San (4)
Laznoire: I'm an idiot...
Laznoire runs down the desolate road, cutting down mutants and drinking their blood as she goes.
Laznoire: There's no sun... it's nighttime.
She glances up at the sky, puzzled.
Laznoire: I thought it was daytime, but there's no ball of light. No wonder the mutants are active, not lying dormant like corpses.
She pauses, surveying the darkness around her.
Laznoire: With this kind of vision, it's no surprise vampires prefer the night... It felt like morning to me.
She sinks her fangs into the neck of a mutant, not bothering to cripple it first. After draining it dry, she carelessly tosses the shriveled corpse to the side.
Laznoire: I've lost count of how many mutants I've drained. But where does all that extra blood go? I'm not full, not even bloated...
She frowns, her scientific mind struggling to comprehend the mystery.
Laznoire: As someone who relies on logic, I can't wrap my mind around this...
Laznoire continues running until she reaches a city wall, battered and ruined.
Laznoire: The giant gates look like they've been struck by some massive creature, the hinges torn off...
She steps quietly into the city, her senses heightened. Despite the broken buildings and crumbling roads, Laznoire recognizes the city as a once-thriving metro.
Laznoire: Why did they abandon this place? In my era, even fifty people could defeat a Herscher, yet this city was deserted... Have the inhabitants grown weaker, lost their bloodline abilities?
She scowls in frustration.
Laznoire: More questions, no answers... This is getting annoying.
She speculates on the changes in this world.
Laznoire: If the majority rely on technology now, perhaps only a few retain their bloodline powers. That's my deduction, though I could be wrong...
As she walks deeper into the city, Laznoire hears a metallic clanking sound, like heavy armor. She quickly hides in a bush by the sidewalk, peeking out carefully.
Before her is a strange metallic creature, walking like a primate with long red claws capable of slicing through steel. Its head is covered by a cloth, and behind it floats a red squid-like machine, its metallic body painted crimson.
Laznoire: What is that? A new generation of corrupted?
She watches as the group, consisting of five metal monkeys and three floating squids, moves through the streets. Laznoire feels a strange pull from within, urging her to reveal their secrets.
Laznoire: Maybe I can use their parts to fix Meow...
Deciding to act, she steps out of her hiding spot, catching the creatures off guard. They quickly become aggressive, launching an attack. Laznoire vanishes from their sight, moving faster than they can react.
In an instant, one of the squids splits in half and falls to the ground, alerting the others. Another is sliced horizontally and crashes down. The final squid tries to self-destruct, but Laznoire slashes it twice, stopping the process.
She reappears, driving her blade into the head of one of the metal monkeys. The others recoil, then lunge at her, but she sidesteps and kicks them all in one go, breaking their metallic bodies like brittle twigs.
Laznoire: This body is incredible...
She marvels at her new form.
Laznoire: I feel no drawbacks using air steps, and the energy flow is smoother than in my original body...
[Air Step: A technique where small amounts of energy are applied to the feet, released quickly to create a thin, solid barrier, enabling a temporary step in the air. Ordinary soldiers in Laznoire's era can use this technique.]
Laznoire: Vampires grow stronger the more they feed, but it's ridiculous how I can snap a robot's body with a single kick...
She examines her weapon.
Laznoire: And this weapon is ridiculously sharp! Can it pierce my skin, though?
Out of curiosity, she tries to cut her arm, but the blade can't even scratch her.
Laznoire: ...
Laznoire: This body... it's made up of three major viruses from my history, but the first virus seems to have consumed the second and third, mutating into something stronger...
She frowns, deep in thought.
Laznoire: This body is an anomaly... Why am I so slow to realize this... I can't trust myself anymore...
Her thoughts are interrupted when a mutant suddenly pounces on her, pinning her to the ground.
Laznoire: Hmm?
The mutant bites her neck, but its teeth struggle to break her skin.
Laznoire: You think you can bite me and not expect me to bite back? Fool!
She easily shifts her head, sinking her fangs into the mutant's discolored flesh.
Laznoire: (Good thing I don't need to breathe. Vampires are undead, after all.)
The mutant struggles, screaming in pain. Annoyed, Laznoire shoves her fist into its mouth, silencing it. Satisfied, she begins to relish the taste of its blood.
Laznoire: (This one tastes stronger, like blackberries... Must be a low-rank, high-tier mutant.)
[Mutants have three ranks: low, mid, and high. Each rank has three tiers: low, mid, and high.]
The mutant stops struggling, its eyes losing their light as its body turns pure white. Laznoire tosses the corpse aside, lost in thought once more.
Laznoire: If they have a scanner, my body would register as 100% infected, but since it's a mutation, they won't detect it...
She examines her sword again.
Laznoire: And this sword... I have a feeling it's not ordinary. Nothing in my lab was. Maybe it's one of those soul-bonded swords I painstakingly made, using DNA verification to reveal its true form... When I was 15? Back when I was an avid fiction believer...
Laznoire decides to test her theory, biting her lip to draw blood. A drop of transparent liquid falls onto the sword, and it suddenly shatters into a thousand pieces.
Laznoire: Ehhh?!!!
Her surprised scream echoes through the deserted streets, drawing the attention of nearby mutants.
Laznoire: Fufufufu~ It's not my fault! It's the mutant's fault, yes! Blame the mutants!
Desperate to cope with her anger, Laznoire directs it toward the approaching waves of mutants. Her eyes, wild and erratic, narrow as she takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. But seeing the mutants, she snaps.
Laznoire: Unforgivable!!!
She vanishes, and in the blink of an eye, the mutants' bodies are torn apart. Even a mutant made entirely of muscle is destroyed with ease. Different types of mutants attack, but Laznoire's rage and unrestrained power make short work of them all.
When the frenzy ends, she stands atop a mountain of corpses, her body drenched in blood, her piercing blue eyes glowing brightly in the darkness.
But her feat doesn't go unnoticed. From a tall building nearby, a figure watches her—a girl dressed in red, with red accessories, a bandaged left foot, and long white hair. Her red eyes peek out from beneath her bangs, one eye obscured.
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