Chapter 147: 147
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Point-of-View: Gela Sorr
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"Oh, wow...I can seriously tear these things apart without having to worry about avoiding fatal spots...this is the best day ever!" I exclaimed with an excited shiver, as I tore apart the Vampire I was fighting.
I was outside the wall, in a team of three with Lamasa Phiban and Tuck Lehosa, and we were fighting two Vampires...well, the two of them were fighting one, while I was tearing apart the other one. Hehe, I had pretended to be paralyzed with fear to make him drop his guard down, before slashing his tendons as he walked up to me with his claws extended, rendering his limbs useless. He then almost took my head off with his tail, so I ripped it off.
He healed really fast, which meant that I could tear apart the same spots multiple times...ohh, these monsters have incredibly satisfying bodies to rip apart. I know Kuro had yelled at everyone who was A-Rank or below to go back in and chase the Vampires that flew in, but...I decided to go for the prey right in front of me instead of chasing after the ones that went inside.
Besides, not all the A-Rank and below Adventurers went back in, some had been attacked by the Vampires out here, that had swooped down on them. Of the eight hundred or so Adventurers who had initially been stationed out here, about two hundred and fifty were still out here, the rest had all gone back in...but wow, were they dying fast, despite the fact that there had to be less than forty Vampires that stayed outside the wall. Only a few of the Adventurers were actually putting up a fight against the Vampires, the rest were either panicking or too weak to hold their own.
And very few of the three person teams were still intact, most had split up in their panic, and they were the ones that the Vampires were picking off the easiest. These monsters are strong, but I can definitely take them one-on-one. Suddenly, as I pierced my talons into the Vampire I was shredding, I felt something break, it almost felt like glass...the next thing I knew, the Vampire went up in red flames and disappeared...
...aw, I killed it...damn it, I wasn't done playing with it yet, why did it have to die so easily...
"Gela, mind giving us some help!?" Yelled Tuck, as the Vampire he and Lamasa were fighting was starting to overwhelm them.
She was blasting his earth attacks and defense with ease, and blowing away Lamasa's flames with her wings, which were much bigger than the other Vampires' wings. Fine, I guess I'll help them, I certainly don't mind shredding up another Vampire...
I shot towards the Vampire, firing wind slashes from both my hands...oh, yeah, getting these metal claws for my right hand was a genius move, I now had twice the shredding power! The Vampire dodged my attacks, getting a couple of deep gashes in her left arm as she sprang off to the right.
"Watch it, you almost cut me!" Complained Tuck, narrowly avoiding the slashes that the Vampire dodged.
"Then stay out of my way!"
I slashed my talons at the Vampire's face as I reached her, she ducked out of the way before swinging her tail across at my head, I caught it between my teeth before it could slice the top of my head off and plunged my talons and claws towards the base of it. She let out an agonizing scream of pain as I ripped out her tail, along with a chunk of her lower back. She then sprang away and fired a Blood Magic blast at me as I swung another round of wind slashes at her, before she spread her wings and swiftly took off into their air.
Hehe, not so fast! I activated Flight and shot after her, swinging a barrage of wind slashes at her from my talons and metal claws, she evaded sharply thanks to her large wings, but couldn't avoid getting multiple grazes and gashes as my attacks slashed across her.
"What's with those oversized wings of yours...I wanna tear them apart!"
"This is the power of my Cross, Expansive Wings! You will not touch them, human!"
Cross...I had glanced over the information about the Vampires, I think that was what they called the ability that was unique to each Vampire. So all hers can do is make her wings bigger? What a useless ability.
I zipped up towards her, putting on a burst of speed as I rapidly closed in. I had been working hard to push the limits of my speed with Flight, and it was paying off...I was faster than her in the air! As she ran out of space to dodge as I continued to shrink the gap between us, she moved both hands in front of herself and began charging up another Blood Magic blast.
I can dodge it, but if I do...it'll take longer to catch up with and tear her apart. I'll take the hit. I wrapped wind around my right forearm, moving it in front of me defensively as she fired the blast, burning my skin off and leaving a heavy, stinging pain. I then moved in close and drove my talons into her throat after slashing her shoulders, twisting my left wrist violently after piercing her neck, as she agonizingly coughed out blood.
I then swiftly slipped behind her, slicing off her tail again, which had grown back already, and then wrapped myself around her back.
"Your attack...waves of pain are emanating from my arm right now, and they won't stop...in fact, they're getting more and more painful slowly but surely...those red blasts of yours...they're so delightful," I smirked with an excited quiver, my body getting warm and tingly while my breathing grew heavier and heavier, as I slowly licked the side of her face before driving my talon through her back and shaking and twisting her spine violently, eliciting an excruciating scream of pain from her, "Hehe...you have a nice screaming voice...let me hear it more!"
I slashed and slowly tore off her limbs one by one, using wind slashes regularly to keep them from growing back, while I tore into the rest of her body bit by bit, her blood raining down as her screams rang out across the sky. Good, it doesn't look like any Vampires were coming to help her...I wasn't letting anyone ruin my fun right now, this was pure ecstasy!
"S-stop...I-I beg you, please-...Ahhhhhhh!!!" She cried, as tore off her tongue and forced it down her throat...but it fell out since I had already torn her throat open.
Hm, it looks like her injuries weren't healing until the previous ones did...her tail was attempting to grow back, but none of the rest of her body were showing any signs of healing. Wow, she's lost so much blood, but she's still alive...aw, her screams are starting to quieten, I think she's almost unconscious...well, that's no fun...
I flung her towards the ground with all my strength after tearing off her wings, before unleashing a massive barrage of wind slashes down at her, cutting her up into smaller chunks, which fell splat onto the ground. Now, to kill her-...before I could finish her off, Lamasa blew out a large fireball at her dismembered body, a flash of red appearing, before the flames went out. She was gone. Grr, that bitch...!
"Hey, that was my kill!"
"Are you serious right now? We're supposed to be fighting together, what if more Vampires had attacked you?" Inquired Tuck with a look of exasperation.
"Shut up, Fuck Lehosa!"
"...once this is over, I'm going to kill you for that."
"I'd like to see you try, you couldn't even kill that Vampire with the two of you, while I destroyed it on my own! Which is why...that was my kill, you bitch!"
"Oh, I apologize, Gela...I didn't mean to offend you," She replied with an apologetic smile.
I really don't like her the way she is now...what the fuck happened to her anyway? She was way less creepy back when she used to be a bitch.
"Above us, another Vampire!" Exclaimed Tuck urgently.
"Perfect...more fun for me," I giggled gleefully, licking my lips...
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Point-of-View: Misen Ragiu
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"Um, instructor? Shouldn't you have stayed out there, you are an S-Ranked Adventurer, after all," Remarked Niski skeptically, as we gave chase to a Vampire.
"Yes, but I am also in charge of this team, so I believe I need to prioritize that over my rank," I replied as convincingly as possible.
Tch, this is annoying...instead of letting me team up with a fellow S-Ranked Adventurer or at least a couple of A-Ranks, I was put in charge of four third year students. The third year's Group D were strong enough to be on their own, and those other three that included Gela Sorr were also fairly competent. As for these four, Niski Torfa, Tulsi Dagery, Dise Rhacater and Trax Pendalb...they weren't exactly weak, but at the same time, they weren't exactly strong either.
Tch, I'll do what I can for as long as things are relatively safe, but if things start looking too dangerous, I will leave them to die if it is the only way for me to survive. The Vampires that came in were unlikely to know where the civilians had evacuated to, but once they saw that this area was deserted, they had likely spread out elsewhere...which means that so long as I remain in the north, the possibility of running into any Vampires was relatively low.
Hm, but I should not make that fact obvious to these students, or I will look bad. Okay, my best option is to head south at a cautious pace...hopefully, the other Adventurers who rushed in will have taken out most of the Vampires by the time we reach the south.
"Alright, stick close to me, I shall lead. We will head south," I instructed, before walking in that direction, activating my Lightning Sensory Field.
