Prime Minister's Official Residence, Main Gate.
On the scorched earth that appeared to have been cleansed by lightning.
Light footsteps echoed softly, approaching a three-metre-wide, half-metre-deep crater.
At the very bottom of the crater, Tatsuya Shiba - his clothes in tatters, forehead covered in blood and dirt - lifted his head to look at the newcomer.
When he clearly saw the person's face, Tatsuya Shiba said with a hint of surprise in his tone:
"It's you."
"It's me."
Kazuma Yagami, wearing a black trench coat, glanced down at Tatsuya Shiba, then turned to survey the square where not a single patch of ground remained intact, clicking his tongue in admiration:
"Quite the fierce battle you had here."
Saying this, Kazuma Yagami jumped into the crater, came to Tatsuya Shiba's side, and remarked with some amusement:
"But speaking of which, you put on quite a convincing act. To lose to that American primogenitor lady in under 30 seconds while making it look completely genuine - in a way, that's quite impressive."
"That wasn't exactly acting."
Lying in the crater, Tatsuya Shiba raised his hand to wipe the blood from his forehead:
"While I certainly had no intention of fighting seriously, facing that kind of overpowered weapon, 30 seconds was me actually trying. Even if I went all out, it wouldn't have lasted much longer."
"I see..." Hearing this, Kazuma Yagami felt somewhat enlightened. So that's why Tatsuya Shiba's performance seemed so authentic - most of it wasn't actually an act.
That made sense.
At this point, having finished wiping away the blood, Tatsuya Shiba shifted his gaze and asked Kazuma Yagami:
"What's the current situation outside?"
"I can't really describe it precisely. Why don't you see for yourself?"
As he spoke, Kazuma Yagami pulled out his phone, opened the latest news, and tossed it toward Tatsuya Shiba.
Tatsuya Shiba caught the phone, glanced at Kazuma Yagami, then focused on the website displayed on the screen.
The site was the official Tokyo Metropolitan Television website, and the news Kazuma Yagami had opened was a rebroadcast of the station's emergency news report.
[From our vantage point here, we can see that the Kasumigaseki area has come under attack from drones and missiles. The scene is currently engulfed in flames, with strong explosions still periodically audible.]
[According to information from the Cabinet Office Director, this attack appears to originate from a special military operation by the American Union.]
[Five minutes ago, the Cabinet Office Director performed a dogeza bow while begging American Union Ambassador Iman to cease the current special military operation, but was driven away by American Union security personnel on site.]
[The official director revealed that the Self-Defence Forces are actively requesting support from air force units. However, at present, American stationed forces have not yet approved the Self-Defence Force's entry into Tokyo airspace to conduct support operations.]
[Therefore, the special military operation continues without signs of stopping, Ambassador Iman is refusing all interviews, and attacks on Kasumigaseki persist.]
[This has been a live report from Tokyo Metropolitan Television.]
"It's been exposed? No, there's still some concealment - at least they haven't allowed television crews to film up close. Whose influence is behind this?"
After scanning the news programme, Tatsuya Shiba glanced at his phone to confirm it had been a rerun before turning to look at Kazuma Yagami:
"Haven't they stopped yet?"
Hearing this, Kazuma Yagami sighed softly and shrugged:
"Perhaps things won't end until those primogenitors catch the real culprit."
...
At the same time, in the third basement level of the Ministry of Environment archives.
Giada, carrying a crimson spear with one hand in her pocket and walking casually, suddenly stopped. Her gaze fixed on the handsome man with silver-blue hair standing at the bottom of the straight staircase ahead.
Looking at that face which had appeared in the memories she'd accessed, Giada scratched her head with some surprise:
"Well now, aren't you that what's-his-name..."
Seeing Giada scratching her head, the man said in an icy tone:
"Hong Ruowang, that's my name."
"Oh, right, Hong Ruowang it is."
Giada nodded vigorously in agreement, then tilted her head slightly, looking at Hong Ruowang with an amused smile:
"Why aren't you hiding in your underground turtle shell anymore?"
"Don't tell me you finally think you can stand before me with confidence?"
Facing Giada's teasing, Hong Ruowang showed no change in expression. He simply looked up at Giada, his tone carrying faint confusion:
"I believe we've never met before, unfamiliar primogenitor."
Hearing this, Giada spun her flame spear with vigorous sweeps, narrowing her eyes:
"We truly haven't met, but you're precisely my target this time."
At this point, Giada stopped moving and pointed her spear tip directly at Hong Ruowang's head, her tone playful:
"You can't possibly be unaware of how valuable the knowledge in your head is, can you?"
Hearing this, Hong Ruowang's pupils contracted slightly, his expression instantly turning grim:
"So that's how it is. No wonder there was this sudden attack."
"Because of the Class, is it?"
"When exactly was this exposed? Every vampire who witnessed me plundering bloodlines should be dead."
Eh? An unexpected bonus?
Hearing this, Giada immediately detected something problematic in Hong Ruowang's words.
If she remembered correctly, the True Dragon Sorcerer Class shouldn't require any bloodline plundering procedure.
Did this guy have information about other Classes?
Realising this, Giada's mind stirred, though her expression remained unchanged:
"To be honest, when you attacked Shizuka Hio, I hadn't realised anything yet. But after you made your move, I understood. I never imagined someone else would possess that Class too."
Hong Ruowang's expression immediately turned unpleasant upon hearing this. He now understood - it was the attack on Shizuka Hio that had exposed him and drawn this unfamiliar primogenitor.
And judging by the situation, the other party was a vampire who had embarked on the same path as him.
This was troublesome.
"Since you've also stepped onto that Class, you should understand there's no conflict between us."
Hong Ruowang's tone carried some appeasement, but also a hint of probing.
He was testing whether the opposing primogenitor truly understood the Class situation and how far along the path she had progressed.
Though not particularly skilled at thinking things through, having been a ruler for so many years had given Giada hundreds of extra layers of cunning. She simply laughed and said:
"Are you joking?"
"From the moment you attacked Shizuka Hio and set foot on this path, you were already unable to stop, weren't you?"
Hearing these suggestive words, Hong Ruowang fell silent.
As if giving up all struggle, he rolled up the sleeves of his suit, his tone filled with resentment:
"I never expected that before I could even devour their bloodline and become a pureblood of the Hio family, I would directly encounter a primogenitor above purebloods."
"This kind of cross-rank devouring... I don't know if the ritual can be completed..."
But in his current situation, he had no choice left.
The Class he had obtained was a racial-type Class, whose growth direction was that of a racial deity.
Under such circumstances, encountering Giada on the same path made mutual devourment unavoidable.
At least until the birth of the racial deity of the blood kin, this mutual slaughter among vampires walking this path could never be avoided.
After realising Giada was his absolute mortal enemy, Hong Ruowang naturally abandoned any thought of escape.
Same Class, yet he was merely an Elite Rank noble vampire, while his opponent was at least a Hero Rank pureblood...
When facing a superior opponent, victory can only be achieved through external assistance.
Realising this, Hong Ruowang was the first to act!