Flames of Vengeance (Part 2) — 6

"Hmph. I've already figured out that dazzling little weapon of yours. My kin — close your eyes or turn your heads! Just for a moment. It'll be neutralized like it was never there!"

Wow. He saw through the flash potions' weakness in an instant. Intelligent monsters really are a pain in the ass. The ones that can actually think are the absolute worst.

Trolls were the sweet spot — smart enough to be interesting, dumb enough to be manageable.

But these bat bastards—

Bang! Ba-boom!

Clatter-rattle-rattle!

They had no idea why I'd stepped back, did they? A flash potion shouldn't hurt anything but your eyes — and I was wearing sunglasses. So why had I retreated?

"G-Gyaaaaaagh!"

"S-Silver... silver beads!"

"Help me, my whole body... it's burning awaaaaay!"

Explosive potions packed full of silver beads.

Like a claymore mine — the moment they detonated, dozens of silver beads packed inside went flying in every direction with real physical force. Even an ordinary person would have their flesh torn open. For a vampire... the pain and damage would be far, far worse.

Time had been tight, but the blacksmiths and alchemists of the Wings of Hope guild had pulled it off in the end. The only real downside was that, just like the flash potions, mass production had been impossible.

We only had about ten flash potions and fifteen silver-bead explosives between us. So before we set out, we'd agreed to save them for the fight against the Vampire Lord — or for a truly desperate crisis.

And yet these people... everyone gathered here... they were all complete idiots. How could they not use even a single one? They could have blown through the whole stockpile and run for it, and nobody would have said a word.

To the very end — the very end — they'd believed in me, and they'd held these back. Believing that I'd come to my senses and stand against the vampires, they'd saved these precious weapons for me.

Total, absolute idiots. Every last one of them. If this weren't an apocalypse — if this were ordinary everyday life — people would have laughed them off as suckers. Hell, even in an apocalypse, other survivors would have mocked them for joining some ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kind of cult, and they wouldn't have had a single comeback.

Really... complete fools. All of them. Every single one.

So much so that I could have cried from gratitude.

"Grrraaagh... my whole body... my skiiiin...!"

Slash!

"Gyaaaagh!"

One by one, I cut the vampires down and snuffed out their lives. A few that hadn't been hit by the silver beads charged me, but they were no match — they were butchered beneath my silver longsword. Others tried to come at me from my blind spots. Pointless.

Fwing! Whoosh-roar!

"Gyaaaaaagh!"

I had more than enough comrades I could trust with my back.

Every vampire that lunged for a blind angle took a silver arrow from Han Sora and a baptism of flame from Yun Mina, staggered — and then my silver longsword finished them off.

"Not a chance!"

"D-Don't worry, Oppa!"

Han Sora and Yun Mina's bold assurances rang out. Damn... I really did have the best comrades — and the best women — at my side.

They'd shielded my fragile mind all the way to this point. I'd even had a living barrier. And on top of everything, a completely different system.

I really was a lucky bastard. Of course, to prove my luck was truly top-tier...

I still had to tear down the massive wall standing right in front of me.

"Y-You damn... bastard...!"

Watching his kin get slaughtered in an instant, the Vampire Lord erupted with pure, absolute rage. He glared at me like he meant to kill me with his eyes alone, pouring out every scrap of murderous intent he had.

Without the shield called Lawful Good, that killing intent should have terrified me. Honestly, I'd been a little worried about how long my unprotected mind could hold out against it.

But strangely enough... I wasn't afraid at all. From the tips of my toes to the crown of my head, confidence surged through me. There was even a kind of liberation in it.

It felt like I'd evolved into someone who simply didn't have to feel fear anymore.

"How dare you wound my kin this far... this far! Kill my people and drive me into this corner! Fine — fine! You...!"

Rrrrrumble...!

"I hereby acknowledge you as a true rival! Human!"

The world shook. The ground shook. And the Vampire Lord himself... shook?

No — he wasn't shaking. His form was changing. That elegant, old-world appearance was transforming...!

Like a gargoyle out of some old novel... he twisted into a monster that was half bat, half man!

And now he had a health bar, too.

Oh, come the fuck on! That's cheating! Just change your form — just the form! What is this, some final boss who gets stronger every time he transforms in a manga!?

...Well, he kind of was the final boss. Shit! Good thing I'd cast Mage Armor before closing in. Reflexively throwing it on before a fight had become a habit, and thank god for that!

"From this moment on... I will show you not even a speck of mercy!"

Whoosh!

The words were barely out before the Vampire Lord (Bat-Human Form) swung his arm. I dodged on pure instinct. I got clear, but—!

KRA-BOOM!

The asphalt floor was obliterated.

Holy shit! This bastard was serious. Every single blow was meant to kill me for real! Which, for a monster, was normal, sure, buuut!

"O mysterious power, slow the feet of the enemy before me!"

Still, this was way too sudden! I quickly cast the spell Slow, trying to bind the Vampire Lord's legs.

"Useless, you fool!"

Huh? It didn't work? Without the slightest reduction in speed, he closed the distance on me in a flash. Did it fail completely? Or did it land but the effect was negligible!

Stopping to think about it was the mistake. The Vampire Lord thrust out his arm. Razor-sharp claws gleamed at his fingertips. In an instant, those vicious fingers were driving straight for my chest—

Clang!

"Kh...!"

I raised the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠silver longsword and blocked.

Haha — how do you like that? A silver weapon! You're a vampire, so you should take massive damag— ...you're not? Your flesh isn't even burning... you're completely fine!?

"You fool... did you truly believe a weapon of such trash-tier grade would work on me — the lord of all vampires!"

