**Time**: The third week after Li Haoran's transmigration; the seventh day of the Black Forest Lunar Month in the Medieval European Calendar (the dawn following the full moon night)
**Location**: Outside the mysterious cave at the edge of the Black Forest, the temporary campsite in the Black Forest
**Characters**: Li Haoran, Catherine, Irina, Vampire Hunters, Eldred (watching in secret), Ogre
The night curtain hung low over the Black Forest. Inside the mysterious cave, a damp, decaying smell mingled with a faint tang of blood. Catherine's purple eyes glinted with vigilance in the dimness. She and Irina flanked Li Haoran, their breaths growing ragged with tension. From the depths of the cave came occasional low roars, like a giant beast murmuring in its sleep—each sound sent a chill down one's spine.
Irina muttered softly, "I just hope there are no pursuers outside the cave right now."
Catherine frowned slightly. "Let's hope we still have room to maneuver," she whispered, silver needles twirling nimbly between her fingers—a sign she was ready to strike at any moment.
Li Haoran tried to steady himself, his gaze sweeping over the cave walls. Ancient runes cast dappled shadows in the gaps of moonlight, as if whispering untold secrets.
A sudden flurry of footsteps from the entrance shattered the cave's silence. The three retreated quickly, melting into the shadows. Vampire hunters poured into the cave like demons, their silver weapons glinting coldly in the moonlight, every step ringing with the crisp clink of metal.
"Lady Catherine, you can't run," the leader of the hunters sneered, slowly drawing his longsword and turning it over in his hand. "The Council of Elders' patience is wearing thin. Come back with us willingly, and perhaps we'll spare your life."
A flash of cold fury lit up Catherine's purple eyes. She swiftly shielded Li Haoran behind her, and her silver needles stabbed precisely at the nearest vampire hunter. The moment the needles touched the hunter's skin, pale blue smoke billowed up. The hunter let out a scream, his body burning rapidly until only a pile of ashes remained.
"You damned lackeys!" Irina leaped out from the darkness, her dagger weaving through multiple afterimages with her illusion magic, forcing two hunters back in an instant.
Yet just as the three prepared to counterattack, a deafening roar erupted from the cave's depths. A colossal figure charged out—it was an ogre, its massive frame comparable to a small carriage, standing three meters tall. Its skin was a sickly gray-green, and its eyes glowed with bloodthirsty red light.
"Damn it, that's an ogre!" Catherine's voice trembled with shock. She had never expected to encounter such a creature here and now.
"We have to get out of here!" Catherine made a quick decision, her gaze darting between Irina and Li Haoran. "We'll be buried alive if we stay any longer."
Irina nodded, her dagger already stained with blood, but her eyes remained firm. "I'll hold them off. You two run first."
"No—we go together!" Li Haoran's voice rang out with unshakable resolve. Though his condition was unstable, he knew he couldn't leave Irina to face the danger alone.
The three huddled close, forming a defensive circle back-to-back. Runes glowed faintly blue as they swirled across Li Haoran's skin; Catherine's purple eyes shimmered with arcane light; Irina conjured multiple illusory doppelgängers to confuse their enemies.
The ogre's stone club crashed down on the cave floor again, sending up a cloud of dust and rubble. Seizing the opportunity, the vampire hunters charged at the trio, their silver weapons glinting coldly in the dim cave.
"Now!" Catherine shouted. The three dashed toward the cave entrance in unison. Li Haoran led the way, the glow of his runes flaring brightly to form a blue barrier that blocked the hunters' attacks. Catherine followed closely behind, her silver needles raining down on the pursuing hunters—each strike accompanied by pale blue smoke and a scream. Irina covered their rear, using illusions to sow chaos and leave the hunters struggling to tell friend from foe.
The sight that greeted them as they burst out of the cave made all three gasp. Outside the cave lay an open clearing, moonlight spilling over the ground like a silver sea. Yet the clearing was surrounded by at least twenty vampire hunters, their silver weapons forming an impenetrable line of defense. Beyond the hunters' encirclement stood a row of black horses; their riders were cloaked from head to toe, hoods pulled low to hide all but the shadow of their jawlines. Motionless as they were, they exuded a menacing aura.
