Chapter 81: I had absolutely no other choice!

“Wha… Big Brother is an Exterminator?”
“That Far Shore War… and you say you betrayed the Exterminator army…!?”

“That’s right.”
Sheffield’s voice was calm.

In the half-hour after taking Su Xiao Zi away, out of a final shred of leniency for his late friend’s sister, he calmly told her everything about Su Mu Zhe’s past, including matters concerning the Phantom Squad.

Of course, this was also to make her realize her own predicament.

“As you can see, a large part of the power I now possess comes directly from him.”
“He really was a good big brother—hiding even the fact he was an Exterminator from you, his closest sister.”

Su Xiao Zi stared blankly at the tips of her shoes, her throat dry.

She swallowed with difficulty, clenched her jaw, and her brows knitted tightly together.

‘When did this happen?’

‘When on earth did all of this happen?’

‘When exactly did Big Brother become an Exterminator?’
‘Why didn’t he ever breathe a word of it to her?’

‘And he had even participated in that “Far Shore War” a year ago…’

‘So she had always thought she was the one protecting her brother, but she never knew that as early as the Bloodkin’s first appearance, her brother was already silently rushing to the front lines to protect his family and friends, fighting a life-or-death battle against the Bloodkin in the darkness?’

Sheffield glanced at Su Xiao Zi, observing her reaction after learning the truth.

Just as he had expected: shock, confusion, and pain.

As Phantom, Su Mu Zhe had been unwilling to bring the burden and danger back to his family, even in death.
A pity, but he failed.
He died, became one of the vanquished, a loser who had been eliminated.

Just before Phantom fell, Sheffield used the [Gift] to seize his power, even though the ritual would drastically shorten his own life.

But Phantom’s power could not be allowed to vanish from the world; he had to inherit it.

However, he could not fully replicate Phantom’s former abilities.

He was seeking the aura of the Sacred Forbidden.
Only that sacred and brilliant golden light could allow him to ascend to a greater echelon of power.
After amassing that level of extermination power, Sheffield would become an unparalleled existence.

But there was one thing he did not know.

Beneath the anger, unwillingness, and sorrow, Su Xiao Zi’s heart held a secret known only to herself.

—That her brother had not died.

Whether due to a fluke or some other reason, Sheffield was convinced Su Mu Zhe had died on the battlefield—but in fact, a year ago, her brother had returned safe and sound.

Although recently, he…

had undergone some bizarre changes, even taking on a female appearance.

“Why would you do this, Sheffield.”

Su Xiao Zi asked him in a low voice, “Big Brother always considered you a friend.”
“Yet you betrayed him.”

“And after obtaining Big Brother’s power, why would you even… abandon the Exterminator army, side with the Bloodkin, and even launch an attack on a human city!?”

At this, Su Xiao Zi abruptly raised her head, her eyes blazing with fury.

She struggled violently, the ropes binding her making a harsh, grating sound.

It was he who had killed the SS-rank Orderly Exterminator, “The Phantom Exterminator,” causing the Orderly Ward to crack.
He had seized that chance to invade human territory, resulting in Tina’s grave injuries and the deaths of so many Exterminators tonight.

‘After gaining all that power, you choose to serve the Bloodkin?’

‘What was all of this for!?’

A guy like him was simply a disgrace to the Exterminator alliance.

“If I hadn’t bowed to the Bloodkin, I would have long since become a ghost on the battlefield, just like your brother.”

Facing Su Xiao Zi’s questioning, the muscles on Sheffield’s face twitched.
The emotion in his voice suddenly intensified.
He glared at Su Xiao Zi with wide, furious eyes and roared:

“At that time, I had no other choice!”

“You wouldn’t understand, Su Xiao Zi.”
“So what if we were as strong as your brother? The Bloodkin Progenitors are not enemies we can handle.”
“It’s a dead end!”

“But I can’t die yet.”
“My wish, my hatred… none of it has been settled.”
“I won’t just die like that.”

“I can’t die…”
Sheffield’s voice gradually calmed as he kept repeating this phrase.
He looked at the stunned and bewildered Su Xiao Zi before him, slowly closed his eyes, and then opened them again.

That’s right, he, Sheffield, could not die.

He wasn’t afraid of death, but he didn’t want to die a worthless death.

As the Phantom Squad, they covered the retreat for the human Exterminator army, protecting the alliance’s vital forces.
But in the end, the entire Phantom Squad was sacrificed.
They protected others, but what did they get in return!?

He knew full well that he couldn’t be like Su Mu Zhe, couldn’t be so righteously awe-inspiring.

He had walked the path of an Exterminator for the sake of his own hatred.
It was a path he embarked upon after roaring and wailing countless times on the night his childhood sweetheart was taken from him, vowing to slay every last Bloodkin.

But now, before he could accomplish anything, he was expected to just die.

He could not accept it.

For his revenge, what did it matter if others were sacrificed?
He had already lost everything.
What noble cause could he even speak of?
Anyone who stood in his way had to be buried alongside his love!

Therefore, surrendering to the Bloodkin, compromising for survival, joining the Seraphim Legion, and secretly obtaining greater power…

All of this was to defeat the Bloodkin Legion Commander of the Seraphim Legion—the true culprit who had caused that disaster and made his love leave this world forever.

The rest of his wretched life was dedicated solely to this one thing.

For this, he would even kill himself to take the Bloodkin down with him, so what did the distinction between good and evil matter?

Sheffield’s expression returned to one of cold indifference.
“You can hate me all you want, Su Xiao Zi.”

“Your brother is not coming back.”
“But his wish as an Exterminator was also to completely drive out the Bloodkin, and only I can… act on his behalf.”

“But right now, the person the people of Tantan City want to drive out,” Su Xiao Zi said, her voice trembling, “is you.”

Sheffield was momentarily stunned, then the corners of his lips curved into a cunning and complex smile.

“Hahaha, hahahahaha!”

He paced slowly, his hands clasped calmly behind his back, his voice low and clear:

“This world… ultimately answers to power.”
“The victor is king, the loser is the villain.”
“When vampires possess enough power, they can treat humans as livestock, enslaving them and drawing their blood.”

“And if humans possess enough power, they can just as easily conquer vampires and control everything…”

“This is the harsh reality of the law of the jungle—no one can stay out of it.”

“If you really must blame someone…”

“──Then blame the dead themselves. Blame them for being too weak.”