The duration of my time stopping is growing longer and longer.
Naturally, for a vampire, this was an unforeseen circumstance. My body was exhausted, and it was impossible to use a powerful skill like ‘time stop’ indefinitely.
If it were possible, I wouldn’t be just a high expert; I would be called a ‘Master.’
But even now, I was defying that common sense.
Of course, no miracle comes without a price.
It was a story that no longer mattered at this late stage.
While the vampire was caught off guard, how many times did I swing the axe?
Eventually, with a clanging noise, particles of light scattered everywhere.
It was proof that the crimson chains had shattered.
Even then, the vampire remained dumbfounded, standing there with nothing to say. Its blue eyes, watching me carefully, only showed signs of confusion.
Even the great witch who had barely managed to free herself was no different.
“Did you… How did you… Are you alright? Big sister?”
The worry of the great witch was justified. My condition, at a glance, seemed serious.
I didn’t have the time to even consider the reactions of the people around me.
My breathing was rough, and my overworked brain and lungs were crying out in protest.
But amidst all of that, there was an increasingly vivid scene.
The memories of a strange man stirring the folds of my brain.
It felt like the blood vessels in my head would burst. The small capillaries of my eyes ruptured, turning my vision a pale crimson. I suppressed the urge to scream.
All I could do was sit there and let out low groans.
Only then did the vampire manage a weary smile.
“Whatever it is you did, I don’t know… but there’s no such thing as power without a price. Did you make a ‘deal’?”
It was then that the great witch shakily stood up.
When the vampire looked at me with a troubled expression, the great witch deliberately blocked my way, seemingly trying to protect me while I was incapacitated.
The vampire, however, didn’t seem to feel any particular threat.
“Pathetic little sibling, you still don’t understand, do you? Unless you’re drawing power from your true self, there’s no way you can defeat me… Why not call your main form now?”
“By now, your main form will have already escaped the barrier.”
With gritted teeth, I rebutted, and the vampire responded with a brief laugh.
Dozens of unknown shapes were floating behind the great witch.
“Even if you’ve scattered your soul into pieces, a soul needs a core to coalesce. So, the maximum power you can draw is about a third, right?”
“That’s more than enough.”
As the vampire sneered and raised a hand, I pounded my thigh with a fist, watching the scene.
As I had anticipated, the ensuing fight was one-sided.
With a thunderous crack, fire and wind mixed with electricity to create beams of light. It was magic made of five elements.
The explosive force was unimaginable.
But we were inside the vampire’s barrier.
BOOM!
Simply at the wave of the vampire’s hand, the ground heaved, cracks appeared in the sky, and all the great witch’s magic circles were shattered. Naturally, she spat out blood, unable to withstand the shock.
Was this the cause of the tremors felt outside the barrier?
“…What kind of thief deserves punishment!”
Just as the vampire raised its hand again,
The world turned monochrome once more, centered around my staggering body.
The overuse of aura strained my blood vessels severely. Unable to control the overflowing mana, electric sparks of silver were spurting from my eyes.
But my body moved on its own, pushing off the ground instinctively.
Purely unconscious.
My will was no longer necessary. Before long, I was in front of the vampire, scattering silver auras like mist.
The principle of ‘Destruction’.
But the opponent was a legendary monster.
With a thunderous BOOM, the sound echoed through the space. Despite everything remaining still, the shockwave born out of nowhere felt surreal and foreign.
As the distortion in the space subsided, the vampire stood there with an irritated expression, color returned.
“Annoying…”
And another BOOM.
It wasn’t an artificial explosion. Just the vampire lightly striking the air with its hand sent a pressure wave that felt like breaking bones.
Even with such danger, I didn’t let go of my sword.
It was for the opportunity to counter.
With a swift sound,
Blood spurted, and the vampire took a step back, unable to believe it. A small puncture wound had appeared on its shoulder.
It was the result of gathering the scattered auras of ‘Destruction’ and firing them all at once.
In other words, like a river encountering a narrow channel.
The penetrating power was incomparable to any other technique. Even a vampire with a third of its power allowed such a puncture wound, so the force was clearly significant.
