Both Van Helsing and Yinsen found the room deeply unsettling.
There was an enormous bathtub, large enough to serve as a swimming pool, but it held no clear water. The heavy stench of blood immediately told the two men what filled it.
A slight glance upward revealed where all that blood came from—countless young girls hung naked above the pool. Special devices had been inserted into their bodies, allowing their blood to flow slowly and continuously into the pool.
Countess Selene was soaking in the scarlet blood pool, her eyes narrowed as she luxuriated in it all. She even held a specially made goblet in her hand; with the slightest lift, she could catch the scarlet liquid flowing down from above.
"..."
Van Helsing asked Yinsen as calmly as he could, "What do you think? Is she still the Selene you know?" Anyone could hear the violent fury hidden in his voice.
"Obviously, she isn't the one from my home."
"From your home?"
Van Helsing wanted to ask more, but this was not the time.
"We'll discuss that later."
He pulled a throwing blade from inside his heavy coat with his right hand and hurled it straight at the nearest girl.
He knew that even if the girls were rescued, they would be hard-pressed to survive without immediate treatment. But he could not watch this happen and do nothing.
Yet his throwing blade failed to achieve its intended effect. The device restraining the girl was not sturdy, but just as the blade neared its target, the scarlet liquid on her body came alive and knocked Van Helsing's blade aside.
"Looks like... she isn't merely an ordinary person whose mind has fallen into darkness."
Vampire hunter Van Helsing had extensive experience hunting Dark Creatures. Throughout his career, he had encountered countless