The fusion of the Eternal Night Wolves seemed to grow stronger and more violent by the second. Virelia was starting to show signs of returning to her spiritual form, and my transformation into Count consumed too much vitae.
Looks like I'm screwed... I thought, chuckling bitterly.
Pouring vitae onto my fingers, a triangle formed in my hand. A white ethereal triangle surged forward toward the beast. Upon impact, white chains wrapped tightly around its body.
This gave space for Virelia to retreat and attack. Virelia was extremely irritated—her innate arrogance had been crushed fighting that beast. It had completely overpowered her, even with my help.
Consumed by intense hatred, she began chanting. A heavy aura of water rose, surrounding her completely. The water started to condense above, forming a massive dragon.
Draco Aqua.
She finished chanting the spell. The massive water dragon charged toward the bound beast, slamming into it and hurling it backward.
Boom!
An explosion of water and smoke echoed in the air. The beast emerged from the center of the battlefield, soaked in blood and water. Its now-red eyes tracked Virelia's every movement.
It opened its mouth and began crushing its own muscles. A black, terrifying energy began to gather under its jaws—growing endlessly, darker and denser with every second.
With a roar, it fired a black beam toward Virelia.
Boom!
The beam struck her with terrifying speed, destroying her body and forcing her into spiritual form.
However, her spirit form didn't go far—she quickly found her spiritual storage item.
Relief surged through my body.
From the sky, something plunged downward with absurd speed and power.
It was Flávia, furious about what happened to her familiar. She charged at the beast from above in a fierce strike.
Phew... I sighed with relief. But without hesitation, while Flávia fought head-on, I resumed harassing the beast from a distance.
The beast was strong, but compared to Flávia—who was of a superior sub-rank and in her Count form—it was outmatched in every way. It wouldn't take long for the beast to fall.
Thrusts and slashes made it bleed constantly. It fought desperately, trying to survive.
But there was nothing it could do.
With a precise blow, Flávia killed the Beast of the Night.
Bringing an end to this hellish war.
---
At the worst part of the battlefield.
POV: General View
The war raged on brutally. Hours had passed since it began. It started at dawn, but now the sky was pitch black.
On the battlefield, the fighting remained intense. Soldiers continued to fight relentlessly, even after hours.
By now, at least three to four thousand soldiers had died—including 143 of Near-Warrior level, 21 full Warriors, and even one Near-Baron.
The Guardian Golems had long since fallen. The ancient weapon shaped like a thorn cannon had lost its suppressive effect on the beasts.
The soldiers were near their limit. The advanced defensive line had been destroyed. Familiars in the skies and on the ground had long since returned to their storage items.
The beasts hadn't escaped unscathed either. Corpses littered the battlefield—at least ten thousand or more had died. This included over a thousand beasts of Near-Warrior level, 223 of the second level, and even eight beasts of Near-Baron level.
In all the years of this barony, there had never been such a bloody battle, and it's safe to say there won't be another like it for a long time.
Still, if this continued any longer, there would be no other outcome—only death and loss.
The ground was completely soaked in blood. The glacial field once unintentionally created by Flávia had long since melted.
The formations were no longer synchronized or disciplined. The soldiers fought bravely, grimly awaiting death.
Clumsy, exhausted, fighting for their very lives—savagery had taken over both sides of the battlefield.
The fighting continued, without pause, without retreat.
Until from the sky, bathed in hope, she appeared—wreathed in flames.
---
Elsewhere on the battlefield.
POV: Bruno
I was fighting intensely against more second-level beasts. I didn't even remember how many I had killed. The once seemingly infinite vitae from the crystal was running out.
I was tired, wounded—I didn't even know where my arm was. Ignis and Astrel had fallen hours ago, but I was still standing.
This time, I truly believed I was going to die. Not even Selena, Sitha, or Flávia had appeared yet, which was a bad sign.
My opponent now looked like a scorpion. It wasn't strong, but its venom was deadly. I was exhausted, my vision blurry, vitae at its limit. Every muscle, bone, organ—everything hurt without exception.
I didn't even know how I was still fighting. Maybe I was insane. I honestly wasn't sure anymore.
