"A cheat ability may be late, but it will never be absent."
When the dialog box resembling a novel system appeared in her vision, Xia Luo knew she was saved.
She... could intercept this old hag's sacrifice?
Intercept!
Must intercept!
Growing more and more exhausted, Xia Luo had no extra energy to think further. She knew she couldn't hold on much longer—death's breath was already upon her.
Without hesitation, Xia Luo made her choice.
[Error…]
[Interception… failed…]
[Detecting… incomplete grimoire information…]
[Self-repair initiated…]
[Repair complete…]
[Great Lord of the Sealed Grimoire]
[Please design a unique symbol exclusive to you.]
Xia Luo: …
The words continued to change, and the ritual didn't stop. Xia Luo felt a connection to something intangible. A phantom parchment appeared in her vision, with various patterns shifting according to her will.
Damn!
Why so troublesome!
With her consciousness fading, Xia Luo was on the verge of madness. She knew if she didn't stop the ritual, she would die. Biting her tongue, she mustered her last bit of energy and mentally imprinted the thorny rose pattern from her bed canopy—the first thing she saw every morning.
[Symbol design complete.]
[Interception initiated.]
In a daze, Xia Luo felt a mysterious force act upon her. Amid the cadenced prayers, her consciousness cleared, and her vision underwent a miraculous change. She "saw" her surroundings again, not from "Xia Luo's" perspective, but as a bird's-eye view of an observer.
She seemed to be in a towering phantom castle, seated on a blood-red throne, with an ancient blood-colored tome floating before her. Below the throne, the basement scene unfolded: the blood-red magic circle, the icy cross, the hanging maiden, and the fanatical old hag... All seemed to prostrate at her feet.
The countess in the circle kept kowtowing, her gaze fixed on Xia Luo. That feeling... was like worshiping Xia Luo herself. A strange sensation of looking down on ants arose in the maiden's heart, making her feel like the master of all...
A new dialog box emerged—
[Bloodline Sacrifice Ritual intercepted successfully.]
[Ritual recipient changed to: Charlotte de Castille.]
[Terminate or modify the ritual?]
Gazing at the new words, the maiden's eyes widened. Recalling the old hag's ferocious smile, pent-up anger surged again. Without hesitation, Xia Luo shouted in her mind:
"Modify! I want to modify it!"
"Swap the sacrifice and the sacrificer!"
"She is the sacrifice, and I am the sacrificer!"
You want to blood-sacrifice my soul?
Dammit!
Let's see who sacrifices whom!
...
Countess Castille was ecstatic.
Ten years...
She had prepared for this day for a full decade! Once the bloodline sacrifice ritual was complete, she would seize the Castille family's innate bloodline, bid farewell to old age, and regain her youth!
Moreover, sacrificing this otherworldly soul might earn her divine grace—the legendary grace coveted by mortals! If obtained, she would gain incredible power and become a mythical apostle of the gods!
Imagining the bright future, Countess Castille grew increasingly excited. "Great Blood Demon Duke! Cast your gaze upon us!" She held the blood-red fragment high, calling fanatically.
The magic circle blazed, and blood-red moonlight poured down, forming a crimson mist. An ancient, vast aura converged in the basement, as if a terrifying mysterious being had crossed countless time-spaces to cast its gaze here.
It's here!
The gaze of the divine!
The countess breathed heavily, lifting her head with difficulty through the mist, her gaze more fanatical and apprehensive than ever. From the crimson mist, an ancient, majestic phantom throne materialized. Upon the throne, scarlet light coalesced, as if an ancient, strapping existence was descending...
My Lord!
It's my Lord!
My Lord is gazing at me!
The countess held her breath, face flushed, body trembling, eyes filled with anticipation. The light coalesced into a figure.
Then—
She saw a familiar petite silhouette...
Countess Castille: …
"Cha... Charlotte?!" She froze.
Meanwhile, seated on the throne, Xia Luo smiled at her, voice ethereal: "My dear grandmother, your sacrifice... I accept it."
The sacrifice magic circle lit up abruptly, and crimson light shot skyward. In the countess's astonished gaze, the blood-red light engulfed her...
"AAAAAAH—!"
Countess Castille emitted a heart-wrenching scream. Her already aged body rapidly withered under the blood-red light.
Simultaneously, Xia Luo on the cross felt a warm current surge into her abdominal wound through the tentacle, like rain after a drought. A warm, strange power wandered through her body, repairing the fatal injury rapidly.
The sensation was wonderful, indescribable—like soaking in a warm bath or the afterglow of intense exercise. It was soothing, intoxicating, addictive, and lingering.
Xia Luo was like a hungry glutton, greedily devouring everything from Countess Castille.
"AAAAH—!"
"No! Stop! Don't take my power! Don't take my power!"
"Who... no, who are you?! Who the hell are you?!"
The countess screamed madly, struggling, but the crimson light held her fast. Once the sacrifice ritual started, it couldn't be stopped.
"Stop! Please stop!"
"AAAAAAH!"
"Demon...! You damned demon!"
"My Lord won't forgive you! My Lord won't forgive you!"
"…"
Gradually, the countess's voice faded, her struggles weakening. Finally, after about five minutes of devouring, she went still. The surrounding horrible aura vanished, and the kneeling zombie maids and waiters collapsed with "thump thump" sounds, turning into ordinary rotten corpses.
In the magic circle, the light faded, revealing Countess Castille as a dehydrated mummy, her shriveled face still showing terror and confusion. The moonlight outside was obscured by clouds, and the magic circle on the ground dimmed.
Xia Luo was the only living being left in the basement. Her abdominal wound had healed completely, leaving no scar, only shocking bloodstains. She still wore a intoxicated expression.
The wonderful devouring was addictive. At this moment, the maiden felt intense loss and unfulfillment. She felt like she'd taken a powerful tonic—her mind was clearer than ever, her body brimmed with energy, as if she could break free from the cross at any moment.
Want...
I still want more!
An indescribable hunger arose, highly addictive. Xia Luo swallowed imaginary saliva, forcing down the urge that felt like a physical instinct. She disliked feeling like a drug addict in withdrawal.
Thankfully, the hunger subsided after a while. She closed her eyes and exhaled: "Finally... it's over."
Just then, the basement's locked iron door burst open with a crash. Amid billowing dust, four or five knights in black robes, wielding crosses and silver swords, charged in. The leader held up a parchment, voice cold and serious:
"Countess Castille, we are knights of the Demon Hunting Institute. Based on a verified report, we suspect you have been corrupted into a Bloodline Demon, linked to the recent Blood Demon cases in Bolder City, and attempted to blood-sacrifice your granddaughter, Charlotte de Castille. You—"
His words trailed off, stunned by the horrific scene: the massive blood-red magic circle, hundreds of rotten corpses, the mummified noblewoman in the circle, and the blood-soaked cross where a wounded, tattered, pitifully beautiful maiden hung...
Xia Luo was also taken aback by the intruders, but she quickly reacted. Mist filled her watery eyes as she sobbed softly, voice weak and unbearably pitiful:
"Waaah..."
"It hurts... it hurts so much..."
"Knight uncle... I'm in so much pain and so scared..."
"Waaah..."
"…"