Vampire.
A race known as the rulers of the night. At the same time, they are a race that can compete with the so-called strongest race, the Dragons. But usually, Vampires tend to fall short.
Only high-ranking Vampires can somewhat stand their ground against Dragons. Even among Dragons, if they are strong, even high-ranking Vampires cannot guarantee victory.
Let alone against the Dragon Lord and the Elders; they are no match at all. Yet, the reason people say that Vampires can compete with Dragons is simple. It’s all about the Lord’s existence.
Vampire Lord.
With just that one existence, the balance between Vampires and Dragons gets established. And now, the Vampire Lord frowned. Her hands were trembling for some reason.
‘Am I… feeling fear?’
Lucy, feeling a bad vibe, took a step back. Her ferociously torn eyes were glaring at that man. The dazed man had completely vanished. Instead, a monster stood there.
“You, what the hell is your identity?”
“What does it matter?”
“What did you say?”
“Well, I can play with you a bit.”
“……?!”
He laughed. But that smile was anything but normal. No teeth, no light. It was a grin that felt like darkness itself. At the same time, one of his eyes was glowing red.
‘What?!’
There’s a commonality in fast movements. No matter how quick it is, moving is the same. Whether it’s one step or a hundred steps, once you move, you can’t escape your own eyes.
However, the Commander easily dodged. As if time had stopped and he closed the distance in that moment. His swung right fist landed a heavy blow to Lucy’s face. BAM!!
It resonated with a shock and noise like being hit by a warhammer. Lucy spat blood. It was truly a pain she hadn’t felt in a long time. If we’re talking about shock alone, it’s even worse than the Dragon Lord.
‘At first, I thought it was someone other than the Commander.’
Lucy quickly changed her mind. A Vampire Lord can sense the invisible. The habits of movement, the motion of the eyes, the laws of breathing.
Everything else said that the man in front of her was Hans, the Commander of the Royal Knights. If that was just an imitation, then that would be even more chilling. Lucy laughed loudly.
“They say a capable hawk hides its claws. How true that saying is.”
“Hmm? Oh, really?”
He instantly understood the Vampire Lord’s words. He thinks I’m Hans. Well, that makes sense. Everything I’m replicating now belongs to Hans.
Beyond just speech and action.
Breath, habits, even the movements of his insides.
I know everything about Hans.
Yet, at the same time, she felt discomfort. Everything she had just said was something she had only known until now. Until now, it hadn’t mattered. It was just kids’ play, after all.
“You…”
“Hmm?”
“You have to die.”
“……!!!”
This “Hans” that Lucy saw raised his perfectly fine left hand to cover his black eye. Then, the remaining eye emitted a stronger light.
Instinctively, Lucy backed away. The genuine intent to kill filled the air. A fear that made her legs tremble and spine chill. That’s what the Vampire Lord felt.
Usually, when one feels intent to kill, fear arises. And when they feel fear, they want to run away from that spot. That’s only natural. Living beings have a selfish thing like their own life.
But she couldn’t say that was wrong. Wanting to run away from death is an instinct for survival. Yet the Vampire Lord didn’t do that. Instead, she smiled brightly.
“Yes, that’s how it should be. Of course, if you’re a hero, it should be like this! Haha!!!”
She chuckled. Even in the face of the overwhelming intent to kill against her. Even though she thought she could really die, she laughed loudly. So much so that it was surprising.
“So boring! Those so-called heroes think of nothing but profit! Don’t make me laugh! Don’t you dare! Back in the old days… thousands of years ago!! Those who didn’t care about such things were called heroes!!”
Politics. Kindred. Lovers. Family. Friends. To be a hero, one must be able to discard the ties that connect them. And in the past, there were many such beings. Those who had to kill their loved ones turned into Vampires.
Those who killed their demon-possessed mothers and even ended their own lives. Those who became corrupted and turned their wives into succubi and plucked their own eyes. They were called heroes.
Naturally, many heroes reached Lucy. Because she was the one who had corrupted them. She was called by many names. Demon, succubus, Vampire. And so on.
