Episode 595
Episode 595
Clash!
By the time Lee Han came to his senses, the vampiric monster had already grabbed and lifted a student wearing a coat.
Even the vampiric monster itself seemed startled upon regaining consciousness.
Why would it fixate on this piece of clothing first, when there was blood brimming with infinite mana right there??
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
"D-did it come here to dance?!"
Screams erupted.
Students began shrieking at the sight of the vampiric monster suddenly charging into the ballroom.
However, some students acted more efficiently instead of wasting time screaming.
"That monster—scatter!"
"Form up in your own formations!"
Students with well-honed instincts from each tower, including Lee Han, snapped their panicking friends out of their daze and moved to counter.
To spread out, establish formations, and cast the necessary spells in preparation for battle...
They needed time.
A very brief window to prevent the monster from breaking through their formation.
To buy that time, Lee Han took the initiative to strike first.
In magical combat, casting speed is often more crucial than raw power.
"O darkness—sweep forth!"
A wave of dark energy rippled from the tip of his staff, spreading outward like a tide.
He already knew the vampiric monster possessed formidable regenerative abilities.
Against such creatures, the dark element—which directly sapped vitality—was highly effective.
The vampiric monster swiftly dodged as the wide-area spell surged toward it. In one leap, it clung to a pillar in the ballroom, then sprang again to latch onto the ceiling.
But Lee Han had never intended to capture it with a single attack.
While the vampiric monster avoided the unfamiliar magic, Lee Han had already begun casting various enhancement spells.
After completing <Spatial Perception>, <Gonadaltes' Agile Footsteps>, <Ogonin's Swift Dance>, and even <Bagrak's Instant Foresight>, Lee Han began conjuring a vicious lightning strike.
Given the vampiric monster's regeneration, it could likely endure a lightning spell of that caliber. Knowing this, Lee Han kept one hand on his sword even as he cast.
To prepare for a charge.
-Get ready for a charge!
At Lee Han's signal, Giselle immediately rushed over with the White Tiger Tower students.
Meanwhile, the White Tiger Tower students, having cast their necessary spells, gripped their wooden swords—now elongated to spear-like lengths—and glared at the vampiric monster.
The moment the Wardanaz student restrained the monster's movements even slightly, their magically sharpened polearms would pierce straight through its torso.
■■■■!
Yet the vampiric monster neither closed the distance despite taking the lightning head-on nor used its signature speed to escape the attack range.
Instead, it frantically shielded the coat it was holding—as if afraid the emblem might get damaged—revealing clumsy, erratic movements.
"?"
Though the sudden enemy intrusion had thrown everything into chaos, Lee Han immediately sensed the incongruity.
One of the most crucial aspects of magical combat was identifying an opponent's weakness.
Right now... was this vampiric monster really...?
"It's after Gainando's coat! Attack the coat!"
"?!?!"
His friends were baffled, but they followed Lee Han's lead regardless.
Lee Han himself found it absurd, but the current situation supported his theory.
Why would a creature that had come for his mana suddenly target Gainando?
Moreover, this was the same monster that had moved with terrifying agility when fighting the death knight—yet now it was fumbling around.
There was only one explanation.
'What the hell did Gainando use to paint that emblem?'
Even monsters were getting intoxicated by it.
Whatever the mixture was, it had clearly produced something bizarrely potent.
Whoosh! A fiery mist filled the ballroom's air as flames surged forward.
His friends' completed spells rained down.
No matter how much fire was a weakness against regeneration, there were still limits.
The vampiric monster's healing couldn't be overcome by that level of firepower alone.
Yet the creature acted as though the coat catching fire would spell disaster—swelling its muscles and flesh, distorting its form to block the flames with its body.
'It's true!'
'Wardanaz was right...!'
Giselle shouted sharply.
"The monster is afraid of its coat being attacked. Stab it!"
"Uh... Moradi. But what about the Prince?"
"...It's going to block with its body anyway, so don't worry about that. Just strike!"
If the vampiric monster failed to block, Gainando would be hit instead, but Giselle knew their group couldn't afford to consider that in their current situation.
When facing a monster far stronger than themselves, even the slightest hesitation at the tip of their blades...
"Look! Even the Prince agrees!"
'Though he seems to have passed out.'
Fortunately for Gainando, the moment the vampiric monster grabbed him, he foamed at the mouth and fainted.
That's how grotesque the creature looked.
"Acid, follow like a specter!"
Siana and Yoner used potions as catalysts to summon spectral minions.
As the acid-spewing ghosts filled the ballroom and closed in, the vampiric monster swung its body irritably, generating a gust of wind.
Thud!
Meanwhile, an arrow lodged itself into the monster's torso.
An ordinary arrow would have been pushed out instantly by its regeneration, but this one burned through its flesh with an eerie sizzle.
Adenart took another breath and nocked another arrow.
The magic runes inscribed on the arrow glowed as a summoned spirit beside him infused it with additional power. The sticky alchemical solution coating the arrowhead would melt the enemy's muscles and anchor the arrow firmly into its bones.
Though overshadowed by the mad student beside him, Adenart's mastery of his magical discipline was something seen perhaps once in a decade. The seamless combination of spells he had just demonstrated proved it.
"...Hah!"
Having successfully landed another strike, Adenart exhaled softly and scanned the room for Lee Han.
Their earlier conversation had left him concerned that the Wardanaz heir might have misunderstood.
Adenart wasn't particularly interested in Gainando's coat.
He was merely intrigued by the strange and fascinating patterns on it—purely from an academic standpoint, curious about how it was made.
