Sixth Bloodline [BxB]

CHAPTER 23: THIRD PUREBLOOD [THAT'S ONE CRAZY BIT*H]

NEITHER OF two said anything for a while. Although they were prepared for this sight, it's another thing altogether to actually witness it with their own eyes.

"Let's check some other places as well. The last time, all corpses acted at the same time, so if it's the same thing now and not different batches, it would give us some good news," in the end, Mikhael who's seen his fair share of those blue corpses could estimate the time of their hibernation without having to cut them up. It's not that precise, but if they know that the single batch of virus targeted a specific part of population, they should find some clue...

And be sure that there won't be more victims.

Mikhael could only hope that the enemy ran out of this virus, or else...

He didn't want to imagine the consequences.

"Let's do so," Ethan pulled out his phone before taking the picture of the victim. To Mikhael who only threw him a curious stare, he gave a simple reply.

"To make a list." A list of victims.

Although their skin became blue, there are still some resemblances. Ethan could pull out the register of Eden's citizens and then they had to search for similar looking people. They don't need to find everyone, as long as they can see the connection between few they find or see who else belonged to their group, they're certain to find the missing link.

After Ethan finished his work, Mikhael returned back the camouflage just the way it was before.

"This will be a long night," Mikhael muttered to himself as they proceeded forward. Whenever he'd sense a trap, Mikhael would seal it and then check for the corpse before Ethan took a picture of it. Then Mikhael would remove traces of their meddling and the two would continue with their search.

They spent the next five hours looking for corpses and they found over three hundred by now. Mikhael felt dread towards this discovery - if they didn't find the one on the surface... Then Eden would really be done for. Even Ethan failed to notice those things, although he could feel some unease, it's not precise. His two millenniums of life had already helped him develop a sense of danger, but this is too much even for him.

If he didn't hear Mikhael's story, even if he somehow found those corpses, Ethan wouldn't have taken them seriously. In fact, he might have even left them at morgue for over a month - and by then it would be impossible to avoid this disaster.

"So many..." And it was already the first day. They didn't even go over the sixth of Eden - they couldn't go fast in case they accidentally stepped on a trap or met an enemy.

"It's fine, at least we know," Ethan could see unease on Mikhael's face.

"Still, how can anyone..." Mikhael feared that it's impossible for him to understand themind of the madman who orchestrated all this.

"Who knows, perhaps this person holds a grudge against vampires or..." Ethan began, but he suddenly froze before throwing a glance towards one end of the tunnel. Mikhael too understood what was going on before taking out two red talismans and pulling Ethan to him. Leaning on the opening in the wall and hugging Ethan's body, Mikhael ripped two talismans with a chant.

"Erase. Deceive."

Erase their presence. Deceive the enemy.

Some talismans lost their ability when ripped apart, some required that action to be activated. In fact, ripping a talisman during activation would make it stronger, but it would only be a single-use, while keeping it intact would lower it's efficiency, in turn making it possible to use again few more times.

It depended on whether the spell-caster was a cheapskate or not.

"Ah, so heavy," they heard someone complaining, but Mikhael whose head was hurried in Ethan's chest couldn't see anything. Only Ethan who was facing the wall could turn his head around and check for face of the speaker.

The two could move and see normally while the others won't be able to see anything. Still, they completely stopped their hearts and breathing in case the enemy heard the noise. Unfortunately, Mikhael didn't add isolation on top of it, he was already somewhat muddle-headed.

"Shut it and don't complain, we're getting paid fairly for this work," another voice intercepted, "Do you perhaps want to go work in the lab with that crazy b***h? What if she suddenly decide to cut you up because she's hungry?"

"..."

"..."

This is some clue, but cut people and eat them? Ethan and Mikhael shared an odd glance. Why did this habit sound like someone they knew?

"f**k it man, no way!" The former cursed, "I know that we can become more powerful, but is there really a need for us to work with that crazy b***h? She killed John yesterday just because he made an eye contact with her!"

"Shut up, I know. Let's leave this one here and go to the next. Once we gain the power equaling a noble, we'll settle our scores with that b***h, she won't be needed after this," then the two put the coffin across the previous one. Mikhael tried to move his head to see what was happening better, but to his annoyance, Ethan only held him tighter.

He game him that "don't you dare to move now or else..." kind of look to which Mikhael only scrunched his face in disgust.

'Oi, I want to have some fun too! Why are you keeping me out of this?'

For his rebellious expression, Ethan only hugged him closer to his body before leaning down to teasingly nimble on his ear.

