On top of the mountain, Caden's attack clashed with the giant's fist. A powerful shockwave erupted from the collision, but Caden could feel his power rapidly depleting the longer their battle raged.
Reina and Helen, who had recovered enough to continue the fight, carried on their assault with one of the vampire knights.
The giant delivered a heavy punch towards Caden. The vampire, however, blocked the attack with his sword. The ground cracked beneath his feet, and he could feel the tremendous force bearing down on his body. The only way to make this bearable was to use a large amount of spirit force, distributing it throughout his entire body.
While the giant's right arm was still stretched out, Helen, Reina, and one of the vampire knights ran up the giant's arm.
"Let's take out both of its eyes, sister," Reina said as they sprinted towards the giant. "I will take the left. You will take the right, sister."
Helen nodded her head.
"As you command, sister."
She then turned her head towards the vampire knight.
"Knight, you go ahead and distract its attention by stabbing its head."
"As you command, my Lady."
With his eyes glowing crimson, the vampire knight ran ahead and jumped onto the dark giant's head. Without wasting any more time, he grabbed his sword with both hands and stabbed it into the top of the giant's head.
The new sword dug a little deeper into the giant's head, but it was still not enough to do any serious damage.
Yet, it was enough to grab the giant's attention.
Both Reina and Helen jumped into the air, heading towards their targets. They followed the plan to blind the giant.
The creature was being attacked from below by Cassandra, Emma, and another vampire knight. Its anger had reached an all-time high.
Suddenly, dark energy burst out from the giant's body, violently repelling all the vampires around it.
As Reina, Helen, and the vampire knight stabbing the monster's head were blown away, the giant reached out with its large hands and grabbed both female vampires.
The creature then jumped into the air before smashing its palms against the ground.
BOOM!
Both vampires would have been crushed into paste, but they had both used spirit force to give their bodies an extra layer of protection.
"No, mother!"
Caden immediately reacted.
With Blazescale in his hand, he rushed towards the giant and swung his sword at its left leg.
SLASH!
The blade cut through the giant's heel.
A huge gash opened up in the creature's leg, and black blood began leaking onto the ground. The sudden injury caused the giant to lose its balance and fall onto its knees.
Caden didn't waste any time.
He jumped onto the giant's back and ran at full speed along its spine towards its head. His body was already beginning to feel the strain from the battle, but he pushed himself forward.
He needed to end this quickly.
When he almost reached the giant's head, Caden jumped into the air.
His sword was raised above his head.
The whole plan was to chop its neck off.
The monster sensed the danger approaching and quickly twisted its head.
Caden's eyes widened.
The giant had noticed him.
While Caden was still in the air, he raised his sword, but he suddenly saw the monster turning its head a full 180 degrees.
In that split second, they both looked at each other.
Caden could see the giant dark creature's evil grin. Its black teeth were covered in saliva as the monster opened its enormous mouth.
Suddenly, a dark ball of energy formed inside its mouth.
"Shit!"
The giant released the dark energy blast directly at Caden.
In his haste, Caden brought his sword down to intercept the attack.
BOOM!
A huge explosion occurred as both of their attacks clashed in mid-air. The force of the collision sent a powerful shockwave across the mountain, while pieces of dark flesh were blasted away from the giant.
A huge chunk of the giant's right cheek was blown to smithereens, revealing the dark flesh underneath. Black blood sprayed into the air as the creature roared in pain.
Caden did not go unscathed either.
The explosion tore across his body, leaving multiple deep gashes across his arms, chest, legs, and face. Blood splattered through the air as the force of the blast sent him flying backward.
The vampire spun through the air before crashing hard against the rocky ground.
He rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.
Caden slowly pushed himself up, breathing heavily.
His entire body was covered in wounds.
This monster is stronger than I thought.
He tightened his grip around Blazescale as he stared at the giant in the distance.
The battle was far from over.
====
On an isolated corner of the flat mountain, far from the central Crimson Castle, sat a massive stone guardhouse.
The building had been used as a security post by the vampire knights who protected this part of the mountain. Inside, sturdy desks and observation chairs sat empty. Several maps and documents were still scattered across the tables, abandoned in the middle of the chaos.
With the Storm Hornets mercenaries actively assaulting the mountain, the vampire knights had abandoned this security post to join the war.
Two of those very mercenaries cautiously stepped into the quiet room.
The first mercenary held a crossbow in his hands as he slowly looked around.
