The clouds that covered the sky dissipated into the lightning and thunder. The city was turned entirely into ruins...
The silent streets were empty.
Crossing over the giant wall, one walked into Vatican City, mankind's last territory.
Now, a large number of zombies in this city were gathering here, gnawing on fresh flesh and blood that they hadn't tasted for a long time. The square is occupied by the dead—trampling on the living's territory, and their corpses.
This should have been a bloody and messy scene, but there was a strange order to it. It was the zombies' order. They had a connection with each other. They also obey the order of the infected life forms higher than themselves.
Nibbling at their breakfast, bone-cracking and the chewing sound was heard. From a distance, a long-lost footsteps sound was heard. The zombies raised their heads and looked at the direction of the Vatican City entrance.
The zombies that filled the square began to separate, leaving behind their obsession with food and leaned towards the sides of the square. A path parted in the middle of the endless sea of zombies. The zombies let out a low roar as they watched the visitors.
Stepping through the bloody mess, the visitors finally reached the entrance of the most important building in the whole city, the Cathedral.
"Master…"
Arthas had been waiting for a while. She watched Lucius walking straight amidst the sea of zombies. She was about to report the battle situation but noticed something different. His originally scarlet eyes were tinged with a golden hue.
Having all of his wounds healed, he actually wore the clothes of the Church's Exorcist clothing. This scene looked like an Exorcist coming home from a mission.
Arthas knew that Lucius hated the Exorcist deeply, but now, he was wearing their clothes. With a hand gesture, Lucius told Arthas to wait where she stood. After that, he entered the building alone.
This Cathedral was a sacred place, forbidden to the public because it was where the Pope usually prayed.
In contrast to the bloody gore scene outside, the Cathedral still maintained its glory and holiness appearance. An angel statue stood at the church's end. A petite figure was kneeling before the statue. Light shone down on her body, illuminating her long silver hair scattered all over the floor. The grand white papal regalia and insignia were too large. She could only wear them like a cloak.
Lucius stood firmly behind her and bowed down. He was giving her a salute as a matter. Of course, not a salute to worship the Pope like an Exorcist was supposed to do. Just an ordinary Western European court noble salute, showing the most basic respect towards the person.
"Is everyone...dead?" She stopped praying, stood up, and turned around. Her burgundy eyes looked at Lucius with fear.
The vampire could kill this fragile being with a slight wave of his hand. But she was the pope. She couldn't lose her majesty against the darkness. Her tiny shoulders trembled as she tried to suppress her fear.
She acted like it was the usual routine where an Exorcist had returned and reported to her.
"Yes, Your Holiness. You're the only one left." Lucius gazed at the girl who bore a slight resemblance to Arthas. Both hair and eye color, but with a different temperament.
If Arthas was a snow wolf lurking in the extreme cold, ready to bite the neck of its prey. Then the girl in front of him was nothing more than a rabbit hiding in a cave and shivering. She did resemble a small rabbit with that silver hair and burgundy eyes, right?
"Sobs…" She couldn't hold her fear any longer and began crying as she heard the news.
"Surely, I have to bear the human mistakes… on my own?"
She remembered Lucius' face. Years ago, she was ordered to burn the young vampire because back then, she believed all night creatures were evil, that they had to go from this world! Now, she realized she was wrong. And the mistake she made back then returned to her. But…
"No, there's nothing wrong with humans." Lucius could have crushed her fragile heart, and everything will be over, but he didn't do it. "This is what humans are supposed to do, so there's nothing wrong with you."
"Then… Why did you… did these things?" Her voice trembled as she looked at Lucius' eyes in fear. But she didn't avoid his gaze, staring straight at Lucius' eyes.
"Because I'm a vampire, not a human."
That answer was enough.
Lucius slowly strode forward while she stepped back in fear. In the end, her petite body bumps against the angel statue. There was no way out. It's time to face her fate, the last human in the world. Lucius stretched out his hand as if a gentleman asking a lady for a waltz at a ball.
