“Wait, something’s happening with the Abyssal Rift over there!”
Noticing the faint Abyssal Rift above the Flesh Flower in the distance becoming more visible, James—who had been speaking to Allan Poe—suddenly shouted.
Hearing this, Allan Poe quickly followed his gaze and saw the same scene as James.
“It seems an Abyssal Beast couldn’t resist its impulses and is trying to break into our world,” Allan Poe muttered to James.
“Will the Abyssal Beast coming out now interfere with our mission to destroy the Flesh Flower?” James asked, concerned.
Allan Poe, however, remained optimistic. With a smile, he reassured his subordinate:
“Don’t worry, Colonel James. This Abyssal Rift is only temporary—it hasn’t been converted into a permanent one by the Flesh Flower yet. Whatever Abyssal Beast emerges from it won’t be as powerful as those from permanent rifts.”
No sooner had Allan Poe finished speaking than an Abyssal Beast, roughly the size of an average human, tumbled out of the rift and landed directly on the Flesh Flower. Immediately afterward, the previously visible rift faded back to its original faint state.
“What kind of Abyssal Beast just came out of the rift?”
Standing several kilometers away and unable to clearly see the small creature, Allan Poe turned to James for confirmation.
“General, it was a vampire,” James replied after swiftly reviewing combat footage.
“A vampire? The kind that grows immensely strong after feeding on human blood and can regenerate endlessly unless its heart is destroyed or its head is cut off?”
Recalling the traits of such Abyssal Beasts, Allan Poe double-checked to ensure he wasn’t mistaken.
“Yes, General. Those are exactly the characteristics of a vampire,” James confirmed.
“Seems my memory’s still sharp,” Allan Poe remarked with satisfaction. “See, James? Just as I said—nothing too dangerous comes out of temporary rifts.”
“You’re absolutely right, General.”
“Good. Then let’s continue the assault. We must destroy the Flesh Flower before the rift stabilizes.”
Just as Allan Poe was convinced that no powerful Abyssal Beast could emerge from a temporary rift—and that victory was assured—the vampire that had fallen onto the Flesh Flower, unharmed by the impact, caught the strong scent of human blood.
Its crimson eyes snapped open.
Without questioning why the Flesh Flower beneath it reeked of human flesh, the mindless creature, driven purely by instinct, opened its maw and sank its fangs deep. It began greedily sucking the flower’s blood.
Unlike its violent resistance against human attacks, the Flesh Flower offered no struggle. Instead, it willingly surrendered its blood—and even infused the vampire with its own Abyssal energy.
Minutes passed.
With ample blood and Abyssal energy, the vampire—already a peak one-star Abyssal Beast—finally broke through its limits in the real world, evolving into a two-star Vampire Baron.
Having given most of its blood and energy to the vampire, the Flesh Flower—before completing its task of stabilizing the rift—met its end. Along with the Abyssal Beast it had spawned, it perished.
Seeing the Abyssal Rift above the Flesh Flower begin to close, James realized what it meant and excitedly called out to Allan Poe:
“General, look! The rift is disappearing—the Flesh Flower is dead!”
“Dead? That’s excellent news. Now we can wrap this up,” Allan Poe replied, visibly relieved.
“Huh? It’s over already? I thought it’d take more effort,” Anderson muttered in surprise as he watched flying Abyssal Beasts suddenly drop from the sky.
“Ending early is fine by me. Carrying you around for so long has worn me out,” Hana grumbled at the man she was carrying mid-flight.
“…Is it over?” Sally asked her companion.
“It’s over,” Katy replied, lowering her bow.
“Hah! I, Andrew, truly am America’s top superhuman. After eliminating so many Abyssal Beasts, I wonder what rewards await me…”
Floating in the air in his mist form, Andrew couldn’t help but gloat inwardly.
But just as he prepared to return to the fleet for rest, a crimson mist surged upward from below—seeping into his body.
“Huh? Strange… At this altitude, where did this fog come from? And why is it red?”
Puzzled by the blood-colored mist invading his form, Andrew had no time to react before an excruciating pain tore through him. A scream ripped from his throat—
But it didn’t last long.
The blood mist swiftly consumed him entirely.
Unsatisfied with just one victim, the mist then surged toward the distant fleet—where tens of thousands of humans waited.
“Katy… Something terrifying is coming,” Sally whispered, sensing an overwhelming presence approaching.
Hearing this, Katy—who had been about to return below deck—paused, confused. But as the blood mist drew nearer, its aura became unmistakable. Realizing the sheer power of the approaching entity, Katy’s face paled.
“Holy hell—!”
“Hana! Look at that red mist over there!” Anderson urgently pointed at the blood-colored fog closing in on a nearby battleship.