episode_0141

He was unlucky.

To think that while wandering around the vast 7th floor, the vampire was in a place he hadn’t visited yet.

On the contrary.

“…He was lucky.”

That vampire, for whom every second counted, was lucky.

Because he was able to save his life by just one tick difference.

What if he had come a little earlier?

Pushing aside such thoughts.

A fierce battle begins without a single word exchanged.

The first to judge and move was the Veteran Knight.

His sword moves and sword strikes follow, splitting the crimson mist and advancing towards the vampire.

Claaang!!

With a powerful sound like steel striking steel, the sword strike is repelled.

What repelled the sword strike was the vampire’s crimson claw.

As if seeing the wildness of a beastman, that crimson claw repelled the sword strike imbued with sunlight.

The atmosphere slightly dampens at the sight of the vampire holding his own against the knight’s sword, which had instantly cut down even the Mimic, a monster of the 8th floor.

But conversely, it means that a strong person capable of confronting that vampire is here.

“We must take him down before he gets used to the power he’s newly acquired!!!”

As soon as the Investigator shouts, everyone who was standing dumbfounded rushes forward.

There is no chance if not now.

Since the decision to subjugate him has already been made, fighting is something they were prepared for anyway.

Swift and decisive action.

They must pour all their power before he can do something.

First, they use the cards they hold.

[Blaze Dragon]

Flames circle my body and soon become a dragon of fire.

But would the vampire, who blocked the knight’s sword strike, have any reason to take the fire dragon’s attack?

In times like this, the strategy must be changed a little more boldly.

Kairek’s arrows fly, and the Knight Order’s sword strikes whip through the air.

Amidst the explorers’ ranged attacks raining down on the vampire.

I used Flash to arrive directly behind the vampire.

“……?!”

I immediately plunge the Blaze Dragon into the vampire’s back as he is flustered.

He tries to gather the crimson mist instantly to protect his back, but before that, the Blaze Dragon already strikes the vampire’s back.

And that is not the end.

Ifrit, into whom I had infused mana in advance, adds fire to the spot where the Blaze Dragon passed.

The Blaze Dragon devoured Ifrit’s fire as well, becoming even more powerful.

And pierces through the vampire’s body.

The smell of burning flesh stimulating the tip of my nose.

The attack landed squarely on the vampire.

“This bastard…!!!”

However, this alone is not enough to inflict fatal damage.

The skin that had quickly burned away rapidly returns to its original state.

In that state, the vampire immediately swings his crimson claw at me, but I had already moved back far away, among my companions.

“Who are you looking at?!”

While the vampire was momentarily distracted by me.

The vampire’s crimson mist was slightly disrupted.

And without missing that opening, the Veteran Knight approaches.

As if not to tolerate any further approach, the vampire quickly summons his familiars from within the crimson mist.

While none of the familiars individually possess power capable of defeating the Veteran Knight.

They were still enough to hold him back.

“Such…!!”

The knight’s steps, which were charging forward, are blocked by the vampire’s familiars.

Lest he miss that, the vampire slightly floats and begins to flee backward.

What the unsettled fellow needs is time.

“We must pursue him!!”

Everyone knows this, but while contemplating what to do.

I immediately used Flash to move behind the knight.

“Entrust yourself to me.”

“…Alright.”

Grasping the knight’s arm, which was completely relaxed, I use Flash to move.

Perhaps because I was moving such a powerful being, my mana significantly depleted instantly, causing my head to throb.

But I managed to pull just the knight out from among those many familiars.

“Such!?”

Perhaps he didn’t know that I could teleport, even bringing an ally with me.

The knight’s sword is swung at the flustered vampire.

Clang!!

The vampire parries with his crimson claw.

But having sent all his familiars to the front, he did not summon them.

Let the fodder mobs fight among themselves.

Let’s start the boss fight.

A wizard and a knight.

The most fundamental combination since the advent of the fantasy world faces off against the vampire.

Though the knight’s skill is overwhelmingly superior to the wizard’s in terms of ability.

I have many skills to support.

I use one of the cards I hold.

[Temporal Stop]

The vampire’s body momentarily stops for about 0.1 seconds.

It only stopped to that extent because the vampire’s power was stronger than mine.

But due to that small difference.

