Chapter 71: Crimson Night (2)
TL: Potato-tan
Proofreader: Asianpotato
Unlike the wide avenues of the sprawling estate, the alleyways were narrow and labyrinthine. A careless passerby would quickly lose their way.
As with the other estates and cities built atop the ancient city, the center was neatly divided into plots, buildings, and streets, while the outskirts were haphazardly filled with unplanned structures.
As the estate expanded, the buildings and walls that sprouted like weeds here and there made the already intricate backstreets almost maze-like.
But Jirach, who had been running through the alleys since he was a child, found his way as if he was looking at the palm of his hand. Suddenly, he turned his head, wondering if his new master was following him, and Jirach was startled.
Russell was following him, almost close enough to touch, his eyes gleaming with an eerie purple light.
“Why? Are we there yet?”
“Ah, no. Just a little further.”
“I see. Oh, and I was wondering. Those sisters, Ribes and Ridos, they’re vampires like you, aren’t they? But they can transform their flesh like vampires. They didn’t seem to lose their minds like other vampires.”
Jirach said.
“Ah, that depends on the nature of true blood. I do not have as strong a body as they do, but I can control vampires. On the other hand, they gain a stronger and more durable body than vampires. But they cannot handle blood like I can.”
It seemed that they were specialized, like ants. Satisfied, Russell scanned his surroundings as he ran. He saw the bodies of fallen people. Their bodies resembled mummies, their blood drained.
There were bodies, but not a drop of blood. But almost everywhere, the smell of blood rose. Despite the absence of blood, the stench was more potent than ever.
The moon was still not up in the sky, and even the stars seemed to be hiding their light. A short distance away.
Russell noticed a fiery glow that was turning a corner of the night sky red. It kept getting closer and closer. They turned a corner from the narrow alleyway into a wide boulevard.
Jirach pointed to the building, where the fiery glow was rising into the sky. Jirach said.
“That’s the Arcule Guild.”
The guild entrance was wide open. There was a fire, too. Flames consumed the buildings constructed of wooden logs.
Inside, monsters and humans were fighting each other. Russell guessed the situation as he watched the guild members running around with torches.
It was a dark night with no visibility, so they had set fire to their own buildings.
Some people, who had not been able to escape from the buildings in time, were breaking the windows and falling out. They did not come to their senses and died on the ground, their bodies pierced by the monsters’ sharp claws.
At a glance, the monsters had the upper hand. In fact, the vampires that Russell had cut into pieces with his axe were not such easy monsters.
Their power was strong enough to tear trees apart, and the claws coming out of their hands were sharper than any blade. In addition, vampires had regenerative powers, and when they sucked blood, they became even more violent and rampaged, making them a nightmare for ordinary people.
Of course, Russell was a man who could go from nightmare to nightmare.
“Jirach. Can you control vampire and monster blood like you did before?”
“Yes. A master’s blood is powerful. I can control and attack them more easily than before.”
“Do that. Kill only the monsters and save the people.”
“Understood.”
Russell and Jirach jumped into the melee right away. With his single-bladed axe, he cut in half a vampire that was trying to grab and swallow a member of the Arcule Guild.
The Arcule Guild member, with red liquid pouring out of every hole in his body, closed his eyes tightly and trembled at the pain that was about to come. But what came to him was a cool breeze across his cheek. It was a completely different sensation from the flames burning all around.
Involuntarily, the guild member opened his eyes, sat down with a thud, and gazed at the vampire, his neck severed. His pants were wet, but he was not in a state of mind to feel it.
Russell, who had saved one member of the guild, immediately charged to the ground in search of his next prey. His fully awakened fighting spirit burned like flames all around him. The white axe traced an eerie trajectory in the darkness.
Jirach also used his vampire dominance to blow up the lower vampires and use the blood from them to create weapons. The crimson spears, swords, and maces that he had made when he faced Russell earlier mercilessly defeated the vampires who had the same blood.
The Arcule Guild members, who had barely survived just before being slaughtered, were bewildered by the performance of the reinforcements they had not called and could not have expected.
But they did not dwell on the question for long. In any case, it was easier to postpone the answer to the question. Post-evaluation of the action was always an important virtue in life. This is particularly true in situations where death is imminent.
The wolves that had been stirring among the flock did not readily accept that they were now the flock. Nevertheless, they became sheep. The wolf’s cruel claws tore them apart.
“Jirach! What are you doing now?!”
Russell turned his head at a cry that came from somewhere.
Russell and Jirach had somehow gotten deep into the guild building. The surroundings were a coexistence of brightness and darkness. The buildings that were burning with sparks, as well as the buildings made of bricks or lime, stood in contrast.
Several vampires escorted a man inside.
His clean skin and luxurious attire did not make him look like a vagrant or a guild member in the back alleys. Rather, he looked like someone of a noble family.
