Chapter 532: Bloody Requiem (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 532: Bloody Requiem (7)
We shot up from the basement to the ground floor in one go.
There was no fighting to speak of.
Mainly because we couldn't find even a shadow of a vampire.
They might be lazy, but they never let their patrols lapse. Where could they all have gone?
The question was answered the moment it formed.
Rumble…!
A tremendous roar that shook the entire massive castle was erupting from the upper floors.
Just like us, the vampires must have headed straight there.
As we reached the third floor, I could sense countless presences directly above.
I paused for a moment and looked at my comrades.
“It looks like we won’t be able to avoid a fight on the next floor. Everyone, brace yourselves.”
I was also speaking to myself.
I drew my sword.
Just then, Angela emerged from the group and took the lead, fully armed.
“I’ll take the vanguard.”
“I’m counting on you.”
She was more than trustworthy enough for the job.
“Let’s move out.”
We formed up and ascended the stairs.
And so we arrived on the fourth floor.
At the edge of my vision, I could see the backs of vampires who looked to be in a great hurry.
“Hurry up!” one of them shouted, his voice tense.
Ignoring us who had just arrived on the fourth floor, they were trying to climb the stairs to the fifth.
What should I do?
Let them go?
No, that’s not right.
It would be better to pick them off one by one rather than face all the vampires at once upstairs.
I was about to speed up and grab them from behind to force them to a halt when…
“Hey, you damn mosquitoes! Where are you buzzing off to in such a hurry?!”
Clang! Clang!
Angela, who had been running alongside me, banged on her shield and unleashed a wide-area taunt, using the one word they hated most: mosquitoes.
Then she shot me a grin.
Her expression seemed to ask, ‘I did good, right?’
I gave her a thumbs-up in response.
“The best.”
The vampires running at the rear of the group stopped one by one and turned around.
And they were horrified.
“They’re… they’re human!”
“How did the ones who were supposed to be locked in the prison—!”
“How dare you challenge us again after being defeated once!”
What a bunch of clowns.
I responded to their nonsensical taunts with a sneer.
“If it weren’t for the hostages, you all would have died right then and there.”
Killing intent rapidly filled the space between our two forces.
“Suck them dry! Don’t leave a single drop of their blood!”
“As if we’d let you?”
The hatred, now blazing, clashed in the center of the vast hall.
Claws harder than steel met weaponry.
Clang!
Screech!
Crunch!
Vampires with massive bat wings took to the air, unleashing a torrent of blood magic. In response, our mages cast a wide array of elemental spells that collided with the blood magic in mid-air before dissipating.
Boom!
Fwoosh!
Pshhhhh…!
In the fierce clash, it was our side that slowly began to gain the upper hand.
It was only natural.
Unlike them, who fought relying solely on their individual abilities, we were systematic.
From our time in Bulgaria to helping the Volunteer Group.
Even amidst our busy schedules, we had invested plenty of time in tactics.
And one more thing.
“Gah…! You inferior human!”
“Hmph.”
Slice.
“Kegh…!”
Individually, we were stronger too.
The vampires were ranked from B to A.
But everyone gathered here was a top-tier A-ranker.
As if the Guardians would bring just anyone.
“N-No way…”
“Oh, yes way.”
Thud!
After cleanly cutting down the last one, I assessed the situation.
“Any injuries?”
“As if.”
Right, of course.
“Let’s move out immediately.”
With a satisfied expression, I turned and headed up the stairs.
I didn’t sense many presences on the fifth floor either.
However, one thing bothered me.
The presence of a single vampire standing in the hallway leading from the fifth to the sixth floor.
“Well, I’ll be. I never thought I’d live to see the day humans would dare to run rampant inside the castle.”
The vampire laughed, covering his face with a black-gloved hand as if in disbelief.
His actions were comical, but the power I felt from him was considerable.
Roughly speaking, he was probably on the level of a newly-minted S-rank superhuman.
I remembered.
“…Are you that Holy Blood thingamajig?”
The information a vampire we’d captured during our search had freely given up before he’d been… persuaded.
Holy Blood (聖血).
The ten noble bloodlines who inherited the True Ancestor’s blood most purely… was that it?
The vampire swished his cape dramatically and answered in a pride-filled tone.
“That’s right. I am one of the ten Holy Bloods. ‘Baron Harman.’”
Baron Harman.
If he’s a baron…
“Eh, what? If you’re a baron, doesn’t that mean you’re at the bottom of the Holy Bloods?”
His previously relaxed expression hardened.
Whoops.
Was that a taboo word?
I guess it makes sense. What good is acting tough outside?
Inside the Holy Bloods, he was probably always the youngest, the bottom of the totem pole.
It’s no wonder he’d have a complex.
“Don’t rush to your grave. All of you are going to die here anyway, without a single exception.”
“We’ll see.”
I advanced, sword in hand.
“Sorry, but I don’t think I can play with you for long.”
There’s someone waiting for me upstairs.
“You human bastard…!”
An intense aura and the scent of blood radiated from him.
That was enough.
Enough to clearly gauge the difference in skill between us.
I dashed down the straight corridor and plunged my sword into his heart.
Stab—!
“Keuk…!”
