Chapter 104: Blood Therapy, New Target

"Roar!" A lion-like bellow erupted in tandem with the burst of the air blade, and a pressure as tangible as a physical weight surged forth the moment the shield-axe descended.

The residents, who had mustered the courage to rise against the demon summoner, were struck by this sudden, overwhelming force. Their legs turned to jelly, their minds plunged into chaos, and they stood frozen, paralyzed by indecision.

The cat-girl, in particular, was hit hardest; her primal instincts seized control of her body, forcing her to curl into a ball on the ground, clutching her ears and trembling as a low, guttural hiss escaped her throat.

"Clang!" The massive mechanical shield-axe slipped from Edward’s grasp. As the violent, surging battle aura that powered it dissipated, the terrifying pressure that had accompanied the weapon’s devastating strike vanished along with it.

The mechanical structure shifted and folded, reverting the weapon into Edward’s standard longsword and shield. Edward himself collapsed, drained of all strength. Every fiber of his being screamed in silent agony, his body ravaged by the toll of the exertion. He could not summon even a sliver of battle aura; moving a single finger felt like an impossible task.

"Clack." A hand reached out from the gaping hole in the nearby wall, pushing aside the debris. Wang Yu stepped through. It was he who had arrived just in time to shove the Ember Ogre aside, and he appeared entirely unaffected by the oppressive aura.

He popped his dislocated shoulder back into place and rushed to Edward’s side, pressing his hand against the knight’s drooping eyelids. The man looked ready to slip into unconsciousness—a fatal mistake that could cost him his life.

"Wang... Yu... you’re too slow." Edward’s consciousness was fraying. The excessive expenditure had severely depleted his life force; the burst of aura had been drawn partly from the axe and partly squeezed from his own marrow.

"You have no idea how hard it is to run this far. I don’t know how those demons got into the city, but Aleister is hiding something—especially with all these traitors running around." Wang Yu spoke while fishing a medicine vial from his pocket.

He channeled his ripples into Edward’s body to assess the damage. Because Edward was so weak and held no resistance toward him, the scan was effortless. What Wang Yu saw, however, shocked him.

"We need a thorough investigation... the way this summoner bypassed the outer defenses to reach the city center... it’s all too suspicious." Edward’s voice was fragmented, breathless.

"Ugh, shut up. You’re dying, you know that? If you keep talking, you’re done for." Wang Yu pressed a hand over Edward’s mouth. The injuries were severe—on par with his own state after fighting Obi-Wan, perhaps even worse.

"I need to use something heavy-duty to keep you breathing." Wang Yu scratched his head. He wasn’t a practitioner of healing witchcraft; if Avia were here, it would be simple.

But with his own limited grasp of void energy, attempting a spell might only worsen Edward’s condition. Fortunately, he had plenty of experience being half-dead, which meant he had some rather unorthodox methods.

Blood therapy. It sounded like something from that Earth game, *Bloodborne*, and in truth, it wasn't far off.

Wang Yu pulled out a small knife, sliced open Edward’s sleeve, and retrieved a well-preserved crystal vial from his pocket. Inside was a viscous, crimson liquid—his own blood.

"You’re the first to try this. Don’t you dare die from an allergic reaction; that would be a real shame."

Edward was in far worse shape than he looked. While his exterior was mostly intact, the majority of his blood vessels—save for the ones that had already ruptured—were fractured.

His bones were spiderwebbed with cracks, his muscles were torn, and for some reason, parts of his anatomy seemed to be liquefying. It was only because Edward was a formal knight that he hadn't perished instantly; a high constitution was one of the few perks of the profession.

Under these circumstances, standard stimulants like "Spinel Heart-Stoppers" or "Primordial Bite" would only accelerate his collapse. Wang Yu had no choice but to gamble on this unproven blood therapy.

"Click." He fashioned a needle from void energy and attached it to the vial. He plunged it into Edward’s arm, driving his own blood into the knight’s system, guided by the secret arts of the Blood-Stained Gale Knight.

"Eat this." Wang Yu produced a soft cloth-wrapped object and shoved the soap-like block into Edward’s mouth.

Edward chewed weakly, but the substance melted like butter, sliding down his throat. A warmth began to radiate from his abdomen.

"It’s a mild body-tempering tonic I made myself. It’ll provide the nutrients needed for the healing process." Edward’s body was like an engine running dry; without fuel, the repair process would just burn away his remaining life.

With the energy replenished, Wang Yu began the blood therapy. Once inside Edward, his blood became difficult to command, meeting resistance from the knight’s own autonomous immune response. Fortunately, Edward was so weak that the rejection was negligible.

After killing the vampire, Wang Yu’s blood had gained certain regenerative properties. Standard medicine struggled to treat the dense, microscopic trauma scattered throughout a body, but Wang Yu’s blood—which he could manipulate with precision—could theoretically mend everything from the inside out.

"This is purely theoretical, so hang in there." The therapy had never been clinically tested. Wang Yu hadn't expected to find his teammate on the brink of death, but he had no other choice.

