Chapter 186
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186
“Selene, even in death, you still...!”
Carmilla ground her teeth, glaring at the glass bottle in Watson’s hand.
The Saintess who had thwarted her so long ago—to think her legacy would interfere with her plans hundreds of years later. What cruel twist of fate was this?
Watson channeled his mana, containing the holy water’s aura so it wouldn’t dissipate from the blade. He spoke calmly, his eyes fixed on the sacred energy spreading across his sword.
“Carmilla Vampir. Your name alone made the people of the continent tremble in terror only a few centuries ago.”
Carmilla.
She was the queen of blood and darkness, the progenitor of all vampire-kind. When her vampire legions first emerged, humanity dared not venture outside after sunset. Anyone who did would have their neck bitten, transformed into a monster that craved blood and flesh, forced to shun the sunlight for all eternity.
As the entire continent suffered, it was Saintess Selene of the Church of Ru, the God of Light, who brought peace back to humanity. In her battle with Selene, who was blessed with Ru’s full grace, Carmilla was gravely wounded and sealed away.
Only now, hundreds of years later, had she recovered a fraction of her lost power to reveal herself to the world once more.
Watson pointed his holy water-coated sword at Carmilla.
“If you were at your full strength, defeating me would be a simple task.”
Even though she had lost much of her power from the long seal, if she used the full extent of her authority and abilities, she could still overpower Watson with ease.
However...
“But you, too, would have to spend the next several decades recovering your strength.”
Saintess Selene’s holy water possessed the unique property of sealing demonic power. Even if he were to be defeated, Watson was confident he could at least plunge his sword into Carmilla’s body. If that happened, the power Carmilla had only just managed to reclaim would be sealed away again, forcing her back into a long, forced slumber.
“Shall we test it? I still have many sword techniques left to show you.”
“…”
Faced with Watson’s unwavering stance, Carmilla let out a deep, frustrated sigh.
“Fine, I will back down. But I have one condition.”
“State it.”
When Watson nodded, signaling he would listen, Carmilla pointed a finger toward Roen in the distance.
“I want to fight that boy.”
*
“…is what she said.”
Just as the battle reached a lull, Watson and Carmilla approached me and explained the situation.
Carmilla backing down peacefully was part of the plan, but… why was this suddenly being dumped on me? With a baffled expression, I looked at the woman who had singled me out.
“…Why are you suddenly picking a fight with me?”
“This pathetic underground city? I was never interested in it in the first place.”
“I already knew that much.”
From the very beginning, Carmilla had shown little interest in ruling this place or in Panopticon’s civil war. She was just doing what she was told. Even then, she found it too bothersome to act directly, using her subordinate, Gulados, to handle most of the work. That said it all.
“So, before I leave, I thought I’d do something I actually want to do. Entertain me. If you do, I’ll leave without a fuss. But...”
Swoosh—.
Carmilla aimed a finger right between my eyes.
“If you’re a disappointment, boy, I’ll kill you, and then I’ll kill that woman, Rebecca. Being sealed for a few decades is nothing to me. It’s just a long nap.”
“…”
I knew it already, but she was completely unreasonable.
“If you pass, I’ll leave quietly as promised. I won’t interfere in the affairs of the criminal underworld or the underground city. I’ll take all my subordinates and go.”
“How can I trust that promise?”
“I swear on the darkness of the night and on my own blood.”
An oath sworn on her own existence was something not even Carmilla could break. It seemed she was serious.
“Lord Roen.”
Unlike with Amur, Ciel was wary of me stepping forward. As Ciel moved to protect me, Carmilla smirked.
“Hmph, don’t worry. I have no intention of killing him. Though my honest desire is to take him back to my castle and have him stuffed and mounted alive…”
“I refuse.”
I’d rather die.
“You’re useful in many ways. I just want to spar for a moment.”
After a moment of consideration, I decided to accept Carmilla’s offer. If a rampaging Carmilla went on a frenzy, there was no telling how many people would die. I had to choose the path that minimized casualties.
“Alright, let’s move somewhere else.”
I moved closer to Carmilla and asked in a low voice.
“Mindscape Barrier. Can you use it?”
“You... how do you know about…?”
Carmilla looked slightly surprised that I knew of her ultimate technique.
“If you can, cast it quickly. We can’t fight properly with everyone watching anyway.”
“Fine… Take my hand.”
Swoosh—.
The moment I touched Carmilla, the space around us twisted like a vortex. The surrounding scenery distorted, and I felt as if my body were drifting away to some distant, ethereal plane.
Overcome by a wave of dizziness, I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, the scene had changed completely.
This was clearly the same central plaza of the Durhen District we had just been standing in, but the details were wrong. The fountain, which had been dry and neglected, now overflowed with a viscous, blood-red liquid, and a brilliant full moon hung in the night sky.
But this was underground; there should be no sky, no moon.
The bodies of the soldiers were gone, as was any sign of the others. It was a silent town without a single soul. It felt as if I were the last person left in a ruined world.
