The instant Oban and the other vampires crossed the threshold of Mage City, the silence shattered.
A sharp ring echoed through the streets. Not the ordinary toll of a bell, but a layered, spell-forged sound. It carried weight, like glass shattering across the air, every note vibrating with mana. The alarm spell had been triggered.
From the corners of the stone avenues, sigils lit up in pale blue. Runes etched into the cobblestones pulsed like veins, carrying the signal throughout the city.
Torches flared. Doors burst open. Robed figures surged out of narrow alleys and towers, each gripping a staff, sword, or book infused with glowing charms. The mages had been waiting.
Oban slowed his steps, scanning the place with narrowed eyes. It didn't feel like a true city. The houses were sparse, too few signs of ordinary life. No families, no children. Only soldiers in robes. A decoy city, he realized. A front line. A trap.
Before he could think further, the air shifted—sharp, freezing.
A wave of frost rolled over the rooftops, spilling like a tide. From the heart of the main street, ice cracked upward, forming a jagged path. At the end of that path stood a man in white robes, trimmed with blue symbols that glowed faintly. His staff was carved from crystal, glistening with cold mist. His hair, silver-gray, shimmered under the moonless sky.
Yuji.
His lips curved in a calm, knowing smile. He didn't speak to his army first, nor to the elders, but directly to them—directly to Allisa.
"So… the vampires finally arrive," he said, voice like frost sliding across glass. He raised his hand, and jagged ice flowed outward, shaping into spears that hovered in the air, waiting for his command.
The vampires hissed in unison, some stepping forward with their claws bared. But before any charge, the battlefield erupted.
A volley of spells soared across the city square. Fireballs spiraled like meteors, lightning cracked the ground, and beams of searing light rained down. The vampires met them head-on. One split into a cloud of bats, another bent the air with a scream so sharp it warped the spell trajectories.
The war had begun.
Oban ducked as a beam of raw energy streaked past his head. A mage in the corner hurled a glyph-carved blade, but another vampire intercepted with claws, splintering the steel.
"Forward!" someone shouted from their side.
Oban tightened his grip on his weapon, but his gaze fixed on Yuji and Allisa.
Allisa stood at the front, her long dark cloak swaying in the chill wind. She raised her chin with pride, eyes glowing faintly red. Yuji's gaze locked onto hers, and he gave a soft laugh.
"So here is the leader," he said. His staff tapped against the frozen ground. "I expected more."
Allisa's voice was sharp, her presence unshaken. "I will tear down your arrogance with your own blood, Yuji."
Yuji smirked. Then his tone shifted, laced with cruelty. "Why don't you begin by betraying yourself?"
He slammed his staff into the earth.
The ground cracked open, and from beneath rose dozens of figures made of ice. Soldiers sculpted in Yuji's image—warriors of frost with blades like glass. They encircled Allisa in an unbroken ring, the air around them freezing with each breath.
Yuji raised his arms wide, his laugh echoing. "Let's see how you defend yourself, 'leader'."
Allisa's eyes narrowed. She stepped forward, her aura flaring like a crimson storm. Her will surged outward, a ripple of mental force crashing against Yuji. "Bow before me, mortal."
For a moment, the air trembled. The icy soldiers stilled. Even the battlefield around them seemed to hesitate. Oban's breath caught—he'd felt this power before. Allisa's mind manipulation could bend even strong-willed vampires to her command.
But Yuji didn't falter. His smile only widened.
"Oh, naïve fool." His hand pressed against his chest, where faint blue glyphs glowed beneath his robes. "You cannot touch me. I have already placed a spell upon my own soul. Your tricks mean nothing."
Allisa's eyes flickered with surprise. She didn't show it to him, but Oban saw it. Inwardly, she thought: So he knew. He prepared for me specifically.
Yuji's ice soldiers closed in, their jagged blades raised.
Meanwhile, the battle raged at Oban's side. A mage raised his staff, gathering light into a concentrated beam, aiming for a vampire at the flank. With a chant, the mage released it—pure, focused energy.
But the vampire twisted, unleashing a scream of sound so sharp it tore through the spell's concentration. The beam shattered midair into fragments, dispersing harmlessly.
Oban tightened his grip, his pulse rising. The fight pressed in on every side.
And then—
[Ding!]
His vision shimmered. The translucent pane of light formed before his eyes, crisp and cold in the chaos.
[System Update][Combat Zone Detected: Mage City][Analyzing Host Condition…]
Lines of text cascaded before him.
[Strength: 1120 → 1300][Speed: 980 → 1100][Durability: 1000 → 1150][Vampiric Blade: Tier II → Tier III][Special Trait: Blood Surge unlocked]
Oban's lips curled in a small smile. So it upgraded before the battle even began.
The Vampiric Blade in his hand pulsed with dark light, its edge sharper, darker, hungrier than ever before. He felt its weight settle into his palm like it belonged there.
He looked up, locking eyes with a mage who had noticed the glow. The man raised his staff, summoning a spiral of fire.
Oban stepped forward once, then vanished into motion. His speed ripped the air apart as he closed the gap. The blade slashed once, clean, precise.
The mage didn't even scream—just crumpled, his staff clattering on the stone.
Oban glanced at the corpse, then at the blade, its glow pulsing stronger. A smirk tugged at his lips. "Seems like it really did upgrade."
The battlefield roared around him—mages chanting, vampires striking, ice soldiers marching, and Yuji's laughter ringing above it all.