“Throw away everything you are, and come claim my neck. O hero.”
“You must be kidding.”
Words are like a packaging. With every word, one can hide the contents. There’s a saying that one can repay a thousand-nyang debt with just a single word. She had seen through that.
“You’re just into that, aren’t you?”
“Oh dear, you caught me.”
“Of course… you’re making a face that’s impossible to hide?”
“That’s right, just like that.”
Intent to kill. Hatred. Anger. Making one’s loved one die by their own hands. And then killing themselves with those very hands. What a situation that couldn’t possibly be more twisted. Amazing, great, just perfect.
“I can only feel it that way.”
“Then you really have to die.”
Yeah, right. I can’t keep someone like that near Hans. Trash needs to be cleaned up and thrown out immediately. If you leave a rotten apple next to a good apple, soon enough, the good apple rots too.
Closing the distance, he swung his fist. The straight punch pierced Lucy’s abdomen in an instant. Blood and guts scattered as Lucy stumbled. However, she didn’t lose her smile.
“Not yet! We’re not done yet! You think I’d go down with just this?!”
‘If I could, I’d love to rip your head off along with your spine.’
The power he could manifest with one arm and one eye was only this much. Is this just enough to be on par with a Vampire Lord? But she couldn’t complain. She was satisfied with this.
Because it was a gift he had given her. Gifts are like bonds of the heart. People give gifts because they love and appreciate each other. And through those gifts, they become one. That’s why she endured.
Yearning for the day they will be completely united. Holding Lucy’s arm with his knee, he smashed her arm with his elbow. With a crack, Lucy’s broken arm shuddered.
‘I didn’t expect you to follow me this far.’
Unable to demolish the fortress, he restrained himself from using wide-area abilities. But that didn’t mean he was being lenient. Rather, he concentrated all unnecessary power for a proper close combat.
But still, the Commander didn’t back down. Instead, he was fighting evenly. How long had it been since he fought on equal terms like this? Truly, humans are great and magnificent.
For Lucy, there was no loss at all. If she died at Hans’s hands, she would receive ecstasy. Even if she won, the taste of the blood she craved was bound to be close to that of a drug.
“But it seems today is as far as it goes.”
“Are you fleeing?”
“Sadly, it’s time.”
“Tsk.”
He couldn’t deny Lucy’s words. In order to complete the picture he was drawing, he couldn’t be discovered yet. It was regrettable that he couldn’t kill her, but it couldn’t be helped.
“That was fun. It’s been a long time since I felt such joy.”
“Don’t worry, next time, I’ll make sure you feel nothing of that sort.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it, oh Commander of the Royal Knights.”
Lucy turned to dust from her toes and vanished from sight. That made him click his tongue. That airheaded girl didn’t care how things ended. What mattered was the plan. Originally, he intended to do it slowly.
Ironically, though, he felt a crisis from what had happened today. The risk that his plans might go awry. He moved his finger. Red light began to flow slowly.
“Love and hate. Just like how you all did to me.”
Time that passes cannot be grasped. Therefore, they love and resent time. That’s commonly referred to as obsession. No matter how much time it is, you can’t create something out of nothing.
One must have plenty in the container. Using that, it becomes easier to bear fruit. Whether it’s unfortunate or fortunate, they loved it far beyond what she had thought.
It’s not that she didn’t understand. Look at mine, how adorable it is. She knows she can’t help but love it. But that’s why it’s unfortunate. In the end, misfortune is all that could be bestowed.
“Teacher…?”
“Awake, my child.”
“What in the world is that appearance…?”
“Shh, it’s not time yet.”
Helia, who had collapsed under the spell of the Vampire Lord, was the first to open her eyes. However, that didn’t last long. It was because her right hand reached out and covered her eyes.
“Go back to sleep. It’s not time to wake up yet.”
That voice was so sweet that Helia soon closed her eyes again. Watching Helia’s peaceful sleep, she smiled. Enjoy the happy dream.
Soon, the day will come when that dream is shattered.
You will be thrown into misfortune.
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