HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

Beside the youth lay two lifeless bodies of young girls.

With eyes burning with hatred, he continuously etched at the magic circle on the ground.

At last... when the blood-red moon in the sky reached its zenith of brightness, his work was complete.

"Come forth!" he pleaded desperately. "I beg you! Come forth!"

Dark clouds were about to obscure the crimson moon, but the magic circle remained unresponsive. The youth descended into madness, pounding relentlessly against the earth, heedless of the blood seeping from his hands and pooling around him.

"Show yourself! I implore you! Please, I'm begging you!"

Finally... it seemed as though the magic circle had heard his plea. The ground began to tremble uncontrollably as countless bats materialized out of thin air within the circle. Each one possessed eyes of vivid scarlet—the legendary vampire bats!

These creatures swarmed together, forming a mass large enough to engulf several humans whole.

In that instant, all the individual bats vanished, leaving behind only... a little girl? One who bore an uncanny resemblance to her kindred spirits—two enormous bat wings sprouting from her back, and a pair of sharp fangs protruding from her mouth.

Upon her shoulders hung a massive cross, stained deep crimson like fresh blood. She glanced around uncertainly before seeming to grasp the situation.

"You human," she spoke softly, her voice weak and devoid of any force or intimidation. "Was it you who summoned me?"

Yet, with wings and fangs adorning her form, coupled with the cross she bore, no one dared to underestimate her.

"Ah... ha ha ha..." The sight of this girl rising before him compelled the youth to leap up in excitement. It was true... truly summoned— he had almost believed the legends were mere fabrications.

Desperate and at his wits' end, the young man had attempted the summoning during the Blood Moon, never expecting that it would actually conjure a demon.

However, his smile quickly faded as he gazed upon the girl standing before him—she wasn't even as tall as himself.

"As long as you can grant my wish," he said, "even if you're a demon—it doesn't matter! Just kill him for me—kill him!" His voice resonated with hatred, anguish clear in every word.

"Oh... murder, I see." With a glance at the two girls beside the youth, the vampire girl pieced together the situation. "Very well then. As payment, take my soul... if you will!"

Relieved by her agreement, the young man collapsed back onto the ground, drained both emotionally and physically from blood loss. He simply lacked the strength to stand any longer.

To him, eliminating the noble tormentor in town justified offering his very soul to a demon.

The youth looked at the two girls beside him—or rather, his little sisters...

As he thought of his sisters being insulted—of having no power to prevent it—he felt utterly helpless.

Not only had they been humiliated; they'd been killed outright. Their bodies tossed back at him as if to mock his agony, while one of his own arms lay severed from his body—a brutal reminder of their fate.

How could I bear such hatred?!

"Soul..." The vampire girl tilted her head, replying with cool indifference. "...I don't need something like that."

The young man lying on the ground couldn't help but widen his eyes upon hearing this. Fear gripped him—the kind of fear that left him utterly defenseless, stripped bare of any value beyond what little remained within his veins.

"However, as compensation for your soul... I'll gladly accept your blood." Her eyes dilated even further, turning an intense crimson hue. Two sharp fangs emerged from the corners of her mouth, betraying her irresistible hunger for fresh blood.

So hungry! Hungry beyond measure! I must drink...

Unable to resist any longer, she lunged forward and sank her teeth into the youth's neck.

After drawing a significant amount of blood from the young man, the vampire girl inexplicably began to reject it. Repulsed by male essence, she turned her gaze towards the two deceased maidens nearby.

Intrigued, she approached one of them, embraced the lifeless form gently, and bit down on her neck once more.

"This is closer to what I seek," she mused, "but still not quite right... Not pure enough."

After several minutes—no longer plagued by hunger—the vampire girl wiped clean her lips and stood up...

Suddenly, she clutched at her head and crouched back down, exclaiming, "Oh my goodness! Why... would it be Luna Kindred through random selection...?"

Indeed, this very vampire girl was Zhao Baiyou himself, who had just transitioned into a new world.

(TL Note: Oh yeah...he had a name...)

He had transformed from Yae Sakura's Gyakushinn Miko battle suit into Theresa's Luna Kindred. Once again summoned as if calling forth demons—and immediately upon arrival, famished for blood.

From the outset, he found himself compelled to... feast on human veins.

But... fortunately, Zhao Baiyou had stopped acting human when he became Yae Sakura. Now that he was a vampire, he was well-prepared for this change.

As for those whose blood he drank—they were lucky to be chosen by him.

Luna Kindred wasn't like the vampires in myths. Instead, Otto created her by fusing together an imperial-class Honkai beast named Vishnu with the power of the Key of Corruption. The main difference between her and the normal Theresa is that the Vishnu genes used in her creation were stronger than the normal Theresa. This is what brought along the vampire qualities.

Anyone bitten by Luna would be infected, turning them into a vampire who couldn't age or die and wasn't harmed by sunlight. They could even enjoy human food—though eating wouldn't fill their stomachs, they could at least taste the flavors.

It seemed almost perfect, except that in crowds, these vampires would go berserk and start hunting humans.

Of the three teenagers here, two were already dead, and one was nearly gone. In his hunger, influenced by Luna's body, despite having just become her, he began to drink blood right away.

-

However, this taste is rather ordinary...

Then again, it made sense. The Luna Kindred had grown up nourished by Kallen's blood—though only because her grandfather (Otto) required it for his purposes. Compared to these ordinary humans', Kallen's blood was on an entirely different level.

Hmm... At that moment, Zhao Baiyou found himself experiencing what it must have felt like for the Luna Kindred to drink from Kallen.

Kallen, who had been dead for over five hundred years, could be temporarily revived after being drained of her blood by the Luna Kindred—a process known as "awakening."

-

"Is this... hell?"

"Brother, you're dead too?"

"No wait, we aren't dead at all?"

After Luna Kindred departed, the three individuals who had been drained by Zhao Baiyou simultaneously awakened.

The two young women, once deceased, found themselves inexplicably resurrected. The teenage boy, who should have perished from severe blood loss, now lived on against all odds.

Confused, they questioned each other about what had transpired.

"It must be that Lord," one of them mused. "Not only did he not take my soul, but he saved me and even brought back my sister..."

"And with such immense power..." another marveled.

As the youth recalled the demon he had summoned earlier, he realized it wasn't frightening at all—rather, she was the epitome of cuteness: a girl adorable beyond measure.

He hadn't sacrificed anything himself; instead, he'd been delivered from death. How could this be a demon? he wondered. This is no devil—it's an angel!

(TL Note: Where did Tericula end up? Any guesses?)