"Er"
Yukimi Shigure shrank back, not wanting to be pinned in that humiliating wayespecially in front of her fellow soldiers. That would be beyond embarrassing.
Just like Jujo Mito: she used to be so intimidating in the Imperial Demon Army, but now she looked like a dog being toyed with.
Shivering, Yukimi Shigure made no further move to meet Rei Ao's gaze.
Rei Ao: "Mito-san, if you don't talk, you're wasting your own time right now."
With no intention of stopping, he actually increased the intensity.
"I"
Jujo Mito clenched her teeth in humiliation and finally chose to yield.
"All right, fine. Hiiragi Mahiru was a once-in-a-century genius in the Hiiragi family."
She began speaking in a heavy tone about what she knew of Hiiragi Mahiru.
At twelve, she could independently improve aspects of the Cursed Gear. At fourteen, she was involved in the Imperial Demon Army's core researcha true genius.
"But she died in an experimental accident."
Her bangs obscured her eyes.
"An experimental accident?"
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow. "Specifically what experiment?"
" "
A strange hush settled over them, as though the question touched on an unspeakable taboo.
"My sister was constantly studying the origins of vampires," Shinoa finally spoke, her voice so quiet it was almost inaudible.
"There was an explosion in the lab that day. By the time the rescue team arrived, she was already"
Her words abruptly cut off, slender shoulders trembling slightly.
~~~
Thank you for reading! Please add this to your Library!
For Every 100 Powerstone = 1 Bonus Chapter! Please Vote for more Chapters!
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
Currently You can Read 220+ Chapters Ahead of Others!
(Bonus Chapter) Chapter 654: Bringing back someone to life while...
"Is that so?"
Rei Ao looked over at Krul, seeming pensive.
"What's your take on this, Krul?"
Krul let out a cold laugh, her scarlet eyes standing out all the more vividly in the night.
"Foolish human lies."
She spoke dismissively: "That insane woman certainly didn't die from some 'experimental accident.'"
In her distinct voicesomewhat childishthere was a powerful sense of contempt.
"That Hiiragi Mahiru, a human, touched fields she shouldn't have. Certain progenitors"
She paused meaningfully.
"They wouldn't tolerate a human probing into 'the vampires' secret.'"
Shinoa's head snapped up, her purple irises shining with an astonishment difficult to believe.
"You're sayingmy sister was"
"Killed by some progenitor?"
Krul tilted her head, revealing a cruel smile that didn't match her youthful outward appearance.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Rei Ao observed silently, nodding faintly.
Indeed, the circumstances of this Hiiragi Mahiru's story were quite different from what he knew of the Mahiru in Seraph of the End.
"Oh, righthow about Guren? You're aware of him?"
"Hmm?"
A few people froze.
"Guren is someone in the Imperial Demon Army,"
Yukimi Shigure answered, wearing an odd expression.
"Why suddenly bring him up?"
In her mind, maybe Rei Ao was also interested in men? She'd already labeled him a big pervert.
"Ah, nothing."
Rei Ao withdrew his gaze.
From the moment he mentioned Guren, he'd caught their reactions, and the result was: nothing special.
It seemed not only was this Mahiru different, but Guren apparently wasn't a "center of attention" or anything like that.
"Shinoa, if I told you I could revive your sister, would you want me to?"
In one breath, he turned toward her with that question.
It felt as if the air froze on the spot. Shinoa stared wide-eyed, her lips trembling.
With practically no hesitation, she blurted, "I do! Of course I do!"
Her voice held an urgency that Rei Ao had never heard from her before.
"If my sister can come back, I I'll do anything"
She didn't even finish the sentence before Rei Ao interrupted.
"You've already given me everything. Fulfilling one small wish for you is no big deal."
He lifted his palm, spreading his fingers.
In that instant, a dazzling golden radiance burst forth from his palm, illuminating the entire room.
Yukimi Shigure and the others reflexively backed away, while Krul's eyes widened, showing shock for the first time.
From within that radiance, a hazy, person-shaped outline gradually formed.
It was a tall woman, violet hair fluttering in the energy flow. Her face, which was about seventy percent similar to Shinoa's, carried an expression of confusion.
"Where isthis?"
Hiiragi Mahiru murmured quietly, her voice as clear as a cool spring trickling over stones.
Her gaze swept around, pausing the moment she saw Shinoa, and then froze.
"Shinoa?"
"Oneesan!"
Shinoa's tears burst forth. She wanted to rush and hug her sister, but the situation was currently rather awkward.
