To cut to the chase, Jeil and I survived the bombardment of debris on the first floor of the collapsing castle.
Well, strictly speaking, the term “survived” might be a bit of a stretch.
Both of us made it out alive, but Jeil’s appearance after crawling out from the ruins under the moonlight was nothing short of devastating.
With bones peeking through the shattered, broken bits, and blood everywhere, witnessing him healing in real-time was quite the visual shock.
And I probably wasn’t much better off. I imagine this is how a piece of paper feels after coming out of a shredder.
Looking back, I humbly admit that my haphazard plan had a minor, and I mean really, really minor flaw—I slightly underestimated the level of pain that hundreds or thousands of tons of debris would bring.
It hurt several steps beyond what I had imagined.
Having spent over ten years suffering through battles and experiences akin to being dissected alive, I thought I’d experienced every kind of pain. But for a moment, I couldn’t help wondering, “Wait, is this normal?”
Well, clearing the debris and crawling back up afterward wasn’t that hard, you know?
But while those boulders were raining down, the amount of falling rocks was overwhelming and extremely heavy.
Of course, I was taking the brunt of it from below. If I had tried to escape as soon as I thought, “Oh, this isn’t right,” it wouldn’t have been impossible.
But since I was desperately trying to hold onto Jeil, it ended up being a case of mutual dragging down.
I must have repeated the cycle of being cut, crushed, and regenerated several times in just a few minutes.
Maybe my skull cracked about three times, because adrenaline surged through me, making breathing feel somewhat delightful.
“Clear-headed, aren’t we?”
I was so taken aback by the unexpectedly novel and dizzying experience that I let out an unintentional chuckle, prompting Jeil to spit out a mix of blood and saliva in disgust.
“…What a damn pathetic mess. I can’t help but despise the progenitors with this kind of outcome.”
“I don’t have a dk.”
“……”
His expression twisted into one resembling a hunk of scrap metal from a junkyard when I laughed.
Seeing him in a much worse state than myself, with one leg still grotesquely twisted, combined with the arrogant attitude he had shown earlier, was already pretty entertaining.
‘Ah, no. Stay calm. Calm.’
Perhaps it was because it had been a while since my last “hunt.” I took a deep breath to ground the rising tension.
Was this fighting spirit flowing through my veins, or was it carved into my transformed soul?
Looking back, I realized I hadn’t hunted in three years.
Meals were sorted thanks to Eleonora, and my training with Stella essentially had me acting like prey, fighting for survival.
The cold air filled my lungs, calming my mind a bit.
However, the exhilaration of finally standing in the role of a hunter faintly lingered in my brain.
The suffocating smell of blood all around probably contributed to that.
If I think about it, it’s actually fortunate that my first real target after three years is of the same kind as me. The scent of vampire blood doesn’t smell all that appetizing; if I had suddenly faced humans on the battlefield, it would have felt entirely different.
‘By the way… did he really say all progenitors are like this?’
If I hadn’t misheard, his tone was closer to resentment than mere disgust.
Jeil Helraig is associated with the first progenitor. I have no idea whether he had ties with the second or third progenitors, but I heard they died before they could become strong.
The strong don’t harbor resentment towards the weak.
Isn’t this world one where violence is much nearer than the law? If there are grievances, they can simply be resolved with brute force. Even if the short-lived second and third progenitors had contact with Jeil, they wouldn’t have dared to threaten him.
Which means, is he feeling resentment towards the first progenitor?
I can’t be sure. All I know about the first progenitor comes from Martini’s occasional hints about the past and the history books.
Well, I can’t expect him to casually admit anything right now, so I have to leave it aside. Without any hope, I confirmed his intentions in a formal manner like a police officer reading the Miranda rights.
“So, are you going to keep going?”
Instead of answering, Jeil kicked away the debris and leaped.
In addition, I noticed several presences stealthily climbing up the collapsed front of the Grand Duke’s Castle, disturbed by the shaking stones.
‘Oh, what a mess.’
I lowered my center of gravity to minimize the unstable footing’s effect and sidestepped Jeil’s attack.
However, there was no shock like I had anticipated.
