CHAPTER 41: MALICE OF A VAMPIRE

All he was met by was a horde of monsters; goblins, undead warriors, lizard men–all varieties of inhuman invaders rushed forward. Dozens, perhaps hundreds–the number was far too vast, even if his blade could slice through them like butter, some would pass, some would get to the people he promised to protect.

"Boss...!" From the left, the desperate shout came from Phoenix, who cut down a lizard man, though was quickly being overwhelmed by another pair.

"Grrrh–!" To the east, Boar used his axe to hold back an orc larger than himself.

The fear welling inside him was pushed down, forced into the back of his mind as he dismissed it with a stomp of his boot. Against the overwhelming swarm, he stood tall alongside those who fought with him, confronting the horde with his utmost spirit–

["Lord’s Aura"] [23:59:59]

A pulse emitted through the eclipsed valley, casting an unmatched flash of authority manifested. With the next beat of his heart, it filled the air in an instant, pushing through the waves of monstrosities.

At that moment, hundreds of creatures completely froze, some keeping upright while others fell over as if the consciousness in their brains was flipped like a switch.

"Huh–?" Phoenix let out, watching the scaled warriors around him fall limp.

In the midst of clashing with the undead swordsman, Charlemagne noticed the surrounding majority collapse, taking note, "Oh? Looks like the young lord is getting serious–maybe I should, too."

Only a fraction of the monsters’ forces were left standing, with those left with their consciousness intact confused at the sudden phenomena.

Leon watched the countless goblins swarming towards him drop, while the undead collapsed into piles of bones. Instinctively, he understood what happened, though the effect was a mystery prior to that moment–

["Lord’s Aura–a skill that manifest’s Leon’s will into a tangible concept, overwhelming those he targets with vastly lesser strength than his own. Currently, any creature under the designation of level "20" was victim to the manifested aura.

An undoubtedly powerful ability, rendering those unworthy of facing the revered lord stripped of their ability to fight, however–"]

–One additional fact he was aware of instinctively was the short-lived nature of the skill, as effective as it was. Would it be minutes? Seconds? There was no way to know, though he knew only that it was not permanent.

He raised his sword, pointing it forward to take the lead, letting his voice be carried to his comrades alongside him, "Take out as many as you can now–!"

As the young lord took initiative, a dark figure raced across the fields, moving with such speed he couldn’t so much as blink before it reached him. The swift entity grabbed his face, carrying him with it across the field, pushing deeper into the heart of the land.

"Nrrghh!" He struggled, feeling its grip squeezing around his head.

"Boss!--" Phoenix shouted before being forced to turn his attention back ahead.

Using his sword to aimlessly swing, hoping to disembowel whatever had grabbed him, the grip released as he was thrown back. He flipped around to catch his balance, discovering he was taken some distance from the frontlines.

What stood before him was a humanoid creature of skin as pale as moonlight with pointed ears and irises like that of a feline.

"You are the leader, I take it? A young one, but one full of vigor; yes, so abundant with life, waiting to be fed on," the inhuman man of messy, silver hair that draped down like seaweed spoke with a certain ravenous, yet eerily calm tone.

[Special Designated Entity Identified.]

["Khal"] [CLASS: Vampire Lord] [Level: 29] [Soul Register: City Calamity]

’Vampire Lord? Sounds like a pain in the ass–now of all times,’ he observed, huffing to catch his breath.

Around the tall man decorated with a cape with a mantle of obsidian fur, bats persisted in the air around him, fluttering their wings as if awaiting his command. If the level he saw wasn’t enough, Leon could tell from a glance that the figure before him was not the average monster, nor simply enough–it was in a different class.

"That delectable fragrance," Khal remarked, sniffing the air with his eyes closed as if a gourmet at a table. "You’re of noble blood, no–royal. A prince, perhaps?"

"I’m the lord of this land," Leon corrected with a raised eyebrow. "So, if you could leave, I’ll look the other way. Sounds like a deal?"

Khal smiled with his primordial fangs bare as if the answer delighted him, "As you say. Such blood is no less than ambrosia. That being said–this is your land and you are its lord, that is correct. As such, it is your duty to remove me–give it your best shot, Lord Schoeller."

"You already knew who I was–?"

Before he could get an answer, the vampire was gone from his sight. A chill crawled up the back of his neck, spurring him to spin around, slashing behind him, finding his blade narrowly missing the smiling inhuman.

"Of course I do," Khan answered without any regard for the sword’s sharpness. "I have lived centuries. I have witnessed kingdoms rise and crumble. I helped some rise myself, from a commoner, a king, a lord—I once ruled my own land."

"And how’s that working out for you?" Leon asked, keeping his distance as he glanced to the side. "Seeing as you’re among the ranks of goblins. I don’t imagine they’re rich company for a lord like yourself."

Much to his dismay, the vampire’s successful attempt to remove him from the heart of the battle brought him too close to tents. Against an enemy of this caliber, it was a question if he could survive, let alone guarantee the survival of others.

"You’re correct. To find myself among such riff-raff...It is vexing. However, it is necessary to realize his dream, our dream," the vampire spoke with an unsettling fondness, his eyes once vapid of humanity fluttering with wonder.

"Greater Haste. Greater Strength–"

Just as the invocations left his lips, the empowerment flooded his limbs as the vampire once more dispersed from his sight. All he found was a projectile flicking across the air, coming right for his neck. He moved out of the way, though it managed to nick his shoulder, feeling a sharpness leave a trail across his skin.

"Ghk–?" He winced, glancing over.

In that split-second, he discovered what he thought to be a simple pellet to be a small bat, having drawn a meager amount of blood.

’It bit me? No, just a scratch,’ he realized.

Another sharp sensation, this time on the back of his arm, brought him to turn around, slashing aimlessly at the wind as bats scattered.

The enhanced perception brought his vision to the right, discovering the vampire forming beside him. He quickly dashed in, slashing right through its torso before—the vampire shattered into a hundred bats.

"Ghh—?!" Leon covered himself with his arms as the carnivorous creatures flew against him like a snowstorm.

He could feel their small teeth and claws attempting to bite into his flesh, leaving minuscule marks in his skin.

"I’m going to drain each drop of blood from your body. Then, I’ll feast on the people you’re sheltering. Then, your servants—I’ll crumble your precious land," Khan’s voice hissed through the air with a malediction.