Chief Anton gestured heavily toward the comfortable leather chair positioned directly in front of the tactical display.
"Sit, Eirene, put down those medical and chemical supplies you're carrying. You're going to need your hands free to study these mapping arrays." he commanded smoothly, his voice returning to its authoritative, administrative tone
I complied without a word. Moving with deadpan efficiency, I sat down in the leather chair, carefully setting the heavy wicker basket containing the glassware for the tear gas and the raw sulfur precursors for the mustard gas onto the stone floor beside my boots. I kept my dark vanguard cloak loosely draped over my shoulders, ensuring my sun-allergic skin remained nested in the room's ambient shadows.
Anton leaned forward, resting his massive, scarred forearms on the edge of the mahogany desk. He looked directly into my mismatched jade-green and crimson eyes, his expression shifting into a deeply solemn, academic gravity.
"Eirene, do you truly know what you are dealing with when it comes to vampires?" Anton asked, his voice dropping an octave as he zoomed in on the pulsing red markers of the southern border map.
Before I could answer with my standard structural data, he continued.
"Fallen Angels are classified as the absolute strongest entities across the entire Triangulum Continent. But purebred vampires? They are firmly secured in second place. They are winged demons possessing razor-sharp fangs, capable of tearing through enchanted vanguard armor like parchment. They bear physical traits quite similar to yours, actually... though, of course, you're a human," he added, completely unaware of my hidden biology.
"But these things are entirely inhumane, predatory creatures."
He tapped a specific sector on the tactical interface, causing a series of chronological timestamps to illuminate the grid.
"They are strictly nocturnal beings, Meaning they operate exclusively under the absolute cover of darkness. The Branch 2 outposts along the southern borders weren't breached during the day; they were systematically attacked directly at nighttime, when the vanguard's visibility was compromised and the monster's physical parameters were at their peak. And you need to understand their biological limitations: their only true mechanical weakness is natural sunlight. Real ultraviolet rays. Standard, low-to-mid tier light magic won't do a single thing to disrupt their cellular regeneration. If you don't catch them in the sun, you have to overpower their healing matrix through raw, unmitigated trauma." Anton explained, his finger tracing a defensive trench line that had been completely wiped out.
I stared at the pulsing map, a cold, clinical calculations forming behind my deadpan expression. My newly upgraded Means of Communication and Don't Ask? were already equipped with the anti-heal Lifeline and phased mist-bayonets specifically to bypass that rapid cellular repair. Combined with the flesh-blistering mustard gas I was going to brew tonight, the fact that they only feared the sun wouldn't save them from me.
"The nocturnal variable is already factored into my operational timeline, Chief Anton, tell me about their migration patterns. Where is the core nest located within the southern sector?" I stated smoothly, my cute yet chilling voice cutting through the hum of the holographic display.
Chief Anton nodded grimly, tapping the holographic map again to shift the display westward. The green grid lines quickly shifted, rendering a stark, undulating topography of massive dunes and jagged rock formations.
"The southern borders sit directly west of Sisiphon City, Meaning you are dealing with entirely desert terrain. It is highly likely this vampire nesting core is scattered deep within the shifting sand mountains or the subterranean cavern systems riddling the canyons. But you won't need to flush them out of the deep dark during the day. Since they operate strictly during nighttime, the Blood-Sucking Winged Demon actively roams the open desert wastes once the sun drops below the horizon, hunting for passing merchant caravans or scouting vards."
He leaned closer across the desk, his voice dropping into a tense, urgent warning as he locked his eyes onto my calm expression.
"And listen to me, Eirene… do not
let your recent S-rank victories make you complacent. Never underestimate them. They possess hyper-dense, razor-sharp claws and elongated fangs designed to drain a target alive in a matter of seconds. More importantly, you must remember how their biological mechanics function: their high-tier healing magic is completely fueled by drinking blood. The moment they puncture a vanguard's armor and taste vital fluids, their cellular regeneration multiplies exponentially. If you let them bite you, any physical trauma you've inflicted on them up to that point is completely erased."
