Volume 10 Chapter 69 Death Struggle with the Vampire
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Well now. ‘Chosen Ones,’ is it?”
The man’s mouth twisted into a dark grin.
He turned only his head, catching Klock in a cold, piercing gaze.
(What is with this guy? He won’t even face me. Is he that focused on Flavia?)
The woman beside him turned fully toward Klock.
He had hoped for a showdown with the Count himself, but it seemed the man wasn’t interested in playing fair with the matchups.
She looked to be in her late twenties or thirties, a noblewoman wearing a look of sheer, predatory arrogance.
(Flavia, you okay?)
(My Lord, I apologize. Taking care of these pests is taking longer than expected. I can’t break through their ability; nothing is going according to plan.)
Flavia was positioned on the far side of the Count.
Even at this distance, Klock’s telepathy hit its mark.
(What do you mean, ‘not going well’?)
(I don’t know how else to describe it… even though he’s right in front of me, I can’t reach him. None of my attacks connect.)
”Can’t reach.” Klock was still processing that when the blood at his feet began to churn.
”──!?”
It was a literal sea of blood, likely harvested from the town’s residents.
Now, that gore began to lift into the air, defying gravity.
”Little boy,” the woman said. “Do you have business with the Count? I think I’ll have some fun with you first.”
The blood surged into the sky in a single breath, leaping upward like a crimson cloud.
(Is this──!?) The blood began to harden, shaping itself into rods.
Spears. Sharp-tipped lances of concentrated gore.
Then, the blood-spears began to rain down like a storm.
(A blood-manipulation ability?! In an environment like this, she’s the worst possible match-up!!) Klock realized.
She was shaping the liquid into weapons, but they weren’t just simple projectiles.
If she could maintain their form as armaments, they were undoubtedly imbued with a Lethal Ability.
Klock swung his Cianie Knife.
Slice. Crack. Splash.
He shattered one spear before it dropped, another as it began its descent, and a third just as the blade lunged for his throat.
His slashes reduced the weapons back into harmless splatters.
His pinpoint interceptions were the only thing keeping him in the game, dodging by the narrowest of margins.
The woman was clearly the one using blood as a weapon.
That meant the reason Flavia’s attacks weren’t connecting was something else entirely.
Count Vernier was the one holding some kind of defensive ability.
The blood spears drove into the cobblestones one after another.
She lacked precision; she was just spraying and praying, hoping the sheer volume of the rain would catch him.
But it was working.
The battlefield was overflowing with her ammunition.
Klock knew he had to kill her before he ran out of room to move.
”──Dammit, what the hell is going on?” Klock muttered.
He broke into a sprint, trying to close the gap, but the anomaly hit him instantly.
His position wasn’t changing.
He was running, he could feel his muscles pumping and the wind on his face, yet the distance between him and the Count remained exactly the same.
(I can’t get close! I’m running, but I’m not gaining an inch. …Is it distance? Count Vernier is warping the space between us!!)
”Julie,” said the Count. “Did you see that?”
”Yes,” Julie replied. “It looks like he fires off invisible slashes. How terrifying. But it looks like his luck ran out today.”
”Hmph…”
Klock ground his teeth at their casual confidence.
As he’d feared, his skill had been exposed the moment he used it.
Now all three of them had their cards on the table.
(It seems your hand is a total bust against theirs,) Lizamis’s voice echoed in his head. (Even from a Great Sage’s perspective, this looks bleak. Flavia is stalled because of the Count. His ability is a straightforward powerhouse skill.)
(Yeah, I can see that,) Klock snapped back mentally. (However, you do have a contract with that High Succubus, don’t you? Perhaps it is time to beg for her aid?)
(Not a chance. That girl always demands a price.)
Klock knew that if Kispe descended, the fight would be over in a heartbeat.
One look from her Cursed Eye and it would be curtains for the vampires.
But that was only if she felt like helping.
”Please work for free.” Who in their right mind would say that to someone like her? If he was going to ask Kispe for anything, he had to exhaust every other option first.
If he crawled to her now, she’d grow bored and dump him before sunrise.
With a woman like Kispe, the moment you lost your edge, she was gone.
(He makes it so attacks can’t reach. It’s got to be defensive spatial expansion. Now what? This is a nightmare match-up. If I can’t break through, I’ll just be picked apart by that woman’s blood… wait.) Klock watched Julie’s movements.
The spears falling from the sky.
