The purple holy flames burned behind the man, his golden eyes focused on the enemy ahead.
Alexandre Ikuse and Alexandra Yeva faced the enemies before them, Vlad Tepes I and Queen Carmilla I.
The presence of Marius and the current King Tepes was ignored by the Dhampir and the human, their attention focused on the two ancestral vampires and the hordes of vampires behind them.
Carmilla raised her staff, and Vlad his spear.
A large number of vampires charged at the duo, their mouths open with their fangs exposed.
"Seriously? Why keep sending these guys instead of attacking yourselves?"
Alexandre raised his hand, pillars of purple flames emerging from the ground, striking the vampires.
The members of the dark race screamed in pain and agony as their bodies were incinerated by the holy flames of God.
Alexandre glanced briefly at Yeva and couldn't help but be surprised by what he saw.
The vampires approaching her literally exploded, the blood within their own bodies turning into stakes that tore them apart from the inside out.
Alex knew vampires could manipulate blood, but to be able to manipulate it within others' bodies, her mastery must be on another level…
"Terrifying as always."
Alexandre laughed as he continued to burn the vampires, incinerating their existences.
The vampires were unable to approach due to the danger of the flames.
When the last of the small and insignificant vampires were killed, the two ancient leaders attacked.
Vlad charged forward, literally blending into the shadows as he advanced on Alexandre at near-instantaneous speed.
The vampire attempted to strike with his spear, but before he could finish his blow, Alexandre drew his Zanpakutou, deflecting the attack.
Purple holy flames swirled around the blade as the gigantic cross behind Alex vanished, and he engaged in close combat with the First King of Tepes.
Blows were exchanged at high speed; the spear enveloped in darkness faltered when it clashed against the sword wrapped in holy flames.
Queen Carmilla I and Yeva were also in the midst of a heated exchange of spells. The founder of the Carmilla Clan was one of the most feared magic users of her time, but Yeva held the same reputation in this era.
It was rare to see two magic users of their caliber fighting, and Alex lamented that he had to focus on his own battle instead of truly watching the important fight.
"Ark!"
While exchanging blows with the ancient Vampire King, the Hakuryuukou didn't hesitate to summon his holy magic.
If his enemy was a vampire, obviously this type of attack was the most effective.
Spheres of light surrounded Vlad, who quickly vanished into the darkness.
What Alexandre could discern was that his attacks were causing less damage than they should.
Magic like [Ark] and the flames of [Incinerate Anthem] should consume even a vampire of Vlad I's caliber with little difficulty, or at the very least, cause serious damage.
But the vampire was sustaining minimal damage, which was quickly healed by his vampiric physiology.
Unfortunately for Alexandre, he couldn't simply unleash the flames of [Incinerate Anthem] in their entirety and incinerate everything in front of him.
Despite being a Dhampir, Yeva was also vulnerable to holy flames; if Alex tried to use too much power or unleash the Balance Breaker, he could incinerate the woman.
If it weren't for this situation, he would have already burned the entire castle in his purple flames.
But at this rate, Vlad I wouldn't gain any ground; even if the holy damage was minimal, it was still intense.
If it continued at this level, the vampire's defeat was certain.
Alexandra Yeva also gained the upper hand against Queen Carmilla I, overwhelming her with a multitude of spells.
There was a difference between the ancient magic Queen Carmilla I used and the modern magic Yeva employed.
Namely, its level of refinement.
Queen Carmilla I's magic was powerful but highly unrefined, coming from an era when magic was still in the early stages of transitioning to its current modern state. She was expending far more of her reserves for a spell than Yeva did for a spell of the same level.
Moreover, her stronger spells had a significantly longer casting time, which allowed Yeva to fire multiple spells and disrupt her concentration.
At the rate they were going, the current Blood Countess would likely be the first to properly destroy her opponent.
As Alexandre and Yeva slowly suppressed their enemies, the King of Tepes and Marius were desperate watching the scene.
For creatures who valued blood purity so much and despised humans, seeing a Dhampir and a human overpowering some of the most powerful members of their species was simply terrifying.