The brown-haired man stared at Russell and Jirach with red eyes.
The burning building served as a backdrop for the mutilated and dead bodies behind him. Surprisingly, there were also vampire corpses.
In the center of the bodies stood two large brown-skinned orcs with tattoos, as well as two beastkin. Russell recognized Kai, the beastkin Tom, and Jerry.
The other orc, whose name he didn’t know, was slightly larger than Kai. Red energy flushed his skin, flickering as if it might disappear at any moment, leaving his fists bare.
The large brown orc, who had wounds on his hands as well as large scars on his chest, flank, and neck, gasped for breath and collapsed. Kai, who was also standing next to him and holding a bloody fist, hurriedly supported him.
Kai then spotted Russell. The sight of the dead monsters and the guild’s surviving members behind Russell surprised him.
The man said it fiercely.
“Jirach. Where are Ridos and Ribes?”
“Dead.”
“Dead?”
The man looked at Russell, who was standing next to Jirach.
“Did you betray your master?”
“I no longer obey him. I am more loyal and happier than ever. I hope you will be the same.”
The man looked amused at Jirach’s words.
“I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about, but I know one thing. To awaken, your blood must also flow. And I will have to take on that role.”
The man raised his hand and made a gesture as if he were grasping something. But the man was puzzled when he did not get the feeling he should have.
“W, What? Why. . . . . .?”
Seeing this, Jirach realized who had made him a vampire.
“It was you. You’re the one who made me a blood-sucking monster.”
“A monster! This is not a monster! It is a higher species that has gained powerful strength and eternal life instead of a weak body and aging!”
‘He’s quite drunk’. Russell thought as he spun his axe in his hand. The man continued.
“I don’t know how you shook off the blood bond, but it doesn’t matter. Whether it’s your blood or my blood, the work will proceed as planned. Then this territory will be entirely his.”
As the man raised his hand, dozens of vampires turned their bodies and glared at Russell and Jirach. Just as they were about to charge with their long claws drawn,
Everyone could hear the sound of numerous footsteps. When Russell looked back, he saw an armored old man, three knights, a wizard holding a crystal ball, and ten soldiers running towards him.
The old man in armor had a stern face. He had white, thin hair and a beard, but his appearance was dignified, and he did not seem to be struggling with the armor he was wearing. A scabbard and a sword decorated with jewels were placed at his waist.
Russell recognised Deborah, Evelyn’s aunt, as the wizard holding the crystal ball. The crystal ball reflected the high view, catching his attention.
He looked up at the sky. Among the clouds covering the starlight, he saw an owl circling high in the sky. It appeared that they had found this location via the bird.
Deborah also recognized Russell. She pointed at the old man in front and mouthed his identity.
Russell read Deborah’s lip movements and looked at the old man again. He had guessed it based on the fact that he was leading the knights and soldiers. The old man, Ramon Errandis, was the lord of this territory.
Ramon Errandis, who had arrived at the scene, looked at Russell for a moment. Ramon Errandis’ blue eyes met Russell’s purple eyes for a moment. Then he looked at the man.
“Edmond.”
The man known as Edmond clenched his teeth and directed his gaze towards Ramon Errandis. The man replied, his jaw protruding.
“Father.”
At this moment, there were not many people who were surprised by the truth. Only Russell and Jirach were surprised. ‘The son of the Lord?’
Ramon Errandis commented:
“Do you know what you are doing now?”
“I know very well. Father.”
“No. You don’t seem to know anything.”
The lord, Ramon Errandis, squinted his eyes with difficulty as he looked at his son. He recalled the horrors he had seen as he ran.
Flames were rising from all over the estate, and monsters that had jumped out were killing the people. Despite the gathering of guards and the ongoing battle between wizards and mercenaries on the rooftops, the damage persisted.
The lord, Ramon Errandis, knew that he had to admit the truth that he had denied for so long.
“I shouldn’t have taken you down to that dungeon.”
“No. Father. That was the most correct decision I have made in my life, having never left the castle before.”
Ramon Errandis was disgusted.
“So you’ve become a monster! You’ve become a monster that has to eat the blood of living people! A monster that can’t walk under the bright sun!”
“Father.”
Edmond replied in a quiet voice, contradicting him.
“I was a weak body that could not go out properly, either during the day when the sun was up or at night when the moon was up. I spent all day looking out the window. If I could enjoy the outdoors for even half that time, If I were able to walk around, How could I pass up that opportunity?”
Jirach realized why he had not recognized that Edmond was the son of God. It was because he did not know his face. The lord’s son was weak and could not go outside the castle. That is why, although they knew the Lord had a son, the people of the estate had not seen his face very much.
“You are trampling on my estate and my people under that half of freedom.”
“It is an estate that will now belong to the master.”
Ramon Errandis closed his eyes.
