She is not an investigator.

“Now, Miral, leader of the lower city, you will have a chance to teach your brothers a lesson and slaughter the monsters that hunt your brethren. I wonder if you are willing to cherish this opportunity.”

Clang——

He gripped the long sword tightly in his hand and then drew it from its sheath.

The silvery-white blade emerged from the dark, shadowless sewer. There was no moonlight here, so the blade also appeared dull and lifeless.

"of course."

He did not refuse, nor was there any need to refuse.

"As the leader, I must lead my people out of this predicament before they are completely wiped out. As a vampire of the new era, I must also make those rebels understand what it means to be a vampire."

"Of course, there's also the most important point."

Tonight, no one will sleep peacefully.

…………

Uptown, Sheriff's Hut, 4:11 a.m.

Ash slowly opened his eyes and sat up in bed.

It's too early now; he shouldn't be waking up at this time.

As a sheriff and currently the city's only official security officer, he must remain vigilant at all times, but also needs to maintain his basic rest to ensure his energy levels.

Therefore, he rarely wakes up suddenly in the middle of the night.

He looked up, first at the darkness outside the window, then turned and walked to the table to check his weapons.

His weapons—silver crossbow bolts, silver longswords—were specially made and were undoubtedly deadly poisons to vampires.

In this city where vampires are almost everywhere, most of the enemies he faces and experiences while maintaining order are also vampires.

Of course, there will be other troublemakers here as well, but there are far fewer than vampires.

That's why, in the ten years he's served as sheriff, he has mastered most of the methods for dealing with vampires and is extremely experienced.

This is why, currently, those surrounding his cabin are not vampires, but cultists dressed in black robes.

He carried his weapon, tried making a phone call and switching radios, and when he found that there was no way to contact the outside world, he did not hesitate and slowly pushed open the door and walked out of the room.

In the courtyard, the moon overhead was exceptionally bright; he could see the malice emanating from everyone without even needing a lamp.

Among them, an incongruous figure appeared before him.

A vampire among a group of clergy.

"Let's do it."

He didn't say much, but whispered an order to the followers around him before stepping back a few steps.

The old priest didn't come here, so he's doing all the work now.

“A vampire who is siding with the Vatican. If you decide to stand against me, then the Allied Forces will have the authority to thoroughly investigate and reshuffle the local Vatican organization.”

Communication and transportation between different cities were not very convenient, so it was extremely common for some cities to rebel independently.

But this doesn't mean they won't pay any price when all this happens.

"Only if you can leave here alive."

The Bizarre Stage Play – The City of Gluttonous Bloodthirsty Enthusiasts: Chapter 40, Devouring, Evolution

It was 4:22 AM.

The crossbow bolts were exhausted, their strength was almost gone, and even their silver longsword was beginning to chip.

Ash had nowhere to retreat, so he could only lean against the wall behind him and keep a close eye on the other approaching cultists.

As a sheriff, he was competent, and his battle was nearing its end, but he did not actually feel panicked or desperate.

Why was he able to appear alone in this city as a sheriff, and why haven't he had any new team members?

Because he doesn't need it? Because he's powerful enough?

No, perhaps that's part of the reason, but the more crucial factor is the bait.

The coalition forces will suppress all armed forces, including military and law enforcement organizations, as well as clergy such as the Knights Templar.

However, the Vatican has always maintained a cooperative relationship with the coalition forces and even the police, so naturally, they have more power in this city with the world's largest church.

They can have their own armed groups, and although their numbers are strictly limited, they are still an important part of local security management.

So, in order to avoid a situation like this happening now, they weren't actually completely unprepared.

Leaving Ash alone here was merely to create the illusion that they couldn't effectively control the area.

Yes, it's just an illusion.

Why would anyone really believe that such a large city would only have one sheriff?

No, rather, truly intelligent people are not unaware of this.

Those who appeared here, directly exposed to Ash, standing so confidently on the opposite side, were all expendable pawns.

Especially that vampire, perhaps he didn't know that he had always been the scapegoat, perhaps he didn't know that he, standing here now, had always been a pitiful plaything in other people's eyes.

Thinking about it this way, Ash even started to feel sorry for him.

However, he would not sympathize with a vampire.

"Don't you really know your role in this story, and what the purpose of everything you've done is?"

Ash even lowered his weapon and looked at the vampire standing in the crowd.

He seemed calmer than expected, and even after seeing that Ash had put down his weapon, he did not launch an attack.

Even the other clergy had stopped what they were doing.

"Foolish vampire, do you really know if you'll even have a tomorrow?"

"Do you know whether you, standing here, have ever had hope and a future?"

He responded.

“I made the wrong decision, so I ended up here, becoming a fool trying to break everything. I abandoned my tribe, abandoned my brothers, and foolishly tried to find a completely new path to realize my long-cherished wish.”

“He gave me strength, gave me a stage, gave me this opportunity, but when I successfully stepped onto the stage, I suddenly realized... I have always been a supporting character, a stepping stone in other people's stories, a marginal figure who is not remembered, and I will not even have a name. I will always just be a vampire.”

His words fell slowly, and with them fell the scabbard in his hand.

"I am a victim, the villain in the story, the enemy who will eventually be killed."

He raised the blade in his hand, and the clergy around him turned around to face him.

Even if it means being completely killed.

Even if I am forgotten forever, I will never forget you.

Even if they are considered sinners.

The power of gluttony has always been there.

A broken and incomplete authority, a secret treasure yet to be fully gathered.

The root of all that lies within him at this moment.

"So now, I will no longer need any stance."

puff-

The silver blade sliced ​​through the air, accompanied by splattered blood and a head falling to the ground.

The headless nun fell to the ground, and everyone around her simultaneously distanced themselves and raised their weapons at her.

Therefore, they were never companions.

"Feel the sweetness of flesh and blood."

He used the blade to lift the corpse, and in full view of everyone, cut off a piece of flesh and threw it into his mouth.

"Now, this is the City of Gluttony."

…………

4:46 AM.

The blockade of the lower city has broken free of control, and the vampires have successfully stormed the upper city without directly encountering any enemies.

The papacy's staff appears to be dwindling, while the streets are becoming increasingly deserted.

The old priest disappeared from the street, the church seemed leaderless and began a large-scale collapse, and the alien vampires vanished without a trace, their whereabouts unknown.

It seemed the crisis was about to end, culminating in a successful counterattack in the lower city.

But then the caretaker patted Igris on the shoulder.

"The rest of the gluttony has been found."

………………

Swallowing, eating.

The brain becomes sluggish, and thinking becomes sluggish.

Only through devouring, only through evolution, only through continuous growth.

Only then could he escape all rules, escape all traps, escape the story that was destined to end in his failure.

Only devouring, only feeding—

"Damn it..."

Ash stared intently at the colossal creature before him, trying to escape, but with almost all his weapons destroyed, he found it difficult to break through the blockade formed by the alien vampires.

They were utterly irrational, controlled by some special force, constantly drawing closer and being devoured by that monstrous being.

It resembled a giant leech, with slender limbs and fat skin covered in wrinkles.

In the blink of an eye, he devoured all the clergy present. They resisted and attacked, but he seemed completely unaffected, continuing to eat them without a care.

Each time it eats someone, its body grows larger, but it also becomes less and less human.

He became what he is now after he had eaten all those people, even their corpses and weapons.

An indescribable creature, devoid of any sense of power.