So it wasn't some new system, a new combat style, or new magic. Just a Vampire Primogenitor. No thanks.
"Giada-san, could you tell me why you want my blood? You're even willing to trade the power of the legendary Fourth Primogenitor for it."
After a brief silence, Cid spoke.
Normally, most people would focus on the Fourth Primogenitor, not their own blood.
But unfortunately, Cid had no interest in vampire powers.
Just look at his track record. Two years ago in the Lawless City, he became Shadow and dropped a healing nuke on the rampaging Blood Queen Elisabeth. A year ago, as Roland Augustus, he reduced the First Primogenitor, the Forgotten Warlord, to nothing in a single strike. And just last week, he beat up Kojou Akatsuki, the Fourth Primogenitor, while he was out of control.
At this point, Vampire Primogenitors could be said to have lost to him again and again.
Compared to the Fourth Primogenitor's power, what interested Cid more was the condition Giada proposed.
Why did she think his blood was worth trading for the power of the Fourth Primogenitor?
He first ruled out the possibility that his identities had been exposed, not because he believed his disguises were flawless.
It was simply because if Giada knew who he really was, she would never say something this ridiculous. He had already crushed the strongest First Primogenitor. Offering the Fourth Primogenitor, which he considered the weakest, as a bargaining chip… he didn't know who this green-haired woman was, but she probably wasn't stronger than him.
Then what was the reason?
Cid had no idea.
His blood wasn't special, nor did it have any unique properties. During the Rating Game, he had blasted himself with magic and coughed up a lot of blood without any issue.
"Hm?"
Hearing his question, Giada looked more confused than anything.
"You don't know?"
"Should I?"
"Kojou Akatsuki hasn't drunk your blood?"
"Why would Kojou drink my blood?"
Seeing that Cid wasn't pretending, Giada's expression sharpened. She stood up, leaned forward, and buried her face near his neck, taking a deep breath.
"Ah…"
She let out a satisfied sound, her legs tightening slightly. The blissful expression on her face left Cid speechless.
"There's no trace of any other vampire. The scent is incredibly pure… the scent of a virgin…"
She sat back down, still looking dazed, her body slack against the chair.
"Come to think of it, is the Fourth Primogenitor just not interested in that kind of thing? Having someone like you around, and he still managed to keep his first blood for the Lion King Organization… no, that's not it. A vampire's urge to drink blood isn't really sexual. It's an instinct they can't suppress."
Lowering her head, she muttered to herself, genuinely puzzled.
To her, Kojou Akatsuki's restraint made no sense. It was like someone starving for three days, on the brink of death, seeing a table full of food and just walking away. No, it was even more absurd than that.
Based on what she had just experienced, even if Kojou Akatsuki were replaced with the First Primogenitor, the one with the strongest will, he probably wouldn't last a day. By the second day, he'd likely lose control just like the Second Primogenitor, taking both men and women without discrimination. Could it be because Kojou's bloodline was incomplete, so the attraction wasn't as strong?
Whatever.
If Kojou Akatsuki doesn't want it, then it's mine.
She had originally thought that someone already bitten by the Fourth Primogenitor wouldn't be worthy of her first embrace. But now…
She had hit the jackpot.
A trace of greed flickered in her eyes as she looked at Cid, licking her lips lightly.
"Just think of it as something I picked on a whim. Compared to the power and vitality you'll gain as a Vampire Primogenitor, a little blood is nothing."
She spread her hand, speaking casually as she tried to persuade him.
"…Alright, I agree. But I need to receive what you promised first. Only then will I give you my blood."
Cid actually wanted to refuse, but given the persona he had been maintaining, he couldn't find a proper reason to do so. He couldn't exactly say he was Shadow and didn't care about the power of a mere Vampire Primogenitor.
After thinking it through, he decided on a different approach.
Stall.
Whatever Giada was planning, he would just keep dragging things out and ruin it.
"Smart choice. Unlike a certain idiot."
As if she hadn't even heard the second half of his sentence, Giada simply nodded to herself.
