249. A Sound Beating
BOOM—
With a thunderous crash, the rocks shattered and the earth split open.
The bulky figure sprawled on the ground looked nothing like the divine statue; it was unmistakably a black bear vampire with sleek, glossy fur.
Staggering to its feet, it unleashed an ear-splitting roar toward the sky.
"ROAR!"
The impact—powerful enough to crack a mountain ridge—merely provoked the bear's ferocity.
"You insolent fool! How dare you destroy my divine statue!"
For many years, the Red-Eyed Vampire King had ruled over North Florida without ever experiencing such an affront. Drowsy from sleep and contentedly basking in the incense offerings, it had been violently wrenched from its comfortable state.
A Seeker of Redeemer or a Ward of Nature?
It stared intently at the figure in the sky, seeing only a young man standing on demonic clouds—neither a Redeemed Spirit nor one possessing the aura of a crystal-born Infant.
The black bear narrowed its eyes. "What demon are you? Did that white crocodile send you to help fight?"
The black bear knew the old crocodile's days were numbered and had been planning to eliminate that Vampire King when time permitted. But unexpectedly, its opponent had struck first by inviting an outside vampire to confront it.
Upon hearing this, I arched an eyebrow, my eyes hardening with a cold glint.
I deployed the long-unused Whispering Gale Technique once more. In an instant, my figure materialized behind the black bear, my slender fingers firmly gripping the thick fur on its neck.
My arm exerted sudden force.
The towering vampire, several yards tall, flashed confusion in its eyes before its entire body was lifted up and, in the blink of an eye, slammed violently against a sharp mountain peak.
A muffled crack rang out as the entire small peak collapsed under the weight of its broad back.
"Such tremendous strength!" The black bear felt dizzy. As it attempted to raise its neck, a vicious straight punch smashed into its nose.
Its massive head slammed back against the ground.
I drew my blade, seizing the moment when it exposed a weakness. The weapon, shrouded in black mist, slashed horizontally toward its neck!
CLANG!
Just as Hidden Abyss was about to slice through, a long spear materialized in the black bear's palm. Gripping it with both arms, the bear used the spear shaft to block the descending blade.
Blood streamed from its nose, covering its ferocious bear face as it bared its fangs. The muscles on its arms bulged high.
The scene resembled a dagger striking a tree trunk.
Yet the tree trunk was being forced down inch by inch! Strangely, although Hidden Abyss had previously sliced through the Ascendant King's life-saving bronze armor with a single strike, this spear shaft showed no damage at all—not even a white mark.
"..."
After a moment's consideration, I suddenly withdrew my blade and tucked the spear shaft under my arm.
"ROAR!"
The black bear let out another furious roar when it realized its weapon was slipping from its grasp.
This accursed creature dares to steal my weapon?!
It desperately clutched at the spear shaft, watching helplessly as its claws slipped away inch by inch until I suddenly yanked the weapon free with a powerful tug.
BANG!
The next instant, I dropped several yards and delivered a powerful kick to the black bear's waist. The impact sent its enormous form flying dozens of yards away, hurtling straight down the mountainside.
I then tossed the long spear upward, spun around as my jacket billowed, and kicked its end.
The spear shot out explosively like a massively magnified arrow, streaking straight toward the black bear's chest! A sharp, tearing sound split the air.
The spear's violent trajectory caused the two newly arrived half-vampire horses to instinctively rear up, nearly throwing their riders to the ground.
"Huh?"
Kade Marrow steadied the horned horse and immediately spotted Inspector Kane forcefully kicking the Vampire King away.
"A disciple of the Martial Abbey? A Seeker of Redeemer?" Aurelio Barragan's eye twitched as he turned to look at his H.A.R.M. General.
What kind of Redeemed Spirit expert could throw a massive Vampire King around as if it were nothing more than a broken sack?
Nevertheless, he could not detect even a trace of Infant aura.
"..."
Kade Marrow had no time to explain, his attention completely fixed on the long spear cutting through the air.
The spear flew with fierce momentum, piercing the black bear's chest in an instant. Yet it made no sound of penetrating flesh. Instead, it dissolved rapidly like snow touching a red-hot iron surface.
BANG BANG BANG—
The black bear crashed through trees as it tumbled down the mountainside, rolling like a massive boulder and leaving deep cracks in its wake.
It suddenly slammed a massive paw into the rock wall, finally stopping itself from falling to the foot of the mountain.
When it raised its head again, its black eyeballs were shrouded in blood-red, and the tips of its fur began turning crimson, as if its body had caught fire.
Formless incense power gathered around it.
Dazzling fish-scale armor materialized on its body, while an ornate feathered helmet appeared on its head. With a casual grip, a straight spear rematerialized in its hand.
The previously corpulent black bear now radiated brilliance, transformed into a majestic and imposing divine general.
It levitated into the air, wisps of mist swirling beneath its feet.
"No matter what demon you are, by invading territory under my protection, you have sealed your fate. You shall be executed here today!"
Its blood-red eyes gazed down at the young man, and with a voice that resonated like a great bell, it pointed the gleaming spear tip toward me. "Die, you beast!"
The Red-Eyed Divine Lord displayed its divine might.
In the distance, commoners who had been frightened to the ground hastily rose, then knelt and struck their foreheads against the earth with desperate reverence.
Kade Marrow and Aurelio Barragan dismounted and stood among the crowd, their expressions growing increasingly complex as they witnessed the battle unfold.
Given more time, this Red-Eyed Vampire King might have truly established a temple and achieved deification, while the H.A.R.M. Inspector had been falsely accused of being a vampire.
Given more time, this Red-Eyed Vampire King could have established a temple and achieved true deification, while the H.A.R.M. Inspector had been wrongly accused of being a vampire.
"Guard my flanks," Aurelio Barragan commanded, wasting no time as he promptly sat cross-legged on the ground.
His Redeemed Spirit emerged from within him as the self-mockery in his expression deepened.
It was laughable—despite being in Florida's territory, he couldn't mobilize the vast power of incense offerings, showing just how disappointed the common people were with H.A.R.M., and how incompetent and derelict in his duties he had been as admiral.
"Inspector Kane! Let me assist you!" he shouted sternly, then charged directly toward the Red-Eyed Vampire King in the sky.
However, the black-clad figure moved much faster than Aurelio.
However, I moved far more swiftly than Aurelio. Stepping effortlessly through the air, I met the thrusting long spear with a devastating punch!
The Red-Eyed Vampire King let out a cold, contemptuous laugh.
Empowered by its blood gift, its strength had surged far beyond its previous state. Yet with another dull thud, the spear was knocked flying from its grasp!
The bear vampire's paws went numb, and its eyes widened in astonishment as it watched its spear spinning through the sky.
Before it could react, I delivered a powerful kick to its head. The feathered helmet—formed from incense power—shattered instantly. The bear vampire's forehead cracked with a snap, and its massive body plummeted uncontrollably toward the ground.
Aurelio had barely risen into the air when he witnessed Inspector Kane descending with predatory swiftness.
Power seemed to surge endlessly from beneath that black jacket.
With one hand gripping the bear vampire's face, I yanked its head upward and drove my right fist into its eye socket with devastating precision.
The vampire's incredibly hard skull crumbled like a hollow eggshell beneath my fist.
With a sickening crack, the skull shattered and scattered, along with the pulverized red eyeball.