"And what is this place?" he asked.
His companion looked around the room before shrugging.
"Let us search around and find out. If we can't find any treasures here, we can always leave. The castle right now is a dangerous place to be. Those vampire knights are too strong. We would only be throwing our lives away."
He looked toward the entrance.
"We need to find some treasures and leave this place."
"You are right, my friend. Only death awaits us here."
The two mercenaries continued searching the deserted room.
Their attention was soon drawn to the far wall. In the middle of the back wall stood a heavy oak and metal door built directly into the solid rock.
The first mercenary scanned the tables and suddenly noticed something.
He reached down and picked up a set of keys.
"Look what I found!" the mercenary said excitedly.
The second mercenary immediately walked over and looked at the keys.
"Now we can open that door, right?"
Both mercenaries looked at each other.
A wide smile appeared on both of their faces.
They were overjoyed.
This war was not in vain after all.
They had finally found some treasures.
The two mercenaries rushed toward the heavy door and began trying the different keys. One key after another failed to work.
"Try this one."
The second mercenary took the key and pushed it into the lock.
Click.
The lock opened.
"Yes!"
The two men looked at each other with excitement before slowly pushing the heavy metal door open.
The door made a light creaking noise as it swung inward.
Behind it was a steep, narrow stone stairwell that plunged deep into the earth. The walls were made from rough stone, and the only source of light came from flickering oil lamps bolted to the walls.
The two mercenaries looked down the dark stairway.
"What do you think is down there?" one of them asked.
"Hopefully something worth killing for."
The mercenary leading the descent began walking down the stairs.
Step by step, they descended deeper into the earth.
At the bottom of the uneven steps, the passage opened into a sprawling underground corridor.
The mercenary leading the descent wore a stark, conical helmet forged from heavy, unpolished steel. Built strictly for the brutal reality of war, it lacked the ornate decorations of the vampire knights.
Thick metal bands were riveted across the smooth dome to reinforce the shell against crushing blows. A rigid iron guard dropped straight down over his nose, leaving only his hard eyes visible in the flickering lamplight, while hinged metal plates flanked his jawline to protect the sides of his face.
The mercenary slowly looked down the dark corridor.
Neither of them knew what they had just stumbled upon.
"I thought this was going to be an easy war. First, we had to decline an ugly demon because it promised us power, and now even Lord Leonidas has returned. I did not come here to throw my life away."
"I agree. This is not what I signed up for. These Crimson knights are too strong. Three of our brothers already died to one of these fuckers," the second mercenary said as he put his knife back into its leather sheath on his left hip.
As they were about to reach the bottom of the stairs, a foul smell suddenly reached their noses.
"What the hell is this place?"
The two men finally reached the bottom of the descent. The narrow stairs opened into a sprawling, oppressive underground corridor.
Massive, vaulted stone arches stretched far into the darkness. Rows of heavy iron cell doors lined both sides of the cobblestone path. The air was cold and heavy, carrying the smell of damp earth and the rotting wood of stacked barrels resting in the corners.
The flickering orange light from the wrought-iron wall sconces provided the only illumination in the unguarded dungeon.
The two mercenaries slowly walked down the path, looking into the numerous empty jail cells as they passed.
Most of the cells were completely deserted.
They continued walking until they reached the last two cells.
The two mercenaries suddenly stopped.
There were four men inside the final two cells.
Each prisoner was standing upright, clearly on high alert despite their terrible conditions. They had been locked away for so long that their physical appearances looked awful. Their faces were thin, their clothes were dirty and worn, and their bodies looked like they had not seen proper food or sunlight in a very long time.
The two mercenaries looked into the second-to-last cell and saw the two prisoners staring back at them.
For a moment, one of the mercenaries felt pity for them.
"What did they do to you?"
One of the prisoners immediately grabbed the steel bars and pulled himself closer.
"Tell us first what the fuck is going on outside," the prisoner demanded. "We are hearing loud explosions, and no one has come down here to help us. And who are you? Where are the vampire guards?"
The prisoner's hands tightly clutched the cold steel bars.
His name was Russel.
One of the mercenaries immediately raised his crossbow and pointed it at the prisoner. However, he decided to answer the man's question.
"We are from the Storm Hornet mercenaries. We came here to attack the Crimsons and—"
Suddenly, Russel started laughing.
"Hahaha!"
The mercenary looked at him with confusion.
