Shadow Dragon: The Fallen Angel Is My Teacher

I pulled a dagger from my pocket and stabbed the picture in the middle.

The blade pierced through the mask in the photograph.

"I will take revenge for the Monkey King who killed the Legion and forced my entire bloodline to live in hiding.

"I'm going to taking everything from him, and I will start by killing his disciple first."

The table shook slightly from the impact.

Tomoe's eyes sharpened instantly.

Her hand moved toward the katana at her waist.

But she stopped.

Everyone from the Prime Five was staring at her.

Tomoe belonged to the Exorcist Union.

The Monkey King was their strongest figure.

That made her my natural enemy.

She couldn't attack me now.

Not with so many dangerous people watching.

'She is going to wait until I go with one group.'

'At that moment, everyone except the group I choose will try to kill me. She'll make her move then,' I thought.

I leaned back slightly.

"This is why I revealed myself. And now that I've told you my goal, let me be clear. To reach that goal, I want resources."

I looked around slowly.

"So, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to join the group who gives me the most incentives."

I already knew I would go with the System Church.

But they didn't know that.

Before choosing, I had to squeeze out everything I could from them.

"Prince…" Serine from Broken Oath whispered. "You are not coming with us? But why—"

"I need resources to take my revenge," I said, cutting her off.

Her eyes dimmed, and she lowered her head.

Nadar from the Nightforge Consortium spoke quickly.

"We can give you unlimited access to materials. As a mechanic, your biggest limitation is always materials. But if you come with us, we'll handle everything."

He leaned forward, eager.

Nightforge Consortium was rich.

Their pockets were deeper than anyone could think.

They supplied materials to all Prime Five organizations and many smaller illegal Exorcist factions.

Sometimes even to Exorcist Clans through back channels.

Unlimited materials was no small offer.

The large 'Exorcist' from New Order spoke next.

"We will give you protection with our strongest members."

His tone was confident.

New Order was filled with Cursed Spirits.

If they protected me, I might get a Rank 3 or even a Rank 4 Cursed Spirit as a guard.

No Exorcist would dare get close to me with that kind of protection.

The Nocthera Empire descendants looked down.

While they could match the offers, they couldn't give it to me — a Nocthera — due to the person leading their faction.

"We…" Velyra started, but she closed her mouth.

Everyone understood their silence.

I kept my face calm and neutral.

I didn't respond yet.

Because I wanted more offers to come.

But before anyone else could speak, Yuna tugged lightly on my hair and whispered from her spot on my head.

"Lord of Shadows… that possessed woman has moved."

My fingers tightened slightly.

Everyone else kept talking.

But Yuna was the only one who could sense the shift.

I stayed alert while pretending to listen to the rest of the offers.

Unity spoke next, their two voices perfectly in sync.

"Caelum Nocthera, our Mother has spoken to us. We will grant you the designation number fifty-four.

"And if you prove your faith to us, we will upgrade your designation number to fourteen."

They were stiff and serious as they said it.

Designation number fifty-four meant I would receive a strong Rank 4 Exorcist body.

Joining Unity meant becoming part of their hive.

I would lose my individuality.

I would have to give up my own body.

In exchange, I could wear high-rank Exorcist bodies like clothes.

'Designation number fourteen… that's a Rank 5 Exorcist body.'

A shortcut straight to power.

I kept my expression calm, but inside, I was thinking through the dangers.

Joining Unity was like accepting a corrupted immortality.

Tomoe didn't say anything.

The other human Exorcist from the Exorcist Union also stayed silent.

Both watched everything with stiff shoulders.

Then Saint Mavrick from the System Church spoke in a steady tone.

"We will grant you access to the System. And we will also give you entry permissions to one of the production facilities of Legion."

A deadly silence spread across the room.

Every group turned to stare at him.

Access to the System alone was valuable.

But it came with cost.

The access to a production facility of Legion was different.

It had no drawback, and it was something no sane person could ignore.

Even though Legion had been defeated thousands of years ago, some of his facilities were still active.

They kept producing machines day and night.

Mechas.

Weapons.

Automatons.

Missiles.

Orbital railguns.

And countless other creations.

Being able to enter even one of those facilities meant I could upgrade my mechanic abilities rapidly.

I didn't need knowledge, but the facility held enough materials to keep creating machines for over five thousand years.

I felt a small smile forming inside my mind.

'It was a good idea to pretend I would choose whoever offered me the most benefits.'

'This will let me upgrade my Mechanic Class quickly.'

The atmosphere changed.

Everyone realized I had chosen someone.

A fight was about to break out between factions.

Before anyone could speak again, the inn door opened.

Footsteps echoed across the wooden floor.

A tall figure stepped inside.

"I hope I am not late," the man said in a respectful voice.

He sounded polite, but his tone carried arrogance.

"Ah, and I also heard something interesting. Access to the System?

"Do not tell me you wish to become a half tin-can like those fools from that System Cult."

