Growing Closer While Sightseeing / An Attack Orchestrated from the Shadows

"Snort..."

Upon hearing this, a dangerous glint flashed in Altrouge's crimson eyes.

Such a coincidence has confirmed for Altrouge that this is definitely a conspiracy by the Holy Church.

Only...

Raising her delicate, petite hand, Altrouge slowly clenched her fist, a confident glint in her eyes.

After years of wandering, the injuries she sustained in the early battles have now largely healed.

If the Holy Church is plotting to use this opportunity to get rid of her, it's only making things worse for itself.

"Lord Strout, Lord Blood, come with me to see that good-for-nothing sister of yours..."

Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, Altrouge exuded an invisible aura and announced her decision.

"Yes!"

Although reason might not approve of the still-recovering Altrouge being sent out rashly, the two knights, sensing the emotions contained in their lord's aura, chose to obediently follow orders.

Elsewhere, there were also Ancestor of the Dead Apostles, just like Altrouge, who were watching Arcueid's movements and gathering there.

However, Arcueid, who had no power of his own and whose former supporter, Mei Lian, was not around, was naturally unaware of these matters.

Similarly, Gwen, who was also unfamiliar with this world, was unaware that he and his companion had become the eye of a storm sweeping across nearly half of the Underworld.

The two were more interested in discussing the movie they had just watched than in how many people might come looking for death.

Neon lights blurred into colorful shadows in the rain and mist, and fine raindrops filtered through the colorful lights hanging from the mall's dome, like a silver veil woven from fallen stars.

Arcueid twirled through the puddles, her short blond hair brushing against Gwen's nose, raindrops clinging to the ends of her hair falling softly into the folds of his dark gray trench coat.

"Human movies... are quite interesting."

The vampires in it were just too fake.

The streetlights cast blurry glows in the rain, and a layer of fine gold leaf floats on the asphalt. Arcueid's skirt is gently lifted by the night breeze, revealing the pearl-studded straps of her sandals. The girl's smile is exceptionally innocent and captivating in the hazy light and shadow.

"Those teeth, I'm afraid they'll break down after only two blood draws."

Furthermore, vampires don't decorate their coffins with velvet or live a life of elaborate etiquette like nobles.

Compared to this kind of life that only exists in the songs of bards, most vampires are pale-faced and cowering in corners trying to survive.

Where can one find delicious food? How can one evade the pursuit of the Holy Church? How can one escape the oppression and bloodsucking from the True Ancestors and the High Dead Apostles? Many of them live worse than a stray dog on the roadside.

Even those who were once nobles of the human world, after being turned into Dead Apostles by blood-sucking, live in constant fear of being hunted down by the Holy Church.

The kind of life depicted in movies... is probably only possible for a Death Apostle of White Wing Duke's caliber.

Ignoring the chill brought by the light drizzle, Arcueid, the True Ancestor Princess, complained about the romanticized portrayal of vampires in the movie.

"Oh..."

Gwen chuckled softly, twirling the umbrella handle in his hand. The raindrops falling from the umbrella ribs spiraled through the air, reflecting the gazes of the "roadside thugs" who were cautiously watching from certain dark corners.

Chapter 544 Intimacy During Sightseeing

Reaching out, Gwyn pulled the girl back under his umbrella before she stepped into a large puddle. His fingertips still felt a touch cooler than the rainwater. Gwen shifted the umbrella slightly to the side, shielding the lively girl from the light drizzle, and chuckled in response to her playful complaint.

"If the movie actually shows a bloody vampire scene, the audience will probably vomit right into the popcorn bucket."

The neon signs flickered above them, the mechanical creak of the convenience store's automatic doors opening and closing mingled with the sound of rain, and as Arcueid tilted her head, a sliver of eerie blue from her earring darted out, like a phosphorescent jellyfish swimming in the deep sea—

"But if all those Dead Apostles really lived that kind of life, wouldn't humanity have gone extinct long ago?"

The Princess of the True Ancestor blinked her bright eyes and asked in confusion.