"Uh, instructor...shouldn't we be moving faster?" Inquired Niski skeptically.
"I agree, the Vampires were flying at a fairly quick pace, we should hurry," Agreed Dise with a look of urgency.
"I don't see the point, just the five of us won't make much of a difference," Shrugged Tulsi coldly.
"Then you stay behind, my family is among the civilians in the south, I can't let them get hurt!" Trax spoke up in protest.
"All of you, quiet! Just follow my lead, there is no need to do anything more than that!" I snapped, before continuing to head south.
"Teleportation! Instructor, we can get to the south before the Vampires if we teleport! The nearest-," Began Niski, her eyes lighting up.
Damn it, I forgot about that...and I don't have a valid excuse to reject her suggestion. Grrr...!
"G-good call...we shall teleport there," I remarked through gritted teeth, as I reluctantly changed my course towards the direction of the nearest teleportation booth.
Tch, this is less than ideal. We made our way there with no issue. The store was empty, but the teleportation Spell Cards were still there. It would take three or four teleports to get to the south...which would take less than a minute or so even if I took my time finding the right cards. There were some Adventurers posted at the south as protection, but they were mainly there to give the civilians a relative sense of ease.
However, from what I saw outside the front gate, every Vampire had the power to at least rival an S-Ranked Adventurer, so the C-Ranked and below Adventurers and student Adventurers posted at the south would be unlikely to pose a real threat. The second year student Adventurers were fairly decent, but the next intake of first year students would not happen till the end of next month, in other words, there was no first year class currently.
"Make sure everyone is in physical contact with each other...if you get left behind, we will not be coming back for you," I remarked, before activating the teleport spell.
We teleported to a booth further south, and I began rifling through their Spell Cards, looking for the card that would take us further south.
"Quickly, instructor, we cannot waste any time!" Urged Trax, looking restless.
Tch, do not rush me...and besides, it did not look like anyone else had entered this store anytime recently...in other words, we would likely be the first ones to reach the south-...I suddenly stiffened, as I heard a few voices heading for us. Damn it, I deactivated my Lightning Sensory Field when we teleported, I forgot to put it back up.
"...-a noise inside there."
"You must have imagined it...all the humans have fled this area."
"Well, we may as well check."
Damn it, what rotten luck...
"I shall charge at them the instant the door opens...there are three of them, I shall take one. Your four will take on the other two, it is your choice as to whether you fight them in pairs or all four of you together," I remarked quietly, while drawing out my Lightning Crystal dagger and channeling my Mana into it.
I activated my x4.2 Lightning Boost and steadied myself as the door handle twisted down, the door slowly creaking open...now! I shot forward at top speed, driving my dagger straight at the one who opened the door. A look of alarm appeared on his face, as I plunged the blade into his chest and shot forward, sprinting past his two partners as I slammed him against a wall of a building across the teleportation booth, my dagger going in deeper. The lightning I charged into it transferred into his body in an instant, he let out an agonizing scream of pain as my attack fried his insides.
"Damn you...! That almost destroyed my-...I'm going to kill you, human!" He yelled furiously, his claws extending out.
I drew my dagger out of his chest and sprang back while firing a large bolt of lightning at him, which he ducked under and rolled away to avoid, before firing a Blood Magic blast at me, which I narrowly evaded. My ears then twitched, as I heard a faint noise in the distance...which direction was it coming from? My eyes widened as I realized it was coming from all around me, and what I was hearing, were the faint echoes of excruciating screams of pain...all around me.
A chill ran down my spine...now that I had identified the sound, I could not stop hearing it. Damn it, no, I need to focus and kill this thing...or my own screams will be added to the cacophony. I gritted my teeth and shot towards the Vampire, who fired another blast at me, which I sprang over to evade, before firing a lightning bolt from my right hand. I was charging up my dagger in my left hand...from what he said, I could gather that my last attack had nearly destroyed his core...which means that if I stabbed him again with more lightning charged into my dagger, it should be enough to kill him.
He shot towards me as he evaded my lightning, driving his claws at my face, I narrowly dodged his strike, my right cheek and ear getting grazed. I fired another bolt of lightning at his midsection, he was unable to dodge, the blast striking him square on the stomach, before he let out a growl and whipped his tail at me. I sprang back, but the tail extended and followed me, the edge shooting towards my throat, I swiftly deflected it with my dagger, but couldn't fully knock it away, letting out a stifled cry of pain as it went through my right shoulder, piercing through the bone and breaking it.
I began to pull it out, but the end of it curled as it came out the back of my shoulder, to ensure that it was stuck there. Damn it, I can't get away!
"Behold the power of my Cross, Whip Tail...I can extend the length of my tail fivefold!"
This is bad...and the students were not faring any better than me. Only one of the two Vampires was fighting them, while the other was watching in amusement. Even with the four of them combined, they were collectively just barely on equal footing with the Vampire, who had grown four extra arms, a total of six...I suppose that must be his Cross. No, wait, they were starting to gain some ground on him...
Trax dashed towards the Vampire as Tulsi's water blades created an opening, he whipped his lizard tail towards the Vampire, the end of it covered in a sphere of earth to strengthen the impact...but the Vampire caught his tail using three of his arms...he then stomped on the base of Trax's tail, who let out a scream of pain as a sickening crunching sound echoed out, the Vampire ripping off his tail and tossing it away. The Vampire then pulled him close to him and held him in front of himself, like a hostage...
"What will you do now, humans!? I have your comrade at my mercy, attack carelessly and you will wind up killing him yourselves!" The Vampire cackled viciously, before smirking as they stepped back indecisively and sinking his fangs into Trax's neck...and a few seconds later, his body slumped lifelessly, his mouth open like was about to scream in pain, but before he could...he died.
"Y-you bastard!" Cried Dise in despair, flinging his dagger at the Vampire, who laughed as he used the corpse as a shield.
"Ahh, that was excellent...the expressions on your faces were truly excellent!" Laughed the Vampire, as he grabbed onto the corpse with all six hands and pulled outwards...tearing the body into six pieces, laughing maniacally as he did, blood bursting out everywhere, some splattering on the other three, whose eyes were wide with horror.
"You damned monster!" Shrieked Tulsi hysterically, firing a vicious barrage of water blades at him.
The Vampire looked alarmed, and began to spring away while crossing his six arms in front of himself defensively, but he couldn't get away, letting out a cry of pain and his arms got slashed into pieces. Niski shot forward with a furious glare, she couldn't use Lightning Boost but she was very fast on her feet, she was both nimble and agile, and zipped in close to the Vampire and unleashed a blindingly rapid barrage of piercing thrusts with her narrow needle-like sword at his torso.
His arms were growing back, but not fast enough, as a sharp cracking sound echoed out of his body as she pierced his left hip and he went up in red flames and disappeared.
"Oh, they killed him...I should ensure that you do not have the chance to do the same to me," Remarked the Vampire that I was fighting, charging up a blast in his hands.
This is bad, I can't move my right arm, and if I used my left, it might dissipate the lightning I'd charged into my dagger. Wait, I could still use my mouth...
Meanwhile, the Vampire that had been watching the others fight was walking over towards them with a confident smirk on his face.
"What a fool, letting down his guard so carelessly and allowing you weak humans to kill him," He remarked, Blood Magic blasts charged up in each hand, "I may be a Vampire Minion like he was, but I think you will find that I...am a lot more powerful than he is, I can even rival a Vampire General. Have a taste of my Cross...Double Multiplier!"
He then shot towards them, firing a barrage of blasts at them, Niski narrowly avoided getting hit, but the other two took multiple hits, crying out in pain and slumping to the ground.
I've charged my dagger enough already, I can't just stand around anymore...especially because the Vampire I was fighting was about to fire the blasts he had been charging up. I shot forward at full speed, wincing as his tail drove through my right shoulder as I ran towards him. He fired his blasts at me, but I couldn't dodge them with his tail through my right shoulder like this.
