In the sunlight, I hooked my fingers onto the stone wall that formed the castle’s ramparts and began to climb.
This castle, once inhabited by the former Baron, seemed to be a fortress built in an older era, a rugged, defense-oriented structure similar to Dandole’s castle. It was difficult to infiltrate from the front. As a fortress, scaling the walls was also challenging. However, if opening the massive, perpetually closed castle gate was out of the question, then climbing the walls, even if they were as tall as a three-story building, was the best option.
Even though it was still early morning and dimly lit, encountering a “Defective” capable of moving during the day could lead to discovery. Even without Vampires outside, I couldn’t let my guard down. Daytime had its own form of Stealth. While climbing the stone wall in the sunlight, I perfectly matched my Mana to the surrounding Mana Particles, even disguising the sunlight with light Mana, blending my figure into the stone wall’s scenery.
Silently leaping onto the passageway atop the castle wall, I moved with the flow of the wind, crept up behind one of the Defectives patrolling the passage with a lifeless face, and twisted its neck from the side, snapping it in one swift motion.
“…………”
My Stealth worked even against these Undead imitations. I understood the extent of damage needed to kill them. Knowing that, I judged that almost no one could oppose me under the sun. The Defectives’ strength depended on their abilities in life, but if they possessed abilities that could rival me, they would likely have turned into Vampires.
For about an hour, I crushed the Defectives wandering around the courtyard. I was taking them down first because I didn’t want to be disturbed during my fight with Grave.
However, it felt like there were slightly fewer than expected. If they were raiding remote villages like that small hamlet to increase their numbers, there should have been more. Were most of them outside? Or had Nero’s appearance drawn the Undead within the castle towards him?
It was also possible that they were concentrated in the Underground Tomb (Catacombs) of the Chapel where Carla had gone, but if they were focusing their forces there, it seemed likely that Grave had foreseen my arrival and deliberately weakened this side.
…I thought it was better than his interest being directed towards Elena, but I couldn’t help but think I had attracted a troublesome man.
I seriously wondered if I was emitting some kind of scent that drew strange men to me, just like I had felt with Feld and Viro when I was younger.
After dealing with the Defectives in the courtyard, I began climbing the inner stone wall again.
I had considered setting the place on fire from the outside, but I was worried that the smoke would attract the attention of the townspeople, or that soldiers from the Aristocratic Faction lord, who was also Grave’s collaborator, would come, which would be troublesome.
My basic combat style was assassination. To ensure Grave didn’t escape and to confirm his death, the most reliable way was to kill him myself.
Examining the windows around the second floor, I found them boarded up from the inside, suggesting it was dark inside. If so, the Vampires were likely active. Breaking the boards to enter through the windows would risk unnecessarily attracting enemies.
So, what to do? I climbed to the top of the castle and decided to infiltrate from a watchtower-like turret.
Using Body Enhancement, Martial Arts, and the threads of my Pendulum, I climbed up, and then applied oil to the metal fittings of the hatch-like entrance on the floor to prevent any noise.
“[Feel]…”
I used Mana-based Feel to ascertain the lock’s structure, and then used Thread Manipulation on a thread slipped through the gap to undo the latch from the inside.
I could have used the same method to pass a thread through that window and use Shadow Walk to infiltrate. However, I didn’t want to waste Mana unnecessarily without knowing how many enemies were inside.
Inside, it was a Mana cave dominated by Darkness. However, it wasn’t complete Darkness; the faint light suggested that a certain number of Defectives were present. If so, were the Vampires in the completely dark areas? And also—
“Which one is Grave?”
Was he still human? Or had he become a Vampire?
Well, it didn’t matter. No matter what he had become, he was still my enemy, the one I had to kill.
Becoming Undead meant losing the will to live. Something in that state, no matter how strong, wasn’t scary.
But… if Grave was still human, it would probably be a deadly battle.
Clink…
At that moment, a single footstep echoed in the Darkness.
The pretentious footstep, as if flaunting its presence, made me stop in my tracks, and I saw the light of a flickering candle approaching from the other end of the passage.
