Slaying Devils

One minute earlier, the Island Nation. Kojima Yuya... No. Kojima Arthur strutted boldly into the courtyard compound registered under the Huaxia Embassy, leading a pack of vampires straight for the main residence. He knew full well that he was entirely on Edward's pirate ship. Only by constantly currying favor with Edward and continuously elevating his standing in Edward's eyes could he keep himself safe. In truth, he had noticed long ago that a mysterious figure was quietly relocating Huaxia nationals into this house, but he had deliberately feigned ignorance, letting the other party gather them all in one place first. After all, the Island Nation was only so big. Under his expansion, the sheer number of vampires could be described as overwhelming; how could anyone possibly hide anything from his eyes? His reason for doing this was very simple: to win Edward's favor. Edward was undeniably a latent racist. Therefore, if he wanted to please Edward, the best way was to suppress, humiliate, and even slaughter those whom Edward looked down upon. Since Edward looked down on people from the Island Nation, he would certainly look down on—or rather, loathe—Huaxia people even more. Because... As a racist himself, Kojima Arthur understood Edward's mindset all too well. Huaxia was simply too powerful. That reason alone was enough to make Edward envious, jealous, and full of hate. Had Huaxia not mysteriously vanished, Kojima Arthur believed Edward would have ruthlessly taught those arrogant Huaxia people a lesson, or even bathed them in rivers of blood. After all, if Kojima Arthur had acquired such immense power, that was exactly what he would have done. And now he had an opportunity: to slaughter every last Huaxia person hiding in this house—ideally livestreaming it for Edward to watch. He believed that doing so would leave a deep impression on Edward! "My Lord, forgive me for disturbing you. I've discovered a large number of Huaxia people hiding in this house. May I ask... how should I dispose of them?" After entering the estate, Kojima Arthur took out his phone, connected with Edward, and asked with utmost humility. Edward happened to have some free time. He was lounging inside his mobile palace, attended by several gorgeous vampire women, while several superheroes hauled the palace swiftly toward the next country to be conquered. "Oh? How do you want to handle them?" Edward asked faintly, his wine-red pupils eyeing Kojima Arthur on the screen with amusement. Kojima Arthur lowered his head. "I am entirely at your command, My Lord!" "Then... do as you please. I have ten minutes to spare. Please, begin your performance," Edward said, toying with the hand of one of the beauties as he looked at Kojima Arthur. Kojima Arthur's heart immediately settled. Thrilled, he said, "Yes, My Lord! Arthur will not disappoint you!" With that, he had a vampire hold the phone to film, then strode briskly toward the main residence. Upon reaching the entrance, he kicked the front door wide open. With a wave of his right hand, a longsword formed of blood materialized in his grasp. "Guard all the exits! If anyone tries to flee, kill them on sight!" Kojima Arthur ordered his subordinates. He then signaled the filming vampire to follow him inside. He was going to slaughter them until blood flowed like rivers, using the lives of the Huaxia people in this house to forge his path as a favored sycophant. First floor: empty. Kojima Arthur could smell the scent of blood. Narrowing his eyes, he strolled up to the second floor with a smirk. Then his eyes lit up slightly, and he spoke: "My Lord, I've located where the Huaxia people are hiding." No sooner had the words left his mouth than he lunged forward, kicking open a door in an instant. The wardrobes and beds barricading it from inside shattered under his immense force. Inside the room, women and children huddled in a corner, while the men shielded them, all staring in terror at Kojima Arthur outside the doorway. Kojima Arthur stepped inside and laughed. "What a pity. You missed your last chance to become vampires. Now, all you can become are... ghosts!" He gave them no chance to speak. Blurring in an instant, he appeared before an elderly man and swung his crimson sword. Clutching his neck, the old man collapsed. "You damn devil, your granddaddy's taking you down with him!" A middle-aged man beside him shouted, lunging at Kojima Arthur with a cleaver. "Foolish!" Kojima Arthur sneered. The blood sword in his hand curved in an arc, its sharp tip piercing the middle-aged man's throat. Right then, several young men nearby attacked simultaneously—some brandishing fruit knives, others gripping iron pipes—charging at Kojima Arthur from both flanks. Kojima Arthur closed his eyes and effortlessly dodged their strikes. With a thought, his blood sword severed their arms with ease. In an instant, blood pooled across the floor as the youths collapsed, unable to rise. "My Lord, may I kill them all?" Kojima Arthur turned around and asked into the phone. Edward smiled faintly. "As I said, these people... are entirely at your disposal." "Understood." Kojima Arthur mirrored his smile. He knew Edward had realized that they were of the same kind—that Arthur was truly one of his own. At that moment, in the sky outside, Cheng Pi was descending rapidly, surrounded by Yu Xian's bubbles. When he saw vampires guarding the estate, his heart leaped into his throat. *Not good!* Light enveloped his body in an instant, crossing several hundred meters in the blink of an eye. He smashed through the second-floor window. The moment he took in the scene inside, his pupils contracted—his compatriots lying in pools of blood, and Kojima Arthur raising his sword to slaughter more of them. *You beast!* With an enraged roar, Cheng Pi slammed a kick into Kojima Arthur's abdomen, sending him flying with tremendous force. *Rumble!* Kojima Arthur crashed into the room's wall, blowing a massive hole straight through it. His blood smeared the edges of the breach, dripping continuously. Cheng Pi didn't even spare him a glance. After kicking Kojima Arthur away, he immediately charged the vampire holding the phone. It all happened too fast. Barely 0.0001 seconds had passed from the moment Cheng Pi broke in to when he sent Kojima Arthur flying; the filming vampire had no time to react at all. In fact, not only could the filming vampire fail to react, but even the phone couldn't capture Cheng Pi's movements. The issue was that Edward sensed Kojima Arthur being gravely injured. Instantly channeling power through the Demon Cross into the filming vampire, he enveloped the minion in protection. He wanted to see who on earth dared to defy him. *Boom!* Cheng Pi kicked forward, but a crimson energy barrier formed and blocked his strike. The colossal force triggered a sonic boom, sending dense webs of cracks spreading across the entire house. Fortunately, Yu Xian's will had arrived along with the bubbles. Using the bubbles, he quickly transported the surrounding compatriots into Huaxia. By the time the house collapsed, only Cheng Pi and the filming vampire remained inside. His strike thwarted, Cheng Pi leapt back and landed atop a load-bearing pillar, glaring furiously at the filming vampire. Only now did the filming vampire belatedly realize that he had nearly been killed by Cheng Pi. Recognizing that his filming duty had just saved his life, he hurriedly aimed the phone right at Cheng Pi. Through the phone, Edward got a clear look at Cheng Pi's appearance and smiled. "I've seen you before. Let me think... Ah, right. You're from Qilin." "Edward!!!" Cheng Pi clenched his fists, itching to tear the man to pieces right then and there. Edward laughed. "Right, your name is Ether. Back then, you were the one who delivered the dossier on that wild vampire, forcefully demanding that I drop my hunt for him. What a shame, though—he's probably dead by now." He was referring to Bat. The reason he remembered so clearly was that Bat had been the very first wild vampire over whom Huaxia had sternly demanded that he cease all pursuit. Back then, he had felt utterly humiliated and furious.