A leader among the black-cloaked knights stepped forward. "Resist today, and none of you will leave this place alive!"
At that moment, the ogre thundered out of the cave, its colossal form casting a huge shadow in the moonlight. It swung its massive stone club, charging straight at the vampire hunters as if to crush them all to powder.
"Distract them!" Catherine quickly formulated a plan, her eyes locking onto Irina and Li Haoran. "Irina, draw the hunters away. I'll handle the ogre. Li Haoran, stay safe."
"Understood!" Irina and Li Haoran replied in unison, splitting up immediately.
Irina darted toward the hunters' line like a purple bolt of lightning, her dagger slicing through the air in cold arcs. Her illusionary doppelgängers left the hunters disoriented, unable to distinguish the real target. She weaved nimbly between her enemies, each strike aimed precisely at their vitals, throwing the hunters into disarray.
Catherine charged straight for the ogre, her purple eyes blazing with arcane power. She flicked her wrist, sending silver needles streaking toward the ogre's weak points in a flurry of afterimages. The moment the needles pierced the ogre's skin, pale blue smoke curled upward, and the ogre let out a roar of agony. Catherine retreated swiftly, a purple magical barrier rippling around her to block the ogre's counterattack.
Li Haoran dodged and weaved under the cover of Catherine and Irina, the runes on his skin glowing faintly blue. But as time wore on, he noticed the blue light fading away. His power seemed to be draining away without a trace, filling him with unease.
Suddenly, dark clouds rolled across the sky, thunder rumbled, and bolts of lightning split the night—an omen of impending disaster. A vampire hunter's chest plate sparked under the ogre's stone club; the man went flying like a broken kite. Splattering blood arced through the air in a scarlet parabola, and one drop landed, uncannily precise, in Li Haoran's wide-open eye.
In an instant, a high-pitched, monotonous noise—like a microphone too close to a speaker—exploded in his head. The world in his retinas warped into a swirling crimson vortex, and the searing pain of his knees slamming into the pile of rubble faded into a blur.
Catherine's silver dagger barely blocked the ogre's next blow. Glancing out of the corner of her eye and spotting Li Haoran's fallen form, cold sweat trickled down her spine. But before she could spare a moment's distraction, the ogre's fetid breath washed over her; stinking saliva dripped onto her collarbone, a burning sting making her body go rigid.
At that moment of mortal peril, the ground suddenly trembled. Li Haoran lifted himself up in an unnatural arc, bending forward, his bony fingers hanging at his sides, trembling violently like a crouching beast. As his gaze swept across the battlefield, Catherine saw, with horror, that his clouded eyes blazed with a bloodthirsty rage—a look no human should ever have.
Li Haoran tilted his head back and howled, a sound that was half the desperate cry of a starving wolf, half the maniacal shriek of a demon emerging from purgatory, ready to unleash its slaughter. The two sounds intertwined, as if tearing the very fabric of space apart.
With that bloodcurdling scream, his fists and feet rained down on the ogre in a furious storm. The ogre's thick ribs, under the relentless barrage of blows, snapped like dry winter branches in a howling gale, cracking one by one. The crisp sound of breaking bones, mingled with the ogre's pained grunts, echoed eerily through the tense air.
The sky seemed to rage at the carnage below; thunder boomed louder and louder, like a thousand sledgehammers pounding the earth. Lightning coiled like silver serpents between the heavy clouds, each flash illuminating the battlefield as bright as day, laying bare the bloodshed in unflinching detail. Moments later, the rain poured down in a deluge, cold drops splattering onto the ground, mixing quickly with the gushing blood to carve crimson streams winding across the earth.
Amidst the howling wind and lashing rain, thunder and Li Haoran's bloodthirsty roar merged into one, as if the entire natural world were reveling in this mad feast of slaughter.
