EnCoffin Me Chapter 69
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 69
Alexio grabbed the collar of the lunatic who had taken matters into his own hands. Now that he had pieced together all the strange things from the past and considered the situation in this mine, it was clear that the lunatic was secretly trying to set Theo up.
“Would it kill you to talk to me first?!” Alexio bared his fangs in anger. “Your memory hasn't returned, so of course you don't know how difficult it is to deal with Theo! Back then, I barely managed to kill him, and it was all thanks to pure luck! Now you're trying to go up against him without telling me. What if you die?”
“……”
“Weren't you so brave? Why aren't you talking now?”
The saint took a deep breath, as if preparing to answer. Suddenly, he frowned slightly and tilted forward. The small space that had been restraining Alexio shrank noticeably.
“W–What are you doing?” Alexio tensed at the sudden closeness. Ever since he'd realized he had feelings for the lunatic, he couldn't even bring himself to go near that fridge full of sticky notes. And now they were this close? No, any closer and he wouldn't be able to resist…
The vampire's fangs showed at the edge of his lips. The darkness did nothing to hinder a vampire's vision. Alexio clearly saw the saint's slightly disheveled collar and the exposed side of his neck, with faint blue veins beneath the pale skin. His own human physiological simulation had completely shut down. The sound of blood rushing in his ears, the scent of blood in the air, and the soft breaths brushing against his cheek, everything… everything…
Belonged to his destined saint.
“Sorry,” the saint apologized, his tone still steady. “The gravity has increased. It's putting pressure on my domain, and I can't maintain it at its original size. Things might get worse.”
After a pause, he continued in a low voice, “Alexi, I don't want you to misunderstand me. I don't want you to dislike me. So even in this situation, I still need to give you a brief explanation about why I contacted the Holy Temple in secret.
“I thought you… were very afraid.”
Because I thought you were afraid, I wanted to protect you.
Alexio's pupils slowly contracted. His hand hovered near his chest, as if trying to grasp something long lost. He used to wear a silver cross there, something he had taken from the lunatic back then as a trophy. At that time, the saint had shown no expression. He only said,【Take it if you want.】
The saint had paused, then added,【Consider it an early Carnival gift to ward off misfortune. You've been looking… a little scared lately. Did something happen among the vampires?】
Even Alexio's closest friend, the young lich girl, would only voice her concern by saying, “Alexi, you don't seem happy.” After all, he was a powerful third-generation vampire. He wasn't supposed to fear anything.
Only the saint had ever pointed it out so directly—
【Alexi, you're afraid.】
Lucius contracted his domain again. In truth, he wasn't feeling strained at all. His domain was growing much faster than he had expected, and Alexio's domain in the pit was also continuously diminishing the night mare horn's power. Even if he kept it at its original size, he could've maintained it just fine.
But why bother keeping it that size?
After shrinking it a second time, he remained in position, braced above the vampire. The two of them were pressed tightly together. He watched as the vampire suddenly raised a hand to cover his deep rose-colored eyes, and couldn't help feeling puzzled.
“Alexi?”
“Don't… don't look at me…”
Alexio kept his eyes covered, afraid the redness at the corners would give him away. Part of the flush came from the memories, and part from the saint being far too close. He knew his eyes must be filled with a craving for the other's blood. Whether from instinct or emotion, he was on the verge of losing control, of giving the other his First Embrace right here.
“Your domain's still too weak. In the end, you'll still have to rely on me…” he boasted, trying to force a sarcastic tone to shift the topic. At the same time, he lifted his hand, summoning dark energy in preparation to expand his own domain outside the lunatic's.
And yet…
The dark energy dissipated instantly. Alexio froze in disbelief and tried again, refusing to accept it.
He released it, only for it to dissipate again.
Released, dissipated.
“……”
Lucius had witnessed the whole thing. He looked at Alexio, who was so dumbfounded he'd forgotten to cover his eyes. They had darkened to a deeper shade of red, an unmistakable sign of a vampire's bloodlust.
Lucius spoke slowly.
“Still think I have to rely on you?”
“…Shut up!”
Alexio was so furious he momentarily forgot his thirst for blood. He had forgotten that this pit was filled with everdark stones. The depleted stones around them were constantly absorbing even the slightest trace of dark energy. He wasn't immune either. His power surged out of him like a floodgate bursting open. The walls of the pit lit up layer by layer as the everdark stones reacted, casting the entire space in a dim yet dazzling glow.
Above the pit, the scattered Silver Crusaders quickly regrouped. They gathered Delvie's corpse, and one of them took a kneeling position in prayer, only to collapse in seconds, life force drained. The same ritual repeated more than five times. From the bodies lying still on the ground, fingertips twitched, and fine red threads of blood began to squirm, reconnecting her head and torso.
Delvie hadn't fully recovered, but her eyes snapped open. With a twisted expression, she spat out her command.
“Aim for the pit. Unleash all magic with full force. Kill them!”
Holy Temple Secret Art: Minor Resurrection!
Delvie kept issuing commands. The brutal experience of death had left her nearly hysterical upon revival. She screamed orders without realizing that the shadow roses climbing along the pit walls had sensed the threat. It stopped breaking down night mare horns and instead began to merge into the walls, slowly transforming the entire mine into the royal city beneath the red moon.
