One of the vampire members forced its way on the whole army.
It ran across the field without hesitating and immediately after approaching them, the vampire kicked the knight leading the front line and he winced across the grass.
Its powerful attack was so effective that engaging them recklessly will be considered a suicidal attempt. The other vampires went rampage from the rear and managed to defeat at least half the force using their ability to strengthen their defense and speed by Blood Pact. Quickly avoiding the attack of the knights gives them enough time to strangle them and bite their necks.
An individual person will have to experience pain after the first bite and will lose consciousness after a few minutes. Sucking their blood means they are draining their immune system and the whole body's energy. Their blood will then get infected and will die from a weakened body.
The only possible way to treat this is to drink a certain potion that enables the immune system of a person to magically dispel the effect to fight the infection, causing it to prevent death.
"Damn it! They're so fast!"
Few other knights lost their position and composure while fighting them. The vampire used that chance to quickly strangle its victim using its elbow. After that, he removed his helmet and started sucking off blood from him. A straightforward attack without any corresponding counter. It is considered to be deadly.
The commander tried to stay away from the field as he rallies with a bunch of knights on his back. They have started bringing out their bows and went far from their usual position in order to hit the vampires from a distance.
Normally, engaging the enemies with their swords and spears is the most effective and optimal but close combat has been fully controlled by the vampires this time. With their speed and flexibility, it would be difficult to get a clean hit especially when the Blood Pact is activated.
Magic spells would work as a large-scale attack but that would only cause more casualties to the forest. Subduing the vampires without enlarging the damages to the area should be the top priority in order to preserve nature. With the advancement of the vanguard knights, the decoy group went to flank the other vampires from the left side while the rear guards pulled to initiate the firing of their bows.
At least fifteen knights started pulling the strings. They've injected the arrow and started aiming through the battlefield while waiting for the commander's signal.
(It would be impossible to retreat now that they have extended their attack near the A-route. We need to regroup as soon as possible!)
"Ready... Fire!" The commander waved his arm to signal the firing of the arrows.
They all synchronously fired the arrow with much better precision than normal archers. It went up to the sky and half of it was able to hit the rest of the vampire group.
It was a successful attempt to disperse the rampaging group of vampires. However, they are also intellectual and they managed to dodge the remaining run of the arrows.
One vampire who seems to be their leader stood in the middle of the field. The rear group started injecting another arrow, and once again, they all fired it towards that one vampire who is calmly walking across the field.
The arrow traveled pretty fast but instead of successfully hitting it, the opposite happened.
The leader quickly evaded all of the arrows and he caught the last one. Using his fist, he broke the arrow in half and threw it on the ground.
"T-That's impossible!" Every single one of them was surprised by its incredible skills. It wasn't normal for a vampire to have this kind of ability that surpasses even the effects of the Blood Pact skill.
"An arrow. So that was your plan?" The vampire spoke as he approached the commander's group.
He has black hair with a red strand of cowlick sticking on his forehead. His eyes are incredibly menacing combined with its red-colored iris and a black pupil. He wears a red coat, unbuttoned without any internal clothing, and brown leather pants.
Judging from his height, he is about tall as seven feet and his build is muscular. A powerful vampire that might be harder for the knights to handle.
"Zoe, Sen, take care of this group. I'm going to fight the strongest one here." two girls who seem to be different from the rest of the vampires appeared behind him using their shadow technique.
"Yes! More food! Thank you for giving it to us, Neil." they responded.
They were female. The first one on the left is Zoe, she has brown hair with sharp fangs and she wears a dark red dress with a black belt on her belly and a black necklace. She seems to be petite and smaller than the others but she gives off an intimidating aura.
The second one to the right is Sen. She has dark purple hair and she wears a black long-sleeved dress with purple lace. They both have a pretty face for a vampire but their immense killer instincts are invigorating.
It was studied that the Dhekaids can have their own form that is similar to humans. When they reach a certain procedure of if they have grown unnaturally, they tend to have an ability to evolve as a human while possessing monstrous abilities. Some of the researchers inside the kingdom partially presented a possibility that some humans from the old generation have mated with the Dhekaids nor have infected most people that resulting in to form of a hybrid-type monster.
While some monsters can evolve, the others are pure breeds without any intellect. And those who are born that way tend to be more aggressive and ferocious. Either way, there is still no evidence supporting the evolution of the Dhekaids to become similar to humans with intellect and the ability to speak their language as well. It was leading to a mixed picture.
Noticing the knights who's ready to attack them, the two girls went in a different position to take care of the back. Neil stood there with his glowing red eyes focused on the commander.
