When Souta opened his eyes again,
He found himself in a dark, damp environnt.
It was nightti.
Streetlights dimly illuminated the surroundings, pushing back so of the shadows.
Nearby, the sound of flowing water reached his ears.
Souta turned his head—
He was next to a murky river.
Floating along its surface were plastic bottles and random trash.
It looked like he was under a small bridge.
Streetlights shone on part of the riverbank, but under the bridge, it was shrouded in darkness.
"Huh? This isn't a subway station?" "The location really changed!"
Looking around, Souta confird his suspicions.
In Kizumonogatari,
Kiss-Shot and Araragi first t in a subway station.
But this place—
Was nowhere near a subway.
As he stepped forward, he felt sothing sticky and wet beneath his feet.
He instinctively shifted his position.
A faint, tallic scent hit his nose.
—The sll of blood. "Did I just step in blood...?"
Souta quickly crouched down and examined the ground.
Under the weak glow of the streetlight,
he saw a dark red puddle, slowly solidifying.
It was definitely blood.
"Kiss-Shot?"
Souta called out—
No response.
His chest tightened.
"Don't tell I was too late?!"
He hurriedly followed the trail of blood.
His eyes scanned ahead.
The streetlights didn't reach the deeper shadows.
But within the darkness—
He faintly saw the outline of a human figure.
Could it be...?
Souta quickly walked over.
Under the dim light, a glint of gold caught his eye.
He pulled out his iPhone and turned on the flashlight.
The golden glow revealed its true form—
A head of srizing, breathtakingly beautiful golden hair.
But...
That golden hair was now stained with blood, tangled, and filthy.
As the light illuminated the scene, Souta finally saw her clearly.
A stunningly beautiful woman lay motionless in a pool of blood.
Her elegant crimson dress was soaked in blood—
Souta couldn't tell if it was originally red, or if it had been dyed red by her own blood.
It's her. It's Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade!
Souta recognized her imdiately.
The legendary vampire, once feared as a monster—
Now reduced to a pitiful, tragic state.
Her arms and legs had been severed.
Beneath her dress, nothing remained but empty stumps—
Her limbs completely gone.
Blood gushed from her wounds, forming a crimson sea on the ground.
A scene like this...
Would make any normal person scream in horror.
It was beyond shocking—
Beyond disturbing.
Souta instinctively swallowed hard.
Not because of so perverted thought like "a fresh al" or anything disgusting like that—
But because of the sheer terror and overwhelming discomfort the sight brought him.
He quickly crouched down and gently lifted Kiss-Shot into his arms.
Carrying her over to a brighter spot under the streetlight, he lightly patted her cheek.
"Hey! Kiss-Shot! Can you hear ?!"
She didn't respond.
Her eyes remained tightly shut, her expression lifeless.
She seed to have already lost consciousness.
"Wake up! Hey, wake up... ...Alright, guess there's no saving you. I'll just head ho then."
Of course, he was just joking.
Souta was completely serious about saving her.
He tried shaking her again.
Pinched her philtrum.
Even lightly slapped her face—
But she still didn't react.
"Uh... Kiss-Shot... are you seriously dying?!"
Souta felt uncertain.
His Ti Manipulation required energy, which he lacked.
He couldn't reverse her injuries.
There was no way to heal her with ti.
With no other option, Souta consulted the system.
He had tested this before—
If he asked questions related to the Friend Group, its mbers, or himself,
the system would selectively answer.
If the question was too ridiculous, though...
For example, "What color panties is Kurumi wearing today?"
The system would just ignore him.
And if it was completely unrelated...
Like the size of the universe,
whether aliens exist,
or if Arnold-chan is actually a 5'3" bodybuilder—
Then the system wouldn't even acknowledge it.
But this question was about Kiss-Shot's life.
So it should be answerable.
"System, can Kiss-Shot still be saved?"
[ Yes. As long as she isn't dead, she can still be saved. ]
[ Current estimated survival ti: 5 minutes. ]
Five minutes?!
Souta's heart dropped.
He quickly asked—
"How do I save her?!"
[ Provide her with blood to consu. ]
Souta frowned.
"That won't work."
"My blood returns to my body the mont it leaves. She won't be able to drink it!"
That was one of the unshakable traits of a true immortal.
Any lost blood, flesh, or limbs would instantly regenerate.
He physically couldn't provide blood.
But—
The system denied his claim.
[ Kiss-Shot, as a vampire, has a higher-level ability: "Blood Devour." ]
[ This ability overrides the Immortal Body's "Regenerative Blood" effect. ]
[ Her consumption ability will take priority, allowing her to successfully absorb your blood. ]
Souta froze.
"Wait... seriously?"
So even an unstoppable force and an immovable object could have a winner...?
The legendary "Unstoppable Spear vs. Unbreakable Shield" paradox actually had an outco?
"If that's the case..."
Then there was no problem.
Souta was immortal.
Even if he lost all his blood, he wouldn't die—
He'd just beco a walking, dried-up corpse.
He could always ask Kurumi to use a Fourth Bullet to restore him.
And even if that didn't work...
He still had an Invitation Letter.
There were plenty of fictional characters who could fix his condition.
For example, if he invited Rias Gremory from High School DxD and built a good relationship with her...
She could just reincarnate him as a Devil.
Problem solved.
And if becoming a vampire gave him a weakness to sunlight,
He could use the Invitation Letter again to solve that issue, too.
The Invitation Letter was precious,
but if it was used to save a friend,
Souta could accept that cost.
However...
Souta didn't imdiately offer his blood.
Because—
There was one more problem he needed to confirm.
"System, if I let Kiss-Shot drink my blood... Will she try to eat afterwards?"
Because in the world of Monogatari,
Vampires had a very ssed-up rule.
They drank blood for two reasons:
1. To create a Servant.
2. To consu food.
If they drank blood with the intention of creating a Servant...
It was similar to procreation—
A family bond would form.
Or, to put it bluntly...
It was practically an act of reproduction.
This was why most vampires rarely made Servants.
Even if they were on the brink of death,
Many would rather die than create a Servant.
And here's the worst part—
Once a vampire drank soone's blood,
That person WOULD turn into a vampire.
No exceptions.
No take-backs. No way to undo it.
The mont blood was consud,
It was a done deal.
So—
Souta needed to confirm.
If he gave her blood,
would he just beco her Servant?
Or...
Would she see him as a al to be finished off afterward?
Because that... was a very important distinction.
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