He channeled the Blood-Stained Gale arts through his ripples, guiding his own blood through Edward’s veins. Whenever it encountered a wound, Wang Yu’s blood would seep into the tear, consuming itself to knit the tissue back together.

By the time he had exhausted the supply, most of Edward’s severe internal damage had been effectively treated. The therapy was remarkably efficient for such widespread, fine-grained trauma.

He drew the remaining blood back into the needle to prevent any complications from foreign matter lingering in Edward’s system. The repair was limited, but it was enough to hold the thread of life together.

"How do you feel?" Wang Yu could feel Edward trembling throughout the process. The sensation of foreign blood coursing through one’s veins was undoubtedly agonizing.

"No... it’s actually quite itchy. And... there’s a strange sense of pleasure." Edward’s expression was peculiar. Having recovered slightly, his voice was no longer so faint.

"Like that?" Wang Yu was surprised. Thinking back, his method did share a certain resemblance to the blood therapy of Yharnam; addiction was common there, so Edward’s reaction wasn't entirely unexpected.

"Thank you. I would have died here without you." Edward patted Wang Yu’s shoulder, leaning against the doorframe of a nearby building.

"Whew, how did you manage to get yourself into such a mess? I thought you were going to sacrifice your life." Wang Yu packed away his supplies and asked casually.

"That..." Edward gestured toward the discarded shield-axe, his tone surprisingly relaxed. Having actually wielded the weapon, he felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"Hah, it’s impressive, sure. But it’s not worth your life." Wang Yu retrieved the sword and shield and set them beside Edward.

"Perhaps I’m not worthy of it." Edward shook his head.

"Don't talk like that. I don't have time to chat; I need to get to Sharl. He discovered something earlier. Honestly, what’s the point of keeping secrets from him? It’s not like leaving him out of the loop changes anything."

Wang Yu didn't elaborate, laying out his next moves. As for Edward, he just needed to rest; in his current state, moving was out of the question.

"Understood." Edward didn't try to be a hero, leaning back against the wall to conserve his strength.

"Oh, one more thing. Sharl told me this, so I’m passing it on: the cat-girl at the flower shop is named Su Fang. Don't go around not knowing her name."

"What?" Edward looked bewildered.

Wang Yu didn't explain, breaking into a sprint and vanishing from sight.

"What on earth... Su Fang...?" Edward scratched his cheek, confused, yet it was the first time he had heard her name.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Edward? Your companion asked me to look after you. Let me help you to my shop to rest, meow." A voice suddenly reached his ears.

He looked up to see the cat-girl standing before him, reaching out a hand to help him up.

"Uh... er, thank you, Miss Su Fang."

"Huh? You know my name?"

"Uh, no, I..."

...

"Whew, the power of that weapon Edward used was staggering. A Great Knight caught off guard by that would be severely wounded or killed instantly."

Wang Yu sprinted toward his destination. The streets were still filled with the roars and riots of demons, but by using his ripples to scout ahead, he avoided any direct confrontations. Other demons were being intercepted by local professionals who had spontaneously organized.

"If it were me... I don't think I could have handled that demon summoner." Wang Yu pondered for a moment and realized he couldn't have defeated it. He might have been able to overpower Edward in a physical brawl, but his lack of battle aura would have made it impossible to break the summoner’s flame barrier. He was still too weak.

The wreckage left by Edward’s massive air blade had left a deep impression on him. Buildings had been erased as if evaporated, and the summoner along with its defenses had been utterly annihilated from reality.

"Is this really what battle aura can achieve? Or rather, how much power is required to produce an effect of annihilation that rivals magic and witchcraft..."

Wang Yu assumed the weapon was a unique artifact belonging to the Duke’s son and decided not to pry.

"Forget it. I probably couldn't use it anyway. No point in thinking about it." He shook his head, clearing his mind.

He continued toward the rendezvous point with Avia. He had intended for her to stay safe under the protection of the Church of the Night, but he knew better. Expecting her to wait while he fought was impossible. Besides, there was no reason to stop her; with Avia by his side, their combined combat effectiveness was far greater than the sum of its parts.

He knew he couldn't help in the direct battle against the demons. In a large-scale war, his strength—barely that of a formal knight—was negligible. He was better off elsewhere.

He had suspected Sharl knew something. After all, they both carried the name Lade; it was unlikely to be a coincidence. Perhaps Ponia Lade really could foresee and alter the future, but that didn't necessarily apply to those who possessed similar gifts.

The news Holo had relayed through the Lady of the Night—that Sharl had disappeared—only confirmed his suspicions.

Sharl had taken the small statue of the Lady of the Night, which allowed Wang Yu to track his location. He was deep underground. Since he couldn't contribute to the front lines, he might as well see what Sharl had uncovered.

"It likely involves the Professor and Captain Shuguin. With everything happening, their absence is telling. They must have been waylaid. After all, it’s strange enough that these demons could infiltrate the city center so easily. Aleister, just how many traitors do you have in your ranks..."