"You don't need to worry about me deceiving you. If I really wanted to, I could ignore your will entirely and just take what I want…"
Her tone suddenly grew heavier.
Cid glanced at the teacup in front of him, where the surface of the liquid was rippling without any disturbance, then at the hanging window behind her, swaying despite the lack of wind.
Yeah, yeah, he got it.
Intimidation, right?
Was he supposed to drop to the floor now and shout something like "How terrifying"?
"But it doesn't really matter. I can wait a bit longer. Once you become the Fourth Primogenitor, I'll come back to collect my payment."
Seeing no reaction from Cid, Giada simply assumed he had been intimidated by the pressure she released and couldn't respond, so she continued speaking.
"How do I become the Fourth Primogenitor?"
Worried he might not be able to keep up his act if this dragged on, Cid quickly steered the conversation to the main point.
To be honest, he was genuinely curious how Giada intended to make him the Fourth Primogenitor.
From the way she spoke, it sounded as if she could grant that power to anyone she wanted.
If he was wrong, then fine. But if she was serious, that would be terrifying.
He had already fought Kojou Akatsuki. While not overwhelmingly strong, he was already more than powerful enough compared to ordinary people.
If someone could mass-produce Fourth Primogenitors, and each one had Kojou's level of strength, then the woman in front of him could easily rule the world.
"Hey, kid, have you heard of the [Blazing Banquet]?"
Instead of answering directly, Giada gave a mysterious smile and asked her own question. Without waiting for a reply, she continued.
"Primogenitors are immortal, except for the Fourth Primogenitor. The original Fourth Primogenitor was created, fulfilled its purpose, and was then split into twelve artificial Primogenitors scattered across the world.
So the Fourth Primogenitor isn't a single individual. A complete Fourth Primogenitor is made up of twelve vessels, each carrying one of its Beast Vassals, along with the Original, which represents its soul. Only when all of them are brought together does the true Fourth Primogenitor exist.
And the [Blazing Banquet] is the ritual to revive the Fourth Primogenitor. The twelve vessels, along with the Blood Servants who covet the Fourth Primogenitor's power, gather at the [Blazing Banquet]. Then, using the vessel that carries the Original as the core, the complete Fourth Primogenitor is reborn.
During the last [Blazing Banquet], a lucky boy managed to destroy the Root by chance and obtained the power of the Fourth Primogenitor, gaining nine Beast Vassals and the body of a Vampire Primogenitor.
But he still wasn't a complete Fourth Primogenitor, because only ten vessels were present in that ritual. His body had flaws. At best, he was just an enhanced artificial Primogenitor with ten Beast Vassals.
So in theory, if we find the remaining two vessels and hold another [Blazing Banquet], recreating what that lucky boy did, we can produce another Fourth Primogenitor.
The difference this time is that all the vessels will be present. That means whoever wins the [Blazing Banquet] will become a complete Fourth Primogenitor."
After finishing her explanation, Giada took a sip of tea, rested her chin on her hand, and smiled at Cid.
"What do you think of this plan, Cid?"
For Giada, her main reason for coming to Itogami Island was to figure out why Cid's mere presence at the Underworld venue had triggered her urge to drink blood. Meeting Kojou Akatsuki had only been a side matter.
After all, Kojou Akatsuki was just a piece in a setup created by her and the other two Primogenitors. At his current level, he wasn't important enough for them to personally intervene. At most, they could have sent someone to bring him in. She only came because she happened to be here anyway.
But what happened?
Kojou Akatsuki actually rejected her personal invitation.
The audacity.
Before the worlds merged, she might not have cared. Back then, plagued by endless boredom, Kojou Akatsuki was their only source of entertainment. They wouldn't have disliked him. They might have even found him interesting.
But now, everything had changed.
With the worlds merged, dozens of powerful opponents had appeared. There were even five beings stronger than them, and one of them, the Lord of Netheril, could reduce them to particles with ease.
Compared to that, Kojou Akatsuki was nothing special.