Behind my canvas hood, my deadpan expression didn't waver a single millimeter, but a dark, cynical spark of absolute irony flashed through my mind.
"Their healing magic is fueled through drinking blood, It is the exact same structure as my own lifesteal." I thought, my analytical brain instantly mapping out the exact mechanical overlap.
As a demon, my own vampiric core relied on that exact same biological loop. When I unleashed my unhinged demonic form, my weapons and blood-manipulation strikes systematically harvested the vital essence of my targets, channeling their lifeforce directly back into my own cellular matrix to achieve instantaneous, flawless regeneration. This wasn't going to be a standard monster hunt; it was going to be a direct, localized clash between two apex predators sharing the exact same evolutionary code.
But unlike the purebred parasite roaming the sands, I was walking into the desert with an arsenal specifically engineered to rewrite the rules of engagement. With my custom-made mustard gas ready to liquefy its respiratory tissues, and the anti-heal Lifeline enchantments on my newly forged mist-bayonets ready to permanently suffocate its cellular repair, its ability to drink blood wouldn't save it. I would completely hollow out its healing matrix before it could even get a single claw near my throat.
"The blood-absorption loop is noted, Chief Anton, They will find that my blood is entirely toxic to their baseline survival. Now, provide me with the exact coordinates of the last known vanguard massacre so I can plot my drop zone."
Chief Anton let out a heavy, solemn sigh, the amber light of the ether lamps catching the deep lines of exhaustion etched into his face. He tapped the glowing holographic map one final time, bringing up a cluster of blinking crimson markers concentrated near a jagged canyon pass deep within the Sisiphon desert wastes.
"The tactical reality is grim, Eirene. At those southern border coordinates, our recovery squads haven't been able to fully retrieve the dead bodies. The sector is far too volatile. That means the corpses of those thirty-two elite Luminous Knights are still out there in the sands, essentially serving as an all-you-can-eat blood buffet to keep that purebred parasite completely fueled and regenerated." Anton stated, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly octave.
He leaned back in his leather chair, crossing his massive, scarred arms over his chest.
"However, the logistical footprint remains intact. The military carriages and heavy transport wagons were completely abandoned during the ambush, and they are still sitting at the exact site of the massacre. If you locate the wreckage, you will find the silver and gold supply caravans. Those are the exact same high-tier supply transports belonging to the Luminous Knights, containing specialized vanguard resources, tactical equipment, and emergency funds that the Bureau hasn't been able to reclaim."
My analytical mind instantly processed the battlefield telemetry, mapping out the precise layout inside my head. The fact that the bodies were still there meant the vampire would likely be tethered to that specific hunting ground, returning to the wreckage to feed or guard its stolen territory. Furthermore, reclaiming those high-tier silver and gold caravans would provide an excellent secondary operational objective, allowing me to secure rare vanguard resources while systematically erasing the target.
"The layout is perfectly clear, Chief Anton," I said, standing up from the leather chair with a seamless, fluid motion.
I reached down with my newly restored left hand and lifted the heavy wicker basket of alchemical flasks, sulfur dust, and chlorine precursors back into my grip. I pulled my heavy canvas hood down tighter, casting my face once more into absolute shadow as my severe sun allergy throbbed slightly against the remaining daylight filtering through the office window seals.
"I have the coordinates, the terrain parameters, and the tactical variables, I will return to my house tonight, finalize my chemical payload, and construct my makeshift tear gas belt to optimize my inventory capacity. By sunrise, I will begin my march toward the Sisiphon desert line. The purebred parasite will be erased within seventy-two hours, and my registry will be scrubbed clean before Elias returns to duty." I stated smoothly, my cute, restored voice carrying a freezing, deadpan finality.
Anton looked up at me from behind his desk, a mixture of profound relief and lingering awe in his eyes. He gave a single, firm nod of approval.
"Do what you do best, Eirene. The entire southern ledger is in your hands. Don't fail us."
Without another word, I turned on my heel, my dark cloak flaring over my hidden, compressed wings as I exited Chief Anton's office. It was time to head home to House 132 and turn my kitchen into a lethal chemical laboratory.