Firstly, a huge stone pillar fell from the sky and flattened the standing assistant. Secondly, cavalry charged to eliminate the breach. Taking advantage of the shield he had grabbed, the man lifted it in an attempt to protect himself from the rider charging at him with a morning star. He was prepared to take the weapon's blow on the shield, then spin around clockwise and slash with his sword at the attacker's back.
"Oh damn!"
The blow was so forceful that the shield shattered, and the vampire was knocked several meters backward. Had he been a mere human, it would have taken him a while to recover. But the vampire only shook his head for a couple of seconds to clear the stars from his vision, grabbed the fallen sword, and ran towards the rider who had struck him, who was just turning around to finish off the downed foe.
The second encounter did not favor the Valerian. Askol'd jumped, knocked him off his horse, and, on the ground, tore his throat out and drank his blood. Then, taking the morning star in his left hand, the vampire spun it around but found the weapon unsatisfactory and tossed it aside.
While he was lying on the ground dealing with his attacker, the assault on the archmage's tent faltered. Almost all the attackers were killed, and the retreating survivors were caught by cavalry in dashing uniforms. The famous "Silver Spurs," one of Valeria's best regiments, demonstrated their superiority over the new foe.
Deciding not to tempt fate further, Askol'd ran away. He needed to regroup and… A stone pillar drove his body into the ground and flattened him into a pancake. The archmage had noticed the confident fighting opponent a couple of minutes earlier. As soon as he showed his commanding presence, his fate was sealed.
The old fighter, Georg, knew well that you could be very strong, but if you lose your head, you are useless, so in any battle, he aimed to eliminate enemy officers and required the same from his subordinates. Of course, he didn't know that his "Heavenly Pillar" had killed the Supreme Vampire; the advisor could not have anticipated that someone commanding such an army would personally engage in battle.
But Askol'd died having achieved his goal. The breach he created in the rear of the defending army allowed the vampires in other areas to exploit the chaos and break through in several more places. And when a vampire found himself in the center of a dense formation of people, he created a massacre…
That night, Valeria's army achieved another victory. But two-thirds of its force was dead. The survivors were such a pitiable sight that the advisor made only one decision—to retreat further. His army was no longer combat-effective. Of the five magisters, two had died that night. Most of the paladins were fallen.
The only remaining combat-effective unit was the "Silver Spurs," whom the archmage left in the nearest city, instructing the colonel to establish quarantine on the roads and retreat at the first signs of another enemy army.
Of the vampires comprising the Supreme Vampire's army, fewer than a hundred fighters survived until the next night. None of them thought about pursuing the retreating army. Although two of them were considering declaring themselves the next Supreme Vampire, the small number of the remaining troops kept them from making a final decision.
Eugene and Olga lay in bed, completely exhausted, which, considering the fantastic endurance and strength of vampires, spoke volumes. The married couple, after arriving in the new world, had been through tough times. Each of their jobs took up a lot of time, and what once was absolute mutual understanding quickly evaporated into almost polar viewpoints.
In the past, sex always saved such situations, but in this world, there often wasn't time for it. But then they caught Krapivin, and the couple's sex life reached a whole new level, becoming simply stunning and fantastically unprecedented. It seemed, what did the deceased fugitive have to do with it? But it all was as clear as day.
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