Chapter 28: Beginning of the Disappearance Cases (1)
In a luxurious villa with its own botanical garden filled with red roses and petals, a pale-skinned man who appeared to be in his early thirties was standing by the window of his own master's bedroom filled with delicate pieces of furniture.
Without donning any form of clothing apart from underwear, which accentuated the man's fitted build, the refined muscles that appeared to be honed to maintain his ideal figure, the man himself muttered.
"A rat is sneaking around."
Behind him, lying on a bed was a pale-skinned desirable woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. She was half-naked. Her body was covered by a red blanket as she listened to the man's words.
"Who is it, Alex? Someone from the Holy Order?" The woman asked.
"I can't be certain yet." Alex, the Demonic Mutant – a Vampire, said.
"Huh? If it's not from the Holy Order, who would dare mess around with the Vice-Guild Master of the Blood Clan?" The woman sat on the side of the bed, her breast under the black brassiere accentuating under the evening moonlight.
"Indeed. I can think of a few ones, but I don't think they're crazy enough to make a move, especially at night with a blooming full moon."
"Woah…?"
In that spur of a moment, an unfamiliar voice rang within the master's bedroom, sending Alex and the woman on high alert.
It was because this entity's presence was so miniscule yet so close was outright horrific.
"So, is every Vampire's power amplified by the moon? Quite cliché I must say." Grey donning the laboratory coat that was conjured through his Body Transformation, which resembled the one that he wore before his demise pre-reincarnation, said casually. He was standing behind Alex's master bedroom door.
Showing his presence and hearing his words, Alex and the woman sitting on the bed scrutinized him from top to bottom. They thought that Grey's appearance was strange, as though he went off to work as an alchemist and didn't change his attire. However, the more pressing matter lies in the fact that this figure just suddenly appeared in the room almost undetected.
"Who are you?" Alex asked calmly, realizing a thing or two about the uninvited guest. Unexpectedly similar to Grey, the Vampire conjured a black tailcoat with crimson insignia of the Blood Clan from nothingness, covering his entire figure from nakedness.
'This man is weak, that's why I barely sense his presence!' The Vampire inwardly thought, which the truth was considering Grey's current Soul Core Rank—Novice Soul (Rank 1), one lower compared to Princess Quintella.
On the other hand, Alex as the Vice-Guild Master of the Blood Clan reached the Karmic Soul (Rank 3) and in the process of ascending to the subsequent rank given the right conditions.
"Oops! Wrong question, Mister Vampire. It should be… why am I here, right?" Grey said, his countenance showing nonchalance.
"That is indeed true, but you are courting death, intruder!"
It was then that Alex extended his right hand, conjuring blood vines ready to embrace Grey to slow death atop of excruciating pain.
Boom!
Before the contact, Grey disappeared from his spot—
"You have no consideration with women. That's just no good."
…only for him to appear beside the woman some distance away from the Vice-Guild Master.
"Hi, Moly. Would you like to take a flight for me?" Grey whispered to her ears.
Before she could process what Grey had just said…
Bang!
"Keuk!"
Crack!
Grey proceeded to kick the woman named Moly, whose identity was shared through the [Alien Archive]. Her body was smashed into the master bedroom's high windows, causing her to free fall from the ten-story mansion personally owned by the Demonic Mutant.
"A–Ahhh!!" Moly's screams reverberated through the cold night. Her first witness was the moon hovering above. Not that it could save her, though.
However, in that spur of a moment…
Stab!
[Blade of Crimson Blood]
A blood-red blade made from Alex's very blood pierced through Grey's stomach.
"I don't know why are you so fast with your puny Soul Core Rank that I can discern, but you've just made a mistake by coming here," Alex said before—
Slash!
…Grey's head was decapitated as it rolled on the floor, painting the already red, gloomy room… with purple blood.
Concerned with Moly, Alex vanished as his body transformed into numerous bats. He easily caught the free-falling Moly before the painful splat of the evening.
"Why are you acting like you're going to die from the fall?" Alex chuckled, his hands carrying him. Moly looked away upon hearing his words, her expression inexplicable.
"Now, now. That intruder's dead. I can guess someone who sent that man, but why'd he send a damn weak one?" Alex muttered. He then settled down the woman in his embrace.
They both then looked upwards, where the master's bedroom was situated.
At that moment, Moly ended her silence with the following query,
"Vice-Guild Master Alex, do you love me?"
"Huh? What's with the sudden question? Of course, I do love you. You see, I haven't even slept with anyone I don't have romantic feelings with." Alex smiled with his seemingly innocent face.
"R–right! Hehe. I–I just asked because of the intruder… I feel like he's still alive. Just as you can see, we can barely feel his presence because of how weak he is." Moly said something that seemed unrelated to her previous question.
But Alex had no time to consider it. After all, if there's even just a slim possibility that Grey was still alive, it would prove that he was no ordinary intruder.
It was then, just as Alex decided to focus on what was above and was about to transform into bats to check and confirm the dead body…
Stab!
An unknown blade struck him from behind.
"M–Moly…?"
"Liar bastard. I know you are just keeping me by your side because of my power that's considered a Vampire's weakness. That's not love… that's merely manipulation."
Alex's eyes widened, his expression was telling "How did she know?!"
However, he could not move. For some reason, the sword stuck in his chest was proving fatal against him.
"Keuk! D–don't… I–I can explain…" Slumping on the ground with his back facing Moly, Alex tried to reason his way out of this.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
"Aruminasa Spell Arts, Tier 4 Spell: Blood Sun."
Moly muttered those words, a language that even a Vampire was unfamiliar with.
'Aruminasa?'
It was Alex's last thought before a miniature blood-red sun exploded from within him, decimating his entire existence, both body and soul to nothingness.
"Burn to nihility." Moly serenely said.
A few moments later, Grey jumped from the master's bedroom via the window and landed in front of the scene.
Seeing this, Moly lowered her head.
"Thank you for the gift, Grey."
Grey chuckled, his thought was…
'I am weak against these monstrosities, but information's equally superior.'
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone