Chapter 453: The Trial That Defies Fate - 16
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 453: The Trial That Defies Fate - 16
The Phantom Dancer Under the Waning Moon: Muri. With uncanny movements, she melted into the darkness, her body literally ‘dissolving’. Once a renowned dancer and a member of a secret order of assassins, she had attempted to assassinate the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka on a contract, only to catch Tyrkanzyaka’s eye and become an Elder.
From a young age, assassins undergo an education akin to brainwashing. For Muri, who had been a doll following orders without purpose or will, the life of an Elder was a better option. There were still many who wanted to kill her and many she had to kill, but at least she no longer had to live with the constant tension of imminent death.
That was why Muri resented Tyrkanzyaka for setting her free. Her current attack was nothing more than a tantrum.
A tiny crack in the broken wall. Through a hole barely large enough for a head to pass through, Muri flowed out like water. Taking advantage of the narrow, dark space, she positioned herself behind Tyrkanzyaka and extended a dagger, devoid of any killing intent or presence. Muri’s dagger, Crescent Fang, aimed for Tyrkanzyaka.
[Your dance is your own. But that blood is mine.]
A soft murmur was heard, and then a colossal fist swept past Muri.
Vampires, by nature, pay little mind to defense. Against a shadow forged from darkness, it was better to simply ignore it and push through.
However, Muri could not disregard the terrifying power emanating from the giant. A direct hit wouldn't kill her, but an ominous feeling prompted her to abandon the attack and evade the giant's fist.
Whoosh. The fist, wreathed in a storm, grazed past her. She could feel its hard texture, its heavy presence, and the blood that existed beyond the pitch-black darkness.
“It’s full of blood energy, isn’t it? Even without your power, that strength is more than enough to fill a giant, right?”
“Blood energy!”
Bakuta, smelling his prey, lunged at the giant. His mouth opened monstrously wide as he took a huge bite out of the giant’s right hand. After tasting the blood energy within the severed chunk of darkness, Bakuta grimaced and muttered.
“This is… not very tasty…”
As Bakuta chewed on the darkness, expressing his mild disappointment, the giant snatched him up with one hand. As if seeking revenge, it brought Bakuta to its mouth without a moment’s hesitation.
Crunch.
The giant’s teeth crushed Bakuta’s lower body. Bakuta, who had spent his entire life eating, was now being eaten.
Chew, chew. The shadow meticulously chewed and swallowed one of Bakuta’s legs, then muttered as blood energy dripped from the corners of its mouth.
[You’re not very tasty either.]
“Oh? Mommy’s hungry too?” Bakuta asked cheerfully, even as he was being eaten. But Tyrkanzyaka’s shadow scoffed in denial.
[Not particularly. I just needed a way to shut you up.]
“…Too bad. I thought you’d realized you were hungry too, Mommy.”
[I already know that feeling. For I am still yearning.]
The power of a vampire is Bloodcraft, the manipulation of blood. Tyrkanzyaka could still wield Bloodcraft. She had simply been unable to handle its overwhelming force due to her insistence that blood remain where it belonged.
So, Tyrkanzyaka had ‘tricked’ the blood.
The giant’s torso rose behind Tyrkanzyaka’s body. The blood energy from her own body flowed into the giant. The giant surrounding her was another body she had created, modeled after her own.
Though created by her power, all its components were identical to Tyrkanzyaka. The blood energy, seeking its proper place, seeped into the created body, unaware that it was a construct. It didn't matter. Tyrkanzyaka had enough blood energy to fill a lake.
“…The Clan Chief has learned how to wield her power.”
The Watcher, Rahu Khan, muttered.
Rahu Khan, the Scourge of the Wasteland, could enhance his physical functions by concentrating his blood energy. While this ability could strengthen his entire body, he primarily used it on his eyes, earning him the title of Watcher. True to his name, Rahu Khan’s eyes, shimmering with crimson flames, pierced through Tyrkanzyaka’s shadow. He saw what trick she had pulled, how she was using her power, and how to counter it.
“Powerful. But that’s all. The same method as Valdamir. The blood energy is stronger… but cruder.”
Rahu Khan drew the spear slung across his back.