Rei Ao shifted his fingers; the radiance faded.
When the final trace of golden light vanished, Hiiragi Mahiru was standing firm on the floor.
She looked up at Rei Ao, who was still tormenting her younger sister. Her gaze carried scrutiny and curiosity.
"You're the one who brought me back?"
Rei Ao merely smiled faintly, without directly answering, and pressed on with his actions.
Jujo Mito momentarily forgot her own predicament. Her face was locked in shock and awe.
She had personally witnessed so many incomprehensible feats from Rei Ao. But resurrecting the deadthis was completely beyond her concept of "power."
The others had similar expressions.
"Neesan, g-give me a hug, at least"
From the side, Sangu Mitsuba's mouth was wide open. Something like resurrecting the dead could only be done by a god, right?!
""
Sangu Aoi kept quiet, feeling a swirl of complicated emotions. One matter after another kept proving the reality of Rei Ao's existence. Even she, with her usual composure, couldn't remain calm.
As humans, they were mostly overwhelmed.
But Krul's response was far more intense.
Always so proud, this vampire queen now looked pale. Her ruby-red eyes trembled violently. She kept her gaze locked on Rei Ao, as though truly seeing his essence for the first time.
"Youreally can control life and death"
Krul's voice no longer had its usual composure and carried a faint tremor.
Rei Ao didn't respond immediately.
"Ugh!!"
Along with Shinoa's whimper, Rei Ao let out a long breath:
So satisfying.
Now he had the leisure to answer Krul.
While continuing to move against Shinoa, he spoke calmly:
"Controlling life and death. For the sole god of this world, is that difficult?"
""
Krul had no rebuttal. She wasn't a sole god, so she couldn't match him.
"Excuse me," Hiiragi Mahiru spoke, her eyes shifting to the scene of Rei Ao bullying Shinoa. "You revived me because of Shinoa, yes?"
Mahiru squinted with a smile.
"Is there some unspeakable deal or maybe coercion involved?"
"Ah, indeed, as they said, you're quite clever," said Rei Ao, giving Shinoa's softness a slap.
"Shinoa, maybe you can explain to your sister?"
"Ughfine"
Shinoa gave a faint nod, pausing briefly. Then, propping herself up from Jujo Mito's back, she turned toward her sister.
"Shinoa, I think you should change into something else," Mahiru gently reminded her.
"!"
Shinoa's face was full of discomfort.
"Ugh, n-never mind,"
"Oneesan, he's Rei Aomy, my boyfriend!"
"Oh? So that's your boyfriend, no wonder you two are so intimate."
Mahiru seemed less than surprised. Seeing her little sister's expression while being tormented was quite "happy-excited," so it was apparent that her relationship with Rei Ao wasn't simple.
"But"
She pressed a forefinger to her lips in a meaningful way.
"You youngsters nowadays are quite bold, huh?"
"Having your fun in front of a crowd? I'd never heard of that before."
"!!!"
Shinoa flushed bright red, glaring at Rei Ao indignantly.
Internally she was annoyed: Why'd you have to resurrect Sister at this timing? This is total social suicide!
Mahiru wasn't expecting an answer from her sister anyway. She'd only just been brought back, after all.
~~~
200 Powerstone Bonus Chapter! Thank you always!
For Every 100 Powerstone = 1 Bonus Chapter! Please Vote for more Chapters!
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
Currently You can Read 220+ Chapters Ahead of Others!
Chapter 655: The Future of the World...
After teasing her own little sister, Hiiragi Mahiru felt a renewed sense of being alive.
"Exactly how much time has passed?"
She asked, her voice calmunlike someone who had just been resurrected.
"Four years and seven months," Shinoa answered quietly.
Mahiru nodded.
Her gaze swept over everyone's facesespecially those of Yukimi Shigure and Jujo Mito's group.
"No wonder what used to be familiar now feels strange."
Only her own body still remained at the moment of her death.
"Time really has flown."
After a brief moment of reflection, her eyes finally fixed on Rei Ao.
"You're not someone from this world, are you?"
Without waiting for an answer, she continued matter-of-factly:
"Of course not. Nobody in this world could do something like that."
"Your energy compositioncompletely different from the demonic equipment or the power of vampires"
Hearing her quickly deduce that Rei Ao's presence was not of this world, the others couldn't help staring in amazement.
They themselves had never drawn that conclusion before; their thoughts usually turned toward "maybe he's some vampire progenitor or some Seraph of the End creation."
Indeed, Mahiru was different. She seemed unaffected by the usual knowledge constraints or ways of thinking, possessing a boldness in her reasoning.
