[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-esper-harem-in-the-apocalypse":3,"chapter-esper-harem-in-the-apocalypse-esper-harem-in-the-apocalypse-chapter-697":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Esper Harem in the Apocalypse",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1664437,2131,"Chapter 697 A Challenge For Love","esper-harem-in-the-apocalypse-chapter-697",697,"\u003Cp>It had been a while since Rias and Jane left the island. They were leisurely flying over the sea, enjoying the view and the cold breeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the vampire world had no sun, it was always cold, but the human world couldn't match that even at night unless there was a mild storm or it was a seaside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flying over the sea at night reminded them of the vampire world. Although they didn't miss the people of the vampire world, they longed for the feeling of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure they missed Virgil and their friends, but that wasn't a big deal for them. They both were forty years old and had spent their entire life around them, so missing them at such an age was ridiculous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, they were dying to meet their favorite great-grandmother Nyxia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rias was flying near the clouds so she could soar above them with a few flaps of her wings. But Jane was flying right above the sea, dipping her hands and legs in the ocean once in a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked up at Rias and flew close to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The sun will rise if we keep flying so slow. You may be immune to the sun, but I am not. If we don't hurry and the sun rises, I will turn into ash.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No one is stopping you from flying fast. I didn't ask you to fly along with me,\" Rias responded without looking at Jane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Why do I feel like Rias has been giving me the cold shoulder lately? Did she see Rudy and me together? Or perhaps suspecting us? To be honest, I wasn't sure I would be able to keep our relationship a secret from Rias for such a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought she would find out the next day. Either I am too good at hiding, or I am just lucky. However, neither of those cases would help me if Rias learned the truth. I have to tell her before she finds out. But how?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jane suddenly had a great idea and decided to try it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey Rias, how about we race to the pool house? The winner can ask anything from the loser, and the loser has to honor the winner's request,\" she suggested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm~\" Rias hummed in wonder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Rias was well aware of what Jane was trying to do, and she wasn't going to fall for her trick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why should I?\" Rias asked calmly while keeping her sight ahead of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We always used to have such challenges in the vampire world. But it has been a while. We haven't had a challenge since…\" Jane stopped as she couldn't speak further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since you came to the human world to take me back to the vampire world so I could be punished for falling in love with a human.\" Rias finished Jane's sentence and finally looked at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you still angry about that?\" Jane asked, averting her gaze to the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why should I? You were simply following grandpa Virgil's order, who was following a rule made by the previous Lords. I was aware of the risk and the punishment when I fell in love with Rudy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's what I call love.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I still chose to because my love for him was far greater than my fear of punishment. At that time, I didn't even know Rudy was the Lord. I thought of him as a human, yet I still loved him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's what I call love.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rudy tried to stop you when you came to take me back to the vampire world. He was only a human, yet he was ready to fight you— a vampire. He knew he could die in a single blow, yet he never stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's what I call love.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if my punishment was death, I would have gladly died without having a single regret for loving Rudy. We had that type of relationship. We were ready to do anything for each other. We were prepared to die for each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's what I call love.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However… I am not sure about that anymore. He has changed, I have changed, people around me have changed, the world has changed, and the time… has changed. But that change is inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am not against the change, whether it be in my favor or not, but I am against the people who try to change that change, who can't accept it. Well, you probably won't understand what I am talking about.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'She is at least trying to tell me the truth. I will give her this one chance, even if it's in her favor,' Rias thought to herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay. Let's race to the pool house. I don't have any terms.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jane gulped down and asked, \"No attacking each other during the race, either?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When have I done that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You use everything to your advantage, which can be a disadvantage for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are a prime vampire, the third strongest vampire in the vampire world— and that is a major disadvantage for me. You can enhance your body and wings using your powers and fly faster than anyone. I am on par with a low-rank vampire who can't fly as fast as you. If that's not an advantage, then I don't know what is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rias shook her head in disbelief, seemingly trying to play a weak victim card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't make it sound like I have won all the races. We have had 11689 official challenges so far, out of which 7586 were air races. You have won 3790, while I have won 3796. A difference of 6 wins, which isn't a big gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You always try to play that card to make me feel guilty, that breaks my will to beat you, but it won't work in this challenge. I have placed something important on the line, and I can't risk losing it, no matter what happens.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\" Rias raised a brow with an impressed look on her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They both stood beside each other while slowly flapping their wings to keep themselves hovering in one place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No hard feelings, my dear sister~\" Jane said to Rias.\u003C\u002Fp>",1026,"2026-06-06T12:42:22.774Z",1,"novelbin.me","5c17c83e95a2f0c56e81ec9ca0b2fb77b4d9a7bb6d4256335db070ecb21b213b","esper-harem-in-the-apocalypse-chapter-698","esper-harem-in-the-apocalypse-chapter-696",1163,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fesper-harem-in-the-apocalypse-cover.jpg"]