!!!

There were too many curses Mikhael wanted to say right now, but he had to hold his voice in.

'This fucker! Is this the time to be flirtatious!? Do you think we're on vacation or something?'

"..."

Ethan only teasingly smiled. Why not? They can't see us anyway, we could even have xxx here and they won't notice as long as you hold your voice in.

It's unknown how Mikhael sensed the threat in that smile, but he suddenly found himself drenched in sweat from head to toe. Those guys outside were nothing, he was holding the real dangerous beast by his side!

Ethan, who paid no attention to Mikhael's now mortified face only continued to trail kisses down Mikhael's neck, sometimes even gently grazing his fangs around a good spot to drink from, yet his sharp canines didn't make a single scratch. Still, the temptation was too much.

Having a snack in front of him, yet unable to eat, Ethan felt very frustrated with his situation. The two outside were busy preparing the coffin, and Ethan already remembered their face so he no longer paid them any attention. Instead he focused on this younger vampire in front of him.

'Can't bite, but what about sucking'

I'm the end, the poor Mikhael who tried his best to stop his heart from beating wildly was left with over five hickeys on his neck before the two outside the barrier finally finished with their preparation.

"Are those corpses really able to absorb the power or vampires above?" The former of two asked and seeing Ethan stop to look at the two again, Mikhael finally got a chance to clear his head.

This beast!

As expected, Purebloods are really no good!

"Yeah, and we should get part of that power, why are you asking that now?" Even Mikhael couldn't help but furrow his eyebrow. Why did this sound like some second-rate criminal drama where protagonists randomly chose a place to be before overhearing some important information?

These guys, should they really pick someone with such big mouth to work for them?

"I don't know, it's just... This isn't normal. That lab too..."

Hm, Mikhael praised the guy. Good, you have some brain, brother!

"Why are you two so slow?" Hearing the third person appear, Mikhael finally got a chance to wiggle out his head from Ethan's right grasp and get a glimpse of what was happening outside.

"Leave them be, worthless mobs like those two could only leech of out power so they're naturally dissatisfied with their roles - why should they do their job enthusiastically?"

'Huh? Wait a minute...'

The two new arrivals were a vampire in white attire with a handkerchief on over his nose and a woman and black revealing clothes. The guy in white attire with that long white hair and red eyes, if that's not a Noble vampire, then who the f**k else would he be. As of that woman...

Seeing the two guys from before tremble in fear when they saw her, unable to even say a word, Mikhael could guess that she was that crazy b***h they were talking about.

Her green eyes full of mirth somewhat lazily passed the two before she moved in front of the coffin, caressing it like her lower.

"Hm, that's a good boy. You should just lie there for a while and mamma will take utmost care of you," he mumbled before turning to those two guys. The two trembling vampires suddenly began to convulse violently before the blood started streaming down their five orifices. Ethan immediately covered Mikhael's eyes as on instinct as he imprinted this sight in his mind.

A witch.

There really was a witch living in Eden.

"Did you really have to make this mess?" The Noble vampire asked.

"Hm, they were staring at my darling like he's some kind of a freak, why should I let them live? My darling is hurt now, look at his painful face," Ethan and the guy stared at that corpse that still had a relaxed expression instead.

"..."

"..."

What a crazy b***h. Only Mikhael couldn't see anything since Ethan's hand was still on his eyes making him frustrated.

"In any case," she dipped her hand in the blood of those two before returning to the coffin and drawing a bloody symbol, "They were of some use in the end."

"..."

Crazy b***h, indeed.

"We can always get more people if we want, so let's finish with the next one," then she watched as the wall covered the coffin like the previous three hundred Mikhael and Ethan found, "Sleep well, darling. Momma will pick you up in a month."

As the two left, the two corpses on the ground that were still violently spasming finally stopped moving before turning to ash.

Ethan finally let go of Mikhael who undid their cover and continued to stare at the place the noble and witch left.

"Did you recognize that guy?" Mikhael asked as Ethan nodded.

"Yes, Lancaster. One of the lower Nobles," Nobles too had few ranks, since a single Pureblood couldn't manage them all. So a group of lower ones worked for a higher ranking Noble who, along with few other worked for High Nobles who in turn responded to Ethan directly.

"What do you think about what we saw tonight?" Ethan suddenly asked. He found Mikhael to be extremely reliable sometimes.

"I don't know, but their goal might be different than what we originally thought," Mikhael turned around, "Let's go home for now. We can continue this tomorrow."

