Arc 3 Chapter 9 : Vampire

[Emilia PoV]

We'd been sweeping this building for nearly half an hour now.

Raul's intuition had been right — we'd found human corpses here, along with horrifying experiments conducted on their bodies.

I hoped we'd find a victim still alive, someone these bastards were still using.

Right now, we were in a fairly large room. Judging by its interior, this seemed to be the mansion's central chamber.

—Crash!

Suddenly, thunder rumbled loudly, followed by the sound of rain beginning to fall. It seemed a heavy downpour would arrive before long.

A powerful wind swept into the room, chilling us to the bone.

"Klein, close those windows," I ordered him.

"Understood, Captain Emilia."

Klein walked toward the windows and began closing them one by one. But just as he reached for the last one, a hand suddenly yanked him out, sending him tumbling down.

Seeing this, my group and I braced ourselves for whatever threat was coming.

Before long, a beautiful woman entered the room through that window.

"Ah, it seems we have guests," the woman said.

I gripped my spear, readying myself for combat.

"Who are you!?" I demanded.

The woman smiled and slowly began walking toward us.

"My name is Yuna," she answered, her lips painted with lipstick. "What's your name, young lady?"

Her expression suddenly shifted from a smile to mild irritation, since I'd tried to strike her neck by extending my spear. Still, she dodged by shifting her body slightly to the side.

"How rude," she said casually. "And here I was, showing such good manners."

Good manners, huh? By yanking my subordinate out through the window?

—Crash!

Thunder rumbled again, wind pouring back into the room through the window still left open.

Closing my eyes briefly against the disruptive gust, I was startled to find the woman had vanished the moment I reopened them.

"Ahhh... a virgin, is it? What a tempting scent."

A chill ran through my body hearing that voice from behind.

Turning my head, I saw the woman smiling wickedly right behind me.

How had she suddenly appeared there?

But before I could get an answer to that question, my body was suddenly sent flying, slamming hard into the building's wall.

It hurt so much... it felt like she'd struck my ribs with tremendous force.

How could that woman possess this much strength?

"Captain!? Attack that woman!"

I heard one of my subordinates shout.

I tried to get up, and saw three of my group already taken down by that woman. Her hands were covered in the blood of the people I led.

Splitting my spear into two, I charged toward the woman using Accel magic.

I unleashed thrust after thrust at her, but she easily dodged and read every one of my movements, still smiling all the while.

"Oh, look at you," the woman said. "So young, beautiful, and brave... I wonder how your blood will taste, when I drink it?" The woman licked her lips.

Drink my blood? What was she even talking about?

It didn't matter — I attacked her again. But she suddenly vanished from my sight once more.

—Bam!

My body was sent flying — I hadn't even seen where her attack came from.

My body slammed into the wall again, this time with far greater pain than before.

I tried to get up, but failed — it seemed some of my bones had broken.

"Aghhh!"

"No, no, don't!"

I watched as the woman slaughtered my subordinates one by one.

I wanted to help them, but my body wouldn't move at all.

Why was I this weak? Did I really have no talent whatsoever to grow stronger?

After killing 14 of my subordinates, the woman suddenly stopped, as though lost in thought.

"Who killed my offspring?" the woman muttered, looking irritated.

Before long, a pair of wings sprouted from her back, and the woman flew out through the window, leaving this place.

"Why did she suddenly leave us here?"

[Raul PoV]

So it was true — the demons that had come here belonged to the Vampire race. Judging by her characteristics, she seemed to be an ordinary Vampire.

"Wryyyyyy!" the Vampire screamed, flying straight toward our formation.

"Tazz!" I called out to the large man, telling him to hold the Vampire back.

"Understood!" he answered, stepping forward.

Tazz's body began to glow — it seemed he'd activated Repel magic.

The Vampire slammed into him, pushing him back slightly, but he managed to stop her attack.

Piers and Vista immediately attacked the Vampire while Tazz held her in place.

As a result, the Vampire's body was sent flying, slamming into the building's wall.

"Don't let your guard down! She's not beaten yet!" I warned them. "Vampires can only be killed by beheading them or destroying their heart!"

