Chapter 430: All That Left is Life

In the Abyss, Tyr had handed me a single drop of Primordial Essence.

She gave it to me offhandedly, saying she had no other worthy treasures.

And I had stored it within my skewer.

After that, Tyr lost her dominion, and things became a bit unclear.

Still, even though she had taken back the Primordial Essence from the Regressor, the single drop that remained on my skewer stayed intact.

And the skewer that held that Primordial Essence had, by sheer luck, survived the chaos thus far unscathed.

No—that skewer survived because it was what it was.

Between the shattered remains of the table, the skewer rose.

A move I’d hidden beneath the table during our earlier conversation.

Its crimson-tipped edge glinted as it aimed for Lutric’s arm.

｢How foolish. Does he not know how meaningless blades are against vampires?｣

Lutric didn’t stop—in fact, he surged forward even more.

He intended to press his assault even if that skewer pierced him.

｢Vampires don’t die from wounds. Blades that draw blood are pointless. A shield or hammer would’ve been more useful, but if he knew that, he wouldn’t have provoked me. Your ignorance will be the death of you, consort!｣

Let me throw those words right back at you.

No one is sending you to your death.

Your Elder is dead and Tyr has lost her dominion.

You’ve earned the right to die of your own accord.

Or, to put it differently—you’ve earned the right to live.

The ones who were mere extensions of their Elders… have finally become human.

The skewer tore through his flesh.

He tried to ignore it and continue his charge, but the unexpected sensation gave him pause.

There should’ve been at least some resistance—yet my skewer tore through his blood-soaked body like paper.

“Wha…!”

There was no time to hesitate.

I yanked my wrist and slashed wide with the skewer.

Skin ripped like paper, and blood and flesh spilled out.

My pickpocketing finesse hadn’t dulled—I shredded his right arm into tatters just like I would a purse.

But to a vampire, losing a limb was a normal routine.

He discarded arms often enough.

“Primordial Essence! That’s why you’re so confident!”

｢Then how about this!｣

He quickly twisted his left arm and right leg, launching an attack from two directions.

This time, he deliberately shortened the strike range.

Even if I blocked mid-swing, his whip-like limbs would curve around and strike me.

It really did feel like fighting a whip.

Skilled, experienced, relentless in drawn-out combat—he’d have definitely killed me if this were a one-on-one fight.

If it were one-on-one, that is.

– Snap.

Red threads wrapped around Lutric’s entire body.

Behind him, Countess Erte had unleashed countless Blood Threads, ensnaring him in place.

“Consort! Run!”

Showing your back to an enemy, he’d overextended his limbs to shorten the attack range, and Erte didn’t miss the opening.

As a seasoned vampire in her own right, she caught him instantly.

She shouted, her priority still to protect me.

“This traitor, I’ll see to his eradication mys— Consort?”

“I’ll handle it.”

I drove the skewer casually into both his shoulders.

It took a bit of effort, but bolstered by Primordial Essence, I managed to sever his left arm without much trouble.

Lutric still thrashed around, trying to kill me, but Countess Erte tightened and loosened the threads binding him rhythmically, keeping him restrained.

She really knows how to fight vampires.

Almost as if… she’d trained specifically for it.

I finally caught my breath after driving the skewer into his leg.

“How does it feel? Kneeling to a mere pet?”

Wounds inflicted by Primordial Essence wouldn’t heal cleanly.

On top of that, Erte had stabbed Blood Threads into his severed limbs to seal them.

Lutric tried to resist a few more times before giving up and muttering,

“Heh… The Progenitor’s famed consort is just a mad dog… This nation’s doomed.”

“You’re the one who kicked the country to the curb, remember? So, how’s the taste of treason?”

“Treason? You insulted an Ancilla who lost their Elder. I simply did what had to be done.”

“But you didn’t do it when your Elder was alive and Tyr still had her dominance, did you?”

I pressed my foot against the skewer in his thigh.

“Pathetic. You barely gained your freedom and the first thing you do with it is launch a suicide run. For daring to defy the Progenitor’s consort, I’ll grant you the death you want.”

“…I was prepared for abandonment the day the Elder died, but I didn’t expect to meet my end at the consort’s hands.”

Having lost the will and strength to resist, Lutric muttered bitterly.

“Annihilate me.”

｢I figured I was a dead man already… but this is a death with meaning. If I die by the Consort’s hands, the others who were wavering might finally join us.｣

From reading his thoughts, I confirmed it—the coven of Luscynia had been plotting rebellion.

Against none other than the Progenitor herself.

｢Ten years since Duke Luscynia’s erasure and we’ve been nothing ever since. Ancillae without their Elder are destined to vanish. Only the Progenitor could have taken us in… but she, too, cast off her shackles and abandoned us.｣

They were the ones who had most longed for the Progenitor’s return.

So she might punish Lyre and inherit her Primordial Essence, or perhaps choose a new Elder herself.

But the Tyr who returned after all that time… was completely different.

｢We will take revenge on the Progenitor who abandoned us.｣

Now that is a hell of a reason for rebellion.

