Chapter 78: The weakest in the group
"This must be the place. Isabelle was right — perfect for training," Chris says, standing atop a hill in the Tama area.
Zaira and Mia stand beside him, taking in the landscape around them, lit by the warm orange glow of the setting sun.
They came here after dinner, just as Isabelle started her shift. Seryou Biotech runs 24/7, so as the newest hire, she got the night shift.
"Way better than that sad abandoned baseball field!" Zaira exclaims, stretching her arms and legs.
"Oh, by the way — you remember that classmate who sat with us today? Ren Toya? You won’t believe this, but we’re cousins. And he invited all of us over for dinner!"
Chris and Mia freeze at the news.
"S-Seriously? What were the odds you’d run into a relative right here? And how did you not recognize him right away?" Chris asks, puzzled.
"It’s a long story. Short version — he’s the son of an aunt who moved to Earth before I was born, so I’d never seen any of them until now. But... you’ll only get to meet my cousins."
Zaira lowers her gaze.
"My aunt and uncle were killed three years ago... by someone called Raelor Valraen."
"Raelor Valraen... where have I heard that name before...?" Mia murmurs, then suddenly flushes as she remembers.
"He’s the incubus I told you about the other night — the one who made me realize, five years ago, how much I like hard, big dicks. If I’d known, I never would’ve given my virginity to a piece of shit like him..."
The words clash so sharply with her serious, almost melancholic tone that Chris has to force himself not to laugh.
"But we didn’t come all the way here to mope," Zaira says, shooting Chris a challenging look. "Come on, show me that cool, powerful ability that let you hold your own against that vampire — I want to see it in action!"
When Chris awakened his Innatus during the fight with Levreeshka, Zaira had already passed out. She only knows what he and Isabelle told her, but that was enough to spark her curiosity.
Now that Chris has figured out how to trigger that power, he doesn’t hesitate and shows it off with pride.
In an instant, his body is covered in a thick, deep red, semi-transparent armor shaped like a skeleton.
Zaira’s eyes widen.
"W-WOOOOOOOOW! How fucking cool do you look like this, Chris? Now you really look like a badass, intimidating vampire! But now..."
Large demon wings burst from her back and she takes flight.
"...let’s see if you’ve actually gotten stronger — or if it’s all just for show!"
She fires a large sphere of energy at Chris.
He doesn’t move. Doesn’t even try to block it. He just stands there, staring up at the spell as it races toward him.
BOOM!
The energy sphere hits him head-on, triggering a violent explosion. But all it does is kick up a cloud of dust.
He stands at the center of a small crater, completely unfazed. The bone armor isn’t even scratched.
"C-Chris... you’re kind of scaring me! Seriously... that’s insane!"
Zaira isn’t the only one surprised — Chris is too. He didn’t expect his Innatus to be this durable.
He’d already tested it against Levreeshka — it took her two solid hits in the same spot to break through. So he assumed a single attack from someone weaker wouldn’t be an issue. Still, he didn’t expect the armor to come out unscathed."
A satisfied smile spreads across Chris’s face.
"Yeah... trust me, I’m more surprised than you. It’s hard to maintain — I can feel my energy draining by the second. Still... guess I’m not the weakest of the three anymore."
Zaira doesn’t take it well.
"A-Are you saying I’m the weakest now? Don’t get cocky just because you can throw on a Halloween costume! You might block my magic... but let’s see how you handle this!"
Her irises flare violet as she uses Charming Magic — the spell succubi use to control the minds of those attracted to them.
Again... nothing.
"N-No way... d-don’t tell me you don’t find me attractive anymore! I’ll kill you for real this time!"
"N-No, not at all — I think you’re super sexy... honestly, I don’t even know what happened. I didn’t do anything, I swear!"
"Could it be another ability of your Innatus?" Mia says, who had stayed quiet until now. "Maybe it doesn’t just protect you from physical attacks, but mental ones too. And who knows what else. It’s a very interesting power."
"Well, that’s what training is for, right? Since we’re already testing... Mia, why not try your Destruction Dragon Eyes on him?"
"Forget it. Chris can’t use Sanguis to contain the flames like Isabelle and Levreeshka. If his Innatus doesn’t protect him, he’s dead. But..."
A large blood scythe forms in Mia’s grip.
"...I do want to see how strong he’s gotten. Come on, brother — impress me."
In response, he forms a long bone spike.
"I will!"
They clash in a rapid exchange of blows.
Even with his Innatus boosting his speed, Mia is slightly faster. She parries and dodges his thrusts, landing several scythe strikes — but the blade only skims his bone armor, leaving shallow scratches.
Mia presses the attack, but this time Chris moves first: the spike drives into her right arm. Pain makes her drop the scythe, but she doesn’t stop.
She fires a kick at his chest. The instant it hits, spikes burst from the armor, piercing her foot.
It’s an automatic defense — it triggers on any direct attack. Something Mia couldn’t have known, since she was unconscious during Chris’s fight with Levreeshka.
Despite the pain, Mia ducks, grabs her scythe, and jumps back just in time to avoid another thrust.
Her wounds are already closing. She attacks again, lifting the scythe as Chris prepares to strike.
They’re about to clash again.
Then, at the last second, Mia stops the blade a hair from his shoulder — now exposed.
The Innatus has drained him dry. He can’t maintain it anymore.
"Looks like Mia’s still the strongest, huh? Mister ’now that I can control my Innatus, I’m stronger than you’. Why not challenge me now, since you’re so strong?" Zaira mocks, hovering above them.
"Cut it out, Zaira," Mia snaps. "Instead of making fun of him, focus on getting stronger yourself."
"Well, that’s what training’s for, right? Having a place this empty so close to home is perfect — we’ll get strong in no time!"