The battle suddenly halted when Vlad Tepes I and Queen Carmilla I simultaneously stepped forward and struck the tips of their spear and staff into the ground.
A red substance began to rise from the cracks in the floor, forming a massive dome that covered nearly the entire room and trapped them inside.
The color of the substance and that metallic iron smell… was it blood?
"What is this…" Alex murmured as Yeva approached him.
"The most powerful pureblood vampires have an ability to directly manipulate blood to their liking, and they can create a Blood Field, a domain where vampires' powers are amplified. Moreover, within this Blood Field, they can absorb the life force of their enemies to strengthen themselves."
Alex didn't have time to process Yeva's information when Vlad I charged at him, striking with his spear and sending the Hakuryuukou to the other side of the room.
Yeva also found herself on the receiving end of a barrage of rapid and increasingly powerful spells from Queen Carmilla I.
"Ark!"
Alexandre quickly summoned his holy magic, forcing the ancient vampire to retreat before several holy attack spheres.
Alexandre raised his hand, two dense pillars of holy flames enveloping Vlad's shadowy body.
As he watched the holy flames burn, Alex thought for a moment it was over, but…
From the flames, two hands made of darkness shot toward him.
"Sun Breathing - Sixth Form…"
The sword glowed with solar flames, the holy flames of the Longinus intertwining with it.
"Shakkotsu En'yō (Burning Sun)"
With several rapid strikes, Alexandre swiftly sliced through the attacks.
While defending, the Hakuryuukou saw Vlad I emerging from his flames.
His body was burned in several places but quickly began to regenerate.
"This regenerative power…" Yeva murmured as she pushed back Carmilla, who also took attacks without care and soon healed.
"[Sephiroth Graal] can even modify the body; granting an extensive healing factor is possible, even significant resistance to holy attacks…"
"So you figured it out," hearing Alex's murmurs, Marius smiled. "Yes, they are the strongest vampires in history, without the weaknesses of a vampire! They have no weaknesses; they are invincible."
Hearing the vampire's words, Alexandre let out a laugh.
"Invincible and indestructible are two different things, but very well…" A slow smile spread across the man's lips. "Since they have no weaknesses, then…"
"We'll create some."
"If we have weaknesses, you'll create them? Sounds like arrogance when you can't even harm them, human!" the King of Tepes mocked.
"Alexandre, bluffing isn't helpful now," Yeva murmured.
Vlad and Carmilla prepared, taking a step forward, but at that moment, two massive spheres of pure holy power appeared before them, exploding on their bodies.
"What?!"
The eyes of Marius and his father widened at what they saw, the holy attacks that appeared out of nowhere.
Vlad and Carmilla's bodies were heavily injured, but they soon regenerated.
"Even if they're resistant to a vampire's weakness, they're not immune. There's no doubt that the element they're weakest to is 'Holy.'"
Alexandre raised a hand.
"[Second Wave] is a weakening magic that significantly reduces my enemies' resistance. Moreover, my magical power continues to diminish their resistances significantly with each passing moment."
Vlad tried to attack, but before he could take a single step, three more spheres of holy power appeared, exploding directly on his body.
The damage caused was even more colossal, and it was noticeable that their regeneration was slowing down.
"Now, in this space, countless undetectable holy magical attacks are dancing, reacting instantly to any movement or magic invocation from Vlad Tepes and Carmilla, and they will continue to be created by my magical power…"
Before Vlad and Carmilla could react, countless holy attacks exploded on their bodies, rapidly tearing them apart.
Though their regeneration was fast, its speed was slowing to the point they couldn't recover in time for the next attack.
"Until they die."
"What kind of surreal magic is this?" Yeva asked, surprised, watching as the two extremely powerful vampires were being massacred without a chance to react.
She prided herself on her knowledge of magic and her abilities, but those of this human, Alexandre Ikuse, were on a level of their own.
"I don't even understand it myself…" Alex tilted his head curiously. "I instantly conjured [Invisibility], [Undetectable], [Pursuit], and my magical power into an attribute…"
"That's cheating," Yeva thought to herself.
What was most frightening about this human wasn't his incredible swordsmanship or his abnormal mastery over his Sacred Gears.
