“Big sis!!!”
“Master!!”
As Aria collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, Plona and Eleonora immediately set aside what they were doing and rushed in like lightning to catch her.
‘This is dangerous.’
A warning bell rang in Plona’s head as she carefully cradled Aria, who lay limp like a corpse.
Over 30% of her upper body had completely evaporated.
Her arms were only left as stubs to the elbows, and from the massive hole gaping from her chest to stomach, blood and mangled bits of internal organs were spilling out.
Desperately, and with great care, Plona tried to plug the hole with her own body.
But there’s no way to cover the sky with a hand, and despite narrowly avoiding instant death, the wounds were still severe.
Beyond the gaping hole, her heart, barely hanging on, was visibly pulsing within her body.
Naturally, in such a state, the heart couldn’t function properly.
The body of Aria, whose heart had stopped, was already as cold as ice, and her once-pale face now appeared sickly devoid of color.
“Master…? Master!!”
“Eleonora, calm down, calm down!”
But Lavina, who was trying to soothe the shaking Eleonora, also wore a troubled expression.
Can this really be called ‘alive’?
Aria, drenched in blood and not even breathing, looked every bit like a corpse.
Plona was the only one who could still feel her survival through the True Blood coursing through her veins, but honestly, even that didn’t convince her. It felt more like a delusion born from her desperate wish for Aria to be alive, based solely on appearances.
“Jeil, Stella! Hold the line!”
“I know without you telling me!”
As the remnants of light left in Aria flickered, Martini and Jeil growled at it fiercely.
Still, they too could barely maintain their composure, their constantly darting eyes betraying their anxiety.
At that moment, a clear sound echoed, like metal colliding with something.
It was the sound of Luminous’ blood-soaked armor crashing to the ground.
“I was planning to imprison all these nuisances and wipe them out here.”
A glimmer of light embedded in Luminous’ chest flickered irregularly.
His right arm was severely twisted, and in his fierce gaze, there was a hint of impatience.
“I admit it. The fourth progenitor, Aria Scarlet. You’ve become too dangerous a variable to be left alone like this. Enjoy yourself in the afterlife. You were the only one I’ve deemed necessary to pay a price I’m not particularly happy about, to ensure you die now.”
Luminous tried to move his right arm but gave up and switched the light sword to his left hand.
It didn’t matter which hand he wielded the sword with, as there had been left-handed knights among the past popes, but since he was forcibly using the holy power to form a barrier, the settling of his soul was significantly delayed.
Moreover, having allowed Aria a strike in the last moment, he had no way to chase after the remaining ones now that the barrier was gone.
But Luminous had no regrets.
The greatest caution when setting up the game should be directed not at the strongest enemy but at the unpredictable one.
Having been nearly killed by the first progenitor during his ignorant childhood, Luminous remembered she was simple and loyal to her instincts, making her easy to predict.
On the other hand, while the fourth progenitor didn’t possess the same level of power as the first, she was entirely unpredictable.
He was certain that if left unchecked, she would become more troublesome than the first progenitor.
“She’s still not dead!!!”
“It’s just the last struggle of a tenacious life. Over half of her heart is destroyed, and with her regeneration being hindered, it’s wiser to give up hope than cling to whatever remains.”
Luminous taunted Plona as she yelled in anguish.
The biggest reason one should not let their guard down against a vampire is their regenerative ability.
Especially, a progenitor’s regenerative power is beyond even their followers’ grasp, bordering on the realm of creation.
A progenitor who has mastered Blood Magic doesn’t even consider losing limbs or having bones shattered as injuries as long as their heart is intact.
Their blood is merely an arrow to shoot at the essence of themselves, and even if their head is severed, they can regenerate without issue. If you face them thinking you’re up against an ordinary being, you’ll end up with serious repercussions.
However…
‘If I can just seal her regenerative power, it should be easy enough.’
There have been only two progenitors in history that learned Blood Magic.
Since nearly dying at the hands of Ophelia, Luminous had been continually devising ways to counter the vampire race.
It was not particularly hard. The powers of the dark and light spirits have been opposing forces from the start.
In vampire terms, the holy magic of the church members, akin to the followers, only appears effective against the lesser beings but seems not to face the progenitors, the beings of exaltation. But as seen, reducing the regenerative power of the progenitor with the same original capacity was possibility.
Normally, right after changing bodies, one shouldn’t use great power until the soul and body harmonize, yet he decided to smack in the light, ready to delay all activities, thinking even a progenitor wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
“You will be the one to die.”
Grand Duke of Helraig, Jeil Helraig.
As his fierce charge neared, Luminous calmly swung his sword to parry.
However, he definitely overexerted himself; compared to the supernatural capabilities he demonstrated several times earlier, his momentum was somewhat diminished.
The queen had created a chance at the risk of her own life.
Jeil pushed forward with an understanding that if he missed this opportunity, he was as good as dead, and just as he was about to join forces with Martini…
“Isn’t it time to stop focusing solely on me?”
“What nonsense—”
Jeil’s irritable words were drowned out by a booming sound from a distance.
Only then did they get a moment to survey their surroundings.
In their line of sight, human and vampire figures provided the answers.
Outside the now-gone barrier, the united kingdom’s forces—thought to have already escaped Rusher—were battling humans.
However, the humans appeared odd.
They were unarmed and lacked skill; they were merely throwing their bodies at the fight, devoid of any signs of intelligence.
Nonetheless, the intense holy power radiating from their bodies suggested otherwise. They were standing still, yet they knew battles were erupting all over Rusher.
“They’re the residents of Rusher! They were collapsed on the way here!!”
With remarkable memory, Lavina reported what she concluded based on the appearance of some humans she recognized.
Naturally, all eyes turned to Luminous.
He sneered mockingly at the defeated enemies.
“See, if only you had listened when I kindly offered the information. The essence of my ability connects mind to mind. If I can transfer my power and soul into a believer’s vessel, I can treat the original soul within that believer’s vessel as I wish.”
“…You mean to say you used your followers as holy power bombs.”
“What? I merely thought I should be sure of my approach even if it means slightly overexerting myself this time.”
Martini gritted her teeth at the unexpectedly rough measures.
The united forces brought in as reinforcements were mostly vampires.
Even with simple movements, the rampaging holy magic was something ordinary soldiers would struggle to withstand.
Given the absence of the supreme commander and the unforeseen situation, they were bound to suffer a significant blow.
Moreover, once things were settled outside, they would be disturbed here, and firefighting against the endlessly advancing holy power bombs would make dealing with Luminous impossible.
“Plona, Eleonora, Lavina. Please take care of the King.”
In the atmosphere charged with deadly resolve, Plona abruptly lifted her head.
Her expression twisted in a spasm.
Though it was a short sentence, she knew well what it meant.
“Then, what about you all—!”
“Stella, Jeil, and I shall take care of that insufferable light spirit and return. You open a path and retreat with the King and soldiers.”
The first to respond was Eleonora.
She unwrapped the heavy cape draped over her shoulder and wrapped it around Aria, whose body was still bleeding profusely. She firmly believed that her cold master would somehow come back to life.
No, even if she was skeptical, she had to believe.
Aria’s death would mean the end of the world for Eleonora.
“…Come back alive.”
Plona carefully cradled Aria, and Lavina silently followed behind.
The three who would be left and the three who would depart exchanged brief glances.
No further words were spoken.
Whether it was an expression of their resolve or a certainty of reuniting, no one knew.
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