kscans

Chapter 28 - What Burned and Fell in the Flames of War

Countless arrows of sun-like brilliance struck me. The slender shafts of light found their core in me and merged, transforming into a massive sphere of fire. It burns, it burns, it burns. My entire body was instantly engulfed in scorching heat, and I let out a scream.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

"Sister—!!"

An unbearable heat assaulted my whole being.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

"You’ve been struck by a continuous barrage of scorching magic, amplified by our magic staves! Not even a Vampire can withstand that! Bwahahahaha!"

"Sister! Sister—!!"

"Aaaaaaaaaah, it’s soooooo hooooooooot!!"

So, I hurriedly leaped out of the flames.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

I rolled on the ground to extinguish the fire, then immediately enveloped myself in a blizzard. The snow hitting my skin stole the heat from the flames, cooling my entire body.

"Phew, that was close. I almost got burned!"

"Bwahahahahaha… huh?"

Man, I thought I was going to burn to death.

"W-Wait! Wait, what is going on?!"

"What’s wrong with what?"

Calmwell’s voice was ragged with panic.

"That was a rapid-fire volley of our trump card, an anti-Undead flame spell enhanced by magic staves! How are you perfectly fine after taking that?!"

"I’m not perfectly fine at all! It was so hot I thought I was going to burn to death!"

"You’re supposed to burn to death! It’s powerful enough that even a high-ranking Vampire wouldn’t escape unharmed from a direct hit!!"

"Don’t yell at me like that! I didn’t escape unharmed. I seriously thought I was going to get a burn!" It’s not fair for him to act like I’m the weird one here!

"Impossible! Our magic staves, like Golova’s magic sword, are high-rank items we found in the lower levels of a high-difficulty dungeon! No matter how resistant Vampires are to magic, coming out unscathed is impossible!"

"Like I said, it was super hot, so I’m not unscathed."

But seeing how flustered Calmwell is, does that mean that was their full power? Weren’t they supposed to be the kingdom’s strongest force? If this is the result, does that mean they’re… actually not that big of a deal?

"Hmm…"

To see if my theory was correct, I decided to try something. Let’s see, the image for the spell is… right!

"Ice Squall!"

I unleashed my magic, picturing a torrential downpour of ice.

"""Gwaaaaaaaah!!"""

Calmwell and his men, unable to even put up a proper defense, were pierced by the rain of ice and sent flying into the wall.

"Whoops, that was unexpected."

"Sister!"

As I stood there, dumbfounded by the outcome, Adolnel ran up to me. She started patting my body all over, circling me again and again. She’s like an affectionate puppy. It’s kind of cute.

"Thank goodness. You don’t seem to have any injuries."

Ah, she was checking to see if I was hurt. Since I can’t see my own back, that’s actually a big help.

"But if that’s the case, then these guys really aren’t all that tough."

If she can’t see any injuries from the outside, then it must have just been hot without being a very powerful attack.

"N-No, they’re the kingdom’s trump card unit, so they can’t possibly be weak. When you were engulfed in flames just now, I could feel the incredible heat even from a distance. I was truly worried."

"Oh, right. Sorry for making you worry."

I pulled Adolnel into a hug and gently patted her back to reassure her. Still, does this mean the Kingdom War-Force Knights themselves are weak, or am I just that strong?

"What’s certain is that their attacks barely worked on me, while they couldn’t even defend against mine."

Calmwell and his men were groaning, bleeding from all over their bodies, huddled on the ground and unable to even writhe in pain.

"Doesn’t look like they’re trying to lure me into a false sense of security."

I glanced over at Ichigo-kun, and over there…

"Ugh! Why won’t this piece of junk break?!"

Ichigo-kun was parrying Golova’s attacks with his half-broken sword. He would dodge to prevent the blade from taking any more damage, then inflict small cuts in return. It was clear Ichigo-kun was the superior swordsman. But…

"You little—! How dare you!"

Enraged, Golova’s body began to glow with a faint light, and his movements became noticeably sharper.

"Is that magic too?"

"It’s a body enhancement spell. It temporarily boosts physical performance, increasing strength, speed, and reaction time."

His speed increased, Golova assaulted Ichigo-kun. Yet Ichigo-kun continued to parry the attacks with his broken sword, just as before.

"Impossible!"

Golova was stunned that his opponent could fend off his attacks even after he used his trump card. But I could see it. Though Ichigo-kun was parrying Golova’s sword, the blade in his hand was screaming in protest. And finally, the sword reached its limit.

With a sharp CRACK, Ichigo-kun’s sword shattered at the hilt. He could no longer parry with it.

"Heh heh heh! That’s right! My sword is a magic sword! A top-tier one I found deep in a labyrinth! It’s on par with, no, better than the Sword Saint’s magic sword!"

Empowered by the enhancement magic, Golova unleashed a final blow at Ichigo-kun with overwhelming speed and power. With his sword completely broken, Ichigo-kun’s movements were sluggish compared to before, and it was clear he couldn’t possibly block the attack.

"Dieeeeeeeeeee!!"

"He’s already dead. Hup!"

So, I kicked him squarely from the side.

"Guboh!"

A clean hit landed on Golova, who had eyes only for Ichigo-kun.

"And for the finish!"

I followed up with a swift axe kick right to the top of his head.

"Goah?!"

The kick connected with a satisfying thud, and Golova crumpled.

"Total victory!"

I threw up a V-sign and immediately moved to claim my victor’s spoils.

"Alright then, time to have a taste of their blood. Their attack really thinned out my Undead, so I could use some new recruits."

These guys should make for some pretty powerful Undead. I have high hopes for them.

"Well then, time to dig in!"

"Gwah!"

