Serum

"Once again, you singlehandedly held back the monsters yourself."

"I was responsible for perhaps 40% of the work."

"The fact that you come close to matching an entire organized army of mages is astonishing enough."

Pandora chuckled as Obsidius revealed Dirk's body. 

His breathing was steady, though a bit labored. His heart was also beating with powerful pulses. 

Dirk's body ached, and all his energy was sapped. He didn't seem to care though, moving as if he didn't just fight an entire army of monsters. 

He and Pandora started walking back to the castle in the center of the city. As they did, Dirk pulled every eye. 

Every soldier eyed him with more awe than respect. They shook their heads, refusing to believe a single man had done what he did. 

He had killed close to 4 thousand monsters over the course of 7 hours. By now, night had already fallen, and the monsters were close to retreating. The rest could be handled by the soldiers. 

Still, Dirk's lone effort had felled nearly half the total kill count. 

And it wasn't because he was atrociously powerful. 

He didn't have overwhelming attacks that sliced hundreds in half with every swing. He didn't have grand magic that could incinerate thousands with a single conjuring. 

His secret?

He just didn't stop. 

He fought for 7 hours straight. Every second, his actions were devoted to killing a monster. He only rested a single time, and that was to scarf down an entire meal before jumping back in the fray. He hadn't been out of the fight for more than 5 minutes. 

Not only was his energy inhuman, but his focus was unnaturally strong. He was able to properly allocate every ounce of his energy, not so much as wasting a drop over every hour of fighting. 

Even as he got tired, he maintained. He didn't deviate, he didn't overexert. He just continued fighting as if he weren't tired. And when he wanted to pull out, he did so. 

Like the previous day, his effort had allowed these armies to hold back the hordes, keeping them outside the walls and reducing casualties. But this time, his performance was even better. 

His skill seemed to increase since the day prior. His use of those shortswords was superior, sharper, more deliberate and smooth. It wasn't as choppy as before. He was learning the weapon, developing his own direct style of swordplay. 

And then there was his magic. By spreading his attacks across mana and anima, he was able to efficiently use these two sources of energy, drawing out his longevity for so long. If it were just magic, he might be able to last three hours while pushing his Mana Lungs. And just his anima? Four hours. 

Add the longevity of those two energy pools, and the result was 7 hours of fighting. Granted, none of the monsters were above Tier or Rank 4, so he was allowed to pull off this performance. Anything stronger, and he would be exerting far more energy per enemy. 

But all this meant that even though he didn't look like it, Dirk was deathly hungry. He got out and stopped because he had reached his absolute limit, and desperately needed food. 

Pandora knew this of course, and she had brought the car around a long time ago. In there were pocket rings filled with food, some filled with concentrated anima and some bursting with elemental mana. 

Jumping in the trunk, Dirk didn't hesitate to grab a ring and pull out all the platters within. Pandora watched him with a smile, seemingly finding something curious or amusing as he ravenously devoured the food. 

He didn't care. She often did weird stuff. Sudden exclamations at nothing, laughing at her own internal jokes. Inside her mind was an entire world of her own, and honestly, Dirk didn't care to enter it. He just let her be most of the time. 

In front of him were plates of cooked food. The rings Pandora brought had the magical functions of preserving food and any items within, so a cooked meal would stay that way until brought back out. And naturally, she had people cooking high class food for them before leaving, so everything inside the rings was something you'd find at the nicest restaurants in the Dark Kindom's capital. 

As he ate, Dirk gave a glance to Pandora, causing her eyes to scrunch and curve into crescents. 

He found this kindness odd. He had pissed her off right before leaving. Didn't she still care about that? Her attitude could change rather quickly, and he knows she didn't forget. Still, she could smile at him as if she were in love despite how angry he made her. He didn't get it. 

He felt bad though. Although he didn't want to believe it, Pandora had gradually led him to believe that she really was different from the psycho on Earth. Sure she still had that mind of madness, but her emotions, her logic... it was more human. 

Dirk didn't blame her for her past. She was driven basically insane by the supersoldier program. It was their fault. Still, he didn't know how much had really changed in her. And until he was sure, he could never be too careful. 

But he also had emotions. He didn't like making her mad, not that he cared too much if he did.

But when he saw this face of hers... it sparked conflict within him. 

After giving her that glance, his face turned back down, grabbing another slice of rich meat and stuffing it in his mouth. 

"I don't drink potions because of Asura."

His sudden words surprised Pandora, and she listened intently. 

"While I was there, I was constantly tortured. Broken bones, scrambled organs. They very nearly severed my limbs several times using nothing but their whips. They had no problems burning me or impaling me. This happened every day, and after every time, I'd get healed by powerful potions. Those potions repaired me entirely. They broke me down, and healed me right back up. Hundreds of times over."

Dirk grabbed a loaf of bread layered with melted cheese, greedily chomping down. 

