Nova stared sharply toward a certain point in the dark forest.
Beneath the ground surface, about five meters from where Nova stood, a vampire was hiding in a hole he had made himself.
*Huh? Does that kid know I'm here? No, that's impossible, right?* the vampire thought, slightly panicking. *He doesn't have X-ray vision to see underground, right? So I think I'm safe for now. That must have just been a coincidence.*
But the vampire's initial suspicion turned out to be correct. Nova had indeed sensed his presence from the beginning. With agile movements, Nova jumped down from a ten-meter-high tree trunk without any difficulty at all, then ran quickly toward the location where the vampire was hiding.
*Impossible! How can this little kid know my position?* The vampire was now very panicked. *Is he some kind of wild beast with sharp hunter instincts?*
CRACK!
The ground above the vampire's head suddenly shattered into pieces due to Nova's right foot kick. His physical strength was so extraordinary that he could easily break hard ground, creating a small crater two meters deep.
The vampire reflexively jumped out of his lair before being buried under the falling earth. He landed ungracefully.
*Damn brat! How can he have such strong physical power? He's still too small! Judging from his body posture, he must be around 12 years old. If he's already this strong now, what will happen when he grows up?*
The vampire tried to find a way to defeat Nova, but he had very little time to think. Nova was already moving toward him again.
"DAMN INSOLENT BRAT!" the vampire screamed.
"There's no way I'll let myself be humiliated by a little kid like you! Alright, this time I'll use my true full power!"
Suddenly, the entire surrounding nature began to shake violently. Nova stopped running and looked around. The night sky that was previously dark turned blood red.
And the trees in the forest - from the small ones to those with diameters of tens of meters - transformed into giant creatures with bodies like reddish-black clay, their bodies towering high, reaching dozens of meters.
"DIE, YOU DAMN BRAT!" the vampire screamed with a voice that echoed throughout the forest.
Dozens of giant creatures immediately ran toward Nova. Their large footsteps made the ground shake like an earthquake. The thundering sound of the giants' feet sounded like non-stop thunder.
Nova jumped high into the air to avoid the first attack, but because the creatures' bodies were also very tall, one of them managed to catch Nova's leg with its giant hand.
THUD!
Nova was slammed to the ground with tremendous force, creating a small crater where he landed. But with quick reflexes, Nova immediately got back up.
When Nova stood, he was already surrounded by dozens of giant blood creatures. They stood surrounding him like a wall.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"THIS IS THE END OF YOUR LIFE, BRAT! DIE NOW!"
The vampire prepared to explode all the blood creatures surrounding Nova.
But suddenly...
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
One by one, the blood creatures near Nova were cut by something. Their severed body parts immediately turned into black dust and disappeared into the air.
"WHAT NOW?!" the vampire screamed.
The creatures surrounding Nova were cut one by one in the same way. Within seconds, only a few blood creatures remained. And finally, whatever had cut all those creatures appeared in front of Nova.
It turned out to be a black sword!
The sword emerged from within Nova's own body, coming out as if growing from his chest. Strangely, Nova didn't even feel pain or know that the sword originated from his own body. After staring at it in confusion for a few seconds, Nova grasped the sword with his right hand.
The black sword looked ordinary, with no aura or anything special.
"WHAT IS THAT? A SWORD? WHERE DID IT COME FROM? AND YOU ALL, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? QUICKLY ATTACK THAT CHILD!!!" the vampire screamed again.
The remaining blood creatures immediately attacked Nova, but now the situation was completely different. Nova swung his black sword with smooth movements.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
One by one, the blood creatures were cut easily, like cutting paper with a sharp knife. Nova's black sword could cut through their giant bodies without any resistance at all. In less than a minute, all the blood creatures had been destroyed.
After finishing with those creatures, Nova immediately ran quickly toward the vampire who was standing somewhat far from him.
"WHAT?!"
When the vampire tried to dodge Nova's sword attack, his right hand was cleanly severed. Thick black blood flowed profusely from his severed wound.
"DAMN INSOLENT BRAT! TAKE THIS!"
The vampire tried to counterattack by forming a giant blood spear in his left hand. But before his attack could be launched...
SLASH!
His left hand was also cut off by Nova.
"DAMN BRAT!" the vampire fell to the ground with both his hands already gone.
*Wait... what's happening to me?* the vampire thought in panic. *Why aren't both my hands growing back like usual? I should be able to regenerate within seconds!*
Nova now stood in front of him with eyes that stared sharp and cold.
*Impossible... what's preventing my regeneration ability from working?* The vampire kept thinking in panic. And suddenly, a realization emerged in his head.
*That sword! Don't tell me that sword is what's preventing me from regenerating my body! Where did this kid get such a weapon? Where?*
"No, I can't accept this, no... Absolutely not, there's no way I can lose to a mere child, I'm a vampire, a Vampire, I absolutely cannot accept this, speak now brat, how long will you just stay silent, HUH!!!"
Nova only looked with eyes that seemed indifferent to what the vampire was saying.
Nova raised his sword high, preparing to deliver the final attack that would end the vampire's life.
"HAHAHAHA! So that's it, you really won't speak at all?" the vampire suddenly laughed loudly despite being in a dying state.
"DON'T THINK YOU'VE WON! IF I DIE, YOU HAVE TO DIE TOO!"
Suddenly the vampire's body glowed, then—
BOOOOOM!
The vampire exploded his entire body in a devastating blast. The explosion was so massive that it created shock waves that spread throughout the forest. Blinding red light illuminated the entire area, and the sound of the explosion could be heard within a radius of several kilometers.
Nova's face showed a surprised expression. The explosion was so powerful that it sent Nova flying far backward and left him lying unconscious. His body was full of burns and cuts from flying debris.
Just because Nova couldn't feel pain didn't mean he couldn't lose consciousness like now.
After the explosion subsided, the vampire's created realm began to crumble like shattered glass. The red sky returned to black, and Nova returned to the real world - at the original location where he was first brought into the vampire's realm.
Nova lay on the road in a severely injured state with blood flowing from various wounds on his body, and the black sword he had used had somehow disappeared.