She understood, no matter what she does, there's no way out. The Exorcist who had protected her, her servant, the archbishops who taught her were all slaughtered by this man. It's now her turn to die. In her final moment of life, she chose to face the dark creature directly.
"Is it...hurt?"
"There will be no pain, Your Holiness. Just like when you fell asleep, close your eyes tightly and drift away to dreamland, only to never wake up again."
"Sleep…" She looked at the angel statue at her back. "So… before I sleep, can I pray to God one last time?"
Don't forget to pray to God before you go to bed, don't forget to thank God before a meal.
"Of course." Lucius waited patiently as she turned around and closed her eyes with folded hands.
Time was ticking away, and she might be ready now.
Lucius's hand remained where it was. Her arm trembled, but she slowly reached out to put her hands on Lucius' hand. Coldness spread from where their hands touched. Lucius held the delicate little hand and gently hugged her petite body, his face was on her neck. He slightly opened his lips, and fangs showed up.
All of the grace and harmony dissipated at the moment his fangs emerged. Blood splattered to the floor after the fangs pierced the fair skin.
Thank God…
For this delicious taste of blood.
Lucius spoke quietly.
Holding the fragile young body in his arms, he had sucked all her blood until the last drop.
She quietly slept. Her body abruptly shattered like glass, turning into starlight dots, drifting in the air.
Lucius let go of the white pope's uniform, who had lost its owner to the ground. He reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of his world.
It's done… the complete destruction of this world.
Now, he should have a little party to celebrate, but he wasn't in the right mood for that.
[World destruction progress reached 99%. According to the system's judgment, this world's ruler, 'Human', has become entirely extinct! World No. 1 record completion, giving the host a bloodline enhancement bonus...]
"What are you doing?" Lucius fell to his knees and found that his heart began to beat rapidly. His previous scarlet eyes were wholly taken over by a touch of gold.
[The host's bloodline is a fourth-generation vampire. It already possesses an evolutionary trend. It is currently allowing the host to evolve into a third-generation vampire. The process cost 500 million Despair Points, but this enhancement will be given for free as the reward for mission completion.]
Damn it...strengthening without his own consent?
Lucius felt like something violent was about to burst out of his body! The blood running under his skin began to heat up like it was being boiled. Every system strengthening process carried great pain, but this one was the worst yet. What he felt was beyond imagination, like throwing his soul into a fiery furnace!
"My power! I'll control it by myself!"
Lucius clenched his fist and heavily punched the ground. The floor of the church crumbled, a dark red light wrapped around Lucius.
The change had begun.
Arthas, who was waiting quietly outside the church, was a little bored. She sat on the church stairs, looking at the moving zombies. As an undead, Arthas' sense of beauty had greatly changed.
She was able to identify male and female skeletons, as well as beautiful and ugly skeletons. The same thing applied to zombies. But her human aesthetic taste hasn't changed.
At least she knew that Lucius' appearance had the power to make every girl chasing him head over heels. But he was also a dead man. He had no interest in women. The cat ears on her head went limp, recalling what Tokisaki Kurumi had said.
'Ara, don't you know? He's sexually inactive. Every time we fought, all he did was sucking my blood, nothing else. You better not fall in love with that kind of man.'
Arthas felt that Lucius was a bit unhappy about her behavior. Technically, she's the Lich King, a warrior. Apart from the battlefield, their daily interaction was limited to greeting and meeting.
"Master…"
Arthas stroked her hair gently. That night was the longest conversation they ever had.
In order to accomplish his goal, he had thrown away his emotion. He made plans, implemented it, and burned cities to ashes. Now, he had succeeded.
So… what would he do next?
The kitten was confused.
Behind her, a shrill roar came from the Cathedral.
"Master?!" Arthas gripped Frostmourne and tried to rush in.
Suddenly, the sharp shriek changed, became low and distant with an uneasy feeling lingered at everyone's heart. The tall Cathedral building began to collapse. The zombies roared with unease as the earth shook.
Without a second thought, she rushed inside after freezing the door into a shattered ice crystal. The cold air around here gathered as she swung the Frostmourne. But she was frozen….
