Chapter 114: The Devil’s Wrath, A Forbidden Embrace

The vampire reached out to seize the girl, but to his surprise, she raised the cross high, and a soft, holy light emanated from it. 

"Ahh!" 

The vampire let out a piercing shriek, leaping back two meters as if burned. His hand trembled violently, the flesh scorched by the cross's radiant glow. The pain was unbearable, a reminder of the agony they had endured decades ago when their family was exiled from Rosewood Town. 

That fateful day, the sun had been merciless. The moment they stepped out of the shadows, their family had begun to disintegrate before his eyes. More than half of them turned to ash under the relentless sunlight. 

The Hahn family had always been low-ranking vampires, their bloodline impure and weak. Those who didn't turn to ash suffered severe burns across their bodies, including himself. 

Richard's suspicions were correct—this vampire was indeed a survivor of the Hahn family. Over the years, weakened by their exile, the remaining members of the family had perished one by one. Sixty years later, he was the last of his kind, bearing the weight of his family's destruction. And all of it was the fault of the Morris family! 

But what he hadn't anticipated was that the cross, symbolizing the Morris heir, would be imbued with the power of a holy relic. 

Furious beyond measure, the vampire bared his fangs, shaking his hair aside to reveal his true face. Half of it was intact, even handsome, but the other half was a grotesque mess of burns, as if seared by flames. The stark contrast made him look like a demon clawing his way out of hell. 

An Ran was horrified. Vampires were supposed to have regenerative abilities, so why hadn't he healed? 

Even the vampire himself didn't fully understand why his face remained disfigured. It wasn't until now, as the cross burned his hand, that he realized the trauma of that day had never left him. The terror of watching his family turn to ash had scarred him deeper than any physical wound ever could. 

His face wasn't beyond repair—it was his despair and fear etched into his very being. 

Now, unable to touch the girl, what could he do? 

"An Ran!" 

A familiar voice called out in the distance, and for the first time in her life, it brought her immense relief. 

An Ran cried out, "Richard!" 

The Hann vampire stiffened. He hadn't expected Richard Morris to appear now. Had the basement been discovered? 

But he had already killed Dr. D and the experiments earlier that day—they were of no use to him anymore. There was no time to think. Seeing the Morris vampire closing in, he knew he was no match for him. Reluctantly, he abandoned An Ran and fled into the night. 

Richard arrived in a rush, his heart finally settling when he saw An Ran unharmed. 

"What happened here?" 

Seeing the redness in her eyes, Richard's concern deepened. He could sense the lingering presence of another vampire. Had someone tried to harm her? 

An Ran shook her head, unable to speak. She wanted to say she was fine, but the words wouldn't come. She feared that if she opened her mouth, the tears would overflow. 

Richard instinctively moved to embrace her, but the moment his hands touched her, a searing pain shot through him, as if he'd been electrocuted. 

"What is this?!" he roared, stunned and furious.