Chapter 2 : Royal Family

Claire was taken aback.

She hadn’t expected anyone in such a remote place to recognize her kind — the Blood Clan.

Among humans, they were usually cursed and haunted, labeled simply as “vampires.”

Yet this boy…

“I didn’t expect you to know we’re Blood Clan… Just for calling me that instead of ‘vampire,’ I’ll leave you a whole corpse.”

Her voice was slow and calm, but her eyes flashed with a deadly gleam.

She had every intention of killing this boy who had witnessed her secret transaction.

But he hadn’t attacked her, and she’d been told not to stir up unnecessary trouble while in human territory.

So, she held back.

Who would’ve thought this boy would strike first, so dishonorably?

He’d caught her off guard, landing two solid blows that made her blood boil — literally and figuratively.

“That depends on whether you can actually kill me,” Lin Luo said, forcing bravado into his voice.

But deep inside, he knew: getting out alive tonight might not be possible.

His attitude toward the Blood Clan had roots in his previous life… but that didn’t change the fact that he wanted this bloodthirsty girl gone.

He could also sense clearly — she was injured.

Claire slowly raised a delicate hand and waved it.

A strange, sizzling noise echoed in the air.

The space around them began to distort and fracture, as if invisible blades were slicing through reality.

Dark cracks spread like wild vines, and from the rift, a strange cube floated into view.

It glowed with a mysterious light, etched with ancient runes that shimmered faintly.

But the cube was damaged.

Cracks ran along its surfaces, threatening to shatter it at the slightest touch.

Lin Luo stood not far away, watching in horror as his expression twisted.

That cube had taken him ages to craft!

Before he could react, Claire’s blood scythe came slashing toward him.

In a flash, Lin Luo leapt back, dodging her fierce strikes while countering with bursts of magic during her brief attack intervals.

But as a third-tier mage, he was still too weak.

Many powerful spells were out of his reach.

He was constantly on the defensive.

Soon enough, her scythe sliced through him — a shallow but disorienting wound.

Claire seized the opportunity and lunged forward, gripping Lin Luo’s throat with one hand.

Oh crap, I’m done for!

Lin Luo squeezed his eyes shut like a man accepting death.

His legendary third life… was it really ending before it began?

Still, he had one last card to play.

And he was just waiting for the moment to use it.

The blood scythe disappeared.

Claire bared her sharp fangs, her eyes fixed on Lin Luo’s neck.

Might as well use you to recharge a little… she thought.

Without hesitation, she sank her fangs in.

The faint scent of a young girl clung to her, but what followed was pure agony.

“Now!”

Lin Luo’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within.

“Reverse: Inversion!”

A subtle magical ripple burst between them.

Claire suddenly felt something was wrong — the blood she had just drained from Lin Luo was flowing back into him uncontrollably.

And her own blood… was being pulled into him as well!

What happened next shocked her even more.

Lin Luo’s eyes turned blood-red — and with a sudden “pop”, his body exploded into a swarm of bats that fluttered away to the distance.

“Haah… Haah…”

He panted heavily, eyes locked onto the Blood Clan girl before him.

Using Claire’s blood as a medium, he had forcefully activated one of the Blood Clan’s exclusive spells.

That was the opportunity he’d been waiting for.

Some spells required specific bloodlines to cast.

In his past life, Lin Luo had developed a technique to use a person’s blood as a medium — allowing him to wield spells from that bloodline.

He had even modified it using the Blood Clan’s own method of converting blood into energy, making any blood he absorbed a source of magical power.

Now, sensing the vast energy coursing through Claire’s blood, a confident smile played at his lips.

He still might not win… but at least he had a chance now.

Buzz!

A blood-red scythe appeared in Lin Luo’s hands.

This was a powerful spell exclusive to the Blood Clan — every strike it landed on an enemy would restore a portion of health and energy to its wielder.

As a legendary tier-eight mage, Lin Luo had dabbled in many race-specific spells, though until now, he could never use them.

Across from him, Claire’s eyes widened as she watched him wield a spell meant only for their kind.

She didn’t even bother to hide her shock.

There was something very off about this boy.

But… was her blood really that useful?

A small smile curved her lips.

With the blood scythe in hand, Lin Luo charged at her again.

He was still at a disadvantage, but at least he wasn’t getting completely overwhelmed now.

“You’re the first one to ever use my blood against me,” Claire remarked casually between the clash of blades.

Lin Luo frowned.

“What do you mean?”

He had already locked down her blood with powerful constraints to prevent contamination.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“You’ll find out…”

Claire suddenly vanished, teleporting a short distance away, as if waiting for something.

Lin Luo was about to respond — but then, something inside him shifted.

The blood he had so carefully restrained suddenly erupted in a frenzy.

It surged through his veins, rampaging through his body.

A strange fluctuation swept over him.

The blood scythe in his hands disappeared into thin air.

“Ugh!”

Lin Luo groaned in pain, doubling over as he clutched his chest.

An unbearable agony tore through every cell in his body.

He trembled uncontrollably, cold sweat soaking his back.

It felt like thousands of blades were shredding him from the inside.

Every inch of skin, every bone — all of it screamed in torment.

His body no longer felt like his own.

Every breath he took came with searing pain.

The pain brought him to his knees.

And suddenly, a horrifying thought struck him.

One that made his blood run cold.

“You’re… royalty,” he gasped, staring at Claire, using every last ounce of strength to speak.

Claire’s eyes widened.

Now she was shocked.

So this boy knew that much?

The specifics of the “First Embrace Ritual” were a closely guarded secret of the Blood Clan’s royal family.

Yet this human boy… had recognized it.

Interesting.

Far too interesting.

Her intentions changed.

This mysterious boy… might be worth keeping around.