This Time I Might Have to Stake My Life

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Translator: Ruby

Chapter: 58

Chapter Title: This Time I Might Have to Stake My Life

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Swish!

The moment I swung my sword, the vampires' heads were severed without even a sensation of cutting them.

On my left and right, completely different styles of swordplay were unfolding.

Swoooosh!

Diaz's sword carried a thick and deep weight.

That heaviness was enough to instill fear in enemies other than the one being struck.

Poof poof poof! Poof!

Andrew's sword was extremely flashy yet full of vigor.

With the authority of scorching heat added to it.

It was a style perfect for drawing aggro.

It was amazing how each of their styles resembled their personalities.

However, since one was a person who would later become an overwhelming named character, and the other was a knight who held the position of the youngest member of the Seven Knights.

"Grrrrr...!"

"Keeek!"

"Kyaaaao!"

The lower-class vampires couldn't pose much of an obstacle.

Moreover, I couldn't lose to those two either.

A vampire rushed at me head-on, baring its fangs.

I twisted my body and raised my sword from bottom to top.

Slash!

Swinging it down again.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

I sent three of them off at once.

And presented the fist of the Giant Soldier to the ones flying at me.

Crack.

By now, I could say I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠handled even this much with ease.

We continued to advance straight toward where the catapults were located.

Before long, having arrived at our target location, we—

"Diaz! Right side! Andrew on the left!"

"Yes! Lord Rohan."

"No problem!"

We began destroying the catapults.

Diaz ran, climbed up on a catapult, and smashed it to pieces from the top.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

Andrew broke and burned them from below using scorching heat.

Boom! Poof boom! Whoooosh...!

I conveniently used the Ring of Black Thunder.

Crackle! Rumble...crash!

I turned three catapults to ash at once.

'At this point, I'm a human siege weapon.'

Andrew turned to look my way and stuck out his tongue.

"That lightning is really overpowered."

Was it because they had been swept away to some extent and felt our might?

Even though we were freely smashing the catapults, the vampires only screamed and couldn't easily approach.

"By the way, Lord Rohan."

"What is it?"

"About that witch called Ledeia. Does she also have the ability to turn humans into vampires?"

"No. As far as I know, she didn't have such an ability. These vampires seem to have appeared for a different reason."

"...That means there are more enemies we need to be concerned about."

I nodded silently.

I had found ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out about Ledeia, but...I couldn't know who else was entangled in this situation.

For now, I just had to do what needed to be done.

Just as things were progressing smoothly.

At some moment, I felt the air change.

"Lord Rohan..."

"The vampires, their movements are strange?"

It seemed I wasn't the only one who felt it.

Diaz and Andrew also showed signs of rapidly growing tense.

The Third Eye was already detecting danger as well.

I turned my head toward the direction where I felt an ominous feeling.

Shreeeeek!

Rohan, Diaz, and Andrew all flung our bodies backward without hesitation.

Crack crack crack!

In the spot where we had been standing, a massive thorn made of blood was embedded in the ground.

***

With his feet slightly floating in the air.

Swooosh.

Arms crossed, looking down at us from above, a gaunt, pale man revealed himself.

As he appeared, the lower-class vampires split to the left and right, clearing a path.

And they didn't dare even raise their heads.

At the same time, the ones at the very front bared their fangs at us as if to protect that man.

It was clear at a glance that he was a high-ranking vampire who commanded all the vampires in this place.

Andrew, who had been assessing the situation, curled up the corners of his mouth.

"Oh. Finally, a strong one has appeared so that I can properly show what I'm capable of?"

Whether he heard Andrew's words or not, I didn't know.

The man opened his mouth with a very indifferent expression.

"Rat bastards. How annoying."

Before the man's words had even finished, Andrew charged forward.

"I've claimed that one!"

Thud thud thud!

Andrew, who had broken through the lower-class vampires and leaped right up to the pale man's nose in an instant.

Even in my eyes, a sword strike that was concise and clean enough to be difficult to dodge was immediately swung toward the man's neck.

Swoosh.

But unfortunately, Andrew's sword cut through empty air.

It was thanks to the man flipping his body backward until just before falling.

And then, still floating in the air, he didn't fall but instead managed to put distance between himself and Andrew again in an instant.

It was a brief moment, but everyone could tell.

That he was no ordinary opponent.

Seeing this, Andrew lightly rolled his neck to loosen his muscles.

"Ooh? You're pretty good?"

He threw out a compliment.

Having confirmed the movements of the two, I asked Andrew.

"Can you handle him alone?"

In my view, it would be sufficiently possible.

"Of course! I'll take care of that guy, so you two please handle all the remaining catapults!"

I nodded.

"Understood."

Hearing my answer, Andrew nodded, then stomped his foot again.

***

Whoosh! Swish! Whooom! Swoosh!

Andrew continued to chase and attack the high-ranking vampire.

However, his attacks continued to barely fail.

'This isn't as easy as I thought...!'

At first, it seemed like he was coming at me a bit.

But after several exchanges of offense and defense, he started running away in earnest.

As the situation turned out that way, I actually couldn't easily kill him.

Thanks to that, the chase was still continuing like this.

I had confidently accepted Rohan's proposal.

But at this rate, it seemed like I wouldn't be able to save face.

In truth, Andrew had been slightly deflated after witnessing Rohan's admirable level of martial prowess right beside him.

That's why he had rather boldly followed Rohan's words.

To him, Rohan was a man who made him feel for the first time a wall he had never felt before in his entire life.