But just as I was giving that instruction, two more Vampires suddenly entered the room.

"Well, well, well, looks like we'll get to feast on young human blood here!" the newly arrived Vampire shouted with delight.

"I'll drink the blood of that wretched Goddess's follower!" another Vampire said, pointing at Ariel, who looked visibly nervous.

Three ordinary Vampires, huh? I figured we could still handle this.

"Tazz, Piers, Viera! Take the first Vampire! Tom, Jerry, and Scarlett! Handle the second one! Barney, support me in taking down the third!" I ordered them.

We began fighting each of the Vampires.

I activated Accel magic and charged toward one of the Vampires. She dodged Barney's Water Bullet spell.

—Clang!

I unleashed a vertical slash at the Vampire, but she blocked it with her sharp claws.

Not letting her seize the initiative, I followed with a diagonal slash.

The Vampire dodged sideways and launched a kick aimed at my head.

—Bam!

I blocked it with my left arm, but the force of her strike pushed my body to the side.

The Vampire lunged at me again, ready to attack once more. But suddenly, her body froze — a water whip had wrapped around her leg from behind.

"Now, Captain!" Barney shouted.

I quickly moved to behead the Vampire. She tried to resist my sword, already halfway through decapitating her.

"I won't die at the hands of a lowly human like you!" the Vampire said, furious.

Heh? A lowly human, you say? I'm the god who created this world!

Activating Temper magic, I overpowered her in the contest of strength and beheaded her, her head now rolling across the building's floor.

"Good work, Barney!" I praised him.

He simply struck a pose, adjusting his glasses with a bowed head, exactly like the "megane" character trope common in anime, in response to my praise.

Ignoring him, I turned to check on my other members' fights. Scarlett had just landed a flaming punch straight through a Vampire's chest, instantly destroying its heart.

Meanwhile, Viera had shot the Vampire her team was fighting through the neck, separating its head from the rest of its body.

We'd managed to defeat these ordinary Vampires.

This was strange... there should have been at least one True Vampire leading them. But I found no trace of that particular type of Vampire at all.

—Crack!

Just as that thought crossed my mind, the wall of the building we stood in suddenly shattered, revealing a female Vampire flying, her wings beating powerfully.

That was... a True Vampire...

I hate to say it, but... it seemed I needed to believe the saying that "speak of the devil" was more than just a myth.

Behind her stood four Vampire Brides, their mouths drenched in blood. One key difference between them was their skin — ordinary Vampires had pale skin, while True Vampires and Vampire Brides could shift their skin to appear like ordinary humans.

"Ah, so you're the ones who killed all my offspring here," the True Vampire said, entering the building. "Oh, look what I've found — a beautiful girl, follower of that wretched Goddess," the True Vampire said, glancing at Ariel.

That made sense — demons deeply despised Goddess Diana and her followers, priests like Ariel.

That's because priests and priestesses were blessed with Divine magic, which could serve as a weakness against the demon race.

She'd surely target Ariel first — I needed to get this True Vampire away from my members as quickly as possible. Her strength was 20 to 30 times greater than an ordinary Vampire's.

I readied the Charging technique, preparing to rush toward Ariel.

The Vampire suddenly appeared in front of Ariel and smiled at her.

"My name is Yuna. What's your name, gi—"

She couldn't finish her words, as she suddenly turned her body sideways to face me.

—Clang!

She blocked my sword with her bare hand.

"It's not very gentlemanly to interrupt a woman while she's talking, you know?" the Vampire said, smiling sweetly.

"Well... I wasn't aware I was talking to a 'lady'!" I taunted the Vampire.

Her expression twisted with irritation and rage.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She unleashed a kick. I blocked it, but was still sent flying from the sheer force behind it.

"Attack these humans!" the True Vampire ordered.

All my members began fighting the four ordinary Vampires, while Ariel activated a barrier to keep the True Vampire from approaching her.

—Crack!

The Vampire shattered the barrier Ariel had created. I needed to draw her away from here — she was far too dangerous!