The giant was literally a magnified version of Tyrkanzyaka, a method devised to properly wield her overflowing power. It was certainly powerful and useful, but the framework of a physical body still shackled that power.
…However, perhaps because she was the master of Bloodcraft, her speed at assimilating the power was extraordinary. It was as if she were reclaiming what was originally hers.
No, considering it, it was originally hers. Before long, Tyrkanzyaka would have digested the power of all the Elders.
“If she perfects that power, no one will be able to return the Clan Chief to her original self.”
The Watcher sensed that this was the turning point.
Lunken was the last of the boar beastkin. Rahu Khan and his centaurs were also on the verge of extinction. Vampires were living taxidermy, existing eternally in a moment of stopped time as they faded away. Rahu Khan, burdened with the duty to ensure his species’ survival, could not tolerate the Progenitor’s whim.
The Progenitor had to be eternal. Only then could the centaurs be eternal. Even if Rahu Khan were to die after earning her ire, the centaurs he had deliberately left behind would survive and continue their lineage.
“Hup!”
Rahu Khan, who had been waiting for an opportunity, spotted an opening and kicked off the ground. His hooves gouged deep marks into the corridor as the four-legged beast charged forward at a speed no two-legged creature could match. He exploited a gap created by the giant’s humanoid form, piercing the straight line from its elbow to its hand with his spear.
The spinning spear scattered the darkness. Blood energy flowed from the shattered body. The giant thrashed about spasmodically, but Rahu Khan nimbly dodged its attacks, continuing to break and mangle it. What little was left of the giant screamed.
However, even as it was wounded, the giant’s eyes turned. Pupils as red as if they were engorged with blood tracked Rahu Khan’s movements.
“My eyes, so easily!”
Rahu Khan’s own watching eyes saw it. The Elder’s technique was being replicated by the Progenitor’s blood energy. He realized the gaze was aimed precisely at him.
Now was the only time to stop the Progenitor. Valdamir, who had surpassed her in raw power, and Du Rahan, who had defeated him—soon, the Progenitor would surpass them all.
They had to arrive before then.
Du Rahan and Valdamir. The forces with the power to achieve victory against the Progenitor.
*
This was the most desperate situation I’d been in since arriving in the Duchy.
Five Ain. One Elder. A simple count made six, but considering their quality, they were the equivalent of a legion in the Duchy.
In contrast, I was an ordinary human, and Hilde was just one of the Six Generals. A General was nothing to scoff at, but if you ordered one to go to the Duchy and act so brazenly, they’d be horrified. Power aside, it was hard enough to kill a single Ain due to their immortality, and now they had an Elder supporting them? Running was the best option.
But that was only if running was even possible.
“If I offered to be a hostage, would you consider it?”
“Deal with them.”
“Not even going to entertain the idea, huh.”
They were advancing, creating walls of blood to prevent any chance of escape. If it were just one Elder, I might have been able to find an opening and trick them, but with five Ain surrounding us from all sides, there was no room to breathe.
Damn it. Do I have to leave it to Hilde's discretion now? Just as I was about to give up…
“Wait.”
The wave of blood parted, and another Ain appeared. It was Countess Erte, the Ain I had encountered most frequently in the Duchy of Mist.
Seeing her appear in this dire moment, I shouted happily.
“Countess Erte! You’ve come to save me!”
“It would seem so.”
Countess Erte readily admitted it.
My backup! You came just in time! You were almost a little late, but I’ll forgive a margin of error like this! It’s more cathartic when the hero shows up at the last minute, after all!
“Erte. You are Valdamir’s Kindred. For what reason do you obstruct me?” Erzsebet voiced her displeasure.
Even as an Elder, she couldn’t treat an Ain who wasn’t her own Kindred with complete disregard. Though of a lower rank, they were the Kindred and limbs of another Elder. She couldn’t just kill or harm another Elder’s limbs because she felt like it.
Moreover, Countess Erte was an Ain trusted by Valdamir himself. Her actions reflected on him. Erzsebet was asking for his intentions.
That said, the difference between an Elder and an Ain was absolute. Countess Erte knelt before Erzsebet and answered respectfully.
