Ch.466Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

A dark, smoky haze settled over the research building.

At first glance, it resembled smoke screen, or perhaps dawn mist. But this was no naturally occurring vapor.

From within the black smoke came the heavy sound of steel.

The figure armored in plate mail evoked the image of a medieval knight.

Its steadfast posture exuded a reliability that seemed impervious to the world’s turbulence and tribulations, while its broad shoulders appeared symbolic of valor and dignity.

The gauntlets, lightly crossed as if resting on armrests, suggested composure and confidence—a certainty that no opponent could disturb its equanimity.

“…Hmm.”

Facing the upright opponent, Francesca suddenly began to smile.

She pulled out an unfamiliar glove from her possession and slipped it onto her left hand.

“A knight straight out of a fairy tale. Have you come to slay a dragon, perhaps?”

Camilla’s gaze swept over the plate armor.

“Armor that bullets can’t penetrate… I’ve never heard of armor that could stop not just longbows or crossbows, but even bullets… And that inhuman strength that sends people flying with bare hands.”

“This won’t be easy,” she added briefly, beginning a reconnaissance by slowly moving around. Francesca likewise observed her opponent with a relaxed posture.

“No elaborate patterns or decorations, not even a surcoat—suggesting you’re no nobleman. Yet the craftsmanship of your armor is remarkably fine. Your strength might be attributed to some supernatural power, but your combat prowess suggests you were a knight in your lifetime.”

“……”

“Where did you leave your sword, Sir Knight?”

Whether mockery or genuine inquiry, the question with its inscrutable intent went unanswered.

The figure maintained its stance like a statue, steadfastly silent.

Francesca and Camilla, circling around, exchanged hand signals to share information.

They could feel the imminence of battle in their skin.

A vial of reagent hidden behind her back. Air rippling at her fingertips. The sword left by the archmage, gleaming with blue light.

“Let me tell you an interesting story for a knight who’s awakened after hundreds of years. Since ancient times, what ended the age of knights was—”

Francesca, smiling quietly, raised her rune sword.

“Magic.”

Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

A blue slash descended. Where the blade passed, blue magical energy lingered like a trajectory.

The cold, beautiful afterimage created a path that gave the illusion of having split the air itself. Though scientifically inexplicable, magic was the discipline of creating miracles.

The alchemist, holding her ancestral legacy, unleashed her own ideal.

– ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ !!

Blue magical energy surged from the split gap. The deep blue light spread in all directions like three streaks crossing the open sky.

Thin, dense rays attacked from all sides. Witnessing the onslaught, the plate-armored knight leaped into the air.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Francesca, glaring at the vampire, extended her left hand as if she had been waiting for this moment.

Magical energy, stretched like threads, gently coiled into her grasp. Following her hand gestures, the indigo threads connected to the rune sword gathered, and after successfully grasping all the threads, she pulled her gloved hand tightly.

Then something remarkable happened. The threads of magical energy began to move in unison under her command.

The previously wild threads pulled taut. Francesca controlled them with skillful gestures. She resembled a puppeteer manipulating a marionette.

-Swish!

-Crack!

Walls, ceiling, floor, equipment. The indigo threads left traces everywhere as they drew long curves.

Francesca continued her manipulation by freely moving her gloved hand, while the vampire struggled to shake off the fierce pursuit. Unlike before, it couldn’t even find an opportunity to approach, let alone counterattack, as it desperately evaded her attacks.

Then a gunshot rang out.

Concrete debris showered from the impact site, and the deflected bullet lodged near the thigh. Though the weakened ricochet failed to penetrate the armor, it left a distinct mark.

The dented bullet fell from the gauntlet’s grip, and the gleaming helmet turned downward. After examining the bullet mark on its armor, the creature raised its head to stare in our direction.

“It stopped!”

I shouted loudly while pulling the trigger.

The creature disappeared behind a concrete pillar to avoid the hail of gunfire, but couldn’t properly hide due to the threads that emerged as soon as it rounded the corner.

-Ratatata! Ratatata!

-Crack!

A relentless pursuit of threads and an unceasing shower of armor-piercing rounds.

The air filled with the heavy sound of metal, rifle discharges, and the eerie noise of moving threads.