I braced myself and increased my focus on my dagger to prevent it from dissipating upon impact, as they burst onto my chest, a scorching pain going through my torso as my armor and skin got seared off, an unbearable stinging pain going through my body, I let out a gasp and blood poured out of my mouth as my vision blurred, but I gritted my teeth and continued moving forward, getting in close and plunging my dagger straight through the middle of his forehead, he let out a ringing shriek of pain as all the lightning burst into his body, before going up in red flames and turning to ash.
I collapsed onto my knees, my vision getting hazy and my ears ringing...some of my ribs are exposed, if that blast had been any more powerful, my vital organs would have been incinerated...I have never been in such agonizing pain...I need to heal...I tentatively reached for my back pocket with my left hand, where my healing spell was stored, I activated it, coughing violently as a vicious wave of dizziness and nausea hit me, as I healed my severe injuries. A hole in my right shoulder, all the skin and most of the flesh on the front of my torso...healing all that took a lot of my stamina.
I shook my head to regain my composure, standing back up with a groan...I should help the others-...I let out a gasp as I turned my gaze towards them, my eyes widening in shock...Tulsi and Dise were dead, their bodies torn about and laying in pools of their own blood. The remaining Vampire was moving much faster than the other two were, chasing after Niski, who was missing her left arm and her right knee was shattered, she was losing a lot of blood and had a terrified expression on her face.
His speed must be the power of his Cross. I fired a lightning bolt at him as I shot towards him, charging up my dagger again. I only had about a third of my Mana left, and I felt exhausted. He evaded my lightning with ease and zipped up with a couple of flaps of his wings, before rapidly swooping down and twisting his body across, his tail whipping down at me. I began to spring back, but the edge of his tail diagonally slashed across my torso, I let out a hiss of pain, before grabbing the end of his tail with my right hand, slicing my palm open as I did, and swung him over my shoulder, slamming him onto the ground.
I let go of his tail and began to fire a lightning bolt out of my right hand, wincing at the pain from my injured palm. Before I could fire, he shot out a couple of red blasts from his hands, striking my throat and right knee as I hurriedly sprang back in alarm. I landed back shakily and stumbled, my right leg buckling like a twig and my throat in severe pain.
"So, two of us died, hm," Remarked the Vampire, as he shot towards me and slammed his knee onto my midsection, rupturing something inside me, blood gushing out of my mouth as a sharp pain went through my abdomen.
He fired a blast at my chest, before slamming his fist across the left side of my face, and then brutally kicking my right side and sending me flying back, till I crashed onto the teleportation booth, leaving severe cracks in the store wall. Somehow, I had managed to maintain the lightning in my dagger, but I couldn't charge it any further, I was in too much pain, it was taking all my focus just to keep the lightning from dissipating...most of my ribs on my right side were broken, my right wrist was shattered, my left bicep was broken as well, I couldn't lift my left arm at all. And I had received some rather severe internal damage as well. I tried to stand up but stumbled back, my back hitting the wall and keeping me from falling down, but...I could move, in fact I could barely stand.
"Tch, it looks like I have reached the time limit of my Cross...no matter, it is clear you can fight no more. Hm, I did not consume the life forces of the others I killed, and I am feeling a touch ravenous...I shall consume you."
He walked over to me with his claws extended and his fangs bared, a hungry look in his eyes. And he was watching me closely, his guard was up...with an especially close eye on my left hand, which was still clutching my dagger. It should have enough lightning charged up in it to kill him...but he was staying alert, his guard was up, and even if he wasn't, it would not change the fact that I could not lift my left arm.
I could still move my hand a bit, but he would likely dodge it easily if I flicked the blade at him, and I doubt I could do so with any accuracy in this state anyway. I let out a cry of pain as he blasted my legs and knees, and I would have collapsed onto the ground if not for the wall I was leaning on.
"I shall now destroy that troublesome weapon of yours...," Stated the Vampire, aiming a blast at my left hand.
He suddenly let out a cry of surprise as a thin, narrow blade went through his wrist, dissipating the blast, before a bolt of lightning struck the side of his head, disorienting him. What-...it was Niski, she had flung her sword at his wrist like a spear, her palm had a straight cut on it from holding the blade...and she must have fired lightning afterwards. The stump where her left arm used to be and her broken knee were both healed, but she looked barely conscious and pale due to the amount of blood she'd lost. She then fell forward and collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
This...this is my last chance to survive...I bit my lower lip and used my right elbow and shoulders to push off the wall...I couldn't step forward, but the Vampire was close enough that I could fall onto him! I flicked my dagger straight up, my right eye glowing red as I channeled more Lightning Boost into my eyes to increase my perception, letting me catch the dagger between my teeth as I flicked it up. I could not use my right hand, but the rest of my right arm was still intact!
I wrapped my right arm around his shoulder and neck to keep him from getting away, right as he opened his mouth with a panicked look and began moving in to bite my shoulder, while his tail shot towards my back. Using the last remaining reserves of my strength, I tightened my grip on my dagger between my teeth and plunged forward as much as I could...the tip of the dagger piercing his neck, just as his teeth sunk into my neck and tail pierced through my back, inches below my heart.
Right as I felt something start to leave my body, the lightning transferred into him, sparks bursting out of his body, before going up in red flames and disappearing. I collapsed onto the ground, unable to move so much as a finger. His tail had pierced a hole in my back, and I was losing blood, I need to heal...but I...but I can't move...my vision was rapidly fading and darkening, as I desperately tried to reach for my back pocket with my damaged arms, before going limp as I lost consciousness...
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Point-of-View: Gela Sorr
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"Oh, wow...I can seriously tear these things apart without having to worry about avoiding fatal spots...this is the best day ever!" I exclaimed with an excited shiver, as I tore apart the Vampire I was fighting.
I was outside the wall, in a team of three with Lamasa Phiban and Tuck Lehosa, and we were fighting two Vampires...well, the two of them were fighting one, while I was tearing apart the other one. Hehe, I had pretended to be paralyzed with fear to make him drop his guard down, before slashing his tendons as he walked up to me with his claws extended, rendering his limbs useless. He then almost took my head off with his tail, so I ripped it off.
He healed really fast, which meant that I could tear apart the same spots multiple times...ohh, these monsters have incredibly satisfying bodies to rip apart. I know Kuro had yelled at everyone who was A-Rank or below to go back in and chase the Vampires that flew in, but...I decided to go for the prey right in front of me instead of chasing after the ones that went inside.
Besides, not all the A-Rank and below Adventurers went back in, some had been attacked by the Vampires out here, that had swooped down on them. Of the eight hundred or so Adventurers who had initially been stationed out here, about two hundred and fifty were still out here, the rest had all gone back in...but wow, were they dying fast, despite the fact that there had to be less than forty Vampires that stayed outside the wall. Only a few of the Adventurers were actually putting up a fight against the Vampires, the rest were either panicking or too weak to hold their own.
And very few of the three person teams were still intact, most had split up in their panic, and they were the ones that the Vampires were picking off the easiest. These monsters are strong, but I can definitely take them one-on-one. Suddenly, as I pierced my talons into the Vampire I was shredding, I felt something break, it almost felt like glass...the next thing I knew, the Vampire went up in red flames and disappeared...
...aw, I killed it...damn it, I wasn't done playing with it yet, why did it have to die so easily...
"Gela, mind giving us some help!?" Yelled Tuck, as the Vampire he and Lamasa were fighting was starting to overwhelm them.
She was blasting his earth attacks and defense with ease, and blowing away Lamasa's flames with her wings, which were much bigger than the other Vampires' wings. Fine, I guess I'll help them, I certainly don't mind shredding up another Vampire...
I shot towards the Vampire, firing wind slashes from both my hands...oh, yeah, getting these metal claws for my right hand was a genius move, I now had twice the shredding power! The Vampire dodged my attacks, getting a couple of deep gashes in her left arm as she sprang off to the right.
"Watch it, you almost cut me!" Complained Tuck, narrowly avoiding the slashes that the Vampire dodged.
"Then stay out of my way!"