As long as they didn't do something stupid like provoke Netheril, they could roam freely with their immortality.
So when she heard Kojou's answer, she almost lost her composure.
He really had no idea how serious his situation was.
With nine Primogenitor-level Beast Vassals, an immortal body, and endless magic power, yet still only strong enough to get taken down by a single powerful opponent, what was that if not a child carrying gold through a crowded street?
When that information spread, the three Primogenitors, out of a sense of responsibility, had discussed taking Kojou Akatsuki back to their territory, letting him grow properly, and then releasing him. But since he chose to refuse on his own, they had no reason to take responsibility anymore.
They were not going to protect him forever. He had already rejected them, and now he was no longer their only source of entertainment. Why would they keep bothering to protect him?
Calling that "fun" would be a stretch. Getting rejected and still sticking around wasn't fun, it was just pathetic. If they really wanted that kind of thrill, they might as well go pick a fight with Netheril. That would be far more exciting.
Using Kojou Akatsuki as a bargaining chip was nothing more than making use of what remained. She had originally planned to pay some price to taste Cid's blood, the one that stirred her instincts so strongly. But since Kojou Akatsuki rejected her, there was no reason not to take advantage of the situation.
In any case, Kojou Akatsuki's future was either death or something worse than death. Setting up a new Fourth Primogenitor in advance was hardly a problem.
Unaware of all these details, Cid only had one thought.
No wonder Kojou is so weak. I thought the legends were exaggerated, but it turns out he's incomplete.
After hearing Giada's explanation, Cid immediately linked the "lucky boy" she mentioned to Kojou Akatsuki.
"I don't think this plan sounds very good. How am I supposed to defeat an artificial Primogenitor on my own, especially a strengthened one?"
Sensing the flaw in her plan, or rather, using his outward image of being weak, Cid immediately raised the objection, trying to back out.
"Ah, don't worry about that. I'll go with you when the time comes. I'll deal with that lucky boy. You can just lie back and let it happen."
Her slender hand suddenly clenched, producing a sharp sound in the air, a clear sign of the immense strength hidden in that seemingly delicate arm.
"What if something goes wrong?"
Cid felt like he could stall a bit longer.
"There is no 'what if.'"
Even if there was, she could just call Ki Juranbarada and Aswad-Guul Aziz and have Kojou Akatsuki cut into twelve pieces again. If it worked once, it would work a second time.
She didn't say it out loud, but that was clearly her plan. In her mind, Kojou Akatsuki had already been removed from consideration as the Fourth Primogenitor.
"Let me ask you this. Wouldn't it be faster and safer to just go to that boy who already has ten Beast Vassals? Why bother with me? I'm not worth that kind of cost."
Cid tried to argue from a practical standpoint, hoping to convince her to give up on him and go back to Kojou Akatsuki.
"It's worth it. Completely worth it."
To his surprise, Giada answered without hesitation.
"Don't underestimate your own value. If the three Primogenitors ever end up fighting each other, it will most likely be because of you."
She was absolutely certain of it. Cid's appeal was enough to shatter a bond that had lasted for centuries.
Giada felt fortunate. When she went to the Underworld venue to watch the Rating Game, the First Primogenitor had been on the battlefield, and the Second Primogenitor had been staying behind. Only she had been free.
Later, out of boredom, she came to Itogami Island herself.
Only after meeting Cid in person did she realize just how much weaker that attraction had been when she first saw him from afar.
That scent, almost like that of a mother, stirred a vampire's instincts to their core. An ordinary vampire would probably lose control the moment they sensed it, though most wouldn't even be able to detect it.
The only reason she could still restrain herself was because her will was strong, and she had not actually tasted his blood yet.
If it had been the Second Primogenitor who went to the Underworld back then, given Aswad-Guul Aziz's personality, a conflict between the First and Second Primogenitors would have already broken out over him.
Fortunately, she was the one who went.
So, for the sake of preserving that fragile balance, she would take responsibility.
She would keep a close eye on Cid.