She then grabbed Ariel and flew out of the building with her.

Using Acceleration magic and the Charging technique, I sprinted toward her at speed and leapt out of the building, grabbing hold of her pale leg.

The three of us fell to the ground. I did everything I could to catch Ariel, so she wouldn't get hurt. She was a critical factor in winning this fight.

"Thank you, Raul," Ariel said, slowly pulling free from my hold.

"You're always so troublesome — I'll deal with you first," the True Vampire said, looking irritated.

I looked at Ariel and said, "Ariel, can you use the Pentagram seal?"

Ariel looked startled at my question. "How do you know my family's secret spell?"

"That's not important right now," I told her. "I want you to create that seal to restrict this demon's movement, then hit her with Divine magic — Holy Smite."

"Alright, I'll try," Ariel said. "But I'll need about 4 to 5 minutes to prepare that spell."

"Understood, I'll hold her off as long as I can."

After giving Ariel her instructions, I turned my attention back to the Vampire.

"Are you two done plotting your little strategy?" the female Vampire asked, smiling mischievously. "Your effort's pointless — there's no way humans at your level could ever defeat me."

Oh, what a cliché line for an antagonist to say.

You know, 99.9999% of antagonists who say that in any story end up losing to the protagonist.

Activating Accel and Temper magic simultaneously, I charged toward the Vampire and unleashed several punches and kicks.

But the Vampire dodged every one of them with ease. She then caught my arm and threw my body into the air with effortless force.

The Vampire flapped her wings and flew after me. Up here, she held a massive advantage over me.

—Bam!

She kicked me down hard. Fortunately, I managed to catch myself with both hands.

I activated Repel magic to absorb the impact of my body slamming into the ground. But before I could hit the ground, the Vampire quickly caught up and grabbed my collar.

She then dragged me toward the building and scraped my body against its wall. All I could do was protect my head with both arms, trying to avoid losing consciousness from the impact against something so solid.

Fortunately, I'd already activated Repel magic earlier. Still, the injuries I sustained were considerable.

Once satisfied, the Vampire pulled my body up to face her directly.

"How is it? Do you like the punishment I've given you for bothering me?" the female Vampire asked.

"Oh, believe me, the more pain my body endures, the happier it makes my heart," I answered, forcing a smile at her.

The Vampire then touched my neck with her cold finger.

"Looking at you up close, you're actually quite handsome," the Vampire said, biting her lip. "Fufufu~ Your blood must taste far better than the others'."

She then began licking my neck.

"How about it? Want to become my blood supply and spend the rest of your life with me?" the Vampire asked, her expression looking almost drunk.

She opened her mouth, revealing her long fangs, the most common characteristic of a Vampire.

"I decline," I answered casually. "I'm not fond of women who sucking every man alive."

"Hehehe~ Such a shame, but I'll still drain your blood until you're completely dry!"

Just as she was about to sink her fangs into my neck, I delivered an uppercut, reinforced with Temper magic, straight to her chin, breaking her grip on my collar.

"Ughhh... looks like I'll need to punish you even harder, boy!" the Vampire screamed, trying to flap her wings again.

But I ignored her words and began focusing mana into my sword, activating Sterben magic while sharpening my blade further with Avilar magic.

My sword began to glow. I immediately launched a thrust aimed at the Vampire's heart. But she managed to shift slightly, so my blade only pierced her right chest.

"Release!"

—Boom!

The Vampire's right chest exploded the moment I released the mana gathered in my sword.

I landed on the ground while the Vampire fell hard, followed by a cloud of smoke from my spell's explosion.

Ughhh... after being dragged along the building's wall, it seemed my left shoulder had been slightly dislocated.

"Raul, I'll heal you!" Ariel said from behind me.

"No need. Focus on your spell so we can defeat that Vampire faster!" I refused Ariel's healing magic.

My earlier spell wouldn't be enough to kill the Vampire, since my thrust had missed her heart.

"Damn you..."

The Vampire got back up, her right chest showing a gaping hole revealing her cracked bones.