I slashed my talons at the Vampire's face as I reached her, she ducked out of the way before swinging her tail across at my head, I caught it between my teeth before it could slice the top of my head off and plunged my talons and claws towards the base of it. She let out an agonizing scream of pain as I ripped out her tail, along with a chunk of her lower back. She then sprang away and fired a Blood Magic blast at me as I swung another round of wind slashes at her, before she spread her wings and swiftly took off into their air.
Hehe, not so fast! I activated Flight and shot after her, swinging a barrage of wind slashes at her from my talons and metal claws, she evaded sharply thanks to her large wings, but couldn't avoid getting multiple grazes and gashes as my attacks slashed across her.
"What's with those oversized wings of yours...I wanna tear them apart!"
"This is the power of my Cross, Expansive Wings! You will not touch them, human!"
Cross...I had glanced over the information about the Vampires, I think that was what they called the ability that was unique to each Vampire. So all hers can do is make her wings bigger? What a useless ability.
I zipped up towards her, putting on a burst of speed as I rapidly closed in. I had been working hard to push the limits of my speed with Flight, and it was paying off...I was faster than her in the air! As she ran out of space to dodge as I continued to shrink the gap between us, she moved both hands in front of herself and began charging up another Blood Magic blast.
I can dodge it, but if I do...it'll take longer to catch up with and tear her apart. I'll take the hit. I wrapped wind around my right forearm, moving it in front of me defensively as she fired the blast, burning my skin off and leaving a heavy, stinging pain. I then moved in close and drove my talons into her throat after slashing her shoulders, twisting my left wrist violently after piercing her neck, as she agonizingly coughed out blood.
I then swiftly slipped behind her, slicing off her tail again, which had grown back already, and then wrapped myself around her back.
"Your attack...waves of pain are emanating from my arm right now, and they won't stop...in fact, they're getting more and more painful slowly but surely...those red blasts of yours...they're so delightful," I smirked with an excited quiver, my body getting warm and tingly while my breathing grew heavier and heavier, as I slowly licked the side of her face before driving my talon through her back and shaking and twisting her spine violently, eliciting an excruciating scream of pain from her, "Hehe...you have a nice screaming voice...let me hear it more!"
I slashed and slowly tore off her limbs one by one, using wind slashes regularly to keep them from growing back, while I tore into the rest of her body bit by bit, her blood raining down as her screams rang out across the sky. Good, it doesn't look like any Vampires were coming to help her...I wasn't letting anyone ruin my fun right now, this was pure ecstasy!
"S-stop...I-I beg you, please-...Ahhhhhhh!!!" She cried, as tore off her tongue and forced it down her throat...but it fell out since I had already torn her throat open.
Hm, it looks like her injuries weren't healing until the previous ones did...her tail was attempting to grow back, but none of the rest of her body were showing any signs of healing. Wow, she's lost so much blood, but she's still alive...aw, her screams are starting to quieten, I think she's almost unconscious...well, that's no fun...
I flung her towards the ground with all my strength after tearing off her wings, before unleashing a massive barrage of wind slashes down at her, cutting her up into smaller chunks, which fell splat onto the ground. Now, to kill her-...before I could finish her off, Lamasa blew out a large fireball at her dismembered body, a flash of red appearing, before the flames went out. She was gone. Grr, that bitch...!
"Hey, that was my kill!"
"Are you serious right now? We're supposed to be fighting together, what if more Vampires had attacked you?" Inquired Tuck with a look of exasperation.
"Shut up, Fuck Lehosa!"
"...once this is over, I'm going to kill you for that."
"I'd like to see you try, you couldn't even kill that Vampire with the two of you, while I destroyed it on my own! Which is why...that was my kill, you bitch!"
"Oh, I apologize, Gela...I didn't mean to offend you," She replied with an apologetic smile.
I really don't like her the way she is now...what the fuck happened to her anyway? She was way less creepy back when she used to be a bitch.
"Above us, another Vampire!" Exclaimed Tuck urgently.
"Perfect...more fun for me," I giggled gleefully, licking my lips...
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Point-of-View: Misen Ragiu
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"Um, instructor? Shouldn't you have stayed out there, you are an S-Ranked Adventurer, after all," Remarked Niski skeptically, as we gave chase to a Vampire.
"Yes, but I am also in charge of this team, so I believe I need to prioritize that over my rank," I replied as convincingly as possible.
Tch, this is annoying...instead of letting me team up with a fellow S-Ranked Adventurer or at least a couple of A-Ranks, I was put in charge of four third year students. The third year's Group D were strong enough to be on their own, and those other three that included Gela Sorr were also fairly competent. As for these four, Niski Torfa, Tulsi Dagery, Dise Rhacater and Trax Pendalb...they weren't exactly weak, but at the same time, they weren't exactly strong either.
Tch, I'll do what I can for as long as things are relatively safe, but if things start looking too dangerous, I will leave them to die if it is the only way for me to survive. The Vampires that came in were unlikely to know where the civilians had evacuated to, but once they saw that this area was deserted, they had likely spread out elsewhere...which means that so long as I remain in the north, the possibility of running into any Vampires was relatively low.
Hm, but I should not make that fact obvious to these students, or I will look bad. Okay, my best option is to head south at a cautious pace...hopefully, the other Adventurers who rushed in will have taken out most of the Vampires by the time we reach the south.
"Alright, stick close to me, I shall lead. We will head south," I instructed, before walking in that direction, activating my Lightning Sensory Field.
"Uh, instructor...shouldn't we be moving faster?" Inquired Niski skeptically.
"I agree, the Vampires were flying at a fairly quick pace, we should hurry," Agreed Dise with a look of urgency.
"I don't see the point, just the five of us won't make much of a difference," Shrugged Tulsi coldly.
"Then you stay behind, my family is among the civilians in the south, I can't let them get hurt!" Trax spoke up in protest.
"All of you, quiet! Just follow my lead, there is no need to do anything more than that!" I snapped, before continuing to head south.
"Teleportation! Instructor, we can get to the south before the Vampires if we teleport! The nearest-," Began Niski, her eyes lighting up.
Damn it, I forgot about that...and I don't have a valid excuse to reject her suggestion. Grrr...!
"G-good call...we shall teleport there," I remarked through gritted teeth, as I reluctantly changed my course towards the direction of the nearest teleportation booth.
Tch, this is less than ideal. We made our way there with no issue. The store was empty, but the teleportation Spell Cards were still there. It would take three or four teleports to get to the south...which would take less than a minute or so even if I took my time finding the right cards. There were some Adventurers posted at the south as protection, but they were mainly there to give the civilians a relative sense of ease.
However, from what I saw outside the front gate, every Vampire had the power to at least rival an S-Ranked Adventurer, so the C-Ranked and below Adventurers and student Adventurers posted at the south would be unlikely to pose a real threat. The second year student Adventurers were fairly decent, but the next intake of first year students would not happen till the end of next month, in other words, there was no first year class currently.
"Make sure everyone is in physical contact with each other...if you get left behind, we will not be coming back for you," I remarked, before activating the teleport spell.
We teleported to a booth further south, and I began rifling through their Spell Cards, looking for the card that would take us further south.
"Quickly, instructor, we cannot waste any time!" Urged Trax, looking restless.
Tch, do not rush me...and besides, it did not look like anyone else had entered this store anytime recently...in other words, we would likely be the first ones to reach the south-...I suddenly stiffened, as I heard a few voices heading for us. Damn it, I deactivated my Lightning Sensory Field when we teleported, I forgot to put it back up.
"...-a noise inside there."
"You must have imagined it...all the humans have fled this area."
"Well, we may as well check."
Damn it, what rotten luck...
"I shall charge at them the instant the door opens...there are three of them, I shall take one. Your four will take on the other two, it is your choice as to whether you fight them in pairs or all four of you together," I remarked quietly, while drawing out my Lightning Crystal dagger and channeling my Mana into it.