As I drank Golova’s blood, the taste of teriyaki chicken spread through my mouth. I see. Based on my experience so far, the blood of warrior-types tastes like meat. The blood I drank at the castle was sweet, so maybe noble ladies’ blood tastes like dessert?

After enjoying Golova’s blood, it was Calmwell and his men’s turn.

"N-No, please stop…"

You guys started this. It’s a little late to be asking me to stop. So, here I go. Chomp.

"Ooh, fishy flavor."

Calmwell and his men’s blood tasted like fish. Hmm, maybe even among knights, the taste differs depending on their training? Come to think of it, these three also used magic. Maybe whether you use magic or not changes the taste, even if they’re both "meat."

Looks like I’ll have to try a lot more different kinds of blood.

◆ The Lord of Carolmana ◆

"What in the world happened to the War-Force Knights…?"

On the surface, the knights of both armies had stopped fighting, holding their breath as they stared at the hole leading into the earth.

"They said the mastermind of this conflict was in there and went inside, but…"

Just when it seemed the battle would stagnate due to the increasing damage from the poisonous snakes, they had appeared. They had laid waste to the surrounding area, exposing and incinerating the hiding Undead, and then discovered the hidden dungeon. They had entered it to subjugate the mastermind.

"And now we’re left here, friend and foe alike, ordered to stand by and do nothing but wait for their return."

There was a reason everyone had obediently followed the orders of these suspicious characters who had appeared out of nowhere. Their commander had shown them a letter bearing a direct order from His Majesty the King. We could not defy the King’s command. Besides, their power was on a completely different level.

But what we feared most was what happened when they were annihilating the Undead lurking in the night. The nobles who had complained, fearing their profits would be stolen, were burned to death right along with the Undead.

"To think they would attack their own countrymen without hesitation for the sake of the nation… So that is the legendary Kingdom War-Force Knights. The kingdom’s strongest sword, said to have been founded to counter the Great Duke of the Cursed Sea…"

They were far too ruthless. But we could not defy them. Their orders were tantamount to the King’s. We couldn’t afford to get involved by speaking out of turn.

And so, as everyone waited for the return of the War-Force Knights, it burst through the ground.

"What was that?!"

Something like a white arrow erupted from the earth, blasting the ground away, then burst open in mid-air. No, that wasn’t right. It had spread its wings.

"What is that… a white… person?"

It was a person. A girl of such beauty, she was literally otherworldly. But her appearance was bizarre beyond that. Her entire being was pure white—her clothes, her hair, her skin, and even the wings sprouting from her back, the mark of a being that was not human, were all pure white.

"…"

The white, inhuman girl threw something to the ground. It landed with a thud and rolled—something we all recognized.

"Lord Calmwell?!"

It was the man who had identified himself as the commander of the Kingdom War-Force Knights. A shockwave ran through everyone who saw him. This was the man who had mercilessly and single-handedly slaughtered the nobles who defied him, a man of overwhelming and ruthless power. And now he was a shadow of his former self.

"A pleasure to meet you, everyone."

A beautiful voice that could seize one’s very soul echoed from above. We snapped our heads up. There, smiling down at us, was the same white, inhuman girl.

"My name is Merlille Chromshell. Though it might be easier for you to understand if I say I am the daughter of Voylard Chromshell."

"…Chromshell?! Of the Great Duke of the Cursed Sea?!"

Impossible! The daughter of the Great Duke of the Cursed Sea?! I’ve never heard of such a person!

"I have decided to make this land my territory. If you abandon everything and leave peacefully, I will spare you. But if you choose to fight, I will slaughter you all right now. Choose whichever you like."

Slaughter us all?! Does she understand the difference in our numbers?! Even if we’ve been thinned out, there are still tens of thousands of us! Does she intend to fight all of us alone?! It’s madness!

But despite her arrogant and reckless declaration, a thought crossed my mind. Maybe she can. She was claiming to be the daughter of the worst of the Vampire nobles, the Great Duke of the Cursed Sea. If she truly was his daughter, it wouldn’t be entirely outlandish to think she could fight us on equal footing.

"But…"

I couldn’t just say, "Understood, we’ll flee immediately." We were nobles. If word got out that we fled because we didn’t want to be killed by a superior foe, the people’s faith in us would plummet. It could even lead to our own fearful citizens fleeing or rebelling. That’s why, unless someone made the first move, none of us could act rashly.

"Hey, hey, hey, you’re gonna slaughter us? Try it if you can, you little brat! You’re the one who’s going to look like a fool for talking so big!"

And then, a man appeared, spouting unbelievable insults.

"Is that the heir to the Ratte Family?"

He was likely brought along to gain battlefield experience. But he was far too foolish. Does he not realize who he’s talking to? The one who wiped out the War-Force Knights?!

"Go on, go on, do it—Gah!"

In a repeat of the earlier exchange with the War-Force Knights, the heir to the Ratte Family collapsed to the ground with a hole punched through his heart.

"So? What will it be? Still want to fight?"

It’s impossible. Exhausted as we are from the previous battles, we can’t possibly win against the mastermind who has just emerged in perfect condition. More importantly, our trump card, the Kingdom War-Force Knights, has already been defeated.

"C-Carolmana withdraws from this town."

"L-Lexalun as well!"

"O-Our territory too!"

"W-We’re out too!"

One after another, knights and lords admitted defeat and declared their retreat.

And so, thanks to one brave fool, we were all able to declare our surrender without shame. At the same time, a piece of territory was lost from the glorious kingdom, and a new threat was etched into the hearts of the people. The name of Merlille Chromshell, the white Vampire princess, the master of the snakes that had toyed with the battlefield—the White Serpent Duchess—was now known to the world.