I couldn't control the thirst this time. The desires I had forced down again and again rose like fire beneath my skin, burning through every bit of sense I tried to hold on to. I wanted to taste her and compare her blood to Elira's, to see how deep that strength ran through her veins.

A dangerous thought crept in, one I didn't bother to push away. If I could capture this enemy… if I could keep her close and bound to me… then I would never need to risk hurting Elira again. Silver could become my source of strength, my sustenance, the one I fed on whenever the hunger clawed at me, no matter how twisted that idea sounded.

"Can you feel it as well?" I whispered to Beelzebub, who kept sniffing the air without pause. "The hunt is on…" A dangerous mutter escaped my lips as I moved closer, slipping between the trees little by little, avoiding every branch on the ground so I wouldn't make a sound.

Blood began to flow from under my fingertips, slowly congealing into the {Surgeon's Scalpel}, its crimson color shimmering under the few rays of sunlight piercing through the leaves above.

Sorry, Elira. It seems I won't be able to keep my promise of staying out of trouble.

I froze the path ahead as I went, so there would be no noise at all. I even suppressed the halo, refusing to let it slip free and give away my position. I had to become an assassin again, silent and precise, and take out the two guards. A second scalpel formed in my left hand. I lost only a little blood, but the thought of the feast waiting for me made me reckless.

The whole world seemed to fall silent. Even the birds stopped their chirping, their calls fading into the wind that carried the scent of two individuals ahead. I could smell them clearly, and after a few minutes, they came into view. Both were dressed in silver armor, their heads the only parts exposed; everything else was sealed beneath layers of steel.

Damn… I'd need two clean head shots to kill them. I narrowed my eyes, focusing as my hands slid beneath my armpits, preparing for a quick and powerful throw. I had to be precise. If I missed, I'd risk drawing far more enemies than just these two.

In the middle, kneeling on the ground with her back to me, was a woman. Her hair was silver, fitting for her name, and she seemed tall, her armor shining with a brilliance like fresh snow, white beyond belief. Her hands were pressed against the mountain passage we had emerged from. I couldn't tell what she was doing, but she muttered something under her breath, completely absorbed.

She's distracted. Good.

I drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. In that same instant, the two scalpels made from my blood shot from my fingers, slicing through the air with deadly precision. There were no more than ten steps between me and the guards. I was confident they'd fall instantly.

"Hmph." A sharp snort escaped the woman in the center, and the ground trembled violently. The guards dropped flat as if the earth itself had shoved them aside, and my scalpels flew over their backs, striking the mountain with enough force to leave long, deep gashes before disappearing into the stone entirely. That hit would've shattered their skulls.

But…

I knew I had messed up. Once again, my own stupidity had dragged me into a fight for my life.

"Beelzebub, you take the two of them. I'll handle her…" A hungry whisper rolled off my tongue as I watched the woman rise. And when she turned—

I froze.

Perfection itself stared straight into my eyes. Her face was flawless, carved with an elegance that didn't belong to mortals. Her light-green eyes glowed with a faint, almost neon shimmer. She bit her lower lip—soft, full, and red—and the sight made me swallow hard.

"Enemy attack!"

"Lady Silver, stand behind us!"

The two guards shouted the moment they scrambled back to their feet, rushing to place themselves in front of the woman with their swords drawn. Yet they still couldn't see me. Their eyes darted left and right, searching for an entire army instead of a single attacker.

"Idiots… if not for me, you would already be a pile of bloody goo." Silver shoved them aside and stepped forward. As she moved, I noticed the hilt strapped to her armor.

She's a swordwoman?

The realization stunned me for a heartbeat. I had imagined her as a mage, but of course… she wore full armor. Silly me...

"You've got some skill…" she purred, and it made my eyes narrow. What was her poison? Was she trying to play with me? "I have to admit, I didn't expect a demon to slip past the mountain defenses and enter the Holy Lands. Could it be you've got a death wish, cute vampire?" She licked her index finger. This woman was no good. She was clearly a pervert.

I stepped out, knowing there was no point hiding anymore. The moment I revealed myself, the two guards behind her paled. They clearly didn't expect a lone attacker… but when they realized it was just me, ridicule slipped into their expressions, as if I were already a corpse. Beelzebub reacted instantly, agitation rolling off him in sharp bursts. He wanted to tear them apart. I didn't stop him. I wanted to see how strong he had become with frost flowing through his blood.

"The one with a death wish is you, holy knight. Or are you simply that confident you can take me on?" I taunted, a smile tugging at my lips.

"Mmmm… I love women who pretend to be hard to get." Her voice lowered into something sultry. "You'd make a cute little plaything for me before I kill you. What do you say? Want to dance?" She bit her lip, and a thin line of silver blood slid down. The scent hit me so strongly it almost made my knees buckle. She knew exactly how special she was.

"My pleasure."

The halo behind me roared to life. The green flower shot into my left hand, while in my right, blood congealed into a scalpel wrapped in frost, sharpening it further. Beelzebub leapt from my shoulder, wings spreading as cold air erupted around him, and his gaze locked onto the man and woman behind her.

"But this dance might be your last one." I lifted my blade, and her power surged in answer.

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