I activated my x4.2 Lightning Boost and steadied myself as the door handle twisted down, the door slowly creaking open...now! I shot forward at top speed, driving my dagger straight at the one who opened the door. A look of alarm appeared on his face, as I plunged the blade into his chest and shot forward, sprinting past his two partners as I slammed him against a wall of a building across the teleportation booth, my dagger going in deeper. The lightning I charged into it transferred into his body in an instant, he let out an agonizing scream of pain as my attack fried his insides.
"Damn you...! That almost destroyed my-...I'm going to kill you, human!" He yelled furiously, his claws extending out.
I drew my dagger out of his chest and sprang back while firing a large bolt of lightning at him, which he ducked under and rolled away to avoid, before firing a Blood Magic blast at me, which I narrowly evaded. My ears then twitched, as I heard a faint noise in the distance...which direction was it coming from? My eyes widened as I realized it was coming from all around me, and what I was hearing, were the faint echoes of excruciating screams of pain...all around me.
A chill ran down my spine...now that I had identified the sound, I could not stop hearing it. Damn it, no, I need to focus and kill this thing...or my own screams will be added to the cacophony. I gritted my teeth and shot towards the Vampire, who fired another blast at me, which I sprang over to evade, before firing a lightning bolt from my right hand. I was charging up my dagger in my left hand...from what he said, I could gather that my last attack had nearly destroyed his core...which means that if I stabbed him again with more lightning charged into my dagger, it should be enough to kill him.
He shot towards me as he evaded my lightning, driving his claws at my face, I narrowly dodged his strike, my right cheek and ear getting grazed. I fired another bolt of lightning at his midsection, he was unable to dodge, the blast striking him square on the stomach, before he let out a growl and whipped his tail at me. I sprang back, but the tail extended and followed me, the edge shooting towards my throat, I swiftly deflected it with my dagger, but couldn't fully knock it away, letting out a stifled cry of pain as it went through my right shoulder, piercing through the bone and breaking it.
I began to pull it out, but the end of it curled as it came out the back of my shoulder, to ensure that it was stuck there. Damn it, I can't get away!
"Behold the power of my Cross, Whip Tail...I can extend the length of my tail fivefold!"
This is bad...and the students were not faring any better than me. Only one of the two Vampires was fighting them, while the other was watching in amusement. Even with the four of them combined, they were collectively just barely on equal footing with the Vampire, who had grown four extra arms, a total of six...I suppose that must be his Cross. No, wait, they were starting to gain some ground on him...
Trax dashed towards the Vampire as Tulsi's water blades created an opening, he whipped his lizard tail towards the Vampire, the end of it covered in a sphere of earth to strengthen the impact...but the Vampire caught his tail using three of his arms...he then stomped on the base of Trax's tail, who let out a scream of pain as a sickening crunching sound echoed out, the Vampire ripping off his tail and tossing it away. The Vampire then pulled him close to him and held him in front of himself, like a hostage...
"What will you do now, humans!? I have your comrade at my mercy, attack carelessly and you will wind up killing him yourselves!" The Vampire cackled viciously, before smirking as they stepped back indecisively and sinking his fangs into Trax's neck...and a few seconds later, his body slumped lifelessly, his mouth open like was about to scream in pain, but before he could...he died.
"Y-you bastard!" Cried Dise in despair, flinging his dagger at the Vampire, who laughed as he used the corpse as a shield.
"Ahh, that was excellent...the expressions on your faces were truly excellent!" Laughed the Vampire, as he grabbed onto the corpse with all six hands and pulled outwards...tearing the body into six pieces, laughing maniacally as he did, blood bursting out everywhere, some splattering on the other three, whose eyes were wide with horror.
"You damned monster!" Shrieked Tulsi hysterically, firing a vicious barrage of water blades at him.
The Vampire looked alarmed, and began to spring away while crossing his six arms in front of himself defensively, but he couldn't get away, letting out a cry of pain and his arms got slashed into pieces. Niski shot forward with a furious glare, she couldn't use Lightning Boost but she was very fast on her feet, she was both nimble and agile, and zipped in close to the Vampire and unleashed a blindingly rapid barrage of piercing thrusts with her narrow needle-like sword at his torso.
His arms were growing back, but not fast enough, as a sharp cracking sound echoed out of his body as she pierced his left hip and he went up in red flames and disappeared.
"Oh, they killed him...I should ensure that you do not have the chance to do the same to me," Remarked the Vampire that I was fighting, charging up a blast in his hands.
This is bad, I can't move my right arm, and if I used my left, it might dissipate the lightning I'd charged into my dagger. Wait, I could still use my mouth...
Meanwhile, the Vampire that had been watching the others fight was walking over towards them with a confident smirk on his face.
"What a fool, letting down his guard so carelessly and allowing you weak humans to kill him," He remarked, Blood Magic blasts charged up in each hand, "I may be a Vampire Minion like he was, but I think you will find that I...am a lot more powerful than he is, I can even rival a Vampire General. Have a taste of my Cross...Double Multiplier!"
He then shot towards them, firing a barrage of blasts at them, Niski narrowly avoided getting hit, but the other two took multiple hits, crying out in pain and slumping to the ground.
I've charged my dagger enough already, I can't just stand around anymore...especially because the Vampire I was fighting was about to fire the blasts he had been charging up. I shot forward at full speed, wincing as his tail drove through my right shoulder as I ran towards him. He fired his blasts at me, but I couldn't dodge them with his tail through my right shoulder like this.
I braced myself and increased my focus on my dagger to prevent it from dissipating upon impact, as they burst onto my chest, a scorching pain going through my torso as my armor and skin got seared off, an unbearable stinging pain going through my body, I let out a gasp and blood poured out of my mouth as my vision blurred, but I gritted my teeth and continued moving forward, getting in close and plunging my dagger straight through the middle of his forehead, he let out a ringing shriek of pain as all the lightning burst into his body, before going up in red flames and turning to ash.
I collapsed onto my knees, my vision getting hazy and my ears ringing...some of my ribs are exposed, if that blast had been any more powerful, my vital organs would have been incinerated...I have never been in such agonizing pain...I need to heal...I tentatively reached for my back pocket with my left hand, where my healing spell was stored, I activated it, coughing violently as a vicious wave of dizziness and nausea hit me, as I healed my severe injuries. A hole in my right shoulder, all the skin and most of the flesh on the front of my torso...healing all that took a lot of my stamina.
I shook my head to regain my composure, standing back up with a groan...I should help the others-...I let out a gasp as I turned my gaze towards them, my eyes widening in shock...Tulsi and Dise were dead, their bodies torn about and laying in pools of their own blood. The remaining Vampire was moving much faster than the other two were, chasing after Niski, who was missing her left arm and her right knee was shattered, she was losing a lot of blood and had a terrified expression on her face.
His speed must be the power of his Cross. I fired a lightning bolt at him as I shot towards him, charging up my dagger again. I only had about a third of my Mana left, and I felt exhausted. He evaded my lightning with ease and zipped up with a couple of flaps of his wings, before rapidly swooping down and twisting his body across, his tail whipping down at me. I began to spring back, but the edge of his tail diagonally slashed across my torso, I let out a hiss of pain, before grabbing the end of his tail with my right hand, slicing my palm open as I did, and swung him over my shoulder, slamming him onto the ground.
I let go of his tail and began to fire a lightning bolt out of my right hand, wincing at the pain from my injured palm. Before I could fire, he shot out a couple of red blasts from his hands, striking my throat and right knee as I hurriedly sprang back in alarm. I landed back shakily and stumbled, my right leg buckling like a twig and my throat in severe pain.
"So, two of us died, hm," Remarked the Vampire, as he shot towards me and slammed his knee onto my midsection, rupturing something inside me, blood gushing out of my mouth as a sharp pain went through my abdomen.
