Japanese Terrorist: What? I'll fight Hellstar!

Amamiya Rin rubbed his temples, not immediately responding to the questions about the meat-modified Tomie and the arms-dealing Tomie.

It was so heavy that my head felt numb and I couldn't think straight.

In that case, let's consider things in the dream.

Then, Amamiya Rin closed her eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, the air was filled with the smell of sweat and leather, and the dull thumping sounds continued.

Amamiya Rin turned her head and looked over. Not far away was a sparring ring where two boxers were sparring. Sandbags of different weights were hanging around the ring, and several speed balls and pear balls were standing against the wall. Several people wearing training vests and shorts were practicing on their own.

Looking down, I saw that I was wearing a plain gray training T-shirt and black athletic shorts, with training shoes on my feet.

After a moment of confusion, Amamiya Rin immediately understood.

This is a dream world, composed of his and Tomie's collective subconscious and imagination. It is a dimensional space parallel to the real universe, where the physical laws and elemental changes are no different from those in the real universe. It is no exaggeration to call it a dream world.

The environment he was in was a boxing gym shaped by Tomie's memories.

To make up for Amamiya Rin's shortcomings, Tomie and the others learned a series of fighting techniques, including boxing, Muay Thai, Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Hayashizaki-ryu Iaijutsu, and Jigen-ryu.

Without involving leg techniques or elbows and knees, boxing is undoubtedly the strongest modern fighting technique. The straight hook and uppercut system is mature, with fast punches, strong explosive power, and flexible footwork. Although there is a learning curve, it is not high and is friendly to beginners.

Muay Thai involves all-in contact strikes with elbows, knees, legs, and fists. It is simple and brutal, with powerful leg techniques. However, its footwork is relatively rigid, its movements are large, its rhythm is slow, and its techniques are more complex than those of boxing.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the pinnacle of ground combat. It has no weaknesses except for its inability to handle multiple opponents, but its techniques are also more complex.

Hayashizaki-ryu Iaijutsu is a benchmark for practical combat. Japanese police special forces retain Hayashizaki-ryu's draw-and-slash and sheath-strike techniques in their training. The technical system basically covers all the needs from ancient battlefields to modern urban warfare, in order to make up for the shortcomings of the new Kage-ryu Iaijutsu.

The Shigenryu style boasts extremely powerful slashing bursts, with wide, sweeping movements and a broad slashing range, making it useful for enhancing the attack power of the Shinkageryu style.

Tomie and her friends have already mastered the basic techniques and learning methods of boxing, Hayashi-ryu Iaijutsu, and Jigen-ryu. They have also bought a textbook on Krav Maga. However, their progress in learning Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is still at the basic level, making it difficult for them to further their studies in the dream world.

"Then let's start with boxing."

Amamiya Rin muttered to herself, having made up her mind.

While Amamiya Rin was learning boxing, the other Tomie girls were not idle either. They were either encouraging each other to study medicine, cell biology, molecular biology, developmental biology, neurobiology, and bioengineering.

Or they might be studying mechanical engineering, trying to improve and create more powerful weapons.

Or perhaps they are studying the alchemy techniques they obtained from the Kawabe family.

Tomie has already purchased all the materials for the medical alchemy of the Paracelsus system. Although the proportions of the formula are unknown, she has plenty of time to experiment through this dream world, which is almost as real as reality.

Meanwhile, far away, Tomie, who aspires to become a vampire, also begins her own plan.

It was a Western-style castle in the mountains, with a cold and empty stone hall. Several torches were stuck in iron rings, casting swaying shadows. The air was filled with damp stones, old dust, and a faint smell of rust, like blood.

In the center of the hall, the somber Iron Maiden stood silently, and on the wall directly opposite it, a portrait of Elizabeth Bathory was solemnly hung.

The countess's eyes in the painting appear even more eerie in the flickering firelight, as if they could truly penetrate the canvas and gaze upon everything below.

Tomie Kawakami stood in front of the portrait, and on the ground in front of her, a complex pentagram magic circle was drawn with blood, the lines of the pentagram reflecting slightly in the torchlight.

Various ritual materials were placed at several corners of the magic circle, and a woman lay to one side with her eyes closed and her breathing steady.

That face was none other than Tomie Kawakami!

