Just like that, time passed.

Two whole minutes slow, heavy, and strangely still.

Both Razeal and Maria remained locked in that kiss, neither moving, neither daring to breathe too deeply. The water around them felt quiet, thick, as if even the ocean itself was holding its breath, afraid to disturb the fragile moment.

Maria's hand was clenched tightly, her fingers curling around the torn fabric of her clothes, trembling slightly. Every instinct in her screamed to push him away, to resist, to break free but she didn't.

Because she couldn't.

Because she knew.

Her life hung on this kiss atleast she thought that way.

And though the humiliation burned inside her, though the disgust still lingered in her chest, she forced herself to stay still. Her eyes fluttered closed, her lips pressed tightly against his. It wasn't a soft kiss, not even tender.. it was awkward, stiff, bad and uncomfortable. Both sides unmoving, both faces flushed with unnatural warmth, their breaths growing faster, heavier, mixing together between the gaps of their pressed lips.

It looked intoxicating from the outside the heat, the closeness, the tension but for Maria, it was agony. Emotionally, mentally, physically.

Tears formed silently at the corners of her eyes, slipping down her cheeks and dissolving into the surrounding water.

Her heart raced erratically, not from affection, but from pain and confusion. Yet something strange began happening. Amid the heat rising in her chest, a new sensation spread hot and cold at the same time. A pulsing rhythm that felt foreign yet familiar.

Her body was reacting.

The warmth turned sharper, crawling up her spine like molten fire, then down again like ice. Her skin tingled, her heart the demonic heart throbbed violently within her chest. She could feel something changing. Something deep, inhuman.. awakening.

Her lips parted slightly as she let out a small, unsteady breath against his mouth. She didn't realize it, but her senses were heightening the faint taste of blood in the air, the scent of him, the warmth of his skin, everything felt too much.

The demonic nature of the heart was beginning to take over, merging with her human body. It twisted her emotions, blending pain with something else entirely something dangerously close to pleasure.

A strange heat began spreading through her body, her pulse fluttering. Her skin flushed. She didn't understand what was happening to her why she was feeling both fire and frost within her veins, why her heart raced faster with every second that passed.

She was unaware of the truth that the demonic heart, born of Lust and Pride, was awakening, forcing her mortal body to adapt, to evolve. The kiss, though humiliating, was acting as a catalyst, triggering the full synchronization between her and the heart.

Then, all at once, the coldness rushed through her completely.

Her body shivered violently as waves of energy rippled through her skin. Then slowly the pain began to fade.

Her wounds, once gaping and bleeding, began to close before her eyes. Her torn flesh knitted together, glowing faintly as the demonic essence rewrote her body's form. Her pierced stomach the wound that had nearly ended her regenerated, the skin sealing over seamlessly, smooth as if it had never been touched.

Even the dull ache in her heart began to vanish. The stabbing pain that had been tormenting her since the transplant now felt muted, calmer, as if whatever was happening inside her had finally finished its course.

Maria could feel the difference instantly. The burning in her chest was fading into something softer, more stable. Her trembling body began to relax, her mind slowly clearing.

Her eyes, which had been shut tightly the whole time, fluttered open slightly. The world looked hazy, her thoughts scattered.

And just like that, after a few more seconds, Razeal finally moved.

He drew back gently, his expression as calm as ever. His hand loosened its grip on her collar, and their lips separated.. the connection breaking with the faint sound of a breath between them.

Maria blinked slowly, her lips trembling as she tried to process what just happened. Her mind felt blank not from confusion, but from exhaustion.

Razeal straightened up slightly, still looking down at her, his crimson eyes cold but unreadable. Without a word, he let go of her completely, then brought his hand up to his mouth, wiping his lips with the back of his hand in one slow motion.

No emotion. No expression. Nothing. Just coldness

He looked exactly the same as before calm, detached and utterly unbothered.

Maria, however, didn't move for several seconds. She just lay there, her breathing ragged, her heart thumping in her chest, her fingers trembling slightly.

When she finally spoke, her voice was faint but bitter.

Razeal glanced down at her, silent for a moment. Then he let out a quiet breath not a sigh, not relief something between both. "Now happy?" He said, the sarcasm dripping from his tone. Then he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a light pat, as if brushing the whole situation aside.

Before she could respond, he reached down and snatched the dark book from her right hand the Book of Eventual Evil, which she hadn't even realized she was holding close against her chest this entire time.

Maria blinked, dazed and half unaware of it.