He fired a blast at my chest, before slamming his fist across the left side of my face, and then brutally kicking my right side and sending me flying back, till I crashed onto the teleportation booth, leaving severe cracks in the store wall. Somehow, I had managed to maintain the lightning in my dagger, but I couldn't charge it any further, I was in too much pain, it was taking all my focus just to keep the lightning from dissipating...most of my ribs on my right side were broken, my right wrist was shattered, my left bicep was broken as well, I couldn't lift my left arm at all. And I had received some rather severe internal damage as well. I tried to stand up but stumbled back, my back hitting the wall and keeping me from falling down, but...I could move, in fact I could barely stand.
"Tch, it looks like I have reached the time limit of my Cross...no matter, it is clear you can fight no more. Hm, I did not consume the life forces of the others I killed, and I am feeling a touch ravenous...I shall consume you."
He walked over to me with his claws extended and his fangs bared, a hungry look in his eyes. And he was watching me closely, his guard was up...with an especially close eye on my left hand, which was still clutching my dagger. It should have enough lightning charged up in it to kill him...but he was staying alert, his guard was up, and even if he wasn't, it would not change the fact that I could not lift my left arm.
I could still move my hand a bit, but he would likely dodge it easily if I flicked the blade at him, and I doubt I could do so with any accuracy in this state anyway. I let out a cry of pain as he blasted my legs and knees, and I would have collapsed onto the ground if not for the wall I was leaning on.
"I shall now destroy that troublesome weapon of yours...," Stated the Vampire, aiming a blast at my left hand.
He suddenly let out a cry of surprise as a thin, narrow blade went through his wrist, dissipating the blast, before a bolt of lightning struck the side of his head, disorienting him. What-...it was Niski, she had flung her sword at his wrist like a spear, her palm had a straight cut on it from holding the blade...and she must have fired lightning afterwards. The stump where her left arm used to be and her broken knee were both healed, but she looked barely conscious and pale due to the amount of blood she'd lost. She then fell forward and collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
This...this is my last chance to survive...I bit my lower lip and used my right elbow and shoulders to push off the wall...I couldn't step forward, but the Vampire was close enough that I could fall onto him! I flicked my dagger straight up, my right eye glowing red as I channeled more Lightning Boost into my eyes to increase my perception, letting me catch the dagger between my teeth as I flicked it up. I could not use my right hand, but the rest of my right arm was still intact!
I wrapped my right arm around his shoulder and neck to keep him from getting away, right as he opened his mouth with a panicked look and began moving in to bite my shoulder, while his tail shot towards my back. Using the last remaining reserves of my strength, I tightened my grip on my dagger between my teeth and plunged forward as much as I could...the tip of the dagger piercing his neck, just as his teeth sunk into my neck and tail pierced through my back, inches below my heart.
Right as I felt something start to leave my body, the lightning transferred into him, sparks bursting out of his body, before going up in red flames and disappearing. I collapsed onto the ground, unable to move so much as a finger. His tail had pierced a hole in my back, and I was losing blood, I need to heal...but I...but I can't move...my vision was rapidly fading and darkening, as I desperately tried to reach for my back pocket with my damaged arms, before going limp as I lost consciousness...
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Point-of-View: Gela Sorr"Oh, wow...I can seriously tear these things apart without having to worry about avoiding fatal spots...this is the best day ever!" I exclaimed with an excited shiver, as I tore apart the Vampire I was fighting.I was outside the wall, in a team of three with Lamasa Phiban and Tuck Lehosa, and we were fighting two Vampires...well, the two of them were fighting one, while I was tearing apart the other one. Hehe, I had pretended to be paralyzed with fear to make him drop his guard down, before slashing his tendons as he walked up to me with his claws extended, rendering his limbs useless. He then almost took my head off with his tail, so I ripped it off.He healed really fast, which meant that I could tear apart the same spots multiple times...ohh, these monsters have incredibly satisfying bodies to rip apart. I know Kuro had yelled at everyone who was A-Rank or below to go back in and chase the Vampires that flew in, but...I decided to go for the prey right in front of me instead of chasing after the ones that went inside.Besides, not all the A-Rank and below Adventurers went back in, some had been attacked by the Vampires out here, that had swooped down on them. Of the eight hundred or so Adventurers who had initially been stationed out here, about two hundred and fifty were still out here, the rest had all gone back in...but wow, were they dying fast, despite the fact that there had to be less than forty Vampires that stayed outside the wall. Only a few of the Adventurers were actually putting up a fight against the Vampires, the rest were either panicking or too weak to hold their own.And very few of the three person teams were still intact, most had split up in their panic, and they were the ones that the Vampires were picking off the easiest. These monsters are strong, but I can definitely take them one-on-one. Suddenly, as I pierced my talons into the Vampire I was shredding, I felt something break, it almost felt like glass...the next thing I knew, the Vampire went up in red flames and disappeared......aw, I killed it...damn it, I wasn't done playing with it yet, why did it have to die so easily..."Gela, mind giving us some help!?" Yelled Tuck, as the Vampire he and Lamasa were fighting was starting to overwhelm them.She was blasting his earth attacks and defense with ease, and blowing away Lamasa's flames with her wings, which were much bigger than the other Vampires' wings. Fine, I guess I'll help them, I certainly don't mind shredding up another Vampire...I shot towards the Vampire, firing wind slashes from both my hands...oh, yeah, getting these metal claws for my right hand was a genius move, I now had twice the shredding power! The Vampire dodged my attacks, getting a couple of deep gashes in her left arm as she sprang off to the right."Watch it, you almost cut me!" Complained Tuck, narrowly avoiding the slashes that the Vampire dodged."Then stay out of my way!"I slashed my talons at the Vampire's face as I reached her, she ducked out of the way before swinging her tail across at my head, I caught it between my teeth before it could slice the top of my head off and plunged my talons and claws towards the base of it. She let out an agonizing scream of pain as I ripped out her tail, along with a chunk of her lower back. She then sprang away and fired a Blood Magic blast at me as I swung another round of wind slashes at her, before she spread her wings and swiftly took off into their air.Hehe, not so fast! I activated Flight and shot after her, swinging a barrage of wind slashes at her from my talons and metal claws, she evaded sharply thanks to her large wings, but couldn't avoid getting multiple grazes and gashes as my attacks slashed across her."What's with those oversized wings of yours...I wanna tear them apart!""This is the power of my Cross, Expansive Wings! You will not touch them, human!"Cross...I had glanced over the information about the Vampires, I think that was what they called the ability that was unique to each Vampire. So all hers can do is make her wings bigger? What a useless ability.I zipped up towards her, putting on a burst of speed as I rapidly closed in. I had been working hard to push the limits of my speed with Flight, and it was paying off...I was faster than her in the air! As she ran out of space to dodge as I continued to shrink the gap between us, she moved both hands in front of herself and began charging up another Blood Magic blast.I can dodge it, but if I do...it'll take longer to catch up with and tear her apart. I'll take the hit. I wrapped wind around my right forearm, moving it in front of me defensively as she fired the blast, burning my skin off and leaving a heavy, stinging pain. I then moved in close and drove my talons into her throat after slashing her shoulders, twisting my left wrist violently after piercing her neck, as she agonizingly coughed out blood.I then swiftly slipped behind her, slicing off her tail again, which had grown back already, and then wrapped myself around her back."Your attack...waves of pain are emanating from my arm right now, and they won't stop...in fact, they're getting more and more painful slowly but surely...those red blasts of yours...they're so delightful," I smirked with an excited quiver, my body getting warm and tingly while my breathing grew heavier and heavier, as I slowly licked the side of her face before driving my talon through her back and shaking and twisting her spine violently, eliciting an excruciating scream of pain from her, "Hehe...you have a nice screaming voice...let me hear it more!"I slashed and slowly tore off her limbs one by one, using wind slashes regularly to keep them from growing back, while I tore into the rest of her body bit by bit, her blood raining down as her screams rang out across the sky. Good, it doesn't look like any Vampires were coming to help her...I wasn't letting anyone ruin my fun right now, this was pure ecstasy!"S-stop...I-I beg you, please-...Ahhhhhhh!!!" She cried, as tore off her tongue and forced it down her throat...but it fell out since I had already torn her throat open.Hm, it looks like her injuries weren't healing until the previous ones did...her tail was attempting to grow back, but none of the rest of her body were showing any signs of healing. Wow, she's lost so much blood, but she's still alive...aw, her screams are starting to quieten, I think she's almost unconscious...well, that's no fun...I flung her towards the ground with all my strength after tearing off her wings, before unleashing a massive barrage of wind slashes down at her, cutting her up into smaller chunks, which fell splat onto the ground. Now, to kill her-...before I could finish her off, Lamasa blew out a large fireball at her dismembered body, a flash of red appearing, before the flames went out. She was gone. Grr, that bitch...!"Hey, that was my kill!""Are you serious right now? We're supposed to be fighting together, what if more Vampires had attacked you?" Inquired Tuck with a look of exasperation."Shut up, Fuck Lehosa!""