A sword passes through the vampire’s body once.

Paaat-

A little bit of crimson blood spurts out, but,

the wound quickly heals.

“Annoying!!”

The vampire looks at me with hateful eyes, but.

It doesn’t matter.

It’s still my turn.

『It’s your turn. Draw 5 cards.』

『Pale Box – Preserve 1 card at the end of your turn.』

[Reversal (3)] [Ignite (0)] [Electrify (2)] [Freeze (2)] [Smash (1)] + [Chain Hell (3)]

There are no high-value cards, but they are completely packed with cards perfect for causing disruption.

Anyway, the knight does all the damage.

[Chain Hell]

Chains rise through the floor and target the vampire’s arms and legs.

He would never fall for something this simple, but.

Openings gradually appear.

And the knight easily exploits those openings.

A huge wound appears on his chest.

Not to be outdone, I throw a second card.

[Electrify]

The vampire is electrocuted by the electricity.

He quickly shakes it off, but the knight’s sword cuts through him again.

“You’re in the… way!!!!”

The vampire shouts and shoots crimson blood blades at me, but I easily evade with Flash.

And as much as he focused his power on me, the knight presses the vampire again.

I have no more magic I can use now, but.

Fortunately, magic circles remain.

I couldn’t store many as I’ve been using [Tidal Wave] for a while, but.

At least there is enough magic to defeat the vampire.

[Telekinesis]

[Rupture]

[Exchange]

[Electrified Zone]

[Deep Roots]

[Blizzard]

Since the battle with the knight is difficult as it is. Every time I interfere, the damage accumulates little by little.

The vampire’s face is increasingly contorted, and the speed at which his wounds heal is also beginning to slow down.

Ah, it’s done.

Hope began to appear that if I poured all my power into attacking like this, I could win.

I begin to activate all the magic circles on my body in the most efficient order.

As I use them, the wounds on the vampire’s body increase.

His crimson claws are torn off to the point where they are difficult to recognize.

The crimson mist has all scattered, and there is nothing beside the vampire.

At least his familiars remain and are fighting the fodder mobs, but.

That side is also a matter of time.

The flow was gradually shifting to our side.

If there were no variables, victory was ours.

“Kuaaaah!!!”

Just then, the wounded vampire roared.

As if the time had come, a powerful shockwave surged around the vampire, pushing everything nearby away.

Then, the crimson blood that came from his body moved like a vortex, soon becoming gigantic wings that appeared on the vampire’s back.

“Finally revealing your true form!!”

The knight laughs heartily and charges at the vampire.

The crimson blood that was around the vampire transforms into sharp spears one by one and rain down on the knight.

But the knight deflected all of them one by one and approached.

To support him, I also activate all the remaining magic circles to clear a path.

And finally, the knight’s sword, which reached directly in front of the vampire, accurately pierces the vampire’s heart.

And simultaneously.

The vampire’s claws and blood grab hold of the knight’s body.

“……?!!”

“Now!!!”

The knight tried to break free at the vampire’s words, which seemed to imply something prepared, but.

Just as my interference helped the knight’s attack land,

As the vampire hindered the knight’s movement, an opening instantly appeared.

And what appears, aiming for that opening, is.

Not overwhelming power capable of killing the knight.

Nor was it an attack capable of stunning or incapacitating him.

Just a single portal.

A portal easily seen anywhere in the labyrinth at midnight opened exactly where the knight’s body was.

That portal swallowed the knight whole.

What remained after the portal disappeared was just the vampire with the knight’s sword embedded in his heart.

‘…What just happened?’

Something incomprehensible happened.

It wasn’t even midnight, yet a portal opened and put the knight who had been fighting for so long inside it.

Could it be that he planned this from the beginning?

The vampire, who roughly pulled out the knight’s sword embedded in his heart, breathed heavily and looked down at me.

“I barely succeeded. I almost died.”

“……Why did a portal open there?”

In the incomprehensible situation, the vampire wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth somewhat carelessly and said.

“Did you really think I only had one black mage among my subordinates?”

There was indeed a black mage earlier who seemed to have summoned a Mimic.

The knight killed him instantly, but.

But even so, could a portal be opened so easily in the labyrinth?