The knights shifted their gaze to him and he closed his eyes as he sighed.
"You guys, take care of those two vampires. I'll handle this big oaf." He ordered.
The knights didn't say any more words and they followed the command. The commander noticed what the leader wants. He climbed down off his own horse and started unsheathing his sword. From this point on, no one would be able to interrupt them.
"There we go... You seem to be delicious and very powerful. It would be a waste to kill you quickly. I shall make you suffer." Neil said as he quickly rushed through the field, breaking a few rocks on the way.
"I am honored to get to fight the leader. But I'm not going to let you kill me. Not today." The commander replied with the same fierce expression.
They both went against each other. The commander swung his sword multiple times while Neil evaded them progressively. He jumped up and down and waved his body on the side before the sword can even land.
After numerous attempts, Neil tried to attack by forcefully rushing in the front using his arms to swing a punch. His speed is terrifying and it was overwhelming the commander.
Neil's fist landed on the commander's sword, causing him to rotate his body and prepare to take the impact. It was a dangerous gamble to take it head-on but the commander had the opportunity to regroup as he stays away from the barrage of Neil's attack.
Their fierce exchange of blows unconsciously made the group of knights and vampires retain their position. The whole field was shaking.
"You move really well, what do you practice?" Neil asked while evading the constant sword slashes.
"Sorry, I don't share my routine." The commander smirked as soon as he declined to answer him.
He quickly changed the handling of the sword to maneuver it better. Neil has seen what the commander is trying, he tried to step back but instead of landing his feet on the ground, the commander sweeps his legs to push Neil and lose his balance.
Neil landed on the grass and the sword almost hit him in the face. Luckily, Neil's reflexes evaded the sword and quickly stood up. The commander clicked his tongue, missing the opportunity to strike him perfectly through his head.
Meanwhile, Zoe and Sen started attacking the group of knights that were stalling the other vampires. Both of them have beaten the knights using their enhanced Blood Pact abilities. Instead of draining their blood, they've played with them until they no longer have the strength to move. An excellent strategy to halt the constant engagement and to gain an advantage in dealing with the knights.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, just because you've stopped my knight doesn't mean that you can easily stop me as well." The commander changed his fighting from, he was trying to rouse Neil by engaging him actively.
"Oh, we're not getting there, yet. You're a different build than the rest of those blockheads. I'm pretty sure your blood will be tasty." Neil replied with a smirk on his face. He was inviting the commander to attack him until he is out of energy.
On the other side of the forest, a silver knight rushed through the trees with incredible speed. On his side, there are at least twenty-five vanguard knights that follow his directions. He arrived quickly to the area and noticed the remaining knights at the back of the A-route.
"What's the condition?" He asked the one posted to the rear guard.
"The main forces on the frontline are completely wiped out. The commander is the only one left on the field and it looks like he is struggling to fight that vampire. The rest of the knights are dealing with the other enemies. What should we do?" the knight reported. Nash gazed around to see any other possible options.
"I understand, all of you go help the other knights, I will aid the commander on his fight." He administered to regroup with the injured knights and retreat.
"Yes, Sir!" All of them have responded.
Neil climbed his way to the high grounds in order to see the environment clearly. He grabbed the commander's left arm and kicked him on his chest plate causing him to drop his sword. He didn't stop in his tracks and he continued to kick the commander until his chest plate breaks.
"Playtime is over, we don't have much time left. Zoe, Sen, go finish your jobs now!" Noticing the change in the atmosphere, Neil ordered his two servants and decided to end the battle.
The commander tried to reach for his sword but he got punched in the face by Neil.
"Argh!" His body slid off, drawing distance from his hand to the sword. he cannot reach it anymore. Neil approaches him with a smile, his teeth gradually grew fangs as walked across his path.
"You're not going away with this!" The commander struggled to stand up. He slowly pushes his body but the pain from his chest kept him from moving.
"I know, that's why I keep telling you, that I will end everyone's life here so that we can inhabit it. We are tired of staying from that nasty place and now that we found a new home, which is this forest, you've ruined it for us." Neil barked as he explained the reason why they are staying inside the forest of Viara.
"This... This is not 'your' place. It belongs to this kingdom and you're not about to steal it from us!"
"No, it belongs to us, now."
As soon as he finished talking, Neil quickly moved to the front to bite the commander but before landing his fangs on the neck, his left arm was torn away in a flash. The arm flew into the sky and it dropped on the grass.
He stopped on his way and stared at his left arm only to see that it is now missing and it is spurting blood all over the place. His eyes went blank and he unconsciously stepped back in an instant.