Razeal looked at the book briefly before turning away. His face still expressionless, his eyes distant, his movements sharp and deliberate.. he didn't even glance back at her.

"I am not happy," Maria said suddenly, her voice stronger this time.

Razeal paused, turning his head slightly to look at her from the corner of his eye.

She lifted her hand slowly, touching her abdomen where the gaping wound had been. Her skin was smooth now healed completely, not even a scar remaining. The sight made her chest twist with conflicting feelings.

She swallowed hard before continuing. "I'm not happy," she repeated, her tone quieter now, eyes lowering.

Razeal didn't say anything.

She exhaled shakily, her gaze fixed on her hands as her voice softened the strength fading out of it, leaving behind a quiet emptiness. "It was my first kiss…" she whispered, her words almost trembling. Her eyes lifted slightly to meet his face. "My first ever kiss."

For a second, the air grew heavier again.

Razeal's gaze met hers his crimson eyes faintly gleaming under the dim light. His face, though emotionless, shifted slightly. He looked away after a moment

"And guess what," he said quietly, voice flat, "it was my first kiss too."

He turned his gaze to the side. "And I'm not happy either."

His tone was firm, but there was no malice in it this time no disgust, no venom. Just tired honesty.

Maria blinked at him, stunned by the words, but… not believing them. Her lips curled faintly into a bitter, half-sarcastic smile.

"You don't need to lie," she muttered softly, shaking her head. "At least try not to make it sound so ridiculous."

Her voice carried exhaustion more than anger now. She didn't believe a single word he said of course she didn't. Only a fool would believe someone like him meant that.

She gave a small, weak chuckle under her breath, though it sounded hollow and broken. "You're not the type to care about things like that anyway.. But guess i should be happy you tried to be nice to me.. But maybe just little reaction on face be better. As Atleast not letting me feel it wasn't just thing that botherd you that you don't even care. Just being emotionless about it. You don't like me i get it.. But next time.. if you took some girls first kiss just be little nice to her.. Because this is moment thats always spacial to her.. Not like th.." She didn't said more

Razeal didn't respond. He stood still for a moment, his expression blank but his gaze, though subtle, lingered on her for longer than it should've. His lips pressed together slightly, as if holding back something he didn't want to say.

Maria didn't notice.

She was too tired, too drained. She just laid back on the cold ground, her hair fanning out around her, her gaze drifting upward blankly. She didn't even notice the faint glow of her demonic heart pulsing beneath her skin calm and stable now.

Her thoughts blurred. Her eyelids grew heavier just from her own thoughts.

The only thing she could feel was the strange difference in her body her blood felt lighter, her senses sharper. Everything around her felt new, sharper, alive.

But inside, she felt empty.

Her heart beat steady, strong, alive… yet she couldn't shake off the dull ache in her chest. The realization that she'd given away something precious something she could never take back and that the man she gave it to didn't even care.

She let out a soft, weak exhale, her gaze blankly fixed on nothing.

And Razeal… just stood there. Silent. Watching her.

Saying nothing.

The quiet between them lingered heavy, thick, and unspoken.

Razeal stood silently, his expression composed and unreadable. But inside… it was far from calm.

He could still feel the lingering heat of that kiss on his lips, and it made him uneasy no, more than uneasy. It was bothering him honestly. He hated how much it was bothering him. His chest felt heavy, his thoughts messy, his senses strangely amplified. Every emotion, every pulse of irritation or discomfort was sharper, louder, deeper like everything inside him had been turned up to a deafening volume.

He shook his head slightly, forcing himself to keep his usual expressionless mask. But even that was harder than before. He could feel it his emotions were no longer steady or quiet like they used to be. Becoming a vampire had magnified everything. The tiniest feeling now felt hundreds of times stronger.

He clicked his tongue softly, annoyed, rubbing his temple with his thumb. Tch… it's like my emotions are all over the place.

If it was the old him, he would've shrugged this whole thing off. He would've looked at the kiss as nothing more than an unfortunate necessity no weight, no thought, no care. But now… it was genuinely difficult to ignore it. His heart felt strange, like a heavy stone pressing against his ribs.

The idea of having kissed someone.. her of all people made his mind twist with discomfort. He didn't like her. Not even a little.. He definitely knows he he likes and what he dont. So why the hell did it feel this… intrusive? This personal?

Maybe this was what the system warned him about heightened emotions, extremes of feeling. Vampires were creatures of passion and intensity; there was no middle ground in them. And now that he was one, he could feel exactly what that meant.

