The Capital official's action and the response were so fast that Lucius felt a little surprised.
Faced with this unprecedented chain infection virus, the Royal Knights of Capital surprisingly isolated three streets close to the Vernet family residence. They set up a temporary city wall, and at the same time, set up a quarantine zone of infection.
Hearing this designation, Lucius had a feeling of returning to the time of the Earth.
But that area was indeed named the infection quarantine area. Civilians and others who wanted to leave that area must go through inspection before they can go.
Because they've been living under the constraints of rules and order to obey the Emperor's orders, this kind of thing has penetrated into the heart of every person. So this virus outbreak temporarily did not cause any big panic and riot.
But it's only temporary. Once those humans realize that the spread of the virus can't be restrained, no cure after being infected, and watch those monsters make their loved ones and friends go away little by little, the desperation will cause a big riot. It's only a matter of time.
Man-eating man in the human's eyes was always placed at the top of the list, right?
Although the Capital government has mobilized a large number of knights to clean up the infected, most of them are just adding a new life force to the infected army!
It was tricky for humans to kill an infected. While the infected only needs to use its limbs to pierce human skin and touch human flesh. Only a drop of blood would turn them into monsters.
It could be predicted that this extermination will be a tough battle even if the humans in this world had spiritual power that was close to Espers.
"System... How many Despair Points needed to create the serum of the blacklight virus?"
Today was a sunny afternoon. Lucius stood at the top of the most sacred building in the Capital, the Dragon Lord Cathedral. He half crouched and looked down on the Capital, which didn't even have a way to look into the lens of sight.
Magnificent and prosperous! It's full of vitality.
This building is the most remarkable in the whole Capital, outside the palace.
It's the best place to look at the whole city. But if an ordinary person stands on... it's a big no! No one will leave a trace of dirt on the clean white walls of this building. It's a great disrespect to the Gods. You need to kneel before the Dragon Lord and pray devoutly for three days and nights to be able to atone for their sins.
If the Dragon God's faithful knew, they would probably eat this little bat that defiled the god.
But Lucius was not a little bat. As the king of the night, ordinary humans have no way to clearly see his form standing on top of the building and looking out over the whole city.
Lucius didn't have such skills as eagle eyes. The vampire's eyes were enough to strengthen his vision to the degree that was difficult for ordinary people to match.
"Blacklight virus serum, before fully infected as an infected body, an injection can eliminate the infection of the virus. Cost 100,000 despair points.''
The system's long-lost voice sounded in Lucius's ears.
This price wasn't expensive for Lucius, who has billions of despair points. But… What does this one hundred thousand despair value represent?
"One hundred thousand lives for a few hundred?"
A flash of white light and a vial of light golden liquid appeared in his hand. Unlike the rage of the blacklight virus, instead, it seemed very soft and serene. It's the appearance of the healing potion.
"Do you think it's worth it? Naiya..."
Lucius shook, looking at the sudden appearance of pitch black in the middle of this bustling city. Thick smoke rose in that area slowly, which seemed out of place with the whole city.
A smell of burnt bodies wafted through the city.
This bustling city was sick now...
The source of the sickness was the area that was surrounded by the high city walls.
Below Lucius, there's a literally endless stream of people visiting the Dragon Lord Cathedral and requesting treatment. Civilians who had left the quarantine zone after passed testing that they didn't carry the virus.
"Whether it's worth it or not, it's something you expect."
Lucius weighed the virus serum in his hand. His figure turned into dust and disappeared above the church.
.......
Her hands holding the Arondight, she was donned in majestic armour. She wore it not for her glory with the endless martial practice of martial arts skills.
The combat style that combines mind, skill and body completely reproduces the glory of the strongest Knight!
Naiya's sword split, a monster running toward her. Green blood gushed out from the weird bug-like body that flowed on the ground in a mess.
"Your Highness, this is a dangerous place. Please don't come in! We are knights. We must protect this country!
Naiya was not alone. A group of Royal Knights always followed her side with tense nerves. They're afraid that the monster-killing process will hurt the Empress!
It can be said that the future of the Empire was entrusted to her body.
This group of Knights wouldn't dare to joke about the future of their Empire.
The countless times of persuasion come to one conclusion… That is, the Empress, with the appearance of a black knight swinging the big sword in her hand, could easily split those monsters into two, with an unmatched posture.
There were about a dozen Knights following her. The Knight who just opened his mouth to persuade Naiya suddenly found that she had drawn her sword and cut the monsters by herself.
The Empress was angry.
This battle-hardened Knight was slightly stunned by Naiya's unstoppable aura!
But the next sorrowful hissing sound was issued at her side.
Green blood splashed on the Knight's armour. He glanced slightly to the left and found a monster hiding in the broken buildings rushing out.