Before long, her right chest began regenerating, closing the wound from my attack. Not only that, her body began growing larger, her skin turning pale like a typical Vampire's.

She no longer looked human at all.

"You've made me angry, human!" the Vampire screamed, her voice echoing. "I'll show you true horror, facing our race head-on!"

Was this what it felt like to face phase two of a boss fight in a video game?

[Scarlett PoV]

After fighting for several minutes, only three of us were still standing. Only two Vampires remained after fighting our group.

We needed to defeat them quickly to help our other comrades.

"Viera, these Vampires are far stronger than the last ones," I said, eyeing the two terrifying creatures.

"This type of Vampire is called a Vampire Bride — they receive blood directly from the Vampire who created them, which is why they're far stronger than the ones we defeated before."

"Both of you, focus! Those two Vampires are about to attack again!" Tazz shouted, warning us.

The Vampires flew toward the three of us again. Tazz was already positioned in front, ready to hold them off.

But his body was sent flying, unable to withstand both Vampires' combined force. I quickly rushed forward using Acceleration and struck one Vampire's face with a flaming punch, sending her flying out through the window.

"Aghhh!"

Turning around, I saw the other Vampire had stabbed Viera's stomach with one of her sharp claws.

I quickly rushed toward them to help Viera, activating my flaming punch again. But the Vampire noticed me and leapt backward.

"Viera! Are you alright!?" I asked her.

"I don't know, the blood won't stop flowing," Viera answered weakly.

"Only one of them's still standing!"

"This fight's about to end!"

Turning around, the Vampire I'd previously struck re-entered the building. It was incredibly difficult to bring down a Vampire Bride — they were five to ten times stronger and faster than an ordinary Vampire.

"Scarlett, lure them into the corridor... you'll have an easier time defeating them there," Viera said, clearly struggling to breathe.

"Understood," I answered her. "Wait here with the others for a moment."

I quickly ran toward the corridor where we'd found the Human Centipede earlier. But I still had no idea how to defeat them, even after arriving there.

"You think we'll let you escape!?"

"After we're done with you, we're going to feast on your blood until you're bone dry!"

The two Vampires quickly caught up to me from behind — their movement really was the most troublesome part.

"Got you!"

Ughhh... my leg had been slashed by her sharp claw, sending me tumbling and rolling across the floor.

This was bad — one of my legs was difficult to move now.

I saw one Vampire leap, about to pin me down as I lay on the floor. But I activated flame magic in my leg as a boost, letting me dodge her attack.

After that, I began limping toward the corridor.

Just a little further... hahh... hah... hahh...

My breathing had grown heavy, my stamina nearly depleted after fighting them.

"Where do you think you're going!?"

Turning around, the Vampire was closing in fast.

Aiming my palm at the Vampire, I unleashed a burst of flame to burn her completely. But it was still useless — my flame wasn't strong enough to kill her.

"Gugghhhh!"

The Vampire launched a kick.

I tried to block it with both arms, but her strength was so overwhelming it sent me flying far backward.

Trying to get up, I found myself already in the corridor we'd passed through earlier — the Vampire's kick had sent me flying straight into this place.

"You can't run anymore."

"There's only a straight path ahead for you, and we'll catch up to you easily."

The distance between us was only 40 meters.

What should I do? If I lost here, the others would fall prey to these two Vampires.

What should I do?

I tried to recall the Captain's words from this morning, when I'd asked him how I could become stronger.

He'd simply answered: "Try to stay calm when you're cornered in a fight."

At the time, I hadn't understood his answer. But I tried to apply it now.

Honestly, fear was gripping me right now — my heart pounded rapidly, and my breathing had grown erratic.

Still, I tried to steady it, to remain calm.

The two Vampires slowly approached, and I stepped back slightly to keep some distance from them.

"Everything you're doing is pointless. Surrender, and give your body over to us."

I ignored their words and kept trying to stay calm.

My heartbeat began to normalize, my breathing returned to its usual rhythm, and the fear haunting me toward these Vampires faded away entirely.

Right now... I think I finally understood what the Captain had meant that time, when he said I didn't know my own true strength during the survival exam.