Of course, there were regrets.
Because, in fact, I had aimed for the vampire’s heart.
The wound on the vampire’s shoulder healed at an astonishing speed. With a sizzling sound, smoke rose, and soon there was no trace of the wound left.
Then came the vampire’s turn.
My sword, unable to withstand the vampire’s strength, had already been cast away long ago, leaving only the future of being struck by the vampire’s fists and kicks hitting my arms and legs.
The result was gruesome.
Cracks. Grinding.
Do you know the feeling of having your body torn apart, bones crushed?
It’s something you’d be better off never experiencing. Unable to even scream, I grabbed at my disheveled flesh, losing my left arm and right leg.
It didn’t matter much since only one arm remained anyway, and I couldn’t stop the bleeding from my lower body.
Behind me, the great witch’s scream erupted.
“Big sister! Ugh…”
And again, dozens of magic circles appeared in the sky, but the result was the same.
When a finger clicked, the sky disappeared.
This was no exaggeration or metaphor. The sky, already dark as ink, but seeing space itself being torn apart was an eerie sight.
As if a transcendent being were tearing the space like a piece of paper with their hand.
Filling the void was another darkness.
At least visually, it was marginally better than before. In the newly created sky, a crimson moon floated.
The crimson moonlight was vivid. Under this eerie light, the vampire looked somewhat irritated.
“I thought things would be different with the two of you. How very foolish.”
Undoubtedly, the situation was not good.
I was clearly unable to fight, and the great witch, although trying to rise, only collapsed again. Senior Elsi’s groan gave no sign of when she might regain consciousness.
Here, only one figure treaded.
Silently.
Gradually approaching me, the vampire’s eyes held a vague sense of killing intent. Briefly glancing at its shoulder, it seemed quite upset about the damage I had inflicted.
The grinding sound of its teeth was evidence.
My vision blurred gradually. My breathing slowed, and as the blood loss increased, my consciousness was growing more confused.
“But, the blow just now was impressive… It reminded me of my wayward younger self.”
Which made it all the more unforgivable.
A low whisper lingered near my ear. I was on the verge of passing out, so I couldn’t be sure.
The vampire’s hand was slowly being raised.
All living beings instinctively sense approaching death.
So now.
Is this the end?
While I thought this and was about to close my eyes,
“What…!?”
The vampire’s clearly surprised voice rang out. And then sudden, searing heat coursing through my spine.
My gradually closing eyelids opened on their own.
“This… What… AAAAAAAH!”
In my dazed eyes, a bizarre scene unfolded.
In the darkened space, countless crimson threads extended. This web-like structure, complex and sturdy like a spider’s web, connected to both me and the vampire.
Every time the crimson thread piercing my spine pulsed, an intense heat sensation occurred. The result of this pain was astonishing.
My limbs regenerate.
It was a miracle thought possible only through divine power. There was no offering that could heal my body to this extent.
Meanwhile, the crimson thread connected to the vampire performed an entirely different role.
It tightly bound the vampire’s body, completely immobilizing it.
There must be only one who can wield such bizarre power.
A cry full of hatred erupted from the vampire’s mouth.
“Gluttony…!”
That was the signal.
The soft landing of a figure fell from the sky. With a graceful landing posture—slightly bending the knees to absorb the impact and spreading the arms as if following protocol.
The black hair and golden eyes flashed briefly.
Including the almost scandalous exposure level of the pitch-black priest’s robe.
The girl slowly stood up and moved her lips, singing-like.
“In a closed dark room, a man and a woman are indulging in physical affection? That’s not good, absolutely not… As a younger sister, I completely protest!”
“You crazy wench who wants to be my lover…!”
The vampire gnashed its teeth in disbelief at her words, but couldn’t leave any significant mark on the girl’s spirit.
Instead, the girl even winked one eye as she straightened her body,
Right at me.
“Come on, your loving younger sister is here! You can relax now! You must not be broken until you become mine!”
Still confusing lines that clouded my mind.
I almost closed my eyes but sighed deeply, raising my upper body.
Yeah, we still have to fight.
Because of the ‘contract’.
It was a joint front between siblings.
