Chapter 316: Awakening
Kouhei heard a voice.
It slipped into the depths of his mind, almost like a faint echo brushing past his consciousness.
And it was unmistakably Yui's voice.
"H-Himeno-san…?"
For a second, he wondered if he was just hallucinating and maybe it was just his mind messing with him.
But no… the sound lingered and it was soft yet clear, curling around his thoughts like a wisp of smoke that refused to vanish.
Her voice.
It wasn't coming from outside as it resonated deep inside his head, a warmth that settled in his chest. Even so, he still thought it must be a trick of his exhausted mind.
Yet, the voice kept coming.
It was gentle and persistent.
And then, all at once, the world around him shifted.
He found himself standing somewhere… strange.
A place wrapped in a dim, surreal light, where shadows danced slowly on the ground like they were alive.
He didn't recognize it, yet something about it felt oddly familiar, like a memory from a forgotten dream.
"Hallo~!"
A bright, teasing voice called out behind him.
His heart skipped.
He turned, and there she was. It was Yui, standing there with a playful smile that instantly eased something tight inside his chest.
"Himeno-san?" Kouhei breathed out, the words slipping past his lips before he could even think. He glanced around once more, trying to make sense of where they were. And then it clicked. "This is… the subconscious world, isn't it?"
"It is indeed," Yui answered, her gaze sweeping over the eerie yet strangely calming landscape. "Even though it looks very different now, it's this place that kept your subconscious together… and your soul alive—even after you died."
"Why am I here?" he asked, his voice quiet, edged with worry. "Did I die again…?"
"Hehehe… No," Yui chuckled softly, the sound lifting some of the weight in his chest. "It's not like you have to be dead just to come here."
"Then why…?"
"Well," she murmured, her tone shifting, softer, and almost shy. "It's because I wanted to talk to you, senpai. You said you wanted to understand me more, right?"
Her cheeks flushed with a light blush, her eyes shimmering under the strange light of this place.
It felt so damn refreshing to see her again like this.
"I do," Kouhei answered, without a second thought. His words were raw and honest.
"Do you really think you're capable of that, senpai?" she asked, her voice lowering, a more serious edge slipping in.
"I'm not sure… but I'll try my hardest," he replied, meeting her gaze.
"It's not that easy, you know?"
"I know," he said quietly. "But it's not like I'm taking it lightly either."
"Is that so…?" she murmured, and the shadow of doubt in her eyes faded, replaced by a gentle smile. "Then…"
She stepped closer with each slow movement almost echoing in his mind.
Her face drew near until he could see the small glint in her eyes as well as the softness of her lips.
She leaned in, her breath ghosting over his skin, and tilted her head slightly until her lips brushed against his ear.
"I give you a portion of my power," she whispered, her voice delicate yet strangely powerful, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Huh…?"
"Fufufufu… right now, senpai, you can't beat that vampire," she teased, her laugh a warm vibration against his ear. "So I'm lending you some of my power. Pretty sick that I can do that, huh?"
"But… why are you doing this?" His words came out almost like a breath.
"What else?" she said, her eyes locking onto his, and it was steady and unafraid. "It's because you actually want to understand someone like me… even though I'm really hard to understand," she said, her voice soft but carrying a quiet strength.
He didn't answer and he just looked at her.
And then, something inside him shifted. It was like a door slowly opening.
He felt it.
It was a warmth blooming inside his chest, then spreading out, threading through his veins.
"With my power, you can certainly defeat that guy," she whispered.
She placed her hand over his, and he could feel the pulse of her mana flowing into him.
It slipped into the small fragment of her mana already inside him, and the two merged seamlessly.
Bit by bit, power coiled around his core, filling him up from the inside.
And then, he felt it all at once.
A sensation so intense it nearly took his breath away.
His whole body felt weightless.
It was so light that for a moment, he thought he might drift away, carried by the strange wind of this subconscious world.
"Senpai," she called softly.
He looked at her, only to see her leaning in closer.
And then, their lips met.
Her kiss was soft.
