She swept her gaze over the buildings before her. The castle gates were tightly shut, making entry impossible. She could only find another way inside.
Watching the bats flutter through the air, the little bat thought seriously for a moment. Completely avoiding them was impossible, but since they had not paid attention to her, perhaps there was a chance...
So she imitated their aura, transforming into over a dozen identical bats and blending into their flock.
Sure enough, the girl had been right. The bats did not suspect the newcomers at all.
As she circled the castle, she soon spotted a suitable window for infiltration. Seizing the opportunity, she shot inside like a phantom!
The moment she entered the castle, the girl immediately felt as though she had been swept into a massive vortex. However, she focused and listened carefully, confirming that she had not drawn any attention before continuing onward.
The inside of the castle was far larger than it appeared from outside, filled with traces of history and the distinctive atmosphere of vampires. Antique chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, casting the corridors in dim, mysterious light.
Gasper
"That's terrifying! They must have the strength of a High-Class being, right?"
Miss Moonlit hid in the shadows and watched the center of the castle, where quite a few vampires had gathered. They appeared to be discussing something.
Many vampire guards stood around the perimeter, most of them possessing Low-Class or Middle-Class strength. The girl was so certain because she had compared them to the Middle-Class Lost Demon from before.
Compared to those guards, the vampires in the central area felt even more dangerous. One of them in particular... gave even the current Miss Moonlit an intense sense of danger.
The girl guessed that one of them might be an Ultimate-Class being.
Although she still did not know exactly how strong High-Class, Ultimate-Class, Quasi-Demon King, and Demon King Class beings were, she could estimate one thing: they would not be easy to deal with...
The other side was at least High-Class, perhaps even Ultimate-Class.
In High School DxD, using demons as an example, the power ranks from low to high were: Newly Born, Low-Class, Middle-Class, High-Class, Ultimate-Class, Quasi-Demon King, Demon King/God, Super Demon King, Chief God Class/Transcenders, Outlier/Quasi-Dragon God, and Dragon God Class.
The strongest was Dragon God Class, namely the Two Dragon Gods.
And that was only the ranking system of the DxD World. Above that were even more powerful beings, those from the world of High School DxD EXE!
For example, the EXE mechanical evil god that killed Great Red, the strongest being in the DxD World, with a single strike.
The so-called DxD referred to Great Red. Yet such an existence had been instantly killed. One could imagine just how terrifying the EXE evil gods were.
Above Dragon God Class were: Super Dragon God Class, Quasi-Evil God Class, and Evil God Class.
Putting EXE's power levels aside for now, even High-Class beings were already incredibly powerful in the DxD World. Demon King Class beings were even rarer still.
Ordinary High-Class beings were manageable, but if they were Ultimate-Class, they would be rather troublesome for the current Miss Moonlit. It would be best not to come into contact with them if possible.
Even a certain Dragon King was only Ultimate-Class...
Even within the same Ultimate-Class rank, there could be enormous differences in strength. Rank was only a reference and did not represent one's final combat ability.
Miss Moonlit chose to stay away from the area. The targets she was looking for should not be there.
However, as the girl left, the vampire in the middle suddenly looked toward where Miss Moonlit had just been with confusion, as though he had sensed something.
But there was no further reaction...
Some time later, Miss Moonlit stopped at a certain place within the castle. Looking at the area ahead, a faint smile appeared on her face. She had found them.
"How awful! That's too cruel, clearly..."
"I don't want to drink blood! It's disgusting!"
"..."
An exceptionally cute and beautiful little vampire huddled in a corner, looking at the companions ahead with an expression of pity.
They were all half-blood vampires, with human blood flowing through them as well.
Why did they have to do this?
Clearly, half-blood vampires could survive without drinking blood. And even if they did drink blood, there was no need to be so ruthless that they drained people into dried corpses.
However, being timid by nature, he only dared to watch from the corner. He did not dare approach them, much less stop them.
"Get lost! Don't steal mine!"
"You want a beating?"
At that moment, a large group of little vampires surrounded several humans, still fighting one another over their food.
These half-bloods were effectively under house arrest in this area. The vampires would occasionally throw some humans in for them to feed on. Although half-blood vampires could survive without drinking blood by eating human food, drinking human blood was not only more delicious, it could also increase their demonic power.
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Naturally, they would not let such an opportunity pass...
These half-bloods were looked down upon. In the end... aside from their bloodline, it was because they were weak. If they were strong enough, who would dare say anything?
After draining the few humans dry, the little vampires finally stopped in satisfaction. They kicked the dried corpses aside, wiped the blood from their mouths, and swaggered off.
Then they noticed the unusually cute little vampire in the corner.
A trace of fear flashed through their eyes as they recalled something, but it was quickly replaced by disdain. This fellow vampire was nothing but trash. As a vampire, he actually found drinking blood repulsive. It was utterly ridiculous!
"Hey, Gasper, you useless bastard! Get over here already!"
"You're as weak as a human! Hahahaha!"
"How can there be a vampire like you? Being of the same kind as you makes me sick."
One particularly tough little vampire tugged at his sleeve and stared contemptuously at Gasper in the corner, insulting him maliciously.
