Demonic Po*nstar System

Chapter 281: Blood of the Paragon

Kaiden’s eyes locked onto the [Weaver of the Crownless Nest]. Its legs were still twitching beneath the pinned weight of Nyx’s daggers.

He said nothing as he approached.

The others watched in silence, knowing what was about to happen. After all, he’d done it many times during this dungeon clear.

Kaiden crouched beside the writhing creature and inhaled. The scent of its blood, thick and coppery with an undercurrent of acidic rot, reached his nose. Vile... and very potent.

He bared his teeth.

Fangs slid down over his lower canines, which became unnaturally sharp.

”[Ravenous Bite].”

He sank them into the creature’s neck.

The moment his fangs pierced its semi-organic hide, black ichor flooded into his mouth. He almost coughed at first due to the taste of tainted flesh never getting easier, but forced himself to keep drinking.

Blood poured down his throat. Mana and Health improved with it.

He could feel the parasitic nature of the blood crawling beneath the creature’s skin, but his trait ignored it.

’The Paragon of Sin is immune to diseases transmitted through blood.’

Despite their undead origin, many of these monsters still bled. Some even had partial circulation. As long as they weren’t fully skeletal or golems, it worked.

After nearly a minute, he pulled back with a breathless gasp. His mouth was wet with blood. His eyes glowed bright orange.

And then...

He raised his own sword.

Without hesitation, he dragged the blade across his wrist. Blood welled up at once, thick and dark, imbued with the power he’d just stolen.

A grin spread across his face. Wild. Not insane, but close enough to terrify a lesser man.

”Time to drink, ladies.”

His girls stared at him.

In silence.

Not for long, however.

”No!” Aria cried and stomped her feet firmly. ”We can’t do that.”

”I’m not doing that,” Luna added.

”Master...” Bastet’s golden eyes narrowed. ”That’s not necessary. We’ll manage with the rations.”

”You won’t. You all saw what happened. We’ve got one pack left. That’s not enough to properly feed ten people.”

He pointed toward the last backpack, resting right on his back.

”Diaz and the others will take that. But someone else should carry it now, not Jack. He’s too slow.”

Jack’s hands trembled with frustration and annoyance. But for once, he didn’t speak up.

Diaz reached for the backpack, accepting it from Kaiden.

There were no words exchanged between the duo. Then, the rogue turned toward Vaelira’s group. ”We’ll have to share it carefully. Zero waste.”

”Tch...” Vaelira didn’t like the visibly growing trust between the two men. But she was not in a position to begin arguing. Their lives were on the line, and if there was one thing Vaelira valued highly, that would be her own life. As such, she scoffed and accepted the portion given to her.

While the others discussed logistics and divided the meager scraps of their remaining supplies, four women stood still.

Watching.

Squirming.

Their eyes jumped between Kaiden’s bleeding wrist and each other, then back again. All of them had shared their lover’s body, his warmth, his passion. But this... this was different. Drinking his vitality felt really wrong.

Well.

Not ’that’ kind of vitality.

If ’that’ could solve their problems, they’d have already drained him dry a dozen times by now.

Kaiden tilted his head and raised his still-bleeding wrist toward them. The thick, dark blood dripped slowly to the dungeon floor.

”It’s being wasted, ladies.”

Still, they hesitated.

Until...

”I’ll do it,” Aria declared all of a sudden.

All eyes turned to her.

She stepped forward, walking toward Kaiden.

”I see the conviction in your eyes, Kai... If you truly believe this is the best move, then I’ll follow your lead.” She reached up, gently cupping his forearm. ”Always.”

His smile was grateful. He pulled this precious woman close, wrapping his free arm around her back in a half-embrace. She leaned into him, resting her forehead against his chest for a second, breathing him in.

Then she looked down and pressed her lips to the wound.

The moment Kaiden’s blood touched her tongue, her eyes flew wide open.

Shock. Wonder. Desire.

It was rich. Bold. Not coppery as she expected, but warm. As if a rejuvenating, magical potion had been poured down her throat. It pulsed with life, mana, and something more. Something Kaiden Grey. His essence, his raw spirit, his magic, and soul wrapped into a single taste.

A shuddering breath left her.

She couldn’t help but step back, or at least attempt to do so. But Kaiden’s hold on her dainty frame held. As such, all the girl could do was blush furiously.

”That...” she gasped breathlessly. ”That was simply heavenly.”

The others stared at her with disbelief.

”What do you mean by ’heavenly’?” Luna asked suspiciously.

”I thought it’d be repulsive, especially considering I was sucking my boyfriend’s health,” Aria admitted. ”But it wasn’t. Not at all. I feel amazing. My hunger receded, and it...More inportantly than everything else I mentioned...” She twirled a bit of hair around her finger just as her eyes shot embarrassedly toward Kaiden. ”... it tastes like Kai.”

Luna blinked once. Then, slowly, stepped forward with a low mutter under her breath. ”If you’re enjoying it that much...”

She didn’t say more.

She just leaned in and latched onto his wrist with a predatory glint in her eyes, as well as a loot goblin’s curiosity shining in her little fangs.

Her reaction wasn’t as openly giddy as Aria’s, but her raised eyebrows told the story perfectly well. After a second sip, she smirked and wiped her mouth with the back of her glove.

”Yeah, okay. This might just be better than I ever thought possible. What the heck?”

Bastet looked away just before clutching her arms crossed and flicking her tail. ”This goes against the teachings of Ra... I don’t like it, Master!” she protested cutely.

Kaiden smiled. ”But you still want to try it.”

”... No...” She moved to him.

When her lips touched his skin, a low purr vibrated in her throat. Her eyes widened slightly, glowing golden in surprise. She pulled away faster than the others. Her face was red, but she gave no verbal protest.

Finally, Nyx.

She didn’t make a show of it.

The pink-haired beauty simply walked forward, held his arm steady, and drank. Her reaction was the most subtle in a strange turn of events, despite being the usual glutton of the gang.

She might’ve made surprisingly few reactions, but the way her shoulders relaxed and her breath deepened told Kaiden everything.

They’d all tasted him.

And they liked it.

Unlike how it was for Kaiden, they didn’t restore their mana and health. Instead, they just filled their bellies with what felt like an incredibly tasty meal. After all, they didn’t have [Devouring Strike] in their arsenal.

...

The group pressed onward.

Kaiden didn’t need to say it out loud. Time was running out. The longer they sat in one place, the more this cursed dungeon devoured of their vitality. They could no longer afford hesitation. They followed the trail of the retreating monsters.

Broken limbs. Scattered ichor. Claw marks.

They progressed forward in this grim environment.

It didn’t take long to find their quarry.