Chapter 694 - 694: The More She Sucks, the Stronger She Gets!

Gulp, gulp—

Half an hour later.

Kirie gently wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, tidied her hair and dress, then walked out of the train car alongside Setsuna with a thoroughly satisfied expression.

"Phew—"

"Thank you for the meal, Commander~"

The signature seductive smile of a vampire returned to her face.

"Vampires don't need to eat like ordinary humans, so from now on, I'll be relying entirely on the Commander for my meals~"

"Oh."

Setsuna had absolutely no objection.

An adult visual novel heroine really was an adult visual novel heroine. She could actually treat that as food. Incredible.

It was only three meals a day plus a late-night snack. Kirie was the one doing all the sucking anyway, and with his current physical condition, she could suck as much as she liked.

If he was ever in the mood, he could show her what "anime quantities" really meant.

"But speaking of which, you're not doing this only to replenish your energy, are you? You looked like you were having plenty of fun too."

Setsuna pinched Kirie's pale cheek.

This vampire girl had lived alone for more than three hundred years. After being properly nourished for the first time and discovering what she had been missing, she had clearly become rather addicted.

"You're awful!"

A blush flashed across Kirie's face as she bit him.

"If you refuse to give me any, then I'll... I'll drink your blood!"

"Sure, sure."

Setsuna figured she could suck whatever she wanted. He had more than enough to spare. Bring it on.

"Stare..."

Shalltear happened to run into Kirie head-on and stared at her for quite a while, sensing something strangely off about her.

"You... got stronger?"

In only a single night, Shalltear, Albedo, and the others were astonished to discover that Kirie seemed like a completely different person.

Not only was she positively glowing, an enormous amount of magical power was also radiating from her body.

The spectacle was no less shocking than Aura seeing Frieren release the restraint on her mana.

She simply had not fully mastered how to use that magical power yet. Her reserves were enormous, but she could not draw them out properly for the time being.

"Mm-hm. That's all thanks to the Commander. If other vampires ever met him, who knows what might happen?"

Kirie wrapped her arms around Setsuna's arm as she spoke.

"Oh, right. Looks like all the other vampires have already been wiped out."

"Anyway, if you want to take me down again in the future, it won't be so easy."

There was still an insurmountable gap in strength between Kirie and Shalltear, but Kirie could feel that gap narrowing ever so slightly.

To put it another way, last time Shalltear had subdued her in a single move without even giving her the opportunity to retaliate. Now, she might be able to barely withstand one exchange before getting flattened.

And that was only one night's worth of progress!

As long as she clung tightly to Setsuna's "thigh" in every possible sense and continued absorbing energy from him, she would keep growing stronger and stronger.

Perhaps one day, she might even grow into an extraordinary existence surpassing a vampire True Ancestor.

"???"

Shalltear was completely dumbfounded.

What was this supposed to mean? She was a True Ancestor. How had she never heard of vampires having this kind of method to grow stronger?

What kind of improper vampire had come from this other world?!

"Supreme One!"

She immediately squeezed in front of Setsuna, blushing as she tightly hugged his other arm.

"I... I want to get stronger too!"

"If Kirie Kagarino can do it, then... then I should be able to as well! Please!!!"

"???"

"You want to improve too?!"

Setsuna rubbed Shalltear's head.

"Kirie is a vampire, yes, but she's not the same kind as you."

"That's something unique to her world... No, actually, it should probably count as one of her personal traits?"

"Mm..."

Shalltear refused to give up.

"Supreme One, then... at least you should let this subordinate try?"

"If I can become stronger, then I'll be able to carry out the Supreme One's orders and missions even better in the future!"

"...Fine, fine."

Setsuna patted her.

"You'll get a spot at the next party."

"Thank you, Supreme One!"

"..."

Someone known as Humanity's Evil had watched the entire exchange from the sidelines, clicking her tongue in amazement.

