❛ 𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐎 𝐔𝐒 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 ❜ ━━━ (𝗶. 𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻)

二十六 [N i - J ū R o k u]

I wiped off the sweat that was trickling down my forehead, looking around to see who was left. Me, Mika and Yuu.

"No fair!!! You're way stronger than before!!" Yuu said with a pout.

"Well, I was kinda holding back," Crowley said happily.

"Not fair!!"

"Our intel had you listed as a Thirteenth Progenitor. But the guy you killed was a Tenth. How could you beat him?" Narumi asked.

"It's because he isn't a Thirteenth Progenitor," I answered. "His true strength is closer to a Seventh Progenitor, like Ferid's."

"Mhm. Turn a human using the blood of a Seventh Progenitor and you'll get a vampire that's powerful enough to be classified as a Thirteenth or Fourteenth. But when Ferid turned me, he didn't use his own blood. He had me drink a Second Progenitor's.

That puts my real power at about the same as Ferid's, Seventh or Eighth. Keeping it a secret was an advantage for me. See, all the upper-level progenitors I know think I'm a Thirteenth. So if we fight, they underestimate my strength." Crowley explained.

"How long have you been lying about your power and rank? When did it start?" Mika asked.

"Mika, whoa! Hold it! Did you even hear what he said?! He was human! Was I the only one who didn't know?!"

"From the beginning. Right when he first turned me. That'd be 800 years ago?"

"Guys, guys! He said he used to be human!!" Yuu shouted.

"Yes and?" Kimizuki asked.

"If he's a former human, he's one of us!"

"Some days, I wonder what goes on in that gerbil cage you call a brain."

"In other words, you planned this out right from the start, waiting 800 years just for today?" Mika questioned.

"Me? Nah, I didn't plan anything."

"Then Ferid did. See? I told you he can't be trusted."

"I agree with you on that one wholeheartedly. Dealing with him is a real pain in the ass." Crowley suddenly smiled as he got all cheerful.

"Oh, I know! Let's say we just forget about rescuing him? Then maybe I'll finally be free."

"No," Yuu answered and Crowley pouted.

"The rescue is already decided. There are things I need Ferid to tell me and I owe the Queen for saving my family. So we rescue them."

"Then I guess you need to get a lot stronger really fast. As of today, you had problems handling a Tenth Progenitor and got destroyed by a Seventh. The opponent we need to take on is even more powerful than me. He's a Fifth Progenitor."

"A what?!"

"Yeap. Anyways, are we going to just stand outside? My feet are killing me." Crowley said and turned around.

"Guess I could explore it," I mumbled and stood beside Crowley.

Yuu walked up to us with excitement on his face. "Seriously Crowley! If you used to be a human, you shoulda said so!"