The blood rising from the ground.
(Was her ability affected by the spatial warp? Or was she moving like that because she was inside his range?)
He scanned the street.
The blood that had been spears was scattered everywhere, but it wasn’t spreading naturally.
It was dripping in a perfect circle, intentionally avoiding the space immediately surrounding the Count and Julie.
(There’s the limit. It’s obvious now. The space around them is warped.)
Julie raised her arm again, whipping the blood on the ground into fresh spears.
They formed right in front of Klock—just outside the “border” where his movement had stopped.
Any blood further in than that remained completely still.
(That’s the range. A ten-meter radius around Count Vernier. It’s like a wall. A pocket of space where ten meters is stretched into infinity.)
The spears leveled at Klock.
This time they were short-spears, six of them.
They tracked his movement, but Klock unleashed a flurry of slashes before they could fire.
The spears burst into red mist.
The resulting spray hit the “boundary” ten meters away from the Count and vanished, unable to travel further.
”This is a joke,” Klock spat. “Are you bastards for real?”
”Fufu,” Julie said. “You’re welcome to surrender, you know? I might even let you live.”
Count Vernier also let out a wicked laugh.
Klock had already learned that a Vampire’s “mercy” usually ended with a pair of fangs in the neck.
It was win or die.
(They’re untouchable. I don’t know how much he’s stretched the space, but they’re definitely further away than my knife can reach, even if they look like they’re right there. I don’t have a single move that breaks this.)
Klock paused.
(Wait. Something’s off. Why hasn’t the Count moved a single inch?) Klock had assumed he was just being cautious of Flavia, but the Count’s ability already made him a god.
So why only turn his head? (Could it be… he can’t move?)
If the Count’s ability was a “self-centered” aura, then the spatial expansion had to affect the Count himself.
To take a single step, he would have to exert the effort of traveling through that stretched, infinite space.
He wasn’t standing still out of arrogance—he was pinned by his own power.
(Flavia, get out of there!) Klock commanded.
(Retreat? You mean we’re running?)
(No, do exactly what I say. This isn’t running—it’s the setup.)
(Understood.)
A blood spear plunged into the ground.
While Klock was calculating, Julie launched her next attack.
The spears began to swell and bubble.
”Oh, hell.”
The spears detonated. Shards of blood turned into micro-knives, shredding the street.
They punched through stone walls, collapsing the nearby buildings.
(Nng!?)
As the dust billowed up, the humans were gone.
”Come now, little boy. Don’t hide,” Julie said.
Had he been crushed? Or had he taken a direct hit? Julie called out to the silence, assuming the “Chosen One” was still alive.
With blood covering the entire street, it was impossible to tell if any of it was his.
”Wait, Julie,” said the Count.
”They’re fleeing.” He turned his gaze toward Flavia.
She was sprinting away, her back turned to them.
”That’s the flaw in your ability, isn’t it?” Julie sighed. “When you’re this invincible, they just give up.”
”Hmm. You have a point,” the Count replied.
If there’s a sliver of hope, people fight.
If there’s zero, they run. It was a logical withdrawal.
”What now? Pursue them?”
”The boy is gone. Might have teleported,” the Count said. “We’ll hunt the woman we can see.”
”Roger that.”
They didn’t want to hunt a ghost.
They took the visible target and soared into the air.
But the moment Count Vernier began to move, intent on chasing Flavia…
”Wh-at…!?”
A spray of blood erupted from the Count’s neck.
”Hey, hey,” Klock said. “Your skill’s already been exposed. If you drop it that carelessly, you’re a dead man.”
The Count’s throat was sliced halfway through—a clean, deep cut.
Blood soaked into his fine collar as he desperately clutched his neck.
(While your skill is active, you’re too heavy to move. Which means… the moment you have to move, you have to drop it. That ‘invincible’ barrier is a trap for the user, too. We just had to make you think we were gone. If the enemy runs, you aren’t going to stand there like a statue forever, are you?)
”Gubuh… Where?! Klock Livorno… how did you do this!! Where are you!?”
”You’ve got some nerve…!” Julie cried, scanning the ruins.
The Count was facing the wrong way, his back completely exposed.
He hadn’t reactivated his skill yet. He was wide open.
(Sorry, but you’re never going to find me. You’re too busy looking for a person to notice a bloodstain on the ground crawling through the rubble. All this blood you spilled? It’s the perfect cloak.)
