Chapter 15: Night Hunt (3)

Violent clashes raged in two different parts of the woods.

On one side, Ingrid was facing the Creeper Demon. On the other, Camila was battling the Headless Demon.

Trees came crashing down one after another, and even the smallest animals fled the area.

Lars’s watchful gaze shifted constantly from one fight to the other as he stood midway between them.

He hadn’t moved a single step since giving his wives permission to fight in his place.

Despite the darkness and the distance, not even the smallest detail escaped his notice.

The Creeper Demon brought his heavy axe down on Ingrid once again.

She dodged at the very last instant, and the blade kept going, splitting the ground open with a deep crack.

The Demon didn’t even have time to raise the weapon again before Ingrid lunged forward and drove her foot into his stomach.

The impact was brutal.

The Creeper Demon was hurled backward, smashing through one tree trunk after another without being able to stop himself.

It was then, while he was still flying through the air, that a pair of large black, membranous wings tore through the long coat that had kept them hidden.

Before he could crash to the ground, the Demon beat his wings and brought himself to a halt.

An instant later, he was already hovering in midair above Ingrid’s head.

It let out a mix of grunts and growls, somewhere between a threat and a cry of pain.

The last blow Ingrid had landed had split open its abdomen, tearing through the creature’s tough gray hide.

Thick blood, so dark it looked almost black, poured from the wound, with more trickling from the corners of its mouth.

Ingrid looked up at the creature.

"Oh... so you want to take this fight into the sky? Fine. I’ll indulge you."

Her long black dress slipped to her feet, and she kicked it aside along with her heels. Right after that, she removed her bra and panties as well, leaving herself completely naked.

A grin spread across Lars’s face.

I see... so you’re going to use that.

It took you four centuries, but you’ve finally decided to embrace the power I gave you.

"Even a revolting creature like you should be able to recognize beauty when it’s right in front of you. And as you can see, I certainly have no shortage of it," Ingrid murmured with a ruthless smile.

As she spoke, her canines lengthened into true fangs.

"...That’s why I can’t stand the thought of my beauty being disfigured. But your wretched decision to take this fight into the sky leaves me no choice."

Ingrid’s skin gradually lost its delicate rosy complexion, taking on an icy bluish hue. Her irises lit up with an unnatural yellow glow, and her facial features grew sharper.

Her fingers lengthened, ending in curved claws, while her ears became long and pointed.

Finally, an enormous pair of batlike wings unfurled from her back, their broad membranes spreading out on either side of her naked body.

Almost nothing about Ingrid looked human anymore.

She had become a monstrous, winged vampire creature. Only her long blonde hair still preserved an obvious trace of her former appearance.

Ingrid looked at one of her clawed hands with obvious disgust.

"...Forcing me to go this far will be the last mistake of your worthless life!"

At that moment, a thunderous boom drew Lars’s attention to the fight between Camila and the Headless Demon.

A violent explosion had just torn open a wide crater and flattened dozens of trees at once.

But while his eyes remained fixed on the scene, his mind was elsewhere.

None of this makes any sense...

Since when do Demons work together?

Nothing like this has ever happened since the dawn of time. And yet, there’s no doubt those two joined forces against me.

Something about this doesn’t sit right with me...

Another violent blast, accompanied by a blinding yellow flash, snapped him out of his thoughts.

The Headless Demon had just hurled a pumpkin at Camila like a bomb.

She had managed to dodge the blast clumsily as the explosion tore open another small crater and knocked down several more trees.

A moment after the throw, another pumpkin had already appeared in place of its missing head.

"D-Damn it... how the hell am I supposed to fight with this awful stomachache?!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Camila saw the spectral horse charging toward her as the Demon drew a long black sword.

"...Y-You’re going to regret making me mad!"

Camila suddenly thrust out her right arm.

"Bloody Stream!"

A thick strand of scarlet energy materialized between her fingers, and Camila gripped it like a whip.

"Take... this!"

She lashed at the horse’s legs, but the pain had thrown off her aim.

The animal avoided the strike by leaping high into the air without breaking its charge.

Camila then tried to strike the Demon directly. That attack, too, was inaccurate and uncoordinated, and the rider managed to sever the energy whip with a clean slash of his sword.

"I-It’s not over yet!"

This time, Camila thrust her left arm toward the Headless Demon.

"...Night Raid!"

Lars raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

...Why the hell does she have to shout the name of every attack before using it...?

A swarm of black energy bats burst from her palm and shot toward the rider.

But once again, the attack was neutralized with ease.

All the horse had to do was snort a burst of yellow flames from its nostrils to scatter the dark swarm.

Camila dropped to her knees in despair and burst into exaggerated tears, with streams of water practically shooting from her eyes like fountains.

The Demon was already almost on top of her. It raised its sword as the horse kept galloping straight toward her.

Camila squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her hands tightly against her chest.

The black blade came down toward her neck.

"KYAAAAAAAAA!"