Chapter 601: Jealousy is My Power (101)
Chapter 601: Jealousy is My Power (101)
Only then did the Vampire notice something strange. Initially, she had assumed "Time Stop" was merely the mental imagery of the "kid"—the personality that wasn't this monster.
Therefore, it should have been impossible for this man to wield the power of that imagery. Mental imagery was, after all, a landscape of the soul; it was only natural for one soul to possess one landscape.
But what was this sight before her?
The world hadn't suddenly lost its momentum. Rather, slowly but surely, and with an even greater sense of overwhelming pressure, it was beginning to erode all of creation.
Zzzzt. The scenery flickered and distorted. Through the cracks, a glimpse of a parched, endless wasteland appeared, where thousands of corpses heralded a grand requiem.
The Vampire let out a sharp, breathy laugh, her blue eyes burning with madness.
"I was mistaken. That brat’s mental imagery wasn't 'Time Stop' at all… That was nothing more than a byproduct of him borrowing your imagery. Just as you've crammed the secret arts of the entire continent into your soul… But how is that even possible?"
"……Just draw your mana."
The man’s voice, responding to her curiosity, was utterly frigid.
His cold sword point slowly leveled toward her.
"Unless you want to die."
"Pfft, ha… Ah, ahahahaha!"
At that blatant provocation, the Vampire burst into genuine, delighted laughter.
How long had it been?
Hundreds of years ago, she had sacrificed her own soul and her entire household to claim a seat among the Seven Deadly Sins. Since then, she thought there was only one rival capable of making her heart race.
Yet here she was, facing an unexpected existence, driven into a corner, her plans left in shambles.
There was no way she wouldn't enjoy this.
An opponent who demanded everything she had always provided the ultimate thrill.
Creeeeeak!
The trembling earth split open, and boulders drifted into the air. It was proof that the surroundings could no longer withstand the massive waves of energy radiating from the Vampire.
These were absolute beings whose very existence was a miracle.
The mere fact that two such entities were on the verge of clashing was enough to put the entire world on edge.
"Fine, 'Pride'… If that’s how you’re going to play it, I must respond with everything I have… Even if this is barely half of my true power, it should be enough to deal with a tattered wretch like you."
"I’ll give you one piece of advice."
The man spoke in a flat, level voice.
Not a trace of tension could be found on his face.
"Even if your main body were here, it would be difficult for you to escape with your life. So, you’d best try to end this before I take seven steps."
"Quite confident, aren't we? A technique of that caliber must have a name, surely?"
"Seven Steps, Seven Cuts (七步七絕)."
The Vampire snorted and straightened her attire.
A duel between noble aristocrats required elegance.
No matter how much of a ragged, undignified human her opponent was, as long as she was going all out, she intended to show him the appropriate courtesy.
"I see. A truly arrogant name, fitting for 'Pride'… Seven steps, each containing one of the Seven Arts?"
Then, the sound of teeth grinding together echoed.
The woman shouted, her voice thick with bloodlust.
"……Then show me!"
The man was not one to refuse such a favor.
At the edge of a precarious balance, like a dewdrop trembling on a leaf—
The man took a step, and the entire world’s landscape shifted.
Just one step.
It was merely a gesture to signal the beginning. Yet, the moment she faced that single step, the Vampire realized instinctively:
The man’s warning had been no empty boast.
I’m going to die.
In that instant, as the certainty of death filled her mind and she surged her mana through her entire body—
Thwip.
A small bolt of light pierced the Vampire’s chest. It happened in the blink of an eye.
The Vampire’s gaze slowly drifted behind her. There, a figure she had momentarily forgotten stood panting for breath.
The Great Witch.
She had merely pointed her index finger at the Vampire, but that slender bolt of light contained the profound principles of the Five Elements. It was enough to shatter the balance of the small barrier the Vampire had been struggling to maintain.
The monster’s eyes snapped wide.
"You… you bitch……!"
That was the end.
The terrifying pressure radiating from the man vanished without a trace. Instead, the man, having lunged off the ground, swung his sword like a blunt club.
BOOM!
With a thunderous explosion, the woman’s body was sent hurtling into the distance. Since she could no longer twist causality, taking a direct hit was inevitable.
The Vampire, hastily protecting herself with a membrane of blood, realized the truth.
I was tricked.
From the beginning, her opponent had no intention of showing his full power. This 'Pride' had been operating under the constraint of not being able to kill her while they fought.
