Chapter 129 – The Saintess and Her Guardian (7)

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“Do you know who I am, to dare bare your fangs at me?”

Vempir bared her sharp fangs in a threatening snarl.

Baring fangs? Seriously?

“I know. Your name’s Vempir, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. A vampire, weak to sunlight, lurking in the shadows like a creep. Oh, and you hate garlic too, right?”

“…!?”

She clearly hadn’t expected me to know even her food preferences—her pupils trembled violently.

What, did they just slap every classic vampire weakness onto her like some 20th-century game? And yet, she was a woman. Tall like Edel, with a generous bust—if she were released as a standalone character, she’d probably set 21st-century gamers’ hearts ablaze.

“You know of me, yet still seek battle? I don’t know how strong you are in this world, but you clearly lack self-awareness.”

“Relax. You’re weaker than the Black Knight anyway, aren’t you?”

After already defeating Edel, worrying about Vempir was almost laughable. If anything, I was the one with perfect self-awareness here.

Perhaps sensing that I’d taken down the Black Knight to get here, a surge of bloody aura writhed around Vempir’s body.

“How do you know of the Black Knight? Speak the truth at once.”

“Don’t remember? I fought him hard when you all first descended to the human realm. I won, by the way.”

“That light… it couldn’t have been you…?”

Recognition flickered in her eyes as she pointed an accusatory finger at me.

“You expect me to believe the Black Knight lost to you? Such nonsense.”

“Believe it or not, that’s your choice. I’ll only beat you enough so you don’t die—how about a nice hundred-year nap?”

Vempir’s form vanished without a trace.

Strange shadows swirled around me inside the dungeon.

Would’ve been easier if she just charged head-on from the start. But she seemed wary of me, knowing even her weaknesses.

Soon, the bloody aura thickened so densely I could barely see even at close range.

And the smell—just when I thought my nose had adjusted, the source of the stench was right in front of me, making me recoil.

Phase 1: Blood Mist Scattering.

Vempir would become invincible for five turns, scattering blood mist and hurling spears at her target.

In the game, this was an especially annoying phase where you just prayed the cleric’s shield held for those five turns.

But that’s only in the game.

Ssskree—!

I deflected the spear thrust with Triceratops, the eerie sound of splitting air ringing out. Another spear came from a blind spot—I caught it mid-air and knocked away a third.

Though my movements were slightly restricted by my long skirt, dodging Vempir’s spears wasn’t an issue.

If one hit, the blood aura would spread through my body, turning me into a mummy in seconds—but honestly, I was more worried about the stench clinging to me than the attack itself.

Absolutely not because of Edel. Just the smell. Definitely.

I teleported away as dozens of spears rained from all directions.

“Spears aren’t enough, can’t you see? Don’t tell me you can only attack from the shadows? Even the Cursed Doll’s stronger than this… No more shadows.”

I pressed a hand to the ground. A magic circle, infused with mana, expanded until it filled the dungeon from floor to ceiling.

A simple spell, just emitting light—but as brilliance flooded the space, every shadow vanished.

“There you are.”

With no shadows left to hide in, Vempir was exposed. I swung Triceratops at her.

Her blood-forged trident clashed against the broom’s horns, screeching unnaturally.

Vempir fought smart—extending and retracting her spear’s length, attacking from blind spots—but she lacked Edel’s raw strength and speed.

“What kind of power—?!”

Even with both hands gripping her trident, she was being pushed back. The gap in our stats was too wide.

And it wasn’t like witches had some racial advantage over vampires.

More importantly—I knew her, but she didn’t know me. The difference in intel and ability left her scrambling.

“Stay still. I won’t kill you.”

On top of that, the curse imbued in Triceratops began gnawing at her trident, just like it had tried to devour Edel’s demonic sword.

“I thought it was just an ordinary broom infused with energy… but no. What is that thing?”

“You’re looking at a limited-edition weapon. Top-tier performance.”

