**Chapter 23: The Curse II**
Demon. Just a moment ago, Alba Tos was like a black wind, but now, he resembled a true Demon. His power, speed, and mass—everything was different from just a moment ago.
In a split-second decision, I dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the massive form of Alba Tos. He lunged forward, crashing headfirst into a nearby closed shop, causing the building to collapse as if it were made of mere building blocks.
Although it was night, the streets were not devoid of life. The screams of unfortunate passersby and those staying at the same inn as I echoed through the air. However, Alba Tos seemed unconcerned by the chaos he was causing.
He flung debris aside and fixed his gaze directly on me.
This is… bad. Can a Vampire truly control such a creature?
I had thought he would become sluggish and cumbersome, but that was not the case. The massive body leaped high without making a sound. The moon was obscured by his dark form, casting an instant shadow over the surroundings.
What was about to come down was—impossible. A monster was descending. I kicked the ground hard and managed to evade it. The claw shattered the unpaved earth beneath it, and its massive jaw lunged toward me without hesitation. It was a jaw so enormous that it could easily tear me in half. I stumbled backward, desperately trying to avoid it.
My body felt like it was on fire. As I retreated, I attempted to kick the jaw upward, but it didn’t budge an inch. Its eyes were filled with nothing but hatred directed at me.
Ah, curses… how vile they are.
In an instant, I set aside my own curse and felt a pang of pity. But I had to defeat this creature, no matter what.
How can I repel the monster before me?
Should I wait for Senri? When will she return? …No, I shouldn’t let Senri confront this monster. I know she is strong, but the creature before me—a werewolf-like beast—likely does not share the same weaknesses as an ordinary Vampire.
This creature is my enemy. It has come to kill me. I must do something.
Alba Tos advanced, crushing the ground beneath him. The earth exploded around his front paws. I desperately tried to retreat, but his movements were far too swift compared to a Vampire’s. I dodged several attacks, but one of his sweeping claws finally caught my body. In that moment, it felt as if my entire being was being torn apart.
My consciousness faded. When I regained awareness, I found myself lying on the first floor of a house.
A massive hole had been torn in the wall. It seemed I had broken through several walls. My bones, which had been on the verge of shattering, began to mend, and my torn torso was rapidly restored. A human would have died a hundred times over in such a situation. Fortunately, my loss of consciousness had only lasted an instant.
But this is impossible. I need a weapon. However, I cannot wield the silver weapons that would likely be effective against them.
The thought of the “Light Eater,” which I had left behind in my inn room, flashed through my mind. With that blade, could I cut through the thick fur, flesh, and bone of the current Alba Tos?
No… I have no choice but to gamble. I doubt there are any better weapons lying around.
My thoughts were instantaneous. Alba Tos was destroying the house and walls as if they were mere sheets of paper, and he was coming for me. I threw myself to the side, desperately trying to avoid him.
I managed to dodge one of his claw strikes. However, before I could catch my breath, Alba Tos’s massive tail swung down upon me.
Covered in coarse fur and imbued with tremendous power, it was a weapon in itself. My abdomen took the full brunt of the blow, and I was sent spinning through the wall. A dull pain flickered in my vision.
The pain itself wasn’t too severe. But an unbearable thirst gripped me. After repeatedly undergoing extensive regeneration, my blood was running low. If it ran completely dry, I would be unable to regenerate, just like when Nebira tortured me.
I needed to replenish my strength. I pressed my dizzy head and thought. This was the town center. Most people had likely fled from the sudden disaster, but food would not be lacking. Alba Tos was targeting me. If I could just get a little blood and escape—
The conflict was instantaneous. No… I had promised Senri that I wouldn’t drink blood from anyone other than her, and even if I drank a little, it wouldn’t give me the strength to fight this creature before me.
Besides, I didn’t have the luxury of time to drink blood.
Once again, Alba Tos descended upon me, destroying obstacles with brute force. It was unfair that he didn’t possess the numerous weaknesses of a Vampire. I didn’t even have time to retrieve my blade. It was like a storm.
He was carelessly tossing me aside, yet he showed no signs of losing track of me. Perhaps he was detecting my scent?
I had to escape. I had to run… and regroup—
A front paw descended from above at an angle. The massive dark body was falling toward me. In that instant, I resolved to dive not to the side but deep forward.
The ceiling was crashing down. My vision was engulfed in darkness. I crouched low and desperately slipped through. The sound of destruction echoed behind me, sending chills down my spine.
I managed to slip beneath Alba Tos without being flattened. I bought myself a moment. Before he could turn around, I silenced my footsteps and retraced my steps.
His speed was superior. Just running would allow him to catch up easily.
However, Alba Tos had already wounded me severely. My abdomen had been slashed multiple times, and my blood was splattered everywhere. If he was tracking me by scent, perhaps I could lose him. There was plenty of debris around, providing ample hiding spots.
I managed to retreat a few houses back. My keen hearing picked up on the unmistakable sounds of Alba Tos destroying houses as he turned around.
I found a room that was particularly gruesome, with my blood splattered everywhere, making it resemble a horrific murder scene. It was a terrible sight, but perhaps I could hide here. I extended my claws, slashing my arm to spill more blood. If I could slip past Alba Tos, losing a little more blood would be a small price to pay.