"Anyway, after I got out, you could say that I had a relapse. Apparently your body can become reliant on potions. And mine, well, it was entirely reliant on those potions. So when I didn't ingest anymore, my body began breaking down. Long story short, I would've died without the Emperor's help and my Restoration Trait, something I acquired after my body adapted to not having the potion."

Pandora didn't immediately speak, watching as Dirk inhaled the entire loaf of bread. 

She understood now, why he didn't so much as touch potions. 

She let out a light breath, her eyes dimming just a bit. 

"You know, I made those potions personally. The ones I was going to give you."

"...Really?"

Dirk stopped eating, looking up at her with surprise. 

She bobbed her head and climbed out of her seat, taking a spot in front of him. 

"I did, but I understand now why you slapped it out of my hand and fed it to the stone wall. Though, I can't help but be impressed."

"By what?"

Dirk tilted his head. 

She looked him in the eye.

"By the fact that someone was actually able to traumatize you, a supersoldier. I know nobody that can match your strength of mind, and yet, someone was actually able to scar you."

Dirk frowned at her words, his gaze becoming a bit colder. 

Before he could rebuke her though, she reached forward and placed her hand on his head, combing his hair. 

Her words were soft.

"But, your scars show just how strong you've become. Someone traumatized the most stubborn person I know, and yet he came out of it even stronger. You were able to survive the torture of a Tier 8. And those scars, within your mind... I see them. I see just how much you've gone through, and triumphed over."

Her words... were shockingly encouraging. Her hand that ran through his hair and stroked his cheek threatened to turn him to butter. And that soothing voice put his mind at ease, wiping away all his hostility that had threatened to burst. 

Being encouraged and sympathized with like this... it was different. Different from the kind of motherly comfort and affection Cecilia gave him. This was more intimate. 

I reminded him of Ava.

Dirk's gaze sharpened, but he couldn't help the emotions that threatened to reveal themselves.

Still, he may allow Pandora to comfort him, but that didn't mean he would allow himself to be vulnerable before her. 

So he sobered up.

Even Pandora seemed to sense his change, as she pulled away with a light smile.

"I'll make sure you have plenty of food to eat. As for potions, well, they have many uses that go beyond healing and stamina replenishment. With the right ingredients and preparation, some can transform your body, enhancing various parts of it. If the day comes when I prepare such a potion, you can think of ingesting it then."

"...We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

He responded with a bit of thought. 

After that, he eyed the girl in front of him. He often overlooked it, but she was seriously gorgeous. He almost hated that fact. He couldn't help but see it as a pretty shell that covered a dark core. 

But... perhaps it wasn't all that dark. Dirk pondered for a bit before letting out a sigh. 

"I might regret this... but would you like some blood?"

He spoke while uncovering his clavicle. He knew that Pandora loved his blood, and she had been cooperative and nice. 

He just wanted to do something nice for her. And there wasn't much he could give her that she didn't already have. 

Besides his own blood, of course. 

Pandora was naturally shocked at the offer. He often refused to even let her touch him, let alone get his blood. She had kept her distance and didn't push too far, despite their blood pact. 

But he was actually offering it to her?

She eyed him, unable to hide her desire.

"Are you sure? You'll be a bit weakened."

He frowned.

"I know I will, so you better get some before I change my mind."

"Hehe, then I'll oblige."

She chuckled, pouncing on top of him and baring her fangs. 

Those fangs, while not large, weren't small either. After she straddled him and hugged his body, he felt those teeth poke into his clavicle, targeting the artery under his flesh. 

"Mmmm..."

She let out a long moan as his blood streamed into her mouth. As she poked directly into his artery, his blood flowed uninhibited, allowing her to drink it like water. 

If it were anyone else, the amount she drank would render them either severely anemic or completely immobile. They'd pass out from shock, and it would take months to completely recover what they'd lost. 

She drank an entire third of his blood supply over the course of a few minutes, sucking on his clavicle like there was no tomorrow. Luckily, Dirk could take this amount of blood loss without much reaction. Plus, it would all be regenerated by the next morning with Restoration, so he didn't care much. 

Of course, he'd have to eat more food for fuel, but that was an easy and enjoyable pastime. 

When she was finally done, she pulled away. Her teeth sealed the wounds she created, preventing his artery from spraying blood everywhere. 

She licked her lips and teeth, her expression positively blissful, if not a bit too heated. While on top of him, she looked into his eyes, as if the cloth did nothing to block their gazes. 

He could feel her warm breath brush across his face as she lingered there. 

The strength of their soul bond, the transmission of Pandora's heat, seduction that graced her every move, threatening to pull him in tight. 

Luckily, Dirk had superhuman willpower. When Pandora looked at him, she felt his... shockingly small amount of passion or heat. It was like she was mounting a monk. 

She glanced behind her before raising her brow.

