Chapter 48: Cone Birth Zero Extra

  Throughout his life bearing guilt, advancing for revenge, and bewildered for a girl, the knight is forever an existence to protect the queen — Tsurugi no Zero.

  Zero and his twin brother Ichiru were born into the Kiryu family, a family of vampire hunters that is renowned as one of the most prominent in the hunter community. Zero was trained from birth to be the future head of the Kiryu family, while his brother Ichiru was an ordinary human who was weak and frail from birth, unable to even take care of himself... His parents had given up on him a long time ago...

  Zero and One had a good relationship, after all, they were twins, closer than anyone else. But when Zero fell ill one time, he found a record in an ancient book that One hadn't closed yet...

  The ancestors of the hunters ate the blood clan's ancestor and gained the power to destroy vampires, but since the blood clan's ancestor was swallowed unwillingly, he left a curse... ...As long as there are twins in the vampire hunter family, they will fight each other in the womb, with the stronger one devouring the weaker one to become the strongest vampire hunter. Therefore, sometimes stillbirths occur, and this is known as the "Cursed Twin Birth".

  This also made Zero aware that he had absorbed too much of the power in his mother's womb, which is why he was always physically weak and didn't have any vampire hunter abilities. He felt extremely guilty about this... Every time he saw his mother's endless kindness towards him, his heart would scream out. Don't do this, mom, the warmth that should be equally shared between us all belongs to Ichiru, give it to him, because I took too much from him...

  Zero and Ichiru's master is Nightwalker Kaito, a very strong man whom Zero respects greatly. He once asked the vampire why they had to harm humans but his master avoided the topic. This time he met a woman, a beautiful and gentle woman who was a doctor with lovely hair, however... she was a vampire that hunters were trying to eliminate. That time in the hospital she attacked me and Ichiru, we were both shocked, was that still the gentle doctor? Zero rushed in, intending to destroy the vampire, but I stood before him and stopped him because I didn't believe the gentle woman would be a vampire... but I was wrong... Master lost an eye to save me and I also found out what vampires are, why they harm humans, and that vampires are all demons wearing human skin.

  Among the cherry blossoms that bloomed out of season, Zero and Ichiru met a woman, a beautiful woman who didn't seem to be human. She stared at the cherry blossom tree, tears streaming down her face. At that moment, he knew she was a vampire.

  "Hurry back, your parents will worry." Grabbing a handful of his hand as if to pull him away from this dangerous place immediately, because he didn't want him to get hurt, and also as atonement...

  "Alas! Why?"

  "Because it's a vampire."

  "Haha, Ling is so strong, I didn't even notice at all."

  "...Looking at that wry smile and self-mockery, he knew he was again aggravating the wound on that scar..."

  …………

  On a snowy night, Ling discovered the smell of vampires and rushed out to see that woman, the vampire woman.

  "The clever child... discovered my existence earlier than both parents..." She smiled with a sorrowful expression, like the cherry blossoms that bloomed out of season.

  "Zero!!" Amidst his parents' loud cries, Zero was tightly bound in Kurenai's arms, no matter how hard he struggled, it was all in vain.

  However, as twins born of a hunter, they were destined to bear the guilt of blood...

  "It's all blood's fault..."

  "Then I shall create your... a destiny bound by sin for all eternity..."

  Under her eerie smile, sharp fangs pierced his neck fiercely, and the blood in his body was desperately flowing away. The only persistence that could not fall down was a strand. That guy, showed his fangs, a strand! Hurry... escape a strand, if you dare to lay hands on a strand, I will kill you!!

  "Hey, pure-blooded sister, if we don't leave now, the hunters will be coming!"

  The only obsession was also ruthlessly shattered, although he had long sensed a hint of change, but... didn't expect this to happen. Naive ideas like redemption had long since disappeared, from that night when I saw you secretly laughing, why did you laugh? What did you take your parents' death as?!

  He woke up again and was taken away by a man named Hei Zhong Hui. When he arrived at his home, he met a girl named You Ji, a kind and gentle girl who saved his heart from collapsing. After many years of living together, he regarded her as family.

  The scars of being bitten have never faded, enduring day and night the desperate urge to suck blood. I haven't forgotten a single night, four years ago that despicable woman toyed with my brother and me, turning our home into a sea of blood... yet I've managed to survive like this... My only goal is to kill that woman...

  Four years later, he met the girl who would change his fate forever at Hei Zongwu's home. She wasn't as innocent as she looked; her brown eyes were beautiful and clear to the bottom, but also empty and terrifying. Her long, dark hair was exquisite and delicate, with a face that resembled You Ji, but was many times more beautiful than hers. She seemed like a doll, unknowingly giving him a good impression of her.

