Chapter 54
Chapter 54
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: You Are Free
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Progenitor was the king of all vampires, the leader who guided their clan.
Even wars on the verge of total defeat could be overturned the moment the Progenitor appeared—their prestige was that immense. The earth was dyed in blood, crimson blood lotuses blooming here and there. In this blood ground, the vampires' power surged dramatically, while conversely, all other races found themselves unable to wield their strength.
Those who set foot in the blood ground shall have their blood controlled.
Their blood flow would refuse to obey, their bodies growing heavy and pinned to the earth.
Unlike the vampires who actually gained strength here, other races had their power continuously siphoned away. Yet the moment the blood ground reached Roca's feet, touching the tip of her shoe, a sizzling sound rang out, smoke rising in wisps. Wherever her foot touched, only ash remained, and the ground could not invade her even an inch.
"Kyahaha, yes! That's it! The sun, the sun's power!"
Strictly speaking, Roca wasn't fighting alone and isolated.
The laws of the universe stood firmly behind her, endlessly supporting this one person. Who else could experience something like this? It was an endlessly mysterious, utterly novel sensation.
Each time the sun's power touched it, the blood ground recoiled, unable to withstand. This was the law of the universe.
'Maybe... I can win this?'
That was why Roca, who had been about to flee, corrected her stance and gained confidence. Everything in the world was relative, forming matchups, and even counters could be overcome with sheer quantity.
Water extinguishes fire, but if the fire is fierce enough, the water evaporates outright—like that, every matchup held the potential for overcoming. But not the sun and vampires.
The laws of the universe had been amended to make the sun the absolute predator of vampires, allowing no exceptions whatsoever. The laws of the universe decreed it so, the rules unyielding.
These were not orders made by humans, so humans could not defy them. The universe itself served as the absolute judge overseeing the rules.
But Roca was not the sun. She merely wielded the sun's power.
How strong was the sun's power? The force it emitted was nearly infinite.
Only an infinitesimal fraction reached Pyros, yet that alone illuminated the skies and scorched the earth. All plants lived off it as their energy source.
By human standards, it was an endlessly boundless power that would never be depleted. Compared to that, what was Roca? She was so minuscule that even calling her a speck of dust would be an insult to dust itself.
Of course, even the tiniest fraction of that minuscule mana could drive Kamira to death. But she just had to avoid creating such a situation. Mana was not some eternally indestructible perpetual thing; it canceled out and vanished.
"Sea of blood, sweep her away."
Against the confident wolf, Kamira merely flicked her hand. Suddenly, the blood filling the vast bathing chambers surged to the ceiling, becoming an endless tsunami crashing toward Roca! Even waves reaching only to the knees could knock a person down— what then of waves like these?
'Can't dodge.'
Her animal instincts whispered it. The waves were too vast and fierce; fleeing would only get her swept up anyway.
She had no choice but to charge through with all her might. Roca, cloaking her body in mana, leaped into the waves— but contrary to expectations, she felt no great pressure. Wherever she went, the waves boiled, turning to foul water and falling away, the blood mana igniting and vanishing.
Strictly speaking, it didn't vanish. Even if mana canceled each other out, the total amount of mana in the universe remained constant. Mana neither vanished nor was created; it merely changed form. The more it was used, the harder it became for humans to perceive or wield, eventually reaching a state where no one could use it at all.
Of course, in a universe this vast, how much could human mana use really alter the density? Pyros was not a closed system; it constantly absorbed mana from the universe and expelled it. Used mana drifted off into the cosmos, replaced by fresh supplies.
The problem was that Pyros receiving mana didn't make it Roca's mana.
Tremble, tremble...
The girl's body shook violently. Not from fear.
In that instant, a massive amount of mana had burned away like fuel, draining all strength from her body. Master-level powerhouses could dominate surrounding mana at will, actively drawing it in to recover when depleted—that was why they could overwhelm forces single-handedly.
Those below Expert level could flaunt their prowess briefly in battle, but once mana ran dry, they needed time to rest and recharge. They could never dominate a battlefield.
Only then did the girl truly panic. Roca hesitated, faltered, then turned and fled.
No matter how lethal the sun's power was to vampires, at its core, it was still mana. It kept being consumed and canceled out. It was far from infinite.
"Oh? Trying to run?"
If Roca's mana had been three times greater— no, even twice as much— she could have surely ended it. But not now. The child had calculated and fled, but she shouldn't have.
Moving by the textbook would only lead to textbook defeat. She was outmatched in skill and technique, but with the sun's poison in her arsenal, only unpredictable madness and desperate ferocity could turn this fight to victory.
Pretending to go berserk and charging at Kamira with everything on the line was her one path to survival, perhaps the only way to win.
But once she panicked and retreated, there would be no second chance.
She wouldn't even reach the spot she'd held before, let alone advance further. Kamira cackled, then gestured once more. She murmured softly.
"Blood flame, burn."
Crimson flames, writhing like living things with eerie laughter, lunged at Roca. Five vampires had sacrificed their lives to create this single blaze.
Thud, thud— with rumbling sounds, corpses piled up, their spilled blood joining the flames in full. The blaze engulfed Roca, turning to ash the instant it touched the sun's power.
But this time, Roca screamed. It felt like her body was burning away.
'M-My mana...'
The sun's power was depleted. The blood flame's momentum had weakened greatly too, yet it still gaped its maw to devour her. Roca barely suppressed it with her remaining dark blue mana, gasping for breath.
Her state was utterly wretched. The hair Kyle had neatly combed was a tangled mess, her breathing ragged. Soot smeared her body black in places.
"Haa... haa..."
"You've used up all your strength, haven't you?"
"Shut... up."
The massive mana expenditure had left her mind numb, her head spinning.