...once this is over, I'm going to kill you for that.""I'd like to see you try, you couldn't even kill that Vampire with the two of you, while I destroyed it on my own! Which is why...that was my kill, you bitch!""Oh, I apologize, Gela...I didn't mean to offend you," She replied with an apologetic smile.I really don't like her the way she is now...what the fuck happened to her anyway? She was way less creepy back when she used to be a bitch."Above us, another Vampire!" Exclaimed Tuck urgently."Perfect...more fun for me," I giggled gleefully, licking my lips...Point-of-View: Misen Ragiu"Um, instructor? Shouldn't you have stayed out there, you are an S-Ranked Adventurer, after all," Remarked Niski skeptically, as we gave chase to a Vampire."Yes, but I am also in charge of this team, so I believe I need to prioritize that over my rank," I replied as convincingly as possible.Tch, this is annoying...instead of letting me team up with a fellow S-Ranked Adventurer or at least a couple of A-Ranks, I was put in charge of four third year students. The third year's Group D were strong enough to be on their own, and those other three that included Gela Sorr were also fairly competent. As for these four, Niski Torfa, Tulsi Dagery, Dise Rhacater and Trax Pendalb...they weren't exactly weak, but at the same time, they weren't exactly strong either.Tch, I'll do what I can for as long as things are relatively safe, but if things start looking too dangerous, I will leave them to die if it is the only way for me to survive. The Vampires that came in were unlikely to know where the civilians had evacuated to, but once they saw that this area was deserted, they had likely spread out elsewhere...which means that so long as I remain in the north, the possibility of running into any Vampires was relatively low.Hm, but I should not make that fact obvious to these students, or I will look bad. Okay, my best option is to head south at a cautious pace...hopefully, the other Adventurers who rushed in will have taken out most of the Vampires by the time we reach the south."Alright, stick close to me, I shall lead. We will head south," I instructed, before walking in that direction, activating my Lightning Sensory Field."Uh, instructor...shouldn't we be moving faster?" Inquired Niski skeptically."I agree, the Vampires were flying at a fairly quick pace, we should hurry," Agreed Dise with a look of urgency."I don't see the point, just the five of us won't make much of a difference," Shrugged Tulsi coldly."Then you stay behind, my family is among the civilians in the south, I can't let them get hurt!" Trax spoke up in protest."All of you, quiet! Just follow my lead, there is no need to do anything more than that!" I snapped, before continuing to head south."Teleportation! Instructor, we can get to the south before the Vampires if we teleport! The nearest-," Began Niski, her eyes lighting up.Damn it, I forgot about that...and I don't have a valid excuse to reject her suggestion. Grrr...!"G-good call...we shall teleport there," I remarked through gritted teeth, as I reluctantly changed my course towards the direction of the nearest teleportation booth.Tch, this is less than ideal. We made our way there with no issue. The store was empty, but the teleportation Spell Cards were still there. It would take three or four teleports to get to the south...which would take less than a minute or so even if I took my time finding the right cards. There were some Adventurers posted at the south as protection, but they were mainly there to give the civilians a relative sense of ease.However, from what I saw outside the front gate, every Vampire had the power to at least rival an S-Ranked Adventurer, so the C-Ranked and below Adventurers and student Adventurers posted at the south would be unlikely to pose a real threat. The second year student Adventurers were fairly decent, but the next intake of first year students would not happen till the end of next month, in other words, there was no first year class currently."Make sure everyone is in physical contact with each other...if you get left behind, we will not be coming back for you," I remarked, before activating the teleport spell.We teleported to a booth further south, and I began rifling through their Spell Cards, looking for the card that would take us further south."Quickly, instructor, we cannot waste any time!" Urged Trax, looking restless.Tch, do not rush me...and besides, it did not look like anyone else had entered this store anytime recently...in other words, we would likely be the first ones to reach the south-...I suddenly stiffened, as I heard a few voices heading for us. Damn it, I deactivated my Lightning Sensory Field when we teleported, I forgot to put it back up."...-a noise inside there.""You must have imagined it...all the humans have fled this area.""Well, we may as well check."Damn it, what rotten luck..."I shall charge at them the instant the door opens...there are three of them, I shall take one. Your four will take on the other two, it is your choice as to whether you fight them in pairs or all four of you together," I remarked quietly, while drawing out my Lightning Crystal dagger and channeling my Mana into it.I activated my x4.2 Lightning Boost and steadied myself as the door handle twisted down, the door slowly creaking open...now! I shot forward at top speed, driving my dagger straight at the one who opened the door. A look of alarm appeared on his face, as I plunged the blade into his chest and shot forward, sprinting past his two partners as I slammed him against a wall of a building across the teleportation booth, my dagger going in deeper. The lightning I charged into it transferred into his body in an instant, he let out an agonizing scream of pain as my attack fried his insides."Damn you...! That almost destroyed my-...I'm going to kill you, human!" He yelled furiously, his claws extending out.I drew my dagger out of his chest and sprang back while firing a large bolt of lightning at him, which he ducked under and rolled away to avoid, before firing a Blood Magic blast at me, which I narrowly evaded. My ears then twitched, as I heard a faint noise in the distance...which direction was it coming from? My eyes widened as I realized it was coming from all around me, and what I was hearing, were the faint echoes of excruciating screams of pain...all around me.A chill ran down my spine...now that I had identified the sound, I could not stop hearing it. Damn it, no, I need to focus and kill this thing...or my own screams will be added to the cacophony. I gritted my teeth and shot towards the Vampire, who fired another blast at me, which I sprang over to evade, before firing a lightning bolt from my right hand. I was charging up my dagger in my left hand...from what he said, I could gather that my last attack had nearly destroyed his core...which means that if I stabbed him again with more lightning charged into my dagger, it should be enough to kill him.He shot towards me as he evaded my lightning, driving his claws at my face, I narrowly dodged his strike, my right cheek and ear getting grazed. I fired another bolt of lightning at his midsection, he was unable to dodge, the blast striking him square on the stomach, before he let out a growl and whipped his tail at me. I sprang back, but the tail extended and followed me, the edge shooting towards my throat, I swiftly deflected it with my dagger, but couldn't fully knock it away, letting out a stifled cry of pain as it went through my right shoulder, piercing through the bone and breaking it.I began to pull it out, but the end of it curled as it came out the back of my shoulder, to ensure that it was stuck there. Damn it, I can't get away!"Behold the power of my Cross, Whip Tail...I can extend the length of my tail fivefold!"This is bad...and the students were not faring any better than me. Only one of the two Vampires was fighting them, while the other was watching in amusement. Even with the four of them combined, they were collectively just barely on equal footing with the Vampire, who had grown four extra arms, a total of six...I suppose that must be his Cross. No, wait, they were starting to gain some ground on him...Trax dashed towards the Vampire as Tulsi's water blades created an opening, he whipped his lizard tail towards the Vampire, the end of it covered in a sphere of earth to strengthen the impact...but the Vampire caught his tail using three of his arms...he then stomped on the base of Trax's tail, who let out a scream of pain as a sickening crunching sound echoed out, the Vampire ripping off his tail and tossing it away. The Vampire then pulled him close to him and held him