Chapter 187
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 187
Splat—!
The magic bullet I fired blew Carmilla’s head apart.
Her skull shattered, scattering like a splash of red paint against the darkness.
But in the blink of an eye, the fragments coalesced and reformed. As if a video were playing in reverse, the red liquid surged back together, recreating Carmilla’s form.
Acting as if this were a mundane occurrence, Carmilla casually reached up during the reconstruction to straighten her slightly crooked nose. After sculpting the fine details of her face back into perfection, she glared at me.
“How rude. Blowing a lady’s head off without so much as a warning?”
“I’m not exactly in a position to be polite.”
The time I could maintain my demonic transformation was limited. It had been the same during my fight with Demer, and again with Amur. It was best to unleash as much power as possible while I still held the reins.
Of course, I hadn’t originally intended to just blow her head off without a second thought.
‘...It feels like this demonic transformation makes me more violent.’
My preferred combat style relied on analyzing the opponent, assessing the situation, and making rational moves through precise calculation. But when I underwent this transformation, those traits vanished. I was driven solely by a powerful, destructive instinct.
The more I tapped into this formidable power, the less room I had for deep thought, and the stronger my impulsive combat instincts became.
“Hmph. Then shall we see if your head can regenerate, too?”
Carmilla raised a hand, and countless red magic circles embroidered the dark night sky. They layered over one another like a scene from a glitched game.
“……!”
Rumble—!
A torrential rain of thorny red spears poured from the circles.
“Tch.”
It was large-scale magic, cast without a moment's hesitation. A truly absurd display of power, but this was Carmilla’s mental barrier. She could manifest almost anything she desired here. Inside this space, Carmilla was no different from a god.
Still, I couldn't just stand there in a daze. If I remained frozen in awe, I’d be pierced by that rain of spears and torn to shreds.
I stretched a hand forward, invoking the magic most familiar to me. A black magic circle materialized behind me, and from it, an innumerable number of dark chains shot forth.
BOOM—!
My chains and Carmilla’s thorny spears collided in mid-air, triggering a massive magical explosion. A deafening roar followed as the magical energy erupted in a hemisphere of light and heat.
Though the impact was staggering, I remained standing.
“Haa... haa...”
Aside from being short of breath from the rapid drain on my demonic energy, I was largely unharmed. Seeing me successfully block her attack, Carmilla grinned and launched her next move.
“Good, very good. On to the next!”
Whoosh—!
Carmilla swept her hand upward, unleashing thorns of magic from the ground. Red briars erupted beneath my feet, tearing through the earth as they rushed toward me.
I stomped my foot hard, unleashing a wave of demonic energy.
CRACK—!
The wave spread from my foot like a seismic shockwave, shattering the advancing red thorns into dust. But just as I thought I had neutralized the threat—
“Tch.”
Carmilla’s blood magic, hidden behind the cover of the thorns, struck me directly.
Shhhlick—!
Chains of blood wrapped around my body. They moved as if they were alive, tightening their grip and beginning to gnaw at my flesh.
“Hoo...”
I took a deep breath and released the magic within my body. A powerful flame of demonic energy flared out in all directions like a warrior's battle aura.
Fwoosh—!
The red chains binding me were instantly incinerated.
Carmilla’s attacks continued relentlessly. The battle fell into a rhythm: she fired blood magic, and I responded in kind. My counterattacks blew her body apart several times, but she regenerated in an instant, rendering my efforts meaningless.
“Hah... hah...”
As I continuously channeled demonic energy, my breathing grew ragged and my vision began to tint red. The energy was corroding my senses, making it harder to suppress my darker impulses.
Carmilla watched me tremble and narrowed her eyes.
“Just as Amur said. You’re strong, but you’re not yet skilled in using your power. What’s more, your body is struggling to accept it. So, you’re still half-human after all?”
Her vertically slit pupils flashed.
“...You’re far from ready.”
Before my reason faded completely, I forced out a question.
“Not ready? Carmilla, what is your goal? What are you trying to achieve through me?”
The Twelve Honored Ones worked toward the Demon God’s revival, but they weren’t blind zealots. Their relationship was closer to a contract. Each of them had something to gain from the Demon God; they each moved for their own desires.
Amur sought infinite martial prowess. Kral wanted to reclaim his lost authority. Gilean aimed to resurrect a long-dead lover.
So, what was the desire that drove Carmilla?
At my question, Carmilla shrugged as if it were trivial.
“What is it? It just looks fun. Breaking a covenant with a god... could there be anything more interesting than that? And…”
Carmilla lifted her head, staring blankly at the moon in the night sky.
“At the end of it all, I was hoping that I might one day be able to walk under the bright sun.”
The covenant the first emperor made with the gods was a blessing in the form of mana, but it was also a shackle—a wedge that imposed limits on each race. For Carmilla and the vampire race, that restriction was the sun. Only the moonlit night and the darkness were her world.
I looked at her as she stared at the moon.
“How pitiful.”
“Oh my, are you worried about me? A human who lives for a hundred years at best, whose physical prime is less than half of that?”
“It’s better to live a short life in freedom.”
I would rather live under the bright sun, even for a fleeting moment, than exist forever in the dark.
“Well, perhaps you’re right.”
Carmilla swept her hair back and resumed a fighting stance. She pointed a finger at me.
Swoosh—!
At her gesture, the blood flowing in the fountain levitated. It slithered through the air like a red dragon before gathering into a single, massive drop.
“Try blocking this, too. It’ll be dangerous this time if you can’t properly use the Authority you possess.”
As Carmilla opened her hand, the massive sphere of blood came crashing down.
‘Use my Authority?’
I still didn’t know how to wield it properly, so for now, I simply dodged the crimson baptism.
