Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the heat from those gazes almost cooked his snakeskin.

Samael, also somewhat embarrassed, forced a dry smile and patiently tried to negotiate.

"Uh, it's late at night, bad timing, they're probably still sleeping. Why don't you wait a bit?"

"Go! Beat him up!"

"Grab this bastard!"

"This guy needs to be taught a lesson!"

The exorcists, who had been tormented all night, were filled with rage and charged at the instigator on the field.

However, just as hundreds of exorcists were about to rush towards Samael, a crimson arc of light, like a fiery meteor, streaked through the air and crashed into the center of the two opposing sides.

"boom!"

Instantly, the earth shook violently, and the surging etheric tides stirred up a fierce storm. Hundreds of exorcists were blown away by the terrifying shockwave and turned into withered grass dancing in the gale.

"Flash Sheath - Eight Piercings!"

"Iai Sword·Tiger Falling Flute!"

"Roar!"

Under the crisis, the leaders of the four families with high combat power, namely Qiye Huangli, Liangyi Laotou, and Yajian Hongmo Tuimu, launched a counterattack without prior agreement, despite the strong wind pressure.

"Go away!"

A cold, explosive shout suddenly rang out, and a raging torrent of dark red magic surged forth in all directions.

"Puff puff!"

In an instant, the short stick in Qiye Huangli's hand shattered, the long knife in Liangyi Laotou's palm broke, and the bones in both arms of Yajian Hongmo were completely shattered. All three of them coughed up blood and flew backward like kites with broken strings.

At the same time, the violent energy surged past, and the pale mountain mist that filled the surroundings was as if it had been cleaved in two by a blood-red sword, dissipating in the blink of an eye.

In the eye of the storm, a vampire princess dressed in a pure white gown, with blonde hair and red eyes, floated lightly from a crater tens of meters deep and landed in front of Samael.

Although it was only a few days, it felt like a reunion after a lifetime, leaving Arcueid with mixed feelings.

The princess of the ancient city, her cherry lips tightly pressed together, hesitated several times as if she wanted to speak, raised her hand as if to touch the man in front of her, then let it fall limply, her scarlet eyes drooping, not daring to look at Samael, like a child who had done something wrong.

Because she almost killed the person in front of her.

This person who showed her the beauty in life; this person who came to save her without hesitation; this person who, even at the last moment, thought of protecting her first...

Years of patient care and concern, assisting her in hunting fallen vampires with the trust of entrusting her back, and indulging her bloodlust by satisfying her thirst for blood, were all met with betrayal and the clash of swords.

All of this has led Arcueid to regain consciousness and retain that memory, leaving her unsure how to face it.

That's why, ever since she woke up on the mountain, she has chosen to isolate herself and shut herself off.

However, a warm hand took the initiative to close the distance and landed on Arcueid's head, playfully kneading it.

Samael smiled and winked, a peculiar glint in his eyes.

"Princess, you'd better take full responsibility for killing me."

"Ok!"

Arcueid, who was filled with guilt, saw the gloom on his face vanish upon hearing this, and immediately smiled broadly, nodding emphatically.

"These bastards gave me trouble and chased me through half the city..."

Samael looked around at the horrified faces in the dense forest and spoke in a sinister tone.

In an instant, Arcueid's blood-red eyes released a chilling aura, and a murderous intent swept in all directions.

"withdraw!"

The one with the strongest sense of crisis, Tono Shinji, changed his expression drastically, shouted decisively, and then, without saying a word, took the three seriously injured leaders and turned to rush down the mountain.

Run!

The exorcists, who were a beat slow to react, suddenly realized what was happening and scattered like birds and beasts, retreating down the mountain like a tide.

Arcueid hesitated for a moment between the fleeing crowd and Samael behind him, then finally stopped and chose the latter.

Besides these people, she vaguely sensed that there was another faint presence hidden in the dense forest, seemingly watching from the shadows, waiting for its chance to strike.

Samael would be in danger if he blindly pursued them.

Finally, when the faint sense of crisis completely dissipated, Arcueid couldn't help but abandon his guarded posture. Unable to contain his excitement, he turned and rushed towards Samael.

However, as soon as Arcueid took a step and relaxed, she couldn't help but notice Kuonji Yuzu behind Samael. Her gaze immediately sharpened, and her face became full of vigilance.

"who is she?!"

"My subordinate!"

Samael, his survival instincts triggered, blinked and gave a straight answer.

Immediately, the ancient snake's gaze fell on the pale face of Kuonji Yuju, and it slapped its forehead, as if waking from a dream.

"Oh right, Youzhu is still injured, quickly carry her inside!"

"Oh, okay..."

Arcueid snapped out of her daze and immediately stepped forward to help Samael lift the poor witch who had been forgotten in the corner and carry her to the small cabin on the mountaintop.

Lian, who was ordered to stay at the foot of the mountain, wrinkled her delicate nose and sniffed, looking suspiciously at the back of a certain man.

Although I don't know which sentence it is, it sounds like a lie...

Inside the room, the two settled the still unconscious Kuonji Yuzu on the bed. Arcueid, having calmed down, casually inquired about Kuonji Yuzu's condition in order to cover up his earlier lapse in composure.

"What's up with her?"

"I was injured by the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, but it seems that my condition is gradually stabilizing."

Samael, sitting by the bed, briefly checked the current physical condition of Kuonji Yuzu. Looking at the witch whose breathing was steady and whose face was gradually regaining some color, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and gave his answer.

Samael, relieved, tucked the blanket around Yuju Kuonji, got up, and pulled Arcueid out of the guest room. They chatted in the courtyard about their past experiences over the past few days.

