“Wow, you were this strong?”

With a hollow laugh, Kanak’s question hung in the air, but I didn’t bother to respond.

After standing still and taking two or three deep breaths of the chilly night air, the tension that had been tightening my entire body began to dissipate.

Once my heightened senses returned to normal, I pulled back my claws that had almost grazed Kanak’s neck.

“You’re really not going to attack, huh?”

After standing there rigidly, perhaps as a sign of surrender, Kanak moved to sheathe his sword only after I stepped back, muttering in a tone that truly seemed surprised.

This punk really didn’t believe me at all, huh? I had a feeling he wouldn’t.

I pretended to be calm and immediately spat out the most impressive reply I could muster.

“That was the agreement from the start. I don’t like that spear guy.”

“I see. Sorry for being suspicious.”

I expressed a hint of unjust grievance, saying it was just my genuine action based on what I had blurted out without thinking deeply, and Kanak immediately apologized.

Though his demeanor wasn’t genuinely apologetic, I didn’t press the issue any further.

Of course, I was also lying. Ideally, if I could subjugate Kanak and make him an ally, the Beastman Resistance Army would just follow for free—did I not consider that angle?

Taking a look at the situation, I just decided it would be too much for now and gave up.

Honestly, I had never made an ally before, so I wasn’t exactly sure how to do it. All I knew was that I needed to inject my True Blood into the person.

I figured I could manage somehow by going on instincts, but there’s a huge difference between simply winning a fight and enduring to restrain a two-meter muscle mountain that’s fiercely resisting to successfully practice the ally-making process.

If I had tried to do anything, Kanak would’ve likely bolted the moment he sensed my intentions.

With just one big leap to the side, he could have jumped into the Mist Labyrinth. What opportunity would there be for me to act? After all, I had positioned myself to prevent that, but now that I had won, it felt a bit regrettable.

Humans are indeed creatures that are different when they enter and exit a restroom. Of course, I’m not human.

“I feel reassured knowing we can fight together. I have high hopes.”

Leaving those words, Kanak turned his back to me and returned into the mist. It may have merely been a sparring match, but perhaps it was because he lost; his retreating figure looked somewhat lonely.

Well… so this is it. I really beat Kanak.

As I opened and closed my right hand, I still felt the sting from when I parried Kanak’s sword.

His final attack must have been close to his full power. The fact that he didn’t aim for my heart proved that.

He genuinely attempted an attack he thought I wouldn’t be able to block, and he failed.

Even though calling it a full power was only derived from a single exchange, I couldn’t confidently claim I had grasped all his skills, yet the fact remained that I had emerged victorious in this encounter.

“I’ve become stronger than I expected.”

Since starting my feeding in Pahera, I hadn’t had the chance to truly unleash my strength.

That first meeting with Kanak, about three months ago, where I felt overwhelming pressure from him that I couldn’t surpass no matter what; it’s honestly hard to believe I managed to defeat him now.

I recalled the recent battle.

It was a strange feeling; an omnipotence that made me believe I could accomplish anything. My blood felt like it was boiling inside me, and I had this near-certain conviction that I could surpass any limits.

I moved as my instincts guided me, and I won. I didn’t even feel like it was a fluke victory.

Despite it being only one exchange, I perfectly led his attack, read his movements, and easily countered the sword strikes he presented.

My hand tingled a bit, but even while parrying his final, desperate blow with one hand, I didn’t budge an inch.

I managed to counter him with an undeniable sense of ease. I was confident I could repeat that same feat again.

“My hard work hasn’t been in vain! I’m steadily improving, even if it’s just a little.”

Since stepping into the Mist Labyrinth, I’ve claimed the lives of humans numbering in the thousands.

For the first time, I felt strongly that the tower of life I built from blood and death was becoming a lighthouse illuminating my life.

—

“I’ve been read. Perfectly.”

On the way back to the Resistance Army barracks, Kanak mulled over his recent defeat with slow steps.

He had expected a strong vampire. Even from their first meeting, she had seemed anything but ordinary, and as time passed, it became clear she had hidden power beyond his initial impression.

The ones who conceal their strength tend to have solid resolve and deep roots.

In truth, although Kanak had almost accurately gauged Aria’s strength, he couldn’t understand she was a Progenitor. Therefore, he could only perceive that she gradually unveiled her previously hidden power rather than becoming noticeably stronger.

Due to an imbalance in information, misunderstandings arose, yet the result was that Kanak had significantly overestimated Aria.

When she suggested defeating Pahera’s champion, Kanak saw it as an opportunity. No matter how much one tries to hide, there are things you can discern once swords clash.

In truth, it wasn’t necessary to check whether a single vampire could make a difference.

Even though she was alone, he already knew she constituted a significant power.

Kanak had no initial concerns that this proposal would be a cover for other schemes.

He was almost certain Aria was a crazy woman with a straightforward style; she wouldn’t concoct some underhanded plot from behind the scenes.

Otherwise, would she demand blood to make him uncomfortable while speaking to him face to face? It wouldn’t make sense for someone to audibly comment on tasting blood in front of him. If she were the backstabber type, she would’ve been more careful with her demeanor from the start.

Thus, Kanak purely requested a duel to gauge Aria’s martial prowess.

In a world where the strong dictate the rules, how one is treated hinges on whether they are stronger or weaker than oneself.

Rationally discriminating against others is a survival strategy. To employ such discrimination effectively, accurately gauging an opponent’s abilities is paramount.

Knowing how powerful someone is allows one to establish how much ground to yield when conflicts arise in the future, and setting these boundaries is crucial for making the best decisions.

After crossing blades with her, Kanak was utterly defeated.

It wasn’t even a mere disappointment; at first, he had played it straight like a test, but he thought he’d never be able to withstand her final strike.

Yet, she endured. She stood her ground without flinching, effortlessly swatting away his attack with one hand while presenting her claws to his neck.

If I’d not stopped here, you would have died, her indifferent crimson eyes seemed to communicate.

Kanak could not dispute the unspoken warning she left behind. Even though it was merely one strike, he undoubtedly had exerted his utmost, and yet he had been completely crushed.

This meant certain defeat even though he was convinced he could take her down. It signified that his expectations of her abilities had been drastically surpassed, and such errors on the battlefield could quickly result in death.

Moreover, if a vampire whose greatest strength is regeneration defeats him without even sustaining a scratch, the conclusion would be even more damning.

“I’m glad I managed to refrain from antagonizing her so far.”

As a warrior, the present defeat was frustrating, yet from a commanding officer’s perspective, it was not without its silver linings.

In hindsight, hadn’t he already crossed a perilous path merely by probing about the Dragonkin slaves during their first encounter?

He didn’t even want to imagine what could have happened had that crazy woman decided to attack the Resistance Army.

“At this rate, I might be able to defeat Hexion Requid.”

Pahera’s champion, Hexion Requid. A figure who had defended Pahera for many years, killing more Beastmen than anyone else in the region as the spear and shield of Pahera.

In a world where discrepancies in personal strength vary like night and day, having mere numbers before overwhelming power is meaningless.

Within the Resistance Army, the only one who could potentially restrain Hexion was Kanak himself. Even then, he couldn’t kill him; his entire effort was just to endure and prevent the devastation from spreading around him.

Whenever things turned sour, the initiative always belonged to his opponent, and he couldn’t fathom how much trouble that guy had caused him.

But next time would be different. If it were one plus another, their chances would be sufficient.

Kanak brushed off the bitter aftertaste of his defeat and began plotting the details of the next sortie in his mind.

He resolved that next time, he would make the humans taste this frustration.