As I scattered fresh blood across the room, I held my breath and concealed myself near the bloodstains, hiding behind a large table that had been overturned in the destruction. I was careful to make no sound.
Alba Tos’s footsteps drew closer. His massive body was too large to move without making noise indoors. Unlike the earlier rush, his footsteps were slow now.
It seemed that, as I had imagined, he was tracking me by scent. Additionally, perhaps sound played a role as well. If I remained still and silent, even a beast as keen as he would struggle to find me.
I remained still, shrinking down like a small creature, waiting for his footsteps to approach. A large presence drew near, crushing debris beneath it. Then, he stopped inside the room where I was hiding.
I could hear the beast’s heavy breathing, the sound of him sniffing. The debris nearby shifted, and my already weak heartbeat felt like it was about to stop altogether.
There was no pain, but my head was spinning. I was running low on blood.
For some reason, Alba Tos lingered in the room, as if sensing something. I could hear the sound of him roughly moving half-destroyed furniture. Perhaps… the fresh blood I had spilled was causing him discomfort. My strategy to mask my scent had backfired.
If he found me, my life would be forfeit. A single blow from his front paw would easily crush my skull.
Forget everything. For now, I must abandon thoughts of retaliation and focus solely on hiding.
I curled up like a small creature. As I remained motionless, I felt the presence of death closing in, reminding me of my time in bed when I was ill.
I intended to blend in with the debris. At that moment, I noticed my arm—its skin had changed color.
—
**§ § §**
Something was off. I had lost track of him.
The creature that had once been Alba Tos narrowed its eyes and followed the scent. Without a doubt, I had been right in front of him just moments ago. In a few minutes, he could have torn me apart.
Yet, he had lost me. Alba Tos’s sensory organs were remarkably sharp. While his sense of smell was particularly acute, his vision and hearing were also extraordinary. It was inconceivable that he could lose track of me on a night like this.
He was undoubtedly nearby. There hadn’t been enough time for me to escape far.
Blood and flesh from lower-rank Vampires were scattered around. Following the faint scent of the unique blood of a lower-rank Vampire, he searched for me. A spark of irritation smoldered in the back of his mind.
He began to destroy the debris with reckless abandon, searching for the Vampire he suspected was hiding.
The full moon shone brightly in the sky. While it empowered Vampires, it also granted strength to Alba Tos.
The disparity in combat power was overwhelming. He was not a Vampire. He was a lower-rank being, a mere cocoon of a Vampire.
He lacked most of the powerful special abilities that Vampires possessed. There was no way he could lose.
Amid the rising emotions, the remnants of his fading reason recalled a past scene.
The tranquility was shattered unexpectedly. Arrogantly, mercilessly, and overwhelmingly, the “King of the Dead” descended upon them.
A horrifying sensation gripped Alba-tos as he felt something precious being drained away through the vampire’s bite, a forced transformation that left him feeling utterly terrified.
It was merely a coincidence that Alba-tos was chosen as the first victim of this ability. Perhaps it was fortunate, in a way. The special ability that had been forcibly bestowed upon him was incomplete. The entity that was supposed to control Alba-tos vanished due to the backlash of wielding such an imperfect power, leaving behind an unbreakable curse and a murderous intent towards vampires.
His primal instincts were eroding his rationality. Yet, he could not rest until he exacted revenge on the vampire that had taken everything from him. Now, it was Alba-tos’s turn to take everything away and instill fear. Originally, the faint scent of the vampire, which even beasts could not track, was already firmly etched in his memory.
Alba-tos was no mere dog; he was a hunting hound, relentless in pursuing and exterminating vampires.
This was not for anyone else. He needed neither gratitude nor pity, nor even meaning. Alba-tos surrendered entirely to his instincts and howled at the moonlit night. The tremors in the air sent debris flying. He caught the returning vibrations, grasping the rough situation around him.
And then, Alba-tos spotted a figure atop a house.
A man, cloaked in darkness, his presence alarmingly faint. He emitted no scent, no sound, blending seamlessly into the shadows. If he remained still, even Alba-tos would find it difficult to discern him.
Ah, so this is the power of the “Dark Stalker.” Alba-tos delved into the depths of his knowledge.
This fragile anomaly, a pre-mutation vampire, surpassed even vampires in the art of concealment. Possessing abilities from before his mutation, he bore the traits of an Ancestor, distinctly different from those who had been bitten and transformed into mere thralls.
The man—known as End, a lower-ranked vampire—held a large black machete in his hand. His tattered clothing bore the scars of countless assaults from Alba-tos, reduced to rags. Yet, there was no anger on his face; his eyes calmly looked down upon Alba-tos.
What a waste. The ability of the “Dark Stalker”—”Shadow Veil”—was not something that could be maintained for long.
Did he truly believe that wielding just a single weapon would allow him to defeat Alba-tos? If he had abandoned the battlefield, he might have extended his life by a little.
Such an object was nothing more than a stick to Alba-tos now. After tormenting him thoroughly, he would feast upon him.
With pure murderous intent, Alba-tos let out a roar. He raised his machete, and the vampire lunged at him.
And thus, the final battle began.