At first I was happy. You, who had a hard time even riding a horse, suddenly said that your body was light and you could move actively as soon as you came out of the dungeon. Artifacts from the dungeon As I watched my son become healthy, I tried to shake off the anxiety. The estate would become more prosperous, and you, my successor, would also become healthy, so it was all right.”
“. . . . . . .”
“But when you started refusing to come out during the day and disappearing somewhere every night, I should have noticed. Do not wrestle with the dungeon.”
He opened his eyes. There was no more fascination in the old man’s eyes.
“I have been closing my eyes for too long. Now I can see. My son is already dead in that cursed dungeon.”
Edmond shut his mouth.
Ramon Errandis pulled the sword from his waist. Reflected in the flickering flames everywhere, the blade shone with an uncannily bright silver light. The blade had a coating of silver.
The knights and soldiers also drew their swords. They were also sharp blades coated with silver.
Ramon Errandis pointed the silver sword at the monster that had been his son.
“Take up arms. Kill the monsters. Protect the estate!”
The knights, with their superhuman bodies, rushed forward first. The soldiers followed. Edmond also let the vampires run.
The clash happened in an instant. Swords and claws, teeth and shields, hard bodies, and armor clashed. In the midst of the fiery and blazing surroundings, humans and monsters wielded their respective weapons dryly.
The vampires and Edmond still had a slight numerical advantage. Ramon Errandis, despite his old age, faced the monsters with incredible vigor. The knights and soldiers, as well as the wizard Deborah, fought hard and cast spells. Nevertheless, the monsters slaughtered the soldiers like waves.
However, the monsters were not able to gain the upper hand due to one huge drawback. It was because of Russell and Jirach, whom even Edmond had not expected.
As the white axe swung wildly, the air heated by the freezing cold air settled down.
The knights were amazed to see Russell killing monsters while moving faster than they could.
Jirach used his dominance, strengthened by his own characteristics and the few drops of blood Russell had dropped, to kill the vampires. He extracted the blood from the dead vampires’ bodies and used it to kill more monsters.
Edmond also tried to control the blood that the soldiers of the lord were spilling, as well as the blood of the vampires, but Jirach had a slight advantage. Edmond could not understand how the servant he had created had a stronger dominance than himself.
Russell gave an order to Jirach.
“Open the way.”
“Yes!”
As Jirach waved his hand, a path of blood opened up. At the end of the path, Russell charged at Edmond and swung his axe.
Edmond’s resistance was futile. In an instant, the axe that had passed by cut off his arms and legs.
The attack had struck Edmond with such ruthlessness and mercilessness that he rolled on the floor, only his torso remaining. A scream filled the night sky.
The moment Russell brandished his axe, Ramon Errandis shouted.
“Wait! Wait a minute, wait!”
When he looked at him, the lord approached him with difficulty.
“I heard about you. Your name was Russell, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“. . . . . . Please. . . . . . Please let me finish this. I must pay for the mistakes I’ve made.”
Russell guessed what the price was. The death of people who were blinded by love for his son and denied.
It was the price for that death—to live the rest of his life with the guilt of having killed his own flesh and blood. Russell gazed into Ramon Errandis’s eyes.
Eyes stained with pain. However, they were eyes that were beginning to look at the responsibility he had to pay. Russell nodded and stepped aside.
The lord bowed his head.
“Thank you.”
Ramon Errandis gazed down at Edmond, his limbs severed. He then raised his sword and stabbed Edmond in the shoulder.
“Aaaagh!”
Smoke rose thickly from Edmond’s wound. The vampire’s body, which was incompatible with silver, was reacting negatively.
Despite Edmond’s strong regenerative power and the blade’s lack of pure silver, he escaped immediate death. However, that did not mean he was comfortable, of course, and Edmond screamed in agony as if a fire were burning inside his body.
The surviving soldiers and knights grimaced at the smell of burning flesh. Ramon Errandis drew closer.
He pulled out the sword he had stabbed in the shoulder and expressionlessly covered his haggard face.
Edmond struggled. However, Russell’s axe had frozen the arms and legs, rendering them incapable of regeneration. He shouted.
“Father! You knew me! How much I longed for freedom!”
“. . . . . .If achieving that freedom required sacrificing the blood and lives of my estate and others, I will not accept it. I will not recognize it.”
Ramon Errandis raised his sword high.
“Even if it’s my beloved son.”
The blade drew a silver trajectory. Edmond’s screaming head, which was wailing, now rolled on the floor, making a sound that even a stone could make. The body burned fiercely in the flames. In the end, only ashes remained.
Thud, Ramon Errandis, fell to his knees. He clasped the ashes scattered on the floor. There were no tears. Only a slight tremor remained.
Russell looked down at him with silent eyes. Suddenly, he felt like smoking a cigarette, but he didn’t. The air was already filled with smoke. The long night was not over yet.
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