"Are you sure everything of yours actually works?"

"It works when I want it to."

Dirk snickered when he realized where her gaze was pointed at.

"Sounds exciting."

She brightened with curiosity though, earning a firm pair of hands that lifted and threw her on the mattress. 

Dirk sighed while climbing into the front seat, ignoring Pandora's pleasure over rough treatment. 

............

Around the city, both civilians and soldiers worked tirelessly in order to raise more defensive lines. Pandora had given them a deadline, and it seemed like the City Lord was serious about meeting it. 

So two days after Pandora had given them her plan, it seemed like just about everything was finished. 

An air of anxiousness formed at the dawn of the second evening. Tonight was the night Pandora said that the monster generals were dying, whether they were ready or not. 

One comforting fact though was the lesser amounts of monsters beyond the walls. With Dirk's lone effort that culled thousands alongside the soldiers, the hordes beyond seemed thinner. 

But there were still tens of thousands, all of them being controlled in some way by the monster generals to do their bidding. Screams could occasionally be heard in the distance, the flashes of magic and light of fire flaring on the horizon. 

Pandora watched this while atop the western wall.

It was deep into the night, around 3am. As she had observed, this was the time when the monsters were least active. 

And it was their time to act. 

"Alright, supersoldier. Time to work." 

"Don't call me that."

A dull voice sounded from beside her. 

Dirk sat with his legs hung off the wall, his gaze focused on the distance. He had constantly been focused on refining his long distance mana vision, and he was gradually making progress. 

Over time, he had used his memory combined with the mana radiating off of objects to formulate colors in his mind. Along with the shapes he recognized and inherent material properties, he could make out even more than his vision allowed. 

For instance, metal. Dirk could sense metal mana, and as he found out, metal mana had its own set of properties. It was like how a single magical element could have many runes and spell formations, giving that single element a myriad of ways to be shaped and manipulated. 

He was using that logic in his vision. If a metal were a dull color, he could see that through its smooth surface, thick mana, and how the light reflected off of it using dark mana. If it were like copper, he would see those properties that were more conductive to heat as well as the different coloration. If it were like silver, then he could see the unique properties of silver alongside its brighter sheen.

The mana seemed to mimic nature in a way. This was only visible though to those who looked deep enough into its nature. And this logic applied to all kinds of materials and properties. 

If someone's hair was green, Dirk could see the shadow of the color through dark mana and the color itself through earth mana. Plants could be seen this way, as all of them had large amounts of lively earth mana within them. All shades of brown were also visible. 

Reds were visible through fire mana. Dirk could even faintly sense the blues of water mana. 

Over time, Dirk was more and more surprised by the depth of mana and all its various properties and forms. It was like learning a language. As he experienced more and more, his comprehension rose and he began to reshape his worldview. 

Even in the distance, just as Pandora saw, Dirk could make out the flares of bright fire mana and the surges of earth mana as the landscape occasionally roiled. 

Even when he looked at Pandora herself, he could make out that deep purple hair and stunning red eyes. And, perhaps she had learned this from his mother, but Pandora started leaving traces of mana around herself, allowing her to be highlighted in his vision. 

Dirk was beginning to miss his vision less and less. 

He suddenly stood. Spyte perked up on his shoulder. 

Pandora kept her gaze on the distance.

"My spell is ready. When I activate it, all the monster generals will be highlighted. You need to kill them all. If you leave one, then that one will take control of every monster around it and launch a coordinated attack on this city. And believe me, you don't want that. I've seen how they move, and it looked like they really do have some semblance of cunning. The city will fall if you mess up."

"Uh-huh."

Dirk just hummed, as if he didn't care. 

He was no stranger to high stakes missions. 

"Alright. Since you're ready, hold still for a second." 

Pandora suddenly waved her hand. Dirk could see the dark mana around him be washed away as light mana appeared from her hand. 

This light mana wrapped around his right hand before forming three magic circles, a rather advanced spell. Once it formed, the circles completed their circuit and occasionally pulsed with light mana. 

She looked at him.

"This is a beacon. It'll allow me to see where you are as well as tell you which direction to go. The closer you are to the first target, the more rapid the pulses get. I've tagged the first one. Once you make your first kill, the spell will activate and highlight the other two. They will know you're coming, so be prepared to slaughter your way to them.

"As for any other details..."

She smiled.

"I'll leave it to you. Feel free to wreak as much havoc as you want."

"Fine."

With that, Dirk jumped down the wall. 

He saw where Pandora pointed. The eastern portion of the monster armies, where the first general was located. 

After hitting the ground with a thud, he charged. Obsidius wrapped around his body as he ran, and gradually, he disappeared from Pandora's sight. 

With Stealth, he had gone dark. Not even Pandora could find him unless she used some light magic. 

She wouldn't see him again until he made his first kill. 

So she just watched, expectant of his performance.