The problem?

Among vampires, it’s a perfectly valid one.

I’ve read everything I needed.

Damn it.

I only freed her from the Shackles of Blood… but I didn’t expect it to lead to this.

Countess Erte gave me a subtle glance—asking if she could finish him off now.

But not yet.

There was still one thing I want to ask.

I pulled the skewer from his thigh and asked casually, in passing.

“Earlier, you said you had your reasons—that you were a little sensitive about the whole ‘consort’ thing.”

“…”

Lutric didn’t answer.

Not that it mattered.

I’m a Mind Reader—I don’t need to hear the answer to get it.

“Did Duke Luscynia have a consort too? I heard he was merciless toward humans… but people like that fall the hardest when they do fall, don’t they?”

“…You talk too much.”

“What was he like? I bet he treasured his consort more than he ever cared about his fellow vampires. You act like you’re above it, talking about pets and all that—but aren’t you the one used to being treated worse than a pet? Makes me wonder why you lashed out at me in the first place.”

Vampires are not ruled by emotions.

Even on the verge of annihilation, they can calmly make plans instead of being consumed by fear.

But… does that really mean they feel no regret at the moment of death?

Of course, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to reveal his rebellion plan just because I provoked him.

But he did have enough humanity left to leave one last unpleasant comment to piss me off before he died.

“She’s dead. That bitch strutted around like Lord Luscynia’s grace was hers to claim—and she got annihilated for it. By Lord Luscynia’s own hand.”

Even as his long life drew to a close, Lutric’s wild eyes glared at me with mocking laughter.

“And you, too, will meet the same end.”

He probably meant it as a curse, but thank you—it was exactly what I wanted to know.

I turned to Countess Erte, who now looked a little worn out.

“Ms. Erte. I will step out for a bit.”

“I would appreciate that.”

“Oh, and before I go…”

To help wrap things up, I twirled the skewer one last time.

I gripped it tightly in one hand, steadied it with the other, and aimed straight at Lutric’s heart.

“Farewell, Lutric. The wishes of the subjugated only gain meaning after they’ve broken free from their chains. It’s tragic—and a little ironic—that your wish after gaining freedom was revenge rooted in domination.”

｢Putting on airs right before the kill… so full of yourself. You talk too much.｣

To choose rebellion immediately upon earning freedom, either he loathed being ruled to his core, or he longed for it desperately.

Or maybe… both.

“You are still human, so I’ll respect your will.”

｢…Will?｣

– Thud.

I drove the skewer deep into his heart. Lutric’s consciousness trembled.

This alone wouldn’t kill a vampire—but the skewer, imbued with Primordial Essence, inflicted undeniable damage.

It steadily gnawed away at his immortality, paving the way for Countess Erte to erase him completely.

As his awareness faded—this was clearly the end—Lutric had one last thought.

｢I’ve put a period on a long life… yet I feel no regret, as humans call it. Is that because I’m a vampire, or because this was truly my will?｣

Lutric had lived as a servant.

He followed his Elder’s commands without question and existed to serve.

The Elder’s will was absolute.

Bound by blood, he had no chance to doubt or defy—just obey.

Many Ancilla had died as tools of their Elders.

But Lutric—Lutric was dying as a person.

He wasn’t dead yet, but that much was certain.

As his mind disconnected, the power of his Bloodcraft waned.

Countess Erte, who had been holding her Blood Threads tightly around him, released them.

She moved around to his front and drove her Blood Threads into his torn chest.

As she sewed up the wound with blood so it wouldn’t heal, she spoke.

“I’ll collect the blood and heart of this traitor. It may be unpleasant for a human to witness.”

“I said I’d step out for a bit. Come get me when you’re done.”

“Don’t go too far. There could still be co-conspirators.”

“I’ll be right in the next room.”

Dusting off my hands, I left.

As I glanced back, I saw Countess Erte bury her hand into Lutric’s chest, using it to take control of his Bloodcraft and halt the flow.

Because she wasn’t a higher-ranked Elder, Countess Erte couldn’t absorb his blood.

All she could do was release the blood that had made him who he was back into the world.

And that was enough.

To leave not even a trace—that was what it meant to be annihilated.

Lutric, as a being, was now dissolving into the world.

I watched that for a moment, then quietly walked away.

The hospital where the Doctor Sage had stayed was more peaceful than expected.

Though pain and groans were present, they didn’t dominate the air.

Instead, there was the laughter of recovering humans.

Few of Luscynia’s coven remained.

Instead, the humans who had been saved thanks to the Doctor Sage now served as nurses, caring for others.

As I walked slowly down the corridor, a girl in a nurse’s uniform carefully approached and asked me.

“Excuse me. I heard a loud noise over there earlier… did something happen?”

It wasn’t hard to explain.

I answered honestly.

“I just cleaned up an Ancilla who dared to act disrespectfully toward the Progenitor’s consort. I did well, right?”

“…Father. You’ve finally lost your mind, haven’t you?”

What?

Seriously, what?

Why do I have to hear that from someone cosplaying as a nurse here?