The ogre stumbled, teetering on the brink of collapse under the relentless onslaught. Its massive body swayed, then crashed to one knee with a wail of agony. But Li Haoran did not stop. Like a swift cheetah, he leaped onto the ogre's back while it was off balance. His fingers curled into claws, digging deep into the ogre's shoulder blades with all his strength. In an instant, thick, viscous blood spurted out like a fountain, splattering into the rain. Struck by this mortal blow, the ogre's wails grew more shrill, echoing endlessly through the storm, as if weeping in despair at its tragic fate.
Catherine rushed toward Li Haoran, desperate to find a way to stop him. But Irina suddenly grabbed her arm, yanking her back to hide in the treetops above. "Don't go near him," Irina urged, her voice urgent, her eyes filled with worry. "He's completely berserk—he can't tell friend from foe right now."
Catherine looked back at the battlefield. Several vampire hunters seized the chance to flee, but Li Haoran was faster. He streaked after them like a bolt of black lightning, pouncing on them ruthlessly. His attacks were wild yet precise; every hunter fell under his fists, screaming in agony. He sank his teeth into their throats, tearing flesh and blood apart mercilessly, scarlet droplets splattering across the battlefield.
"This… this is terrifying," Catherine whispered, her voice trembling. She had never seen Li Haoran so completely out of control.
Irina nodded, her gaze fixed firmly on Li Haoran. "We have to find a way to calm him down, or he'll destroy the entire campsite."
Just then, Catherine's eyes fell on a small pool not far away. An idea sparked in her mind. "We have to try that method."
"What method?" Irina asked.
"Use the cold water from the pool to snap him back to his senses," Catherine replied.
The two women leaped down from the treetops in unison. Seizing a brief lull in Li Haoran's rampage, they dragged him toward the pool together. His body was stiff and heavy, but he did not resist.
The moment Li Haoran's body touched the icy water, he let out a muffled grunt, his body thrashing violently. Catherine and Irina clung tightly to his arms, preventing him from sinking to the bottom.
"Hold on, Haoran!" Catherine shouted, her voice cracking with emotion.
The frigid water struck him like a blow, rousing Li Haoran's slumbering consciousness. His mind cleared gradually, and the burning sensation of the runes faded under the water's soothing touch.
"Catherine… Irina…" Li Haoran's voice was faint and confused. He struggled to open his eyes, staring at the two women standing beside him.
"You're finally back to your senses," Catherine whispered, her voice weary but her eyes brimming with relief.
Irina let out a sigh of relief, smiling faintly. "You really scared us half to death, kid."
Li Haoran struggled to climb out of the pool, his body still trembling slightly, but his eyes had regained their clarity. He looked around at the bodies of the ogre and the vampire hunters scattered across the ground, a wave of fear washing over him.
"What… what did I just do?" Li Haoran's voice shook as he looked at Catherine and Irina, his eyes filled with confusion.
Catherine sighed, her gaze drifting toward the distant Harbor of Dawn, where the first rays of sunlight were about to pierce the darkness. "We need to find the true key to the blood pact," she said softly. "Otherwise, these rampages will become more frequent—and more uncontrollable."
Irina nodded, her eyes lingering on Li Haoran. "Besides, the Council of Elders will never give up. Eldred's appearance means they've already detected the anomaly in your power."
Li Haoran fell silent. He knew the power within him was both a beacon of hope and a source of catastrophe. He took a deep breath, trying to steady the turmoil in his heart.
"We're going to the Harbor of Dawn," Catherine finally said, her voice resolute. "Samantha is there—she might know something about the blood pact."
The three set off toward the Harbor of Dawn, the darkness of the Black Forest fading behind them, as new challenges awaited them ahead.
"Haoran…" Catherine's voice trailed off, hesitant. "The power fluctuations when you were rampaging… I've never felt energy that powerful before."
Li Haoran turned to look at her, catching the complex emotions flickering in her eyes. "Does that mean… I really can change everything?"
Catherine did not answer. Her gaze was fixed on the distant Harbor of Dawn, where the first light of dawn was about to break through the night.
"I hope so," she whispered.