once.
A line of blood slowly welled up across both their necks. The gash widened, and along with it, their heads slid slowly off, landing on the ground with two thuds.
The plants throughout the entire building stopped writhing all at once, quickly withering and turning yellow.
"Huff, huff..."
Emlyn landed on the ground, breathing hard without pause.
He looked at the two heads lying on the ground, and at the headless necks still gushing blood, and it finally began to sink in: he had truly succeeded in killing two believers of the "Primordial Moon."
Counting the one he'd killed before, he had now killed three, successfully locking in victory!
Excellent...
Emlyn couldn't help but smile, but seeing the panicked crowd around him, unease crept back into his heart.
Right, first hypnotize them with a potion, then quickly gather the traits he'd extracted along with the heads and leave... the official Beyonders would probably be arriving soon, he thought to himself.
Then he straightened his back, and with his usual air of pride, looked toward the terrified onlookers and opened his mouth to speak.
"Thump, thump."
Not far behind him, from what had once been Argos's room, heavy footsteps sounded once again.
---
North District, St. Samuel's Church.
"Well, as for capturing vampires and using the Goddess's teachings to redeem them, in principle, I do support that..."
Bishop Anthony said with a smile, "But the vampires also donate a fair amount of wealth to the church on a regular basis, to help support our day-to-day work. So, between us and them, it's still best to maintain a friendly relationship wherever possible."
No wonder the vampires are able to survive hidden away in Backlund. It seems it's not just because they restrain their bloodlust, but because they've greased the wheels with various factions too.
Silas thought to himself.
"I understand, Your Eminence."
He said, "Since they're willing to offer their help, then we'll treat it as though nothing happened. Once Soest's squad brings the cultists back, I'll release them."
"That would be for the best."
Anthony didn't press him further, merely smiling and nodding.
"Very well, please allow me to take my leave first."
Silas stepped out of the reception room, and suddenly felt the pattern on his arm ripple.
It seemed his flagship, and messenger, had returned. Perhaps wary of the temple, she hadn't manifested right away.
So Silas made his way to the square outside the church, pretending to feed the pigeons.
Antia appeared right on cue, tossing an envelope into his arms.
"That Councilor Ricciardo had an odd look on his face."
She said.
An odd look?
Silas opened the envelope with some confusion, and found only a single line written inside:
[Be careful. Among the members of the "Life Sect" who worship the "Primordial Moon," there is a demigod.]