A low sigh escaped him quiet, controlled, but real. His crimson eyes flickered slightly, the faintest tremor in them betraying what he didn't show on his face. He hated that. He hated how even his eyes felt more expressive now, how he had to consciously stop himself from reacting too much.

He took a slow breath and muttered under it, "Get a grip."

Then he turned his gaze toward Maria.

Her body was lying still now, resting after all the chaos. Her breathing was slower, very stable. Her skin had regained color. The demonic heart had fully integrated; he could feel the power radiating from her even without using any skill to check.

"Villey," he said after a moment, his voice quiet but steady. "Can you show me her status?"

[Not perfectly,] the system's calm voice echoed in his head, [but I can analyze her current strength through the aura she's emanating.]

A faint sound of shifting data flickered through his head before the system continued, projecting glowing red letters before his eyes.

[Analyzing...]

[Name: Maria Grave]

Race: Half-Demon / Half-Human

Rank: S

Attributes

Strength: S+

Agility: S

Original White Faction Mana (MP): B+

Dark Mana (DMP): SS+ (9.989 Trillion / 10 Trillion)

Endurance: S–

Will: A++

Mental: S

Charisma: S–

Luck: Good

Elemental Affinities: Water (Medium-Intermediate), ??? (Locked)

Sins: Pride, Lust (Locked – Basic Lust Awakening)

Skills: ??? (Cannot analyze until direct data is recorded.)

Razeal's eyes twitched slightly, the glow of the screen reflecting against his crimson pupils.

"…Woow. Just… wow," he muttered under his breath.

He stared at her stats for a few seconds longer, blinking once then again before narrowing his eyes in discomfort.

"This is just cruel to me…" he mumbled, exhaling slowly through his nose.

Half of his motivation to stay calm just dropped straight into the abyss. His mood, which was already complicated, got worse.

He dragged his hand through his beautiful, nice, long and sexy silver hairs, exasperated. "You've got to be kidding me…"

He could practically feel his chest tightening with the absurdity of it. All that effort. All those endless battles. All those millions of deaths and near-deaths. Every scar. Every drop of blood spilled to get stronger.

And here she was.

Becoming stronger because she got a heart.

A fucking heart.

It wasn't even fair.

He died.. millions of times, quite literally just to claw his way up to the level he was now. Every inch of strength he had was drenched in pain, blood, and sheer stubborn will.

And this woman? She just got a demonic organ, and suddenly she was ranked S?

He clenched his jaw tightly, eyes twitching slightly as he looked down at her. "That's just… cheating... Just like Protagonist."

He couldn't help it the jealousy stung him like a blade.

He scrolled down the status screen again, as if re-reading it would somehow make it less ridiculous.

"SS+ Dark Mana?" he muttered. "What the hell even is that? Ten trillion mana points? TEN TRILLION???"

He rubbed his face with both hands, dragging them down slowly in disbelief. "What's she going to do with that, fuel a damn kingdom?"

His thoughts spiraled, frustration mixing with envy.

He remembered his own battles vividly the fight with Sylva in particular. He'd poured billions of mana points into that one, using his Flow Ability at full capacity. One hundred percent. That literally helped his use his ability to 100 percent without having to worry about recoil.. Producing such level of strike.

Even then, he had been proud of it. Because that strike, that ability, was enough to flatten a kingdom or mountain ranges to strike with the raw power of tectonic force.

He knew what those numbers meant. He knew the scale.

And yet… ten trillion mana points? That was a whole new level of absurdity.

"That's not even strength," he muttered, half to himself, half to the system. "That's just divine-grade bullshit."

"She could probably nuke a continent if she sneezed wrong," he muttered darkly. "Who the hell even needs that much power?"

The sheer idea of it made him dizzy. Ten trillion mana points. With that much energy, she could probably level several kingdoms at once. The mana density alone could warp reality if she didn't control it properly.

Razeal crossed his arms, staring at her unconscious form lying peacefully on the ground, and felt his irritation sink deeper into pure, begrudging awe.

"She's literally a walking natural disaster now," he mumbled, eyes narrowing. "And it's because of that damn heart."

He sighed, still trying to swallow the bitter taste of jealousy.

she just got a transplant and woke up like some overpowered freak of nature.