He was an orphan who had been raised by the clergy of the church.

So he always seemed to be impatient.

Even when he himself looked at himself.

'Because I had nowhere to rely on...'

The fear of not knowing when he might be abandoned again.

The dread that he might be left alone in the world.

Those emotions had been urging Andrew on.

If he developed his swordsmanship, he could be recognized.

If his swordsmanship was exceptional, he wouldn't be abandoned.

If he possessed overwhelming swordsmanship, the places where he could exist would increase...

That's why he always had to be the best.

Of course, becoming the strongest in the world wasn't easy.

There was Bishop Haynt, there was Claus, there was Monted.

However...it might seem arrogant, but they were people he felt he could catch up to someday in the distant future.

If I just grow a bit more.

I'm still young.

But Rohan was a little different.

'I can't see any way to reach him.'

That seemed to be the reason he had clung to Rohan.

Since he couldn't see any method on his own.

He thought that if he at least sparred with him, he might find some clue.

So he had followed him all the way here saying he wanted to spar, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but...

Honestly, in conclusion, he felt there was no need to even try.

He too, though young, was a member of the Seven Knights.

The difference between an opponent and himself.

He had eyes that could see just how large that gap was.

That's why he was even more obsessed with this high-ranking vampire.

To convince himself of his own skills.

To shake off his anxiety.

To show himself that he wasn't that weak!

"Haah!"

And finally!

'I've got you!'

This was a definite checkmate.

Now I'll sever the vampire's neck and confidently rejoin Rohan and Diaz...

Whoosh!

The final strike he swung while thinking that.

However, the result was somewhat anticlimactic.

Only the sound of cutting through empty air was heard.

At the moment when it should have been split in two, the high-ranking vampire instantly transformed his entire body into several black bats.

Flutter, flutter!

He gathered together again in a distant spot and returned to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his original form.

All Andrew had cut were at most a few bats.

Andrew gritted his teeth.

Although he had failed in his attack...in his head, the high-ranking vampire's next movements were already starting to be drawn out.

'Good. I understand!'

He didn't realize it himself, but that was in the realm of genius-level talent.

'It seems he can't transform into bats consecutively? It seems like he needs a bit of time.'

Indeed, right after returning from bat form, even if he was cut by the sword, he didn't transform again.

'Let's slash him tremendously many times within the time he can't transform!'

Andrew swung his sword in successive strikes.

One by one, he tightened the vampire's escape routes.

Like a pride of lions gradually narrowing a deer's retreat path.

"Tch! To think he's still growing even in the midst of this...!"

The vampire grimaced and flew his body.

It seemed like this method was the correct answer after all.

As the chase continued like that.

'Just a little more...! Hm?'

Andrew suddenly felt an eerie presence.

As if something was approaching this way...

In that moment, the expression of the vampire he was chasing came into view.

Even though he was being chased, the creature was looking at him with a meaningful smile.

There wasn't a trace of fear in his eyes.

Only leisure.

Why was the guy who had been furrowing his brow all this time now...

Andrew's eyes widened.

'There were more reinforcements!'

It seemed the guy wasn't alone.

If he were alone, Andrew would have won, but...if their numbers increased, it was obvious it would become troublesome.

The moment he realized that.

A woman's voice full of metallic sounds came from the darkness.

"So it's you. The one who dared to continuously spread that acrid smell in the place that will become my holy ground. Kekeke..."

It was a voice that sent chills down his entire body.

Extremely grating, the kind of sound that made him want to immediately cover her mouth.

The reason was that it didn't even sound like the voice of a living being in the first place.

And the appearance that was subsequently revealed was even more horrifying.

Her eyes were gouged out as if eaten by rats.

Her nose had also rotted away and was torn off like a skull.

Her skin was cracked like drought-stricken earth.

"Ugh! Disgustingly ugly."

Andrew, true to his usual personality, didn't hold back what he wanted to say and spat it out.

But he was only pretending not to be scared.

Inside, an extremely ominous sensation was rising.

'Is that one the dimension-splitting witch, Ledeia...she looks as tough as she is ugly...'

What's more, the problem wasn't just that.

Flap flap flap!

A swarm of bats came rushing from behind, surrounded Ledeia and circled several times.

Then they began gathering on her left side and transformed into human form.

Into the form of a middle-aged man with neatly slicked-back hair.

It was a face that perfectly suited the name "vampire."

'There was one more high-ranking vampire?'

The newly appeared creature opened its mouth.

"Count Mollen. Still haven't finished yet?"

"He knows how to use a sword better than I thought. Even counterattacking alone isn't easy."

"Huhu. That makes sense."

Andrew's gaze turned toward the new vampire.

The creature smiled broadly and greeted him.

"Sir Andrew...it's been a while."

Andrew also knew who he was.

Because he had memories of meeting him after becoming one of the Seven Knights.

"Count...Soleon."

"Oho. You remember."

"But in my memory, you were human back then, weren't you? I guess you gave up being human?"

"Is there a need to be bound by species? If you can get what you want, you should give up what's unnecessary."

"Did you get what you wanted?"

"Since I'll be getting it well soon...I'd be grateful if you'd die without interfering."

In an instant, an indescribably fierce killing intent swirled in his eyes.

I could tell immediately.

That he too had become a high-ranking vampire.

Andrew looked down at his own hand gripping his sword.

And then he looked up at the two high-ranking vampires, having completely erased any thoughts of returning alive that he had held until just moments ago.

"This...this time I might have to stake my life."