"Whaaaat? John defeated a troll? That is not possible!" Reina exclaimed, expertly dodging a giant figure's attack. Caden, a few steps away, had just told her that Leonidas and John had returned and survived. He'd decided to share that piece of information just to see the look on her face. A light smile touched Caden's lips. "I'm sure there's more to the story, Mother."
"Enough small talk, focus on the battle!" Helen cried out, her voice cutting through the chaos
The vampire knight, Paul, imbued his spirit force into his sword as he ran towards the giant dark figure. While the colossal creature was focused on attacking Reina and Caden, Paul strategically jumped onto the giant's back and thrust his sword into its flesh. As before, the sword didn't pierce the giant's hide, but the sudden prick was enough to get the giant's attention.
Paul tried to retreat, but the giant spun around with surprising speed and kicked the vampire knight high into the air like a soccer ball. Paul felt multiple bones within his body shattering from the force of the blow.
"No!" Reina cried out, her voice filled with despair.
The giant looked up at Paul, patiently waiting for his descent. Paul tried desperately to move his body, but his regenerative abilities were far too slow. It was likely because his ability had reached its limits, having been damaged and healed repeatedly. Now, when he needed his power the most, it had slowed down tremendously. As Paul flew through the air, he could feel the wind brushing against his face. He tried to move his fingers but felt nothing. Blood leaked from his nose and mouth, and he was starting to lose consciousness, so he bit his tongue, but it had no effect. His vision blurred, and the world spun around him like a whirlwind. With each passing moment, the edges of his consciousness began to fade. He struggled to focus as his thoughts grew hazy, the sounds of the battlefield becoming distant echoes. The sensation of weightlessness gave way to a creeping numbness, and he felt his body growing heavy.
"I'm sorry, everyone," he thought, his voice in his mind barely a whisper. "This is where my fight ends. I cannot hold on anymore."
As the vampire knight Paul plummeted from the sky, his body spun uncontrollably, his mind drifting further into the abyss of unconsciousness. The ground rushed up to meet him, but his senses were dulled, and he barely registered the danger. Below, the giant stood with a towering presence, eyes fixed on the falling figure. A predatory grin spread across his massive face, revealing rows of sharp teeth. He opened his mouth wide, a cavernous gullet ready to receive the man. The giant's anticipation was palpable, a mix of hunger and amusement as he watched his prey descend.
"No, he's unconscious! We need to save him!" Helen cried out, her voice laced with desperation.
Caden immediately sprang into action. He imbued his fist with hellfire, and huge flames danced around his hand as he ran towards the giant. The vampire shot forward with extreme speed and punched the giant directly on the knee, fracturing the bone and leaving scorching marks. This was enough to knock the colossal creature off balance, preventing it from swallowing Paul.
Helen used this chance to jump high into the air, catching the unconscious vampire in the process. When she landed on the ground with Paul in her arms, she quickly dashed away, taking him out of the immediate battlefield and to a safer location.
The dark giant fell to the ground with a loud thud. Caden looked at his fist, surprised to see it was mangled and torn. Blood leaked from his fist and arm, and bone was protruding, giving it a grotesque look. However, the vampire's regenerative ability quickly kicked in, and every damaged piece began to heal itself at an astonishing rate.
"How are we going to kill this creature? It seems only hellfire can damage it," Reina said, watching her son's hand heal.
"Yes, it seems like I'll have to resort to long-range attacks. The problem is I'm not so good with them." Caden admitted.
"If only your father was here. Where is that man when you need him?" Reina mumbled, frustrated.
It wasn't long before the giant slowly got back to its feet, its wound already completely healed. With fury blazing in its eyes, it looked straight at Caden, the vampire that had just given it a painful experience.
"Mother, that thing is angry and it is looking at us!" Caden warned. When he turned his head, Reina was already long gone. "Mother!" he cried out in exasperation.