"Stop making jokes," Russel said. "You must be stupid to attack the Crimson family. Lord Leonidas is already known to be one of the strongest vampires. How are you going to get past the Fire Lord?"
Russel shook his head.
"Even if you somehow defeat him, what about his wife and children? They are all monsters."
The two mercenaries looked at each other.
"Well, our boss partnered with a powerful vampire named Decker. They managed to capture Lord Leonidas, but he somehow escaped and came back. Now the battle has gotten much harder."
The mercenary lowered his crossbow slightly.
"We came down here to find treasure before we escape, but we ended up here in an underground prison dungeon."
The prisoner with the missing left eye suddenly stepped closer to the bars.
"Let us out," he said.
His voice was calm, but there was a clear determination in his eyes.
"We can help you fight these vampire bastards."
The two mercenaries looked at each other before looking back at the prisoners.
The other two prisoners in the last cell also began shouting, begging the mercenaries to free them.
"Why would we free you all? How are we supposed to benefit from setting you free? How do we know that you are not going to attack us?" the second mercenary asked.
"What do you mean, benefit? Do you have no heart, sir? Are you going to let us rot in here?"
"Free us, kind sir, please. We will not attack you," the two prisoners begged.
"Free us!"
Russel slowly breathed in and out.
"Quiet!"
Everyone immediately stopped talking.
Russel looked at the two mercenaries through the steel bars.
"Listen, honourable men of the great Storm Hornets. We have been stuck here for a long time. The vampires always used me to work around the castle, so I know this castle very well."
He paused for a moment.
"I can show you where a diamond is that is as big as the paw of a silver tiger."
The two mercenaries looked at each other.
"You are lying. I know you just want us to set you free," the second mercenary said.
"I swear on my kids, I'm not lying, sir. I have a family outside who I haven't seen in many years. Please, set us free, and I will show you where the diamond is located. Then we can escape together."
The mercenary stared at Russel, trying to determine whether the prisoner was telling the truth.
But he could not read the man.
He turned to his partner and called him to the side so they could discuss the matter privately.
The two mercenaries whispered to each other for about a minute before finally returning to the cell.
"We have decided to free you, but only you. The others must stay here."
Russel's eyes widened slightly.
"When we get the diamond, you are free to come back and free your friends. Is that a deal?"
"Deal," the prisoner immediately said.
"Back up, you," the first mercenary said to the prisoner with the missing eye.
The man looked at Russel.
Russel simply nodded his head.
The prisoner slowly stepped back from the bars.
The second mercenary eventually opened the cell door after trying a few of the keys.
Russel slowly stepped forward.
His hair was dishevelled and dirty, hanging messily around his face. His feet felt cold against the hard stone floor as he slowly exited the cell. He remained cautious of the two mercenaries, knowing that even though they had agreed to free him, they could still kill him at any moment.
He did not have any shackles on him. What would he need shackles for when he was a prisoner on a mountain full of vampires who could easily kill him?
"Right now, you have some value, slave. I will lead the way while you walk in the middle of us two. If you try anything funny, you die. Is that clear, slave?"
"Crystal clear, boss."
"Okay, let's move."
The mercenary with the crossbow walked in front as the three men headed up the stairs.
After several minutes, they finally reached the upper part of the guardhouse. The three men walked through the metal door that led back outside.
The mercenary with the crossbow was the first to exit.
All three men stepped outside together.
"We can't stay here for too long. It's too dangerous. We have to quickly head into the castle, find the diamond, and get the hell out," he said loudly over the sounds of swords clashing and magic explosions.
Russel, however, stood completely still.
He looked almost as if he had been paralyzed.
His eyes darted in every direction as he took in the sight before him.
Different parts of the castle were on fire. Massive clouds of smoke rose into the sky, while explosions could be heard throughout the mountain. Destruction had spread across the battlefield, with vampires and mercenaries fighting in almost every direction.
Chaos was everywhere he looked.
Russel's breathing became heavier.
"What are you doing, slave? Get moving!" the mercenary behind Russel ordered.
The prisoner's body began to shiver.
"What are you doing? Are you so afraid that you are shaking?"
The mercenary stepped closer from behind Russel, trying to nudge him forward.
He knew that they could not stand out in the open for too long. A vampire could attack them at any moment, and neither mercenary wanted to become another casualty of the war.
The mercenary with the crossbow quickly scanned the surroundings, trying to find the safest path toward the castle.
"Look, brother. The man is shaking out of fear. Hahaha!"
