Around Freya, vampires had awakened from their "hidden" form as they started devouring and killing the innocent villagers.
So, while Selene was stunned against the wall, Freya took advantage of those instants to eliminate some of the vampires.
With an immense speed, she dashed towards a female vampire who was ready to feed on a child.
During the dash, she infused her dagger with white magic, in order to stop vampire's regeneration.
One single strike.
One dash.
One single hit.
And, in the blink of an eye, the vampire's head fell directly on the ground.
You couldn't even hear the cut for how perfect it was executed.
After that, Freya looked into the child's eyes.
He was completely scared.
She then lowered to herself to him and pet his hair to calm his down.
His tiny body was completely shaking from fear.
"A-Aurea…? " The little boy mumbled, with a trembling voice.
Freya smiled in a motherly way and nodded her head.
"Yeah. It's me, Aurea. But we can't talk now, so take this little thing and run away towards the biggest hut you see." Freya said, while giving him a small bottle. "If anyone tries to hit you, just throw this at them, okay?"
After that, the little boy immediately took the bottle and ran away.
The place Freya meant was the hut where Valtherion and Elarwen were.
Then, Freya looked around her.
There were people screaming and running away from the vampires.
She had to save as many people as she could.
"But… how did they arrive here despite the barrier?" Freya thought, eyes scanning the carnage.
The barrier—crude, yes, but laced with garlic, blessed by whatever local priest the village could scrape up.
It should have bought them time.
It should have kept these parasites at bay.
Unless…
Her jaw tightened.
Unless the barrier had never mattered.
Unless the vampires were already here.
Already inside.
And not even she could see through them.
She then realized how many times she could die.
She underestimated her enemies.
"Fuck. How was I so careless?"
She cursed under her breath.
A scream snapped her from her thoughts.
A woman—one of the villagers, trying to flee—had been tackled to the ground by a gaunt vampire whose nails gleamed like daggers.
His mouth opened wide, tongue flicking out in anticipation of the taste of blood.
Freya moved.
The world blurred around her as she surged forward, magic rippling through her veins.
Before the vampire could sink his fangs into the woman's throat, Freya's dagger plunged into the base of his skull—so precise, so clean, that the creature stiffened in shock before collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.
All the blood arrived in the poor woman's face.
Shocked, she scrambled away, sobbing, disappearing into the night.
Freya didn't watch her go.
Another target.
A vampire to her right—lean, bald, his body scarred from older battles—dragged an old man by the leg, ready to feed.
His yellowed teeth gleamed in the moonlight as he snarled.
Freya's free hand shot forward.
"THÄR ZYR SHIR!" Freya shouted.
Then, a long blast of white light erupted from her palm, searing through the creature's chest.
He howled as the holy magic burned through flesh and bone, and his body crumpled into ash.
The air stank of smoke and blood.
Freya straightened, breathing hard, eyes scanning the chaos.
Too many.
She couldn't save them all. Not this time.
But she could buy time. She could thin the herd.
She needed Azrael.
"Come on, Freya," she muttered, the name slipping out despite her disguise. "Focus."
She pivoted toward Selene, still slumped against the broken wall.
Selene was stirring, wiping blood from her lips, her eyes burning with fury, but there was a malicious smirk on her face.
"Oh, you'll regret that," the vampire hissed, voice like broken glass. "I'll peel the skin from your bones, you disgusting elf."
Freya smirked. "You talk too much for someone who got thrown like a rag doll."
Selene shrieked and launched forward.
Freya met her halfway, blades flashing, sparks flying as steel met claw.
They clashed in a storm of blows—Selene fast and feral, Freya faster and sharper.
Their hit were so fast that a normal person couldn't even see them.
But the most important thing was that every single hit was fatal.
One single mistake and one of them would've been so dead.
Freya's daggers glowed with divine energy, each strike leaving scorch marks where they grazed undead flesh.
Around them, the village burned.
Homes set alight by tipped torches.
The screams of the dying blended with the crackle of flames.
Freya couldn't do anything.
Selene would've killed her.
She only had to hope for Azrael to arrive.
Selene raked at Freya's face—missed by inches.