Fwip—!
With stats that surpassed human limits, a single kick off the ground was enough to clear the range of the giant blood drop.
Splat—!
The blood swept over the spot where I had been like a tidal wave. I thought I was safe, but—
“It’s useless.”
Carmilla moved her finger again, tracking me.
Rumble—!
The blood that had spilled onto the ground surged toward me like a living wave.
“Tsk.”
Running was pointless. I gathered the black particles I had used to blow up Carmilla’s head and fired them at the wave.
Flash—!
The magic bullet pierced through the blood, leaving a large hole, but that was it. The red wave easily repaired itself and continued its rush. Shooting a bullet at a wave was like trying to stop the tide with a pebble.
CRASH—!
The wave of blood swallowed me whole. A heavy, suffocating density enveloped me, as if I had fallen into deep water.
Rumble—!
Powerful pressure crushed me from all directions, tightening its grip. I released my demonic energy, trying to shield myself, but the relentless blood devoured my energy and began to seep into my body.
“Hk...!”
The blood broke through my magic shield, squeezing the air from my lungs. It began to infiltrate my body, causing agonizing pain.
Scrape— Scrape—
It was a horrific sensation, like a swarm of tiny insects burrowing under my skin. Trapped within the sphere of blood, I desperately fired magic in every direction, but it was only a temporary fix. The wave would part for a second and then instantly reform. It was like trying to cut water with a knife.
Eventually, I stopped my meaningless struggle and recalled Carmilla’s words.
‘Authority… she said Authority.’
She had told me to use it. In a daze, I slowly reached my hand forward and clenched my fist.
Space distorted at my will.
Swoosh—!
Caught in the flow of that distorted space, a portion of the blood wave evaporated. Like water draining from a bathtub, the blood vanished into the vortex of warped space.
It was only a small amount—not enough to turn the tide—but it was the clue I needed. I focused every drop of magic and demonic energy to expand the distortion.
Crackle—!
With a flash of black lightning, the rift in space grew larger. As it expanded, the amount of blood being sucked away increased exponentially.
“Keuk...!”
My vision turned completely red from the strain, and my body trembled like a leaf, but I didn't stop.
Swoooosh—!
How much time passed? Finally, the spatial distortion sucked in the entire wave of blood that had been crushing me.
“Haa... haa...”
As I stood there, reeling from the pain and magical exhaustion, I heard the sound of clapping.
Clap, clap, clap—
“Good. Very well done. This is just barely a passing grade.”
I slowly turned my gaze to glare at Carmilla.
“See? Everyone can do it when their life is on the line.”
“……”
I was on the verge of collapsing, but I forced my hand up and aimed at her.
Crackle—!
Space distorted. Carmilla’s body began to melt away as if being sucked into a void. But in the blink of an eye, she reappeared behind me. She leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“I like that. Not giving up. But it’s time to rest now.”
Click—.
Carmilla slid the ring back onto my finger and caressed my cheek with the back of her hand. The moment the ring touched my skin, my power was sealed. The residual demonic energy vanished, and I returned to my human form.
As my consciousness faded, her voice echoed in my mind.
“You have to get stronger. Much stronger than you are now. Otherwise… you won’t survive.”
Shwaaa—!
Simultaneously, Carmilla’s mental barrier crumbled away like burning embers. I closed my eyes.
*
“Here.”
Carmilla appeared, tearing through space. She casually tossed Roen, whom she had been carrying like a doll.
Ciel rushed forward and caught the limp Roen. She quickly checked his vitals, confirming he was still alive.
Watching this, Carmilla commented, “I didn’t kill him. No need to check.”
“……”
Carmilla ignored Ciel’s sharp glare and looked around. The battle had reached a lull. Thanks to the unexpected appearance of Watson and the external knight order he had brought, the branch chiefs' rebellion had been crushed.
The branch chiefs who had started the civil war were now bound in ropes. Gulados and Carmilla's other vassals weren’t bound, but they waited quietly to one side. Since she had held Roen hostage and promised to return peacefully, the opposing forces hadn't moved against her subordinates yet.
Carmilla let out a small sigh.
‘I guess that’s the end of this.’
She hadn’t followed the orders to take over the underground city and plan an attack on the Union, but it didn’t really matter to her.
‘Since when did I care about that stuff?’
Carmilla tossed her hair and shrugged. She had only played along because she was told to. Whatever happened now was none of her business. She would get an earful from Gilean later, but that was the extent of it.
After surveying the scene, Carmilla gestured with her chin.
“Let’s go back. A promise is a promise.”
“Yes, Master.”
Gulados, who had reverted from his demonic form and looked gaunt, bowed his head. Her direct subordinates followed behind her.
As Carmilla was about to leave, she stopped, turned around, and pointed a finger at Rebecca.
“You. You should know you’re lucky.”
If the boy hadn’t gotten involved, the underworld would have fallen easily. And if he hadn’t shown even a sliver of potential, she wouldn’t have retreated so obediently. The first thing she would have done was take his head and hang it on the city gates.
Rebecca smirked. “I know. I’m lucky.”
“...What an attitude. All of you kept your lives thanks to that boy.”
“I know that, too.” Rebecca looked at Roen, unconscious in Ciel’s arms, and asked, “But... why? What's the reason?”
It was a loaded question. She was asking why Carmilla, who treated humans like insects, had shown such special interest in him.
Carmilla twirled a strand of her hair. “The reason… It’s nothing a brat like you would understand. However…”
Carmilla’s gaze fell on Roen one last time.
“Just as he was for you, he is our savior.”
Just as Roen had saved the underworld from the swamp of civil war, he would one day free them from their long-standing contract.
He was the savior who would shatter the ancient curses and shackles laid down by the gods.