All I knew was that I had to fight, kill, hunt, and survive.
A cycle of survival and death.
The black spear still danced in my hands—better than ever. I used it with sheer skill alone. No Nex, no vitae, no Ignis and Astrel, no transformation.
Just the pure and brutal art of the spear.
I staggered forward, attacking the scorpion that kept trying to sting me. I could still dodge, but I needed to cut off its tail.
If I managed that, it couldn't poison anyone else.
I kept pushing forward, exhausted, making basic attacks—thrusts, lateral slashes, diagonal cuts, shoulder pushes, pommel strikes. The beast dodged quickly, and when I landed a hit, it was always on its armored shell.
Damn it... I'll use your claws to upgrade my armor, you cursed thing, I growled with blurred vision.
An idea came to mind. Risky, but it made sense in my pain-addled thoughts.
What if I use the last of my vitae—the one keeping my body moving—to cut off its tail?
No... that's insane.
Or maybe it's possible?
I was confused. If I failed, I'd die. But in my state, if I did nothing—I'd die anyway.
Splash!
Venom shot from its tail, creating a hole a few meters from me.
It kept approaching. How was I supposed to stop it? Did it have a weakness?
If it did, I really didn't know. Still—screw it.
I poured my final drop of vitae onto the spear, which seemed to ignite with a brief flame—as if it were the last time.
I lunged—not toward its tail—but at the joint of its legs, where it had no armor.
The spear slashed through the air in a diagonal cut, rising from below.
Vum!
The spear severed the beast's left legs, making it stumble.
Without giving it a chance to react, I drove my spear into its neck—into the lower area of its body, where no armor protected it.
The spear pierced all the way up through its inner structure, leaving its head and body connected only by the armored shell.
Another second-level beast slain.
That was my limit. My knees hit the ground. My body screamed in pain. My vitae was depleted—I could no longer maintain my condition.
My eyes closed, awaiting death.
---
Above the battlefield.
POV: Flávia
I arrived above the battlefield with Selena and Sitha. We had finished our own battles and returned to help.
Looking down, pain gripped my heart. The number of dead was overwhelming. Vampires were dying by the second. Even after the war ended, many still perished from their wounds.
From up here, they looked like ants at war. One side had numbers. The other had determination.
The smaller side fought with honor and fierceness. Each of them was worth three or more of the enemy.
It's an honor to call you my soldiers, I thought with a storm of emotions—torn between sorrow and pride.
Raising my hands, countless ice spikes began to fall upon the battlefield.
Not only me—Sitha and Selena joined in, unleashing their powers.
Powers of ice, flames, spiritual spells, blood, thunder, water, and wind rained down upon the beasts, massacring them without hesitation or mercy.
Each attack killed a beast, whether level 1 or level 2. Even Near-Baron level beasts were falling.
Descending lower, I gazed over the battlefield once more. Only one formation remained standing.
All the others had collapsed. The soldiers fought insanely. And from a quick glance, I recognized the strength of the fallen army—now dead across the ground.
This included several brigade leaders—and even the leader of the 2nd Division.
War is a loss for everyone, truly.
Somewhat melancholic, I stared at the field with a strange and deep feeling.
Because of my pride, I never believed something like this could happen to my barony. I never thought we'd lose so many soldiers.
— Aaa... I sighed, exhausted, as I resumed killing the low-level beasts that were desperately fleeing.
When they saw us arrive and begin attacking, they instinctively understood what had happened. Without the pressure of higher-ranked beasts driving them, they scattered in all directions.
After a few more minutes of ruthless slaughter, the beasts were gone. And with their leaders dead, that could only mean one thing:
— VICTORY! I shouted to the soldiers, who raised their weapons in unison.
Finally...
This war is over.
This was the penultimate chapter of the war arc.
The climax has passed, but the scars remain...
What did you think of this moment? Did anything move you? What could be improved?
And more importantly: what do you expect from the final chapter of this arc — and from Bruno's next steps?
Thank you so much for being here with me.
This story only exists because you're walking through it by my side.
See you in the next — and final — chapter of this bloody arc.