Tomie wasn't sure if using the body created out of thin air in her dream would be able to achieve the same effect as the offering.

She was even less certain whether this dark magic ritual could be performed in a dream.

But it doesn't matter, even if we fail, it won't be a big deal.

Of course, attention should be paid to the details, and it would be even better if it could be successful.

So, Tomie ambushed and captured a so-called imposter.

Tomie struggled to pull open the Iron Maiden's double doors, the hinges emitting a dry, harsh friction sound.

Inside the door, rows of short nails gleamed dimly in the firelight.

She stuffed another Tomie inside, then closed the iron gate.

The heavy metal door slowly closed.

It went smoothly at first, but when the gap in the door narrowed to a certain extent, the resistance began to increase.

Tomie, who was to be sacrificed, began to have her body pressed against the sharp points of short nails on the inside of the door.

Tomie gave it her all.

"Pfft."

A soft sound rang out, and several longer nails pierced the flesh of the sacrifice first, followed by more nails pressing into the skin and penetrating the flesh.

Tomie remained expressionless, steadily applying pressure.

When the two doors were fully closed, sealing them tightly, a viscous liquid slowly seeped from the bottom of the Iron Maiden and dripped into the copper basin below.

Tomie patted non-existent dust off her hands, squatted down, observed the liquid that had gathered into small streams, and dipped her finger in it.

It felt sticky to the touch, with a slight warmth simulated in a dream, and its smell was extremely similar to real blood.

She stood up, walked to an inconspicuous knob on the side of the Iron Maiden, grasped the knob, and turned it forcefully.

"Clatter...clatter..."

The dull thud of a lever turning came from inside, and the liquid seeping from the door cracks began to increase, turning from dripping to a trickle, while the smell of rust in the air grew stronger.

Tomie simply waited quietly, occasionally glancing up at Elizabeth's portrait on the wall.

The countess's gaze in the painting seems to shift with the flickering firelight, but that could be an illusion.

After about ten minutes, the copper basin was filled with more than half a basin of dark red, thick liquid.

Without hesitation, Tomie took off her clothes, plunged her hands directly into the warm liquid, scooped up a handful, and poured it onto her skin.

The viscous liquid soaked her black hair, running down her hair ends, cheeks, and neck. She kept scooping up the liquid and applying it to her bare neck, arms, collarbone, and then her cheeks and forehead.

Soon, her entire body was stained red, and a small puddle of red liquid formed at her feet.

Her eyes shone brightly amidst the bloodstains, fixed on the portrait on the wall, her lips moving as she began to chant those difficult Latin incantations.

The chanting echoed in the stone hall, mingling with the sound of dripping blood.

The torch flames began to flicker abnormally at some point, and their color turned somewhat bluish.

The pentagram formation on the ground, with its lines drawn by blood, seemed to faintly glow with an ominous dark light, but it vanished in an instant, making it difficult to determine whether it was an illusion caused by the firelight.

Suddenly, the torchlight dimmed for a moment, then shot up again, turning a ghastly white that cast a somber glow over the entire stone hall.

An invisible pressure spread out, so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

Tomie took a half step back. Beneath the bloodstains, her beautiful eyes held no fear, only intense curiosity and anticipation.

Can it really succeed? Can a dark magic ritual performed in a dream summon Elizabeth? Is the summoned Elizabeth a figment of the dream or real? If real, what is the underlying principle?

Questions raced through Tomie's mind, her eyes fixed intently on the portrait of Elizabeth.

In the portrait, Elizabeth Bathory's lips twitched slightly upwards, as if she had truly come to life!

The dark red eyes slowly turned and focused on the girl covered in blood.

The next moment, she stepped out of the portrait!

The image, like a reflection in water, was disturbed. A tall figure emerged from the distorted light and shadow, turning from illusion to reality, and landed lightly in the center of the magic circle, standing in front of Tomie.

But... why is it different?

Looking at Elizabeth before her, Tomie's eyes became confused.

The first thing that catches the eye is that striking white hair.

It was just shoulder-length, gleaming coldly in the pale firelight.

A uniquely shaped crown adorned the top of her head, made of metal with spikes extending upwards, resembling some kind of cold floral crown or miniature royal crown.

She raised her head, revealing her face. Her features were so perfect they were almost unreal, possessing an inhuman exquisiteness. Her skin was a pale white, as if it had never seen the sun. Her light green eyes held a faint smile, revealing a natural arrogance.