The fight was over in a single breath.
His gaze, stained with pain and shock, turned to me.
“To be so fast that I couldn’t even see you… Who in the world are you…?”
“Kim Do-jin.”
I answered readily.
It would probably put his mind at ease to know the name of the person who killed him.
“How can a mere human possess such power… cough!”
“It’s because I’m human that I’m strong.”
Unlike you monsters, we have nothing.
So we struggle like mad to overcome our limits, to survive.
Wouldn’t it be stranger if we didn’t get stronger?
“Is, is that….”
Thud!
Unable to finish his sentence, he collapsed and died.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The fierce battle continued.
From the fifth floor to the thirteenth.
The Holy Bloods commanded spaces far too vast for a single person… no, a single vampire.
We defeated them one by one until we finally reached this place.
The titles of those we’d killed so far were three barons, three viscounts, and one count.
As expected of those who inherited the True Ancestor’s blood so purely, they became terrifyingly stronger as their rank increased.
Thanks to that, our side had also accumulated considerable damage.
“Ugh… I don’t think I can handle the next fight.”
“Me neither.”
“Same here.”
One by one, my comrades announced they could no longer continue fighting.
They were the lucky ones.
The number of comrades who had died without even being able to say that was already four.
A loss of personnel meant a weakening of our forces.
But the enemy had only grown stronger.
Clap, clap, clap!
A vampire who looked to be somewhere between a young man and a middle-aged one, with pure white hair neatly combed back, approached us, clapping his hands with genuine applause.
“Impressive. I never thought you’d kill them all and make it this far. They were no match for me, of course, but they weren’t pushovers who would die so easily.”
I could feel overwhelming power from him.
If I had to find a point of comparison… it would be me.
The aura he was subtly emitting was so intense it wouldn’t fall far short even when compared to my own.
An aura several levels above that of the count, who had been a tough fight.
“…Are you a marquis?”
“Indeed. I am the sole marquis of this castle, Vampiric Arkad.”
He was overflowing with composure.
If the composure of our previous opponents stemmed from arrogance, his stemmed from faith in his own abilities.
That meant he was not only strong but had also accurately read our strength through our auras.
“Hoo…”
What should I do?
I didn’t think I would lose if we fought now, but it would take a long time.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced up at the ceiling, from which stone dust occasionally fell.
Kwoong!
Kugugung!
The vibrations and shockwaves grew more intense with each floor we climbed.
To encounter such a formidable enemy just as an ominous thought began to take concrete shape in my mind.
I racked my brain, but no brilliant solution came to mind.
In the end, the only way was to finish him as quickly as possible.
Just as I was thinking that and calmly gathering my aura…
“Do-jin.”
Angela, who was beside me, called my name in a low voice.
“Take the others and go on ahead.”
“…What are you talking about?”
I asked back, my tone incredulous. She winked and continued.
“I can handle a guy like that on my own, you know? So you go on ahead.”
She wasn’t wrong.
With her skills, she could certainly fight that marquis one-on-one and claim victory.
But it wasn’t a 100% guarantee.
“Let’s not do that. Let’s just take him down quickly together and go.”
I said, trying to persuade her, but she shook her head firmly.
“No, that’s impossible.”
“……”
“You know it too. If he decides to stall for time, we’ll have no choice but to be dragged along.”
She’d hit my weak spot.
It was my biggest worry.
The possibility of being held up by this guy and not arriving in time.
If my uneasy premonition was real, then no matter how strong Francis was, he could still be in danger.
But leaving Angela behind…
While I was hesitating…
“Hey, don’t tell me you don’t trust me?” she asked, her face angry.
I quickly shook my head.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you…”
Her outstretched index finger silenced my lips.
“That’s all that matters. If you trust me, go on ahead.”
“Angela.”
“Francis… he’s like family to me.”
She grinned, a smile unsuited for the situation, and made a request.
“So you go and help him. Go back up that old man who’s too old to use his strength properly.”
“……”
Looking at her, I realized.
No one in this world could change her determined mind.
I slapped my cheeks hard with both hands, engraving it in my mind.
Trust her.
And focus on what I have to do.
After pulling myself together, I nodded at her, who was looking slightly dazed.
“I’ll go on ahead. But let’s make one promise.”
“Uh… what is it?”
“Come back alive, with all your limbs intact.”
She pouted her lips and grumbled.
“What… are you going to abandon me if I’m not in one piece?”
As if.
“I can overlook one arm.”
That was me being generous.
“Heh heh… Alright. I promise.”
After making the promise, I turned my back without any lingering attachment.
I heard the marquis’s voice from behind me.
“Hey, do you really think I’m going to let you go… Whoa!”
“Your opponent is me, Marquis Mosquito.”
And Angela’s voice, stopping him.
Just as I placed my foot on the stairs leading to the next floor…
KABOOM!
The sound of a violent collision from behind me threw my mind into turmoil.
I hate this.
This moment of being forced to leave someone behind, to have no choice but to trust them.
And so, I make a vow.
I will kill every last one of them who dares to come after what’s mine.
And I will make their deaths utterly miserable.
“Let’s go.”
With only that thought in mind, I climbed the stairs.