It was likely crafted using the Black Magic school's secret techniques, so how could Adenart possibly know?
He had only asked a trusted friend, yet it had led to such a misunderstanding...
■■...
The vampiric monster sensed a threat from the Princess's arrow.
It immediately turned to suppress her.
"Block it!"
Adenart's followers stepped forward and activated their spells.
Even if they were lower-circle defensive magic, layered and reinforced like this, they wouldn't be easily broken.
Though usually just hindrances to Adenart, their loyalty in this situation was unwavering.
Perhaps sensing their resolve, the vampiric monster abandoned its attack and turned again.
"Well done!"
Lee Han shouted to the followers.
They needed to keep pressuring the monster, keeping it agitated. If the followers had faltered and retreated, the creature would have charged right through them.
"No need to worry on this side, Lord Wardanaz!"
"Good. That's reassuring!"
Lee Han called out before swiftly moving to another position.
With the Princess's side secured, there was no reason to stay—and against a fast enemy like the vampiric monster, standing still was dangerous.
"......"
Adenart blinked, having successfully executed a combo spell only for her followers to steal the credit.
He then swung his staff and smacked them on the back.
"Ah, Your Highness! What—"
"You're blocking my firing line! Move aside!"
"Ah— My mistake! I apologize!"
Fzzzt!
'Just a little more time...'
Lee Han watched the vampiric monster hesitating like a donkey stuck between two haystacks and realized it might be easier to take down than expected.
The creature cared far more about Gainando's coat than anticipated.
Afraid of damaging the garment, it couldn't attack recklessly—only kept hesitating and blocking.
If they kept stalling for time like this, the students would have a much greater advantage.
The Death Knights would arrive soon anyway.
-■■■■■■■■!
"Wardanaz!!"
His friends screamed.
Suddenly, as if the vampiric monster had made up its mind, it abandoned its previous cautious attitude and lunged at Lee Han with frenzied aggression.
Its movement was so swift it was nearly impossible to track, but Lee Han didn't panic. <Bagrak's Instant Foresight> showed him the creature's movements one second in advance.
The vampiric monster would have been far more troublesome if it had moved unpredictably in complex patterns.
But moving in such an obvious straight line like this? For someone like Lee Han, who was fully prepared...
Thud! -■!...
...it was easy to counter.
Lee Han sidestepped like a bullfighter, driving Morning Star into the vampiric monster's body while simultaneously shaping his staff into a <Lightning Spear> and stabbing again. The creature let out a bloodcurdling shriek.
But he didn't stop there. Giselle and the White Tiger Tower students, who had been waiting for their chance, rushed in simultaneously and unleashed a barrage of attacks. The vampiric monster's body was slashed apart in an instant.
"...?!"
At that moment, Lee Han realized something was wrong.
The creature wasn't holding Gainando.
'No way?!'
He quickly turned his gaze and saw—behind the training hall—a chunk of the vampiric monster's tail flesh lying next to the unconscious Gainando.
Before charging at Lee Han, it had severed its own tail and thrown it aside.
Squelch
The vampiric monster's body, which had been severely wounded by Lee Han and the White Tiger Tower students, didn't regenerate on the spot.
Instead, the regeneration began from the discarded tail flesh.
'We've been tricked!'
Just like a lizard shedding its tail to escape, this was the same trick the vampiric monster had used to flee from the Death Knights earlier.
It had severed a part of its flesh and used it as an anchor for regeneration.
In an instant, the fully regenerated vampiric monster scooped up Gainando again and bolted through the training hall entrance. The students, still disorganized from their frenzied assault, failed to properly intercept it.
"After it!! It's taking Gainando!!"
The students scrambled in panic, chasing after it.
To be outmaneuvered like this by a monster...
'Damn it. This is bad...'
Even as he sprinted ahead, Lee Han couldn't shake his unease.
Inside the training hall, the enclosed space had restricted the vampiric monster's movements.
By forming a tight formation, they had been able to pin it down.
But outside was different.
Out here, the vampiric monster could use its speed to dart in and out, knocking students down at will.
"Ashan, call the Death Knights! We need backup!"
"R-right!"
"Don't chase recklessly! It's going to attack agai—"
Before he could finish, the vampiric monster—having put some distance between them—hurled Gainando onto a tree branch and charged back with terrifying ferocity.
Clearly still hurting from Lee Han's earlier attacks, its movements were different now. It kicked off the tree, twisted midair, and lunged again in an erratic pattern.
This time, the foresight missed.
Lee Han was sent flying backward by a brutal kick.
"Wardanaz!!!"
"I'm fine—hold formation!"
Lee Han coughed out the words in response to the shouts from the students behind him.
Thanks to his reinforced body and various protective spells, the damage wasn't severe.
But the real problem was the fact that he had been hit at all.
Not only had he lost the chance to cast spells, giving the monster the initiative, but it was also fighting smarter now.
Instead of going for the kill, it had gauged Lee Han's condition before retreating.
This was a cunning and cautious monster.
'I need to buy time, no matter what.'
Even at a disadvantage, Lee Han steeled himself to land at least one solid hit in close combat—enough to buy time to cast a spell.
If he kept taking hits, his foresight would eventually adjust to its movements.
Just then, Ashan returned.
"Wardanaz!!"
"Ashan!"
For once, Lee Han was genuinely relieved to see him. He turned his gaze—
—expecting to see Death Knights charging in from behind.
But they weren't there.
Instead, giants were running after Ashan.
"......"