This was Carmilla’s Mindscape Barrier. Inside this domain, Carmilla could wield power several times stronger than usual.
As I took in the surroundings, Carmilla’s form materialized from the blood-red fountain before me.
“How do you like the stage I’ve prepared?”
“It’s perfect.”
Here, I could fight without worrying about witnesses.
Just then...
Vmmm—.
Something vibrated in my pocket. Wondering what it was, I pulled it out to find a transparent glass bottle. Judging by the ominous, holy pressure it gave off, it was the holy water Watson had been using. When did he slip it into my pocket?
Carmilla warned me immediately.
“Don’t open that. It’ll shatter the barrier. Not that you could use it anyway, being half-demon yourself.”
“…”
Selene’s holy water. It was an item a tier higher than even Elena’s divine power—practically a holy relic. Considering that someone with Elena’s aptitude was still only a Saintess ‘candidate,’ I could grasp the sheer prestige Saintess Selene must have held. It made sense; she was a legendary figure who had defeated Carmilla in her prime.
I stored the glass bottle Watson had given me in my subspace pouch.
“I’ll give you a moment. Take off the ring.”
I removed Derod’s ring from my finger.
Carmilla was a powerhouse on the level of a Venerable, just like Amur. Although she had backed down due to her disadvantage against the holy water, her skills were enough to overwhelm a Sword Master like Watson with ease. There was no way I could face her while suppressed by the ring.
Swoooosh—.
The moment I removed the ring, a warm, intense energy flooded my entire body. I was slowly getting used to this sensation—the intoxicating euphoria of ascending to a higher dimension, and the powerful wave of demonic energy filling me to the brim.
Though Amur had recently put me in my place, in this moment, I felt as if I couldn't lose to anyone.
“Hoo…”
Accepting the demonic energy, I clenched my fists, reining in the swirling power. Watching me, Carmilla licked her lips.
“Good. Now, let’s begin.”
Carmilla extended her index finger toward me. She was preparing to use her signature Blood Magic—a sign that she was getting serious, unlike when she had been casually toyed with Watson using her spear.
Simultaneously...
Flash—.
A red flash shot toward me. My vision filled with crimson light as a concentrated beam closed the distance in an instant. The attack was imbued with enough mana to send a chill down my spine, but I silently raised my hand to block it.
Kwwaaaa—!
The red light washed over my hand. This felt different from when I had blocked Amur’s blast. Unlike Amur, who specialized in close-quarters combat, Carmilla’s beam attack was pure Blood Magic, and it was decidedly more corrosive.
Crackle— Crackle—.
Even with my physical abilities enhanced to their peak, I could feel my fingertips starting to melt. It was as if the sticky, ferocious Blood Magic was eroding my body, tearing at it piece by piece.
In response, I gathered the demonic energy filling my body and focused it into my right hand.
Vwoom—.
As I channeled the energy, my right hand turned pitch black. Not only did it begin to regenerate the parts melted by the Blood Magic, but it also generated a repulsive force that began to push back the crimson beam.
And then...
Thwump—.
The power grew until it completely offset Carmilla’s attack, finally deflecting it entirely. Excited, Carmilla followed up with her next move.
“Yes, that’s more like it! Bang!”
This time, Carmilla shaped her hands like twin pistols and fired a barrage of Blood Magic. Red orbs of light shot from her fingertips, raining down on me like an artillery strike.
Kaboom—!
The Blood Magic exploded around me, engulfing my body like flames. I instinctively raised my demonic energy to defend myself, but I couldn’t negate all the damage.
Tssss—.
The residue of the exploded magic clung to my wounds, eroding them like a living creature. Like white phosphorus that burns endlessly, the Blood Magic stuck to me, severely hindering my body’s natural healing.
This is Blood Magic’s basic property: life drain.
Like a leech, it continuously clung to me, inflicting damage over time while simultaneously absorbing health equal to the damage dealt. It was incredibly persistent.
I brushed off the writhing Blood Magic clinging to my wounds.
“You use such messy magic.”
“Can’t be helped. It’s the only magic I can use. But it should be good training for you. If you can’t control your demonic energy properly, you’ll just become food for my spells.”
Training, she says.
First Amur, now Carmilla. It felt as if they were both trying to force me to awaken more of the power I possessed.
“…”
Being caught up in their schemes wasn’t pleasant, but this power was something I had to learn to control. I decided to look on the bright side.
I wiped the blood trickling from the corner of my mouth and held my hand out toward Carmilla. Then, I folded my fingers into the shape of a gun.
Carmilla let out a derisive snort.
“You think you can do it just by copying a hand gesture? This is a lot harder than it looks.”
I ignored her taunt and mimicked the way I had felt her channel her mana. No—it wasn’t so much that I was mimicking her; it was more like I instinctively knew what to do. Like a child learning to walk on their own.
“…Is this it?”
Swoooosh—.
A powerful energy gathered at my fingertip, quickly condensing into a solid orb.
“…!”
Bang—!
The black bullet of light I fired pierced straight through Carmilla’s forehead.