Russel suddenly stopped shaking.
His eyes became completely still.
In the next instant, his right hand shot backward.
He snatched the knife from the mercenary standing behind him in a flash.
The man was shocked.
He had wanted to draw his long sword from his waist, but he never expected the prisoner to be this daring.
Before he could react, Russel spun around and drove the knife directly into his oesophagus.
The mercenary's eyes widened.
He tried to scream, but only a horrible gargling sound escaped his mouth as blood filled his throat.
The mercenary with the crossbow immediately turned around.
His eyes widened when he saw Russel standing there with a huge grin on his face.
Russel spread his arms out into the air as if he was welcoming the chaos around him.
"What a beautiful sight."
"You killed my friend!" the mercenary screamed.
He immediately turned around and tried to aim his crossbow at the prisoner.
Russel moved before he could fire.
He grabbed the knife from the dying mercenary and threw it with incredible speed.
The blade struck the mercenary directly in the shoulder.
"ARGH!"
The mercenary dropped his crossbow.
He expected the prisoner to take advantage of the situation and attack him, but Russel did something completely unexpected.
He ran.
"Stop! You won't get away with this!"
Russel was already sprinting away, laughing frantically as he ran.
He had no intention of fighting the mercenary.
He was heading toward the area where the big gate was located.
Escaping this mountain of hell was the only thing running through his mind.
"Hahaha! I can't believe the heavens have granted me this opportunity!"
Russel continued running, his dirty clothes flapping behind him as the sounds of battle echoed across the mountain.
For the first time in many years, he was free.
As he was running, Russel saw a female mercenary dragging her partner across the battlefield. Both of them looked like they were seriously injured.
I guess I can have a snack before I leave this godforsaken place.
Russel let out a series of jagged, high-pitched, animalistic squeals that sounded like a broken record of a person losing their mind. He rushed towards the two people at full speed.
As he got closer, the prisoner kicked the woman from the side, causing both the female mercenary and her male partner to fall onto the wet ground with a heavy thud.
With an evil grin on his face, Russel rushed towards the woman.
She was lying on her back, and before she could get up, he mounted her, using his body weight to pin her against the ground. She struggled to get free, pushing against him with what little strength she had left, but her weakened body failed her. The man on top of her was simply too heavy.
The woman turned her head, desperately looking for her partner.
He was lying a little further away from them in an unconscious state.
Russel lightly bit his lower lip.
"Fuck, I love this. But listen, girl, we don't have much time."
"Let go of me, you bastard!" the woman screamed as she struggled beneath him.
Russel held her arms against the ground and moved closer to her ear.
"I'm going to squeeze the life out of you. I want to see your soul leave your body," he whispered while grinning evilly.
The woman continued struggling, but Russel tightened his grip.
While he was busy putting his hands around her neck, further behind him, another situation was taking place.
A familiar figure in the Crimson Castle was being chased by a mage.
The vampire knight Lava ran in a zigzag motion, dodging mana energy beams coming from above.
"You killed my fiancé, you monster!"
The vampire knight ran over multiple dead bodies that were scattered randomly across the battlefield. Explosions continuously stung his ears as the mana energy beams struck the ground not far from him.
As he ran, he avoided or jumped over the bodies of his allies while trampling over his enemies.
The blue mana beams continued to chase him like hound dogs.
Lava dodged most of the attacks, but the last beam was about to hit him. At the last second, he turned around and used his sword to swat it away.
BOOM!
The beam collided with his sword, and the force of the attack pushed against his arm. He could feel the immense pressure as his blade made contact with the beam made entirely of mana.
"You complain about your fiancé dying, but what about my people? Your lot killed them without mercy!"
"I don't care! Die, you blood-sucking fiend!"
Blue mana particles started to materialize out of thin air around the mage. They hovered over his shoulder before quickly coming together and forming a glowing blue orb.
Lava turned his head and scanned the battlefield.
His eyes suddenly noticed a mercenary holding a crossbow.
He quickly shifted his gaze to where the man was aiming his weapon.
Lava saw that the mercenary was targeting one of the prisoners who had somehow escaped. The prisoner was currently choking a female mercenary on the ground.
Lava immediately decided to take out the man with the crossbow.
The mage hovering in the air did not know what Lava's intentions were. He did not use the time to think about it either, as his anger prevented him from thinking clearly.
If there was one thing on his mind, it was killing the vampire who had killed his fiancé.