“It is the will of the Lord Sanguine. He wishes for the situation not to change drastically until his arrival.”
“Valdamir’s will?”
An Ain would never falsely invoke an Elder’s will, especially not Valdamir’s. Erzsebet asked, just in case.
“Did this ‘situation’ include the matter of the consort’s life or death?”
“He made no specific mention of it, but it is likely so.”
“The reason?”
“How could I presume to guess the will of a great Elder? I am merely following his orders.”
“…Tsk.”
Valdamir is a necessary asset. He must have his reasons, so I’d like to comply if possible, but…
But she had overlooked one thing: the Elders were now madmen who had even broken their shackles. Erzsebet moved with impatience.
“He didn’t say to keep the consort alive, either. Let’s dispose of them quickly and deal with the consequences later.”
“Lady Erzsebet, please wait…”
“Pay her no mind. Continue what you were doing.”
Erzsebet’s Kindred were her own limbs. The will of another Elder was none of their concern. Ignoring Erte’s plea, the Ain unleashed a wave of blood that crashed down on Hilde and me. Hilde managed to split the first wave with her holy sword, but she was gradually pushed back by the waves that followed.
Right, an Elder who betrayed the Progenitor wouldn’t listen to the Lord Sanguine. What’s needed now isn’t words, but power.
“Madam Erzsebet, please stop!”
“We’ll be late.”
“No. The Lord Sanguine has arrived!”
With Countess Erte’s shout, the sound of someone running echoed from the distance.
Th-th-th-th-th-th-thump.
It was the sound of such urgent footsteps that just hearing them made you want to see what was happening. The sound drew closer and closer, rounding a corner. Countess Erte knelt in that direction in advance.
And the backup I had been waiting for arrived.
“Hah. I was almost late.”
The being who had run here without a shred of dignity was none other than the Lord Sanguine, Valdamir. He stopped precisely in front of Countess Erte, handed her a bundle wrapped in cloth, and surveyed his surroundings.
Erzsebet. Her Kindred. And the surrounded Hilde and me. Grasping the situation in an instant, Valdamir turned to Erzsebet without hesitation.
Erzsebet greeted him without any particular caution.
“Almost late? You’re already late, Valdamir. Where have you been on such an important day?”
“I was waking Du Rahan.”
“I know that. I’m asking why you’re late, taking that into account. Seeing as you ran here on your own two feet, it doesn’t seem like you were slacking… But more importantly, weren’t you riding Ralion?”
“Ralion left me midway and ran ahead to the Progenitor.”
The Sanguine Horse Ralion is the Progenitor’s beloved steed. No, he is the first Kindred she ever created, the last trace of her humanity. Ralion, whom Tyr created with all her effort and power, however clumsy, would never betray her.
Erzsebet reminded him of this fact.
“Separating Ralion from the Progenitor. Wasn’t that your plan?”
“No. I did not accompany Ralion to keep him away from the Progenitor.”
“Then why?”
To Erzsebet’s question, Valdamir answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Because Ralion is fast. I thought I might run out of time, so I borrowed his strength. I felt apologetic for borrowing the Progenitor’s steed for personal reasons, but I had no choice due to an unforeseen schedule.”
It was the simplest, most basic reason for riding a horse. Erzsebet stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment, then pressed him.
“How long does it take to wake Du Rahan…? Anyway, where is he? Did he also run off after Ralion to the Progenitor?”
“He is here.”
“Here?”
He spoke as if they had come together. But wherever she looked, Valdamir was alone. He had only brought a cloth bundle. Only then did Erzsebet’s gaze fall upon the bundle Valdamir had brought.
Yes. A big present is wrapped in that heavy bundle.
I’m saved, I’m saved. I approached Countess Erte and gestured for her to open the bundle. She looked to Valdamir as if waiting for an order, and as soon as he gave his permission, she untied the bundle bound with Blood Silk.
The heavy bundle fell away, revealing… someone’s head. The head of a man, filled with fury and resentment, glaring at Valdamir with bloodshot eyes.
The head, which still seemed to be alive, cried out in a blood-tinged voice.
“…Val…da…mir…!”
The head of the Dark Knight, Du Rahan, had appeared in a most unexpected place.