Chapter 200: Battle

Amon quietly followed the two vampires through the darkness, keeping a small distance between them.

The tunnel had become narrower than before. Thin streams of filthy water ran along the walls.

The vampire carrying the box kept one hand beneath his coat, making sure the small container remained secure.

"Do you think Victor will actually meet their leader?" he asked.

His companion gave a quiet chuckle. "He doesn’t have much choice. The elves are getting impatient, and Victor needs whatever information they have."

"Do you trust them?"

"Of course not. But trust doesn’t matter anymore. As long as we get what we need, they can hate us all they want."

Amon narrowed his eyes. ’So neither side trusts the other.’

His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.

There wasn’t enough room to use his battleaxe properly here, and the last thing Amon needed was to trap himself in a narrow tunnel with two enemies.

The sword was much better suited for the cramped environment.

Amon gradually increased his pace and the distance between them slowly disappeared.

The vampire at the back suddenly stopped. "Wait."

His companion looked over his shoulder. "What?"

"I heard something."

Amon moved without wasting any time.

He crossed the remaining distance in a single burst and drove his sword into the vampire’s back.

The blade pierced through flesh and bone before reaching his heart.

The vampire’s body stiffened.

Amon twisted the sword.

"ArghHHH!!"

The vampire screamed, his voice echoing through the underground tunnel as his hands desperately reached backward.

His fingers caught the edge of Amon’s invisible cloak.

With the last of his strength, he grabbed the fabric and tore it from Amon’s shoulders.

The cloak fell into the filthy water.

Amon didn’t hesitate.

He pulled his sword free and immediately rushed toward the other vampire, who had already created several meters of distance between them.

The vampire turned and raised his hands as dark red mana spread across his arms.

Instead of forming an ordinary weapon, thin crimson threads emerged from his skin and stretched through the air, attaching themselves to the walls and ceiling.

Amon slowed slightly. ’What kind of ability is that?’

The vampire pulled one of the threads and his body suddenly slid sideways.

Amon’s sword cut through empty air.

Another thread tightened, dragging the vampire backward before Amon could follow.

He then pulled two at once and his body shot forward, and a crimson blade formed along his forearm.

Amon raised his sword.

CLANG!

The two weapons collided.

The vampire immediately changed his angle, letting Amon’s strength carry the sword past him before driving his elbow toward Amon’s jaw.

Amon blocked with his forearm and the impact forced him backward.

The vampire pulled another thread and swung himself around Amon.

Amon turned and slashed, the vampire ducked beneath the blade.

Amon moved his shoulder aside before kicking toward his knee.

The vampire pulled another thread and was dragged backward just before the kick connected.

’He’s controlling his entire movement with those threads precisely like a puppet.’

The vampire suddenly snapped his fingers.

Three crimson needles formed beside him and shot toward Amon.

Amon deflected one with his sword, twisted away from the second, and let the third strike his Dragon Emperor’s Scale Armor that quickly covered his body.

The impact cracked one of the black scales.

Before Amon could retaliate, the wounded vampire rushed toward him.

Amon turned but the vampire grabbed his ankle. "Got you."

The vampire pulled hard.

Amon’s foot slipped through the shallow water, and his balance broke for an instant.

He immediately kicked the vampire in the face. The impact sent him rolling across the tunnel.

Amon turned back and the second vampire was already attacking.

A crimson blade formed along his arm and swept toward Amon’s chest.

Amon crossed his arms. The Dragon Emperor’s Scale Armor appeared just before the attack struck.

BOOM!

Amon was driven backward and crashed against a stone pillar.

Pain spread through his ribs.

He gritted his teeth before pushing himself away from the wall. "That fucking hurt."

The vampire stared at the scales covering his body. "Dragon scales?"

Amon raised his sword again and rushed in without answering.

The vampire pulled three threads.

His body moved in different directions in quick succession, using the tension in the crimson lines to change his position whenever Amon tried to predict him.

Amon swung his sword and the vampire blocked with a blood shield he created instantly.

Amon kicked the shield, forcing him backward, then stepped forward and swung toward his shoulder.

The vampire pulled himself toward the ceiling and the sword cut through his sleeve instead of his arm.

He dropped back down and attacked immediately.

Amon blocked the crimson blade, but the first vampire suddenly returned and grabbed his shoulder.

Amon slammed his head backward into the vampire’s face.

The grip loosened. Amon spun around and drove his sword into the vampire’s chest again.

The vampire caught the blade between his ribs and tried to hold Amon in place.

Amon kicked him away and the second vampire immediately attacked.

Amon raised his sword as their weapons collided, pushing Amon several steps backward.

He looked at the two vampires. ’This is taking too long.’

Amon lowered his sword and he raised his hand instead.

Ice mana gathered around his palm.

The temperature of the tunnel dropped rapidly, and thin layers of ice began spreading across the dirty water.

Amon remembered Professor Celeste’s lesson about mana control.

Amon created a tiny ice shard that was barely larger than his thumb.

He compressed it and the shard became smaller.

The surrounding air became noticeably colder.

Amon flicked his finger and the ice shot forward.

The vampire raised a blood shield.

The projectile struck and a crack appeared on it.

Another crack spread across the crimson barrier before the shield shattered completely.

The compressed ice pierced through the vampire’s shoulder and buried itself in the wall behind him.

The vampire staggered.

Amon created another shard and compressed it even further.

The vampire pulled his threads and moved sideways, but Amon adjusted his aim.

The projectile struck his thigh and ice pierced through the flesh.

The vampire fell to one knee, but his wound immediately began regenerating.

Amon didn’t stop, several tiny ice needles appeared between his fingers.

He compressed each one before firing.

The vampires moved desperately, using blood shields to block some attacks while dodging others.

Several needles still pierced their bodies, forcing them to spend more mana on regeneration.

Having no other choice the vampire closed the distance.

Amon drove his knee into his stomach before forming a compressed ice spike and driving it through his chest.

The vampire screamed and collapsed.

Amon turned toward the second vampire.

He immediately stepped aside from the attack and fired three compressed ice projectiles.

They struck the vampire’s shoulder, abdomen and knee.

The vampire fell.

Amon rushed forward and swung his sword.

The blade cut through his neck and his head fell on the ground.

Amon immediately turned toward the first vampire. Its chest was already closing around the hole created by the ice spike.

Amon walked toward it.

The vampire suddenly opened its eyes and lunged for his leg.

Amon stepped over the hand and brought his sword down.

The blade severed the vampire’s neck and the body went still.

Amon stood there, breathing heavily. His chest rose and fell as he looked at the two corpses.

He slowly rubbed his ribs and immediately winced.

Amon slowly exhaled. ’I’m still not strong enough.’

Two vampires had forced him into a prolonged battle despite having the advantage of surprise.

’If Victor and others had joined them, things could have become much worse.’

Amon wiped the blood from his mouth and looked around the tunnel.

He quickly remembered the box.

He searched the area and eventually found it beside the wall, partially covered by dirty water.

Amon walked over and picked it up.

He wiped the grime from its surface and examined it carefully.

’This better be worth all that trouble.’ Amon glanced toward the dark tunnel behind him.

He slowly lifted the lid and a layer of dark cloth covered the contents.

Amon carefully pulled the cloth away and found multiple small glass container with pure white liquid.

Amon picked one up.

’Is this sperm?’ He mused to himself. ’Did I risked my life for bottle of sperms?’

He immediately used his divine merchent eyes.