in front of himself, like a hostage..."What will you do now, humans!? I have your comrade at my mercy, attack carelessly and you will wind up killing him yourselves!" The Vampire cackled viciously, before smirking as they stepped back indecisively and sinking his fangs into Trax's neck...and a few seconds later, his body slumped lifelessly, his mouth open like was about to scream in pain, but before he could...he died."Y-you bastard!" Cried Dise in despair, flinging his dagger at the Vampire, who laughed as he used the corpse as a shield."Ahh, that was excellent...the expressions on your faces were truly excellent!" Laughed the Vampire, as he grabbed onto the corpse with all six hands and pulled outwards...tearing the body into six pieces, laughing maniacally as he did, blood bursting out everywhere, some splattering on the other three, whose eyes were wide with horror."You damned monster!" Shrieked Tulsi hysterically, firing a vicious barrage of water blades at him.The Vampire looked alarmed, and began to spring away while crossing his six arms in front of himself defensively, but he couldn't get away, letting out a cry of pain and his arms got slashed into pieces. Niski shot forward with a furious glare, she couldn't use Lightning Boost but she was very fast on her feet, she was both nimble and agile, and zipped in close to the Vampire and unleashed a blindingly rapid barrage of piercing thrusts with her narrow needle-like sword at his torso.His arms were growing back, but not fast enough, as a sharp cracking sound echoed out of his body as she pierced his left hip and he went up in red flames and disappeared."Oh, they killed him...I should ensure that you do not have the chance to do the same to me," Remarked the Vampire that I was fighting, charging up a blast in his hands.This is bad, I can't move my right arm, and if I used my left, it might dissipate the lightning I'd charged into my dagger. Wait, I could still use my mouth...Meanwhile, the Vampire that had been watching the others fight was walking over towards them with a confident smirk on his face."What a fool, letting down his guard so carelessly and allowing you weak humans to kill him," He remarked, Blood Magic blasts charged up in each hand, "I may be a Vampire Minion like he was, but I think you will find that I...am a lot more powerful than he is, I can even rival a Vampire General. Have a taste of my Cross...Double Multiplier!"He then shot towards them, firing a barrage of blasts at them, Niski narrowly avoided getting hit, but the other two took multiple hits, crying out in pain and slumping to the ground.I've charged my dagger enough already, I can't just stand around anymore...especially because the Vampire I was fighting was about to fire the blasts he had been charging up. I shot forward at full speed, wincing as his tail drove through my right shoulder as I ran towards him. He fired his blasts at me, but I couldn't dodge them with his tail through my right shoulder like this.I braced myself and increased my focus on my dagger to prevent it from dissipating upon impact, as they burst onto my chest, a scorching pain going through my torso as my armor and skin got seared off, an unbearable stinging pain going through my body, I let out a gasp and blood poured out of my mouth as my vision blurred, but I gritted my teeth and continued moving forward, getting in close and plunging my dagger straight through the middle of his forehead, he let out a ringing shriek of pain as all the lightning burst into his body, before going up in red flames and turning to ash.I collapsed onto my knees, my vision getting hazy and my ears ringing...some of my ribs are exposed, if that blast had been any more powerful, my vital organs would have been incinerated...I have never been in such agonizing pain...I need to heal...I tentatively reached for my back pocket with my left hand, where my healing spell was stored, I activated it, coughing violently as a vicious wave of dizziness and nausea hit me, as I healed my severe injuries. A hole in my right shoulder, all the skin and most of the flesh on the front of my torso...healing all that took a lot of my stamina.I shook my head to regain my composure, standing back up with a groan...I should help the others-...I let out a gasp as I turned my gaze towards them, my eyes widening in shock...Tulsi and Dise were dead, their bodies torn about and laying in pools of their own blood. The remaining Vampire was moving much faster than the other two were, chasing after Niski, who was missing her left arm and her right knee was shattered, she was losing a lot of blood and had a terrified expression on her face.His speed must be the power of his Cross. I fired a lightning bolt at him as I shot towards him, charging up my dagger again. I only had about a third of my Mana left, and I felt exhausted. He evaded my lightning with ease and zipped up with a couple of flaps of his wings, before rapidly swooping down and twisting his body across, his tail whipping down at me. I began to spring back, but the edge of his tail diagonally slashed across my torso, I let out a hiss of pain, before grabbing the end of his tail with my right hand, slicing my palm open as I did, and swung him over my shoulder, slamming him onto the ground.I let go of his tail and began to fire a lightning bolt out of my right hand, wincing at the pain from my injured palm. Before I could fire, he shot out a couple of red blasts from his hands, striking my throat and right knee as I hurriedly sprang back in alarm. I landed back shakily and stumbled, my right leg buckling like a twig and my throat in severe pain."So, two of us died, hm," Remarked the Vampire, as he shot towards me and slammed his knee onto my midsection, rupturing something inside me, blood gushing out of my mouth as a sharp pain went through my abdomen.He fired a blast at my chest, before slamming his fist across the left side of my face, and then brutally kicking my right side and sending me flying back, till I crashed onto the teleportation booth, leaving severe cracks in the store wall. Somehow, I had managed to maintain the lightning in my dagger, but I couldn't charge it any further, I was in too much pain, it was taking all my focus just to keep the lightning from dissipating...most of my ribs on my right side were broken, my right wrist was shattered, my left bicep was broken as well, I couldn't lift my left arm at all. And I had received some rather severe internal damage as well. I tried to stand up but stumbled back, my back hitting the wall and keeping me from falling down, but...I could move, in fact I could barely stand."Tch, it looks like I have reached the time limit of my Cross...no matter, it is clear you can fight no more. Hm, I did not consume the life forces of the others I killed, and I am feeling a touch ravenous...I shall consume you."He walked over to me with his claws extended and his fangs bared, a hungry look in his eyes. And he was watching me closely, his guard was up...with an especially close eye on my left hand, which was still clutching my dagger. It should have enough lightning charged up in it to kill him...but he was staying alert, his guard was up, and even if he wasn't, it would not change the fact that I could not lift my left arm.I could still move my hand a bit, but he would likely dodge it easily if I flicked the blade at him, and I doubt I could do so with any accuracy in this state anyway. I let out a cry of pain as he blasted my legs and knees, and I would have collapsed onto the ground if not for the wall I was leaning on."I shall now destroy that troublesome weapon of yours...," Stated the Vampire, aiming a blast at my left hand.He suddenly let out a cry of surprise as a thin, narrow blade went through his wrist, dissipating the blast, before a bolt of lightning struck the side of his head, disorienting him. What-...it was Niski, she had flung her sword at his wrist like a spear, her palm had a straight cut on it from holding the blade...and she must have fired lightning afterwards. The stump where her left arm used to be and her broken knee were both healed, but she looked barely conscious and pale due to the amount of blood she'd lost. She then fell forward and collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.This...this is my last chance to survive...I bit my lower lip and used my right elbow and shoulders to push off the wall...I couldn't step forward, but the Vampire was close enough that I could fall onto him! I flicked my dagger straight up, my right eye glowing red as I channeled more Lightning Boost into my eyes to increase my perception, letting me catch the dagger between my teeth as I flicked it up. I could not use my right hand, but the rest of my right arm was still intact!I wrapped my right arm around his shoulder and neck to keep him from getting away, right as he opened his mouth with a panicked look and began moving in to bite my shoulder, while his tail shot towards my back. Using the last remaining reserves of my strength, I tightened my grip on my dagger between my teeth and plunged forward as much as I could...the tip of the dagger piercing his neck, just as his teeth sunk into my neck and tail pierced through my back, inches below my heart.Right as I felt something start to leave my body, the lightning transferred into him, sparks bursting out of his body, before going up in red flames and disappearing. I collapsed onto the ground, unable to move so much as a finger. His tail had pierced a hole in my back, and I was losing blood, I need to heal...but I...but I can't move...my vision was rapidly fading and darkening, as I desperately tried to reach for my back pocket with my damaged arms, before going limp as I lost consciousness..._____________________________________________Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.
