---
But this time, Sekhmet forced his hand to do something else first.
He turned and grabbed Lily.
Lily’s eyes fluttered, half opening.
"Sekh—"
Sekhmet struck her with the edge of his hand against the side of her neck.
THUD.
Not a killing blow.
A controlled, practiced knockout.
Lily’s eyes rolled back. Her body went limp.
Silence fell heavy.
The guards froze, stunned.
Bat Bat squeaked from the ground where it had fallen during the sudden motion.
"Hey!"
Sekhmet lifted Lily into his arms again, breathing hard.
The hunger whispered that knocking her out was smart. She could not scream. She could not run. She could not see what he was becoming.
That whisper made him hate himself even more.
The second guard stepped back, voice shaking.
"Why did you hit her?"
Sekhmet’s voice came out raw.
"So she does not see," he said.
"So she does not remember," he corrected himself, then realized that sounded worse.
He clenched his jaw and tried again.
"So she stays safe," he said.
The first guard, the one Sekhmet bit, slid down the wall, breathing shallowly.
His skin looked paler already. His lips had lost color. His eyes... were changing.
They were not just wide with fear anymore.
They were turning a faint red.
Sekhmet stared.
His stomach twisted.
"What is happening?"
The system answered before he could ask.
[Ding! System Notification-
Passive effect triggered: Blood God’s Covenant.
Host blood has entered the target bloodstream.
Low-tier conversion initiated.
Result: Ghoul-class vampire state.]
Sekhmet froze.
He stared at the system text like it was mocking him.
He turned his head slowly toward the second guard.
That guard’s face had gone even paler, as if his body sensed something terrible approaching.
Sekhmet’s hunger looked at the second guard like a promise.
The second guard swallowed hard.
"Sekhmet," he said, voice tight. "What are you?"
Sekhmet’s jaw clenched.
He took a slow step forward.
The guard’s sword lifted higher, but his arms shook.
Sekhmet could smell the fear.
Fear carried warmth too.
The hunger surged again.
Sekhmet grabbed the guard’s arm and yanked him close.
"Do not fight," Sekhmet said, voice low. "If you fight, I might not stop."
The guard’s eyes widened.
Sekhmet bit.
CRUNCH —Shhk!
The second guard screamed.
"Aaa—!"
Sekhmet drank quickly, controlled, forcing himself to take only enough to steady his chaos energy, to keep his legs from collapsing.
He swallowed hard.
Then he pulled back, blood dripping. The guard slumped, breathing ragged, eyes unfocused.
Sekhmet released him gently, letting him slide down the wall beside the first guard.
Both guards were alive. Both were weak. Both were changing.
Sekhmet stared at them, horror twisting his features.
His hunger was quieter now, satisfied enough to stop screaming. His body felt stronger. Not full strength, but functional.
He hated the fact that blood made him functional.
The system spoke again, calm as if explaining the weather.
[Ding! System Explanation
Blood God’s Covenant is a passive trait inherited through the essence and will of the Blood God.
When the host feeds and introduces host blood into a living target, conversion may occur.
Conversion tier depends on host Blood Awakening percentage and target compatibility.
Current Blood Awakening: 1%. Maximum conversion tier: Ghoul-class.]
Sekhmet swallowed, throat tight.
"You are telling me," he said slowly, "that I turned them."
The system did not bother with emotion.
[Affirmative.]
Sekhmet’s eyes flicked to the guards again.
They were trembling now.
Their bodies convulsed slightly as if fever ran through them.
Their veins darkened under their skin like ink spreading.
Their nails lengthened subtly, sharpening.
Their teeth... grew.
Not full fangs yet, but sharper canines.
The first guard groaned, voice rough.
"Cold," he rasped.
The second guard choked, coughing.
"Hngh..."
Their eyes shifted.
Red.
Not bright crimson like Sekhmet’s had been during blood surges, but a dull, hungry red, like embers behind ash.
Their faces looked wrong now.
Not monstrous in shape.
Monstrous in feeling.
The system continued.
[Ding! Vampire Hierarchy Explanation Initiated.]
Sekhmet clenched his jaw.
The words vampire were not common in Null, but the legends existed. Every realm had stories about blood drinkers. Some called them cursed. Some called them blessed. Some called them tools of ancient gods.
Sekhmet had always thought they were exaggerations.
Now the exaggeration was breathing beside him.
The system displayed the hierarchy in clean lines.
[Five levels.]
Not ranks of courage or titles from a city lord.
Levels of what you became when blood stopped being just blood.
Level One: Ghoul Vampire
A ghoul vampire was the lowest conversion tier. The system described it with brutal honesty. It was not elegant. It was not romantic. It was survival turned ugly.
A ghoul vampire’s body was altered permanently. Skin grew paler or grayish, veins became visible, eyes gained a dull red tint, and the canines sharpened. The ghoul did not gain noble intelligence from the transformation. It gained hunger, improved endurance, and minor regeneration. It could heal small wounds by consuming blood, but it did not gain the refined control of higher bloodlines.
Most importantly, a ghoul vampire carried a weak bond to its creator. Not absolute slavery like Blood Puppet, but instinctive obedience and fear. The ghoul could disobey with effort, but its body would rebel with craving and discomfort if it tried to betray its sire.
The system’s final note on ghouls was colder than everything else.
[A ghoul vampire cannot return to a fully human state.]
Sekhmet’s stomach twisted.
"So I ruined them."
Level Two: Lesser Vampire
A lesser vampire was the next tier. Unlike a ghoul, a lesser vampire retained more of its humanity. Its appearance shifted less grotesquely. Skin became smoother, eyes gained a brighter red hue, and fangs formed cleanly. The lesser vampire gained stronger regeneration, improved speed, and a minor resistance to chaos corruption.
It could also learn basic blood manipulation on its own, though limited. It could sense blood within a short radius, track injured prey, and resist starvation longer than a ghoul.
The bond to the creator was stronger than a ghoul’s. A lesser vampire felt loyalty like a thread woven into the mind, not just fear. But it still had personal will.
[Minimum Blood Awakening required to create: 5%.]