The Absolute Godspeed of Infinite Worlds

Chapter 601 - 601

That was a woman dressed in nun's attire. Though young, she appeared exceptionally gentle, wearing a benevolent smile on her face.Upon seeing such a kind woman, Elizabeth instinctively let her guard down.

Before long, Elizabeth followed the nun and left her home.

...

Within three hours, Eiji had eliminated a total of five monsters, with most of the time spent on travel.

Fortunately, he managed to exterminate all the identified pawns just before midnight.

Around twelve o'clock at night, Eiji returned to the Kuonji residence.

"You've worked hard."

Alice stood at the entrance, gesturing with her eyes toward the living room.

"The black tea is ready."

"Thanks."

Eiji nodded in appreciation.

Not long after, Aoko returned from outside as well.

"Seriously, it's always just first-stage Dead and second-stage Ghouls—can't even find a single third-stage Undead!"

Aoko took off her coat, revealing her well-proportioned figure wrapped in a sweater, then plopped down on the living room sofa. She casually picked up the black tea Alice had brewed and downed it in one gulp.

"If we could find an Undead we could communicate with, we might be able to follow the trail and locate the 'Castle Lord.' At the very least, we could uncover more clues!"

Aoko seemed thoroughly displeased.

"Wasteful."

Alice glanced at Aoko's teacup and shook her head coldly.

"I was just thirsty, Alice. Pour me another cup, please!"

"With your drinking style, you might as well just drink cold water."

"No way, at least not these past few days!"

Aoko made an X sign with her hands, her face full of resistance.

Wow, so these past few days just happen to be that special time of the month?

Daring to go out hunting Dead Apostles during such a sensitive period and even taking down a second-stage Ghoul—you really are something!

Eiji silently complained in his heart.

"By the way, can't we find the ringleader by patrolling? Didn't you run into Aozaki Touko last time while on patrol?"

Eiji asked.

"That's because Touko wanted to be found by us. She was targeting the Aozaki family's barrier from the very beginning, and barriers have anchor points. As long as we wait at the anchor points, we might be able to catch her like a sitting duck."

Aoko sat cross-legged on the sofa, her black silk-clad toes wriggling restlessly.

"But this time, the enemy is a 'Castle Lord'-class Dead Apostle. Its goal isn't the barrier. Judging by its large-scale creation of the Dead, it's probably trying to accumulate power this way. It won't show itself easily until it has gathered enough strength!"

The so-called Dead Apostles refer to what are generally known as vampires.

Of course, the vampires in the Type-Moon World are fundamentally different from those in other worlds.

The vampires in this world are divided into two major categories: True Ancestors and Dead Apostles. These two categories are worlds apart and should never be equated.

Let's set aside True Ancestors for now, as they're not the enemy this time. Dead Apostles, however, are divided into stages.

Although generally speaking, Dead Apostles are essentially ageless and immortal beings, they need to consume human blood to maintain their physical bodies. Blood is like lubricant that prolongs the life of a machine—only by continuously consuming blood can Dead Apostles maintain the functions of their own bodily machinery.

In the process of sustaining their physical bodies by drinking blood, Dead Apostles also inject their own blood into the humans they prey upon. As a result, humans who receive the blood of a Dead Apostle do not die but instead become subordinates of the Dead Apostle, acting like servants bound by the fate of the bloodline.

These humans who survive by acquiring the blood of a Dead Apostle are, from the very beginning, nothing more than ordinary corpses.

The withered, tree-like humans that Eiji previously eliminated at Elizabeth's house were vampires at this stage—the first stage of vampires known as the Dead.

The Dead possess no intelligence; their brains have long since decayed. They are merely corpses controlled by the blood of the Dead Apostle, acting entirely according to the commands of the Dead Apostle.

Even so, the Dead possess strength surpassing that of humans and are no longer something ordinary people can handle.

Once the Dead consume enough blood, they evolve into the second stage: Ghouls.

The transition from the Dead to Ghouls is not a significant change; at best, they remain corpses, only becoming stronger, faster, and developing sharper fangs.

Most vampires stop at this stage.

In fact, ninety percent of vampires stagnate at the Ghoul level. Only those with powerful soul potential can evolve to the third stage.

It is upon reaching the third stage, the "Immortal," that a qualitative change occurs.

Over a long period, Ghouls reconstruct their brain structure, regain a brain capable of housing a spirit, and once again acquire intelligence. Simultaneously, they develop powerful physical regenerative abilities, initially attaining immortality. This is the third stage: the Immortal.

Only upon reaching this stage can they be considered true vampires in the proper sense.

The Dead and Ghouls are, at best, puppets of the Dead Apostle, while the Immortals are considered subordinates of the Dead Apostle.

After that, Immortals must progress through the fourth stage, "Nightkin," and the fifth stage, "Nightfiend," before finally completing their evolution to become the sixth stage: "Castle Lord–class" Dead Apostles.

Only upon becoming a Castle Lord–class Dead Apostle do they gain the ability to develop their own familiars.

The one who invaded Kinojo City this time is a Castle Lord–class Dead Apostle.

By hiding in his lair and issuing commands, his subordinates automatically gather blood for him. The more blood accumulated, the stronger his power becomes, eliminating any need for him to venture out.

Thanks to this, unless a thorough, carpet–like search is conducted, it is impossible to locate his true form.

Of course, they could also seek out Scáthach. She possesses a skill called Clairvoyance and has likely already discovered the vampire's hiding place. However, Scáthach explicitly stated that she would not interfere with the selection process. They must handle all events through their own efforts; she is only responsible for training them.

"The good news is that the Dead Apostle must have just arrived in Kinojo City, which is why there are no Immortals around him—only some Dead and Ghouls. After all, producing an Immortal requires a long time, and Immortals would cause even greater casualties!"

Aoko shrugged, trying to find humor in their grim situation.

"That sounds like bad news to me."

Alice calmly pointed out the flaw in her optimism.

"Indeed."

Eiji also nodded in agreement.

If an Immortal had been born, he would have already used a charm spell to locate the Castle Lord–class Dead Apostle's lair. Things wouldn't be as difficult as they are now.

Charm spells are ineffective against beings without a mind.

"You two really don't know how to find joy in hardship!"

Aoko sighed, then patted her cheeks, stood up and stretched, accentuating her alluring curves.

"Never mind these depressing matters. Tomorrow's finally the weekend - at last I can rest for a day! My legs are nearly worn out from all this running around!"

Weekends were holidays, specially permitted by Scáthach as the one day each week they didn't have to train with her.

"By the way, do you have any plans?"

Aoko turned to look at Eiji with an air of nonchalance.

"Yes."

Eiji nodded very seriously.

"Oh, is that so..."

Aoko pursed her lips and crumpled the two tickets in her pocket into a ball.