Despite wearing plate armor, its movements remained unhindered. Rolling across the floor, it narrowly avoided the threads and leaped over a desk before the bullets could even graze its armor.

Its speed was astonishingly fast. Not only quick, but its agility in clearing high obstacles in a single bound was remarkably nimble.

“What the hell is this guy? What did he do to be able to run around like that in armor?”

“It’s possible because it’s not human!”

Francesca forcefully struck down with the threads she was gripping. This initiated an attack so fast it was difficult to follow with the naked eye.

She unleashed a fierce assault like a snake lunging at its prey, but her opponent was no pushover either.

When she brought down threads from above, the creature slid under laboratory equipment. When she swung threads widely from left to right, it pressed against a pillar, waiting for the right moment before escaping just before the threads came around.

The close combat continued with near misses. Francesca concentrated on controlling the threads, while the vampire tracked the shower of threads with its eyes.

-Thunk!

She pierced through the cover itself with threads to target the hidden creature, but failed again.

Lowering its stance and rolling, it evaded all the attacks and smoothly escaped the scene.

“……”

Despite repeated failures, she showed no impatience or anxiety. The alchemist waited calmly, controlling the threads like an experienced angler with a fishing rod.

-Whisk!

When a vicious sound cut through the air, the helmet turned left. Spotting threads flying diagonally, the creature quickly launched itself toward a blind spot.

Everyone has habits. Fighting is no exception.

Having faced Francesca in successive battles, the creature had learned her methods.

The number of threads that responded when she pulled her index finger, the upper body movement just before striking from above, the types of attacks that followed when attacks at different heights failed, and so on.

Through repeated learning, it had adapted to fighting Francesca.

To the point where it could easily ignore penalties like plate armor or differences in range.

-Crack!

When threads tore off a freezer door, a gauntlet grabbed the falling metal piece.

The creature took position with the door panel in its gauntlet. There was no time to react. The heavy metal piece was thrown directly at its target.

The metal flew in a perfect straight line rather than a parabola. Francesca shook the threads entwined around her five fingers, and the airborne door panel shattered into hundreds of pieces.

And then the plate armor appeared.

Having successfully diverted attention with the obstacle, the creature didn’t miss the momentary opportunity.

It crossed the long distance in one bound and extended its gauntlet.

Through the fragments scattered in the air, Francesca’s lips curved gently.

“Caught you.”

Her low voice cut clearly through the chaotic noise. The gleaming helmet seemed to look down, and the pair of gloves wrapped in indigo threads began to twitch.

The indigo threads that had been drawing long curves responded immediately after.

The floating threads shed their looseness and took on order.

The taut indigo threads overlapped with each other to change form, and the threads layered in a grid instantly took the shape of a net.

The fishing was over.

All those hundreds and thousands of attacks were for this moment.

The angler who had reeled in her line after the long wait smiled.

“A net cast to catch the wicked has no loose mesh…”

And she pulled hard on the firmly gripped net.

“And it never lets the wicked escape.”

The net spread in the sky descended upon the opponent.

The glowing indigo threads wedged into the seams and gaps of the plate armor. Violent struggles to break free produced sharp metallic sounds, but the more force applied, the tighter the net constricted.

Having barely trapped the vampire, Francesca struggled to hold onto the net. But she lacked the strength to handle the creature’s monstrous power.

However, there was no need to restrain it until reinforcements arrived.

“Now!”

A shrill voice reached everyone’s ears. The direction of the sound was above us.

Heeding the warning, Francesca quickly released the net. I wrapped my arm around her waist, lifted her up, and launched us toward a pre-spotted cover while looking up at the ceiling.

The vast ceiling filled with dark smoke.

Through the darkness reminiscent of the night sky, a beam of light descended hazily like moonlight.

Camilla, her red hair fluttering, aimed her index finger at the target.

“Bang!”

The world turned white.

The light that drove away darkness swallowed even the sounds of the area.

Stimulating colors flickered, disorienting the eyes. The spreading vibration swept across the bedrock.

The tremors that hit the caves and desert were felt by people too.

“What was that just now?”

“Was it an earthquake? I wonder if something happened below…”

And then.

After the red storm passed. As Camilla slowly descended and carefully set foot on the ground.

The dark smoke began to clear, and brilliant lights started to drive away the darkness in the research building.