The mage saw the vampire running and immediately fired another mana beam towards his enemy.
"Come back here!"
The mercenary holding the crossbow was having a little trouble aiming at Russel, as the heavy rain was disrupting his vision. He wiped the rain droplets from his right eye and tried to steady his breathing.
The man fired a bolt from his crossbow, but it failed to find its target as the heavy wind caused it to go off course.
The arrow whooshed past Russel as he remained mounted on top of the woman, with both of his hands wrapped around her neck like a snake.
Her feet flailed wildly as her instincts kicked in. She was fighting for her life, but she was too weak to break free.
She felt like she was drowning at the bottom of the ocean.
Her hands desperately grabbed at Russel as she searched for air to breathe, but she could not find any. The more she struggled, the more pressure the man applied to her neck.
Her mouth opened as she desperately tried to breathe, while her tongue slowly stuck out.
She was slowly descending into darkness.
Someone, please save me.
The desperate cry echoed through her mind.
The arrows continued to fly past Russel. He ducked his head and proceeded to end the woman's life.
The man holding the crossbow had tested a few shots already, but he knew that with this final shot, he was going to hit the prisoner square in the back of the head.
His finger slowly moved toward the trigger.
He was just about to press down when his vision suddenly moved abnormally.
The mercenary was confused.
He could not understand what was happening.
What he did not know was that his head was already in the hands of the vampire knight Lava.
The mercenary's body remained standing for a brief moment, completely unaware that he was already dead.
Lava used his index finger to nudge the mercenary's body.
The corpse immediately fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
At the same time, the woman Russel had been choking finally lost her life.
Russel suddenly heard a loud explosion.
BOOM!
He looked up and saw a mage flying through the air and coming ever closer.
Russel glanced at the unconscious man lying nearby.
He wanted to kill the other person as well, but he quickly decided to abandon those plans.
His life was more important.
"I guess the fun is over. Time to leave."
He smiled before getting up and immediately started running in the direction of the gate that led down the mountain.
The mage followed him with his eyes.
His expression was filled with rage.
He raised his metal staff, and the blue orb at the top began to glow brightly.
The heavy winds around him suddenly started to gather, swirling faster and faster as they came together.
A powerful tornado began to form.
"Go apologize to my fiancé in the afterlife."
The mage waved his staff.
The tornado immediately moved in the direction of the fleeing vampire.
It did not take long before the tornado acquired even more momentum.
The powerful winds tore across the battlefield, causing the ground beneath it to crack and shatter.
The strong wind mixed with the heavy rain as the tornado grew larger.
It swept up corpses, dirt, broken weapons, and blood from the battlefield. As all of it was pulled into the swirling mass of rain and debris, the watery tornado began to develop reddish streaks throughout its body.
The battlefield itself seemed to be feeding the storm.
Russel continued running, completely unaware of the monstrous tornado rapidly approaching him from behind.
This was powerful magic that even caused Lava to grit his teeth. Even parts of the castle walls were being destroyed by the sheer force of the tornado. Lava used his spirit force to keep himself from being swept up by the tornado.
Lava, who was still holding the mercenary's head in his right hand, lifted his arm into the air.
He grinned and began bouncing the man's head on his fingertips.
"You humans get a little taste of power and think you are gods or something. I will show you that bigger is not always better."
The vampire's fingertips began giving off small sparks of light.
He let the head fall into the palm of his hand.
Then, in the next moment, the head suddenly caught on fire.
The human's hair and flesh began to melt as the hellflame proved to be far too hot.
"Let's see how my aim is. Die!"
Lava threw the head with enormous strength and speed.
As the head flew through the air, the flesh quickly burned away, leaving only the skull behind. The skull remained engulfed in hellflame as it traveled through the air.
Lava had thrown the head using a certain technique.
Instead of flying in a straight line, the burning skull made a wide curve, following the flow of the tornado.
The mage could not see the vampire throwing the head because his own tornado was blocking his vision.
The human mage believed that his ultimate attack was going to finish the vampire knight for good.
But then he saw something.
A ball of fire was already several inches away from his face.
There was no time to react.
BOOM!
His face exploded as the burning skull collided with his head.
The huge tornado immediately began to dissipate as soon as its master ceased to exist.
Lava turned his head back toward the direction of the gate.
He could still see the mad prisoner running, getting closer and closer to the gate that led down the mountain.
The vampire immediately gave chase.
