Chapter 2034 Peculiar Blood

The great hall had barely settled into silence when a heavy footstep echoed from the corridor.

Adam, who was looting the vault, had already sensed the arrival of two people. But just as he sensed the second person, the presence vanished like a ghost. It made him all the more wary.

He arrived in the great hall of the fortress. Though he had a carefree smile on his face, inside he was very serious.

Across from him, Holstein emerged from the darkness. The vampire was enormous. His black cloak clung tightly over his body, his pale face expressionless. Strapped to his back was a greatsword and a heavy axe.

Adam studied the vampire for a few moments. He planned to stall for some time to try and locate the other person who had suddenly vanished.

He exclaimed, "Man, you are big!"

Then he looked around the hall, though his Sphere of Resonance had already spread in all directions, and murmured, "I was sure there was another one of youse. Now where—"

Holstein suddenly vanished.

Adam's eyes narrowed. His instincts screamed. Without a second of hesitation, he twisted his body sideways.

Whoosh!

The sword tore through the space where his neck had been just a heartbeat earlier.

A drop of sweat trickled down the side of Adam's forehead, and his lips subconsciously curled upward.

The bastard's speed belies his humongous size!

What the—

He didn't even have time to finish his thoughts as he immediately had to step back.

Holstein was already upon him!

The burly vampire swung the heavy axe with his right hand.

Adam instinctively ducked.

Boom!

The axe smashed into the marble floor, sending fragments flying in every direction. Adam rapidly tried to create distance, but he didn't get the chance.

Holstein kicked the shattered floor toward him. Adam coated his arm with mana and raised it as stone fragments struck his body, and in that instant, the vampire was already swinging again.

This time with his greatsword. Due to the size difference between the weapon and its wielder, the greatsword looked no different than a short sword in Holstein's hand.

Adam leaned backward again, pushing his senses to their extreme. The blade passed so close to his chest that he felt the wind it created. The second strike came from the opposite direction, forcing him to twist desperately.

The sword scraped across his white robe and black inner robe.

Too fast, Adam exclaimed inwardly.

Holstein wasn't giving him even a moment to breathe.

Since the battle began, a very short time had passed. The exchange between them had only taken a couple of seconds.

Adam retreated several steps, his eyes constantly scanning the hall.

Now where is the other one?

He was certain that he had sensed two presences. Yet only Holstein appeared. That meant his partner was somewhere nearby, patiently waiting like a predator.

What a drag…

Holstein charged again.

This time Adam's eyes widened.

The vampire suddenly threw his sword at a ferocious speed. Adam shifted his head. The blade flew past his ear and buried itself in a pillar.

Before Adam could react, Holstein was already in front of him, his fist coming down like a hammer.

There was too little time to dodge. Adam gritted his teeth and crossed both arms.

BAM!

His body was launched backward like a cannonball. He barely managed to twist in midair and land on his feet.

But by that time, Holstein had already ripped the sword from the pillar and was charging toward him.

Adam's gaze sharpened as he saw the behemoth already in front of him. His arms stung from the punch earlier. If it weren't for the fact that he had coated them with mana, and that his physique was equivalent to a Cavalier, Holstein's punch would have crippled him.

Worse still, the vampire did not give him any chance to prepare any spell. Every time he tried to gather mana or weave hand seals, the bastard attacked.

Holstein was taking full advantage of what a Paladin had against a Magus!

Adam could not find a single opening!

The vampire arrived before him in the blink of an eye and swung the sword again. Adam ducked. But the moment he did, a knee came crashing toward his face.

Adam's pupils danced in his eyes as the Sphere of Resonance was almost pushed to its limits.

He leaned aside to evade the knee kick, but immediately after, a fist followed. Adam slipped beneath it, but a heartbeat later, the axe came down.

Adam exerted strength in his legs and pushed backward.

Crash!

The marble floor exploded beneath him.

As soon as Adam retreated and only one of his feet landed on the ground, Holstein pulled the axe free and immediately swung horizontally.

Dragonsh—

Adam dropped flat on the ground as the blade passed inches above his head. Then he immediately rolled away, and Holstein followed.

He sprang to his feet just as the burly vampire thrust his sword toward his chest. At the last possible moment, he twisted his body at a ridiculous angle. Even still, the blade pierced his sleeve and grazed his arm.

Holstein had drawn first blood!

For the first time since arriving, Holstein's lips curled upward into a sneer. But suddenly, he paused, his brows slowly furrowing.

"Hoh?"

He noticed the blood on his blade come alive. As if drawn toward his sword, the blood flew back to Adam's wound. Before long, Adam's injury was healed. Even the tear in his sleeve was mended.

Holstein's lips curled threateningly. He grinned from ear to ear as he revealed his sharp canines.

"What peculiar blood you have, little human."

"So he speaks!" Adam teased. "Now where is that other fellow? Did he go into hiding after witnessing how mighty I am?"

"Mighty?" Holstein tilted his head, seemingly confused. "From the beginning, all you've done is run. How, then, can you call yourself mighty?"

The corner of Adam's lips twitched. He was still stalling as much as possible to try and locate the other sneaky bastard. But his senses could not pick up on the other vampire.

So either the second vampire was exceptionally good at hiding. Or he was far beyond Adam's senses.

"The twins would disagree," he said.

"The Leroux Sisters were the weakest of His Majesty's Generals," Holstein said matter-of-factly.

The Vampire King's Generals? Adam thought with a light frown.

"Is that so?" He asked. "How many Generals does your king have under his command?"

Holstein shook his head.

"Dead men do not need to know—"

But he was abruptly cut off.

This time, it was the vampire's turn to defend!