Compared to earlier, when I felt like death was imminent if I relaxed my guard for even a second, Jeil’s strike now felt markedly blunted.
‘It worked.’
Perhaps because he had consumed the regeneration capacity akin to hundreds of hits while pinned under the ton-sized boulders, his condition was visibly far from perfect.
His leg still looked awkwardly twisted, and the speed at which his wounds healed was noticeably slower.
Of course, I would die if I let my guard down and took a direct hit to the heart, but as long as I stayed attentive, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Naturally, I had no intention of relaxing.
Dodge, counter, and dive in.
I planned to pound him until he couldn’t stand on two legs anymore; then we could have a conversation.
I dodged just enough to avoid his heart and took opportunity after opportunity to rain down blows on Jeil.
I punctured his abdomen, broken bones protruding as blood sprayed chaotically.
Now, even the vampires from the duchy that had crawled up the debris began to recognize the current state of things, turning pale as they gathered.
‘That’s even better.’
The more minions joining my side means fewer heads for Plona, Eleonora, and Lavina to deal with.
If this was the same Jeil Helraig I had first met, tackling multiple foes might have been overwhelming, but now, adding a few randoms wouldn’t change much.
“Get back, you fools!”
“That’s impossible, Your Highness!”
However, it was surprisingly unexpected to see how his subordinates defied the direct orders of a Grand Duke.
The audacity and arrogance paired with their twisted thoughts, not even hiding the ambition to gain strength from my blood as a progenitor—that was unexpected.
And the general atmosphere of might-is-right prevalent in the duchy?
This is a bit different from what I had envisioned.
I can’t deny that my prejudice comes from the thought that without Martini’s protection, I could have easily become a victim by now. But considering that, I assumed Jeil Helraig would be your classic tyrant, ruling the duchy with blood and fear.
While he may not have respect from his subordinates, he stood as a ruler based solely on overwhelming power.
In a land governed by the logic of strength, revealing weakness could lead to betrayal at any moment.
Despite knowing they had no chance of winning, the tenacity of the duchy’s vampires, standing their ground against me, was quite surprising.
‘… But these guys are no problem.’
As expected, having a few dozen average vampires join the fray didn’t change the situation drastically.
Most were at a level I couldn’t even be bothered to glance at, and those that seemed somewhat competent didn’t make me feel challenged at all.
‘I should avoid needlessly provoking them.’
Reminding myself of my original goal.
Although I was pushing for a forced resolution, it would be better to avoid incurring lasting resentment while coming in to request reinforcements.
I determined who among them wouldn’t die based on the pulsing power of life I felt and began subduing them one by one.
Breaking down one entrance to the castle isn’t quite irreversible damage, right?
…Yeah, I think of it as necessary expenses.
I don’t know exactly what happened on Plona’s end, but at least I can say I didn’t directly cause any casualties.
‘More than that…’
What I initially thought might just be a feeling turned into a growing certainty.
His subordinates are no issue. But I realized that Jeil, whom I had thought was nearly out of steam, was regaining momentum as more of his subordinates joined.
He’s still got that much left even in that state?
I had thought vampires were like mosquitoes, but maybe they’re more like cockroaches. At this point, even I was growing uneasy about their tenacity.
Entering this prolonged battle is undesirable. And indeed, the situation I had feared started unfolding.
“You’re not thinking of killing me, are you?”
After exchanging several rounds of combat amidst what wasn’t quite a battlefield, Jeil spoke with a broken voice.
His form resembled a question, yet certainty rang clear.
Did he catch on? I mean, if I felt confident enough to let him live, he probably realized it was tougher for me to kill him in an instant.
If we continued battling, it was only a matter of time before the truth came out, but that was unfavorable for me.
Jeil’s movements, now granted a last bastion of hope, became bolder. If he were to act according to what I’d seen of his personality, he would’ve been furious at his enemy showing leniency, but instead, this time, he was eerily calm.
That’s a bad sign. Those who lower their pride and engage in battle are always terrifying enemies.
‘For now, I have to take him down decisively.’
To end this as quickly as possible, I actively pressed the attack to drain even more of his life force.
But an hour passed, then another hour.
Even as time moved far beyond my initial expectations, Jeil Helraig did not fall.
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