Chapter 490: Bloodlust X

She stood several meters away and waited. She did not approach without knowing what Sekhmet was about to do.

Sekhmet forced his thoughts toward the System.

"Redirect it."

[Confirm request.]

"Move the killing urge into physical lust."

[Confirmed.

Beginning instinct redirection.

Predatory aggression suppression is increasing.

Physical desire pathway amplification beginning.

Warning: Bloodlust value may remain unchanged during initial redirection.

Warning: Physical impulse intensity expected to exceed normal Host limits.]

Sekhmet closed his eyes. For several seconds, nothing happened. Then everything changed at once.

The murderous hunger inside him twisted.

There was no gentle transition. One moment his body wanted to hunt, tear, drink, and kill. The next moment, the direction of that hunger changed.

The violent pressure remained. The need remained. The intensity remained. But the purpose changed.

Sekhmet inhaled sharply. His entire body became hot. The blood running through him moved faster. His heartbeat increased.

Stephen’s blood still remained inside his body, mixing with his newly advanced Chaos Rank Four power and the unstable Blood God energy.

But for the first time since reaching one hundred percent Bloodlust, he did not want to kill something. His mind cleared slightly.

The System appeared.

[Predatory Bloodlust partially redirected.

Hostile killing impulse decreases.

Physical lust is rapidly increasing.

Host control recovering.

Current control: improving slowly.]

Sekhmet slowly lowered his hand from his head. He opened his eyes.

Elena was directly in front of him. It was not because she had moved. Because she was now the only thing his altered instincts cared about.

He could hear her heartbeat. But he no longer wanted to tear open her throat. Instead he wanted to tear open her clothes.

That was an improvement. A very dangerous improvement.

Elena saw the way his expression changed. The killing intent around him weakened. Something else replaced it. She understood immediately.

"It worked."

Sekhmet swallowed.

"Partly."

"How much control do you have?"

"Enough to know where I am."

"That is more than before."

"Not enough to trust myself."

Elena nodded.

"That is why I am here."

Sekhmet stared at her. The difference between what he remembered about Elena and what his body currently wanted made his thoughts collide with each other.

He remembered her dragging him out of trouble when he was younger. He remembered her correcting him. He remembered arguing with her. He remembered treating her as his aunt for years.

And now the Blood God instinct was looking at the same woman in a completely different way.

Sekhmet shut his eyes again.

"Elena."

"I know."

"This is strange."

"Yes."

"You are taking this too calmly."

"I have had a long life."

"That does not answer anything."

"It answers enough."

Sekhmet opened his eyes.

Elena continued before he could argue.

"I am not pretending our history does not exist. I helped look after you. You grew up treating me like family. That is exactly why I know you well enough to understand that you would rather tear your own body apart than hurt Lily, Mira, the twins, or anyone else because you lost control."

Sekhmet said nothing.

Elena stepped closer.

"We are not blood relatives."

"I know."

"I am not your aunt by birth."

"I know."

"And right now, I am also the only person there who has a body strong enough for this."

Sekhmet’s eyes moved over her before he could stop them.

Elena noticed. The murderous Bloodlust had definitely changed direction.

Sekhmet looked away.

"That part is working too well."

Elena almost smiled.

Sekhmet’s breathing became heavier.

A notification appeared.

[Predatory aggression continues to decrease.

Physical impulse continues to increase.

Host voluntary control: temporarily stabilized.

Recommendation: complete redirection actions before Blood God Will attempts to return to predatory behavior.]

Sekhmet read it. His jaw tightened. There was no point in delaying.

The longer he stood there trying to think normally, the greater the chance that his Bloodlust would change direction again.

He looked at Elena.

"One last chance to change your mind."

Elena’s eyes hardened slightly.

"You are asking me that after I already agreed several times."

"Yes."

"Then stop."

Sekhmet frowned.

"Stop what?"

"Trying to make the decision for me."

That made him silent.

Elena stepped close enough that only a small space remained between them.

"I decided."

Sekhmet could hear her heartbeat clearly. It was faster than before. "So she was not as calm as she looked."

For some reason, knowing that helped.

Elena raised one hand and placed it gently against the side of his face.

The touch sent another wave through Sekhmet’s already unstable blood.;His fingers tightened.

Elena did not move away.

"I am here because I chose to be here."

Sekhmet stared into her eyes.

The System gave one final message.

[Physical-lust redirection stabilized.

Host voluntary control temporarily restored.

Predatory Bloodlust suppressed but not eliminated.

Further stabilization required.]

Sekhmet could think again. It was enough to understand the woman standing in front of him. Enough to know she had made her own choice. Enough to stop himself if she moved away.

Elena did not.

Sekhmet reached forward and placed one hand around her waist.

He paused.

Elena kept her hand against his face.

"Let’s do it."

That removed the last hesitation Sekhmet still had.

He pulled Elena against him and kissed her.

The movement was faster and rougher than Sekhmet had intended. One moment there was still a small space between them, and the next Elena’s body was pressed firmly against his. His arm tightened around her waist while his other hand came up to the back of her neck. The enormous strength moving through his body made even that simple movement dangerous, but Elena’s God-level body did not bend or break beneath it. She remained steady.

Elena’s eyes widened slightly when their lips met.

For one brief moment, neither of them moved.

Sekhmet could feel her heartbeat clearly through Blood Control. It had become faster than before, but the sound no longer created the desire to tear into her throat. The System’s redirection was working. Instead of murderous hunger rising from every beat, a completely different heat moved through him.

His fingers tightened against her waist.

Elena felt the strength behind the movement, but she did not pull away. When Sekhmet hesitated for the smallest moment, she placed one hand against his chest and the other around the back of his neck.

That small response destroyed what remained of his hesitation.

Sekhmet kissed her again, harder this time.

The Blood God Will inside his body reacted immediately. His breathing became heavier, and the crimson light in his eyes remained bright, but the terrible killing intent surrounding him weakened further.

Elena noticed the change.

Only a short time earlier, standing close to Sekhmet had felt like standing beside a predator that might attack anything with blood in its body. Now that pressure was changing with every second she remained in his arms.

Sekhmet finally separated from her lips just enough to breathe.

Their faces remained only inches apart.

"Elena..."

His voice was low and strained.

She could feel how hard he was fighting to keep control even now.

Elena looked directly into his crimson eyes.

"Do not think about everything else right now."

Sekhmet’s breathing remained heavy.

"That is difficult."

"I know."

The System appeared inside his mind.

[Predatory aggression continues to decrease.

Physical-lust redirection remains successful.

Host voluntary control increasing.

Blood God Will remains unstable.

Continue stabilization.]

Sekhmet barely finished reading it before the pressure inside him surged again.

His arm tightened around Elena.

This time Elena was prepared. She held onto him and met his lips again before the violent desire could turn back toward blood.

Sekhmet stopped thinking. For now, that was exactly what he needed.