If it wasn't for the Empress... that Knight would have been swallowed…
They accepted the task of purging a death squad. He didn't know how many knights in front of him turned into monsters. And he didn't want to be like that.
"BE CAREFUL!!!"
The cold voice came out from the gap in the armour.
The knights that his forehead overflowed with sweat nodded repeatedly.
After saying that, Naiya didn't continue to communicate with them and walked deeper into the infected area. She was leaving a trail of monster corpses on the ground.
The Knight who was saved by Naiya was the temporary leader of this knight order. Now he felt that Naiya was the real leader of this Knight Group.
"PROTECT HER ROYAL HIGHNESS!"
No matter what, they must protect her. So a bunch of knights following the black Knight blasted off towards the depths of the infected area.
Killing the infected wasn't the purpose of these people. Their mission is to save the civilians! As long as there was a ray of hope, they will never give up.
...…
The surrounding buildings were destroyed by the monsters into ruins. They searched around for the smell of the living… They set their eyes on Naiya, the Black Knight who was running on the battlefield!
But they chose the wrong opponent.
The strength and speed bonuses provided by the Arondight made it easier for her. One single slash of her sword finished the infected bodies she faced.
In this way, she's looking around for survivors. They found them in a few numbers. The survivors were either dismembered, eaten by these monsters, or turned into them.
When the Knight Leader felt that it would be dangerous to go deeper, he wanted to persuade Naiya to retreat for a while. But Naiya seemed to have sensed something. Vampires were sensitive to human blood, after all.
Naiya ran towards the rubble. Her hand lifted the huge stone slab and found something.
Dust flew up, a middle-aged man and a small figure curled up in the man's arms.
"Here... Here... Please help us..."
The middle-aged man's back and body were covered with dust and blood while the little girl huddled in his arms. The girl, who was no more than ten years old, was sobbing with red eyes.
Naiya was silent.
"Save... Save... My child..." The man said in a thin tone of voice like he wouldn't survive for long.
When the building collapsed, the father used his back to shield his child from the collapsing wall. It's shattering his spine into pieces. Creating an injury that should have been declared dead. But to save the sobbing daughter in his arms, as a father, he survived.
After seeing Naiya's appearance, he closed his eyes in relief and lost his breath.
"Daddy?" The little girl seemed to sense it.
ROARRRRRRRRRR!
A harsh roar suddenly rang out. Even Naiya didn't have time to react!
A snake-like head monster pounced on. The fresh flesh and blood of the human had fallen among the rubble!
One bite of the man's body, chewed it a few times and swallowed it!
"DADDY!!!"
The little girl struggled. She's trying to retrieve her father, but all was in vain! The speed of this monster can be compared to Naiya. Naiya angrily drew the great sword while the monster's sharp claws attacked the little girl's legs.
Naiya was stepping too slow… When the monster was split in two, the little girl's leg was also torn by the sharp claws!
The scarlet muscles were torn out. The pain made her cry out again helplessly.
A gentle embrace clutched the little girl's fragile body.
"It's okay..."
The cold armour had disappeared from Naiya's body. She held the girl's body tightly and kept gently stroking her back to comfort her, "Everything will be fine..."
Perhaps Naiya's comfort worked, or maybe the experience made this little girl grow up. She didn't cry anymore.
"Quick! Someone! Give me the bandages and healing medicine!" Naiya barked in a commanding tone to the surrounding Knights.
But...
No bandages, no medicine…
The only thing that greeted her was the cold blades of the Knights!
"Her Highness! Get out of that girl's way and put on your armor! She's dangerous! She'll turn into one of those monsters soon!"
The Knight Commander warned Naiya in a loud voice. He was now scared and didn't know what to do!
Several times, his former comrades who fought alongside him turned into bloodthirsty monsters and rushed towards him. A sight that could only be seen in a nightmare was tormenting him to the point of madness!
And now this little girl can't be saved!
If Her Highness continues to hold her like this, it will be over.
Everyone's heart was crushed by a huge stone…
Naiya looked at this scene and froze in place. Her brain instantly stopped to think.
'This… looks so familiar.'
Those knights looked at them with the same eyes as the monster! No pity! No sympathy!
All around were collapsed buildings, and the flames burned everything.
'Isn't this how they treated me when I was young?'
She was a monster, the same monster people feared.
Until she met Muccia… the person that freed her from the never-ending hell… but now, Naiya had fallen into a more horrible hell.
'I can't let this child become like myself again!'
Naiya has to resist... She must resist...
Naiya took out a small silver knife, cut the delicate skin of her fingers. She let the little girl in his arms, this trembling more to suck her finger. She was so obedient. That little girl knew that Naiya was protecting her. She obeyed her order to drink Naiya's strange-tasted blood.
