Unsurprisingly, Stella pulled ahead of everyone else. She was actually not running at her full speed, having adjusted her pace so that the rest of us could keep up with her. Honestly, I wasn't running at full speed either, but I intuitively knew that Stella was superior to me in terms of speed, strength and stamina.
After all, Stella Nightsworth was a knight. Before she became a vampire, she had trained her body to the peak of human capacity, honing her sword skills and tempering her body through relentless training and combat. Even among other knights, she ranked near the top in skills even if she lacked experience.
In contrast, before I was a vampire, I was a mere mage. Rather than carry out physical training and strengthening my body and endurance, I had delved into the mysteries of the arcane and broadened my knowledge. Thanks to that, my spirit and mana were well developed, but I would never be able to best Stella in a hand-to-hand fight without my magic.
Perhaps there would be misogynists who would deride me for being weaker and slower than a girl. They would cite the biological differences between men and women or some bullshit to justify their bias. Certainly, men were generally physically stronger than women…but obviously in a case like this where Stella physically trained herself to the pinnacle of fitness and swordsmanship and I didn't, she would surpass me in strength, speed and endurance. That was also biology. Even if I was a man, I didn't just automatically become strong because of my biological sex. If I didn't train my body in the same manner that Stella did, obviously she would overtake me in no time at all.
I wasn't ashamed to admit that Stella was stronger, faster and fitter than me. That was the path she had chosen. In contrast, I had opted to focus on magic. And I knew Stella wouldn't be ashamed to admit that she was inferior to me in terms of magic and arcane knowledge. She would defer to me when it came to that area. And biological sex was not an excuse when it came to talking about the superiority of magic or physique.
Everyone had the right to choose whatever path they wished to excel in. Stella had made her choice, as had I. the chauvinists could fuck right off, especially if they started screaming all the nonsense about woke or social justice warrior agendas or simps. I didn't care about all that nonsense. It wasn't my fault that these male chauvinists couldn't fathom that women can be stronger than men. Rather, why the fuck did gender or sex have to come into play in the first place? If Stella was stronger than me, it was because she trained harder and I didn't bother, and not because of her biological sex or any of that nonsense.
Sometimes, I wondered if these misogynists were suffering some sort of complex. Probably their egos couldn't take it when they saw strong woman characters?
"…Klein?"
"Huh?"
I snapped back to reality when I realized that Stella was calling out to me. She had taken point and was leading the way because of her superior speed. I was keeping pace with her, a few steps behind, but not too far ahead of the four mages. If I wasn't fit before, Chris and the others were much worse off than me. They were heaving and panting, perspiration rolling down their faces in beads, and their faces were pale.
Clearly they weren't going to last long at this punishing pace. They were barely able to keep up, struggling to maintain their jog. I felt sorry for them, and was secretly glad that I had taken up Stella's offer to ensure that I follow a good training regime that took advantage of my new vampire physique.
That was the whole reason why I crushed Miranda in hand-to-hand combat even though she succeeded in sealing my magic with her Chains of Void.
"What's up, Stella?"
"I'm proposing that I go ahead," Stella explained. "We won't be able to reach the Gensies within an hour, even at our current pace. And even if we do, I don't think Chris and the others will have the strength left to fight."
"Damn…" I sighed. "But it's too dangerous to let you go alone. Remember what I said earlier? About the spear possibly having the power to absorb abilities?"
"I know, but at this rate, there wouldn't be anybody left to save!"
"I don't mean to sound callous, but…it's probably already too late." I gritted my teeth. "Mikhail had too much time to do whatever he wanted. Even if you get there within fifteen minutes, I doubt there would be anybody left…not only that, you'll be throwing away your life meaninglessly. The only thing we can do now is to avenge their deaths and ensure that the bastard doesn't threaten anyone again."
Stella lowered her head. "But we don't know for sure…"
"You are right. I understand how you feel…but even so, we can't afford to be reckless. It'll only make things worse. I don't want to lose you."
My knight flushed slightly and turned away to focus her eyes on the front. I could tell that she appreciated my concern for her wellbeing.
"If there's even a 1% chance that I can make a difference…" she began.
