In the heart of a castle forgotten by time, shrouded in thick fog, shadows, and wooden walls, a young hero traversed the main hall.
Each step he took echoed and shattered the deep, unsettling, and maddening silence of the place, reverberating between cracked columns and faded tapestries.
In the center of the hall, shrouded in shadow, a female figure appeared.
Skin as pale as untouched snow, hair as black as a starless night, and her dress seemed woven with threads of silk, magnificent in its delicacy
Even though her appearance could be deceiving, her eyes shone with a hungry and seductive gleam. She stood before a darkness creature, a vampire.
"Welcome, traveler. What are you looking for? Have you come for your end… or something more interesting?"
The girl's voice sounded like a melancholy and lonely chant. A recital of a piece that they were both about to perform.
However, the hero did not respond. He just gripped the hilt of his sword and narrowed his gaze. He was not there to talk.
With a firm shout, he advanced.
After raising the sword, he brought it down in an instant, cutting through the air like a black lightning bolt, tracing its path like a beam of light capable of splitting the very darkness of the night in two.
Despite the speed, his opponent dodged gracefully. She says while touching her lips with her finger and smiling mischievously
"Huh huh huh! So impatient, handsome. I didn't think you would be this quick, especially with a body so... big hi hi It's been so long since my last proper meal… you're so pretty, it would be a shame to finish you off now. How about giving up? We could have fun together in ways you can't even imagine! Everyone says I'm quite creative! Heh heh heh!"
"You're quite chatty!"
So the duel finally began.
Words gave way to a fierce confrontation. They advanced at each other, their eyes burning with determination and thirst for blood.
The Sacred Sword "Bloodstain" hissed and sliced through the air. His strikes were fast and precise. The hero's concentration and dexterity were comparable to that of a hawk hunting its prey. Gradually, the vampire found herself at a disadvantage.
When he executed a diagonal strike, which was blocked, he quickly spun on his own axis, using the momentum to launch another side attack. The vampire narrowly dodged. The slight melody of steel whistling through the air while cutting through the wind frightened her.
She tried to counterattack, but a well-placed kick threw her off balance. Without hesitation, the hero seized the opening and swung his sword again, striking her superficially in the abdomen.
"Hyyaaaa! It burns!"
The vampire screamed, stepping back.
The pain caused by Bloodstain went beyond the physical. It was like sacred fire that consumed even the soul. Even a superficial cut was enough to inflict unbearable torment.
Overcome with fury, the beautiful vampire attacked fiercely. She tore through the air with her claws, forgetting any notion of defense.
On the other hand, the man, realizing his lack of control, slid to the sides. He was like a leaf dancing in the wind, narrowly avoiding the blows that tore through the space where his neck was.
Each attack left a crimson trail wherever it passed. It was remarkable that a single strike could pierce dense armor, causing terrible injuries.
Still, he kept dodging, dancing masterfully across the stage of this wild duel.
Fully confident in his skill. Evading attack after attack. Thus, always staying one step ahead of death.
Upon realizing that his attacks were ineffective, he tried to grab him. However, with two calculated steps backward, he dodged with skill and precision.
This was the moment the hero had been patiently waiting for.
In a fraction of a second, he put his hand under the sword's hilt. Then he executed a subtle and swift movement.
*slash* A dull sound could be heard. In an instant, the metal shone, and the next, he was sheathing the sword again.
When the vampire regained consciousness, an uncomfortable sensation began spreading through her right arm. A tingling that soon turned into an intense burning, accompanied by an indescribable pain.
She looked to the side and realized with horror that her right arm was no longer there. In its place, only hot, thick liquid gushing out; marking the place where the member had previously been.
"HOW... HOW DARE YOU HURT ME, YOU LITTLE SHIT!! GRRRR! I HAVEN'T LOST IT YET!! I'M GOING TO GUT YOU!!"
She screamed, her voice overflowing with anger, pain, and frustration. Her body then began to exude a strange black smoke. Her expression twisted into a great fury.
Assuming an animalistic posture, her silhouette as a whole has distorted. The bones cracked and the delicate, almost ethereal appearance of before, collapsed. The skin that looked like porcelain was now like cracked crockery, revealing beneath it a loathsome and grotesque flesh.
The vampire now was much closer to a horror story monster. There were no traces of her initial beauty. Even her smell was repulsive.
Even with this terrible sight, the hero smiled faintly. Perhaps out of confidence, or impulse, his eyes remained steady, unyielding as they stared without looking away from the creature before him.
As soon as the transformation was complete, the vampire wasted no time and lunged forward with speed. She moved in an unusual way, dragging herself across the ground like an aberration straight out of a nightmare. Her claws emanated [Sangue Rubro], a powerful corrosive venom.
The hero, using his experience and sharp reflexes, dodged skillfully. While defending himself with his blade, he looked for an opportunity to counterattack.
The vampire's movements were difficult to predict, often coming from unconventional angles and forms. But even though they were hard to follow, the lack of strategy prevented the attacks from reaching their target.