"Unbelievable,"

And, just as he'd suspected, she now had two mana pools. Even more surprising her white faction mana pool, which had only been at C+ before, had now leapt an entire rank, reaching peak B. He couldn't quite explain why, but he guessed it had something to do with her body changing enhanced and reshaped by the heart. Maybe that transformation had brought a few unexpected side effects.

And well… not surprising at all.

She'd become a half-human, half-demon.

Or half-devil whatever the proper term was, Razeal didn't care enough to split hairs right now.

He stared at her status window floating before him for a few seconds, then sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Good for her i guess," he muttered.

He decided to ignore it for now. Thinking about it any further would only make him spiral into frustration, and honestly, he didn't have the patience for that. There would be time to worry later when his mind wasn't already juggling jealousy, fatigue, and the remnants of emotional chaos from earlier.

Razeal just rolled his eyes, his expression blank as his gaze trailed back to Maria.

Every single one of her stats was over S-rank every single one, except her Will, which rested at A++. And even that was just a step away from S-rank. The sheer absurdity of it made him get black lines on his forehead.

She'd gained a power-up so outrageous that, in his mind, she simply didn't deserve it. It wasn't earned it was generosity of his by sheer luck and circumstance. And yet… he didn't say a word aloud.

He was jealous. Painfully jealous. But he swallowed it. He wasn't going to whine about it out loud. After all, deep down, he understood. This was the effect of the demonic heart something beyond logic. And well not like ss ranked hearts are everywhere to be found.

Still, it stung.

He turned away, exhaling slowly through his nose. "Tch…"

"System," Razeal said after a moment, his tone calmer now. "Show me my stats."

If she'd gotten such a ridiculous boost just from receiving that heart, then surely surely he must've gotten something insane too, right?

After all, he wasn't just a vampire now he was the Vampire Progenitor, the origin and peak of his entire race. The highest of the high. There had to be something amazing waiting for him. Something to make this whole transformation worth it.

He needed it.

If not, he might actually lose his mind.

The system's voice chimed clearly in his head, the familiar tone carrying through like a calm whisper amid the storm of his thoughts.

[Host: Razeal]

Alignment: True Villain (Unredeemable)

Race: Vampire~ Vampire Progenitor (Highest of His Race)

Overall Rating / Rank: SS–

Attributes

Strength: SS

Agility: S+

Mana (MP): S-Rank (0 / 100 billion)

Blood Points (BP): 0

(Notice: You have not yet absorbed any BP. You may use your own blood as fuel, but doing so beyond a certain limit will cause severe harm. Only absorbed blood counts as safe energy.)

Endurance: SSS (Half-Immortal: Natural death is impossible.)

Will: SS– (Will of the Purest and Noblest Being.)

Mental: SS+ (Enhanced naturally due to high affinity as a Vampire Progenitor and the Purest Origin Being.)

Charisma: SSS (Still the ugliest Progenitor there ever was.)

Luck: Negative.

Elemental Affinities:

Shadow (Ultimate) (Due to possession of the ultimate sacred artifact, "The Shadow Heart.")

Necrotic (Extremely Low)

Blood (Medium- Ultimate) (Innate as Vampire Progenitor.)

Razeal's crimson eyes darted through the glowing screen, scanning every stat line one by one and the sharpest grin began to curl across his lips.

That sight alone made something wild stir inside him. Finally.

"Ohhh… now I can fight," he whispered under his breath, voice trembling with a dark thrill. "I'll love beating the shit out of them… Nova, Selena, Celestia… just wait for me to return."

His thoughts twisted into something sharp and merciless. Revenge. Of course he'd take it. He'd humiliate them. Make them understand the price of what they did.

Before, he hadn't.. because he was weak. But not now.

Now, he was SS-ranked.

Now, he had the mind, the control, the sheer presence to wield his Flow to its absolute limit without hesitation, without fear. He could finally challenge the world itself, maybe even bend it if he wanted to.

For once, he could move as he pleased. No more chains. No more limits.

He could finally be free.

Maybe it was the heightened emotions that came with his vampire blood, but the feeling surged through him, raw and unrestrained. Vampires were never meant to live in cages of restraint they were creatures of hunger, of freedom.

And right now, he was exactly that.

Razeal couldn't stop himself first came a low chuckle, bubbling from deep within. "Kuhfufufufufu…"

Then it broke loose.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He threw his head back, one hand covering his face as he laughed darkly, wildly, almost beautifully. His laughter echoed through the place, like the sound of madness and liberation entwined.

Maria and Neptunia turned toward him, Just watching him as what suddenly happened to him?

----

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.