When Shalltear reached the bandits' headquarters, she wasted no time in reducing the place to ruins. Together with her vampire brides, she slaughtered every bandit she saw inside. The bandits' maze-like hideout was littered with traps of every kind, yet all of them were rendered useless by Shalltear's overwhelming might.
She rampaged through the base without care, smashing through walls and foes alike, deliberately making noise to draw out her real prey. Her wish was soon granted.
From the shadows stepped a blue-haired warrior with a rugged, battle-worn aura, his eyes brimming with confidence.
Brain Unglaus.
She was the target she had been waiting for. Seeing the warrior's proud, and self confident expression, Shalltear only smiled faintly. In her eyes, this man had never saw a glimpsed of what a true powerful beings were.
Brain attempted to speak, perhaps to exchange names or boast of his strength, but Shalltear dismissed his words with silence. She didn't even bother introducing herself, merely taunting him with a graceful gesture, urging him to attack. Her utter indifference only stoked his fury.
"This little girl dares to look down on me…?" Brain ground his teeth, as his pride burning. Inwardly, he swore to make the monster before him taste the bitter flavor of regret.
Focusing his spirit, he activated a martial art. A circular aura of light flashed around him, his stance lowering into a sword drawing stance.
He waited carefully, every fiber of his muscle were tense, ready to cut her down the moment Shalltear stepped into the radius of his field.
Amused, Shalltear observed his stance and technique with faint interest. She understood all too well that he was baiting her, yet the idea of playing along entertained her. With deliberate grace, she stepped forward into his range.
The instant her foot touched the circle, Brain's eyes sharpened. He unleashed another martial art, his body exploding with speed far beyond the reach of ordinary men. His blade flashed like lightning from his sheath, drawing in a single decisive motion as he slashed at Shalltear's neck with the intent to end her in one strike.
Yet...
Brain's eyes widened in utter disbelief. His most prized martial art, his ultimate strike, had been stopped effortlessly by the creature before him. Not with a weapon, not with a shield, but with nothing more than the tip of her pinky nail.
The realization struck him like a hammer. All his years of training, every drop of sweat and blood he had shed, all the pride he carried as a warrior, it was nothing but a pathetic illusion before this monster.
Dread gnawed at his heart, yet his spirit as a warrior refused to allow him to retreat. With a desperate roar, Brain lunged forward to strike again.
But Shalltear's expression was one of sheer boredom. With a casual flick of her wrist, she pressed her palm lightly against his stomach.
The impact was devastating. Brain's body was sent flying, crashing through debris until he slammed into the wall with bone-shaking force, burying him underneath the rubble like broken trash.
"Ara~ He's already passed out?"
Shalltear's voice carried a tinge of disappointment as she looked down at the unconscious Brain. Bored, she ordered one of her vampire brides to carry Brain away before she turned away and began searching for a new prey. The Blood Pool slithered faithfully at her heels, greedily absorbing the bandits' spilled blood.
She moved carefully, not to let even a drop of blood touch her. Falling into a Blood Frenzy would force her into that hideous form she loathed, a form she feared Shido would despise her if he ever saw it. For that reason, Shalltear carefully avoided the gore-stained floor of the bandits' den.
Unlike in the original story, Shalltear didn't play with Brain, instead she immediately defeat him on the spot.
As her thoughts drifted back to Shido, a Vampire Bride appeared before her, bowing deeply before delivering her report.
"Shalltear-sama, a number of people are heading this way."
"…Oh." Shalltear's brows knitted together, a faint frown marring her beautiful face. She had not expected another group to wander into this place.
"Let's go check them out."
Shalltear, however, couldn't care less. If they proved useless, she would simply kill them.
...
Stepping out of the base, her crimson eyes fell upon a group of adventurers, fully armed and rigged with equipment.
"A vampire! Ready the silver weapons!"
A priest class adventurer roar out loud while the others took their silver swords as the other adventurer poured holy water on it. Seeing this, a snicker form on Shalltear's lips as she thought how this adventurers are too naive.
Without wasting a moment, Shalltear charge forward, cutting down two adventurers in an instant.
A warrior lunged at her from behind, but before he could even thrust his sword, the world spun out of his control. He never realized he was already dead until his severed head hit the ground.
The remaining two men and one woman froze in terror, yet they refused to retreat. With desperate cries, they charged at her. But their struggle was meaningless, before Shalltear, their resistance was no more than pigs being led to slaughter.
With a sigh, Shalltear decided to finish things quickly and return to Shido's side, she couldn't allow that slutty succubus to get ahead of her. The mere thought made her grit her teeth in frustration and jealousy.