Ethan only furrowed his eyebrow, but still continued after Mikhael - he couldn't even be happy that Mikhael considered Ethan's residence his home. He didn't even mention that they forgot to take a picture of this guy, only watched as Mikhael removed the seals on the traps he left on their way back.

It was only when they came back to the street that Mikhael used an ordinary talisman to "purify" their clothes from dirt that Ethan took him in his hands again before proceeding to the castle.

Luckily for Mikhael, Ethan chose the bridal style to carry him this time, so he was saved from strenuous torture of facing upside down. But when the two reached a certain distance from the castle, Ethan spoke up.

"You lied," Mikhael didn't think much as he nodded.

"Their goal is the same, the enemy already knows out situation," I'm fact, the thought Mikhael had earlier appeared once again, this time taking a solid form.

"How do you know that?" Ethan only gave him of those mysterious smiles that pissed Mikhael a lot, but he had to admit that he liked.

"Just... Trust me. Down there, after I took down the barrier, we weren't alone," he couldn't tell Ethan everything. After all, he didn't trust him that much... For now. Although Mikhael had his suspicions with Ethan, he slowly began to trust him and rely on him more and more, but still... There are some thing he couldn't say.

Not yet.

But close.

Even Mikhael didn't know why he trusted Ethan so much.

"Alright," the latter only said that one word before continuing to carry Mikhael. In the distance, the sun slowly began to rise as sky gradually turned a lighter hue.

"Ethan..." Mikhael could see the outline of a barrier's pillar in the distance, "I've been meaning to ask you this for a while, but... How did that pillar break?" The one he repaired.

"Who knows, I too would like an answer to that question," Ethan chose to ask him a question instead, "In your opinion, what had the power to do that damage? Shouldn't you know, since you fixed if?"

"..."

"Me, a Pureblood using his full power, at the cost of his heart blood, a powerful spell-caster, a witch's summon, a Vampire King or an Alpha King and a half-blood. Still, it would come with a certain price unless the later three are involved."

Ethan ignored Mikhael being proud of his battle prowess as the later only sighed. He did consider who would want to destroy this barrier. Although other Eden's over the world had a similar looking barrier, they were merely a copy of the one Mikhael made. And since trackers couldn't be taken outside, they had another means to prevent vampires from leaving Edens.

Still, this one place, that is the strongest prison... Which madman would dare to attack this stronghold?

"Ethan?" Mikhael embraced his scent that had an oddly calming effect on him, "There's another thing. The enemy... No, I can't be sure that it's the same person, but someone out there knows what happened twenty years ago."

Ethan said nothing, encouraging Mikhael to continue to talk.

"When I repaired the barrier before, someone left a note on the coffin I placed you in saying that they knew what I've done. I did leave few protective talismans around you, but the enemy bypassed them and left that message, so..."

"I understand. I'll look into it," with that, the topic ended. Ethan didn't ask further as Mikhael continued to watch the sunrise as Ethan carried him on top of the buildings. It was somewhat... Romantic, if he dared say. It was his first time to be carried hundred feet above the ground into the sunrise, after all.

By the time the two arrived at the castle, sun has already finished rising and it was morning. To the vampires in Ethan's residence, it was time to behind their daily tasks as the group he sent finally came back with some discoveries.

Still, some of them looked rather pitiful for some reason. It's only when they saw Ethan that their faces showed tears of joy, making the duo surprised.

"What did you do exactly?" Mikhael immediately set Ethan as evildoer. He did say, after all, that he sent them on some tasks.

"Your Majesty! You're finally here!" They shouted in happiness as Ethan landed down before letting Mikhael walk on his own two feet.

"What happened? I wasn't away for that long," Ethan asked, he did leave without informing anyone, but still...

"How could you do that to us, Your Majesty? Do you know how worried we were? Do you know what he'll we had to go through because of that?"

"..."

Oi, he's your king. Can you even afford to condemn him that way?

"Ethanasios!"

Before either of two could say anything, a screaming voice coming from inside rendered them immovable. Ethan, especially, had a rather ugly expression on his face while Mikhael fought the urge to roll on the ground from laughter. Why did this sound like a mother scolding her son?

Using Ethan's full name, not even Mikhael dared do so. Once he accidentally did so in bed, and in turn his nightly activities continued violently all the way until noon, so Mikhael swore for his name to become his forbidden word from now on.

Even if he was dying, he wouldn't dare call out Ethan's full name, not even in his thoughts.

"Diana..." Ethan mumbled with a sigh as a woman came out from his home.