Compared to Samael's thrilling journey, Arcueid's experience was much more uneventful.

After the battle of Fuhailin, Zhu Yue's consciousness was sealed by the Holy Lance, and Arcueid regained control of his body. When he woke up, he found himself on this hillside.

Thanks to the protection of the runes, Arcueid was unharmed and, near the crash site, discovered an abandoned workshop built by a magician on a hillside.

According to the notes left on the table, Arcueid learned that the original owner of the workshop had passed away.

Because of his reclusive lifestyle, this magician rarely interacted with the outside world. To alleviate his loneliness, he created a familiar using a human soul and a cat's corpse. Its name was "Ren," the same blue-haired girl with a ribbon that Samael met at the foot of the mountain.

Now, this girl belongs to Arcueid; she is her familiar.

Afterwards, based on his remaining memories, he believed that he had mistakenly killed Samael's Arcueid. Out of guilt, he chose to imprison himself on a mountain.

It wasn't until Samael's arrival that this tightly closed door to his heart was reopened.

Under Arcueid's anxious questioning, Samael, with a resentful expression, began to play the victim, recounting his miserable experience after being dismembered.

Upon hearing this, the simple-minded princess felt an overwhelming sense of guilt towards the man before her.

After a long conversation, the two calmed down, and then the ancient snake became serious and got down to business.

"Princess, do you have a way to remove the power interference imposed on me by the demonic sword, in place of Zhu Yue?"

"I don't know, I'll try."

Arcueid answered honestly, then placed one hand on Samael's chest, trying to sense the shackles binding the ancient serpent.

However, after several attempts, the attempt ultimately ended in failure.

Since Zhu Yue was able to silently reside in Arcueid's body, it proves that this Moon King possesses authority far exceeding that of her successors.

"Is there really nothing we can do?"

Although he had expected this, Samael was still somewhat frustrated.

"Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for you!"

The naive princess felt very guilty and couldn't help but take Samael's prosthetic right hand, gently press it against her cheek, pursed her cherry lips, and earnestly and clumsily make a promise.

"Okay."

Samael nodded with a smile, his intact left hand gently stroking Arcueid's head.

Gradually, their eyes met, and a strange emotion arose in their eyes. The air grew warmer, filled with an ambiguous atmosphere.

perhaps……

Arcueid seemed to have thought of something, her cheeks flushed, then she closed her eyes, pursed her cherry lips, and brought her head closer inch by inch.

Instantly, Samael, who had just been complaining bitterly about being mercilessly dismembered, no longer felt the pain in his back or legs. He licked his dry lips and closed his eyes, filled with anticipation.

"Ah!"

However, as they drew closer, Arcueid, tilting his head back, sneezed violently, his chin nearly hitting Samael's mouth.

The ancient snake, feeling guilty, darted around with its eyes darting about and asked in a hoarse voice.

"What, what's wrong?"

"You smell terrible."

Elquiet pulled away, wrinkled her nose, and answered seriously.

"..."

Samael looked down at his tattered clothes and the dust covering his body, and fell silent. His lips twitched, and he mentally added another mark against the group of exorcists.

However, in an instant, the ancient snake's eyes darted around, and it tentatively asked a question.

"I'm going to take a shower, how about..."

"Take a bath? Oh, there's a small river up ahead. If you need toiletries, I have some here."

"I mean, do you want to come along?"

"No need, I just showered before going to bed."

"..."

Sure enough, I shouldn't have had any expectations. Samael glanced at Arcueid, who had given a serious response, with a sullen expression.

Did I say something wrong?

Watching the lonely figure walk straight out the door, Arcueid scratched his head, somewhat bewildered.

After a moment of stunned silence, Bai Ji tapped her forehead, as if she had remembered something, and a hint of annoyance appeared in her eyes.

Oh dear, I almost forgot, Samael's body hasn't fully recovered yet, so it would be inconvenient for him to wash by himself.

How about I help you scrub his back?

A moment later, the princess, who was half-awake and half-unawakened, hurriedly grabbed a towel and headed for the door.

However, the moment Arcueid stepped out the door, her steps suddenly stopped, and her ruby-like eyes gazed intently at the crimson mist that had somehow spread around the house, and at the petite figure emerging from the haze.

On the tranquil, clear riverbank, Samael, having toiled all day, leaned against the shallows, letting the flowing water wash away the grime from his skin. He lazily stretched out his body, resting his head on a nearby blue stone, his thoughts wandering.

Currently, most of his body has been recovered from the four exorcist families, with only his right arm remaining unaccounted for.

The two most likely places to hide the Holy Communion are the Goda Church and the Aozaki family.

As for the Aozaki family, Touko has already gone to check on them, and we should have the results around dawn.

What remains is the Goda Church...

However, if the four exorcising families and A-liang-juniko don't behave themselves during the operation, things will get a bit troublesome.

Forget it, there's no rush. Let's find a way to remove the seal on my body and restore my power first. That would be safer.

Just as Samael finished washing up, sorted out his thoughts, and was about to get up, half of the wall of the wooden house behind him suddenly exploded open.

boom!boom!

Immediately afterwards, with a splash, two entangled figures crashed into the riverbed, sending up a cloud of water mist.

"Arquette, I can forgive you for destroying the Thousand-Year City, but this time I will never forgive you! Never!"

"It's clearly your fault, you always try to take everything from me! You're the one who's really annoying, Altruchi."

In an instant, two figures half-submerged in the water glared at each other, their magical power surging, and a great battle was about to break out.

"Uh, why are you two fighting?"