Judging from the hard sound, it was probably a high heel worn by a noble lady. The one making the noise had absolute confidence in their power.
Definitely a Vampire. And like that Vampire named Sarara, a high-ranking Vampire.
The light swayed with the rhythm of the footsteps. Yet, the flame of the approaching candle itself didn’t flicker even slightly.
[Female Vampire] [Race: Dark Elf ♀] [Estimated Rank 4]
[Mana Capacity: 254/260] [HP: 327/327]
[Overall Combat Strength: 982×2]
“Welcome to our castle, young lady.”
The Dark Elf woman with golden hair, silver eyes, obsidian-black skin, and a crimson dress smiled, revealing sharp fangs from her lips.
“A Vampire Clan member.”
“Oh, have we met somewhere before?”
As expected, a comrade of Sarara. Affirming my question, the female Vampire casually approached without stopping.
“Where is that man?”
“Are you that person’s guest? How unfortunate…”
The female Vampire sighed languidly. I and she were about twenty steps apart, yet the female Vampire didn’t stop.
“Why?”
“Can’t you tell?”
When we were about ten steps apart, the female Vampire showed a bright, beast-like smile.
“I’m a little hungry.”
Whoosh!!!
At that moment, two “lines” sliced through the Darkness, and as I leaped back reflexively, they slashed my shoulder, and at the same time, a Blade Scythe Style Pendulum gouged out the female Vampire’s left eye from her side.
Clang…
“…How awful. It’s been decades since my face was scarred.”
The candelabra with the lit candle fell and went out on the floor. Black blood spilled from the gaps between the female Vampire’s fingers as she held her face, and as her hand was removed, her gouged-out left eye regenerated as if time had reversed, restoring its original beauty.
“If you’re acquainted with that person, are you a Shadow Unit knight from this country? You’re quite strong for someone so cute. Ah… how fragrant.”
“…………”
Her hungry eyes were fixed on my blood flowing from my shoulder and dripping from my fingertips.
“What kind of weapon is that? I couldn’t see it.”
“Who knows.”
Neither of us had fully grasped the other’s weapon. Still, the female Vampire wasn’t tense because she believed my weapon couldn’t kill her. Small blades weren’t suitable for killing Vampires. The damage from small cuts couldn’t keep up with a Vampire’s regenerative abilities.
Vampires were strong. That’s why their strength became their weakness.
“My name is Sherarule. Please remember it. If you’re still alive after I’ve satisfied my hunger, I’ll make you my minion.”
A flash of a Blade was released from the female Vampire Sherarule. Was she holding her weapon in her right hand? It was probably a type of one-handed weapon, but even my eyes, which could see Mana, couldn’t quite make it out.
The invisible flash of a Blade lightly cut my arms and legs. The wounds were shallow because Sherarule was also wary of my invisible weapon and unconsciously avoided fully committing.
Therefore, to devise a plan while I still had some “leeway,” I leaped through the narrow passage while dodging, and kicked off the ceiling, throwing several knives that I drew from my thigh.
Clink!!
“How futile.”
The knives were deflected by Sherarule’s flash of a Blade.
If she fought like Sarara, letting the knives hit her body, it would have been a waste. But Sherarule, with her “leeway,” deflected the knives that wouldn’t damage her, and the Ember from that told me the nature of her weapon.
A foil-type saber…
There were different types of sabers, a type of one-handed sword. In the desert Calfaan Empire, where heavy armor wasn’t worn, crescent-shaped sabers that cut through leather were common. And in the northern countries of the continent, sabers were specialized to pierce armor, becoming thin and needle-like.
Among them, the foil type was a weapon specialized for duels, thin, flexible, and resilient, a weapon solely for killing humans.
“You should give up soon. The pain will only be for a moment.”
Sherarule, her eyes dyed red with the scent of blood, lunged at me.
The invisible flash of a Blade howled. Swinging a black Magic Steel Blade in the Darkness with a Vampire’s strength, almost no one would be able to see it.