She had a long silver hair that went in waves - it was unlike white hair of ordinary vampires, her hair had an odd glow that seemed like silver fire when illuminated by light. She wore a tight leather jacket and pants and looked like your typical mafia troublemaker - they also didn't help in hiding her hot body underneath. Indeed, Mikhael noticed a black motorbike not that far from the entrance that confirmed his doubts, but...

Who's this? Her name was just on tip of his lips, but he couldn't quite remember.

With her red eyes, she was obviously a vampire - but it's not like Mikhael paid special attention to women vampires just because of their gender.

Eh, wait! No way! Is that perhaps Ethan's ex-girlfriend or hidden lover he didn't dare show to the world? Indeed she seemed like a bigger ruffian than Mikhael, so it wouldn't be a wonder if Ethan hid her to keep his image intact.

She hurried to hug him, but just as she was few inches away from him, she suddenly stopped before smacking his head.

"What was that? What did you call me?"

"..."

Mikhael truly regretted not having brought a camera with him. Ethan whisked him away in hurry so he forgot his phone, it was undoubtedly one of the worst choices he's made in his life.

"Big sister," Ethan continued hesitantly as Mikhael finally realized who this woman is.

The Third Pureblood. The only woman among seven, now six, Royal siblings. It's no wonder her name seemed familiar. The crazy woman that went beating people up all the time, her name brought terror to anyone that heard about her. The number of vampires and humans alike she beat up alone in her entire life can equal the dead count from the Great War.

"Where were you all this time," she began her scolding, "Why didn't you say anything to your guards? Why did you sneak out in the middle of the night without taking a noble with you? Why are they all away from your home, huh? What if something happened to you?"

Mikhael could suddenly see why those Nobles looked like they went through hell.

"I'm fine..." Ethan began, but she completely disregarded his opinion.

"I heard that you were in danger a week ago, and by the time I come here I hear that there's another sighting of Blue Death? Do you know how worried I was? Especially when I came and heard that you weren't here and nobody knew about your whereabouts? Do you want to drive me mad? You do, don't you?"

"..."

In the end, faced with this concern and love from his bigger sister, Ethan couldn't say anything and silently accepted her scolding. If he knew she'd arrive today, even if he had ten lives to waste, he wouldn't dare leave his residence.

"What if someone happened to you like... Just like... him," In the end, she couldn't say his name, but Ethan understood that she referred to the Seventh Pureblood that died. Among his all siblings, this sister of his was the one who cared for him the most.

"It's fine, I didn't do anything dangerous," Ethan smiled. It was a gentle smile even Mikhael rarely saw on his face, "I made sure my life won't be endangered when I went out, a d it's not like I went alone. My little Flame is quite capable of keeping me safe, even more than those bodyguards you chose for me."

Suddenly being brought up in their conversation, Mikhael's palms began to sweat. She won't beat him up too, will she?

"Hm, Flame? What good is he?" She didn't know about Mikhael's prowess with the pillar not his identity as a Vampire Hunter, she only heard that some random vampire snatched her little brother, so she did hold some grudge against him. But hearing Ethan praise him...

She glanced at Mikhael before sizing him up and down. His current disheveled appearance, sleepy eyes and those five hickeys on his neck were too eye-catching that she couldn't miss them out even if she wanted to.

"Oh, I see. So that's why you went out alone, it's good to be healthy," she suddenly had a rather indecent thought, "But it's no good to do it all night long in the wildernesses, at that."

Since they couldn't find Ethan in the entire Eden despite searching hotels and all, she assumed that they went in the wilderness and had XXX.

"..."

Mikhael was really innocent, ah!

'What's with that accusing glare, sister? Blame your little brother, he's the uncontrollable beast here, not me! This little one only wants to sleep peacefully, I'd avoid him at night if I could, too!'

"You shouldn't bully youngsters too much, Diana," another person came. This guy wore a normal suit and had an amicable face - the kind that made you safe to entrust your life to. He was around Ethan's height and although his suit hid it, Mikhael could guess that the guy had a well-defined body.

He also wore binoculars over his red eyes, which was weird for a vampire, but the old ones had their weird quirks. His short black hair was nearly combed as he appeared next to her and gently began to massage her shoulders in order to help her relax while Mikhael curiously stared at him.

He knew that every Pureblood other than Ethan was accompanied by a single person, so he could guess who this guy was. Still, he didn't look tortured nor anything like rumors said.

"Hello there, my name is Jonathan. Pleased to meet you."

A half-blood. Just like Mikhael.