Vampire.

—

[Night. Bellhaven.]

Walking into the portal created by Leticia Charbonneau, one of the resurrected sorceresses, Yoriichi used his Transparent World ability to see a town filled with all kinds of vampires slowly draining human blood, like livestock.

Without waiting for Ciri and Moiraine to step through the portal, Yoriichi activated the propulsion system on the back of his body. Achieving supersonic speed, he then created a domain of vitality where any human touched by his ionized flame would be rejuvenated and gain characteristics of someone accustomed to double Earth's gravity, making them stronger.

"IT HURTS! STOP IT! IT HURTS!"

Drawing his Uru sword to the back of his head, Yoriichi decapitated a vampire capable of human-like thought in one swift motion of the dragon before continuing to move through the city like a wave. When the first vampires were killed, he suddenly heard all the thinking ones crying out to the moon, seemingly sensing that their brethren had turned to dust permanently.

Unconcerned with their death cries, whether due to the heat of the domain or simply because he knew they could die like mortals, Yoriichi kept slashing until only five were left. Noticing that these remaining vampires had bonded molecules with the atoms of the original people of this world, Yoriichi scrutinized all five inside the cage that had been built by the Otherworlder vampire.

"P-please don't. W-we are here because of the Elder's calling. W-we don't know who they are. I-i only know that they come from our homeworld. B-but p-please, we don't know them at all. T-they only share the same r-race as us."

Slashing open the cage made of silver, dalvinite, and meteorite steel, Yoriichi nodded, as they were harmless to the point of already loving human interaction after he read their memories through their blood. Especially the one currently speaking to him, who has already become a part of society in the distant continent beyond the Blue Mountains, a magical place named the Land of Oz.

Specifically, he became a literature teacher for the small race of Munchkins. From what Yoriichi read from the vampire's memories, not only is he good, but their clan, Tdet, has also become part of society, with only occasional hiccups from time to time.

After seeing these memories, Yoriichi unknowingly sighed in relief, as it seems the continent beside them is protected by a guardian of Melitele's level. This guardian is named Queen Glinda, who is capable of creating a convergence point similar to a Sa'angreal, a phenomenon the man was able to witness hundreds of years ago.

Frowning upon seeing one of the vampires trying to escape by becoming mist, Yoriichi watched as she screamed in agony after touching his domain of nuclear reactions outside the cage. She materialized once more, now with visible melting flesh all over her body. Sighing, knowing that these women were acting out of frightened impulse after witnessing the permanent deaths of their hundreds of brethren, Yoriichi inhaled the ionized particles throughout the town to avoid harming the vampire.

Intrigued because this was the first time he had seen a bio-organism so affected by the neutrino particles produced by his nuclear fusion—despite neutrinos being seemingly harmless to most organisms due to their weak force—Yoriichi speculated that these vampires might be a type of lifeform similar to Muzan and his demons. Thinking about neutrino particles, Yoriichi couldn't help but recall his Nichirin sword, specifically the Scarlet Ore, which acts like a Super-Kamiokande but can redirect neutrinos produced by the sun like a mirror.

Although he has not yet found a metal that can directly interact with the weak force of neutrinos like that ore, seeing the organism react to these almost invisible particles excited him, as it provided a clue to filling the last fundamental force he has yet to manipulate. As for the notion that vampires are vulnerable to ultraviolet light from his past world, it is merely a myth and a falsely proven fact lacking experimentation.

"I-I am sorry. I-I am sorry."

Noticing that his intense, scientist-like demeanor, which might seem interested in rare specimens, could be scaring her—especially since this is the first time the role of predator is being reversed—Yoriichi shakes his head and helps her stand up by taking her arms. He then says, "No, I am the one who is sorry. It seems I might have frightened you."

Looking deep into her memory, Yoriichi discovered that she was like the other three vampires present: drinking blood but still willing to feed on those who consented, unlike the Otherworlder vampire who had just arrived in this world and saw humans as mere food to be toyed with. This was evident from the many humans hanged on poles atop houses like trophies.

After a few seconds of grappling with his uncomfortable thoughts and trying to understand her perspective as a different race—similar to how humans butcher chickens without falling into moral dilemmas, which is the same for the woman in front of him—Yoriichi then asked her, "May I know your name, lady?"

"O-Orianna."

Nodding his head and not wanting to delve further into her memories, Yoriichi then asked to confirm his conjecture, "May I know what is happening here? Why are there so many of your race here? Is it because of the Second Conjunction?"

"Y-yes. T-they arrived from our homeworld. T-they came in droves. T-thousands upon thousands passed through the gate between worlds, which suddenly opened wide enough for an army to pass through. We, the remnants of the First Conjunction, wanted to go back. But our brethren from beyond the gate wanted to conquer a new land. Because of that, w-we are trapped here in the cage until we repent from our dull passions and low bloodlust. Not only here, but everywhere in Toussaints where the original Gharasham stationed their army."

Noticing that Moiraine was dealing with a crowd of humans strong enough to stand their ground, already armed with pitchforks and torches, which spared him from the complicated emotions of choosing between the livestock humans and the thirsty prisoner vampires, Yoriichi nodded in Moiraine's direction and then back to Orianna, saying, "Then take me to the largest concentration of this Gharasham army."

"NO! NO!!! NO!!!!!"

Seeing that she was about to turn into mist and escape, Yoriichi activated his domain again, trapping the five local vampires to prevent them from fleeing in the opposite direction. He glanced at them, noting their fear and their mumbling in a frenzied manner while clutching their temples as if struck by mass madness.

Yoriichi frowned, realizing that what they feared was not the army but something else. Turning toward Orianna, who was already crying on the ground with her teeth chattering like a deranged person facing their greatest nightmare, Yoriichi helped her up, this time hugging her like a baby and patting her back rhythmically.

Understanding he was dealing with someone mentally demented and affected by unnatural causes, Yoriichi approached the conversation slowly by slowly like taking information from a crazy person. First by calling softly, "Orianna…"

"No! Don't come any closer! No! I don't want to, I don't want to! Please, please! Let me go! God?! I am sorry, I am sorry! I repent, I repent! I will give my life to you! Everything for the heart! Everything for the ancestors!"

"Orianna…"

"I will become, I will become! Yes, yes! I will come with you! I will embrace the cosmic hideousness! No, no. I don't want to. Please, please, get out of my head…"

"Orianna…"

"I am me. I am you. This is me. This is you. I am me… I am me… I am Orianna…"

After gazing through the Transparent World and seeing that Orianna's brain was damaged simply from recalling Toussaints—even though a vampire like her is very very very highly resistant to mind-altering effects—Yoriichi turned toward Moiraine, Ciri, and Leticia Charbonneau, who had decided to stay for the time being. Pausing and frowning, he then exclaimed, "I think we might be dealing with something greater here."

—