On the streets of Leyndell, the battle was drawing to a close.
The knights of Roundtable Hold were still clearing out the remaining apostles, while Leyndell soldiers carried away the wounded and dealt with the bodies.
A heavy stench of blood filled the streets, a mixture of ordinary people's blood and the apostles' abnormal blood, thick enough to turn the stomach.
Amid this chaos, a figure writhed in the shadows.
Beneath the shadow of his hood, Alberich surveyed the battlefield with eyes that had turned completely dark red.
His vision was different from that of others. Where ordinary people saw only wounded, bleeding soldiers, he saw streams of crimson, extraordinarily delicious!
And the Black Knife Assassins who had concealed themselves with incantations were betrayed by their blood.
Beneath what they thought was perfect camouflage, Alberich could see the blood flowing through their bodies.
It was like sprinkling gold dust over black cloth and thinking oneself hidden, while to those with "red-eye disease," it was laughably glaring.
And... temptingly delicious.
Alberich licked his lips, his Adam's apple bobbing.
He could feel that craving crawling up his spine toward his brain.
Their blood was flowing... He knew this was wrong, but their blood was too tempting.
This is all your fault. Your blood is seducing me!
And so Alberich slipped into a side alley like a phantom.
In the alley, three Black Knife Assassins were speaking in low voices.
"...This area has been cleared. The bodies have been dealt with."
"Good. Continue conceal-"
The words stopped abruptly.
The assassin on the far right suddenly stiffened. He lowered his head and saw the tip of a scythe blade protruding from his chest.
He passed peacefully, without excruciating pain, only a strange sensation of being "drained," as though all the blood in his body