But weapons specialized for duels only demonstrate their power when they adhere to the rules.
“What!?”
At the same time, the flashing blade caught my advancing body. However, that strike didn’t slice me apart, but merely struck me like a whip.
Fleur-style sabers are weapons with a truly pointed performance, having blades only at their tips. Sherarule was careless. That weapon only has meaning because of its reach, but by closing the distance, she destroyed that advantage herself.
In a moment’s decision, as Sherarule tried to retreat, I swung down the Pendulum, its thread shortened to about two meters.
Being a Vampire, she thought of my invisible weapon as a small blade and braced herself to take it with her body. But what I’m swinging down isn’t the [Blade Scythe Style] blade you know.
Gusha!
“Gyaaaah!?”
The [Ball-Shaped] Pendulum I swung down crushed Sherarule’s skull. Even for a Vampire, who is said to only be killed by severing the heart and head, if the brain is destroyed, she has no choice but to stop moving.
“Don’t, underestimate me…”
Even with half her head crushed, Sherarule only dropped to one knee and hadn’t lost her will to fight. But in her remaining right eye, she saw my figure, once again expressionlessly raising my weapon, and for the first time, her face twisted in terror, and I swung the Pendulum down again on Sherarule’s crushed skull.
＊＊＊
After beheading Sherarule, who had stopped moving, to finish her off, and treating my wounds, I started moving again.
Stealth is meaningless now. The Vampires and failed experiments in the castle had gathered because of the battle with Sherarule. Even so, there were no Vampires as strong as Sherarule or Sarara among those attacking, and as expected, their numbers weren’t great either.
After defeating the severalth Vampire with illusions using [Shadow], I advanced in the direction of the enemies and was led, as if guided, to a large hall where the fortress’s soldiers seemed to be gathered.
When I arrived there, a man in loose black clothing slowly stood up in the light of a single candle on a single candlestick on the only table.
His presence is denser than when I saw him before. He’s gained more flesh than when I saw him before.
The man, who had a gauntlet-like Demon Iron Prosthetic Hand on his left arm, which was torn off by Nero, narrowed his eyes for a moment at my appearance and slightly raised the corner of his lips.
“Welcome, Aria.”
Grave. The true Weirdo nesting in this country has further increased his power and appeared before me again.
[Grave] [Race: Human Male] [Rank 5]
[Mana Capacity: 245/250] 30 Up [HP: 402/410] 60 Up
[Overall Combat Strength: 2025 (Body Enhancement in progress: 2565)] 600 Up
＊＊＊
“Gyaaaahhhhh!?”
Several Vampires, including Evil Race members, were burned away along with many failed experiments by a pillar of flame like a Fire Dragon’s breath.
Far from the Evil Race’s country, in order for the Vampire Clan to be recognized as Evil Race, Gostola patted his chest and told his best friend, the clan leader, to leave it to him, and had been lying low in this Kingdom of Claydale for several years with only ten companions.
That path was by no means smooth. Not only did Gostola and the others look different, but they couldn’t walk under the sun, so building a base alone wasn’t easy. But there were Weirdos and traitors among the humans who invited them into their fold.
Based on information from the new collaborators, the next operation was decided. It was a long-term story that would have astonished humans, but the Dark Elves, who were Evil Race, had lifespans of hundreds of years, and the Vampire Clan had time that could be called eternal.
In order to carry out that operation, they took risks and increased the number of pawns to be sacrificed. However, many of those pawns were scorched by the flames and turned to ash.
In the burning Underground Tomb (Catacombs), Gostola narrowed his gray eyes and glared at the sick-like madman who was one of those who had invited them.
“What do you intend, Carla…!”
To such words and gaze filled with hatred, Carla wore her usual delightful smile in the burning flames.
“Don’t you like the smell of new corpses burning?”
It was a rare, ruthless way of killing. It was much worse at first, but I held back because it seemed like it would be a gore warning.
And Carla is Magical Carla.
What will be the outcome of the battle between Aria and Carla?
Next time, Carla will show her true colors in battle.