She seemed to vaguely sense Triceratops’ true nature—but knowing wouldn’t help her.

The cursed trident hardened into brittle solidity and shattered. Before Triceratops could claim her right arm, Vempir twisted away, leaving the broom to smash harmlessly into the ground.

“Ghk…!”

She’d transformed her arm into blood at the last second—the crimson liquid rippled unnaturally.

Blood magic, unique to vampires. But Triceratops wasn’t just a physical weapon; its curse-laden strikes couldn’t be fully negated.

Still, as Vempir swung her liquefied arm, droplets of blood sharpened into needles and shot toward me.

Did she really think I’d just take that?

A quick teleport dodged it all.

“So it wasn’t just empty boasting that you defeated the Black Knight. Very well—I’ll take you seriously. Killing you would be no different from defeating him myself. And then…”

As I teleported again, Vempir spat out arrogant words.

“All you’ve got is blood magic and aura. Save the tough talk for someone actually hiding their strength.”

Did she think I’d fall for that bluff?

“You know much about me… but that will be your downfall.”

The blood mist thinned.

Like a rewinding tape, the bloody aura surged back into Vempir’s body.

Phase 2: Blood Absorption.

Vempir would briefly enter a stunned state, reclaiming her scattered blood mist to double her buffs. She could even tap into her thralls’ power or possess another body if her current one fell.

Annoying mechanics stacked on top of more annoying mechanics. Letting her stall would only cause trouble.

“Stop being difficult and just lose already.”

I activated a sealing circle to trap her mid-absorption—but a blinding white light erupted from Vempir’s body, repelling the dark magic.

“Divine energy…?”

That was divine power.

Behind Vempir, a collapsed man came into view.

The thrall ability.

There’d been a group of divine knights at the dungeon entrance. This man must’ve been someone from the Holy Kingdom strong enough to catch Vempir’s eye…

Maybe I should’ve dealt with the thrall first.

I’d planned to smack her around a bit and call it a day, but she was putting up a real fight.

“Cough! Not bad at all. A bit tingly, though. Taking a thrall on a whim paid off. With this power, I’ll tear you apart.”

Even as divine energy visibly rejected her body, making her cough blood, Vempir’s expression didn’t waver.

If blood aura was a vampire-exclusive power, divine energy was the manifestation of human faith.

It wasn’t unheard of for demons to wield divine power—later in the series, even a demonic saintess appeared. But even she, chosen by an angel, suffered splitting headaches whenever she used it.

Yet here was Vempir—no holy mark, no halo—using divine energy like it was nothing?

Of course, in the hands of a Heavenly King, it’d be far stronger than when a normal human used it… but a body steeped in demonic energy and blood aura shouldn’t be able to endure it.

Then again, the half-demon twins from Aria Chronicle 2 met a similar end.

“You know how dangerous divine power is for demons, right? You might die. Wouldn’t it be easier to just let me seal you?”

“Are you afraid of my power? Keep running that mouth.”

Ugh. I’m serious here.

If she dies like this, it’ll be a problem…

Sure, divine energy would hurt me—but I was more worried about the Four Heavenly Kings becoming Three.

As if answering my fears, the warning signs came faster than expected. Vempir’s fingertips began flaking away into ash.

I had to seal her before she crumbled entirely.

“First… yes. That barrier around you is irritating.”

With a wave of her hand, the divine energy—clashing violently with her demonic and bloody aura—erupted in a blinding explosion.

“Guh—!”

Five layered magic circles shielded me, but the ones covering the dungeon shattered completely, plunging us back into darkness.

This divine power was sharper, more violent than what the Heresy Inquisitors had wielded.

“Staggering already? And here I thought you were so mighty.”

Vempir’s haughty voice echoed through the dark.

…Would it really be so bad if one Heavenly King disappeared?

Here I was, worried she might die, and she was still mouthing off.

Infuriating.

Lucent