Fang Cheng was still steaming, but most of his injuries were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He grabbed Yagawa Ryoka by the foot and shouted, "Get back here!"
Yagawa Ryoka let out an enraged shriek as Fang Cheng dragged her back into the living room and slammed her hard onto the floor.
Yagawa Ryoka twisted violently. The leg Fang Cheng still had hold of was wrenched into a grotesque knot.
But she paid it no mind. Hopping up on one leg, she began wildly attacking Fang Cheng with her sharp hands, letting out a beastlike growl.
The dense veins that had burst across Yagawa Ryoka's body hadn't healed. By now, she barely looked human at all, more like a maddened beast.
Her sharp nails were as keen as blades, repeatedly slicing through Fang Cheng's flesh and leaving wound after wound amid sprays of blood.
Fang Cheng gritted his teeth against the pain, his expression grim as he hammered his fists into Yagawa Ryoka's heart and head.
Neither of them had the time for techniques or strategy now. It was purely a contest of stamina and regenerative ability, each trying to inflict more damage on the other in the shortest time possible.
Kanzaki Rin stared fixedly at the two locked in a death struggle, her hands unconsciously clenching.
She wanted to help, but there was no way she could join in on such a bloody brawl.
After hesitating for a while, Kanzaki Rin ultimately held back from attacking them both with flames and instead lowered her head to search for something.
Fang Cheng and Yagawa Ryoka's bloody fight moved from one side of the living room to the other, leaving a trail of blood and human tissue in its wake. It was like a slaughterhouse.
Yagawa Ryoka could no longer be called human. She was a rabid, doglike monster who had long since lost her reason, attacking Fang Cheng on instinct alone.
Fang Cheng felt as if Yagawa Ryoka had already torn dozens of pounds of flesh from him. All he could do was desperately avoid blows to his heart and head. If either took a fatal hit, he'd have to waste another precious resurrection.
"Catch!"
Kanzaki Rin's voice suddenly rang out beside him.
Fang Cheng glanced over and saw her toss him a silver dagger. He immediately reached out and caught it.
Yagawa Ryoka seemed to sense the danger. She opened her mouth and lunged for Fang Cheng's head.
The corners of her mouth instantly tore back to below her ears, revealing a gaping maw. Every tooth had become a sharp fang.
Her limbs had Fang Cheng tangled up, leaving him no way to dodge. He could only thrust one hand forward and shove it into Yagawa Ryoka's bloody maw.
She clamped down hard. With a crunch like a meat grinder, Fang Cheng's hand was bitten into several pieces.
"Shit!"
Fang Cheng cursed through the pain and plunged the dagger into Yagawa Ryoka's heart with his other, uninjured hand.
Yagawa Ryoka tried to bite him again, but her movements stopped as soon as the silver weapon struck her heart.
Fang Cheng felt the dagger grow scorching hot in his hand, like a red-hot iron rod, and let go.
Yagawa Ryoka fell onto her back with a thud and lay motionless on the floor like a dead dog.
Panting, Fang Cheng took two steps back and beckoned to Kanzaki Rin.
Kanzaki Rin warily approached. "What?"
Fang Cheng pointed at Yagawa Ryoka's corpse. "Finish her off!"
Kanzaki Rin understood what he meant. She glanced at Yagawa Ryoka, who was already cold, and shook her head. "No need. She's dead."
Fang Cheng's body suddenly went limp, and he started to fall to the floor.
Kanzaki Rin hurriedly reached out to catch him.
Fang Cheng stared at her, speechless. "What, you treating me like hired muscle?"
Kanzaki Rin shoved Fang Cheng to the floor, rushed into the kitchen, and frantically washed her hands under the tap.
"Hahaha!"
Fang Cheng lay on the floor, laughing uproariously.
But he didn't laugh for long. His face turned pale, and his whole body visibly weakened.
His severed arm and the wounds on his body were healing, but the faster they healed, the more pronounced his weakness became.
He staggered to his feet and stumbled into the kitchen.
"What are you doing?"
Kanzaki Rin, still washing her hands, immediately asked warily.
Fang Cheng pointed to the ingredients scattered across the floor and said weakly, "Quick... help me make a meal."
Kanzaki Rin paused when she saw that Fang Cheng had grown so weak he'd collapsed onto the floor.
She didn't ask any questions. She went over, picked up the ingredients on the floor that were still usable, and tossed them into a pot to make oden—in other words, a stew.
Once it was ready, Fang Cheng didn't even bother waiting for it to cool. He buried his head and wolfed it down.
A quick stew made by throwing everything into one pot was hardly delicious, but Fang Cheng didn't have time to be picky. If he didn't eat soon, he was afraid he'd starve to death.
Kanzaki Rin watched Fang Cheng devour the food, looking thoughtful.
She'd always wondered why Fang Cheng didn't feel the urge to drink blood.
Now it seemed he could use ordinary food in place of blood to satisfy his hunger.
Could he still be considered a Vampire?
Kanzaki Rin felt confused for a moment. She looked at Fang Cheng as though he were some shut-in who didn't like drinking Happy Water. It was downright incomprehensible.
She didn't dwell on it for long. Soon, she put the question aside and turned toward Yagawa Ryoka's corpse.
After finishing the huge pot of stew, Fang Cheng patted his stomach and let out a long breath.
He still wasn't full, but at least he'd suppressed the damn hunger. He no longer had to worry about starving to death.
"Clang!"
Kanzaki Rin suddenly tossed something in front of Fang Cheng, nearly making him throw up from fright.
Anyone who'd just finished eating would feel sick at the sight of a bloody thing being tossed at them.
What Kanzaki Rin had thrown was a heart she'd cut from Yagawa Ryoka's corpse.
Fang Cheng asked Kanzaki Rin, "What... is this supposed to mean?"
Kanzaki Rin washed the blood from her hands. When she turned back and saw Fang Cheng's reaction, she looked just as confused. "You're not going to eat it?"
She'd read the Disaster Countermeasure Department's internal files and knew about Vampire habits. They hunted one another and ate their companions' hearts to increase their strength.
Yagawa Ryoka had come to Fang Cheng's home to attack him. She must have wanted his heart.
Now that Fang Cheng had successfully fought back and won, Yagawa Ryoka's heart was his spoils of victory.
Kanzaki Rin had no reason to stop Fang Cheng from enjoying his spoils, and she had no intention of doing so. The stronger Fang Cheng became, the better it was for her.
"Are you crazy? Why would I eat this?"
Fang Cheng snapped back at her, then picked up the heart between two fingers, ready to throw it in the trash.
But the instant he touched it, a warm current abruptly surged through his fingers and into his body.
At the same time, several lines of text appeared in Fang Cheng's field of vision.
[Energy Absorption in Progress...] [Advanced Olfaction +1] [Life (Fragment 1/3) +1] [Blood of Madness (Fragment 1/5) +1] [Burning Blood (Fragment 1/5) +1]
Before you continue