But rather the knowledge and all the magic at the disposal of this terrifying human.
More than the highly acclaimed vampires like Vlad Tepes I and Carmilla I, this man—Alexandre Ikuse—was a true monster.
"You won't get away with this, human; you're in the Blood Field of the most powerful vampires; your life force will be stolen!" the King of Tepes shouted.
The moment the King said this, he, Marius, and Yeva paused.
It had been some time since the blood barrier was activated; while it didn't matter much to vampires and the Dhampir due to their abnormal longevity, a human should have already died by now.
"Steal life force… Steal someone's time… in other words, this barrier afflicts those inside with a subtraction of longevity… I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that won't affect me," Alexandre declared with a smile.
"You… aren't human?" Yeva asked doubtfully.
"I assure you, I'm genuinely human," Alexandre smiled.
Then, the Hakuryuukou smiled as he began to explain.
"Experiments, research, tests… all require sufficient time. Gathering ingredients… the volume of trial and error. You have some success rate… but mostly, failure is your only friend. Thus, no matter how much you streamline it, there's never enough time."
"And while immersed in work, various interesting phenomena continued to occur in this human. My desire for knowledge and wisdom was growing… to the point that I no longer knew if I could satisfy it…"
The White Dragon Emperor soon adopted a truly indignant expression.
"A human life is, after all, finite and limited. Thus, it would be impossible to learn everything in the world. So, I couldn't reconcile the two; can you believe something so absurd and irrational?! The purest madness…!!"
Alexandre walked calmly, his katana in hand, while all the while, the two revived vampires were being bombarded by continuous holy attacks.
"And then it occurred to me: all I needed to do was stagnate my own time."
"Stagnate your own time…" Yeva murmured, shocked by the human's words.
The same shock was evident on the faces of Marius and his father.
"You suspended your lifespan…? Regardless of the massive amount of magical power needed to alter the laws of the world, even if you achieved such a feat, maintaining it for as long as you want…"
Marius was in shock at what he heard; though eternal life wasn't news to the supernatural world, everyone had a limit.
Angels, Demons, Vampires, Fallen Angels, and even the Gods themselves—none of them had an infinite lifespan; inevitably, their life would end, though it could take millennia.
For a human to achieve such a feat, without sacrificing their humanity, reaching such a level using the human body and the capabilities of the weakest race.
"Infinity—that's the magical power I manipulate. Thus, no matter how strong a spell is, I only need to cast it once."
"I can keep flames burning… ice freezing… or even time stopped… for all eternity, unless I interrupt the spell."
Alexandre walked calmly toward the two ancient vampires, their bodies riddled with wounds as they desperately tried to recover.
The Zanpakutou was raised.
"Enchant - Hellblazer."
Black flames of purgatory surrounded the blade as, in an instant, the Hakuryuukou sliced through the two vampires.
The black flames consumed the revived existences, incinerating their bodies.
"Damn—"
Before the King of Tepes could do anything, Alexandre was already in front of him, a single finger extended an inch from the vampire's forehead.
Vlad IV's eyes widened, and then Alexandre smiled.
"Ark."
With a radiant glow, the sphere of holy light consumed the body of the current leader of Tepes.
"Well, now only…"
Alexandre turned his eyes to Marius Tepes, the vampire's gaze filled with terror.
Before the vampire or the human could do anything, dozens of red stakes emerged from the ground, impaling Marius's body.
They pierced his back, arms, legs, tore his muscles, shredded his organs, and broke his bones.
Alexandre watched as Yeva extended her hand, finally claiming the vampire's life.
"What made you hate him so much?"
"He hit on me, saying I had to be his concubine," the Dhampir growled in hatred.
"Seriously? I did way more than hit on you, and I'm still here," Alexandre said cheerfully, making the Dhampir scoff.
"You have certain… privileges."
Seeing the beautiful and dangerous red-haired woman leave the room, making a point to sway her hips, the Hakuryuukou couldn't help but smile.
"Today's the day…"
Within Alex's mind, Regulus and Albion sighed at their wielder's personality.
One day, Alexandre would end up in serious trouble.