Chapter 28

Bright Castle is a magnificent castle, standing on a hill in the middle of the ruins of Dark City. It looks like something out of a legend. Its walls were built from radiant white stone, with tall towers and majestic spires piercing the sky. It stands above the city like a symbol of hope, the only thing that seems to be untouched by the darkness.

As a Vice Capitan and elite hunter Kiyotaka had priveledge to live inside and during his stay he saw many women in working around the castle, some of them did usual chores like cleaning, some were just on standby ready to assist anyone and some were probably "pleasing" the high ranking men , including lieutenants and Gulang himself.

They were known as Handmaidens

Handmaidens were responsible for maintaining the castle itself, as well as serving the high-ranking members. There were around 100 of them that were led by Seishan.

Seishan is a strikingly and exquisitely beautiful woman. She was wearing a simple, but strangely regal dress, its velvet the color of red wine when Kiyotaka first saw her. There was an intricate silver necklace resting on her chest that accentuated her supple figure and two bracelets on her wrists. Her most striking feature, however, was not her grace and not her beauty, but her skin. It was grey like stormy clouds, smooth like silk, and devoid of any imperfections. Her teeth were perfectly even, pearly, and spotlessly white.

When Kiyotaka rose in the rank and started living in the castle she let some of her girls to go over to him and try to seduce him . When he remained stoic and didnt show any desire she didnt press futher and didnt make any attemps on him anymore.

There were even rumours amoung her maidens that Vice Captain was actually gay .

---

Seishan was walking through the castle, checking the handmaidens, it was like any other day. Suddenly, as she was walking by one of the rooms she halted . Sniffing the air she identified a strong smell of blood from Vice Capitans room.

'Did someone assasinate Vice Captian? not good...Gemma will be furious'

Already feeling headache from possible complications she opened the door and stepped inside . The stench assaulted her even more as she had to shut her eyes and nose . Quicky summoning a air cleaning Memory that most maidens had , she quicky got rid of the stench and slowly opened her eyes.

Seishan stood in awe as she entered the room, her eyes widening at the sight before her. It was like stepping into the pages of a fantasy novel, where reality merged seamlessly with the realms of imagination. The room, illuminated by soft, ethereal light filtering through the tattered curtains, seemed to pulsate with an otherworldly energy.

But amidst the enchanting scenery, a stark contrast caught her attention. The furniture lay in ruins, scattered across the floor in disarray, as if a tempest had swept through, leaving destruction in its wake. Yet, amidst the chaos, one figure lay undisturbed – Kiyotaka, sleeping soundly amidst the wreckage, his features serene and unblemished.

Seishan's gaze lingered on him, taking in the sight of his peaceful slumber. Even in repose, he exuded an air of quiet strength and resilience that was both captivating and alluring. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked, his features refined and chiseled, his hair falling softly over his brow. Since the last time she saw him, his appearance seemed to have only improved, as if touched by the hand of divinity itself.

As she approached him, a soft smile graced her lips, her heart fluttering with a mixture of admiration and affection. And in that moment, Seishan couldn't help but feel drawn to him, her admiration deepening into something more profound and inexplicable.

She kneeled beside him with slight blush and nudged him to wake him up . She still needed to understand what happened and wanted to know it from Vice Captian Kiyotaka. Unfortunately , no matter what she did he wouldnt wake up .

Attempting to rouse him, Seishan's efforts proved futile, leaving her with unanswered questions. Reluctantly, she arranged for his transport to the infirmary, her mind abuzz with thoughts of the enigmatic Vice Captain.

Looking at sleeping figure of Kiyotaka one last time she left the room closing the door behind her . She still had many duties to do as Head of handmaidens .

'I will ask him about it later..'

---

Kiyotaka woke up with heavy headache in and saw an unfamiliar ceiling . Recognizing the scent of medicines he quickly assumed he was in infirmary . Looking around he saw few handmaidens that worked as medics .

Closing his eyes he thought.

'Not good...someone must have saw me collapsed'

Sighing to himself he first inspected the qualitive changes in his body .

As Kiyotaka stirred from his slumber, he became acutely aware of the qualitative changes that had occurred within him since the blood fusion. Every sense felt heightened, sharper than ever before, as if a veil had been lifted, revealing a world of clarity and precision. He could hear the faintest whispers of the handmaiden medics as they tended to their duties in the distance, their voices carrying through the air with crystal clarity. He could see the faintest details in their faces , to the smallest of strands of hair .

But it wasn't just his senses that had undergone transformation. His body felt invigorated, rejuvenated, as if infused with a newfound vitality that pulsed through his veins. Despite the intensity of the blood fusion process, he felt surprisingly fresh, his movements fluid and effortless as he rose from his bed.

As he took stock of his physical condition, he couldn't help but notice the subtle changes that had taken place. His heart rate, once erratic and unpredictable, now beat with a steady rhythm, barely registering above 50 beats per minute. And yet, despite the slow pace, he felt no discomfort or fatigue, only a sense of calm and tranquility that permeated his being.

'I feel like i am using my augmentation ability passively...wait..thats the case...but i dont feel any drain of stamina or essence'

Inspecting his runes he saw a new attributes .

Walking up to handmaidens he informed them that he was ok. He asked about how it happened and they answered him about Seishan finsing him collapsed. Handmaidens wanted to tell him that his blood rate was abnormally low but couldnt due to the fact that their hearts fluttered at the look at their handsome patient.

As Kiyotaka left the maidens let out a sigh with slightly flushed face .

'Was he that handsome before?....'

---

Kiyotaka left the castle and ventured into the ruins. He couldn't help but notice the strange gazes of a few people along his way. Suspecting something amiss, he took out a small mirror and inspected himself.

"So that's why... it's a fact that Awakened look like supermodels... but with my [Bloodborne Ascendant] attribute, it seems like I've skipped to the Master's level of appearance... how troublesome," he muttered to himself.

Distracting himself from those thoughts, he began analyzing his newfound strength. Apart from passively using his ability, he also experimented with his Blood Manipulation. Recalling the sensation of desperately absorbing blood, he manifested his own blood and formed various shapes with it outside of his body. He could now create small, sharp, solid needles of blood that could be used as weapons. While their quality didn't match that of the bloodsword, his awakened weapon, they were still formidable. Additionally, he could change his blood into a gaseous form and poison Nightmare creatures with it. By allowing his opponent to inhale his blood in gas form, he could then revert it to a very small, sharp state and tear the creature's insides to shreds.

[ You have killed a Blood Fiend ]

[ Your war spirit grows stronger ]

War Fragments: [ 612/1000 ]

"I must adjust my plans a little..." he mused as he contemplated and looked at the Bright Castle looming in the distance.