It was so delicate it almost hurt.
He could feel every tiny detail of her lips, as well as the warmth of her breath, the gentle press of her lips and the racing beat of his own heart.
If he moved even a little too roughly, he felt like he'd shatter the fragile moment.
After a heartbeat that felt like forever, she pulled back, a thin thread of saliva connecting them before she slowly licked it away, breaking that delicate tie.
"Be careful," she whispered, her eyes still locked onto his.
And suddenly, she pushed him.
His balance slipped, and he felt himself tumbling backward.
He was falling, falling into the abyss.
While everything blurred around him, he could still hear her voice.
"Yesh-sama knows your existence now… and has set heaven itself to hunt you down for full extermination. I'll try to hold them off as long as I can. If I fail… at least a part of me will still remain inside you. I hope… that we'll see each other again."
Her words echoed in his mind, fading as his subconscious was dragged back to the real world.\\
***
Souichiro was about to turn his back on Kouhei when—
A burst of blinding light exploded from Kouhei's body.
The shockwave slammed into Souichiro, knocking him off balance and forcing him to stagger back.
It rose like a towering pillar, tearing through the air and flooding everything around them with searing brightness.
"Huh…?" Souichiro muttered, eyes narrowed against the glare. "Fuck… hehe. You're really stubborn to the very end, aren't you?" he growled, spotting Kouhei's silhouette standing firm within the roaring light.
The brilliance was so intense that Souichiro couldn't see Kouhei clearly and only a dark outline against the blinding radiance.
Souichiro's lips twisted into a sharp smirk. "Keh. No matter how many times you stand back up, nothing changes," he sneered. "You're still going to lose!"
Without waiting, he lunged forward, sword raised high, aiming to cut Kouhei down before the light could fade.
But the blade never even touched him.
It wasn't blocked by some barrier.
The sword itself recoiled, like it refused to get near.
It felt like something inside the light pushed it away, like an invisible force that repelled him.
"D-Don't tell me…!"
And then, the silhouette shifted.
Two wings spread from Kouhei's back.
One of them was like a bat-like, dark and leathery, echoing the wings Souichiro had in his true vampire form.
A thin, sinuous tail curled out, trailing behind him like a shadow, and it was succubus-like, unmistakably from Hina.
And then another wing appeared, starkly different with his other one. It was a wing that looked like they belonged to something far from demonic.
Finally, the consuming light began to fade.
And standing there, revealed at last, was no longer a mere human.
But something completely transformed.
It was Kouhei—now standing there in his demon form.
Behind his back, a grayish wing spread wide, and on the other side, a vampire's wing curved out.
A thin, sinuous tail curled behind him, swaying slowly with a life of its own.
He could feel this freakishly overwhelming strength pulsing in his blood like liquid fire as well.
All the mana of those who had revived him was now swirling inside him, merging together into something new.
The power of a vampire, gifted by Yuuna. The seduction and raw lust-driven power of a succubus from Hina. The crushing super strength from Nagisa, fused seamlessly with the refined swordsmanship that Aria had passed to him.
And layered on top of it all—something darker and colder.
The power of a fallen angel.
His eyes burned a deep, feral crimson, and his hair had turned a stark, bone-white, falling around his face like a pale flame.
Standing there, Kouhei barely looked like himself anymore. He looked like someone… or something… entirely different.
***
"W-What an incredible power…" someone whispered from the fortress walls, eyes wide as they watched the battlefield. "What the hell is that monster they've brought into this place?!"
All of them had felt it.
The cold, bone-chilling wave of power that Kouhei had unleashed. It seeped into their skin, making them shudder.
Even Kazuhiro felt it.
For the first time, his attention snapped fully toward the one who had let loose that monstrous energy.
"Interesting…" he murmured under his breath, his gaze locked on Kouhei's demon form.
Or could you even call it a demon form anymore? It had the taint of a fallen angel in it, twisted and fused into something unique.
With a faint smirk curling at the corner of his lips, Kazuhiro decided then and there what to do next.
He'd step in... and help his worthless son.