”Damn, I’ve lost sight of the forest woman.”
”I wonder if she’s called for reinforcements. We should retreat for now.”
Klock left the two, who had gone on high alert, behind. He hadn’t made any moves, to the point where it seemed he had already fled.
At the same time, Barnea forced himself up.
He had apparently healed his wounds in that brief window of time, as the bleeding had already stopped.
”…Did he run?”
”I don’t sense a presence or any magic power,” Julie replied. “Come to think of it, I haven’t felt a thing from the start. He must be carrying a Black Mana Stone.”
”That damn Fishkin, spreading his junk around,” Barnea spat. “Regardless, we’re pulling out. I’ll leave the hunt to Viola and the others.”
”That’s a tall order,” a voice cut through the air. “Since you’re already in my sights.”
”Ngh—?!”
A spray of blood erupted right next to Barnea.
Julie collapsed with a heavy thud.
By the time Barnea realized what was happening and spun around, a massive amount of blood was already gushing from Julie’s throat.
It was a wound far deeper than Barnea’s own.
Because it had been a slash delivered from point-blank range, her neck was nearly severed, hanging by a thread of skin.
Klock vaulted onto the roof.
Hearing the sound, Count Barnea turned around.
Klock stood his ground, facing him head-on.
”I’ve got you now, Count,” Klock said.
Klock leveled his black blade.
It thrummed, making a rhythmic, grinding sound as it pulsed.
The blade transmitted a wave of murderous intent, almost as if it were expressing its own will.
”Go on, try it,” Klock challenged. “Try to block my attack with that skill of yours.”
”You…!” said Barnea.
(Generally, a person only gets one Unique Skill. Anything else is a freak occurrence. I don’t need to worry about anyone who isn’t an Apostle. In that case, if he’s maintaining a distance-distorting barrier, he shouldn’t have any other abilities. With Julie down, Barnea’s only way to beat me is magic or items.)
”Even if you block my attack with your ability, you can’t hit me back,” Klock pointed out. “If your attacker falls, you’re helpless. Your own ability keeps your own attacks from reaching me.”
In other words, the moment he moves to attack, the barrier has to drop.
Count Barnea would have to fight completely defenseless.
If he chose to stay and fight, it would be a contest of who could land the first blow.
Klock knew he was faster.
The slashes from the Cianie Knife could be fired without even swinging the blade.
”How impudent,” the Count sneered. “You really think that’s enough to take me down? You clearly know nothing of the true nobility of the Moon Court.”
”…Huh?”
”My Lord!!”
A spear grazed his side.
It was a magic spear thrown by Flavia, and it slammed into the roof tiles.
Flavia landed beside Klock an instant later.
In that moment, the presence that had been pinned down by the spear suddenly shifted and retreated.
”Ooh, so close! I almost had you,” a voice teased.
”——You,” Klock growled.
She spun around, her momentum carrying her high into the air.
Stopping abruptly in the sky, she sneered, baring her jagged teeth.
Her long blonde hair and red dress fluttered against the night sky.
”You’re late, Viola,” Barnea barked.
”Yo! My bad, my bad,” Viola chirped. “I was a bit far away.”
(Viola…?! Had he called her that long ago? She got here way too fast.)
Viola touched down on the roof of the opposite building.
A moment later, several dark shadows arrived one after another.
Rodney, Mermy, Linaria, and Rugandia… the entire Vampire Maid Corps was here.
Just as Linaria had said, everyone had been summoned.
A group of women who looked like they had no business on a battlefield spread their imposing wings and descended.
He was too late.
”Viola. Capture this man,” Barnea ordered. “Beat him within an inch of his life first. Do not let him escape.”
”You got it~” Viola sang.
”——Wait!!” Klock yelled.
Barnea tried to leave, handing the situation over to Viola.
Klock tried to give chase, but Viola instantly blurred into motion, appearing right in front of him.
Flavia leveled her spear to face the Vampire Princess.
Seeing this, Count Barnea flashed a smirk.
Cradling Julie in his arms, he sank into the shattered window glass like it was a pool of water and vanished.
”Aww, too bad for you!” Viola teased.
”Dammit…!!”
He got away.
His target was gone, and the mission was a failure.
The Vampire Maid Corps watched him, each wearing a different expression.
He was surrounded.
He had failed to take down the target, and now he was trapped by the enemy.
This was the biggest disaster possible.
The maids landed around him.
Rodney looked composed, while Mermy had a deep scowl.
