Everyone froze, standing with weapons ready, eyes darting in every direction. The air grew heavy, and even the sound of their breathing felt loud. Their hearts pounded because whoever was out there wasn't just some small threat—it was definitely an S-rank person.
"Are you sure… it's a Dracula?" Krona asked, her face pale, sweat sliding down her temple.
"Do not make me repeat myself," Lortell replied sharply, her red eyes focused, her voice carrying an icy authority that silenced everyone.
At that exact moment, she turned her head sharply toward the shadow behind a crumbling house. "Come out!"
The soldiers' heads snapped to that spot. For a few seconds, nothing moved, and the silence pressed down on them like a weight. Then, footsteps echoed. Someone stepped out slowly, calmly, as if completely unbothered by the tension.
It was a girl with pale, fragile-looking skin and piercing red eyes. But the moment sunlight touched her, her skin began to smoke and burn lightly, making her flinch as if needles pricked her flesh.
"Is… is that the Dracula?" Krona whispered, her voice trembling.
"Of course not," Lortell said coldly, her eyes narrowing. "Whoever the real Dracula is, it switched places with this one and is hiding somewhere else."
A chill ran down Krona's spine. "Switch places?" She had heard stories but never seen it. "Does that mean Dracula can trade their position with the ones they've turned?" Her stomach twisted at the thought.
The pale girl lifted the corners of her skirt lightly with both hands, as though mocking a lady's curtsy. Her lips curled into a smile. "M-aster says… hand over the Authority of Blood to him, and there won't be any bloodshed today. It's daytime after all… And your Reincarnation battlefield won't be very effective here, There are barely any real corpse and rest are broken robots, And don't forget, you have things you want to protect. Think carefully."
She rubbed her cheeks with her nails as her skin sizzled under the sun. "So? What's your decision? Hurry… the sun makes my skin itch."
Esdeath leaned closer to Lortell, her voice low and curious. "What is this 'blood authority'? Why does she want it so badly?"
Lortell's red eyes didn't waver from the vampire girl, but she whispered back just enough for Esdeath to hear. "Long ago, before ascending to godhood, the Goddess Seraphine left behind two inheritances—one of the Time Path, and one of the Blood Path to her second child cain. Both's whereabouts are unknown even after cain died… but after turning eighteen the Blood Path has always called out to me. I am the heir to it."
Esdeath's heart skipped a beat. She knew of those two inheritances. In FLF, no one had ever managed to claim them—they were said to remain without an owner. But to hear that Lortell had the chance to obtain it? That meant she could rise even beyond the heights Esdeath remembered from Free Life Fantasy.
"Why didn't you take it then?" Esdeath whispered quickly. "You could have become far stronger if you had claimed it."
For the first time, Lortell broke eye contact, her lashes lowering as hesitation flickered in her gaze. After a moment, she rolled her eyes and let out a soft sigh. "It's a Constellation-level inheritance. To fully claim it, I would have to leave you again. I don't want that."
Lortell was right. Even in FLF, where the real Esdeath died, she never sought to obtain it because she couldn't protect the reason she wanted to grow stronger and was simply waiting for her death.
Esdeath's face turned a deep red as she looked away, embarrassed. "She never misses a chance to flirt with me!" she muttered under her breath.
The vampire girl watched Lortell and Esdeath whispering to each other, her curiosity growing. "What's going on? Decide quickly!" she demanded impatiently.
Krona, confused, wondered, "What blood authority? What is she talking about?" but couldn't find an answer in her mind. Only Esdeath, Abaddon, and Ceres had a rough idea.
Lortell looked at Esdeath, her expression thoughtful. "Should I just give it to him? I don't really want it anyway. Giving the authority of blood is like giving up my status as a Progenitor vampire, but honestly, it's never been my strength. It won't affect my power much; I'll just be demoted to a Dracula. What do you think?" she asked, searching Esdeath's eyes for an answer.
The authority of blood was closely tied to the number of vampires under your control. It allowed you to revive a vampire you had turned from the dead, make any vampire as strong as an S rank, or resurrect into one of their close vampires without losing strength. It was like being immortal and practically impossible to kill, as every time a Progenitor dies, they revive from the body of one of their vampires, given they have made the necessary preparations beforehand.
