Seeing that Virt and Robert had already fled behind him, Dark immediately asked:
"Level, strength, abilities?"
It took Virt half a second to process, then he hurriedly replied, "Tier 3, very strong, can fire a magic energy cannon, and has high-speed regeneration!"
Dark's eyelid twitched. "Tier 3, so at least seven-star. Has a ranged skill, meaning he's not a vanilla card. And high-speed regeneration... could he be an orthodox high-ranking demon?"
A creature like a vampire might not have stats as powerful as a dragon of the same tier, but they are often harder to deal with in a real fight, being more agile and deceptive.
Simply put, the [Rollout] strategy would be difficult to pull off!
"I choose you, Shuckle!"
In any case, the universal opening move—[Shuckle]!
Although Shuckle's body was small, it looked rather imposing blocking the mouth of the breached hole.
When all other plans failed, the sight of its back was always reassuring.
Dark spoke quickly, "There's only one way out of here. Straight ahead leads outside the cave. But this dragon's lair is in a basin, so you'll need to climb to get up."
"Dragon's lair?"
Robert's voice suddenly changed pitch.
But Dark was already completely focused.
The window of opportunity while the vampire was distracted by the [Skunk Bomb] was precious.
And it was clear that there were others outside that secret room.
Although he didn't know who they were, they seemed much more reliable than Robert.
In any case, he had to buy as much time as possible!
As soon as the cooldown ended, Dark quickly summoned his second Magic Guide Spirit—[Magic Beast (Ditto)]!
He had a feeling that Ditto's transformation ability would be the key to this battle.
But so far, Ditto had no experience transforming into a Tier 3 Magic Guide Spirit, so betting everything on it wasn't particularly reliable.
For that reason, after summoning Ditto, he took Claire's Christmas gift—[Paradise]—into his hand!
…
Dark's intention was already crystal clear.
Virt realized with astonishment that after learning the vampire's basic information, Dark wasn't thinking about how to escape, but was immediately preparing for battle!
Was it because an at-least seven-star vampire wasn't enough to make him retreat?
But based on Dark's performance in the class tournament, although he was strong, he shouldn't be that strong.
Unless he had made some massive improvement in the short time since the tournament!
Thinking of this.
While Virt felt a slight sense of relief, he also felt tons of pressure.
He clenched his fists tightly and once again brought out his final trump card—[Forbidden Love].
Although he knew [Forbidden Love] wouldn't be very effective against highly intelligent lifeforms other than Magic Guide Spirits, especially not against a high-ranking demon with powerful magic.
But if it could be even slightly useful against the vampire at a critical moment, he would feel a little more at ease.
…
Meanwhile.
Outside the secret room, Betty and Scott had no idea that the two mirror rooms had been connected.
They found the vampire's abrupt actions strange but didn't dare to provoke him too much.
Vlad's pained screams from the [Skunk Bomb] only made the two of them more terrified.
Scott had already slipped around a corner, peering out with half a head, trembling with fear.
Betty was also slowly backing away, ready to flee at a moment's notice.
…
A vampire's sense of smell is no less acute than a werewolf's; the Skunk Bomb had nearly destroyed Vlad's olfactory system.
He screamed as he dispersed the smoke, gasping for fresh air, looking even more pathetic.
This made him shift his attention back to Betty again.
"Roar!"
Vlad bared his fangs and roared.
He swiped a claw fiercely at Betty, and a blood-red claw flew out, slashing toward her.
Betty's heart tightened, and she turned to run.
Suddenly, a crackling sound echoed in the air.
An invisible barrier was torn apart by the blood claw, but it managed to block the attack.
Betty took the opportunity to slide around the corner, out of Vlad's sight.
She and Scott were on opposite sides, neither daring to peek out again.
Their faces were tense, terrified that Vlad would come after them.
But after that one swipe, the vampire completely ignored them.
In the blink of an eye, the vampire had charged into the secret room!
Betty instinctively took a step forward but then hesitated.
What could she do by rushing back in now?
Absolutely nothing!
After the Moon Goddess incident, the members of the cult had actually matured quite a bit.
Their character flaws might not have changed, but the way they thought about things was on a different level now.
The moment Betty and Scott's eyes met, they both knew what the other was thinking: They're done for!
From their perspective, Virt and Robert were beyond saving.
If they didn't escape now, they would die by the vampire's fangs too!
They had to run!
The two instantly reached a consensus.
And then.
The vampire that had howled and charged into the secret room was sent flying out at an even faster speed!
"BOOM!"
Before Betty and Scott's uncomprehending eyes.
Vlad, who had been flattened almost into a pancake, slid down the wall.