She was not wearing the classical long dress depicted in the portrait, but rather a strange suit of armor that blended classical and modern elements.

The main color is dark red, interspersed with gorgeous gold patterns that meander like veins.

The shoulder and breastplates were decorated with raised spikes, the arm armor covered the elbows, and a dark cloak was draped over the shoulders with thin gold trim.

Her right hand held a straight scepter, the top of which was decorated with a bat with outstretched wings, ready to take flight.

The lower body design is even more unique, with the armor focusing on protecting one side of the waist and leg, while the other side boldly reveals a long leg covered by mesh fabric, connected to a pair of high-heeled boots.

This appearance, completely different from the one in the portrait, left Tomie speechless for a moment.

The woman before me was more like a female boss character from a modern fantasy work than a medieval vampire countess.

Wait a minute! This image... seems familiar to Amamiya Rin... Camilla, the Great Dragon Girl?

Tomie Kawakami suddenly realized what was happening.

So, is this Elizabeth real or fake?

Suddenly, it was as if some of the air had been sucked away, and the chill in the stone hall intensified.

Elizabeth looked down at her new look and frowned deeply.

"What happened?"

A cold voice rang out, filled with confusion and displeasure.

The overly extravagant armor and scepter made her feel extremely uncomfortable, especially the mesh leg armor that was sticking out so much, which was simply indecent.

Elizabeth raised her left hand and touched her chest.

"An alternate dimension formed from human thoughts? A dream?"

In Junji Ito's worldview, dreams do not belong entirely to the dreamer's world. If one whispers in the ear of a sleeper, one will invade the sleeper's dream. According to this rule, dreams also belong to a kind of alternate dimension.

For Elizabeth, as a demon, invading other people's dreams was a common occurrence.

However, she had never entered such a bizarre dream before; the dream creator's thoughts were so powerful that they could alter her appearance.

And why this image? Is the dream weaver this time some kind of anime/manga fan?

Elizabeth was filled with confusion. She looked up at Tomie Kawakami standing in front of her.

However, no matter how you look at it, this woman doesn't seem like an anime fangirl at the very bottom of this country's social hierarchy.

Never mind, it's not important. The ceremony is already complete, so these minor details can be ignored.

"Humans, accept my power, and I will grant you eternal youth."

Elizabeth's voice echoed in the cold stone hall, carrying an unquestionable authority. She casually tossed the scepter aside, cupped Kawakami Tomie's face in her hands, and gazed into Kawakami Tomie's eyes with her light green eyes.

"Sizzle—"

The next moment, a cold, foreign sensation seeped in, and a non-existent noise suddenly rang in Tomie's mind.

Tomie's body stiffened.

She instinctively tried to break free, but found that she couldn't muster the strength.

No! It's not that she can't muster the strength, but that she can't properly send signals to her body!

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

The noise in my head grew louder and louder, mixed with unintelligible whispers.

Some unfamiliar fragments of images flashed through my mind—the flickering candlelight in the dimly lit corridor, the dark red liquid swirling in the goblet, the girl being drained of her blood in the Iron Maiden… These images were filled with intense emotions.

Hunger, greed, pride, and cruelty!

The sensation of a foreign object began to spread, like a viscous liquid meandering through the crevices of the brain.

Tomie felt her thinking become sluggish, and a strange yet familiar cognition was quietly growing within her—a self that was not her own was being born inside her.

What a strange feeling...!

"The ceremony is complete. From now on, present your performance to me, my child."

Elizabeth released Tomie's cheek, revealing an evil smile.

Without a real body, one cannot receive the Embrace? The transformation of a vampire is not such an inconvenient thing!

That smile froze on her face for a moment.

Then, her figure began to blur, like a phantom, and gradually disappeared, as if she had never appeared at all.

Tomie shook her head vigorously.

As Elizabeth disappeared, the foreign substance that had invaded her brain seemed to vanish as well.

She raised her hand to touch her cheek; her skin was smooth and her temperature was normal. She then looked down at her blood-stained body; everything seemed normal.

"Um?"

Tomie uttered a confused syllable.

That's it? What about the power? What about the vampire feeling?

Apart from that brief, strange feeling, she didn't feel any changes in her body.