Rugandia looked on with an unreadable expression, appearing somewhat awkward.
”We were looking everywhere for you!” Viola giggled. “I seriously didn’t think you’d go after that guy. Even Vio-Vio is totally shook!”
”But I guess this is it,” Viola continued, cracking her neck. “You can’t run anymore.”
Beside her, Rugandia stood with her hands on her hips, looking down at him.
(Is she disappointed? After seeing him fail to finish off the Count, did she decide he wasn’t worth the alliance?)
Avoiding a fight would be a miracle.
He couldn’t expect them to go easy on him.
Even the usually cheerful Linaria was pouting.
”My Lord,” Flavia whispered, taking a stance with her spear.
It was a magic spear with a strange, complex design.
It definitely wasn’t a normal weapon.
He’d heard she could go toe-to-toe with Viola, and he was counting on that.
But with the whole maid corps here, the odds were ugly.
Viola was Apostle-level strong, and even the dhampirs like Rugandia were monsters in their own right.
”…What are your orders?” Flavia asked softly.
”It is what it is,” Klock said, raising his voice on purpose. “We’re just gonna have to thrash Viola and take her prisoner. It’ll be faster.”
”Heeh? Me? A prisoner?” Viola blinked. “How exactly do you plan on doing that?”
She looked at him as if he were a joke.
She bared her teeth in a playful smile, her red dress fluttering as she looked down at him from her perch.
”How? Simple. We’re fighting you with everything we’ve got.”
(All of us. With everything.)
Viola’s brow furrowed for a split second.
Before she could even turn her head, she dropped into a low crouch.
A bolt of lightning tore through the air where she had just been.
Viola backflipped to gain distance, and the maid corps hurriedly backed away.
A new figure landed silently, without a sound.
”Wind Style: Cat Punch!!”
”Meina!!”
The cat girl’s strike exploded.
The hem of Viola’s red dress was shredded as she was sent flying, despite trying to keep her distance.
She caught herself in mid-air, but blood began to ooze and drip from her slender arm.
Meina had dug her claws in deep.
”Serratura dell’Acqua!”
”Ow?!”
”Gah—?!”
Suddenly, Mermy was bound by shimmering cords.
It wasn’t rope—it was water.
The water had formed into whips to restrain her.
Beside her, Linaria was sent tumbling across the roof.
When she stood up, she was bleeding from a fresh gash on her arm.
”Looks like we made it in time,” a voice said.
”Primlena! You guys are lifesavers,” Klock said.
”A fresh kitty-cat… you’ve got a diverse crew as always,” Viola noted, floating back down.
Her eyes locked onto the merfolk girl.
”Fshaaa!!” Meina hissed, baring her teeth.
She was more wary of Viola than anyone else.
”Omg, so cuuuute!! A real cat beastkin!”
The scream of delight was totally out of place on a battlefield.
Linaria was reacting like she’d found a stray kitten in an alley.
”Min-Min! I thought so before, but you are seriously too precious! ♡”
Even though she had just been hit by a Cat Punch, Viola was swaying her hips with hearts in her eyes.
”A cat beastkin… it’s my first time seeing one. How adorable,” Rodney the vampire sister added, her eyes blinking in surprise.
”Whoa, a cat beastkin. Seriously cute. So that’s what it looks like when you put ears and a tail on a human…” Mermy, the delinquent-looking vampire, seemed genuinely impressed. “Hey, hey! How old are you? Where do you live? Can you use Telepathy?”
”Nya?! Fshhh!!”
Meina was overwhelmed. She was too popular.
The gal vampires were basically hitting on her in the middle of a fight.
It seemed cats were the most beloved creatures in any world.
The Golden Cat flinched, looking at Klock with a pleading expression.
Klock pretended not to notice.
”I can’t believe she even does the ‘fshhh’ thing. So cute! ♡”
”I guess beastkins really do have animal instincts… wait, does that mean Vio-Vio and the girls are actually hated…?”
”Well, yeah,” Klock pointed out. “You are attacking her.”
”You lot… we’re supposed to be fighting, remember? Any motivation at all?” Rugandia snapped, scolding her comrades who were obsessed with Meina.
The atmosphere was completely broken.
Klock scratched his cheek, feeling just as awkward as the rest of them.
Actually, maybe this was for the best.
Time to settle things once and for all.
”Viola. Can we talk? For real this time?” Klock called out.
