Chapter 489: Bloodlust IX

Elena did not pretend otherwise.

"It does not."

She took another step toward him.

"But normal stops being relevant when your Bloodlust becomes uncontrollable."

Sekhmet breathed out slowly.

Elena looked directly into his eyes.

"The important question is whether this can stop you from losing yourself."

The System appeared.

[Host Bloodlust: 126%.

Estimated time before near-total voluntary control failure: Unknown.

The current deterioration rate is increasing.]

Sekhmet’s fingers twitched.

Elena noticed.

He needed to move.

Now.

Sekhmet looked around the courtyard.

Too many people remained.

Even though the fighting had ended, there were prisoners, battle maids, lesser vampires, servants, bodies, and blood everywhere.

The smell alone was feeding the problem.

He forced enough control back into his body to raise one hand.

"Everyone goes inside the Void Land."

Mira immediately understood.

"All of us?"

"All."

Sekhmet opened the void gate. The dark opening formed across the courtyard.

Raka looked toward him.

"What about the Iron House family and prisoners?"

"Take them too."

Sekhmet swallowed. His throat still tasted like Stephen’s blood.

"Leaf’s territory. Keep them there."

Raka nodded.

"You heard him! Move!"

The lesser vampires immediately began organizing the prisoners.

The surviving Mihos fighters were taken first. Their storage rings and weapons had already been removed. Those who could walk were forced toward the gate. Those who could not were carried.

The Iron House servants followed. Several were terrified of entering the strange dark gate.

Raka did not give them time to complain.

"Inside, now."

One servant looked at him.

"What is there?"

"Somewhere safer than here."

The man looked toward Sekhmet. Then entered without another question.

The battle maids helped move the wounded.

Sofia tried to rise when two lesser vampires approached.

Her arms shook.

"I do not need to be carried."

Natasha, still sitting against the stone, looked at her.

"You currently have three broken ribs, one leg that sounds like dry branches, and you coughed blood while saying that."

Sofia glared at her.

"I can still walk."

She pushed herself up. Her leg took her weight for less than one second. Then Crack!

Sofia immediately dropped again.

Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"Excellent demonstration."

"Shut up."

Two lesser vampires carefully picked Sofia up. Another pair helped Natasha.

Natasha did not resist.

"I learn from other people’s mistakes."

Sofia gave her another glare while being carried through the gate.

The strange exchange helped some of the tension among the others, but Lily was not smiling. She remained beside Sekhmet.

Mira stood with her. The twins were already moving toward the gate.

Lily looked at Elena. Then at Sekhmet.

"You are sure this is the only option?"

Sekhmet tried to answer.

The System warning appeared first.

[Host Bloodlust: 127%.

System control intervention at maximum output.]

Sekhmet closed his eyes.

"Yes."

Lily studied him for a moment. She knew him well enough to see how difficult that single answer had been.

She reached out and touched his forearm.

Sekhmet’s entire body became still. Her heartbeat entered his senses.

It was warm and close.

Blood moved beneath her skin. For one terrifying heartbeat, the murderous hunger returned toward her.

Sekhmet immediately pulled his arm away.

"Go."

Lily understood. She did not take it personally.

"Come back normal."

Sekhmet looked at her.

"I will try."

"That is not a very convincing promise."

"It is the best one I have."

Lily gave him one last worried look before entering the gate.

Mira followed.

Before crossing, she looked at Elena.

"Do not let him do anything stupid."

Elena looked toward Sekhmet.

"I have been trying to do that since he was small."

Sekhmet managed to speak.

"Your success rate is poor."

Mira almost smiled.

Then she entered.

Vera and Vela followed.

Raka stayed until almost everyone else had crossed. Only he, Sekhmet, Elena, and several battle maids remained.

Raka looked around the destroyed Iron House estate.

"Do we leave the dead?"

"Yes."

Sekhmet’s eyes briefly moved toward Stephen.

The instant he saw the corpse, his fangs pressed against his lower lip again.

Elena noticed.

"Do not look at him."

Sekhmet turned away.

Raka directed the last battle maids through the gate.

Then he remained.

"Young master?"

"Inside."

Raka hesitated.

"What about you?"

"Different place."

Raka looked at Elena.

She nodded once.

That was enough for him. He entered. The gate closed.

For the first time since the battle began, Iron House became almost completely quiet.

Dead bodies remained scattered across the estate. Broken weapons covered the stone.

Stephen lay dead near the center.

Sekhmet could smell all of it.

The absence of living people helped.

The presence of so much spilled blood did not.

[Host Bloodlust: 128%.

Critical loss of voluntary control is imminent at 130%.]

Sekhmet immediately opened another Void gate. This one did not lead to Leaf’s Bloodlands. He chose a location himself.

Far away.

A barren region he had seen before while exploring parts of the Void Land.

There were no prisoners. No Auri. No Bat Harpies. No Leaf. No Flesh Fairies. No Dryads. No lesser vampires. Nothing living close enough for his Bloodlust to select.

Elena looked into the gate.

"Where?"

"Far away from everyone."

She stepped through first. Sekhmet followed. The gate disappeared behind him. As soon as they entered, Silence surrounded them.

The difference was enormous.

The Void Land stretched into the distance beneath its strange sky. The ground in this region was dark stone mixed with dry earth. There were no trees. No buildings. No voices. Nothing moved here.

Sekhmet stood still. His Blood Control automatically searched outward. There was only one heartbeat.

It was Elena.

The endless noise that had filled his senses disappeared. His knees bent slightly. One hand went to his head.

The System responded.

[External blood stimuli reduced by more than 99%.

Hostile blood targets no longer detected nearby.

Blood God instinct remains unstable.

Host Bloodlust: 128%.

Host voluntary control continues declining.

Immediate redirection recommended.]

Sekhmet looked at Elena. Her Mid-Rank God power was still active. The Blood Corruption inside her remained stable for now.