Strike the Blood - Volume 18 - Chapter Pr

INTRO 

The man stood brandishing an enormous sword. 

The subterranean chamber was broad and dimly lit, surrounded by steel walls on all four sides. 

The elliptical stage made out of tightly packed earth and stones was reminiscent of an ancient gladiatorial arena where slaves were made to fight one another. Walking to the center of that stage, the man discarded the cloak he wore, exposing the thick muscles that covered his imposing physique. There were old scars carved into his flesh—too many to count—demonstrating that this man was a resilient weapon honed on the field of battle. In addition to wielding a great sword, he wore dark gray epaulets and gauntlets infused with magical energy. 

Facing off against this man was a huge phantom beast enveloped in flames. 

The air shimmered, scorched by the blistering flames; white smoke spewed upward from where the soil was fused together. It was a mass of demonic energy so dense it had gained a physical form. It was a Beast Vassal—one of the otherworldly creatures that dwelled in the vampire’s own blood. 

If one were to put its appearance into words, perhaps it would be described as a ferocious ox clad in thick armor like a crocodile. It was easily twice as tall as the man. 

It was said that the Beast Vassals of older, more powerful vampires could destroy a cutting-edge tank with ease, or even burn an entire city to the ground in a single night. There was no doubting that the Beast Vassal before the man’s eyes belonged to an Old Guard vampire. 

In spite of this, neither fright nor reluctance lingered in the man’s eyes. The corners of his thick lips curled upward to carve an impetuous smile upon his face. 

Without fanfare, the man raised the great sword he carried and stepped forward. 

The fighting spirit emanating from his entire body was so strong that his opponent could feel it, and he slammed it into the Beast Vassal. 

Provoked by that fighting spirit, the Beast Vassal ferociously roared. Lowering its posture, it jutted its horns forward and charged toward the man. The creature propelled itself at such a high speed in an abnormally short time, but being a mass of demonic energy, a Beast Vassal was not shackled by the laws of the real world. Its huge, blazing body turned into a torrent of power in an attempt to turn the man into roadkill. 

The man, no more than a mere human, would surely be overwhelmed by the heat and mass, helpless against being trampled—everyone watching the fight knew he was seconds away from death, but within the underground chamber, the air itself shifted. 

The torrent of demonic energy warped and wavered. The Beast Vassal materialized once more. Its huge body convulsed in pain, letting loose a fearsome howl with an unconcealable reverberation of agony. 

The man had swung his sword to block the entity’s advance. Even though the Beast Vassal was impervious to any physical attack, somehow this had hurt it. 

“Is that all?” 

The man let out a disappointed sigh through the gaps of his clenched teeth. Forcing the great sword imbued with a pale light into a downward swing, he rode the momentum for an inverse, upward slash. 

With its right shoulder slashed open, the Beast Vassal lost control of its demonic flames, which scattered about like blood from a fresh wound. As the Beast Vassal reeled backward, the man crept under its feet, thrusting his sword deep into the beast’s belly. 

Demonic energy exploded from the beast in response. Flames and violent gusts raged indiscriminately, mowing down the stage and pushing the defensive barriers to their absolute limits. 

Yet, the man stood calmly amid those flames all the same. Striking down with his fist, covered only in a gauntlet, he mercilessly delivered another slash with his radiant great sword. He followed up with a flurry of blows from his fist. A human being in the flesh, not even a sorcerer, was overwhelming a vampire’s Beast Vassal in melee combat. The largely surreal scene left the people surrounding the stage voiceless. 

Finally, a blow from the man’s sword slashed deeply, close to the Beast Vassal’s heart. 

Dazzling sparks scattered forth as the Beast Vassal’s body swayed and vanished like a mirage. The accumulated damage had exceeded its limit, rendering it unable to maintain physical form. 

The throes of combat had destroyed the elliptical stage sufficiently that it could no longer sustain its original shape. 

White steam was spewing from between the stones. Sparks were scattering from the barrier due to excess strain. On the other side of that barrier, a Demon wearing a military uniform was heaving ragged breaths. This was the Beast Vassal’s vampire host. 

“What’s wrong? Done already?” 

The man was disappointed. However, the vampire remained on his knees and offered no reply. The backlash from damage to his Beast Vassal had exhausted him to the point he could not utter a single word. 

Upon closer observation, the sorcerous engineers who had deployed the barrier across the stage wore similar worn-out expressions. Some among them had already lost consciousness. 

This by no means meant they deserved criticism for being frail. There were few sorcerous engineers in the world capable of deploying a barrier that could seal a Beast Vassal’s demonic energy, brief period of time or no. If anything, it was the combat ability of the man who had dispatched the Beast Vassal that was beyond all common sense. 

An individual appearing to be the captain of the sorcerous engineers bowed his head deeply toward the man. “Please be merciful. The soldiers cannot withstand any more.” 

“I can see that. We’re done here. I had heard you demonic mercenaries were skilled, but this does not amount to a warm-up, let alone a demonstration. I really should have hired two or three extra Beast Vassal users.” 

The man sheathed his great sword with a deep exhale. To this man, even reckless close-quarter combat with a Beast Vassal was nothing more than a minor test of skill—not a taste of real combat. 

“So have you discerned his identity?” 

The man posed the question to the sorcerous engineer captain as he descended from the wrecked stage. 

“Yes. Though we could not hope for anyone in the royal palace to be complicit, cooperation from foreign intelligence services allowed us to piece together his identity.” 

The captain took out an ultra-thin digital device from under the robe he wore. Displayed upon it was a photo of an Asian boy. Thanks to the parka hood the boy wore over his eyes, the impression he gave was ominous indeed. Red, gleaming eyes peeked out from the gaps between his pale bangs. 

“Are you all right with this, Your Majesty? Even if it means making an enemy out of this man—?” 

The man addressed as Your Majesty gave the captain’s question a brief reply. “This is not making an enemy.” 

Then the man swiped the digital device from the captain’s hands, spitefully glaring at the face of the young man portrayed upon it. The clandestinely taken photo also portrayed a small-statured girl standing right at the side of the young man in the hooded parka. She was a black-haired girl with a guitar case on her back. The man clenched his jaw, and his teeth ground together loud enough to make a sound. 

“He is no real enemy of mine—he’ll be dead by my hands before long. I shall cleave his skull, rip off his limbs, and burn him to ash in holy fire so that he can never resuscitate again!” 

Cracks ran across the screen of the digital device. The man’s fingers quaked with anger as they crushed the device with their absurd level of gripping power. Even amid the spectacular cracks, the screen continued to display the face of the young man. 

“Yes, this malignant king wrought from the consumption of blood—the Fourth Primogenitor, Kojou Akatsuki!” 

The enraged man clenched the digital device, crushing it. This time, the image vanished for good. 

It almost felt like the man was dragging his sheathed great sword behind him as he walked off. All the remaining sorcerous engineers could do as he left was stare dumbfounded at his back.