The rooftop went dead silent.
”Talk about what? We’re about to kill each other, aren’t we?”
”Do you really have no choice but to stay with them?” Klock asked. “We don’t have to fight. You’ve been suffering under the Moon Court all this time, right? If it’s us, we can take those nobles down. You’ve seen what a Hero can do. You know the difference in power between a Vampire and a Hero. You guys were human once. Come back to our side. You don’t owe the vampire nobility a thing.”
Klock laid it all out.
Viola went silent, her expression turning serious.
The surrounding maid corps closed their mouths, watching us intently.
It seemed they were willing to listen.
”I see. Well, I get what you’re saying,” Viola said eventually. “I don’t have any loyalty to those guys, and I guess I could join you. Not having to see their faces would be a plus.”
”Then—”
”But like, if Vio-Vio just jumps ship because it’s convenient, could you even trust me?”
”…Trust?”
Viola drifted over to the roof where I stood.
Once she was at the same level, she spun around.
”The Moon Court nobles are trash. Vio-Vio shouldn’t serve them, so I should join you. That’s what you’re saying, right? And you’re right. They are garbage. I’ve wanted to kill them myself plenty of times. But even so, isn’t it messed up for me to just switch sides? We’re supposed to be comrades. Do you really want to welcome a traitor into your ranks? Wouldn’t that be gross for your side, too?”
Klock narrowed his eyes.
She was talking about the stigma—the shame of betraying her own kind.
”I know your circumstances,” Klock said. “It’s not like that—”
”That’s just you talking,” Viola cut Klock off.
”What about Kis-Kis? Kis-Kis surrendered and is with you now, right? How would Kis-Kis feel about Vio-Vio betraying the group?”
”How would… Kispe feel…?”
”The KisKis that VioVio knows isn’t that kind,” Viola said. “See, KisKis only stayed friends with me because I worked my ass off without a word of complaint, even when I was dealing with those total scumbags. If I chose to switch sides just because I wanted the easy life, KisKis would be disgusted with me.”
”…!!”
(Heh.)
For a second, it felt like Klock heard a faint, lovely laugh.
”Besides, even the Hero is the same way,” she continued. “That side is the real nightmare. I’ve already been slaughtered by the Hero once, you know. To be honest, I know I’ve earned some serious grudges. If I’m targeted, that’s just how it goes, right?”
”I’ll be the one to talk her around,” Klock replied.
”As if I’d ever trust that. If I just waltzed over to your side and it turned out to be a setup to frame us, I’d never live it down. There’s zero guarantee RugRug and the others wouldn’t end up suffering even more than they are now. And for all I know, I have no clue what KisKis’s actual situation is over there. If that’s the deal, VioVio chooses to go down swinging.”
Viola pointed a finger sharply at him.
”So, here’s the bottom line: If you want me as an ally, you better beat us first and settle things with the Moon Court. Do that, and maybe I’ll consider it.”
She made her declaration loud and clear.
It didn’t matter who was pulling the strings on their end.
She was going to stick to her guns, no matter what.
Man, she really laid it out there. She’s definitely got a mouth on her.
(It was a long shot anyway. I can’t blame her for turning me down. But damn, it’s a shame. If things had just been a little different, I bet she really would have joined us.)
”Fine, I get it,” Klock said.
”Oh? You’re actually being reasonable?” Viola teased.
”Actually, I’ve gained a bit of respect for you. I thought you were just someone who mouthed off all the time, but you’re actually a good person who looks out for your own.”
”Obviously! Well, you aren’t just some washed-up guy either. You forgave KisKis, right? And you let RugRug slide, too. If we’d met under different circumstances, maybe we could’ve been on the same side.”
She was right. The timing was just off.
To get her to flip, he would have had to give her a reason big enough to justify it—something Viola could actually get behind.
Just like he had with Kispe.
”Primlena, Meina, Flavia,” Klock commanded. “Rough them up. But try not to kill them.”
Battle was inevitable.
”Look at you acting all tough. You’re such a show-off,” Viola barked. “I’m telling you, your soldiers are in a world of hurt. The Nobility are sending in reinforcements this time, and they’re gonna keep coming in waves. You won’t beat us, and even if you just waste time struggling with us, your whole unit is gonna get wiped out!”
”…!”
The news that more soldiers were on the way was impossible to ignore.
A small group was one thing, but if they were outnumbered, they’d lose for sure.