He walked in with slow steps.

He had black hair that fell to his shoulders.

He was taller than anyone here, easily over two meters.

His eyes were bright red like polished rubies.

A wave of pressure washed over the room.

It felt like a higher existence had stepped in.

The walls, the floor, even the air seemed to bend slightly under his aura.

'A Rank 5 Vampire.'

My mind went into battle mode, preparing for a fight or flight instantly depending on the situation.

'It's him.'

'Prince Valen Drakov.'

Everyone around the table reacted at the same time.

Chairs scraped.

Hands tightened on weapons.

Breathing grew uneven.

A Rank 5 Exorcist had walked in.

Not only that—

He was one of the Vampire Princes who ruled over a sizeable faction in America.

The shock on everyone's face told me they recognized him too.

"What is the meaning of this?! You—"

"Silence," Valen said calmly.

His voice held no anger.

But the Exorcist from Broken Oath suddenly clutched her throat.

She opened her mouth but no sound came out.

She went pale in fear.

The other Exorcists didn't dare move.

One wrong gesture could get someone killed instantly.

Valen's eyes moved toward me.

He smiled in a polite way, like a noble greeting a guest.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, young man," he said, still respectful. "I have heard about how you humiliated that sword-fanatic House by stealing their God.

"So, I thought to myself, perhaps I should invite you to work with me."

I looked at him carefully.

"I didn't expect a Vampire Prince to come personally," I said.

He chuckled softly.

"The House Daelthorn has been causing trouble in my territory lately. Having you join my family would be quite the message to send back to them."

I kept staring at him.

"And if I refuse? Are you going to attack me?"

He laughed.

It was a warm, almost friendly laugh.

"Of course not," he said gently. "We are not thugs here. But do not worry. If you come with us, we will fulfill all your needs. Power, women, materials. Whatever you desire shall be delivered to you."

He spoke politely, as if offering a simple business deal.

I stayed silent.

Inside, I was trying to find a way out of the situation.

A Rank 5 Exorcist was too dangerous for me to deal with right now.

Valen took a moment to look around the table.

His expression shifted slightly.

"Hmm. I see. We have quite a few pests here. No wonder the air smells unpleasant. Perhaps it is better if we remove these pests first."

The Exorcists stiffened.

"We've already informed our people about your presence. If you attempt anything—"

"Be gone," Valen said softly.

The Unity twins tried to stand.

The Nightforge Exorcists reached for their weapons.

Serine from Broken Oath gasped.

But it was already too late.

Valen waved his hand.

The air cracked.

In the next instant, the Exorcists from Nightforge Consortium exploded into blood mist.

A burst of red fog sprayed across the room.

The Unity twins were blown apart a second later.

Broken Oath's Exorcist turned into a cloud of blood mid-scream.

Even the Exorcist Union member who came with Tomoe vanished into red mist.

Only the members of the System Church and New Order survived.

Their bodies were not made of flesh, so Valen's ability didn't affect them.

The inn fell into chaos.

Crewmates screamed.

Some ran for the door.

Others pulled out weapons in blind panic and pointed them at Valen.

He slowly breathed in.

Then smiled.

"Ah, that is much better. The air feels a little fresher now," he said quietly.

His voice was polite.

His eyes were not.

He turned to Tomoe and narrowed his gaze.

"How curious. How are you still alive?" he asked.

He snapped his fingers.

Tomoe didn't die.

Valen raised an eyebrow.

He looked her up and down.

"You are not a human, are you? Perhaps a Cursed Spirit hiding inside this body?" he asked calmly.

Before he could finish, I was already moving.

My hand slipped inside my pocket.

I grabbed the Desert Eagle, pulled it and aimed.

'Damn it. He had to expose her now of all times.'

Time slowed down for me under danger.

Tomoe's expression changed.

She became expressionless.

Now caught, she no had no need to fake human expressions.

I pointed the gun at her head.

She looked at the Desert Eagle first.

Then at Valen.

Then back at me.

In the world that seemed to be moving in slow motion to me, she alone was moving at normal speed.

Her eyes turned black.

From them, black hands came out and formed a hand sign.

She opened her mouth.

The jaw stretched in an unnatural way.

"Domain—"

I pulled the trigger.

The bullet fused with Positive Energy ripped through her tongue and burst out the back of her throat.

Blood splattered.

She jerked from the impact.

I lunged forward.

I shoved my arm into her mouth, forcing it down her throat.

'I can't let her activate the domain!'

'It's Rank 4!'

'We'll die!'

Her body shook violently as I held her jaw open.

I didn't let her speak, and aimed once again, this time at her eye.

Valen and Saint Maverick were already moving, intending to purge its entire body.

But the air above her head twisted.

Something formed there.

A mouth.

A tongue.

A throat made of solidified air.

Before our attacks landed—

The floating mouth spoke calmly.

"Domain Expansion."

Everything turned completely black.