"Fuuu…"
Kurose Akira drew in a deep breath.
The instant the air filled his lungs, the dragon-scale armor wrapped around his body pulsed with surging vitality. It felt as though every muscle fiber in his body had been forcibly awakened—cells igniting one after another, releasing a tremor-inducing torrent of power.
His gaze swept forward—
—and his status panel unfolded before him in crystalline clarity.
[Kurose Akira]Level: D+ Player EvaluationRace: HumanStrength: 250 + 1300Agility: 250 + 1260Magic: 300 + 1350Constitution: 250 + 1490Growth: UnknownSkills: (Expand)Traits: [Dragon Knight][Bright and Cheerful][Mother-in-Law Slayer][Succubus Physique][Super Fan][Soul Hook][Bloodthirsty][Honey-Gathering Bee]
Seeing his attributes multiply so explosively, a fierce joy surged up from his chest.
And this wasn't some crude stacking of numbers.
In this world's system mechanics, raw stats were amplified through layered multipliers—traits, rarity bonuses, combat forms, scaling coefficients. A mere doubling of attributes could translate into several times, even dozens of times, the actual combat output.
Which meant his increase wasn't just five or six times stronger.
As for the true calculation? Even he couldn't say.
He only knew one thing—
Right now, he had reached a peak he had never touched before.
"…That aura is—?"
The moment Akira completed his transformation, Morais finally remembered.
He had felt something similar once before—from the corpse of a dead adventurer.
That adventurer had been slain by the half-dragon who rescued the deer-girl.
"I've been searching for you for a long time… and now I've finally found you."
A flicker of grim satisfaction passed through Morais's eyes as he issued a low warning.
"Hand over the deer-girl."
As his words fell, he spread his hands.
Blue lightning gathered in his palms.
In an instant, two longswords forged entirely from concentrated lightning element condensed into existence.
When Morais exposed his identity, Akira's thoughts sharpened instantly.
Just as he had anticipated—his aura had been captured. The adventurer he killed had become the fuse that exposed him.
But at present, only this Star Knight knew the truth.
Kill him here—
—and the secret dies with him.
"Keep dreaming."
Akira didn't waste another word.
His towering body exploded forward.
He hadn't just inherited Mare Rhine's attributes—he'd also gained fragments of a dragon's battle instincts.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Morais.
His razor-edged dragon claw rose—
—and came crashing down.
Clang!
A shrill metallic impact rang out as Morais barely intercepted the blow with one of his lightning swords.
But the sheer force behind it made his heart seize.
How—
How had that frail-looking youth transformed into something like this in mere seconds?
Just because he became a half-dragon?
And that crimson dragon-scale armor—what in the world was it?
He had never seen such flawless armor, seamlessly enveloping a body from head to toe.
And its hardness—
It casually withstood the cleaving force of his lightning blade.
"Thunderclap!"
Morais roared.
Bolts of lightning descended like furious dragons, forcing Akira to retreat under the barrage.
Seizing the gap, Morais's body streaked forward like a bolt of lightning itself. His twin thunder swords danced in rapid succession, launching a relentless offensive.
Akira crossed his arms to guard.
The hardened dragon scales met the lightning blades—
—and only faint white marks appeared.
Morais's expression tightened.
He hadn't expected breaching Akira's defense to be this difficult.
At the same time, Akira was acutely aware of Morais's terrifying speed. Without Mare Rhine's attribute bonuses, he might not even be able to follow the sword trajectories.
Which meant—
Mare's power alone wasn't enough to decisively win.
"Lend me your strength."
He called inward—to the True Ancestor Vampire sleeping within his mind.
He only had two opportunities to use the True Ancestor's power.
Facing a Level 78 Star Knight like Morais—
He had to spend one.
"Human brat… are you begging me?"
Kanlutia's voice echoed through his consciousness, dripping with amusement.
"Since you desire it so desperately… I shall graciously grant you my power. But the price—"
"Your blood."
"..."
Akira fell silent.
Wasn't this power supposed to come from Kanluthis? Why was she inserting herself into this?
But the doubt vanished in the next instant.
Because Kanlutia truly bestowed an additional surge of strength.
[You have activated the Blood Power of the True Ancestor Vampire. All attributes increased by 50%. Physical damage immunity +50%! (10 min)][You have obtained Kanluthis's power. Your attacks inflict Bleed and Blood Burn effects!][Bleed: Reduces target's max HP by 0.05% per second! (10s)][Blood Burn: Ignites the enemy's blood!]
As the notifications flashed—
Brilliant crimson light burst from between the gaps of his scales.
A faint layer of blood-red energy coated his dragon claws.
The air filled with a rich—
Sweet—
Intoxicating scent of blood.
"Th-this… what is this?"
Morais frowned deeply, disbelief written across his face.
He had once interacted with Duke Kito and knew that beyond crimson pupils, the sweetness of blood was a measure of vampiric purity.
Even Duke Kito—who carried the bloodline of a Vampire Prince—could not compare to the sweetness emanating from the man before him.
Who—
What—
Was this man?
He wielded the power of dragons—
And radiated blood sweeter than a vampire duke?
"Die."
The moment the True Ancestor's power activated, Akira counterattacked.
The blur that once clouded his perception of Morais's swordwork became crystal clear.
He saw it—
A tiny flaw.
A microscopic opening in the rhythm of Morais's blade.
And he struck.
"BOOM!"
His massive fist, layered with dragon scales and blood-infused force, smashed squarely into Morais's chest.
The impact was monstrous.
Morais was blasted away like a leaf caught in a hurricane, flying dozens of meters before crashing heavily to the ground.
"Puh—!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth. Shock filled his aging eyes.
Just moments ago—
This human had the weakest presence among them.
How—
How could his strength increase a hundredfold in an instant?
To the point of matching him?
Before Morais could even steady his aging body—
Akira was already there.
Like a phantom.
"Bastard!"
Morais snarled, blue electricity exploding around him. Lightning condensed into a raging sea of thunder, attempting to block the incoming assault.
But horror dawned on him.
Akira's elemental resistance was absurd.
The thunder sea's effect on him was reduced to less than half.
Through the storm—
Akira punched again.
The blow shattered Morais's sturdy armor instantly.
Then—
It pierced through him.
"AAAH—!"
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.
A massive, gruesome hole burst open in Morais's body.
Blood poured out in torrents, staining the ground scarlet.
And that sight—
That violent, crimson spectacle—
Ignited the fire of exhilaration deep within Mare Rhine.
"Yes! That's it!"
Her voice rang out in Akira's soul space, eyes blazing with feverish delight.
"Human! My power!"
"It's magnificent, isn't it?!"
…
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