After that, on top of the rubble, Naiya held that child's body tighter. With a stern look in her eyes at those Knights with swords aimed at her!
"Her Highness! She is no longer human. Please leave her. It's dangerous!"
"My blood can heal her, trust me!"
"This..."
The knights didn't dare to gamble with the future of the Empire. Even if this Royal Highness has created countless miracles, can this time she also bring the so-called miracle again?
"Just wait a while! Just a moment..."
Naiya certainly had seen with her eyes the process of human deformation into those monsters. Those sharp skeletal tissues and the view of the chrysalis breaking out from their bodies was a terrifying and unusual view.
'Will this child be the same?'
Naiya's heart beat faster, and she began to feel fearful of what would happen next. But, even so, she still stroked the girl's blonde hair, which was stained with a little grey dust to comfort her.
None of these Knights dared to go forward. Naiya's power was more powerful than any of them.
They met Naiya on their way to carry out the mission. Then the Commander decisively ordered the mission to be changed directly to protect Her Royal Highness. The Empress was obviously more important than the civilians. This was an indisputable fact.
But along the way, it seemed that Naiya was the one who protected them. Several times she turned the danger into success.
The infected bodies in the surrounding area didn't seem to come close, and they all disappeared.
Everyone's eyes are gathered on the little girl clutched in Naiya's arms. In case she has any strange movements and something strange grows in her body, they will not hesitate to rush up.
The time has come to sacrifice their lives to defend the glory of the Empire.
Under the gaze of all the people's tense nerves, they don't even dare to blink their eyes.
Ten seconds passed... Thirty seconds passed... One minute passed...
Finally, ten minutes have passed.
The little girl was still timidly curled up in Naiya's arms. She's afraid to look at the outside world. The delicate body didn't turn any hideous deformation.
She's still human. She didn't turn into monsters.
This minute of waiting was so incredible to those who have experienced the hell brought by the virus.
You know... Even a monster slightly rubbed a little part of a powerful knight's skin. Within three minutes, they will transform into those monsters.
But in this delicate little girl's case, nothing happened at all.
Gradually, the Knight's eyes tense relaxed. As the time grew longer, they looked at the Naiya's eyes and changed into a kind of reverence.
Or rather, they... saw a hope!
"Can you believe it? She didn't turn into those monsters."
Her blood surprisingly worked. It's not only the group of Knights who saw hope, but she also saw it in front of her eyes!
If this is the answer, it will be able to save the infected people!
This hellish scenery would be able to be calmed down immediately.
"Is it because of Her Royal Highness's blood?" Someone in the Knight group asked.
"I guess... I guess so."
Naiya couldn't understand why her blood was able to suppress this virus. But the truth was right in front of her eyes, wasn't it? Naiya felt the fragile heartbeat in the body of this child. She's definitely not a monster.
"Dragon Lord! Her Royal Highness is under the shelter of the Dragon Lord!"
Those knights chanted with an aura of fanatical faith, which for a moment made her a little uncomfortable.
"Thank you, Dragon Lord!"
Blood! Bloodline!
These two words were extremely sensitive words within the hearts of the people of this world.
Every person inherited the bloodline of the Dragon Lord, which was a symbol of human identity in this world. Then, What about the fact that Naiya's blood was able to break this demonic curse-like aberration represent?
In their opinion, the power of this blood must be the blessing of the Dragon Lord.
The originally low morale rose high at this moment… All because of The Empress's presence.
"No matter what, we must hurry up and get to the checkpoint at the entrance."
This message must be passed on to other people's ears.
The Royal Highness brings hope. That hope must be delivered to the ears of others.
The knights rearranged their equipment. They built wariness to protect Naiya and the little girl quickly back towards the road.
...…
After the group was far away, on top of the rubble where Naiya was standing.
"Hope... It's a beautiful thing for humans, isn't it, Naiya?!"
Lucius' figure appeared on top of the broken wall. His hand took out a vial of the light golden liquid that had been opened. The light golden liquid tilted down and began to slowly drip on the ground...
"But I like to destroy this thing called hope after seeing the show. That is the most beautiful thing in the world."
Unknowingly, a large number of infected bodies gathered around Lucius's body. There were about twenty heads. They're attracted by the liquid in his hand.
"Become stronger, Naiya! The more hope those ignorant humans put in you, the more Despair it brings to me... That's the best, isn't it?"
ROARRRRRR!
More than twenty monsters with crazy breath pounced on Lucius.
With a slight glance of Lucius's eyes, this group of guys was melted by the sunlight. All of them turned into blood dripping down to the ground.
"The humble dog dared to bite the owner's hand..."
At the next moment, Lucius's figure disappeared under the bright sunlight.