====
Meanwhile, Zeno pushed through the hole in the wall where he'd punched Kilo, intent on ensuring the Storm Hornets leader was permanently put down. There was no room for error. As he moved through multiple destroyed walls, he wondered just how far he'd sent the poor fellow flying. At this point, Zeno's clothes were in tatters, leaving his upper body bare. His physique was in top condition; muscles beautifully defined with no scars visible on his pale white skin.
Suddenly, he heard a faint noise from above. He could tell it was two men, likely from the Storm Hornets. He conjured hellfire in his palm and burned a hole above him, big enough to jump through.
When he reached the upper floor, he saw something that shocked him. Two men had chopped off the arms and legs of a female vampire maid and were busy assaulting her, despite the chaos engulfing the castle. The female vampire had tears streaming from her eyes, her mouth gagged with a piece of cloth to prevent her from screaming too loudly.
Zeno's fiery entrance had alerted the two men. When they saw the vampire standing behind them, terror and panic rushed through their bodies as they scrambled to pull their pants up properly.
A cold glint appeared in Zeno's eyes. "Humans are vile creatures," he hissed. "To think that you two were thinking about getting your cocks wet during a war."
"Shut up, you leech!" one mercenary snapped, drawing his sword. "Die!" He rushed towards Zeno, but the vampire was already before him, punching the mercenary in the stomach. The man felt like his soul was leaving his body as he slumped to the ground, grasping his stomach tightly.
The other swordsman tried to make a run for it, but Zeno was too fast. The vampire grabbed the human by his neck from behind and brutally smashed his face into a nearby wall, breaking his nose in the process. Zeno then seized the man's left arm and snapped it in two. The man screamed like a pig, but Zeno wasn't done. He broke the man's remaining arm as well as both of his legs. "Death would be too kind; I want you to suffer."
While the man lay on the ground screaming in agony, Zeno focused on the other mercenary he'd punched in the stomach. Zeno did the same, systematically breaking the bones of all his limbs. He too screamed his lungs out as Zeno shattered his bones. After lining them both next to each other, Zeno went to the female vampire, who was still lying naked on the table. Seeing her with her private parts exposed and the tears on her face made his heart ache. He gently removed the gag from her mouth.
"Please, Master, don't look at me," she pleaded, her voice a broken whisper. "I'm so ashamed."
Zeno gently lifted her by the back of her head and held her close to him. "I'm so sorry, young miss. I'm so sorry. Do not be ashamed. I did not kill them. I will not take that away from you. I'm going to pick you up and let you feed on them. When your wounds heal, then you can do with them what you want.
Her tears fell immediately, but he patted her head as he held her close to his chest. She was in great pain, her limbs severed. The two men on the ground also cried out, in extreme pain themselves. "Please, Master, forgive us!" one wailed. "We will never do it again!"
"Yes, Master," the other begged. "We made a mistake. Don't kill us. We are prepared to be your slaves!"
"Shut up!" Zeno roared. He gently held the female vampire by her waist from behind and placed her onto one of the men for her to feed. The mercenary screamed as the female vampire's fangs dug deep into his neck. Her eyes turned a vivid red as she drank his blood, while the other man watched in horror, his friend being sucked dry.
Zeno knew her limbs would eventually grow back, and she would deal with the remaining mercenary herself. He walked out of the room, leaving the man's screams for mercy behind him.
After about ten minutes of walking down the hall, a crack suddenly appeared beneath Zeno's feet. Two hands burst through the floor where he was standing, trying to grab his ankles, but he was too quick. "What the hell?" Zeno muttered.
A familiar figure then jumped through the broken floorboards. "Hey, Zeno, did you miss me?" The man who emerged was none other than Kilo, and he looked and felt different than before.
"Hmm. Impressive, human. I admire your tenacity, and you've gotten powerful as well. However, the outcome will be the same either way," Zeno stated, unfazed.
"Hehehe. Oh, but I beg to differ. This time I will be the victor." Kilo sported a huge, unsettling grin, black teeth protruding from his mouth as the mercenary leader prepared for round two.