247. Much Work to Be Done
With thunderous hooves and squelching sounds, the tall, robust half-vampire horses trampled through the muddy ground, revealing the broken asphalt beneath.
The young man gripped the reins firmly, his intense gaze fixed straight ahead.
Behind him, Kade Marrow followed on horseback, both admiring and apprehensive: "Inspector Kane..."
"Don't speak," I cautioned him softly.
Kade Marrow froze, suddenly noticing that the commoners along the street had stopped their activities. Their previously numb faces transformed as they spotted the dark armor he wore, their murky eyes finally beginning to sparkle with hope.
Surrounded by so many hopeful gazes, Kade Marrow instinctively straightened his posture, following closely behind me as we quickly passed through the street.
Instilling hope in people who had suffered under vampire torment for years required not gentle words, but a commanding silhouette that exuded supreme confidence.
The dark armor unblemished, the blade still sharp.
With H.A.R.M.'s return to Gainesville, vampires would be vanquished and blood debts repaid in kind.
The two half-vampire horses galloped to a halt before the H.A.R.M. General's Mansion.
I glanced sideways at the head mounted on the long spear, its original appearance now unrecognizable. I reached out to take it down and handed it to General Marrow.
"Thank you, Inspector Kane." Staring at the skull, Kade Marrow felt a sudden tightness in his chest as he gripped it firmly with one hand.
Throughout the vast compound of the H.A.R.M. General, bewildered people gathered in crowds, including some who had just been stripped and washed, rushing out naked to witness the commotion.
In this vampire city, propriety and shame had long vanished—such concepts were luxuries only the living could afford. The inhabitants were reduced to nothing more than walking meat dishes.
"Notify H.A.R.M. to take over this city," I said quietly, just loud enough for those nearby to hear.
After speaking, I pulled the reins again and departed through the city's south gate.
Having gained a clear assessment of the Redeemed Spirit's strength, I entrusted both the blade and the pouch artifact to Lady Taurymne, instructing her to search the counties under the city's jurisdiction.
A vampire lord might control a single city, but certainly lacked the ability to control the entire Gainesville region.
Numerous vampires must be scattered throughout the various counties under his command. This type of cleanup work didn't require my personal attention.
The bloodsteed departed swiftly.
Yet, the neat black jacket and crimson cape left a powerful impression on everyone who witnessed them.
While ordinary people might not recognize the person's identity, they still recognized the distinctive regalia of a H.A.R.M. General.
"Has the day finally come?" mumbled a middle-aged warrior who had, just moments ago, resigned himself to becoming someone's meal.
He breathed heavily, rubbing his eyes forcefully with the back of his hand, afraid to believe what he was seeing.
The two half-vampire horses appeared and disappeared in an instant, much like how the black blade had vanished in the blink of an eye.
Fearing this was merely a dying hallucination, he instinctively glanced back at the vampire blood on the meeting hall's table, which hadn't yet dried.
The crimson blood was eye-catching, breaking through the numbness that had settled in his heart.
After a prolonged silence, a shrill cry suddenly erupted along the street.
"H.A.R.M. is back!!"
... …
Hearing the commotion behind him, Kade Marrow stared at the black silhouette ahead. Only now did he fully connect this young man with the identity of a H.A.R.M. Inspector.
Inspecting the Twenty-five States, eliminating vampires throughout the land.
Is this not precisely how things should be?
"Sir!" Kade Marrow turned his horse around.
Earlier in the city, he had wanted to say that perhaps they should first notify the Admiral and carefully plan their actions to avoid alerting the enemy. Though they might kill the panther vampire, they could still be outmatched by the Red-eyed Vampire King, potentially causing an even greater disaster.
But when the young man handed him his colleague's head, the perpetually worried General Marrow felt a sudden surge of determination: "I'll notify H.A.R.M. immediately to take over Gainesville, then bring reinforcements to find you."
Rather than waiting passively for death, better to use the last bit of strength to slay a few more vampires!
"Go then," the Inspector nodded and dismounted.
"What are you doing?" Kade Marrow asked in confusion, then gasped as a cluster of red clouds gathered in front of him, and suddenly shot upward into the sky!
He stared at the sky, mouth agape, the bewilderment in his eyes deepening.
This thing... looked increasingly like vampiric clouds.
Moreover, how would he find Inspector Kane later? And without someone to stay by his side, who would protect him when his Redeemed Spirit left his body?
...
Standing atop crimson clouds, I examined the panel, watching as the absorbed lifespan occasionally flickered.
Most jumps were several decades long, with occasional additions of four or five hundred years.
Having been a Vampire King herself, Lady Taurymne was even more greater skill at locating vampires than I did as a Vampire Hunter.
I closed the panel, not bothering to direct her.
With my golden eagle blood gift activated again and my perfected Aura Revealing Sight, I soared toward the areas with the highest concentration of vampire energy.
Following my natural instinct, I would normally go after the Vampire King directly.
However, after witnessing the state of Gainesville, I silently altered my strategy.
Another magnificent city appeared below my feet.
I had never had such good fortune before—vampire lords sitting obediently in the H.A.R.M. General's residence, waiting like lambs for slaughter.
I dismissed the red cloud and plummeted downward, my body crashing into the building with a thunderous impact.
The spacious mansion collapsed under the tremendous force, its tall beams shattering into dust.
BOOM—
The deafening crash plunged the entire city into silence.
After about thirty seconds, the dust settled.
A black-clad figure emerged from the rubble, dragging the corpse of a vampire whose head had been completely shattered.
Clutching the corpse, I soared back onto the clouds and opened my mouth, transforming it into three drops of sangrith blood. I sent a mental message to Lady Taurymne to hasten the cleanup—the four large cities contained at least one hundred counties: there was much work to be done.
...
A streak of red cloud passed across the Florida sky at a speed difficult for the naked eye to follow.
Similar scenes of destruction unfolded across all four major cities.
At the same time, a black saber swept through various county towns. Vampires caught eating, gambling, or lounging in comfortable beds had their lives taken in the blink of an eye, their corpses immediately collected into a white pouch.
Vampires who had been flaunting their power just moments earlier suddenly vanished, leaving citizens staring in stunned disbelief.
Meanwhile, in the area still under H.A.R.M.'s control, Kade Marrow finally arrived in Orlando. The two half-vampire horses touched down like streaks of light at the H.A.R.M. Florida headquarters.
Leaping from his horse, he bellowed: "Admiral!"
His voice boomed like a great bell, echoing through the offices.
Countless agents and officers stood frozen in shock, taking several moments to recognize the booming voice as General Marrow's.
Known for his perpetually worried disposition, he hadn't displayed such enthusiasm in years.
A gaunt old man in an orange uniform quickly walked out of the office.
It was Aurelio Barragan, the H.A.R.M. Admiral of Florida.
"You've returned from the capital so quickly?" He stopped, staring in confusion at the half-vampire horses standing beside Kade Marrow.
Black-scaled dragon horses?
These were the prized mounts of the Admiral of East Savannah. Since when had Admiral Lee become so generous to a general from Florida?
He stared at the empty saddle nearby, his voice trembling slightly: "Has Inspector MacArthur returned to New Terra?"