  That girl is called Kurenai, and she's another poor thing who was sold to the principal by her father for his own gain. One day, when she brought up going to the night department, he suddenly felt an inexplicable anger in his heart - what a joke, didn't she know that place was where those monsters disguised as humans roamed? She would probably die, become their prey...

  Unconsciously agreed to the chairman's brain-wracking request, and surprised him during their duel. Her speed and strength, which didn't match her age, changed his impression of her once again. It turned out she wasn't that fragile porcelain doll; there was a surprising determination and resilience in her eyes...

  At night, when the group of vampires exchanged dormitories and saw that the child was safe and sound, their worries also dissipated. This time, she had changed a lot, taking the initiative to talk to him, and her expressions were much richer... Those vampires didn't harm her, but instead liked her very much, perhaps this was her innate charm, making people unconsciously close to her... She smiled at him, smiling like an angel, making him feel warm, just like the sun, inexplicably melting the ice wall he had built.

  I can barely hold back the urge to drink fresh blood, it's truly pitiful. I detest vampires, I think about not harming humans, but I'm unable to stop myself from craving fresh blood...

  On Valentine's Day, I didn't expect to receive her chocolate, but in the evening, I received the chocolate she made, it turned out that she hadn't forgotten what she said that day...

  The chocolate is delicious, not bitter and not too sweet, with a hint of a mysterious floral scent in between, which is the same as the fragrance she emits from her body, it's the flavor of a flower that doesn't exist in this world...

  That day, he finally couldn't resist the urge to suck blood and sucked Yuuki's fresh blood. Yuuki's fresh blood had always been a fascinating blood for vampires, but what he yearned for most was that girl's blood, her blood was even more attractive to vampires than Yuuki's, in the eyes of vampires she was like a rare food in the world, yet he didn't want to hurt her at all...

  Having sucked Yuuki's blood, it's the same as a blood tablet for me... I can only hold on for a little while longer... Next time, I'll be craving fresh blood again...

  Under the invitation of a senior, he went to the Night Department. He wanted to know why he had to kill Levele, who was also a vampire and his kind. Led by Aotaka Eiko and Kakine Akira, he and Yuuki arrived at a venue belonging to the Night Department. Every vampire was dressed in formal attire, apparently attending a banquet. With the unique vision of vampires, he saw from afar that little girl holding a plate of butter cake sitting on a luxurious sofa with Kyorlan Shu, looking at her intimate behavior with Kyorlan Shu ignited anger in his heart...

  She was beautiful, and among the vampires she still shone so brightly, like a spirit, that his heart involuntarily skipped half a beat. But on the second day, she silently left Black Main Academy for another academy, however, she would come back, he would wait for her to return home...

  What surprised him was not only that, but also Yuki, the girl he had always thought was kind and innocent. It turned out that this was her true nature. As he sucked her blood, he felt many things about Yuki that he had never seen before - a heart as venomous as a scorpion's, filled with jealousy, resentment, and malice towards the girl... Her blood was not delicious at all, but rather made him feel nauseous. Why did the Yuki he thought of as family have such a face?

  Akane Maria, another vampire who has turned him, but she gives him a strong feeling, is that the blood bond that Aoi Toudou spoke of? For four years, there hasn't been any news from that woman, could it be because her appearance isn't like before anymore? The place where that woman bit me still hurts, I haven't forgotten even one night, four years ago, the woman who cruelly toyed with my brothers and turned our home into a sea of blood, Akane Sakuraba, on that day your true face was stained with our fresh blood... Even so, living like this, perhaps it's because of Akane that I'm able to live until now...

  The girl's return would so easily change his four years of hard-won revenge, the reason being he didn't want to see her sad face...

  Having sucked her blood, her blood was like opium, making people **. Many messages flowed through her blood, to Kyoran's, to Akatsuki's, and to his own. Unexpectedly, she was... the vampire he hated the most.

  He confessed to her, telling her the feelings he had been hiding deep in his heart. Even though she was a vampire, she was surprisingly so obtuse. He kissed her lips fiercely, but unconsciously softened his movements and kissed her awkwardly. Her kiss tasted sweet like candy, making him unconsciously fall into it...

  I yearn for these gentle hands and smile, she's not small at all, in my heart, her existence is not small at all. Even if she's a vampire and a pure-blood, because she has never changed, I like her, from head to toe it's all her. Even if the first time we met was as a vampire, I would still fall for her again...