“I didn’t send him outside the labyrinth. To be exact, I sent him somewhere on the 7th floor. That alone is sufficient anyway. The knight won’t have the power to find his way back.”

Hearing that, I recalled the events on the 2nd floor.

When the witch appeared back then, there was a somewhat strange portal.

I remember moving to the Sea of Poison by taking that portal.

Seeing such a precedent, one must assume that black mages can create portals that allow movement within at least the same floor.

It might not be easy to go to another floor, but.

At least sending someone to a location on the same floor, not far away, is certainly possible.

“You were aiming for the moment when the knight targeted your heart?”

“…Haha, yes!!”

The vampire seemed to have caught his breath while talking to me, letting out a deep breath, then.

“Since my gamble succeeded, I’ll have to collect the reward!!”

He roared and began to charge towards me.

“……”

But his movements are a bit slow.

He looks different from when he was fighting the knight intensely.

What could be the reason?

Looking at his body, I can tell.

The wounds and cracks that appeared on the vampire’s body are no longer healing.

One side of his crimson wings is half-destroyed, and there is no more crimson mist around his body.

His crimson claws also appear too worn and broken, looking very precarious.

He looks as if he’s already exceeded his limit while fighting the knight.

…Perhaps it’s worth fighting now.

Of course, fighting him 1-on-1 now is impossible for me.

There are only a few magic circles left.

My mana is also nearly depleted.

But what if the vampire flees while I join the companions fighting the familiars here?

Even if he can’t recover right now, a greater danger will approach us.

Steeling my resolve once again.

On the contrary, I also advance forward.

“……?!!!”

The vampire’s flustered pupils dilate rapidly.

Why would a mere wizard come charging forward on the contrary?

However, while doing so, those crimson claws and sharp blood spears were approaching me moment by moment.

In the end, abandoning deep thought, he poured all his attacks onto me.

I take all those attacks.

Kaaak-

With a powerful tearing sound, all attacks that reach me are instantly repelled.

The power of the violet robe given by my master.

It nullifies all attacks just once.

I tightly embrace the flustered fellow.

Then.

Using the mana scraped from the bottom, I use Flash.

Flash-

When the burst of light that filled my vision disappeared.

I, along with the vampire, had already moved to the battlefield where the familiars and our allies were fighting intensely.

However, we didn’t move to flat ground.

We moved to the middle of the air.

Because I needed to escape in this state.

Tuk-

I push the vampire with my foot and retreat backward.

The vampire, who has regained his senses, extends his crimson claw towards me.

Simultaneously, I use the card I was holding.

[Smash]

Peok-

I strike the empty air.

And by that reaction, I am thrown far away.

Right next to the investigator I had spotted beforehand.

“I got you!!!”

Grace, who had somehow come close, caught me as I fell.

The vampire slowly floats down below.

Seeing him arrive, his familiars urgently retreated backward.

And with the sudden change in situation, our allies also stopped attacking.

A moment of silence flows.

“What happened?”

“He used a portal to send the knight somewhere else.”

“Then…!!”

“But the knight pierced his heart with his sword.”

“He doesn’t look like he’s in a complete state just by looking at him.”

Just then, the vampire called all his familiars into his body.

And absorbs them.

As all the familiars became a handful of blood and filled the vampire’s body.

All the cracks on the vampire’s body disappear.

“He’s in a complete state now, isn’t he?”

“No.”

Jjeok-

But as if that many familiars weren’t enough, cracks appear on his body again.

Someone even let out a cheer for a moment at his appearance, which did not look complete at all.

The final battle.

A subjugation force without the knight, or.

A wounded vampire.

In a situation where no one could guarantee victory.

The vampire spewed out crimson mist.

Thank goodness. I was wondering what would happen if he ran away.

Perhaps he judged that it was difficult to escape from us anyway.

I quickly checked my status.

Mana is almost zero.

Only useless and simple magic circles inscribed on my body remain now.

If that’s the case, is there any need to use the Elementalist’s Deck?

No.

A deck that relies on the value of multiple power cards becomes useless once mana runs out.

Therefore.

Click-

I switch decks.

The deck I will use now is.

『Deck has been switched.』

『Current Deck: Holy Knight’s Deck』

『Time until next switch possible: 0:59:59』

Of course, it would be this.