For an entity of that magnitude to intervene, a corresponding price had to be paid.
Naturally, he wouldn't recklessly reveal his ultimate secret technique, honed over a lifetime.
The more he revealed, the greater the price he would have to consume!
It had been a cheap trick from the start, designed to draw all of her focus. Realizing this, the Vampire screamed as she tumbled across the ground.
"You… you thieving wench……!"
As her bloodshot eyes locked onto the Great Witch, a crimson mist erupted from the Vampire’s fingertips.
As seen before, its speed was practically sub-light; there was no time to react. Even the man would be catching his breath after the backlash of canceling such a massive technique.
She was aiming for nothing less than a fatal wound.
She had tried to save her strength until the very end to settle their old grudge.
To think the witch would throw away her luck like this.
The Vampire lamented as she dug her feet into the earth to stop her backward momentum.
It was right then.
Thwack!
The sound of something being impaled was followed by a sudden surge of blood.
Naturally, this should have been the sound of the Great Witch’s body being pierced, but for some reason—
The Vampire stared in bewilderment at a spike of lightning impaling her own calf. She literally couldn't comprehend it for a moment, failing to even react to the electrical discharge that erupted with a tumultuous roar.
Thud. Her knee slammed into the ground.
Even so, it was a minor injury. The Vampire was a Fiend; she could heal a wound like this in the blink of an eye.
The only problem was one thing.
Who?
Before she knew it, her crimson mist was bound by chains of lightning, unable to budge. Thinking back, she felt she had heard of a family that used such magic during her travels across the continent.
Her confusion didn't last long.
Whir, snap.
A rhythmic sound echoed across the land where silence had momentarily fallen. It was the sound of a rod spinning through the air before being caught firmly in a hand.
The Vampire, the Great Witch, and the man all naturally turned their eyes toward the source.
"What is all this? I finally wake up, and the place is a total disaster… One guy with my Master’s face, one little brat I’ve never seen before, and even a monster that plays with blood… Sigh."
A small girl was slowly walking forward.
With a pointed hat as large as her head pressed down low and her shoulders slumped, she looked more than just frail—she looked utterly lethargic. Her sigh-filled lamentation continued.
"Seriously, what did I do to deserve this? I really picked the wrong man……"
"……Who are you?"
It was the question everyone wanted to ask.
At the Vampire’s dazed voice, the girl’s gaze finally drifted toward her.
Even the shadow of the brim couldn't hide those brilliant eyes. Her blue eyes were sunken with a deep, serene light.
They emitted a faint glow.
This was a characteristic phenomenon seen only in those who had reached a certain realm of mastery.
"Me? My name is Elsie Lainella."
It was then that the girl suddenly thrust her jet-black rod forward.
The sky split apart. It was a moment where it was too late to even attempt a reaction.
Hundreds of lightning bolts plummeted from the rift. A disaster that didn't distinguish between friend or foe ravaged the earth like a torrential rain, and through the acrid smoke, the Vampire saw a single sight.
A giant made of lightning.
No, was it a 'whale'?
The massive entity was constantly shifting its form, becoming the strongest, largest, and most overwhelming existence possible.
The Vampire surged her mana through her entire body at the sudden ambush.
"The niece of the Great Archmage, Reynold Lainella……"
And then, KABOOM!
An overwhelming storm of electricity, powerful enough to silence the pouring rain, blanketed the earth. The sight of thousands of lightning bolts converging into a single hand to strike a single target was nothing short of miraculous.
The ground caved in around the epicenter. The Vampire could only stare blankly at the sequence of events.
There was only one reason.
Thump.
With that short sound, the man’s body collapsed onto the ground like a bundle of dry straw.
That was it. The girl hadn't cast her magic at the Vampire in the first place.
Her target was solely the man.
As a result, the man lay powerless on the cold earth.
It was a hollow end for someone who seemed like he would never fall. Naturally, the Vampire could only turn her gaze away with a hollow laugh, and at the end of her sight, the girl wore a mischievous smile.
She pressed the brim of her pointed hat down once more.
"I’m Ian Percus’s fiancée and his pet dog… Woof!"
Watching the girl go as far as to kindly imitate a puppy, the Vampire had one thought.
She should never, ever adopt a dog raised by the Lainella family.
A dog that bites its owner, no matter how cute, was out of the question.