"You're out of town, my king?" Hisa said to the phone . "…Yes, I will . "

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After hanging up, she continued to pace back and forth, nervous . Alucard, arguably one of the strongest vampires in the city, decided unsurprisingly to be a complete d.i.c.k and do the job himself . She felt naked without her personal force . Almost everyone was here this night, chatting, some drinking from captured humans, some flirting and living it up . She supposed there couldn't be any backstabbing—the prince's orders were to remain in the mansion and witness how a simple job was supposed to be done .

Hisa was just glad the king left doing some task for the academy he ran . He worked among his favorite victims to drink as a simple Dean . A man of influence, but more dangerous than they'd ever know . But he even paled in comparison to the emperor . The oldest vampire of the city, said to have fought even the G.o.ds, Hisa housed so much respect for him . She only ever laid eyes on the great vampire once, briefly . Emperor Akito .

Despite all of the powerful vampires in the mansion this night, a quarter of them even ten times stronger than Alucard, she…had a bad feeling . The showy arrogant d.i.c.k would normally be back by now, acting all graceful while denouncing her with words in between the lines .

In fact, he was the one that sent her out to the festival .

Hisa overheard something from one of the vampires sitting at the dining table . They were all looking out the windows .

"The sky's been acting weird for some time now . I swear if it's the poor doing the fireworks again, I will take away their jobs . "

"Oh shut it, Garison," Nathan, sect-lord, said . "If you stop thinking of money for even one second, you'd realize that there's no way the humans could do something like that . " He stood up, his silk robes fluttering behind him as dashed over to one of the windows . "I mean look at that . Glowing cracks? What the h.e.l.l's happening . "

"Can you not feel that?" High lady, Ruby, said . She pushed away a strand of long purple hair . "Can you now feel the taint in the air?"

Hisa's eyes widened . The taint…opposite of purity . Toxic to creatures of light and holy, converting them with ease, it still wasn't exactly a comfort for creatures of the dark either . While it didn't harm those of the dark, there were very few beings that could actually control the element . Very few . Single digits . The same went for purity—a slip of that may spell disaster for its wielder and anyone within the immediate vicinity of him or her .

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"The taint?" Garison said skeptically . "Bah . You and your nonsense . All of you are acting like a bunch of paranoid children . With Hades gone, we should take back this city, put it rightfully under vampire control . I don't know what's keeping the great emperor so busy—the takeover will be quick, delicious . Glorious . "

"Wasn't he obsessed with marrying the daughter of that human CEO? Tanaka corps something," Nathan said . "I don't understand the man, wanting to marry and f.u.c.k his food . "

The blood drained from Hisa's face as she turned away . Was Alucard involved in the activity outside? A feeling of dread embedded into her bones . Something headed this way—but the others were too caught up in their arrogance to feel it . Except maybe Ruby . But Ruby was too proud to run .

Hisa experienced more electrical pain than she ever felt in her life—it still tingled with every breath . She had to get out of there . The others could call her a coward, Alucard may declare her a crybaby—Hisa would not stay in this place . She'd flee the city, start anew, live a better life, even give herself over to the light—anything would beat what approached the mansion . The feeling of absolute dread made her want to vomit .

Without another thought, she bolted for the mansion's front exit .

"What the h.e.l.l's her problem? Not how a princess is supposed to act," Garison said .

Hina panted, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she ran with all of her vampiric speed . She flung open the front doors, but…someone . . . or something stood there . And he was the most terrifying sight of her life . She backed up, crying .

"Please . . . " she said .

Death looked at her with impa.s.sive red and gold eyes, the pressure of his power warping reality around him . He was beyond anything she'd ever felt, beyond all . A real G.o.d . And to be there of all places meant…meant… "Please . " She dropped to the floor, head down, weeping . "Please don't kill me . "

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Death didn't reply, but she felt his extremely immense power approach her . His aura was like the h.e.l.lish touch of the sun .

Yusuke's eyes snapped open as a super-intense… . Something… filled the air . He jumped up, eyes searching, then widened when they peered out his window .

"What the f.u.c.k?" He dashed over to it . The night sky looked as if someone took a giant hammer and shattered it . Golden cracks were forming, more and more . Was this the apocalypse? He turned around to search for his TV remote when he saw her . The reaperess was in a corner, knees to chest, head down, whimpering . "Holy s.h.i.+t," he whispered .

Yusuke quickly threw on some clothes then dashed to his sister's room . She wasn't there . He sent a text to the group but got no reply . The leader always replied . What the h.e.l.l? Were they involved in whatever was going on outside? He checked on his parents . Asleep . Lucky for them, not to have supernatural senses . Otherwise, there would be no way they'd live in a house that contained a harbinger of death .

He tried dialing, but nothing . When he opened the door, his breath caught in his throat . Words could not describe the freaky s.h.i.+t he witnessed . So much wind and energy, golden cracks in the sky, and the aura of pain and loss hanging in the air like desert heat .

Suddenly arms from behind grabbed him .

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"It is impossible…Impossible, impossible, take me…hide me…"

He turned and nearly jumped out of his skin as the reaperess fell to her face, whimpering . She said nothing else . Was the world-ending s.h.i.+t responsible for this? Too bad he lacked the power to damage her—he definitely a.n.a.lyzed her aura structure to see if ending the torment was possible .

Abruptly, the reaperess vanished, leaving the young man confused . Another sign that s.h.i.+t wasn't right . Great . He dialed Ruri .

"h.e.l.lo? Yusuke, something's wrong . "

"Yeah, I know," he replied . "Can you meet with me?"

"Booty call? Oh my, how lew—"

"Ruri," Yusuke interjected, blus.h.i.+ng .

"Fine, fine—how about in front of the maid café?" she said .

"Alright . "

Tear, Natalia, and Melody paled as they felt something intense pa.s.s through the air like thick liquid despair . Tear jumped, nearly dropping the papers that would acknowledge her beloved and cousin as the rulers of Lot City among the demon world . This magical contract would prevent any demon lords from settling there—she, Melody, and Natalia worked on it for days . There were still more kinks to clean up, but soon…just soon .

Tear focused on the new surge of power that seemingly sp.a.w.ned from nothing . Something about it was familiar .

"Lady Tear, outside, look," Natalia said . The three young women gaped at the strange phenomenon acc.u.mulating outside .

"We have to go," Melody said, shaking . "They need us . "

Tear nodded in agreement .

"I have a bad feeling in the pit of my gut . "

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