"Cognitive Cage."

Gwen slightly turned the umbrella handle in his hand, and the falling raindrops blurred their figures—

"Just as the ancients believed that toads lived on the moon, and medieval sailors feared waterfalls beyond the horizon, when all the information is second-hand specimens, who can piece together the true nocturnal animals?"

Moreover, rather than what real vampires are actually like, what audiences want to see is whether the vampire story unfolds as they expect.

And the directors, naturally, filmed in the direction the audience expected—

This generation has been swept by a 'vampire craze'. Vampires are no longer monsters that people are terrified of, but rather handsome, dashing, and wealthy male protagonists in grotesque stories. Naturally, no one wants to see how vampires struggle to survive.

Decades later, when the mainstream view was that a vampire should be a stray dog on the street, the vampires in the movies naturally became stray dogs on the street.

After all, movies aren't reality; they're just movies made to appeal to a wider audience, so they're filmed to show things that viewers like.

The warm light from the convenience store streamed through the glass, casting a porcelain-like, cool white glow on Arcueid's profile where light and shadow met, and a glint of light seemed to flicker in her crimson eyes—

"So, Gwen, what do you think a vampire should look like?"

"Um...

If they continue to slaughter humans and grow wildly like the Dead Apostles of today, then they are nothing but inhuman monsters and should be crushed to death.

However, if vampires can exercise self-restraint, integrate into human society according to relatively reasonable rules, and earn rewards by using their strengths to produce blood products for a living, then they are just a rather special group of humans.

Someone as warm, generous, lively, and beautiful as Arcueid might be very popular.

Gwen laughed.

"Um..."

Upon hearing Gwen's reply, Arcueid's eyes crinkled with a smile, and she naturally took Gwen's arm, saying—

"What if a movie depicted real vampires?"

"Then we should suspect that there might be a few coffins hidden in the basement of this house."

Gwen raised his hand to brush the raindrops from Arcueid's short, golden hair, making it dry again.

The rain suddenly intensified, and the umbrella surface emitted a dense drumbeat.

Arcueid, whose short golden hair was being ruffled by Gwen, looked down at her reflection in the puddle. Ripples constantly broke her delicate face, as if reflecting her inner self.

"But if..."

Her fingers tightened around the handbag strap, her knuckles beneath the lace gloves turning slightly blue.

"If I..."

If I weren't like you, would you still like me?

Although they fought to the death the moment they met, Arcueid still harbored considerable wariness towards Gwen even after they made peace.

However, as they spent more and more time together, their relationship grew closer and closer.

Hearing Gwen's words, Arcueid felt a sweet warmth mixed with a sense of loss.

Arcueid knew very well that she was not the kind of person Gwen described.

He was the True Ancestor, the executioner of the Fallen True Ancestor, the executioner who killed all the True Ancestors...

The television in the shop window was playing a trailer for a romantic movie, with a soft glow reflecting the scene of the male and female leads kissing in the rain.

The umbrella handle in Gwen's hand was suddenly caught between the two, becoming the only barrier between them. The man and woman under the umbrella seemed to be a replay of a trailer, and the ritual called mana replenishment was being carried out in this rainy night.

After a moment, Gwen, who had provided Arcueid with a surge of magic, looked up and smiled—

"There are no ifs, Arcueid is just that kind of girl."

"Um..."

Looking into Gwen's eyes, Arcueid pursed her lips, which still seemed to be burning slightly, nodded gently, and naturally leaned into Gwen's arms.

Would you like some hot cocoa?

This seems to be labeled as a vampire-themed special edition.

Gwen pointed to the drinks on the convenience store shelf and asked with a smile.

"No, it doesn't taste as good as yours."

Hearing these teasing words, Arcueid immediately recalled the so-called special drink she had bought against Gwen's advice last time, and her pretty face puffed up instantly.

"Ha ha..."

Gwen laughed heartily twice and then led the girl to their hotel.