"That's weird... I've eaten plenty from both above and below before, so how come I've never felt myself getting stronger?!"

"That talent is way too overpowered, isn't it?! Can Kirie turn me into a vampire too? I want to experience getting stronger while lying down."

"No training, no studying magic. Just stay beside the Commander and party every day, and you get stronger. That's an unbeatable UR-tier skill in the Starsea Empire!!!"

She calculated for a moment.

She already had too many identity buffs stacked on herself, so turning into a vampire as well would be rather inconvenient.

Besides, she had not come from an adult visual novel world and did not possess Kirie's ability to treat that stuff like a daily meal.

She still had not tasted enough of the Totsuki chefs' cooking either.

"???"

Stelle and Silver Wolf beside her were so shocked their jaws nearly dropped.

"Wait a second, what do you mean you've eaten plenty from both above and below?! Huh?!"

"Don't make such a fuss. I haven't even mentioned front and back yet."

"???"

The little gray-haired girl gave Gudako a thumbs-up.

"As expected of Senior Ritsuka Fujimaru. You've got plenty of variety."

...

Several hours later.

The Astral Express fleet completed its reorganization at the edge of the Solar System.

Himeko, Elysia, Gudako, Albedo, and the other navigators all stood before Setsuna, waiting for his orders.

"Then, according to plan, Crews One, Five, and Six will return with me..."

"Crews Two and Four will continue their otherworld exploration missions. Crew Three will also return to the Starsea Empire shortly afterward."

"Once we've rested in the capital, we'll resume exploring new worlds."

Setsuna simultaneously transmitted the information to Elma and Jingwei through the holographic interface.

"Understood."

The two navigators still in other worlds nodded in acknowledgment.

"The Kabaneri world was a little too easy too. We'll take Ilulu, Mumei, and the others to visit some other worlds first. Commander, wait for us to come back~"

Megumin, Yunyun, and the other Crimson Demon girls waved at Setsuna through the communication screen.

"I'm going to establish the Axis Cult somewhere Eris has never been before!!"

Aqua decided to get a head start. If she explored a world first, she could preach to the natives before the Eris Church spread there and everyone started worshiping the Goddess of Luck instead.

"Fine. Choose your route carefully, contact me immediately if anything happens, and don't try to force your way through if you encounter a world that's too powerful."

Setsuna transmitted the star map over to them.

Although Aqua was unreliable, she was still a goddess from the Celestial Realm. She had accumulated quite a lot of faith within the Starsea Empire. Her intelligence might have been lacking, but her actual strength was far from weak.

And with Elma keeping an eye on things, they should be able to handle most worlds.

"Then, Supreme One, please await our good news."

Rumble!!—

At Albedo's order, Astral Express No. 4 slowly pulled away from the formation.

Driving the power of Trailblaze, it transformed into a meteor and streaked across countless stars, disappearing into the distant void in the blink of an eye.

The remaining three trains formed a convoy led by Setsuna's personal Train No. 1 and departed in another direction.

"Ooooooh—"

"We're finally going back!!!"

Murasamemaru, Mako Hitachi, Haruhi Suzumiya, Chtholly, Nephren, and the others all pressed themselves against the windows, brimming with excitement.

Even Kumoko's usually expressionless face curved into a faint smile, while tremendous waves surged through her heart.

She had been the first person to board the Astral Express during this round of exploration and had followed Setsuna through the entire journey. At last, she finally had the chance to return to the Imperial homeland.

Oooooh, finally, finally we're going back to the Starsea Empire?!

I heard it's a world a thousand times more prosperous than Earth... no, ten thousand times more prosperous? Is that seriously true?!

They're not going to treat me like some country bumpkin, are they? Forget it, forget it. We're all country bumpkins anyway, so it's not a big deal...

When I get off the ship later, should I step out with my left foot first or my right? What was the Starsea Empire's greeting again? Do they prefer sweet food or salty food? Aaaaah...

—

—

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven