Chapter 206: The Blood Offering

Isolde’s pale blue eyes, still wet with unshed tears, shifted from Adam to Lilith. Her expression curdled—grief twisting into something sharper, more venomous.

"My plan would have worked perfectly," she hissed, her voice gaining strength despite her exhaustion. "If it weren’t for that meddling spider."

Her gaze locked onto Lilith with undisguised hatred.

Lilith’s lips curved into a serene smile. "Fufu. It seems you haven’t learned your lesson yet."

Adam pinched the bridge of his nose. His voice, when it came, was heavy with exasperation.

"Haaah... can you both just be quiet for a moment?"

Ignis, who had been watching the exchange with gleeful amusement, burst out laughing.

"Lilith got scolded! Ahahaha!"

Lilith’s eye twitched. Her threads stirred around her fingers as she turned toward the dragon, ready to retaliate.

Ignis was faster.

She darted behind Adam, peeking out from his shoulder with her tongue stuck out. "Nyeh~ Can’t catch me!"

Lilith’s hands clenched, then relaxed.

"I was merely curious about her," Lilith said, her gaze shifting back to Isolde. "She wears a crown. One that looks like yours, Adam." She tilted her head, studying the vampire’s brow. "There may be a connection to your artifact."

Adam’s expression shifted. Interest flickered in his crimson eyes.

"A crown?" He looked at Isolde, studying her more closely. "Can you show it to me?"

Isolde’s jaw tightened. Her gaze, still fixed on Lilith, burned with quiet fury.

’That spider...’ she thought, her internal voice seething. ’She has such a loose mouth. Why would she tell him that?’

She lifted her chin, meeting Adam’s gaze with cold defiance.

"No." Her voice was flat. "Why should I obey you?"

Ignis’s head popped out from behind Adam’s shoulder, her expression indignant.

"So arrogant! How dare she?" She tugged on Adam’s sleeve. "Let’s just eat her, Adam!"

Lilith’s smile sharpened. Her threads curled around her fingers like living things.

"It seems," she murmured, "she doesn’t yet understand her position."

Isolde’s pale blue eyes blazed with defiant pride, her chin lifting despite the bonds that held her.

"I am Isolde Draven," she declared, her voice cold and imperious. "I only lost because you fought dirty. If I used my full power, I could kill all of you with ease."

Adam’s expression didn’t change. He studied her for a long moment, then nodded slowly.

"Oh, is that so?"

He rose from his seat by the fire, his movements unhurried. The firelight caught the edges of his horns, casting long shadows across his face. He stopped before Isolde, looking down at her with crimson eyes that held no warmth.

"Then let me make something clear." His voice was quiet, but there was steel beneath it. "You’re in no position to make threats. Lilith can extract whatever information she wants from your mind whether you cooperate or not." He tilted his head, watching her reaction. "So you can either show me that crown willingly, or she can dig it out of your memories while you scream."

Isolde’s jaw tightened. Her hands, still bound, clenched into fists.

"You dare threaten me with that?" Her voice shook with fury. "I am a pure-blooded vampire. I have my pride. I would rather die than be violated by that spider’s filthy threads!"

Ignis snorted from behind Adam’s shoulder.

"Pride?" She stepped out, crossing her arms, a mocking grin spreading across her face. "You wet yourself like a scared puppy. What pride are you talking about?"

Isolde’s pale face flushed crimson. Her breath came in sharp, ragged gasps.

"That was—that was because I was exhausted! It has nothing to do with—"

"You peed your pants," Ignis interrupted, her voice gleefully cruel. "And now you’re talking about pride?" She laughed, shaking her head. "There’s nothing left to protect, vampire. You’re already a joke."

Isolde’s whole body trembled. Tears of humiliation welled in her eyes, mixing with the fury that twisted her features.

"I’ll kill you," she whispered. Then louder: "I’ll kill you! I’ll rip out your tongue—"

"Yeah, yeah." Ignis waved a dismissive hand. "Big words from the girl who can’t even stand up."

Adam’s crimson eyes narrowed, his expression hardening as Isolde’s threat echoed through the clearing. The fire crackled between them, casting flickering shadows across his face.

"Hey." His voice was low, dangerous. "If you’re threatening to kill her, that means you’re prepared to be killed too, right?"

He didn’t wait for an answer.

The air shifted.

Pressure—immense, suffocating—rolled off Adam in waves. It wasn’t a skill, not exactly. Just his presence, his aura, the weight of everything he had become pressing down on the vampire like a physical force. Isolde’s breath caught. Her bound body tensed, every muscle screaming as if she were being crushed beneath an invisible mountain.

’He... his aura is so strong...’ Sweat beaded on her forehead, trickling down her temples despite the cool night air. ’It feels like something is coiling around my heart... squeezing...’

Her eyes, wide and fearful, searched his face. The firelight caught the edges of his horns, the crimson gleam of his eyes, the absolute stillness of his expression.

’Is he... stronger than the Demon King?’ The thought was absurd, impossible. And yet she could not dismiss it. ’No... that can’t be... it’s not possible...’

Her breathing grew ragged. Her chest heaved with the effort of simply staying upright.

Adam watched her struggle, his expression unmoved. When he spoke again, his voice was calm—almost bored.