She wanted to stand somehow on trembling legs, but Kamira made her final gesture. Earth, water, fire— next came wind. A single gust of blood wind howled with mad laughter as it struck.
"Blood wind, ravage."
The wind lifted Roca's body effortlessly, dragging her before Kamira. Razor-sharp gusts tore at her flesh, carving bloody lines in several places. Her familiarity with pain at least let her stifle her scream.
Earth, water, fire, wind. True to her bold claim, Kamira had overwhelmed Roca with just four attacks.
She grabbed the exhausted girl's chin, lifting it. Staring into terrified eyes, she grinned wide.
"You could've just worn the collar from the start. No pain, all good."
On her bare neck, Kamira fastened the collar.
Her brief freedom vanished, bondage returning. The heart-dark stone gleamed, boundless demonic energy boiling within. She couldn't draw any mana now, a sense of utter weakness flooding her body.
Her emptied mana would never recover. Roca clawed at the collar to tear it off, but it didn't budge an inch. It was sturdy.
'I shouldn't have run...'
Too late, the child realized her mistake. And that she had learned nothing.
Back then, using her youth as an excuse while humans slaughtered her tribe and enslaved them, she had fled. Ignored everything and fled. The result? Captured as a slave.
Now, too, fleeing in fear had cost her everything. Her father's words suddenly echoed: Wolves never flee. She should have.
Even if it meant death, she should have charged in that moment. Hesitating and fleeing had squandered her last chance; the third would never come.
Her bloodshot eyes fixed on her new master.
"...Kill me."
"Maybe later, when I get bored."
Kamira seized Roca's hair, yanking her up. Seeing eyes still brimming with defiance, she giggled. Rebellious tantrums like this were more fun than instant obedience.
She snapped her fingers. A jolt of electricity wracked Roca's body in spasms. The collar's built-in lightning spell punished the slave. Roca collapsed without even screaming, and Kamira's face lit with ecstasy.
"Finally,"
Electric shocks weren't the kind one could endure with willpower or mental fortitude alone. Watching Roca writhe on the floor, Kamira smiled meaningfully.
If Roca felt the sting, Kamira felt the thrill. She had finally made the sun hers.
"Finally, I dominate the sun."
She had achieved the grand dream all vampires yearned for!
Well, as the queen of all vampires save her mother, what she desired was what vampires desired. Her words held no falsehood.
Trivial facts like Roca not actually being the sun didn't register. Why? Because the real sun was something she could never defeat, no matter what.
So this was as close as she could get to landing a blow on it. The sun wouldn't care about her at all, but did that matter? Her satisfaction was enough.
'I've been caught.'
As Kamira basked in self-praise and ecstasy, the fallen girl twitched.
Resentment welled up like tears. The collar's loathsome feel dredged up memories she'd rather forget. Kyle had once removed it, but two miracles wouldn't happen.
'I... should have protected Master. Instead, I got captured.'
She still vividly remembered that scene.
You don't need this anymore. Roca, you're free.
She clearly recalled the voice freeing her from the collar. It replayed vividly in her mind now. Was this longing-born illusion?
In the name of my lord,
A single candle flame became a lantern, illuminating her mind. Kyle emerged from the pitch darkness— but it wasn't Kyle. Not the one she longed for.
Seeing those eyes, Roca shuddered. Eyes are windows to the soul. Through them, one could glimpse a person's heart. But seeing those pupils now, her mind went blank.
Blue, blue, endlessly blue.
Within those blue eyes flickered an unknowable emotion. Perhaps faint curiosity, maybe a touch of playfulness.
Who was it? Kyle would have known instantly, but Roca couldn't recognize even seeing it. The bird in Kyle's form smiled faintly, repeating those unforgettable words.
You, Roca, are now free.
The apostle's promise in the god's name.
'Kyle' recited it once more. The apostle had offered the intent, the god had consented. And the bluebird of hope flew in, reminding her of the old vow.
This matter was no longer open to question. Nothing on earth could object.
Tell the apostle: I don't give my feathers to just anyone.
Tap. Amid the vision, that 'Kyle' lightly touched the glowing deep-crimson stone at the collar's center with a feather in hand. He— no, she— whispered to Roca.
Then, with a sly smile, she placed the blue feather in Roca's hand. Only then did the surreal dream bridging reality and unreality end. Roca dazedly returned to the real world.
The deep-crimson stone had crumbled to powder, scattering into the bath. Its terrifying mana dispersed into the air without meaning. As a storm of demonic energy swept the chamber, Kamira screamed.
"Why...?! How in the world..."
The deep-crimson stone had suddenly shattered without warning. So abruptly, yet as if it was only natural. Seeing the demonic storm veer perfectly away from her, Roca looked up at the empty air. Naturally, nothing was there. But now it seemed otherwise.
"You've been watching all this time, haven't you?"
No answer came. Or had the voice reached her?
But now the girl was certain. The god her master believed in had been watching over them all along.
She didn't know what had descended in Kyle's form just now, but it was undoubtedly something divine. She knew it was a holy spirit from the god.
"Then stop just watching and help out a little."
He wasn't the type to help just because asked,
But Duchess Schumira had broken the promise first. Defied the vow witnessed by the god with the apostle.
The feather in the child's hand boiled over, sending her mind flying to distant realms. Her body felt as light as a feather, soaring into the distant skies.
Perhaps her mind alone was departing, leaving her body behind.
There was no way to tell.
Whoosh.
Her vision shifted, unseen things coming into view.
Transcending the space we call reality, the girl's sight expanded. Farther. Even farther. Wider. And wider still. In an instant, she pierced the skies into the sea of stars.
A single dream, perhaps. Or mere illusion.
Maybe even reality. What did it matter?
Save for one sole exception, the god never directly aided humans.
He merely provided the chance for them to help themselves.
* * *