I understand now... I know the Codex I possess.

Extending my right hand toward them, I began gathering the last of my mana, focusing it into my palm.

"Hah, your flame won't affect us at all!"

"Your magic's still as weak as a child's!"

The two Vampires charged toward me.

In a narrow space like this, they wouldn't be able to dodge this spell.

"Arise..."

Flames began emerging around my body, gathering in front of my palm.

"Cleanse my enemy with the fire of mercy..."

The flame in front of my palm began spinning rapidly, like a fire tornado.

The two Vampires stopped running, sensing the mana of the spell I was about to unleash multiplying exponentially.

"Fa-fall back! This spell's different from before!" one Vampire shouted, turning to flee.

But it was too late — my spell was ready to be released.

"Deathly calm... ashen fire!"

A devastating blaze surged forward, swallowing both Vampires whole.

Their screams echoed through the corridor, the flames consuming the entire hallway, cracks forming in the surrounding walls, unable to withstand the pressure of my fire.

Once the flames died down, only the ashes of both Vampires remained.

Knowing I'd defeated them, my body collapsed onto the floor, my vision beginning to blur.

It seemed I'd suffered Mana Exhaustion after fighting those four Vampires. Even so...

"We won..."

[Ariel PoV]

This still wasn't enough — the spell would fail if the mana I was gathering wasn't focused properly. But right now, Raul was being cornered by that Vampire.

I had no idea how much longer he could hold out.

"Impressive, holding your own against me this long with such a frail body!" the female Vampire shouted, flying through the air.

She'd just thrown Raul's body with tremendous force, slamming him into the mansion's outer wall.

Raul's body now lay buried under rubble from the shattered wall.

"Now, it's just the two of us, oh follower of Goddess Diana," the Vampire said, her attention now fixed on me.

She then flew toward me at incredible speed.

What should I do? What could I possibly do? The Pentagram formation still needed one more minute to prepare.

"Die, lowly one!" the Vampire screamed, aiming her sharp claws at me.

—Bam!

But just as she was right in front of me, Raul suddenly appeared beside the Vampire in an instant and kicked her face with tremendous force.

"Raul... your body..." I murmured, seeing his terrible condition.

His body was covered in wounds, blood trickling from his temple.

Seeing this, I wanted to heal him immediately.

"Stay focused on finishing your spell, Ariel," Raul said, his breathing ragged. "We need to kill her quickly and help the others."

That's right — how were the others faring against those four Vampires?

"Grraaahhh! So you can still fight, boy!" the Vampire screamed furiously. "Enough of this — this time I'm really going to kill you!"

Raul and the Vampire fought again, but it was clear he was losing, both in strength and speed. These Vampires' physical abilities were truly insane.

—Swoongg...

Both my palms began emitting a rune, signaling the spell was nearly ready.

"Raul! Ten more seconds!"

The black-haired man nodded, but the Vampire kicked him hard, sending him flying into the air.

The Vampire then flapped her wings, chasing after Raul. Her claws had extended to half a meter long.

"I'll put a hole through your head this time, human!" the Vampire screamed.

Raul then fell toward the Vampire, a thick, black aura wrapping around his right hand.

"Full Vengeance!"

They collided — the Vampire stabbed Raul's left shoulder, while the black-haired man managed to land a powerful punch straight to her face.

Both fell from the air, the Vampire slamming into the ground with a loud, resounding crash.

Meanwhile, Raul landed smoothly and dropped to one knee, clutching his left shoulder, now bleeding freely.

"Ughhh... that hurt," the Vampire said, getting back up, her mouth full of blood from Raul's attack. "Where did you get that kind of power, boy!?"

But her expression turned to panic as she saw a bright white star-shaped formation appear on the ground beneath her.

The Vampire flapped her wings, trying to flee, but it was already too late.

"Divine Magic... Pentagram Chain!"

Five chains emerged from the star formation and began binding the Vampire's body.

She tried to struggle, but it was useless. This was my family's secret spell, passed down through generations. My family, the Lusignans, were renowned nobility in the Empire, famous for our sealing magic.