He cut down a few mercenaries as he rushed towards Russel, getting closer with every passing second due to the difference in their speed.
Russel was still feeling the heavy rain hitting against his clothes and skin. However, he could not help but get a bad feeling as the bottoms of his feet struck against sharp stones scattered across the ground.
He ignored the pain.
He was almost there.
Russel suddenly burst out laughing as he came within distance of the gate.
"I'm free!"
Suddenly, he felt something hit him at the back of his head.
THUD!
The prisoner's body hit the ground as he was knocked unconscious.
Lava turned his head and looked toward Caden and the others, who were still battling the huge black giant.
His gaze remained on the unconscious prisoner for a few seconds.
Then, without saying another word, Lava rushed towards the giant.
Emma, with her wet blond hair sticking to her face, narrowly dodged several strikes from the monster. She continued to use the Blood Step technique to move swiftly across the battlefield.
The female vampire deliberately moved away from where they had been fighting previously. She was trying to lure the giant away from the unconscious Helen and Reina, who were still lying inside the crater.
The giant, however, did not take their bait.
It refused to move too far away from them.
Caden's chest was starting to ache, and his movements were getting slower. He could feel his strength slowly leaving his body as the battle continued.
"You two, I have no plan at the moment. So, I have no command to give. But use your free will against this giant. You have permission to move and attack the giant freely."
The two vampire knights looked at each other before speaking in unison.
"As you command, Master."
Both vampire knights immediately shot out in different directions, rushing towards the giant from opposite sides.
Caden remained standing in place, holding his huge sword with its hot blade resting against his shoulder.
Suddenly, he jerked his head as he sensed someone powerful entering their vicinity.
"Sergeant Lava."
A vampire came strolling onto the battlefield with two balls of fire hovering in the palms of his hands.
"How dare you attack the Crimsons, giant scum."
Lava extended his left arm and fired the fireball towards the giant.
The fireball rushed through the wet air, its intense heat evaporating the rain around it.
The giant saw the fireball coming towards him and extended its massive hand to intercept the attack.
It did not take long before the fireball and the giant's palm made contact.
BOOM!
A huge explosion erupted.
Smoke quickly filled the area as the giant stared through the dark cloud.
The monster felt a sharp sting against its palm.
Before it could react, a second fireball came rushing through the dark cloud.
The giant had not expected an immediate second attack.
BOOM!
The fireball slammed directly into the left side of the giant's forehead.
Another explosion erupted, but this time, a huge chunk of the giant's left forehead was blown into pieces.
A loud scream left the giant's mouth.
It thrashed violently and pressed its massive hand against the wound, dark blood leaking between its fingers.
Its anger began flaring up again as it stared at the vampire knight Lava, who was still advancing towards it.
With a loud roar, the giant opened its mouth and formed a dark energy ball inside it.
Lava generated another fireball in the palm of his right hand.
"You think I am afraid of you, monster?"
The giant and the vampire both unleashed their attacks.
Lava's fireball hissed through the air, evaporating the rain around it and turning the droplets into a violent, swirling mist.
The dark energy ball was completely different.
It did not roar like the fireball.
It moved with a terrifying, absolute silence.
Every droplet that dared to cross the dark ball's path simply ceased to exist. The attack carved a clean, impossible tunnel through the heavy rain as it moved towards Lava.
When the two forces slammed into each other, the impact did not just create a sound.
It created a vacuum.
A violent, concussive shockwave erupted from the point of collision, instantly vaporizing the deluge of rain for dozens of yards in every direction.
Lava gritted his teeth, his eyes widening as his fireball began to buckle.
The dark energy ball pulsed violently.
Its gravitational maw widened as it greedily consumed the flames, stripping away the heat and power from Lava's attack.
The vampire staggered backward.
His skin became pale as sweat formed across his forehead.
He stared in raw disbelief as the shadow-laden ball continued to surge forward, gaining even more velocity as it consumed the remains of his fireball.
Lava's eyes widened.
"Impossible," Lava hissed, his voice barely audible over the hum of the dark energy.
But just as the dark energy ball loomed over him, a streak of steel blurred through the air.
Caden landed with grace, his boots churning up the mud as he planted his feet firmly on the ground. With his massive sword, Blazescale, held in a two-handed grip, the steel was unadorned but wickedly sharp.
With a roar that echoed through the battlefield, he swung the blade in a perfect, thunderous arc, putting every ounce of his strength behind the attack.
He didn't just meet the dark energy ball.
