The Fortuna Leader had consumed the liquid, and Quinn was left baffled. He hadn't acted when he should have, but it was because there was so much going through his mind. The number on the flask, after using the inspection skill, confirmed his suspicions. 'That… That's from the blood of an Eight-spiked Dalki, but how is that even possible? I killed Graham with my own hands.' The highest level Dalki that Quinn knew in existence, and until this day, one of his toughest opponents, was Graham. Their final battle flashed through his mind, and it was almost a slap in the face that it was now back. 'I can't think too much about that now, but I know how much that Dalki blood can influence a vampire's strength.' Quinn thought. He moved both of his hands down, and the blood swords started to rain down on the spot where Edvard was standing. With the burning energy inside him, he now could move quicker than he could before and was avoiding most of them. However, there were far more swords than he could imagine. As he dodged them, they came at him from strange angles and ripped right through his skin. 'This blood aura… it's not just plentiful. It's strong. Stronger than any blood aura I have faced before. This person...who is he. I have a feeling that he might be even more dangerous than Laxmus.' Edvard thought in his head. Right now, the best thing he could do was rely on his ability, and as he chose random spots to run to, he went towards the intruder, Quinn himself. Edvard was from the Fortuna family, and their ability was always one of the most difficult to deal with. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 As Quinn tried to control the swords, due to the spots where Fortuna was running, the swords seemed to be hitting each other, and Edvard was able to avoid most of them. When he did get hit, it would be in a non-vital area and only skim across his shirt or slightly graze on his skin. When Edvard got close, he swung his hands out and had them raised by his side, his fingers covered in a red aura. He always preferred fighting close-quarter combat and not relying on his ability so much as other leaders. With the rise in strength due to the blood, he thought this was the ideal situation to use his experience and capabilities. "I will find out who you are and find out why you are here!" Edvard swung both arms, ready to slash Quinn's chest and break through the armour he was wearing. With a single attack, he felt like he could tear the planet in half. The ground they were standing on cracked, the door behind them was dented as a loud bang hit them, and air currents blew everything in the room. The attack would have been a devastating one, but his hands were stopped. They were stopped in the middle of the attack and were tightly held by the wrists. Edvard was trying to use his strength, the veins on his neck were showing, but he was unable to move them at all. 'How can I, an Original, be put in a situation like this again…after all this time, and even with that power? How this could happen.' Edvard couldn't comprehend what was going on. Now the two were holding each other by the hands, Edvard was able to get a good look at Quinn's face as it was close to him and found himself being stared at by the endless abyss-like red eyes. "I have been through a lot," Quinn said. "All to protect my friends that I care about. The world that you live in, in this castle, this vampire settlement that you care about, means nothing on the grand scale of things." A burst of energy left Quinn's body and vibrated through his hands. It was a pulse of a strong vampire aura mixed in with his powerful Qi. The second it left Quinn's hands, it pushed Edvard away. The aura covering his hands was broken. Edvard felt a great deal of pain as he felt his skin peeling away as well as his muscles. All the windows in the room shattered, and the red carpet was flung back. Edvard had crashed into his table. It instantly broke, and a large crack was left on the floor where he landed. He was in great pain, and blood was flowing out of his mouth. "Sh*t!" Edvard cried, getting up and wiping his mouth with his forearms and then his hands because they were badly hurt. "Even with that power boost, I can see that I am nothing compared to you. Why did I, of all people, have to run into this monster." He muttered as he coughed out blood. "And people say I'm the lucky one." He added with a smile, finding his sunglasses among the wreckage and placing them back on again. What Quinn had just used was a weaker version of his tiger pulse attack. A move that was originally created from his celestial powers. The thing was, although Quinn didn't have his celestial powers anymore, there was the advanced shadow, and on top of that, there was something else he had gained. His blood aura had enhanced. Mainly because, fighting those demons and using his blood bullets, the power that he had received from them was enhanced blood. In a way, the effect that he gained was similar to what Edvard had gone through with the Dalki blood. The only difference was Quinn's was a permanent gain in power. Amping up his blood power, he had pulsated an attack directed towards the original vampire that outmatched anything the latter could come up with. "Now, do you believe me?" Quinn asked, sighing. "I was one of the Kings of the settlement. I don't know if it's some weird power, mind control and ability or what, but so far, everyone in this vampire settlement at least has forgotten about me. "I didn't come here to fight you...I came here for answers." Although Edvard still found it hard to believe the fact that he wasn't being outright killed by this person in front of him that could easily beat him, he was at least inclined to listen. The problem was due to the commotion, Quinn could hear the sound of footsteps approaching the room from below. He could take the Leader with him, but it would cause panic. So instead, he decided to reorganise himself from now on. "It seems we will have to cut short this meeting," Quinn said as he sunk into his shadow and disappeared completely. Eventually, the vampires entered the room through the cracks and more and could see what state Edvard was in. Running to Edvard and reaching him before anyone else was a beauty like no other. "Sir, is everything okay? Who did this all to you?" The person was none other than Muka. Edvard didn't reply straight away but eventually replied. "I was testing out a new experiment that a certain someone gave me. It seems that it is quite powerful. I am sorry for worrying you all. Make sure that everyone in the castle is safe, and at the same time, inform the people that there is nothing to worry about." Muka, who was closest, was looking at the wounds that were mainly on Edvard's hands. She wondered how one could get such a thing just from practising themselves. At the same time, while she was in the middle of her train of thought, Edvard stood up. "I.. actually have a question for you. Since my return, you have looked after me well and have updated me on everything that has occurred so far. So let me ask you this, and I want you to be completely honest with me now. Do you know anyone who goes by the name Quinn Talen?" Edvard asked. Muka placed her finger on her chin for a second, but eventually, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, leader, but I have not heard of such a name. If you would like, I can ask the other vampires to make a report and see if anyone knows this name." Muka asked. "No need," Edvard replied. "It is just someone that I am interested in." In the last few moments of meeting with the person claiming to be Quinn Talen, Edvard had noticed something right at the end. It was how the former had escaped, and that was also most likely the same way he had entered this office. The man's body seemingly sank into the ground, or more correctly, it descended into the shadows. 'The Punishers… Could it be a student of Arthur's? Arthur's long-lost disciple? Whatever the case. I look forward to meeting him again because now I have my own questions I would like to ask Quinn Talen.' Edvard thought. ***** ***** For updates for MVS and future works, please remember to follow me on my social media below. Instagram: Jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n jksmanga When news of MVS, MWS or any other series comes out, you will be able to see it there first, and you can reach out to me. If I'm not too busy, I tend to reply back.