No matter how strong Ada and the others were, they wouldn’t last forever.
(No, there’s one way. It’s a double-edged sword, but I’ve got to pull the trigger on it.)
”RugRug. Rodney, Mermy. Linacchi,” Viola shouted, a wide grin spreading across her face.
”Beat the hell out of them! But, you know… try to keep them alive.”
Mocking Klock’s own words with a competitive smirk, she signaled the start of the carnage.
* * *
”These bastards… they just keep coming!”
Vampires swarmed the sky, met by the blades of the Brigante Troop .
An hour had passed since the fighting began.
While they’d managed a decent stalemate after the initial surprise attack, the momentum was starting to look grim.
”Ada!”
”Fit! What’s the word?” Ada shouted back.
”The casualties are mounting. We’re losing our grip on the field!”
Ada had been fighting at the northern wall after scouring the streets for any able-bodied men.
Between directing Fit and Suzette, she had been single-handedly tearing through the vampire ranks.
”Lady Ada,” Suzette called out.
”Suzette! What’s it look like on your end?”
”The enemy numbers aren’t dropping. It looks like they’re getting reinforcements. There are reports of them crawling out of glass and mirrors all over the city.”
”The Eye of the Moon is gone… and you’re telling me they’re just stepping out of reflections?”
”They’re residents of the Mirror World, My Lady. Anything with a strong enough reflection acts as a doorway for them.”
Ada didn’t need a report to tell her they were in trouble.
The sheer volume of the enemy was enough.
Knowing it was an endless stream of reinforcements made her face twist in frustration.
”We’re being bled dry. If we don’t find a way to break this, we’re done for.”
”Even if you say that, our hands are tied! We’re deep in enemy territory. No one is coming to save us. Hell, we’re supposed to be the ones rescuing Orrid! All we can do is hold the line!”
Above them, several vampires suddenly dived, tackling a soldier to the ground.
They tore through his throat instantly, and the man collapsed in a spray of blood.
Before the vampire could even stand back up, its body was cleaved in two.
Ada’s halberd had delivered a heavy dose of retribution.
Seeing the sheer force of the strike, the surrounding vampires retreated into the air.
”Dammit, this is bad! We’re losing people by the second. When is that idiot finally coming back?”
They weren’t just being bled dry—they were being overrun.
Ada continued to smash through the enemy, and Fit, long since out of arrows, was knocking vampires out of the sky with nothing but concentrated blasts of magic wind.
The elite members of the troop were holding their own, but across the entire battlefield, the scales were tipping toward a total loss.
War has a way of collapsing once the balance shifts past a certain point.
Fatigue hits a peak, fear turns into a contagion, and people stop holding the line.
Ada had seen enough losing battles to feel the weight of this one in her bones.
The black-winged shadows now outnumbered the soldiers significantly compared to the start of the fight.
The ranks on the wall were visibly thinning.
It was time to start thinking about a retreat.
”Suzette!”
”Yes!”
”What were the orders if we actually lost this thing?”
”…T-that is…!”
Until today, the Brigante had always maneuvered perfectly to avoid casualties.
They’d lived through a string of glorious, bloodless victories.
But now, the field was littered with corpses.
The damage was the worst they’d ever taken, and the soldiers’ morale was gut-shot.
Just a glance revealed hundreds of dead.
”This is the limit. We have to pull out.”
”But—!”
”Look around! If we stay, we’re all dead! We walked right into a trap, and we lost!” Ada screamed.
They never had a chance.
The enemy held the high ground, the strength, and the numbers.
A thousand soldiers with no anti-air preparation stood no chance against this.
”We’re withdrawing. I’m going to save as many as I can.”
Suzette couldn’t find the words to argue.
The defeat was absolute.
Fleeing was the only option left.
As she braced herself to follow Ada’s lead, her mind shifted from the mission to Klock.
She had to get him out.
But then, it happened.
(Everyone♡)
A sweet, lovely voice echoed directly into the minds of Ada, Suzette, and Fit.
(I’m stepping in for our busy Master to give you all a quick update!)
(An update?! What the hell?!)
(Is that—)
The three of them locked eyes.
Klock was sending instructions through telepathy.
This is it, Ada thought.
The order to retreat.
(He wants you all to find something sturdy to hold onto immediately. Sanrid is about to be scrubbed clean.)
(…Excuse me?)
The voice sounded almost playful, which didn’t match the gravity of the situation at all.