Freya countered, slicing across Selene's side.
The vampire howled, staggering back, smoke rising from the wound.
Selene took a small glance at her wound before looking back at Freya.
Her pupils became small, and a look of anger and disgust appeared on her face.
"You're being annoying, Bitch Elf. Your blood smells bad." Selene said, with a cold voice.
Freya didn't even reply with words.
She drove forward, forcing Selene onto the defensive and started to strike again with her daggers.
Each strike measured, relentless, deadly.
Her movements were delicate but mortal.
She looked like a dancing princess.
Freya managed to hit the vampire multiple times.
But Selene grinned despite the pain.
"You think you're winning, don't you?" she spat. "But you're just delaying the inevitable. Maria's children are everywhere. You'll die here, all of you!"
Freya's eyes narrowed.
Maria again.
Always Maria. The spider at the heart of the web.
"I've heard that before," Freya said coldly. "And yet, here I am."
Selene lunged.
Freya sidestepped, driving a dagger into Selene's arm, pinning it to the wooden beam behind her.
With a twist of her wrist, she summoned a glyph of binding light, locking the vampire in place.
Selene shrieked, thrashing, but the magic held firm.
Sadly, Selene cut off her own arm and stepped back, right before Freya's magic was about to explode.
"Oh… that was close. You're pretty dangerous… aren't you?" Selene said with a grin on her face, while blood came out from her shoulder, forming a completely new arm.
Freya then moved into a different fighting stance.
She put the daggers away and casted a spell.
She took a deep breath.
"Vrek Khaenmart Kai, Zyrakth Shir'Ka!" (Pure blood of my skin , Be my flame against the shadows)
Freya said.
After that, a golden aura surrounded her whole body, while two black flames appeared on her hands.
"Stay. And watch your brood die." Freya said, while looking directly into Selene's eyes.
Selene felt a small wave of fear and arousal down her spine.
She had always been thrilled to face strong enemies.
That's why she decided to release her power.
"Oh oh… we have a real elf here. I guess I'll have to become serious…" Selene said , while stretching her neck.
"Xar'qorr Vreth'zul" She whispered.
Freya had attacked her during her cast time but…
Selene was to fast.
In an instant, Selene grabbed Freya's wrist with a very firm and painful grip.
A dark aura surrounded her.
Her face became different.
She had literally became a monster.
Long fangs, pure white hair, bloody crimson eyes with tears of blood falling from her face, and a strange skin-like armor all over her body.
Freya felt her power, that's why she tried to attack faster.
"Oh… baby… did you really think you're the only one who can cast spells…?" Selene said, before throwing Freya into air.
"Ah—- fuck!" Freya shouted, trying to gain her focus again.
But it was futile.
Selene was already behind her.
"Look at me, elf." Selene said.
Freya tried to punch her, but Selene threw a kick right into her stomach from the above, sending her to the ground.
Freya's eyes widened from the pain, but she tried to remain calm.
Even someone like her had understimated her enemy.
Luckily , she recovered fast and stood up quickly, before stepping back.
She then was face to face again with Selene.
The vampire smirked.
"So, what do you think of my power?" She asked. "This is a gift from my mother…" Selene added.
Freya remained silent.
Her eyes scanning to find a weak point.
Her skin became like stone.
Her fangs became way sharper than before.
"Can I really defeat this monster…?" Freya said, with still the black fire in her hands.
Other than that, other 8 vampires appeared behind Selene.
She wasn't alone, and she was about to play dirty.
But suddenly, something caught everyone's attentions.
They turned, even Selene..
And something caught their eye.
The fires reflected off… movement. Not vampire. Not villager.
Armor.
A shape, distant, emerging from the treeline.
Freya's heart skipped.
Azrael.
Even from this far, she knew that gait, that presence. The fog itself seemed to recoil from him as he advanced.
And with him came hope—or doom. Depending on who stood in his path.
Selene saw it too. And for the first time that night, the vampire's fury cracked—replaced by something colder.
Fear.
Freya straightened, catching her breath, white magic flaring around her hands once more.
The battle wasn't over.
It had just begun.
Azrael's presence could only mean one thing: something very dangerous was coming.