However, her thoughts was interrupted by the last survivor of the adventurers, the sole woman among them.
The moment Shalltear's crimson gaze fell upon her, the girl's face drained of color. Fear seized her heart, and her trembling body betrayed the terror she tried in vain to suppress.
In her panic, the girl fumbled and accidentally threw her most precious potion at Shalltear. To her surprise, it seemed to have an effect as Shalltear froze, her crimson eyes narrowing at the bottle.
Seizing the opportunity, the girl turned and quickly fled, running in the woods.
Catching the bottle in her hand, Shalltear's expression darkened. She immediately recognized it. It was the very same potion that existed within Nazarick. A frown creased her flawless face as suspicion took root.
"Capture her alive." she commanded coldly, and her Vampire Brides moved at once to hunt down the fleeing girl.
Within seconds, the Vampire Brides returned, one of them clutching the struggling girl as though she were nothing more than a rabbit caught in a snare.
Shalltear spared her no pity. With a flick of her hand, she cast a hypnotic spell, forcing the girl into submission. The interrogation was swift, her resistance crumbling beneath Shalltear's cold, commanding presence.
At last, Shalltear released her, falling into a deep thought upon confirming that the girl was connected to Ainz.
But the scout who had accompanied her party, that was an entirely different matter.
Fury welled within Shalltear, she had not anticipated another member among the adventurers. Clutching her head in frustration, she ground her teeth at the thought that her master and Shido would be disappointed with her performance.
Without hesitation, she summoned a pack of Vampire Wolves and commanded them to hunt down the two human rangers fleeing into the forest.
Shalltear followed closely behind, but as she leapt into the sky, a radiant light flared in the distance. Not long after, she detected that her summons had been wiped out.
Enraged, she dashed toward the source of the light. Bursting out of the forest, she found herself confronted by a group of adventurers clad in diverse garb, lying in wait to ambush her.
Her crimson eyes swept across the group until they fixed upon a man with long black hair, clad in ornate armor and gripping a spear. At once, Shalltear sensed his strength.
A thrill of excitement coursed through her, making her nearly forget her mission as she lunged straight for him. Yet the man showed no hint of fear; his stance remained steady, his gaze was calm as he faced the charging vampire.
Though Shalltear was proud and scornful of humans, she still drew her Spuit Lance, eager to clash with him.
The long-haired man, seemingly their leader, stepped forward the moment Shalltear revealed her weapon. Placing himself protectively before an old woman dressed in a dragon-patterned cheongsam, he then gave a command.
"Use it!"
The woman nodded her head and began weaving the motions of a spell.
Sensing the imminent danger radiating from her, Shalltear immediately shifted her focus. Abandoning the leader for the moment, she darted toward the old woman, intent on ending her before the incantation could be completed.
But the group's leader refused to let her pass. He met her strike with his spear, only to be overwhelmed by her strength and hurled back for nearly ten meters.
Shalltear advanced on the old woman once more, intent on tearing her apart, yet this time, a hulking figure stepped in, intercepting her path.
That brief delay was all the old woman needed. Her spell reached completion.
With a sweeping motion of her hands, the dragon embroidered on her cheongsam blazed with light and tore free from the fabric, surging forth as though given life.
The golden spectral dragon lunged with terrifying speed, crashing into Shalltear's body.
Caught off guard, Shalltear's eyes widened. She hadn't expected to be defeated by mere humans. Regret welled within her chest, she had underestimated them. However, before she fall, she would at least bring some of them with her.
With a pulse of her hand, a blue lance materialized in Shalltear's grasp. Without hesitation, she hurled it toward the old woman.
The bulky warrior leapt to shield her, but the lance pierced straight through his chest, killing him instantly. Even so, the weapon struck the old woman as well, yet to Shalltear's surprise, she did not fall.
Shalltear went motionless when she was hit by the golden dragon light. Her expression turned into a blank mask, Spuit Lance still clenched firmly in her hand.
Seeing this, the rest of the group including the leader heave a sigh of relief. Even though, they didn't win, they had succeeded in casting the spell so it was still good. With that, the leader gave the order to retreat.
However.
"What do you think you're doing?"
A cold voice could be heard directly in their heads as if the person speaking was just next to them.
Yet they could feel that the danger emanating from this man was no less than that of the vampire.
Slowly, the leader raised his head, and what he saw was a figure whose very presence could bring a kingdom to ruin. Crimson eyes glared at them while silvery-white hair flowed in the night breeze. Behind him, a divine ring rotated ceaselessly, radiating an otherworldly power.
"…A demon? A god?"
In that moment, those were the only words they could grasp to describe Shido.