Chapter 79: The Vampire Queen Descends!

Attack me, huh? Well, that’s convenient.

Right now, I think even some random street kid could probably end my life. I couldn’t even walk without help.

Now imagine a divinely powered Lucius. Sure, this might not be his strongest form, but it’s still divine power. Divine is divine, even in its early stages.

That meant I had to rely on the four women I’d allied so far.

Maybe even Celeste would be willing to help once she realized Lucius was being manipulated, just like in the original novel.

But first, I needed to confirm something.

"But you’re already on my side, so how does that work?"

"Well..."

Seraph thought about it, but stopped the moment we crossed into an ominously quiet street.

Normally, a quiet street at midnight was perfectly normal. The difference? This street didn’t even have its streetlights on. Not only that, but the neighboring businesses and compounds looked completely empty.

What made it even stranger was that this place had been completely full when I passed it this morning. Whatever happened here, the Federation definitely had a hand in it.

"Reyn, I need to let go of you for a while."

"Why?"

"Can you not sense it?"

"Unfortunately, the moment I channel even the slightest amount of magic, I’ll probably pass out."

Seraph nodded, gently letting go of me and helping me sit down in the middle of the empty street. Whatever she sensed, she needed all her limbs free.

"I’m guessing the Citadel sent assassins. Can’t you use your illusion magic to help us escape?"

"It’s too risky. Running would mean multitasking, carrying you and fighting pursuers at the same time. Even if I could find a crowded street to throw them off, the assassins could just pretend to be conducting a legitimate operation. I have to fight them here."

"Can you handle them?"

"Even if I couldn’t, I’ll do my best."

Seraph’s colorless eyes turned fully white. The ground began to frost over, and from that frost, five versions of her emerged, forming a circle around me. Each wielded a different weapon, a bow, a spear, a sword, a shield, and a whip.

"Whatever you do, don’t leave my circle."

Seraph waited in that position for three full minutes. I had no idea what was going on. I couldn’t hear, and I couldn’t even see clearly in the dark.

All I could do was trust her.

"They’re here."

Seraph muttered, and from beyond the circle, I finally saw what she’d been sensing the entire time.

There were thirty of them. They weren’t wearing white robes; they wore black. According to the novel, they were among the Federation’s elite of the elite.

Former graduates of the Citadel’s most advanced program. The significant delay since their initial assassins went silent had clearly prompted them to send their best to investigate.

"Lady Seraph, I never expected you to betray us. What about your father?"

The one who seemed to be the leader spoke. An armband on his left arm bore the symbol of Lumine, goddess of light.

"That’s none of your business."

She snapped, her magic flowing even more intensely.

"Everything would have been fine if you’d only followed the script for another day. Yet here you are, protecting this foreign noble."

The leader gazed at me sitting on the stone floor, a smirk blooming on his lips. He seemed able to sense the residual traces of healing magic emanating from me.

"No magic reserves? So that’s what happened. I have to give it to you, Lord Brimstone. You certainly know how to turn agents against us. Too bad you made yourself too vulnerable."

He raised his arm, and the other robed figures behind him began to slowly advance, their elements already swirling around their bodies.

"Reyn, I can’t beat them all. If you find an opening, I want you to run. It doesn’t matter if you can’t; force your body. Just let yourself pass out somewhere safer."

"So you can’t handle all of them?"

"Individually, they might be fine. But thirty at once..."

She didn’t need to finish. I understood immediately.

"Okay. I’ll come back for you once I get out."

"Thank you, Reyn."

"Everyone, kill the girl. Keep the Brimstone alive!"

The leader yelled, and from a slow walk, the figures broke into a full sprint. Seraph braced, each of her five clones already preparing.

But then...!

FWOOSH!

A sudden shadow streaked past our vision, and the five figures leading the charge vanished in an instant.

The remaining twenty-five immediately stopped, looking left and right to see what had happened to their comrades.

And then again...!

FWOOSH!

Four of the missing figures reappeared, dropping from the sky like discarded skin coats. Their bodies looked completely drained of blood, with visible puncture marks on their necks.

The obvious work of a vampire.

"W-What?"

They looked upward.

And to their surprise and mine.

It was Lillith. Her wings and horns were far larger than mine, her form seeming to blot out the moon. Her lips dripped blood as she held one of the figures by the neck, already dead, already drained.

She dropped him without a word.

"Pathetic little mortals. Did you really think you could just come here and kill my unlimited supply of blood?"

Her tone was different from usual. The submissive, servant-like way of speaking was gone, replaced by something that belonged to a bratty, dominant queen of the night.

And while Lillith was quite literally a queen of the night in terms of power, she’d never acted that way before.

Was this part of the evolution?

"A-A vampire queen!?"

The leader of the black-robes actually took a step back. The other twenty-five looked considerably less confident the moment she appeared.

"Light regiment, get her at once!"

He ordered, but the moment the seven light mages in his ranks began to move, Seraph intercepted them. The clone with the whip struck at a distance, distracting them.

From that distraction alone, Lillith descended like a vulture.

FWOOSH!

Before I could even blink, all seven light mages were dead. Lillith, proving her new personality also involved presentation, sat perched atop the stacked bodies.

"Is that it?"