"Against the 99% chance that you will be throwing your life away for nothing? I can't accept that."
"How about this?" Stella thought for a while. "I will scout ahead and ascertain Mikhail's position. If there are survivors, I will do my best to draw his attention away from them. I will avoid engaging them in direct combat and instead carry out hit-and-run tactics. Knowing Mikhail, he will surely come after me."
"What…makes…you think…he will…?" Chris asked behind us, panting heavily.
"Oh, he will," I assured him. "Why do you think he's killing the Gensies and powering up his spear instead of running away and hiding somewhere? He wants revenge. And he'll probably want to test the spear's powers out."
"That…does…indeed…sound like him…" Wilson huffed giddily. "He's…a bastard…just like…the chairwoman…"
"All right." I thought for a moment. "You can go ahead, but only on one condition. Don't get too close to Mikhail. He is Miranda's most gifted subordinate and is probably at the level of a court mage. Avoid fighting him at all costs. Just divert his attention away. But if there are no survivors…if there is nobody left to save, retreat immediately and wait for us. We fight him together. Don't take unnecessary risks."
"Understood, Klein." Stella nodded.
"Be careful."
"I'll be fine. Please take care of the others." Stella smiled reassuringly, but for some reason I felt as if she had just raised a death flag. Clenching my fists, I exhaled in frustration.
"Don't overdo it. Prioritize your life over everything else…even over those of the Gensies. I don't mean to sound cruel, but…you're more important to me than anything."
"You know I can't do that."
"That's an order."
"Then I'll have to defy it for once, Klein." Stella looked at me seriously, her eyes gleaming. "It is the duty of a knight to protect the vulnerable and the helpless. To defend the civilians from danger. I cannot abandon my duty."
Before I could object, Stella sped off and disappeared into the darkness.
"Damn it!"
I wanted to chase after her, but I could hear the four mages panting behind me. I couldn't leave them here. Not against my conscience. Stella was an important comrade, but so were these four. We had fought together against Miranda and her army of monsters. They had proven themselves to be trustworthy.
I wasn't the same as those bastards who betrayed me. I would never repeat the same sort of treachery that the strongest Hero party did and abandon my comrades. As long as Chris and the others were in my party, I would protect them as best as I could.
Closing my eyes briefly, I sighed. Besides, Stella was strong. As I said, she was stronger than me in terms of physical prowess and sword skills. I needed to have more faith in the abilities of my comrades. I had to believe Stella, believe that she would employ the correct tactics and avoid recklessly throwing her life away. She should understand what was at stake here.
"Stay safe, Stella," I whispered and increased my pace slightly. Behind, Chris and the others struggled to keep up, but they didn't complain. If anything, there was an urgency in their stride now that they saw Stella go ahead of us.
*
Mikhail couldn't believe his luck.
Having participated in the abductions that his beloved mistress had ordered, he was aware that the surrounding villages had been all but emptied out. Their populations completely taken and shepherded into the mage corps' barracks – or more specifically, Miranda's laboratory – for her to conduct her breathtaking experiments.
Consequently, Mikhail didn't think he would run into normal human beings for miles. He was cursing their lack of foresight for wiping out all the villages in the vicinity, wishing that they had at least kept one alive and well.
Now, he would have to make his way to Riaju City, which was at least forty kilometers away from here. That was a journey that would take at least two days on foot. Less, if he had a horse, but unfortunately all of the mages' steeds had been used by Miranda for her revolutionary experiments. She had used them to fuse with humans to produce chimeras.
While on the run, Mikhail had the good fortune to encounter a traveling convoy from the west. They were Gensies, a dark-skinned race of nomads who relied on trade and storytelling to survive. They were friendly and kind, welcoming fellow travelers to partake in their feasts and dances.
Mikhail thought them incredibly naïve and stupid. They were just as worthless as the numerous peasants and villagers who infested the kingdom. Their only use was to be fodder for the mages' experiments.
When they saw him running unsteadily – a result of him lacking fitness and too lazy to physically train his body (like almost all mages, to be honest) – they had hailed him and offered him water and some food. The leader suggested that he rest with their convoy. The end of the day was nearing and the sun was setting, so the Gensies were beginning to set up camp. Mikhail was more than welcome to join them.
