525 Chapter 525: The Fall of Lute Dragoon (1/2)

When Kai Lin died, I saw no reason to linger in this place any longer.

”Adios,” I told the vampire subordinates, who were stunned by my sudden disengagement. Grabbing Rossetti, I yanked her out of the area before ice completely filled the area and obscured the vision.

Snarling, the vampires smashed through the ice, only to be greeted by an inferno from my Vermillion Phoenix. If they hadn't activated their magic and formed a blood barrier, even these elite vampirs would have have been incinerated into cinders. As it was, the horde of ”normal” vampires was annihilated by the powerful flames, freeing Kufa and Miura, and the four of us immediately retreated.

The four of us sprinted in the opposite direction, putting as much distance between us and Xu Wu Cheng and his elite subordinates. Fortunately, they didn't give chase. Even though they didn't think I was a threat, they seemed to be vaguely aware that it was far too troublesome to pursue us.

Good for us.

”Those vampires are too strong! We're no match for them!”

Kufa was cursing under his breath. I didn't refute him because I knew he was right.

”It's like they're of a completely different breed,” Miura remarked thoughtfully. ”I heard that there are pure-blooded vampires and vampire nobles. The purity of their blood might be related to their power – the purer it is, the stronger they become.”

”Or it depends on their vampire parent – the person who turns them into vampires.” Kufa scowled. ”If the one who turns the person into a vampire is a powerful, pure-blooded noble, then the person who gets turned will also inherit that immense strength.”

”Whoa…” Rossetti was amazed. ”There's so much about vampires I didn't know about.”

”The less you know, the better,” I muttered. ”They are…horrifying and macabre.”

”!!”

Then the four of us immediately jumped away when a single vampire landed upon our position. He was one of the adult vampires, smashing his way through the school with a fist that shimmered with crimson mana. I ducked under his punch and shoved Rossetti aside. Above, Vermillion Phoenix screeched before bathing our assailant in flames, but he punched the inferno away through sheer force. Blood-red mana wreathed his body, forming some sort of blood barrier that protected his burly body from the fierce flames.

”Whoa!”

My friends and I retreated, watching him warily. The brutal aura that emanated from this single, humongous vampire sent alarm bells ringing, and my instinct screamed at me to not to fight him, and to run instead. I barely avoided a kick that he sent in my direction, and even though he didn't touch anything, the sheer shockwave from his foot obliterated a nearby wall.

”Monster!” Kufa gasped as he backed away, his arms shaking despite parrying the shockwave with his katana. ”This guy is a monster!”

”Jeez!”

Gasping, I backed away, now knowing why the young vampires didn't pursue us. They knew this monster was here. Perspiration dripped down my face as I studied him. I didn't want to tangle with a superior opponent, not when I had to rush to Zhao Yan's position to prevent her from being abducted by Fan Le Lao and watching the whole series dissolve into some cliché shoujo romance drama where she found herself increasingly attracted to him despite being enemis.

The adult vampire in front of us refused to cooperate, however.

He charged at us. Summoning Golden Kirin, I had both him and Vermillion Phoenix execute a combined spell.

”Scorched Earth!”

Molten lava surged over the dude and engulfed him. Roaring in pain, the smoldering vampire burst out of the lava and punched me. I crossed my two swords and blocked the punch, but was sent crashing several dozen meters across the schoolyard. Blood spurted from my mouth, but I managed to land on the ground unsteadily.

”Richard!” Rossetti called out, managed to catch hold of me before I could fall.

”Don't worry about me. The others…”

I glanced up and caught sight of Kufa being knocked away. Despite parrying the guy's fist with his katana, he was sent cartwheeling like a broken doll across the courtyard and vanishing in a shower of rubble when he crashed against a wall. I winced when I saw that, having experienced similar pain. Rossetti then got up to rush toward his side, but I could sense his mana signature. He was hurt badly, but he was still alive.

Good. As long as we were still…

”!!!”

Then I saw Miura. I wasn't sure what she was doing, but the adult vampire had gotten right in front of her. She was casting her black magic and sending shadows and curses at the massive guy, to no effect. The shadows scrabbled futilely against his blood barrier but dissipatd harmlessly.

”Move!” I shouted at Miura, trying to crawl to my feet and toward her. ”Get out of the way!”

My Celestial Guardiand dove toward her, but explosions rocked them back. The adult vampire had flung his arms toward them and blasted them with shockwaves.

Then he swung a fist around and smashed through Miura's dark barrier, punching a hole not just through the crumbling shield but also through her chest.

Miura stared down at the hole in her chest, her torso almost obliterated as her assailant's fist poked out through her back. Blood dribbled from her mouth and her eyes grew increasingly blank as she slumped over.

”MIURA!” Rossetti's scream echoed throughout the courtyard. I watched numbly, even as my battered Celestial Guardians struggled to rally from the shockwaves and right themselves.

Once again, I had failed to save someone I had considered a friend.

*

Fan Le Lao dropped Lute Dragoon's body on the ground and licked the blood off his fingers. All around him, the drained corpses of women lay about.