This was just the tip of the iceberg; there were other outrageous and weird abilities it provided. However, Lortell had never turned anyone into a vampire, making it practically useless to her, except for some benefits like controlling other vampires she hadn't turned, But of course it has limitations of number and distance and vampire who are in deep control by one of the two noble bloodlines and greater blood manipulation.
Esdeath's expression immediately turned serious and solemn as she looked forward. "Giving it away means bowing down, and I would rather die than see you bow down to someone because of me!" she said firmly.
Lortell sighed and then smirked. "Is that so? I can't deny my wife's words, can I?" She raised her hand towards the vampire girl and commanded in a flat tone, "Kill yourself!"
Without hesitation, the vampire girl drew a katana from her back, placed it against her neck, and with a swift motion, beheaded herself without making a sound.
Everyone present was shocked by what had just happened.
Lortell only smirked as she explained, "This is the authority of blood. I can freely command other vampires, but it has its limits. Of course, it can't affect the other two noble bloodlines or those deeply controlled by them. It seems that Dracula wasn't very fond of her!"
"Everyone, do not resist any kind of magic! Our goal is to leave!" Lortell's voice cut through the tense silence.
It wasn't that she lacked confidence in defeating the hidden Dracula. But there were more than three hundred people with her—soldiers, rescued specimens, and most importantly, Esdeath. She didn't want to take a single unnecessary risk.
BOOM!
The ground shook as several nearby houses collapsed at once. From the rubble, countless vampires crawled out. Their nails were long and sharp, their fangs glistened, and their faces twisted with madness. These were not ordinary vampires—they looked like creatures driven only by bloodlust and slaughter.
One house after another burst open, and more poured out like a massive, unstoppable tide.
Abaddon's eyes widened in horror. "So many… How many are there? Two thousand? Three thousand?"
From above the chaos, a figure darted among them, constantly switching places with the other vampires and moving closer with frightening speed.
The hidden Dracula.
It was clear he was going all out. Daytime dulled the natural advantages of vampires, and with this battlefield filled mostly with broken robot parts instead of fresh corpses, Lortell's reincarnation field wasn't as effective. For him, there couldn't be a better opportunity to strike.
"Saara, Tiana, Ferra!" the Dracula shouted.
Three vampires instantly leapt from the swarm, their claws extended as they lunged straight at Lortell and her group.
But before they could even reach, the Dracula raised two fingers.
"Switch!"
In an instant, he swapped places with one of his own vampires. Instead of targeting Lortell, he appeared right in front of Esdeath, sword raised high.
He was trying to exploit Lortell's weakness—using Esdeath as a hostage.
But Lortell didn't move to defend her. Her crimson eyes glowed coldly, and instead she forced control over one of the last vampires at the very edge of the swarm. The creature dropped to its knees with a thud, powerless.
"Teleport," she whispered.
The air cracked, and in the blink of an eye, she and everyone else vanished from their position. They reappeared far at the back, behind the endless tide of feral vampires.
If a Dracula could switch places, then why couldn't a Progenitor teleport using her authority? Of course she could. Though carrying hundreds of people along with her was exhausting, she did it without hesitation.
"Go! We're already halfway through!" Lortell shouted, her voice commanding. "Head for the Church Kingdom or back to your own lands! I'll hold him off!"
Her gaze landed on Abaddon. "Take care of Esdeath. Do not let her come here, no matter what happens."
Abaddon's face hardened. She grabbed Esdeath's hand and gave a firm nod before pulling her away, ignoring Esdeath's protests.
But only a few seconds later, the Dracula reappeared. His body shifted again, and suddenly he was standing in the back line, having switched places with another vampire.
"That was clever," he admitted with a twisted grin. A black sword appeared in his hands, and with a blur of motion, he slashed it straight toward Lortell.
CLANG!
Steel met steel. Lortell had already drawn her own sword and blocked the strike. The force of her parry pushed him back several meters, his boots scraping across the ground.
Her expression was cold, her voice steady. "Who are you? How do you know so much about me?"