"I don’t care about your revenge against humans." He took a step closer, and Isolde flinched. "This is your last chance. Bring out the crown. Now."

Isolde’s lips parted. Her voice came out strained, barely a whisper.

"I... I can’t..." She swallowed, forcing the words past the pressure still pressing against her lungs. "I don’t have enough mana left to summon it."

Adam studied her for a long moment. Then, slowly, the pressure receded. Isolde gasped, her body slumping against the tree, her chest heaving with desperate breaths.

"Are you telling the truth?" Adam’s voice was flat. "Or are you just stalling?"

Isolde lifted her head, meeting his gaze with eyes that held no defiance—only exhaustion and something that might have been shame.

"It’s the truth." Her voice was hoarse. "I’ve exhausted my strength. I need blood to replenish my energy."

Lilith’s eyes widened, her usual composure cracking. "Blood? How dare you ask for such a thing."

Ignis stepped forward, her flames flickering with suspicion. "This is suspicious, Adam. This woman is planning something."

Adam raised a hand, silencing them both. His crimson eyes remained fixed on Isolde’s pale, exhausted face.

"If it’s just blood, that’s fine. I’ll give it to you."

Isolde blinked. Her thoughts stumbled. ’Eh... just like that? Is he an idiot...?’

Lilith’s voice cut through, sharp with disbelief. "Are you stupid, Adam? That’s too risky!"

Adam shrugged. "Maybe. But I’m curious." He looked at Isolde. "I want to know about that crown. Do I just... pour my blood into your mouth?"

Isolde’s lips parted. Her voice was careful, measured. "It would be more effective if I drink directly from your neck."

Lilith’s threads twitched. "No, Adam. Don’t do it. That’s beyond foolish."

Isolde pressed on, her tone clinical. "It’s true. Direct consumption restores my mana faster."

Lilith stepped closer, her crimson eyes blazing. "That has nothing to do with anything. Let me handle this. I’ll extract every piece of information from her head myself."

Adam’s mental voice brushed against Lilith’s mind. ’Relax, Lilith. I have a plan.’

Lilith’s jaw tightened. Her threads stilled.

She didn’t like it. Every instinct screamed that this was dangerous, that letting a starving vampire feed from him was madness. But Adam’s voice in her head was calm, certain.

She stepped back, crossing her arms. "Fine. But if she tries anything, I’ll kill her before her teeth touch your skin."

Ignis looked between them, confused. "Wait, we’re really doing this? Adam, are you sure?"

Adam nodded slowly. "I’m sure."

He knelt before Isolde, tilting his head to expose the side of his neck. His pulse beat steady beneath the skin.

"Go ahead," he said quietly. "Drink."

Isolde’s throat bobbed as she swallowed, her pale blue eyes fixed on Adam’s exposed neck. The pulse beneath his skin was steady, rhythmic—a lure she could not resist. Her fangs ached with hunger, her body trembling with the effort of restraint.

’He’s offering it freely,’ she thought, her mind clouding with desperate need.

Lilith’s voice cut through the haze, cold and sharp. "If you taint Adam with your urine, I will kill you."

Ignis burst out laughing—loud, unrestrained, echoing through the clearing. "AHAHAHA! She’s not wrong! You already lost control once!"

Isolde’s pale face flushed crimson. Her hands clenched into fists.

"I am not that filthy!" she snapped, her voice cracking with humiliation.

Lilith’s smile was serene. "We’ll see."

Isolde turned back to Adam, forcing herself to focus on his neck, on the steady rhythm of his pulse. Her fangs ached. Her mouth watered.

She leaned closer.

Adam didn’t flinch. His voice was calm, almost casual. "Go ahead."

Isolde’s lips brushed his skin.

’He’s an idiot,’ she thought, her fangs pressing against the vein. ’A complete idiot. Once I’ve drained enough, I’ll kill him. Then I’ll tear that spider apart.’

She bit down.

Adam’s breath caught. A soft sound escaped his throat with quite a gasp. His hand twitched at his side, but he didn’t pull away.

The blood flowed.

Isolde’s eyes fluttered shut. The taste flooded her senses—warm, rich, unlike anything she had ever experienced. Her starving body drank greedily, each swallow sending waves of energy through her depleted frame.

’Hmm... it’s delicious...’ Her thoughts grew hazy, pleasure blurring the edges of her hatred. ’Better than anything I’ve ever tasted... Is it because I’m so hungry...?’

She drank deeper.

Adam’s voice came again, steady despite the blood loss. "Are you done yet?"

Isolde didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Her fangs were buried too deep, her body demanding more, more, more—

Adam’s hand shot up, gripping the back of her neck.

"That’s enough." His voice was quiet, but there was no room for argument. "Are you trying to drain me dry?"

Isolde’s fangs slipped free. Blood still dripped from her lips, dark and glistening. She licked them clean, her tongue savoring the last traces of his essence.

Her eyes, when they opened, were no longer pale blue.

The threads around her wrists snapped.

Isolde rose, her crown of thorns blazing above her brow, her aura flooding the clearing with oppressive weight. Her lips curved into a smile—cold, cruel, triumphant.

"Now," she murmured, "it’s time for revenge."