528 Chapter 528: Fire and Blood (1/2)
Fan Fu Qing slowly turned his head to glance at Teresa Taylor, his eyes narrowed and his hand still clutching the throat of the defeated Zui Qiang.
”Fan Fu Qing.”
The cold voice was at odds with the fiery atmosphere, and despite the intense heat, the aged vampire felt a chill run down his spine. Despite his bravado, he knew that he was being judged by the holy flames for all the atrocities he had committed. Behind him, Teresa Taylor stood, her figure illuminated by the white inferno raging at her back.
”I came here to utterly destroy you.”
The two old adversaries glared at each other for a second, and then Teresa Taylor made the first move, scraping her foot against the ravaged ground. Before she could lift it, however, three vampires descended upon her from above.
”!”
Teresa Taylor glanced up at the trio, who were among the four younglings accompanying Xu Wu Cheng as his elite vanguard earlier.
”You're pretty bold to come here and fight his majesty all by yourself!” One of them, a dark-skinned vampire with an afro and dreads, sneered.
”It's over.” Another vampire, this time absurdly pale to the point where he resembled a ghost more than the living, murmured.
”Die, old hag!” The third vampire, a youngster with his hair styled into a red Mohawk, sneered.
Teresa Taylor merely lifted his head to look at them before the area vanished in an explosion.
”What are these jokers doing?” I demanded as I leaned on Rossetti, watching the battle from afar.
”I…don't know?” the red-haired girl replied with a confused shrug.
”Committing suicide, it looks like,” Kufa muttered.
As if to emphasize both mine and Kufa's point, the explosion suddenly erupted into an enormous geyser of holy flames that pierced the heavens, searing the clouds and regurgitating large plumes of smoke that blotted out the seething sky. The area was bathed in pure white, and I swore I could see feathers fluttering around the white inferno.
”!!!!”
Many vampires recoiled, astonished by the catastrophic conflagration that threatened to to engulf the whole school. But they turned around, taken aback by my voice as I smirked.
”Burn!!!!”
”…seriously?” Rossetti glared at me. I lowered my head.
”Sorry.”
As she pointed out, this wasn't the time to be joking. I had to hurry to Zhao Yan's position and prevent the readers from suffering shoujo-styled drama filled with angst, toxic and abusive love-hate relationships, as well as utterly illogical decisions and actions.
Meanwhile, in the distance, all three vampires had been reduced completely to ashes. With sword in hand, Teresa Taylor stood alone amidst the roaring white inferno as his assailants were consumed by the flames of judgement.
”Idiots.”
Teresa Taylor twitched at Fan Fu Qing's words. Unaffected, the vampire king strode casually toward the White Witch, his cloak billowing in the extreme heat. Unlike his subordinates, he wasn't bothered by the holy wrathful aura the headmistress was emanating.
”...”
The elderly lady said nothing as she raised her head, and then she tilted it to the side to silently glare at the king of vampires.
”What?” Fan Fu Qing snapped. ”Your eyes look like they are trying to say something.”
Teresa Taylor responded not with words but with a flaming slash that Fan Fu Qing blocked with his arm.
As expected of a vampire with highly regenerative abilities and blood magic. Despite the holy flames and incredibly sharp blade, Teresa Taylor was unable to shear through the arm, her sword stopped by protective mana, a reinforced blood barrier and incredibly hard muscle. Apparently Fan Fu Qing's physical reinforcement spells had been enhanced to the extreme by his esoteric blood magic.
”Your majesty!”
The useless You Shou, who had done nothing up till now but yell for his king or commentate on events, shouted, but true to form, he didn't lift even a single finger to do anything.
”You have not changed, Fan Fu Qing,” Teresa Taylor growled as she pressed her advantage with her blade. Blood dripped from the vampire's arm even though he struggled to endure the former paladin's slash. ”But your cruel attitude toward your own subordinates will also end here.”
”You got old, Teresa Taylor.”
Fan Fu Qing's remark came with a smirk as he regarded his old foe. Even as his arm bled profusely and he stepped back into the surrounding holy flames that threatened to scorch him, he wasn't able to conceal the amusement in his voice.
”However, the way you allow your anger to get the better of you reminds me of when you were younger. You were so much more beautiful back then. So much more…passionate.”
”Nonsense!” Teresa Taylor snapped as she unleashed another slash. Holy mana billowed out of her blade and blasted the rubble into oblivion as they tried to consume the dodging Fan Fu Qing, who wisely kept his distance. As the White Witch struck again, the vampire king had no choice but to reach for the sword that was sheathed at his hip.