The handsome mage, his features modeled after the Hero Herman's, outwardly expressed his gratitude, but inwardly he was scoffing at their gullibility.
In order to defeat that terrifying ice mage, he needed power equal to that the supposedly kind person was wielding.
Having worked alongside Miranda to develop her experimental weapons, Mikhail was aware of what kind of abilities they possessed. That was why he took this spear from its rack, thinking that he would be able to make good use of it.
"This spear…its ability is to absorb the life essences of others…and convert it into power for the wielder."
Miranda Miller was truly a visionary. A genius of the likes the world had never seen before. She was able to produce such an amazing prototype in the matter of mere months after studying the cursed spear (Mikhail was unaware that the cursed spear had been used to pierce Herman and Irene, as the details of their demise was still kept a secret from the larger public). Mikhail had never seen any weapon like it before, but he was confident in its strength.
"With this, I'll be able to defeat that despicable man…!"
Running his hand along the length of the spear, Mikhail grew excited and vowed to himself.
"I'll definitely take down that evil ice mage! Please watch me, Chairwoman Miranda! I'll definitely avenge you!"
Mikhail suppressed a laugh and rose to his feet. He could feel the golden spear throb underneath his fingers, the pulse of dark magic.
"How are you doing, young man? Are you enjoying yourself?"
The Gensy leader approached him. An elderly man in his sixties with white hair, he wore a genial smile.
"Let us know if there's anything you need."
"Oh, I will." Mikhail thrust his spear forward and impaled the shocked man, killing him in a single stroke. He sensed the enchanted weapon greedily drinking the dying man's life essences and feeding the converted power into him. "I need you all to die for me."
For a moment, there was a stunned silence, and the Gensies all turned to stare at him and their dead leader in horror. Then they screamed. There was panic, and the Gensies began running.
"Too bad…I don't plan on letting any of you leave. I'll be taking all of your lives."
Yanking his spear out, Mikhail lunged forward and scythed down a running man. Twirling his spear about, he then stabbed a screaming woman through her chest, savoring the feel of life energies flowing into his body.
"Yes…this is it! This is it!"
Cackling madly, Mikhail proceeded to butcher every single Gensy in the vicinity with his glowing spear.
The entire slaughter took less than ten minutes.
"…not enough…it's not enough!"
Mikhail was still swinging his spear about in a frenzy, desecrating the corpses and cutting them into pieces. He laughed wildly when he saw the streams of colored lights connecting the Gensies to his enchanted weapon, enjoying the sensation of absorbing their gradually fading life force.
"Oh, well…they will have to do."
The mage scratched his head and plunged his spear into the ground. Throbbing incessantly, the enchanted weapon continued to draw the life essences from the dead, sucking them dry.
However, Mikhail was far from done.
Unbuttoning his jacket, he tugged on the fabric and revealed a cluster of vials in the inside of his white garment. Taking them out, he tapped them and knelt beside the dozens of bodies that lay in the dirt, their blood staining the earth.
"I still have use for you fools," he sneered. He was glad that he had taken the time to grab a few of these experimental vials from Miranda's laboratory. She had been experimenting with creating a parasite-type homunculus.
Unable to manufacture a proper homunculus because they would often die almost immediately outside lab conditions, Miranda had improvised and decided to use human hosts to cultivate these homunculi. That was the only way they could survive beyond the lab.
By burrowing into the bodies of other organisms and using them to shield them from the harsh external environment.
After injecting the first corpse, Mikhail stepped back to admire his handiwork. Already the transformation was beginning to take place, the Gensy's body convulsing as mutations racked it. Muscles rippled, fingers transformed into claws and the torso expanded.
Grinning, Mikhail turned back to the direction where the garrison was. Once his troops were ready, he was prepared to take back his beloved mistress's base and save her. Even the necromancer and his undead army wouldn't be able to stop these experimental parasitical homunculi.
"I'll definitely avenge you, my beloved Chairwoman Miranda," he whispered, firm in his belief that she would reward him handsomely when all this was over.
Perhaps he would finally win her heart this time, allowing her to forget that dastardly Hero and look only at him.