The Earth...Warder?!
What came into her view was a creature so powerful it should only exist in myths.
Dark, metallic scales covered its body, enormous wings spread out against the sky, hovering Arthas with its shadow. Bright, golden eyes stared straight at Arthas, who stood in the doorway. Its claws left indelible marks on the church.
There's only one name suited to this creature… dragon!
It wasn't the skeleton body that had lost its flesh and soul from the Scourge. It's a living, breathing dragon.
Even Arthas almost mistook it for one of the Dragon Kings of her world. Neltharion, the Earth Warder. But, it didn't have the legendary dragon's sulfurous smell after spending days soaking in hot lava. Instead, a faint blood scent wafted around its body.
Arthas instinctively tightens the grip on her hands. Like a cat meeting danger, his body was tense as a rock. The dragon was so large that the entire Cathedral couldn't fit it. It could only barely accommodate its body after knocking down the back walls and roof of the Cathedral.
But, a sense of familiarity continuously pours from its body.
"Relax, Ar…"
It was Lucius's voice; his voice came out from the dragon in front of her.
Was it… master? Arthas was stunned. The creature that threatens her suddenly turned into a grayish statue and crumbled, shattered. Gradually, the crumble turned into a puddle of sand and was beyond saving.
"This is my new ability." Lucius stood in this pile of fine black sand, intact.
Arthas was still stunned. Her usual wagging tail suddenly froze.
"The new ability is still unstable. So there's a side effect every time I use it," Seeing that Arthas still froze, Lucius couldn't help but smile. "Even if I turned into this form, there's no need to be surprised, right?"
It's the master! It was definitely the master, the demonic vampire who had taken his own soul and involved himself in the world conquest. Carrying the lives of hundreds of millions of people on his body... But, how could the devil's face appear like a smiling angel?
Right now, his height could only reach Arthas' chest. His appearance changed into what he looked like back then.
"This is how I look when I am still weak." Lucius understood what he had become now, "I looked like this when I was young. I was afraid and could only shiver. Sorry, you have to see my weak side."
There's a certain saying. The so-called 'shota' has three good points. It's soft and easy to knockdown. When he was young, he knew all of this. He was the target attention of some perverted adult man when he walked down the street. Because he easy to be targeting. Lucius' golden eyes were too striking.
Weak? Arthas looked stunned at Lucius. Indeed, his appearance looked harmless.
"Master… not… weak…" Arthas whispered under her breath. Lucius' crazy form kept repeating in her mind.
"Really? Thanks, Ar… bear with it. The side effect will wear off in a few hours. If I go back in this form, they'll treat me like a child."
The image he had built for a long time will be ruined.
Only a few hours? Arthas continued to look at Lucius's young, delicate face. The tail on her back began to wag again as if she was fighting an urge.
"Um...Master..." said Arthas, lowering her head timidly.
"What is it, Ar?"
"Can...can I have a hug?"
She really wanted to try it because he looked so soft, very soft… Arthas mustered up her courage and asked Lucius carefully.
Lucius looked at Arthas' floppy cat ears. It seems like his servant had awakened some strange attribute, huh? Lucius hesitated but finally agreed.
"Well, I'll give it as a reward. But keep it a secret from everyone, okay?"
A hug won't hurt anyway, and he could increase her loyalty.
Lucius' words made her excited that she wagged her tails faster. Her pupils shone with surprise before she finally walked towards Lucius. Her hand trembled as she was about to reach his shoulders.
"You don't need to be afraid of me in this form."
Hearing his encouragement, Arthas relaxed and opened her arms to embrace Lucius' young appearance.
Cold… it was the first thing she felt. Even in a child form, his heart was still cold. But… he's so soft. Arthas hugged Lucius' shoulder and found it so fragile.
As if a touch would shatter him to pieces. But it's the same shoulder that carried the crime of the entire world. The sin of killing billions of people was borne by such a petite figure.
"Sleep..." Lucius stroked Arthas' back and spoke to her, "It's been tiring, right?"
And he also spoke for himself.