He propped himself up on his feet and clutched his forehead, his brain feeling swollen, unable to process what had just happened.
What in the world just happened?
A turtle-like mollusk just punched him in the face?
With such a soft-looking punch, the great Lord Vlad was sent flying?
No, that's not right!
It seemed that the moment he made contact with that fist, something flowed out of his body, causing him a moment of weakness.
That mollusk seized that momentary opening and delivered a stunning blow!
Vlad's mind gradually cleared, and he struggled to his feet.
His life force, already weakened by the [Thunder Plasma Bomb], was now even further diminished.
But that blow from Shuckle had finally and completely snapped him to his senses!
He began to calm down, no longer as contemptuous as before.
But in that instant, the entire world underwent a dramatic change!
Vlad's expression changed drastically. His blood-red cape flared open, and a pair of pitch-black bat wings emerged from within, carrying him into the air!
The moment his feet left the ground, a web of magic spread out beneath them.
He had never in his life encountered such a bizarre magical fluctuation—though, to be fair, he didn't have many memories.
But the sense of unfamiliarity and alarm couldn't be faked.
No matter what, Vlad was unwilling to admit that a human child had made him feel fear!
…
The network of magic instantly covered the surroundings, dense as a grid.
One by one, buildings that looked as if they were lifted from a fairy tale rose from the ground.
The entire space was crammed full by the forcibly inserted [Paradise].
A carousel adorned with colorful lights appeared in the dragon's lair, startling Virt and Robert into jumping away.
A section of a haunted house bored into the hero's secret room, where a ghost draped in a sheet drifted about.
A giant Ferris wheel rose outside the secret room, its top hitting the ceiling!
The secret passage, which had become gloomy and silent with the vampire's arrival, was suddenly filled with a cheerful melody.
A blond young master stepped out from the secret room's entrance in time with the beat, looking up at the vampire pinned against the Ferris wheel.
Their gazes met in mid-air but didn't strike any sparks.
Hiding around the corner, Betty and Scott were startled by a Hedgehog Cat trash can that suddenly appeared behind them, nearly screaming out loud.
Scott looked with a pale face at the blond boy walking out of the secret room, feeling a sense of dread for what felt like the umpteenth time.
Why was it Virt Gold who walked into the secret room, but Dark Demon who walked out?
Could that room full of mirrors actually transform people?
…
"It's a Field Card!"
Betty looked at the blond boy, who was only a first-year, her heart pounding with shock.
The transmutation of a Field Card was extremely tedious and complex; even a fourth-year student wasn't guaranteed to succeed.
Most magisters could only master simple Field Card transmutation methods by the time they graduated.
Even an honor student like her had only managed to create a [Water Field] card, and it wasn't very useful!
Students who possessed advanced Field Cards were almost all top figures in their respective grade levels.
Although she didn't yet know the effects of [Paradise], just from the details of its projection, she could tell it was bound to be of the highest tier!
But she held no ill will toward Dark.
The stronger the student who appeared at this moment, the more reassuring it was!
She suppressed the urge to run and stared intently at the blond boy who remained calm and elegant even when facing a high-ranking vampire, her fingers trembling slightly.
Her heartbeat suddenly grew louder.
…
Vlad attacked without warning.
Before the [Paradise] field could fully deploy, he struck!
Crimson liquid flowed from his cape and crawled up his arm.
He clenched his fist slightly, and the crimson liquid transformed into a blood-red rapier.
With a powerful beat of his bat-like wings, he dove downward!
In the blink of an eye, Vlad was within three meters of Dark.
His arm and rapier thrust forward, the sharp sword wind almost piercing Dark's forehead!
Dark's bangs flew up, and his eyes, irritated by the strong wind, narrowed involuntarily.
"Watch out!"
Cries of alarm from the boys and girls came from all directions.
Vlad's expression suddenly changed drastically, and he froze in mid-air, holding his downward-thrusting pose.
A porcelain-white hand had grabbed the blade of the rapier and, with a simple squeeze, bent it back!
Vlad's face contorted as he struggled, finally forced to abandon his sword and retreat.
Even if he were the most audacious person alive, he couldn't possibly remain indifferent after seeing another version of himself walk out from behind the human boy!
How bizarre!
From the moment that human boy appeared, he had felt extremely uncomfortable.
Now, he was so horrified his scalp was tingling!
They hadn't even clashed head-on, yet his morale had already hit rock bottom.
After his hasty retreat, he pressed his back against the ceiling, the blood-red light in his eyes flickering erratically.
Saliva trickled down his throat, causing his Adam's apple to bob.
He swallowed hard and bared his fangs.
From between his teeth, a hoarse voice finally squeezed out.
"Who are you?"
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