As countless lightblades rained down, Lucius frowned slightly and expanded his domain, allowing Alexio, whose dark energy was leaking uncontrollably, to lean against the cave wall. That position would at least be a bit more comfortable. Although the dark energy within him was dissipating almost uncontrollably, Alexio's expression remained calm. He supported himself against the wall, watching as the everdark stones around them gradually lit up, one by one, as they filled with energy.
“Does it hurt?” Lucius asked. His domain couldn't yet resist the abstract energy drain. That was something he would only be able to do in the future.
Alexio shook his head. He still felt relatively fine.
“Once it's all drained, it'll be over. That's just how everdark stone works.”
But losing all his dark energy meant he could no longer use magic. Fortunately, he had left a backup in the pit. By now, the shadow roses was likely already weaving the Red Moon Royal City on its own.
Delvie, supported by others, insisted on approaching the edge of the pit. She looked down at the storm of lighblades with satisfaction filling her eyes.
“Let's see how long you can last! No matter how much dark energy Alexio has stored, this massive pit will bleed him dry. And you, just one person, how long can you hold out? Three hours? Five? Or—”
Suddenly, something caught her attention, causing her to gasp.
The radiant everdark stones, fully charged with energy, were now climbing from the bottom of the pit upward. More and more stones lit up, each glowing like a star.
The bottom… the middle… the upper levels…
The hands of the Silver Crusaders casting spells were trembling. The glowing everdark stones crept upward like a countdown to death, steadily approaching their feet.
“Mi-miss Delvie, this… this is—”
“Calm down! Shut up and keep casting!” Delvie's voice was trembling too. She didn't even dare stand near the pit's edge anymore and instinctively backed away a few steps. But the pit was massive, and she could still see part of its interior. The climbing glow of the everdark stones felt like a merciless timer ticking away.
Her pupils shook violently, nearly cursing out loud. Monster! There were tens of thousands of everdark stones in that pit, enough to fuel the Holy Temple's dark energy needs for years! And yet… and yet…
It was almost full!
Just how much dark energy did he have? How much reserve did that vampire possess? Would the entire pit be filled? And if it was—if it actually was—
They would have no way left to restrain Alexio!
The very thought made Delvie's teeth chatter. She demanded the Silver Crusaders abandon all rotation and cast relentlessly, desperately. She herself stared at the climbing brilliance with wide, terrified eyes. There was nothing she could do now but pray.
“No… it won't end like this… the god will favor us…”
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the pit, Alexio sat idly within the lunatic's domain. He couldn't use dark energy, meaning he had almost no means of long-range attack. Outside, there were still lingering lightblades and gravitational forces. Getting out was impossible, so out of sheer boredom, he turned to check in on the lunatic.
“Are you holding up? My domain outside is almost finished.”
Lucius glanced at him, almost wanting to see if he could actually manage to stay here.
“For as long as it takes.”
“Okay.”
“……”
Alexio covered his mouth and yawned, then suddenly remembered something.
“Be honest with me. How long have you been sustaining your domain?”
“More than half an hour.”
“……”
“What?”
“Then your magic and stamina might just last until my domain is fully constructed, but there shouldn't be much left.” Alexio knew the lunatic's condition well. Unlike him, with his massive energy reserves, the lunatic's strength lay in precise control.
“So, I just want to ask. If you and I run out of energy, how exactly are we supposed to get out of here?”
Lucius thought for a moment, then said, “Good question.”
“Good, my foot! We really can't get out, huh?”
Lucius didn't mind at all. In fact, he was more than willing to stay a while longer. The vampire was leaning against the wall, obediently resting between his arms, their breaths mingling, just like when they first slept together in the coffin.
After dealing with Delvie upstairs, staying a bit longer wouldn't be so bad.
Alexio, however, was genuinely racking his brains over this problem. He still didn't know the situation at the camp, and they shouldn't linger here any longer. Climbing out of such a deep pit…
A thought crossed Alexio's mind. It wasn't new. It had always lurked in the back of his mind, its phrasing weighed countless times without him being able to utter it.
Now was a good opportunity. He knew such a thought was an excuse his brain found for him, but he couldn't help it. This was the best chance. He could use this opportunity to bring it up jokingly, to test Lucius' reaction.
In the darkness, he instinctively licked his fangs, hesitating but unable to resist the temptation.
“I've got a good idea,” he said, using a light, joking tone. “I have wings. If you give me some of your blood, they'll grow out. Of course, you'd better pull me away in time, or I might lose control and give you the【First Embrace】.”
He spoke lightly, thinking his disguise was flawless. Unexpectedly, the saint suddenly drew closer, a glimmer of understanding flashing through his sky-blue eyes.
“Is this what you've been trying to say all along?”
“I… I just…”
“You've been so preoccupied lately. Was it because you wanted to tell me this?”
“You're overthinking it! I—”
“You want to give me the【First Embrace】, right? To make me immortal… to keep me by your side forever…”
Suddenly, an extraordinarily radiant light spilled from his sky-blue eyes.
“Alexi… that's what you're thinking, isn't it?”