Rei Ao found it interesting how this rumored genius girl very quickly got into an analytical mindsetalmost making one forget she had just come back from the dead.
Her eyes shone with the fire of pure curiosity, which reminded him of Echidna.
Finally Jujo Mito regained her voice. She recalled she was lying on her front and now managed to stand up.
Only a sense of shock made her ignore the slight disorder behind her.
"Hiiragi Mahiru, do you really remember everything?"
She wanted to confirm whether this truly was a resurrection.
"My memory is complete, and it feels very real,"
Mahiru replied calmly, fingers twirling a strand of hairher usual habit when thinking.
"Including how I died."
Her gaze abruptly turned sharp.
"What Krul over there said is rightthere was no 'accident'."
Shinoa sucked in a sharp breath, while Jujo Mito clenched her hand on her sword hilt again. Krul wore an "I told you so" look.
Right then, Rei Ao noticed that Krul's expression had suddenly become unusually conflicted. The vampire queen bit her lip, as though waging some fierce internal struggle.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, Krul suddenly dropped to one knee.
"Rei AoMaster"
Her voice was low and solemn, wholly different from her typical arrogance. This "Master" carried far more pleading than before.
"If you can resurrect the dead, then your servant, Krul Tepes, begs you to resurrect my older brother, Ashera."
The air once again seemed to freeze.
Endo Yayoi and others looked at her in shock, while Mahiru merely arched an eyebrow as if finding this turn of events interestingwanting to see how this "resurrection" would happen.
Krul lifted her head, scarlet eyes glimmering faintly with tears:
"I'm willing to pay any price, serve you forever, as long as you bring my older brother back."
Rei Ao remained silent for a moment before his mouth curved in a cryptic smile.
"Ah, without that promise, you'd still be my servantthat can't be changed. But I'm not about to just exploit my own people for nothing. Bringing your brother back isn't impossible."
"But"
He paused mid-sentence.
Krul abruptly stood.
She knew what she had to do.
Rip!
Her own hand tore her clothes apart.
Pressing her flushed lips together, she approached Rei Ao.
"M-Master, pleaseplease use me!"
Saying such words required swallowing all her pride and huge shame.
Rei Ao ran his gaze over the decisive Krul, eyes shining with interest.
He sighed from the heart, "Krul, no wonder you're a vampire queen."
His fingers lightly traced her trembling, snow-white skin.
"Your skin is unexpectedly tender, but here it lacks that 'queenly scale'"
He paused at the area that didn't meet certain bigger expectations.
"Ugh, that that isn't my fault!"
Krul, in shame and anger, bared her little fangs. She couldn't help that somewhat "flat" spot.
But being on the receiving end of Rei Ao's somewhat disappointed look stung.
"Even if I don't have that kind ofexcess, I'm still sure I can satisfy yy-you, Master!"
"Wait, you're not going to"
Sangu Mitsuba stammered, pointing at them
They'd just seen all this happen once, and it was happening again?!
"That um, Rei Ao-nii, I, umfeel weird as well."
At that moment, Kimizuki Mirai spoke haltingly, clutching at her clothes.
She just wanted to be closer to Rei Ao, the first person she'd seen upon awakening, who was willing to take her in.
Rei Ao wore a strange expression.
That sense of dependence and insecurity was obvious. But since it was truly her own desire, he wouldn't refuse.
"Alright, next up, you two can take Shinoa's place. Shinoago have a good talk with your sister."
"O-Okay"
Shinoa pouted slightly, feeling a little jealous at how he'd moved on from her.
"Huh?!"
That meant one more person again!
Sangu Mitsuba was speechless. This was far too "dirty chaos." That man was basically a demon.
"All of you have seen something like this once, so it's only changing the main cast again, right?"
Rei Ao said with a shrug, pulling Krul and Mirai into his embrace.
"Instead of minding us, think about the things you need to figure out. Or perhaps there's something you want to ask me?"
""
For a moment, nobody responded. Rei Ao was already kissing the flustered Krul deeply.
"Stop!!!"
In a flurry, Kimizuki Mirai let out a soft sound.
Yet Shinoa's house was quickly filled with a noisy harmony again.
But outside that noise, Jujo Mito and the others had stiff postures, not sure where to look or what to hear.
Hanayori Sayuri eventually came forward.
She asked earnestly, "Rei Ao-san, about your so-called path to a peaceful world: do humans still have a place in it?"
"Oh?"
The question made Rei Ao pause from continuing his attentions to Krul.