"AAGH!" Neil didn't see the surprise attack. He looked around but he couldn't see the one who sliced his left arm.
After a few seconds, the sound of metallic boots resonated throughout the field. The commander knew who arrived and he made an irritating smug.
"You're awfully bad at dealing with this, Commander."
"Shut up, I'm just that old." The commander replied. The silver knight helped him get up on his feet and he retreated slowly to the side.
A familiar knight entered the field with his silver sword as the sheath rustled.
No one from the vampire group knows who arrived.
A long-haired man wearing silver armor made his way into the battlefield. It was Nash Sterling who slashed Neil's left arm.
Nash looked at the vampires with strong yet gentle eyes, his nerves are calm and his instincts are ferociously high.
"You bastard! How dare you cut my arm off." Neil is vexed as he endures the pain.
Nash didn't answer but instead, he unsheathed his silver sword and made a stance.
"N-Neil..." Sen noticed the terrifying aura that the silver knight was exuding. It was different from the commander and the rest of them. She was reluctantly looking around trying to find the time to tell it and after a few moments, she decided that it was better to retreat.
"What?" Neil asked with a bit of annoyance.
Behind the bushes. Several vanguard knights equipped with bows and arrows appeared right before Nash and the Commander. They all forced their way and made a lineup with exceedingly precise positions.
Neil was surprised by the unexpected visit of the other high-level knights.
"You've dared take a step within our land. You deserve punishment for this one." Nash's words inflicted a serious chill on the vampires.
"Damn it!" Neil crashed. Zoe and Sen noticed that he was about to lose control and they tried to stop him.
"Don't! We can't let them have our heads. Neil, I think it is better if we retreat for now. Your arms are not better and if we keep fighting them, we're just going to lose. Especially with that particular knight." Zoe countered him. He clicked his tongue but he knows that they were right.
"I agree with Zoe, we should leave for now before they kill us." Sen backed Zoe's words. Nash was quite sure of what they are talking about, but he didn't attack them.
"I know..." With an annoyed expression, Neil sighed deeply as he gazed at them.
"We're not done yet! I will be retreating for now, but I will come back once again to reclaim what is ours! So long!" As soon as he said that, all of the vampires suddenly vanished with black smoke, leaving a trail.
"This land was never yours in the first place..." The commander followed but he fell to his knees while coughing. Nash sheathed his silver again and tried to support him.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, I took a little damage from that bastard, but I will be fine. You go command the knights first." Nash nodded.
"Everyone! Prioritize the injured knights first. Disable their armors and treat their wounds. Look around their body and scan them if there are any bite marks from the vampires. Do not let our men die. The rest of you, carry them back to the capital! We're going to retreat as well in order to regroup." Nash commanded every single one of the knights while assessing the whole area.
"Yes, Sir!"
"You know, I was wondering why you turned down the offer to be the commander in my place." While Nash was helping the commander get up, he suddenly brings a subject to talk about.
"Stop it, you're not in the condition for something like this."
"Nash... My old friend, I'm really thankful for your help. But you don't have to push the responsibility to me to make me better. Clearly, you were more skilled than I am and if it wasn't for you, I would've died immediately. Why are you doing this?" He asked with a soft voice.
"I'm sorry, Henry. I don't know. I'm just, not cut out to be a leader. I don't want to be served, I want to serve you. You are more than what you think. I turned down the offer because I know that you can do it, you have a special talent that I don't have. And that is called perseverance. You've never given up on things you cannot potentially do, and you have made it work. You are also more intelligent than me." Nash backed off and Henry looked at him.
"Meanwhile, I am just good at fighting, I am skilled at those, but I cannot help people without any guidance. Without your commands, I wouldn't be able to do things on my own because I don't know what to do. I have a skill, but I also have my own shortcomings. You don't have to thank me, you were born to be in this position." Nash smiled as he says those words.
Henry gave him a smile as well. These two were like peas in a pod. They work together, interact with each other, and they have their backs. It is one of the most important aspects of friendship, not just for a normal friendship, but it needs to be iterated throughout the whole relationship. It is something that you need to protect because that is the basis of what you call friendship.
The red moon vanished.
It was replaced by a full moon that illuminated the night sky.
Every knight cleaned up their mess and decided to head back to the capital.
Nash reported the casualties to the upper-division and he went straight back to the sanatorium to check on Aran and Lisa.
As he observed the two sleeping together peacefully, he remembered what Aran have asked him.
(Can you train me?)
"So you have set up this path for you own self, huh... I'm looking forward to your development," he muttered.
A new beginning was about to start.