Trash-tier!? It's Rare grade. Rare! And the flash potions worked just fine earlier! You took damage from Sacred Ground! So why the hell doesn't this work!? The balance on this is completely fucked. Seriously!

Fwing, fwing!

I heard the familiar sound of Han Sora loosing arrows. But Sora — that didn't work last time!

"Hmph! Pathetic!"

See? He swatted them aside with one palm like it was nothing. Well, at least it bought me a little time.

Time for what?

"O lightning, strike down upon my enemy's head!"

Time for me to cast magic, that's what. Let's see if he can tank lightning too!

Rumble! KRA-KOOM-CRACKLE!

In an instant, lightning crashed down on the bat-man's — no, the Vampire Lord's — head. The blinding flash made me start to shield my eyes for a second... oh right, I was wearing sunglasses. I just watched.

A massive electrical shock slammed into the Vampire Lord, and a thin trail of smoke rose from his body.

Did it work? No — did I finish him? Ah, shit, I shouldn't even be thinking that phrase!

"That was... a little stingy! How irritating!"

It didn't work! He came at me again with the same agility as before. This time he swung both arms. What now? Dodge first?

"Oppa, roll backward!"

The moment Yun Mina's voice hit my ears, my body moved on instinct. I tumbled backward in a completely undignified roll.

"You slippery little blood bag...!"

"Shut up and eat this! Lightning Blast...!"

Rrrumble, KRA-KOOM-CRACKLE-CRACK!

Once again, lightning came crashing down from the sky. And once again, it landed squarely on the head of the biggest target on the field — the Vampire Lord.

Oh — a little damage went through! Keep hammering long enough and even a wall starts to crack—

"Did I not just say that sting is... irritating!"

But rather than looking hurt, the Vampire Lord just exploded with temper. Then he suddenly thrust out a hand — not at me, but in another direction entirely.

And from that bestial hand—

Flutter-flutter-flutter!

A massive swarm of bats burst forth. What the hell was that!? Was he attacking with a bat swarm?

The problem was who those bats were aimed at: Yun Mina. That idiot was still standing in the same spot where I'd helped her earlier! Why was she still so close instead of falling back like everyone else!? And Sacred Ground had already lost its power!

"Not a chance!"

But I could breathe easy almost immediately. Park Seeun had already charged out, silver club in hand, shielding Yun Mina like a knight. She wasn't actually a knight — she was the Military Minister — but still!

"Haaaaaah!"

Park Seeun swung the silver club in a massive arc. A huge number of bats took the hit dead-on. Ah — that was the Warrior skill Smash!

"Oppa, hit him while you've got the opening!"

I know! I was already swinging!

Slash!

"Kh — you damn gnats...!"

Son of a bitch!

The Vampire Lord took my strike on his arm, but all he did was twitch his face a little — zero real damage. Instead, he swung his free arm and smashed me square in the chest.

Thud!

"Ghk...!"

Damn, that hit was vicious!

No, seriously, that hurt like hell. It even sent me flying a good five meters!

"Cough...!?"

What... this stuff coming back up out of my mouth... is that blood? No way, right? I checked the palm I'd used to block — half liquid, half blood. Must have been stomach acid refluxing. Damn it!

This really felt like some bullshit aerial boss fight! Field Bosses used to be the same way... unlike dungeons, these things didn't even give you a friendly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠little pattern notification!

And of course it had to be a monster with absurdly high HP that ordinary weapons couldn't even scratch... how the hell was I supposed to...!?

Wait a second...

Did you truly believe a weapon of such trash-tier grade would work on me — the lord of all vampires!

Gra...de?

Could that mean...?

"Sora! Cough...!"

Damn it, taking that hit to the chest... did I crack a rib? It hurt every time I made a sound!

"The gloves... throw me the gloves!"

The moment I shouted it, I shoved my hand into my bag. Confirmed what I'd grabbed, then charged straight at the bat-man — at the monster still flinging bats, trying to kill Park Seeun and Yun Mina!

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

I even screamed. Look over here, asshole.

"Hmph. A wretch like you, with but a single arm of mine—"

He was about to swing again. I had no intention of just eating it. I hurled what was in my hand straight into the Vampire Lord's face.

"Ha, and what is this supp— ugh!?"

Too slow, dumbass!

BOOM! Fwoooooosh!

I'm wearing sunglasses, you idiot!

"Gyaaaaaagh... I let my guard down! My eyes...!"

His bat assault stopped cold, and he clutched at his eyes, screaming in agony.

I'd had one more flash potion. The last one!

But Sora — when exactly were you planning to throw me those gloves?

Thwip!

The second the question crossed my mind, an arrow buried itself in the ground right next to me. My eyes snapped to where it had landed... and I cheered inwardly. Just when I needed her, she always came through. That's my Sora!

Both gloves were tied neatly to the shaft. Without a second's hesitation, I pulled them on.

An incredible pair of gloves that could even slap an item grade onto a stick or a pipe you picked up off the street... but the gloves themselves also had a grade. Meaning—

Thud!

"Guh!?"

—I could use them as a weapon.

You said trash-tier weapons wouldn't work on you, right? Then how about a fist overlaid with Legendary-grade gloves!

It worked...! A punch combining Strength 19 with Legendary-grade gloves... had definitely gotten through.

No... stopping here wasn't enough!

I sprang straight up from where I stood. Landing on the shoulders of the Vampire Lord — still reeling from my surprise blow — I locked my legs around him and spun my body around, settling into a position looking down at the back of his head.

"Urgh!? You bastard... in the moment I can't see! You dare climb onto my shoulders!?"

This guy's HP was insanely high, right? One or two hits would never cut it.

Which left only one option.

"I'll beat you to death... until you die!"