Most of the vampires here disliked him, treating him as a disgrace to vampires. Not only did he pity those lowly humans, but even when humans were placed right in front of him, he refused to drink their blood. What kind of vampire was that?
Gasper did not react much to the insults from these little vampires who called themselves his "kin." He was used to it.
But when he saw one of the stronger little vampires approaching him with ill intent, flexing his hands, Gasper immediately hugged his head in fear.
"Don't, don't hit me!!"
Clearly, this was not the first time he had been bullied.
"Hahahaha... Look at you. You're not even as brave as a girl. I just feel like beating you up today!"
Seeing how scared Gasper was only made the little vampire want to hit him more. School bullying was like this—the more timid someone was, the easier they were to bully.
This was not a school, but the situation was even worse. They were vampires, and being locked up in this place was terribly boring without something to entertain themselves.
Bullying an easy target like this vampire was their greatest amusement.
"Don't hit me, please..."
Gasper hugged his head in fear and cowered against the wall, looking even easier to bully.
But just as he was about to be hit, a figure stepped in front of him.
"Stop! Don't bully Gasper."
She was an adorable, beautiful little girl who looked like a doll, and she was also a half-blood vampire. Although most vampires disliked Gasper, there was one exception.
That was Valerie Tepes.
Like Gasper, Valerie did not fit in. She disliked drinking human blood and was an odd one out among the little vampires.
Naturally, the two were very close.
Compared to Gasper, Valerie was also somewhat timid, but she would often step forward to protect him, like she was protecting a younger brother—or perhaps a younger sister.
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The Outside World?
"Valerie, are you helping this guy again? Move aside, or I'll beat you too."
The little vampire frowned at Valerie. Although they were both half-bloods, he was still somewhat wary because Valerie was of royal blood.
However, since this royal was also a human-vampire hybrid, she was not valued at all. There was no need to fear her too much.
"No."
Valerie still stood firmly in front of Gasper.
"Valerie..."
Gasper looked at Valerie, who was protecting him. He felt grateful, but also even more self-blame and resentment toward himself. Yet no matter what, he could not bring himself to be brave.
Moreover, he feared his own power and did not want Valerie too close to him.
"You!!"
"Forget it. Leiba, if this guy loses control again, or if something else happens... we'll be the unlucky ones."
Just as the little vampire was about to beat them both without restraint, another little vampire spoke up.
Hearing those words, most of the vampires present remembered something. They all looked at Gasper with intense disgust, fear, and contempt.
That power of his would sometimes lose control and stop their time and movements. That strange helplessness and fear made every vampire dislike him.
Especially when he was frightened, that disgusting and terrifying power appeared even more frequently.
And that was not even the most frightening part. What was truly terrifying was that sometimes, this guy would unexpectedly reveal that "terrifying" side of himself, as though he had become a completely different person.
"Hmph, I'll let you off today."
Remembering Gasper's uncontrollable ability and those memories he dared not revisit, the little vampire did not attack. He glared at Gasper in disgust and gave him a warning before turning away.
Soon, the other vampires left as well, leaving only Valerie and Gasper behind.
Clearly one was a boy and the other a girl, yet when the two stood together, they looked like a pair of sisters.
Watching them disappear, Valerie let out a sigh of relief before turning to look at Gasper behind her.
"Are you okay, Gasper?"
"I'm fine. Thank you."
Gasper stood up, lowered his head, and thanked her softly before falling silent.
From the shadows, Miss Moonlit watched the two little vampires before her. They were the targets she had been searching for. But taking them out seemed like it might be troublesome.
Her original plan had been to knock them both unconscious, grab them, and leave this place.
That would undoubtedly have been the simplest method.
But now she hesitated, because she remembered Gasper's situation. If she frightened him and his Sacred Gear activated... taking him away would not be easy, and it would alert the vampires outside.
She wondered if she could persuade them to leave with her willingly.
From what the girl understood, they should have longed to leave this town. In the original story, Valerie had desperately sent Gasper out of the vampire territory.
With that thought in mind, the girl did not immediately go out to meet them.
After watching the two leave and return to their room, Miss Moonlit finally prepared to reveal herself.
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In the room, just as Gasper and Valerie were preparing to rest, they suddenly noticed a figure appear in the room. Their expressions instantly changed in alarm.
"Don't scream!"
Miss Moonlit moved, immediately appearing beside them and covering their mouths at once to prevent them from crying out.
However, that action seemed unnecessary. Valerie and Gasper had no intention of shouting.
Only Gasper looked somewhat startled, but he did not lose control. He seemed to sense that the unfamiliar older sister who had suddenly appeared before him meant no harm.
Once he clearly saw Miss Moonlit's appearance, a trace of amazement appeared in his eyes. He stared at her in fascination with wide eyes, thinking only that this older sister was so beautiful.
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Seeing the two nod, Miss Moonlit finally released them. But she did not lower her guard completely. If they made any other moves, she would definitely act at once.
"...Who are you?"
Now that she could speak, Valerie cautiously asked Miss Moonlit. She had never seen her before, and Miss Moonlit did not look like one of the vampires in the castle.
She did not know why Miss Moonlit had appeared here, or what she wanted with them.
She could not help feeling worried and uneasy.
Before you continue