Ada’s brow furrowed in confusion.
(Scrubbed clean? Lady Kispe, what are you talking about—)
Before she could finish the thought, Suzette’s eyes caught something on the horizon.
She did a double-take, her entire body freezing as the reality of the image set in.
(A massive tsunami is coming in from the southern sea—an unprecedented scale. It’s going to wash away every vampire swarming Sanrid, so find some cover and hang on tight!)
It felt like a fever dream.
This wasn’t just a disaster; it was a sea-borne judgment.
They turned toward the south and stood paralyzed in terror.
It was impossible.
A wall of water large enough to blot out the world was bearing down on them.
A mountain of ocean was about to swallow Sanrid whole.
”You’ve got to be—”
The Brigante Troop had its share of monsters, but Ada had been disappointed by how this war turned out.
Deep down, she’d been hoping for some miraculous, overwhelming power to save them, and she’d felt like a fool for expecting it.
She realized then how wrong she’d been.
The people associated with the Hero weren’t just strong.
They were walking natural disasters.
”EVERYONE, RUN! GET INSIDE THE WALLS NOW! HIDE!”
—
Summary:
Klock and Flavia engage Count Vernier and Julie in a deadly showdown.
Klock realizes the Count’s distance-warping defense also renders him immobile.
By faking a retreat, Klock lures the Count into dropping his guard and delivers a devastating counter-attack from concealment.
Klock confronts Count Burnier but is interrupted by the elite Vampire Maid Corps led by Viola.
Just as Klock is surrounded, Meina and Primlena arrive to even the odds.
The battle turns into an awkward standoff when the vampires become obsessed with Meina’s cuteness, leading Klock to attempt a diplomatic recruitment of Viola.
Viola rejects Klock’s recruitment offer, leading to a clash between their groups.
Meanwhile, the Brigante Troop faces total annihilation at the northern wall against an endless vampire horde.
The situation shifts when a massive, magically induced tsunami threatens to swallow the entire city of Sanrid.
—
Trivia:
- The blood used by Julie is harvested from the townspeople, making the environment her largest weapon cache.
- Count Vernier’s ability is an ‘aura’ type, meaning it moves with him but essentially roots him in place due to the physics of expanded space.
- Klock’s Cianie Knife is durable enough to parry magical blood armaments.
- Kispe, the Great Succubus, is not a ‘free’ summon; her help requires a significant exchange/price.
- The spatial distortion boundary is a hard line ten meters away from the Count.
- Vampires can travel through any reflective surface, not just mirrors.
- The ‘Eye of the Moon’ being gone didn’t stop the vampire reinforcements.
- Viola has a history of being killed by the Hero, explaining her deep distrust.
- The tsunami is being directed specifically at Sanrid to wipe out the vampires.
—
Character Insight:
Klock shows extreme tactical discipline by refusing to call for Kispe’s help, knowing he must remain an ‘interesting’ partner to her rather than a dependent one. His use of the environment (the bloodstains) shows his growth in utilizing his enemies’ powers against them.
Viola’s loyalty to her comrades and her past trauma with the Hero define her refusal to defect. Ada struggles with the reality of military failure, transitioning from hope to the grim realization that her allies are literal forces of nature.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author uses the ‘invisible distance’ concept to represent the psychological gap between the nobility and the common ‘Chosen Ones.’
The author uses the ‘Land Tsunami’ as a pivot to demonstrate the overwhelming scale of power possessed by the Hero’s faction compared to standard military tropes.
Notes:
• Klock – Battle-worn Conro master and Chosen One, purple-eyed with a healed gut piercing and massive weapon-like penis, commands 2,600-strong Brigante Troop west of Conro; pragmatic heir of the Opener, wields Dominance-based Stellar Skill ‘Authority’ (World Conquest), aggressive and vengeful, street-hero fame, and a succubus harem; phases through stone, wields a Cianie Knife with razor-sharp analytical combat precision, recently betrayed, cornered by vampires in a church, knows Flavia and Suzette.
• Flavia – Younger sister of Avery (132), second daughter of Queen Isabella of the Forestier line. Slender, pale, refined features, pointed ears, servant’s mark, devoted to mother. Quiet yet resolute, she wields ancient Void magic to shape plant paths, guide travelers through Death Soldier Pass, sense Fairies, and protect the Fairy realm as Princess of the Forest People (森人/Moribito, Vaulder). Bound to Klock the Chain Binder, she embodies Void loyalty to Goddess Teekua, fights beside him, weaving floral magic to turn the tide, now a companion engaged in combat with vampires as a decoy.