"Release me, you bastard...! Graahhhh!"

No, not yet...

My right hand began to glow — this was the priests' signature spell against demons. I would use it with everything I had.

"Hear my prayer..."

I began reciting the incantation to activate this spell.

Before long, my right hand began emitting a platinum-colored light.

"No, not that spell! I'll torture you to death if you dare attack me with that!" the Vampire screamed, thrashing violently to break free of the chains binding her.

But I wouldn't stop. A wicked creature like you should never exist in this world.

"Bless me with your mighty power, oh merciful Goddess..."

The area within the star formation on the ground began to glow, sending the Vampire into further panic and desperation.

"Divine Magic... Holy Smite!"

—Boooomm!

A burst of Divine energy erupted from the star formation, consuming the Vampire's body entirely. The creature began screaming in agony, crying out for mercy.

The ground around us trembled from the spell's power. The blinding light forced me to shield my eyes with my hand.

Holy Smite — a spell that only affected demons. Due to the effect of Divine magic, the pain a demon experienced from this spell multiplied many times over.

Before long, the spell's energy faded, along with the Pentagram symbol I'd created. The chains from my secret spell gradually loosened and vanished from the Vampire's body, now completely charred from my spell.

"Is it over?" I murmured.

But the Vampire's fingers twitched, and slowly, she began rising, her body still smoking.

"You nearly killed me, bastard! Hahahaha!" the Vampire laughed uncontrollably.

Impossible — how was she still surviving my strongest attack!? I'd used nearly all my mana just to cast those two spells.

"Now, it's my turn!"

The Vampire lunged toward me at speed, but Raul suddenly appeared in front of me, blocking her path.

"Ariel, run as far as you can!" Raul shouted seriously.

No — if I run, what about you? What about the others?

"I'm tired of you interrupting me, boy! Aarrghhhh!"

The Vampire kicked Raul, sending him flying into the mansion's wall. The creature then chased after him and stabbed his leg.

No, in that condition, there was no way Raul could defeat her.

Raul now lay on the ground — he wouldn't be able to run after the Vampire had wounded his leg.

But just as the creature was about to finish him off, her body suddenly trembled, blood pouring freely from it.

"Now, finish that bastard off!"

I heard a shout from a distance — it was Senior Emilia, who'd thrown her spear, striking the Vampire's neck.

Raul wasted no time and swung his sword at the Vampire's neck, severing her head.

Her body then collapsed to the ground and began dissolving into particles of dust, carried away by the night wind.

She was dead...

She was truly dead this time...

We... won...

My body collapsed to the ground. I looked up at the night sky and offered a prayer of gratitude to Goddess Diana, for granting us this victory.

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[Noble Vampire Vilmore PoV]

Right now, I was outside with Nuna, one of my True Vampire subordinates, searching for the Hero somewhere around this area.

"If I remember correctly, the Hero's Mana can be felt toward the southwest of this region," I murmured.

By my estimate, his location wasn't more than 70 kilometers from where we stood. It seemed he was among a group of powerful individuals.

I could feel it — we needed to lure the Hero out of that nest full of strong warriors, then kill him.

But just as I was formulating a plan to kill the Hero, I sensed something almost impossible to believe.

"What's wrong, Lord Vilmore? Why does your expression look so strange?" Nuna asked from beside me.

I could no longer sense the mana she possessed.

"Yuna is dead..." I answered her quietly.

Hearing my words, Nuna looked shocked. She couldn't believe her sister, whom she'd known for hundreds of years, had simply died like this during this mission.

Had our hideout been discovered and raided by that wretched Goddess's followers? But I couldn't sense any powerful mana in this area capable of killing Yuna at all.

Who had killed her?

"What should we do now, my lord?" Nuna asked, looking anxious.

"We'll hide and avoid any suspicious activity until we've confirmed the Hero's identity," I answered her.

Right now, we needed to wait for the right opportunity.

If they truly had found our base and killed Yuna, then those humans would undoubtedly become far more vigilant about our activities.

"We need to make them lower their guard first, before we carry out our plan."