Elio sat there, listening to everything happening outside with clenched teeth. He felt extremely frustrated that he couldn't just face all these vampires head-on. It was like everything he had done so far was truly for naught. It made him feel like all his effort was still far from enough, and it was the harsh reality of things.

He learned about his abilities far too late, when people his age already had years of experience. He was at a disadvantage, but perhaps that was divine justice to keep things somewhat fair for others.

If someone with Elio's talent learned how to be a Vampire Hunter early on, nobody could imagine the kind of monster they would turn into. The world was simply not ready for such a creature to be walking on it.

Sadly, the world could only stop that outcome for so long, but it could never deny it. Elio had learned the truth, and with that truth, he was going to do what he had to do.

Clenching his fists, he let the anger and frustration sink into his heart so he could remember them very well. He wanted to make sure he understood where he stood and what he had to do. Those innocent lives, the sound of their cries, and their blood being consumed were his fuel to be better.

Sitting there, Elio decided to check his stats before they moved again. The vampires were already moving toward their next targets, which were luckily outside the building. Elio knew the opportunity to escape would present itself soon enough.

[Name: Elio Ashenblood]

[Gender: Male]

[Age: 17]

[Species: Human]

[State: Partially Awakened]

[Bloodline: Dormant]

[Titles: None]

[Runes: Record Reader V - Blood Cleanser V - Sinful Scholar V - Blood Momentum - Hardened Skin IV.]

[Physical Status:

Strength: 35

Agility: 26

Stamina: 34

Intelligence: 26

Blood Energy: 2700050

Health: 43]

Improvement Rate: 0.00000014%/Sec

'... It improved a bit since last time. It seems consuming the blood of vampires is truly the most effective way to gain strength. Nothing is faster, not even close.'

All Elio took was a few vampires to be able to get more than a dozen points. It was simply a growth cheat code that he must abuse to the extreme to become as strong as possible. Each kill mattered, and each drop of blood could be the difference between him winning and losing his next battle.

"You know, son."

At that moment, Elio heard his grandmother speak. Looking up, he saw a lost expression on her face. She sat against the wall next to him, her eyes wandering to the outside world.

"Your father was just like you. He had the strongest sense of justice I have ever seen in a person. He hated seeing anyone innocent dying. Every time he fails to save all the people he goes out to save, he spends the entire night awake, cursing himself for not being able to be better… I would try to talk him out of it. But, haha, he never listens, does he?" She giggled, a mix of nostalgia and sadness within her tone.

"..." Elio looked at her for a second before he nodded. "Is that the right thing to do, Grandma? To have an ultimate sense of justice?"

"People mistake justice for the ultimate goal. We as people always thrive to reach that ultimate fairness where everyone gets what they deserve. But that's where most people fall… Justice is never the goal; it's the tool. When justice destroys more than it fixes, it becomes a tool of destruction."

"..."

Her words resonated deeply with Elio. Especially because he knew something no other person in this world knows… He knew the Vampire Queen, the one individual who was supposed to be humanity's greatest enemy, and not only that, he was her close friend.

Elio thought about it a lot. Was he betraying Fiona's trust? Was he doing the wrong thing by trusting the person Fiona hates the most? Would his grandmother hate him for befriending the same people who killed her son and his wife?

Those thoughts never left his head, and they scared him all the same. They ate at his mind every day, and as much as he tried not to think about them, they were constantly chasing him, like a nightmare that he could never escape.

But that was where his logic came to a halt… Is it truly justice to hate a vampire when they did nothing wrong?

Melissa had helped him countless times and even saved his grandmother earlier. She was clearly his ally and his dear friend. Is hating her fair? Is hating her truly the justice humanity wants to serve?

"I… I want to make this world a better place, Grandma." He said. "It's far too ugly, far too filled with hatred and blood, far too repulsive… I want to change it."

"Then go ahead and do it," Emilia said as she put her hand on his head. "You were blessed with the power to change this world. So, you must change it, Elio. For the future generations, for your future kids. Give them a world they deserve."

Hearing that, Elio's eyes widened as he looked at his grandmother, only to see a proud and confident smile on her face. She fully trusted him, blindly even. That look, it made him feel as if the entire world was truly waiting for him to change it.

"..." Pursing his lips, he nodded. "You're right…"

Elio was still feeling very conflicted, and perhaps, that was what it was supposed to be. A conflict. Two sides, each claiming to be the right one, and he stood there in the middle, seeing both sides and agreeing with both sides.

Perhaps he didn't have to choose after all. Perhaps that path in the middle was the real path.

Perhaps…

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

His thought didn't finish before a loud, violent explosion shook the entire city.

"Huh?!"

Elio felt the building sway from the sheer impact of the explosion as he quickly stood up.

"What the fuck?" He rushed toward the window, only to be met with a sight that almost stopped his heart.

In the far distance, a violent storm of Blood Energy was brewing chaotically. It was huge, peaking over the buildings and skyscrapers like a lightning storm. Just staring at it from afar put so much pressure on his body… The amount of energy there was incomprehensible.

"..."

"Elio?"

A very, very bad feeling welled up within Elio's heart. His instincts kicked in, telling him what to do.

"We need to leave."

"What?"

"We need to leave now!"

Turning around, Elio grabbed his grandmother's hand and rushed out of the room. At the same time, he used Blood momentum as he blasted the vampires in his way without any mercy.

He had no time to fight them individually; he needed to leave that building as soon as possible!

'This feeling…' Emilia felt her skin crawl as she looked outside. Her face darkened… 'What in the lord's name is happening?'

***

Far away from that building, within the many streets of the city, the hunting squad 2-B finished their area and were getting ready to move to the next area.

"We will catch up with Verguson's group and move up north. The vampires were still running rampant there." One man said to another.

"Tsk, there is no end to these bastards. They're like mosquitoes."

"I'm already so exhausted… Can we get this over with so I can go back to sleep?"

As the group was talking, they suddenly heard a weird noise coming from nearby.

*Rustle*

It sounded like metallic chains clashing against one another slowly. They all turned around at the same time to see where it came from…

There, heading toward them from the other side of the street, was a group of individuals, no more than 6… All walking slowly with their hands and legs cuffed in weird black chains and those chains were linked together.

They were all clad in ragged old clothes, and they had bloody bruises all over them. They looked so wretched and messy that the group thought they were some prisoners who escaped from medieval time.

Except… 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Who are those…?"

"They look weird."

"Beat me… Maybe some prisoners who used this opportunity to escape?"

Nobody understood what they were, so their first reaction was subtle. However, it didn't take long for that to change… And change very drastically.

"Ahhh…"