"Little brat, you don't call the shots here."
Guren's tone was grim.
"Oh, why so fierce? Smile a bit more, and Big Sister Mahiru will love you even more~"
Qiuyun Yuhe didn't take it seriously.
Instead, he looked down at the katana in his hand. It was exquisitely crafted, and the curve was just right.
"By the way, Guren you pervert, do you have some kind of special fetish?"
Guren Ichinose's face darkened even further. Being called a pervert all the time was a bit too much for his pride, no matter how thick-skinned he was.
Qiuyun Yuhe flashed a wicked smile.
"Why do you keep explosive tags stuck to your body?"
Guren's pupils constricted slightly. He quickly checked himself and spotted a talisman plastered right across his chest.
"Have a nice day."
Bang!
An explosion rang out, and smoke billowed everywhere.
"Cough, cough."
Guren lay in a pathetic heap on the asphalt, his clothes blown open over his chest, revealing a sturdy torso stained with blood as he gasped heavily for air.
If he hadn't been wearing specially treated clothing reinforced by Jutsu, who knew what would have happened to him.
As the smoke cleared, Qiuyun Yuhe was already gone.
"You damned brat!"
"Well, well, Guren, looks like you need some help right now."
"Zhiye, heal my injuries."
"Hahaha, that's right, crave me even more!"
...
Qiuyun Yuhe went home carrying Asuramaru.
Dusk was approaching, but Qiuyun Nayuki still hadn't returned.
Qiuyun Yuhe went back to his room, locked the door from the inside, and drew the blade.
In the blink of an eye, he was back in that Pure White Space.
"Now, it's time we had a proper chat about the name Asherah Tepes."
Asuramaru seemed rather eager.
He had lost his memories from before he became a Vampire, yet this little brat in front of him had just spoken a name that felt so familiar to him.
It was a name he had forgotten for over a thousand years.
Compared to completing Hiiragi Mahiru's mission, Asuramaru was clearly far more interested in his own past name.
That was why he chose to accept Qiuyun Yuhe.
Qiuyun Yuhe smiled as he watched the eager Asuramaru.
"No need to rush. We have three months, plenty of time to talk about this."
Qiuyun Yuhe glanced at the calendar: September twenty-seventh.
"You even know what's going to happen three months from now? Human brat, I'm starting to not figure you out at all. But what makes you think you have any right to bargain with me?"
Asuramaru was deeply unsatisfied with Qiuyun Yuhe's answer.
Hearing this, Qiuyun Yuhe feigned a headache.
"I'm the kind of person who doesn't handle scares well. Whenever I get scared, I tend to forget things—especially anything related to Asherah Tepes."
Qiuyun Yuhe rubbed his forehead, wearing an expression of pure trouble.
"Are you threatening me?"
Asuramaru grew somewhat angry.
Qiuyun Yuhe spread his hands in a gesture of utter helplessness.
"How would I ever dare to threaten you, Lord Asuramaru?"
Then, Qiuyun Yuhe looked utterly astonished, covering his mouth in a gasping cry.
"Oh no, Lord Asuramaru isn't going to kill me, is he?"
Asuramaru reached the limit of his patience with Qiuyun Yuhe's attitude.
"Brat, don't push your luck."
A streak of pitch-black darkness, like ink dropped into water, began to spread from beneath Asuramaru's feet, enveloping Qiuyun Yuhe in the blink of an eye.
"Tell me everything you know, or else I'll make you wish you were dead!"
Feeling the dense Demonic Energy surging all around him, Qiuyun Yuhe found it a bit hard to breathe for a moment, yet he still maintained a composed and steady demeanor.
"Don't you Demons love making deals? I'll tell you what you want to know, but what can you give me?"
After a long silence, Asuramaru's voice echoed from the darkness.
"Power. I can grant you immense power."
Qiuyun Yuhe gave a disdainful shake of his head.
"I don't need it."
"Hypocritical brat. Everyone claims to reject a Demon's power, but not a single person can resist the temptation. With power, you can accomplish anything!"
Qiuyun Yuhe shook his head again.
"I don't need it."
"Kid, I'm a Demon. I have no physical form—power is all I have to give. You must know that. Are you just playing with me?"
Asuramaru was growing furious.
"Who says power is all you have?"
Qiuyun Yuhe asked with a mysterious air.
Asuramaru was momentarily stunned.
What else could I possibly give him?
"A promise."
"Huh?"
Qiuyun Yuhe held up three fingers.
"I need you to make me three promises."
Asuramaru was somewhat baffled.
"What do you mean?"
"It means whenever I need it, you have to fulfill my demands."
"Brat! What do you take me for, a slave?"
Qiuyun Yuhe wasn't annoyed at all. He replied calmly, leaving Asuramaru temporarily speechless.
"You're sealed inside a sword without a shred of freedom. Is that situation any better than being a slave?"
Asuramaru had no way to retort. Demons and Vampires were two absolute extremes.
Aside from their thirst for blood, Vampires possessed virtually no desires whatsoever, enduring loneliness far better than senior monks who had practiced asceticism for decades.
Demons were the exact opposite. Every Demon loved desire—they loved other people's desires just as much as their own.
The longer a Cursed Gear Weapon went unmastered, the harder it became to master.
Because the longer the Demon inside the weapon spent in solitude, the more intense their desires became, to the point where they craved being used every single day.
Therefore, locking them away in the prison of a Cursed Gear Weapon was genuinely enough to drive a Demon insane.
"Promise me, and not only will I help you recover your memories, but I'll also let you leave this desolate space forever."
The dark Demonic Energy retreated like a receding tide, and Asuramaru revealed his true form.
The katana that had originally been lying beneath his feet was now resting directly against Qiuyun Yuhe's neck.
Asuramaru's face was devoid of anger as he smiled and said to Qiuyun Yuhe.
"How is it that you feel more like the Demon, while I'm the one being tempted?"
"Consider yourself lucky, kid. I'm very interested in your proposal."
Feeling the chill against his neck recede as a tiny bead of blood welled up, Qiuyun Yuhe finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
"Then, happy cooperation~"
He had won his gamble!
Yet, he had relaxed far too soon.
Asuramaru glanced at the drop of blood seeping from the porcelain-white skin of Qiuyun Yuhe's neck and licked his lips.
"What... what are you looking at?"
Qiuyun Yuhe noticed that Asuramaru's gaze had turned somewhat strange.
"Well, let's add one more condition: you have to feed me."
"Feed... feed you?"
Qiuyun Yuhe asked uncertainly.
"Don't Demons feed on desires? Do you still need to eat?"
Asuramaru's smile grew brighter and wider.
"Well, actually... drinking blood works too~"
"Drinking blood? Hey! Wait!"
Asuramaru summoned several chains that bound Qiuyun Yuhe tightly and conveniently gagged him.
"Let's start with the first meal."
Leaping behind Qiuyun Yuhe, Asuramaru tightened the chains, exposing Qiuyun Yuhe's neck.
"Oh? It seems you've already seduced other diners."
Qiuyun Yuhe knew Asuramaru was referring to the bite marks Krul had left behind when she previously drank his blood.
"I don't have the habit of sharing my tableware with others."
With a flick of the chains, the other side of his neck was bared.
Asuramaru bit down.
Qiuyun Yuhe felt like crying without tears.
Do you siblings treat me like a guestbook? One bite on the left, one on the right—I seriously give up.
Hey, hey, hey, you're drinking way harder than Krul did!
Oh man, I'm getting dizzy, so dizzy!
I'm sorry, Princess Krul, I can't be your exclusive supplier anymore; I'm no longer pure.