"And you… you do nothing. You're unworthy of your title."
The chaos of the square rose like the fury of a hurricane. The smell of blood thickened the air, and the flickering light of torches cast dancing shadows on the stone ground, making them even more terrifying.
The growls of low-level vampire slaves mingled with the screams of my soldiers, turning the square into a symphony of death. The high vampire's mocking words echoed in my mind. "You're unworthy of your title."
Those words fueled my rage like a blazing fire. I gripped my sword tighter, the cold weight of Asurdan metal as solid as iron in my palm. No, I would not surrender on this square. Not to this vampire, nor to his vile slaves.
I turned to Rebecca. She was clutching her staff tightly, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. It was clear she awaited my command, and her expression suggested she was ready to strike without hesitation.
"Rebecca!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the chaos of the square. "Prepare the Flame Chain! We need to burn them all at once!"
Rebecca's eyes flickered for a moment of surprise and determination, but she nodded. She raised her staff to the sky, and a crimson energy circle began to form around her. "Leonardo, this is risky!" she yelled, her voice barely audible amidst the screams. "There might be some that feed on energy, like lava demons!"
"We have to take the risk!" I said, plunging my sword into a vampire slave's chest. The creature collapsed with a growl, but two more lunged in its place. "Now, Reb!"
"Sacred Flame: Chain of Fire"
Rebecca gritted her teeth and struck her staff against the ground. The Flame Chain activated; crimson chains rose like a firestorm in the center of the square, ensnaring the vampire slaves one by one. The chains bound the creatures, annihilating them with explosive energy. A few slaves turned to ash, screaming within the flames, but one with glowing red eyes broke through the chains and lunged at Rebecca.
"Stellar Line Sword: Slip Point!"
I roared, raising my sword to activate Slip Point. Time and space warped for a moment; the world around me blurred, as if the universe itself paused. My body moved like lightning, positioning myself in front of Rebecca. My sword pierced the vampire slave's chest, but the creature still writhed.
"Stellar Line Sword: Twin Slash!"
I activated Twin Slash; as my sword struck, an ethereal blade shadow sliced through the creature's neck. The slave collapsed with a growl, its blood splattering the stone ground.
Rebecca, breathless, said, "Thank you," but her voice carried exhaustion. "But this… this is just a drop in the bucket. More are coming."
She was right. New slaves emerged from the shadows, as if the high vampire's will summoned the darkness itself. My soldiers, though fighting bravely, were falling one by one. Blood painted the square red; the torches were extinguishing one by one, and darkness enveloped everything. The high vampire still stood by the fountain, like a king, his indifferent demeanor igniting my fury further.
"You!" I shouted, pointing my sword at him. "Hiding behind your slaves, coward? Face me and let's see how superior you really are!"
The vampire's eyes glinted for a moment, his smirk widening. "Coward?" he said, his voice like a serpent's hiss. "Little human, your courage is admirable, but your foolishness overshadows it." He raised his hand, and a sudden gust of wind swept through the square. The shadows stirred more intensely. "Since you're so eager… I'll give you a gift."
A crack resounded in the air, as if the sky itself were splitting in two. In the center of the square, a dark portal opened. From it emerged a massive creature, far larger than a vampire slave, muscular, with red eyes gleaming with pure malevolence. This was a Blood Knight, likely one of the high vampire's most loyal and deadly servants. Its armor gleamed as if forged from blood; its sword, darker than the starless night, radiated a sinister energy.
"Leonardo!" Rebecca shouted, raising her staff again. "This… this thing is too strong!"
"I know," I said through gritted teeth.
Rebecca's eyes wavered with uncertainty for a moment, but she nodded. "Alright. We'll do this together… Time Fracture: Breaking Point."
She struck her staff against the ground, activating Breaking Point. Time trembled for a moment; everything in the square slowed, the vampire slaves' movements turning into blurred shadows. Rebecca seized the moment to analyze the Blood Knight's movements.
"Its weak point is the left shoulder!" she shouted. "But it'll fight with its right side forward!"
"Got it!" I said, raising my sword to activate Slip Point again. My body shot toward the Knight like lightning. My sword swung toward its left shoulder, but the Knight raised its blade and blocking my strike. Steel clashed against steel, sparking a storm in the square. The Knight's strength made my arms tremble, but I didn't give up.
"Stellar Line Sword: Intersection Edge!"
I activated Intersection Edge; my sword targeted the Knight's energy, aiming to cut through the dark aura within its armor. But the Knight, with a growl, stepped back and swung its sword like a whirlwind.
The strike was so fast I barely dodged by ducking to the ground. The stone floor cracked under the force of its blow. Meanwhile, Rebecca unleashed an Execution Spark; a crimson light struck the Knight's chest, but its armor absorbed the flame, leaving only a small cloud of smoke.
"This won't work!" Rebecca shouted. "Its armor is fire-resistant!"
"Buy us time!" I said, panting. "We need to wait for Tullan's rotation!"
The high vampire watched the chaos like a theater performance.
"How pathetic," he said, his voice a mocking song. "You humans, so fragile… and so stubborn." He raised his hand again, and the portal cracked open once more. This time, two more Blood Knights emerged, each more terrifying than the last.
"Leonardo…" Rebecca said, her voice trembling. "This… this is too much."
Without taking my eyes off the vampire, I gripped my sword tighter. My passive ability, Infinite Collapse, allowed me to see into the vampire's inner world. His arrogance, his godlike self-perception, but also… something else. A fear. Small, almost imperceptible. I couldn't discern its source, but it sparked a glimmer of hope within me.
"Reb," I said, lowering my voice. "He's afraid. Of something. We can use this."
Rebecca's eyes gleamed. "How?"
I tightened my grip on my sword's hilt and took a step forward. The stone ground of the square trembled under the Blood Knights' heavy steps. The dark aura they dragged behind them made the air suffocating, each breath a struggle.
The high vampire still stood by the fountain, as if seated on a throne of shadows, his scornful smirk defying the blood-and-scream-filled atmosphere of the square.
I leaned slightly toward Rebecca. "We can't defeat him directly… but we can trigger his fear. It'll force him to make a mistake."
Rebecca gripped her staff. "What could he possibly fear?"
"I don't know," I said through clenched teeth. "But if he's hiding such a sharp fear beneath all that arrogance… it's something from his past. Tied to his blood, his existence."
Rebecca narrowed her eyes at the Blood Knights. "I don't know, Leo. But first, we need to find a way to deal with these overpowered knights."
The Blood Knights moved in unison. The deep metallic hum of their armor filled the square like a war drum. All three were focused on me. A deliberate move by the vampire, no doubt. But it was a mistake. Rebecca was stronger than I, and leaving her unchecked would only let her unleash her power freely.
The first strike came from the knight on the left. I dodged to the side, the whistle of its sword slicing through the air burning my ears. The second followed immediately; I blocked with my sword, using it as a shield, but my wrists shook with pain. Yet, from these attacks, I realized the knights' greatest weakness: their cumbersome structure. And their left shoulders.
As I parried the second strike, I stepped back slightly, eyeing the joints in their armor. The gap beneath the shoulder plate, the space between the knee joints, the sides of the helmet's ear guards… All were weak points that a swift sword strike could shatter. Three weak points. Defeating these knights wouldn't be so hard after all.
But when I saw a sword strike hurtling toward my stomach, I regretted my words. I blocked the blow with my sword at the last moment, but I realized too late that I couldn't withstand the sheer force. The last thing I saw before crashing into a wall was Rebecca's shocked expression and the soulless, grinning faces of the Blood Knights.