Chapter 239: Old Friends

It was moving so fast that Lucy failed to even catch its shadow. It was nothing more than a blur in her eyes. Grace and the horrifying nightmare moved ahead to stop it from reaching their master. However, reality struck a hard slap on their faces. Although they were both one of the mightiest spirit beasts, they failed to stop it even for a second. The shadow whisked past them with such speed that they were unable to even touch the hem of his cloak.

"Master, look out!" Grace shouted out.

"I got this."

Something unknown was charging at him, but Elliot didn't flinch. His mind was at its top condition right now, and he was ready to smash the black shadow to death like a bug.

[Name: John Crimson!]

Elliot was just about to release a devastating energy blast that could turn towering mountains into dust when he found out that the shadowy figure was none other than John, thanks to the help of his godly right eye.

Immediately his hand lowered, and a smile appeared on his face.

Of course, his followers didn't know that. Grace and the horrifying nightmare were already charging up their spirit mark to manifest terrifying attacks.

"Ceasefire."

Elliot's two followers were going to launch an attack, but they held back after noticing that their master didn't want them to harm the black shadow.

With the threat gone, John understood that Elliot had managed to determine somehow who he was even though he looked so different than before that even his mother would fail to identify him.

"Elliot! It's been so many years since I last saw you, man! Damn, I miss you!" John appeared next to Elliot in the blink of an eye, and then he immediately hugged him. The hug was so tight that Elliot felt breathless for a moment. And as he looked at John, who he had split up with only seven or so days ago, he was shocked out of his wits.

"Y-you, just what happened to you?"

The last time Elliot saw him, John was shorter than him. He was thin and scrawny, had long hair that covered his head. And his skin was also a bit dark. But now, he was white and a bit taller than him. Not just that, he now had some stubbles on his face! And even though he was still slender, Elliot could tell that he was hiding powerful muscles behind his black cape.

"It's a long story," John said, his voice sounding deep and seducing, almost like that of a vampire.

Yes, now that Elliot looked at him more carefully, he realized that John had become a full-fledged vampire.

Holy shit!

'Had John become a blood-sucking monster?!' Elliot thought.

"You know him?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, meet John. He is my friend." Elliot briefly introduced the pale white vampire to Lucy before saying to him, "And John, she is a member of my party. Her name is–"

Before Elliot could finish his words, John extended his hand towards her and said, "Lucy, right?"

As if his bottomless black eyes successfully hypnotized her, Lucy reflexively shook hands with him, and only after a moment did she snap back to herself and take her hand back.

"How did you know?" She blurted out.

Even Elliot was a bit confused. This was the first time that they were meeting together, so how could John know her name? Was he able to read minds? That thought was immediately proven wrong as Elliot saw that he didn't possess such a skill.

"Ah, It's because I oversaw much of what you guys did in the spirit beast forest. Elliot, you asshole! Do you know I nearly got a heart attack when you let that bastard complete the ritual and summon the serpentine devil? I thought you had gone nuts at that time and prayed ten thousand times, hoping to see you get out alive of the mess you had created. Thankfully, as Theo said, I was just over worrying about your ass." After scolding Elliott, John turned towards the blonde beauty, "Anyway, young lady, I wanted to tell you that you are exceptionally beautiful. Not only is your exterior gorgeous, but your interior is also the most purer one I've ever seen. My friend here is lucky to have you." Who knows when but his eyes had long turned crimson!

Being praised so frantically by another man would make anyone blush, and Lucy was no exception.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." She said, and as she was holding her head low, she failed to see the change in John's eyes.

"Ahem." Elliot walked ahead to stand before her and stared at the pale young man, telling John with the intense look in his eyes that Lucy was his territory.

"Can you be more specific?" Elliot changed the subject to something more significant. Lucy and his beasts finally focused their eyes on John. By this time, his eyes had already returned to normal and looked like two bottomless black holes.

Why had he grown so much in seven days? How was he able to keep track of what they were going through? When Elliot first met him, John was shy. But now, he was like the captain of the extrovert squad, ready to flirt left and right like a total slut! What had happened to him that caused him to become so different? Was he spying on us? Is the master's buddy?

Elliot and the others had a lot of unanswered questions raging in their hand; John found out.

"It will take a while to explain."

Under the scrutinizing and confused gazes of the people around him, John sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Right at that very moment, the man who was standing on the other side of the bridge suddenly disappeared. And then, in the millionth of a second, he appeared beside John.

John looked at the man who was even taller than him as if he had seen his savior.

"Why did you take so long to arrive here?"