The man didn't answer at first. Instead, he pulled back his hood.
He was middle-aged, with sharp blue hair and piercing red eyes. His face was chillingly familiar.
Lortell's lips curved into a scoff. "So it's you, Alucard."
The name made the air grow heavy.
Alucard—an infamous criminal, known across kingdoms. Rumors said he is a Blood Path awakened and led a fanatical cult, committing countless sacrifices in the name of madness.
But to think… he was a Dracula all along.
Since it was still morning, the battlefield was equal. Neither Alucard nor Lortell had the upper hand. With the hostages gone, his greatest advantage had already slipped through his fingers.
"I'll just test her a little… if things get tough, I'll leave," Alucard thought, his red eyes narrowing.
He raised his hand, and the vampires around Lortell snarled before rushing at her. At the same time, Alucard started switching places with them—appearing beside her one second, vanishing the next, attacking from every angle like a phantom.
Clang!
Clang!
Sparks flew as their blades clashed again and again, echoing like thunder across the ruined homes.
It wasn't that Lortell lacked power. No—she was calculating, waiting. Unlike Alucard, who could command every vampire as if they were extensions of himself because he was the one turned them into vampires, Lortell had to bend each one to her will before she could switch places. It took at least a second, and Alucard wasn't giving her that chance.
Her crimson eyes glimmered coldly. "Just a few more minutes… once Esdeath is out of range, I'll show how destructive I can be!",
But then, a soft, ethereal voice drifted into the chaos, sweet like a lullaby.
"Did someone forget about me?"
Alucard froze. His body stiffened as he instinctively teleported far back. His gaze darted upward.
Hovering twenty meters above the ground was a woman with a curvy, enchanting figure. It was Igret. Her long hair swayed in the breeze as she slowly descended, her movements so graceful and deliberate that even the madness of the battlefield seemed to pause.
She slid her clothes off in a slow, teasing motion, her pale skin gleaming under the sunlight. Every vampire who's bodies were already half burned by sun, instantly stopped moving. Their snarls faded into silence. Their empty eyes locked on her, mesmerized, like dolls without strings and stood still facing the sun and burned even faster.
But in truth, they were all caught in her charm.
Igret bent slightly, her lips curving into a playful smile. "Here—have a flying kiss."
She blew a kiss with exaggerated grace, arching her back seductively.
Alucard's heart skipped. His sharp eyes, once filled with killing intent, suddenly turned into heart-shaped symbols of desire. His jaw went slack, and for a moment, he forgot about everything—running, fighting, surviving. His mind was blank, consumed only by her presence.
"Nice one, Igret!" Lortell's lips curled into a rare laugh. Seizing the chance, she dashed forward.
BAM!
Her fist smashed across Alucard's face, launching him like a broken doll. His skull cracked apart, flesh tearing—but in the next second, his head regenerated, restoring itself.
Alucard gasped, the haze lifting from his mind. "You—?! I received a report from my vampire that you stayed back!"
But as his words fell, the truth dawned on him. His messenger… had been charmed too. His expression twisted in horror.
"The pope… she has affinity with charm magic? No wonder her figure is like that!" he thought quickly, still ignorant of her true identity as the succubus queen. "If I survive this, I'll use it to ruin her reputation!"
Snarling, he forced his power to surge and break the charm. His aura exploded. "Run in all directions!"
At once, the vampires snapped out of Igret's hold. They shrieked and scattered like insects fleeing a flame, breaking into the ruins from every side.
Alucard blurred with them, switching bodies again and again, running back and forth to mask his real escape route.
But then—something changed.
His breathing grew heavy. His thoughts dulled. The world around him seemed to stretch unnaturally slow, as if time itself had thickened.
"What… what is this? Why is everything moving so slowly?" he thought, realizing too late that his body felt suspended, weightless.
And then—she appeared.
In front of him stood a girl with black hair flowing wildly, a giant cannon twice her size resting against her shoulder. Her crimson eyes sparkled with wicked delight, her lips tugged into a grin that was equal parts playful and cruel.
Esdeath.
"Surprise, motherfucker!"