By this point, for the hero, the winner had already been decided.
Even with her increased strength, she was still no match, being struck multiple times by the Sacred Sword whenever she approached to attack. Each blow wounded her deeply, until her body began to show signs of giving up.
The pain, fatigue, and her reduced magic power made her increasingly slow and vulnerable to the hero's attacks.
"You are weaker than I imagined. But I'll have some fun before I finish you off, freak."
Confident that he could easily win, the hero was not slashing fatal blows. Even so, he couldn't prolong the fight too much, as it would leave him too tired against other opponents.
With the opportunity in hand, the hero pierced her with a firm strike, going through the right side of the vampire's chest. The pain and the severity of the wound were enough to bring her back to normal. She no longer moved.
"Shit, I hit too hard, I think. Well, that's enough."
Seeing her fallen, he positioned himself to finish off the incapacitated vampire. However, something made him stop.
At that moment, a black glow came from the direction of the lobby entrance door. Surrounding the vampire, a bit of her vitality was restored and the bleeding stopped. She was still staggering and weakened, but alive.
The vampire then ran to the front door.
(Did someone help her? Is she running away? What is happening here?)
The hero thought and thought about pursuing her. But then the walls of the hall began to pulse, as if the castle itself had awakened.
The hero gripped the sword's hilt tightly as cold sweat trickled beneath his armor. Signs of fatigue were visible. However, his instincts told him not to give in to exhaustion, for something was coming…
*toc-toc-toc-toc* From the heart of darkness, light steps that did not match the weight they carried cut through the silence.
Slowly, a little girl emerged from the shadows, resembling a porcelain doll, dressed like a Victorian princess.
Scarlet eyes shining like rubies, contrasting with the innocent smile on her lips. Her approach carried an oppressive presence, revealing what she was: the embodiment of the night, accompanied by death.
The little vampire emanated a suffocating aura, and her presence was dense like a malevolent fog, making the environment oppressive like the abyss of the depths of the sea.
"You hurt my Nana, didn't you?"
Said the little vampire.
Even an experienced hero, accustomed to deadly battles, felt a shiver run down his spine. She did not seem to be an ordinary vampire. Allegedly, she was the true guardian of this place.
"You shouldn't be here, hero."
"Can't you guys give me at least a moment of peace?"
Then the girl said, looking at the other vampire with disdain.
"As for you, Nana, step aside! Get back to your post now!"
After saying that, the girl struck the woman, who was thrown against the wall by the force of the blow.
"Fix yourself up and take a shower, please."
As she recovered from the attack, the frightened adult vampire quickly backed away. The little girl then turned to the hero.
Without hesitation, he launched his offensive. He knew that giving space to such a powerful opponent could cost him his life.
Using his ability [Physical Enhancement 1] he amplified his reflexes and strength to the limit of human capabilities. Thus he advanced, aiming directly at her neck.
And when the strike broke through, the blade found nothing.
He didn't see her dodge.
"So this time it's a broad sword, huh! Looks different from the last one that came here. Still, it seems pretty weak to me. Won't last much longer than this…"
She said in a relaxed, almost playful tone.
The hero immediately stepped back, remaining cautious. The vampire smiled maliciously.
"I saw you fighting with Nana. It was pretty fun, you know. She couldn't even touch you. How about I join in too?"
In the blink of an eye, she simply disappeared. It didn't even seem like a movement. It was as if reality itself had been distorted, unable to keep up with her existence.
The hero felt a shiver and, trusting his instincts, jumped back… then saw part of his armor in the girl's hands, which she was polishing with her fingers.
"Good instincts! You're a real survivor. You actually have some potential."
Once again, she disappeared right before his eyes. When he tried to back away again, he bumped into the wall. He was cornered.
"Don't be afraid… I'm going to give you a little gift.."
Upon saying that, the girl appeared before him. She held the hero's right arm.
His small, thin arms seemed so fragile, but they contained a crushing strength like that of a bear. Due to the passive effect of the vampire's evil energy, he could not move. The great power difference between the two amplified the effect.
With a slow approach of her hand, she gently touched the hero's forehead. A warmth spread through his body, as if liquid poison were trying to lodge itself in his entrails and spread throughout his body.
At that moment, the glow of the Bloodstain wavered.
"W-what… is…~?"
The girl touched the hero's lips with the tip of her index finger.
"Shiii! Everything's ok, hero!"
When she released his arm, the hero tried to strike, but his body didn't move.
"Don't be afraid. If you make it through this, we'll see each other again. Don't let me down."
She took her finger off his forehead.
Slowly, the strength in his body left him, making it no longer possible to stay standing.
Bloodstain fell to the ground, as if the hope of the world were also falling. The hero's body then fell shortly after, like a puppet with its strings cut.
His body did not move and his breathing was weak, almost inaudible.
The curtains, therefore, closed in the face of his great defeat, but like the last ember of a forgotten bonfire shaken by the wind, he fought fiercely to prevent his spark of life from being extinguished in the face of darkness.