526 Chapter 526: Wrath of the White Witch (1/2)
As the shockwaves billowed throughout the academy, I lost my footing. The gigantic vampire wasted no time slamming his fist into my body. Despite parrying his punch with my crossed swords, I was sent hurtling through the air and crashed against a concrete wall. Unlike me, the vampire was a seasoned veteran who was unaffected by the unexpected tremors skillfully maintaining his balance on the shaking ground. I still lacked experience, when compared to him.
Trying to rise to my feet, I caught sight of my friends. Kufa lay slumped against a broken wall while Rossetti was sprawled on the ground, semiconscious. My Celestial Guardians were lying motionless after having been beaten into submission by the damned vampire.
”Ugh…”
The blow had literally knocked the breath out of my lungs and now I struggled to recover, gasping desperately as I leaned against the creater I had made against the wall. My mana was flowing ruggedly throughout my battered body, offering some relief, but I knew that wouldn't last long if I couldn't escape the next blow.
My eyes darted toward Miura's corpse and rage flared in my chest.
”Guahahahaha!”
The enormous vampire was laughing as he stepped toward me.
”How pathetic! Are all Global Federation mages so pitifully weak?”
I looked up at the vampire, gritting my teeth. Dude, you were an adult bullying a kid like me and my friends, and you were mocking us for our lack of strength? Who were you kidding?
The grinning vampire approached me, cracking his knuckles. I heaved as I tried to regulate my mana circulation and regain control of my body. That one blow had clogged up the flow of my mana and made it difficult for me to recover, but given a few minutes of rest, I should be able to return to normal. He hadn't broken anything or done much internal damage.
Or so I hoped.
Unfortunately, I doubted that my opponent would be generous enough to grant me those few minutes. Not only was he huge, he resembled a ruffian, with a shaggy beard and puffed-up hair. He was brushing a hand across his hooligan-styled hair now, mocking me.
Shit… I thought, wheezing as blood dripped from my mouth. This is impossible. He's too powerful! I can't do anything!
”Are you afraid of my power?”
The adult snorted derisively and he strolled toward me. All around him, the blood of fallen students flowed toward him and he drank in their power, adding their mana to his. I pushed my glasses up my nose and sighed.
”You do realize you're basically bullying a kid even though you're an adult, right?”
”What nonsense. The moment you enrolled in this academy, you could no longer hide behind pretensions of being a kid.”
Wow. How astute. I had no counter to that.
The giant vampire had stopped a few paces from me, all the more to drink the blood of the deceased, including Miura's. I held my breath, hoping that this was the break I needed to quickly recover my strength and summon another of my Celestial Guardians or one of my most powerful Constellation spirits to crush him.
I was too naïve.
The gigantic vampire coalesced all the mana he had collected into a single enormous blood arrow and hurled it at me. Still winded from the punch from earlier, I could only slump helplessly against the wall and watch the deadly projectile sail toward me.
It never reached me.
With her bare hand, Teresa Taylor grabbed the arrow and flung it aside. She had somehow appeared between me and my opponent all of a sudden, taking me by surprise. The blood arrow detonated against the concrete pavement of the courtyard, sending rubble and dust flying into the air, but Teresa Taylor merely stood calmly amidst the death and destruction that flooded the school she was in charge of, a solitary figure of fury.
The vampire froze, recognition dawning on his face. As for me, I stared at my savior, totally bewildered.
”Headmistress Teresa Taylor!”
With her hand still smoking from catching the arrow, Teresa Taylor stood before me, shrouded in smoke, her steely stature an imposing sight. She narrowed her eyes at the vampire, but held her piece. Instead, she allowed her holy aura to speak for itself.
However, far from being intimidated, the vampire burst out laughing.
”Buhahahahahaha!”
Looming before the relatively diminutive Teresa Taylor, the giant spread his hands in glee. Despite the headmistress's imposing figure, the colossal vampire stood half again as tall as the elderly lady.
”Well, this is lucky! This has to be fate! Teresa Taylor, the legendary White Witch! The former Paladin who struck fear into the hearts of the monsters of Caliban! I've come here to meet you!”
Really? Somehow I found that hard to believe.
”I'll kill you…with the mighty vampire magic of the Crimson Blood Demonic Night Clan!”
All the blood in the courtyard flowed toward the vampire, coagulating into crimson spears of death that rose and pointed toward Teresa Taylor, their tips reinforced by sharp mana. The vampire adopted an offensive stance, moving one arm out in front of the other.
”Ha ha ha ha ha ha! You Federation mages and Hunters have persecuted us vampires for far too long! Tried to hunt us into extinction because you fear our power! I'll display the strength that all of you feared so much! We'll prove that we vampires possess the methods that will bring us to the pinnacle of magic!”
”What are you, Lancer of Black?” I demanded and sighed. ”Well, I mean, technically you are a vampire, but…”
The vampire ignored me and continued to grow his armory of blood spears, all of which elongated and twisted into monstrous shapes. The very air was saturated with murderous mana, causing me to suffocate. I could feel my consciousness slowly fade away.
What oppressive mana…