He struck it.
CLANG!
The resonant sound of steel cut through the heavy rain. The flat of the great sword connected with the dark ball with a powerful thrum that echoed through the storm.
It was a perfect, clean follow-through.
Caden sent the massive ball spiraling violently upward, launching it high into the charcoal sky like a ball soaring towards distant bleachers.
Seconds later, it detonated in a silent, suffocating burst of violet light.
Caden quickly turned towards the stunned Lava.
"Sergeant, are you okay?"
Lava snapped out of his daze.
"I underestimated it, Master."
Without warning, the dark giant's arm stretched out like rubber before bringing its huge palm crashing down, planning to crush both vampires like bugs.
"No time to talk."
Caden grabbed Lava's shoulder, and the two vampires immediately ran as the dark giant's attack came crashing down towards them.
BOOM!
The ground shook violently as the giant's palm smashed into the earth.
As the two vampires sprinted around the giant, Caden quickly briefed Lava about their situation.
"Sergeant, my mother and Aunt Helen are trapped in the craters and still unconscious. For some reason, this monster refuses to move away from where it is standing, so that we can save them and get them to safety. The two vampire knights and stepmother are trying to get its attention, but it is not moving from its position. So, our only option is to go in and get them out, but the monster is very powerful. One mistake and you are dead."
Lava took a few seconds to think.
"Agreed, Master Caden. The more men we lose, the more advantage it will be for the giant."
Lava thought again for a few minutes.
"Master Caden, I have an idea. I will be right back."
Lava then ran in another direction while Cassandra and the others kept the giant busy, trying to survive its relentless onslaught.
====
In a pub, men and women were dancing with joy to jazz music. The whole room was lively, and the sound of conversations echoed throughout the establishment. Laughter could be heard from every corner as people enjoyed themselves, completely unaware of what was happening behind the scenes.
But there was a secret room at the back of the pub.
The room was owned by a gang boss, and inside, he was busy pulling a man's teeth out with a pair of pliers.
"I thought I made myself clear. Do not come and do business in my territory ever again."
Blood gushed from the man's mouth.
"Russel," the man said through his bloodied mouth.
The man was immediately slapped across the face with an open palm.
"Don't call me by my name, you cunt. I'm the boss. Call me BOSS!"
Spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor, the man looked at Russel and gave him a light chuckle.
His face had been beaten so badly that a large swelling had formed around his left eye.
"I remember when you were a little kid. You used to be so fast."
"Yeah, I remember how you used to shoot at me with your pistol. I was so fucking scared. You made me run for my life."
Russel grinned.
"That was when you were the right-hand man of Boss Godfrey. God bless his soul."
"You coward. You killed the boss. I don't know how, but I know it was you, Russel."
Russel was alone with the man in the room, with two of his henchmen standing outside the door.
"You cunt! How dare you blame me for the boss's death? I'll kill you!"
He quickly walked over to one of the tables that was covered with bottles of alcohol and cigarette butts. Smoke still lingered in the air.
A pocketknife was lying near a plate of half-eaten medium-rare steak.
Russel picked up the knife and slowly walked back towards the man, who was tied to the wooden chair.
"You know, I was thinking of letting you go with some minor injuries, but I changed my mind."
Russel slowly pulled the blade out of its handle while grinning evilly.
"Please, Russel... No... I mean, Boss. Spare me."
The man had white streaks throughout his hair, clearly showing that he was older.
"I used to look up to you. Now I have to send you to the sky."
"No. Please. Spare me!"
The older man's swollen, blood-covered face was filled with terror as he begged for his life.
"Don't worry, old man."
Russel stood over him with his upper body exposed, his hands covered in blood and a blade now held firmly in his hand.
Only murder was on his mind.
He looked at the man sitting in the chair, thinking about where he should start stabbing him.
Russel loomed over the terrified old man.
"Time to die."
He then felt something wet touch his right shoulder.
Russel's left hand immediately reached for the spot where he had felt the sensation.
He looked at his fingertips, rubbing them together.
Water.
He looked up and noticed the ceiling dripping.
The old man suddenly started laughing.
"It's time for you to go back."
Russel was confused.
"Go back where?"
Then the entire ceiling suddenly began raining water as if it had turned into one enormous square shower.
Within a few seconds, the entire room was flooded with water.
Everything around Russel became darker.
The room went completely black.
The old man continued laughing loudly.
"Wake up, you bastard. Wake up!"