The flight to the Far East is tomorrow morning. It's almost dawn now, so it's time to let Arcueid's been playing all night, rest.

Under the watchful eyes of many in the shadows, the two embraced as they entered the hotel.

The intimate gestures between the two, and the meaning they represented, made some people's hearts pound uncontrollably.

It's not unusual, or rather, quite common, for Dead Apostles to do that kind of thing with humans.

But if this true ancestor's Princess really wants to do that kind of thing with that man...

Isn't this their opportunity?

It is well known that when living beings are doing that kind of thing, it is difficult for them to spare much attention to guard against attacks that they don't even know if they exist.

This undoubtedly gave them the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

However, the truth is—

Are you leaving again tonight?

In the hotel's luxurious suite, Arcueid sat on the bed, watching Gwen straighten his clothes, her pretty face showing obvious disappointment.

Although Gwen was traveling and enjoying himself with Arcueid during this time, he also frequently returned to the Honkai world to do some necessary things, such as assisting in completing experiments or testing the power of new equipment.

Today is the day Gwen is to return.

"Yes, the fourth round of experiments over there is about to begin. I need to go back and keep an eye on it, otherwise something might go wrong."

Gwen laughed.

"Don't worry, it won't take too long. I'll definitely be back before I head to the airport."

"Um...

All right."

Although she was very reluctant to Gwen leave and wanted to put some of the knowledge she had just found into practice, Arcueid still knew what was important and lay down on the bed hugging a pillow—

"I will rest well and wait for you to come back so we can go to the Far East together."

"Okay, see you tonight."

Gwen smiled and waved, his figure disappearing from the room...

Chapter 545 Attack Driven by a Dark Hand

The twilight was blurred into a gray silk by the torrential rain, and silvery crystal curtains kept falling from the low-hanging leaden sky.

The rhythm of raindrops tapping on the windowpane was like an ancient requiem, and when the wind lifted a corner of the plain curtains, the sunlight that leaked through was like silver foil soaked in water, illuminating the sleeping person in the room.

The silk quilt was piled up on the bed like the first snow. The sleeping beauty was curled up in the thin quilt, which was as thin as clouds. Her skin, as white as mutton fat jade, was exceptionally white under the flash of sunlight. Whenever a rumble of thunder rolled in the distance, half of her frosty white wrist would be exposed where the corner of the quilt slipped down. It was as if someone had crushed the moonlight and cast it into bone. Even the pale blue veins looked like glass threads flowing under the ice.

After Gwen left, Arcueid obediently slept in the room, like a snow fairy framed in an ebony picture frame, even the slight undulations of her blanket when she breathed carried a kind of divine rhythm.

As evening approached, Arcueid showed no signs of waking up; instead, she slept even more soundly.

Inside the room, an unknown spice burned quietly, filling the entire space with a slightly sweet aroma.

After Gwen and Arcueid left the hotel last night, some uninvited guests quietly checked in and replaced the air freshener in the room.

Knowing Arcueid's true identity, they were certainly not foolish enough to use any magic potions, and ordinary magic potions would be no match for Arcueid, the last true progenitor.

Therefore, what they brought in were only some very high-grade, but low-end aphrodisiacs, the kind of drugs that only magic apprentices would make and sell.

It is colorless and odorless, and does not even have any magical stimulation. It has only a weak aphrodisiac effect that accumulates with the amount inhaled. In fact, without deep exchange of bodily fluids, it has no difference from ordinary air fresheners.

The more Arcueid could immerse himself in that kind of thing, the greater their chances of a successful attack would be!

As night deepened, the figure hidden in the shadows could no longer contain itself and began to move—

He knew very well that he was definitely not the only one among the dead disciples who coveted the bloodline and power of this True Ancestor Princess.

You must act at the right time to avoid having someone else reap the rewards.

Fortunately, he was considered a local strongman, which made things much easier for him than for others.

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, the brave deadbeat detonated the Magic Bomb and began his attack—

Boom!

In an instant, half of the city's most prominent and tallest building was blown away.