"Go quickly!" Pushed from behind by his Lady, Mera scrambled out of the room.
In the main hall, invaders with drawn bows were already waiting for him, arrows nocked.
Twang, twang, twang—
The taut bowstrings sang, followed by the whistle of arrows slicing through the air. Elven archery, like their magic, was renowned for its incredible accuracy!
Mera quickly turned, shielding the young miss with his body as he tried to flee.
A sharp pain suddenly shot through his back. He gritted his teeth, preparing to run, but as he took his first step, an arrow pierced his leg. He stumbled forward, crashing to the ground.
To protect the young miss in his arms, he propped himself up, a searing pain, enough to make anyone faint, wracking his body. His arm was definitely broken!
The enemy attacked him systematically. Countless arrows embedded themselves in his back, so densely packed he looked like a hedgehog bristling with quills! Blood gushed from his wounds.
Mera hugged the young miss tightly with his broken arm. With his other hand, he pulled out the sword tucked at his waist, pointed it forward, and prepared to fight to the death.
There were four of them. All had their faces covered with hoods. But even under the hoods, Mera could see the sharp, pointed contours of... their ears!
There weren't many races in this world with ears like that. Elves were one of them! Why were elves trying to kill them too?!
Mera had no time to ponder this now. Though his body was on the verge of collapse, he still had to protect the young miss with everything he had.
Because... this was his Lady's request! Deeply in love with his Lady, he had sworn to protect her final smile, even if it cost him his life!
He trembled as he forced himself to stand, his eyes blazing with an unquenchable fire!
….
Watching this scene unfold from a high vantage point, even Elliot was somewhat moved.
He had worried Potimas might kill Sophia, causing his quest to fail, so he had arrived here early, just in time to see Mera rush out, cradling Sophia.
In the original story, Mera was an out-and-out simp, a tragic character. He had a "thing" for married women, but his love for the Lady wasn't about possessing her; he was content to just quietly watch her be happy.
Compared to this simp, Mera, all those internet simps were nothing.
And now, if Mera wanted to protect Sophia and win this fight, he needed a serious power-up, a quick infusion to recover. As for what kind of infusion... Thinking of you in the night.
Oh god, so corny!!! Elliot almost couldn't stand it.
The arrowheads glinted sharply. Elven arrows usually weren't poisoned; their strength lay in their lightness and extreme accuracy.
They had a more than 50% chance of hitting a moving target, let alone Mera, who was now immobilized.
Despite this, he had to fight. With his back against the wall, he couldn't move a single step. The archers weren't stupid enough to walk into his sword range; they would maintain a safe distance.
The feeling of helplessness almost drove Mera to suicide!
Just then, a sharp pain shot through Mera's neck. Sophia had suddenly bitten him! Her small fangs pierced his skin, and she began to drink his flowing blood.
As a reincarnator, Sophia's intelligence was naturally high.
She had been reborn in this world as the [Vampire True Ancestor], the very first vampire, possessing the ability to turn humans into her kin.
Anyone bitten by her would gain the [Vampire] title and skills, along with a significant boost to their base stats and recovery abilities.
She didn't want to die! After so much trouble, being reincarnated from an ugly girl, her luck had finally turned! She was a budding beauty now!
Once she grew up, she would definitely be a stunning woman admired by all!
Therefore, she would absolutely not give up any sliver of hope for survival.
Being bitten by the Vampire True Ancestor, Mera's body underwent a drastic change. He felt himself growing hotter. Power surged through him. The wounds on his back and leg slowly stopped hurting.
An inhuman, powerful force now occupied his flesh!
His entire body was immersed in excitement, a wild, exhilarating mental high. It felt incredibly strange, like a caterpillar transforming into a beautiful butterfly.
Logically, such a sensation should have been terrifying, but the euphoria overwhelmed his mind, making him act erratically.
He could win!
Mera tried to move the leg that had been shot, the one that should have been immobile. Miraculously, the blood in his leg had clotted! And as he took a step, his body shot forward with unbelievable speed, appearing right in front of one of his attackers.
He thrust his sword into the elf's surprised face. The elf didn't even have time to react before Mera cut him down!
He was strong! So strong, it felt like he could pluck the stars from the sky and grasp the moon! Mera couldn't worry about much else now. Even if this power came from a devil, he had to cherish it! Because this power... was enough to protect the young miss!
Mera mercilessly continued his assault. As the Lord's personal attendant, his swordsmanship was quite refined.
Every strike accurately slit an enemy's throat. Blood fountained, splattering his face. He licked it off, finding the taste of his enemies' blood incredibly delicious. The metallic tang became like the aroma of the finest wine, stimulating his senses.
Just as Mera was about to kill the last elf, a terrifying shockwave slammed into him, nearly tearing him apart. If not for his newly acquired vampire physique, that impact would have killed him instantly.
But even vampires had their limits. Mera collapsed to the ground, watching helplessly as the young miss was thrown from his grasp, tumbling across the floor.
Who was it?!
Mera barely managed to turn his neck and saw the man who had attacked him from behind. It was a young-looking man, very handsome, with a somewhat wicked charm.
His true age couldn't be discerned from his appearance. But his exposed ears were very long.
The longer an elf lived, the longer their ears grew. Ears this long... he had to be at least several hundred years old.
Finally, the person Elliot had been waiting for had arrived. This elf... was none other than the Elf King, Potimas. But it wasn't his main body; it was one of Potimas's clones. Nevertheless, its strength was still considerable.
"Vampires, eh... Their initial stats don't seem that high, but they become troublesome once they mature," Potimas squinted, looking at the infant in the swaddling clothes. The infant also saw him.
When Sophia saw the blood on his hands and realized he had just come from her mother's room, she instantly understood: this man had killed her mother!
But she was so weak now, too weak. Forget revenge; she barely had a chance of even surviving. Even her kin, Mera, was completely incapacitated by his attack.
"Kill it," Potimas said to his sole surviving subordinate. He knew about the reincarnators in this world. According to information from his "daughter" Oka, there were a total of 26 reincarnators.
But now, most of them were under the control of the elves. If it were any other reincarnator, Potimas might have shown some mercy, left them a way out.
After all, those reincarnators were relatively easy to control. But this Vampire True Ancestor... judging by her racial title, if allowed to develop, she would become a world power on par with himself.
Humans, Elves, Dragons, and Demons each had one major figurehead. He didn't want a Vampire faction to rise and produce another such figure. This was something Potimas absolutely could not allow.
"Is this... alright?" his subordinate asked, somewhat hesitant.
"She is the Vampire True Ancestor. Don't be fooled by her current small size. In the future, she will become a great figure like me, Potimas. Letting her live will only bring trouble later," Potimas said coolly.
"Understood, sir."
The masked elf approached Sophia with a short dagger. Sophia was so terrified she couldn't even cry. She was completely consumed by panic.
Mera, struggling, was kicked aside. But even so, Mera crawled back up and lunged at the masked elf, successfully forcing him back.
….
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