The Princess on the Verge of Falling

"Bang—!"

With a deafening roar, the meteor plummeted from the sky and crashed heavily to the ground, creating a powerful Explosive Wind that sent dirt and rocks flying in all directions.

"...!"

Ciel, his robes billowing, emerged from the Explosive Wind, leaping across the ground with incredible agility. In no time, he was far removed from the shockwave and out of the Explosive Wind's reach.

At that moment, the dagger, which had been spinning like a windmill and deflecting the nail-like swords, suddenly spun in mid-air like a boomerang and flew towards the direction from which the Explosive Wind had occurred.

"Smack!"

With a crisp sound, the dagger that had been flying back was caught in a hand.

The Explosive Wind gradually subsided.

The scene was quiet and still.

"Well?"

Arcueid seemed to only realize what was happening now, stopping his movements as he was about to tear his limbs apart and standing there stunned.

Ciel's expression hardened, and his body slowly tensed.

Immediately, a voice rang out.

"I never expected that in such a short time, I would run into someone from the Burial Agency. Why did I have to run into someone from the Burial Agency?"

Fang Li twirled the dagger in Fang Li hand, glanced at Arcueid who was nailed to the tree trunk, ignored his blood-soaked and miserable appearance, and spoke in an extremely calm manner.

"With such good luck, why don't you use it to find the 'snake'?"

As he said this, Fang Li suddenly swung the dagger in his hand.

"Clang—!"

With a clang of metal, the throwing sword that had pierced Arcueid's entire body was severed and shattered into pieces.

"Hmm..."

Arcueid slid down the tree trunk and involuntarily knelt on the ground, in a pool of his own blood.

The numerous blood holes on his body began to heal at a visible speed.

"You..." Arcueid knelt in the pool of blood, panting, and looked at Fang Li, unable to help but ask, "How did you get here?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Li looked annoyed.

"Because a certain vampire True Ancestor was afraid of being alone complained that I didn't keep her company, but she just left on her own."

After saying that, Fang Li turned his head and looked ahead.

There, Ciel remained intently watching Fang Li, his hand already gripping the throwing sword once more.

"Why are you here—I won't ask questions like that of this stupid woman."

Ignoring Arcueid's protesting gaze, Fang Li spoke to Ciel.

"However, hunting vampires in broad daylight, even if you're hostile to heretics, shouldn't you be a little more cautious?"

Fang Li's casual words, just like last time, did not elicit any reaction from Ciel at all.

Ciel continued to stare intently at Fang Li, and after a while, asked this question in a flat, emotionless voice.

Do you want to save this vampire?

It wasn't an interrogation, just a simple confirmation.

"I don't understand," Ciel said. "Vampires are enemies of humans, so why would you want to help her?"

"Just because they're not human, does that mean I can't help them?" Fang Li said with a half-smile. "It's as if if we were all human, everyone would be willing to help each other."

"It's precisely because even among humans, there's no guarantee that humans will help each other that I find it perplexing," Ciel said somewhat coldly. "If this is the case between humans, then it's even more true for humans and vampires."

"So, if humans aren't worth helping, then vampires are even less worth helping, right?" Fang Li curled his lip and said, "Unfortunately, it makes no difference to me whether they are humans or vampires."

This is not just empty talk.

If it were Ryougi Shiki, she would probably say the same thing, right?

"After all, in my 'eyes,' whether human or vampire, they are nothing more than broken dolls torn apart by 'death.'"

Upon hearing Fang Li's words, Ciel fell silent.

It's unclear how he interpreted Fang Li's words, or perhaps he didn't understand Fang Li at all. Ciel raised his throwing sword and pointed it at Arcueid was kneeling under the tree.

"Regardless of your thoughts, that True Ancestor is beyond saving," Ciel stated as if stating a fact. "If she isn't annihilated, even without 'Snake''s intervention, this city will soon become a ghost town."

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the air changed.

Arcueid's expression changed as well.

Only Fang Li remained unmoved, and said to Ciel, "What are you saying? I don't understand."

"Do you really not understand?" Ciel stared at Fang Li, as if trying to see through Fang Li's thoughts, and said calmly, "Even if you pretend not to understand, it won't work. But if you really don't understand, then let me tell you."

Thus, Ciel made this declaration with merciless words, as if striking someone on the head.

Arcueid Brunestud.

"This princess of the True Ancestor is about to fall."

"So, she's pretty much beyond saving."

The cruel words stirred my heart.

Arcueid lowered her head, her delicate body trembling slightly, whether from anger or resentment, it was hard to tell.

Fang Li remained silent, but sighed inwardly.

Fang Li was certainly aware of what Ciel was referring to.

Depravity.

There is only one way to describe the True Ancestor's condition using this term.

That is, the True Ancestor was robbed of all his will by the urge to suck blood.

Yes.

Arcueid's vampiric urges were awakened.

Just like the True Ancestor of the past, who were once tormented by the blood-sucking urge within them.

Although Arcueid was a weapon used by the True Ancestor to annihilate the Fallen True Ancestor, it was itself True Ancestor.

Naturally, Arcueid also has a vampire urge.

More naturally, Arcueid is not True Ancestor who would indulge in vampiric urges, wantonly drink human blood, and thus fall into depravity; otherwise, his position as an executioner would be truly unacceptable.

Therefore, as early as eight hundred years ago, Arcueid began to use his own power to suppress the vampire urge within him.

Even so, after using most of her power to suppress her vampiric urges, Arcueid still possessed a fighting strength that would make even the Twenty-Seven Ancestors of the Dead Apostle fear her.

This is why Fang Li previously guessed that Arcueid's true strength was at the Second Level.

Even after using most of her power to suppress her vampiric urges, Arcueid still possesses combat strength that would frighten even the Twenty-Seven Ancestors of the Dead Apostle of the Third Level. So how could her true rank be low?

However, Arcueid is now facing a crisis of corruption.

"For some unknown reason, she is now extremely weak, with most of her strength depleted, and she no longer has the strength to suppress her blood-sucking urge."

Ciel's relentless declaration continued to resound.

"If this continues, she will definitely succumb to her bloodlust and become a monster that feeds on human blood."

Even so, you still don't care?