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Vernier – An arrogant vampire Count with a flowing white beard leads the Sand squad. He wields a spatial expansion power that warps distances within a ten‑meter radius, shaping his domain and influencing those around him.
• Julie – A female Vampire noble (Nobility) who manipulates blood to create spears and weapons.
• Lizamis – Palm‑sized spider guardian of Kupira, eight ribbon‑tied legs in knightly armor, its form flickers between shadowy silhouettes and living tapestries of portraits and fabric. Once a human Great Sage and Revealer, it speaks telepathically only with Klock, its sole confidant, and steps from mirrors, dresses or painted scenes as if from memory.
• Kispe – Queen Kispe, also called Succubus Princess Asura, is a winged succubus with long black hair, amethyst eyes, a petite slender build, and a one‑piece dress with black tights. She is Klock’s lover and healer, teasing him, wielding arousal as a weapon, and manipulating him with a sharp, playful tongue. She also communicates with Klock via telepathy.
• Viola – A pale vampire maid with fangs and crimson eyes, leading the maids in defiance of Klock; she refuses to defect and bears the scar of a past death inflicted by the Hero.
• Count Barnea – A vampire noble first appearing at Mirond Castle after the Orrid battle. Demands one hundred gold coins from Viola to fund mercenaries and orders execution of a singing servant. Cruel superior to Viola. No other relations noted. Arrogant and predatory.
• Rugandia – A slender human maid from the Sand Village, dressed in a crisp white uniform with a red apron, appears at the edge of the Croce Estate’s fire, summoned by Sylvia’s father to serve as Sylvia’s loyal, diligent attendant; later she is revealed as a member of the vampire coven that gathers within the estate’s old church, balancing service to the family with secret nocturnal duties.
• Linaria – A vampire girl from Sand Village, once a victim of the Moon Court Nobility, now a longtime maid of Castle Viola and childhood friend of Viola. Part of the vampire maid unit, she is quiet, dependable, and known for her long, decorated nails.
• Mermy – A calm, dutiful dampir maid with sharp eyes and freckles, Viola’s childhood friend who appeared in the Orrid sky battle. She urges retreat when the sun rises to avoid burning, serves as Viola’s subordinate in the vampire maid unit, and remains a loyal ally with no other known ties.
• Meina – Golden‑haired catgirl scout with twitching ears, employed at Larana the cat‑woman’s inn. She appears tear‑streaked and desperate while performing fellatio, her inexperienced yet earnest approach evident. Physically close to Klock, she blends animal‑like features with a vulnerable, working‑girl demeanor.
• Primlena – Orange‑haired merfolk priestess, fierce yet elegant, sister of Sea General Primjune and former Demon Lord officer now in Klock’s inner circle. Calm, disciplined, she commands Obsidian Riders on giant fish, wields a trident, and seeks Klock’s downfall. A revenge‑driven siren bride delivering news of the Merfolk and jewel‑clam communication.
• Ada – Ada the Wild Wind, A‑rank scout of Death Soldier Pass, sports black‑red hair streaked with fire, multiple earrings, and a towering axe‑spear wielding Wind skill. Brash and physically powerful, she’s a Hero’s party member, outspoken on sexual topics, respected by peers, feared by criminals, and at odds with Klock who stole from her and fled. Now she fights as a Brigante Troop combatant on the northern wall.
• Fit – Solo archer adventurer; first appears at Barreith volunteer gathering, introduces herself to Klock and group, joining Brave Knight against Demon Lord’s Army
• Suzette – An older silver‑haired maid in a crisp, high‑collared uniform with a sheathed sword, she heads the Viscount Fennec household, leads the Brigante Troop as tactical coordinator reporting enemy movements, fights with Klock’s circle, fiercely guards Viscount Klock, distrusts outsiders like Alard, and now serves as a combat maid in the Hero’s party, protecting the group in close combat.
• Orrid – Southern pleasure town near Conro, known for its chaos and vice. Serves as Brigante’s next destination and Count Grasso’s sphere of influence. Rumored den of spies and mercenaries.
• Sanrid – The location where Roldi reportedly went the day before the attack on Portline. This movement is a key piece of strategic information Misha provides during her interrogation.
• Burnier – A noble of the Moon Court, currently injured and retreating.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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