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*Huff* Lucy released a hot breath from her luscious red lips. In only the hundredth of a second, her pupils dilated. Reflecting in them was Randall leaping towards her with his hands reaching out.
In a split second, Lucy shifted from her chair. Before the man can grab her, she was up on her feet. Her body jerked and she caught Randall by his waist mid-air, slamming him onto the glass table between them.
*BAANG* Clive could see nothing. In a blink, Randall was in his seat, and in the other, he had been ruthlessly smashed onto the floor. Splinters of glass flew across the room and many of them embedding themselves in Clive's muscles. "Fuucckk..!!" The shock from the clash tumbled his chair, the scared man fell face-first and riddled with deep lacerations.
Lucy on the other hand still had her signature suggestive smile on her face. Blazing fast, her right hand's nails grew up and she brought it down on the person crashed on the floor. Randall was faster this time, slipping out from under the vampire lady and making some distance between both of them.
"As expected from a naturally born vampire.. hahaha.." He laughed out loud after wiping the blood seeping off his punctured lips. "But please don't underestimate us regular old purebloods, O child of progenitor..!!" Blood vessels popped all across Randall's body.
Hidden under the cover of his flipped chair, Clive witnessed Randall's skin dry out as if it had lacked moisture for centuries. His nose took on a hooked appearance and two large leathery wings jetted out of his back.
Gone was the amorous man from earlier, replaced by the very bookish representation of a vampire. This new monstrosity was fully capable of striking terror in a human's spirit. Large blood vessels were pooping out of his arms and chest adding to the hideous bearing. Deep red blood can be seen navigating through his arteries, across his entire body.
The pressure in the room had morphed to a physical nature. Tucked behind some broken furniture, Clive can feel himself getting pressed down to the ground. Panic-stricken, he hurriedly searched his belt, finding a gun tucked under it.
*Bang* He can see Lucy and Mr. Randall had met each other once again. Both of them were now engaged in an out-and-out physical brawl. Their half-a-foot-long nails were swiped with an intent to kill. Still, for the first minute, both of them were unable to injure each other.
Terrified to the core, Clive carefully crwled back, doing everything he could to not attract any attention upon himself. He was but a mere man. A single strike delivered to the right place will end his saga right here and right now.
Finding a new hiding place that was furthest from the two clashing vampires, Clive searched his pockets. He located a small metal casket in there. Somewhat secure in one corner of the room, he picked the box out. Opening the lid, he found himself face to face with three shiny bullets neatly arranged in a velvety cloth.
It had cost him a fortune to procure these magically augmented bullets. But can there be a number on his life? With a gulp to wet his dry throat, the man gritted his teeth and made up his mind. Picking the bullets with a shaking hand, he inserted them into the only three available slots.
If he had to escape alive from here, Mr. Randall must win. Otherwise, if Lucy defeats him, Clive will very well find himself accompanying him to the netherworld. Thinking this, he locked the heavy gun and hugged it close to his chest, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
"Aaaaghhh..." Randall had a massive gash opened up in his chest. This woman.. she was more than a match for him. His whole body was in agony after only a few minutes of hand-to-hand combat. It felt like her body was molded out of steel.
No matter how much strength he put out in his strikes, she remained unharmed and invulnerable. On the other hand, his own sturdy bones seem to be creaking with every other hit they sustained from her.
A confident Lucy licked her lips in fascination. This is what she had been looking for when she took on this mission. Exciting fights are what made her squirm in pleasure.
"Relying on your bloodline powers so soon? Hm.. you are weaker than I expected." Sharp red lines emerged on Randall's skin forming bright patterns that exuded raw power. The wound on his chest recovered at a rapid pace and Lucy can feel his vitality soar.
"Haha... It doesn't matter. I am short on time, my lady. We must end it." Randall revealed his sharp canines and launched himself toward the female vampire. *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* The collision of their fists compressed the air around them, creating concentrated blasts that ripped apart the floor of the mansion.
Laying in a corner, Clive was focussed on the duelists. He was not familiar with guns, as a result, he can't hope to shoot the woman while she was engaged in the brawl. With only three bullets in his repertoire, he can't risk misfire.
Not to mention, Mr. Randall was dangerously close to the woman. If he ends up shooting him, it was the end for both of them. With the cold barrel of his flintlock pistol pressed on his chest, he endured the crushing pressure all in the hope of a chance to pull the trigger.
'I am losing blood..' Randall had leveled out the playing field by calling onto his bloodline. Still, he was nowhere close to overwhelming this woman, as he had anticipated. His plan had been to catch her off-guard and take the opportunity to flee this place.
Alas... Lucy seems to be reading his mind, intent on stopping him from pulling off a successful escape. She knew he was burning through his crucial reserves fast and will not be able to keep up this explosive strength for long.
"Hehe.. no need to rush Mr. Randall, we can do this all day long haha... I am loving it." Lucy received a punch to her abdomen, the force of which threw her several steps back. Blood spurted from her mouth, dyeing her already red lips ever redder.
Despite finding her internal organs displaced, her smile grew even more brilliant like a maniac. Revealing her set of sharp canines, she rushed back to face the man without losing any ground.
The face-off against the matriarch of the Rutherford clan had been a wake-up call for her. Before she could reach the rank of a progenitor, she can't even hope to be anywhere near the top of this world.
"Hahahahaha... What a beast you are, madam Lucy!! Still not willing to use your own bloodline?" *BOOM* Randall clasped on his opponent's arm and yanked her towards himself and launched his left knee into her chest.
"Ugghggg.." Lucy vomited a mouthful of blood but she had no time to worry about her ribs shattering because the next attack crashed her into the floor. Randall stopped breathing briefly, now tethering at the edge of his strength.
"Haha.. ughhgg.. haha.." Lucy spilled out another mouthful of blood in the middle of her laugh. Her bloodied face was a ghastly appearance, but Randall knew she was not out of commission just yet. "What fun will that be..? It will be over in a minute... I want to see how far you can push me.."
Looking at the woman forcing herself back on her feet, Randall gnashed his teeth in vexation. "You might be the child of our progenitor but... in the end you are but a brat compared to us. It's truly infuriating to find ourselves mocked by a child who was birthed yesterday."
"Ohh.. then you should try harder, scion of Victor family." Lucy beamed a smile back, only to make the situation even worse for Randall. "Fuck this... I shall end it now. Please don't take offense."
The temperature in the room plummeted. The vampiric creature's blood bubbled in his veins. All the mana around him had now begun to infuse into his body. For vampires, the natural mana was almost akin to a toxin.
Yet, when a desperate vampire is forced into a corner, he or she can resort to this final trick in the bag. Using the blood essence in their veins as a medium, they will soak up the mana around them and utilize it to get a temporary boost of power.
Obviously, no such cheat trick comes without its own set of setbacks. In this case, the blood essence infused with mana can no longer be used by the vampires and will have to be discarded. Discarding the painfully cultivated blood essence was not at all an easy decision to make for even the most accomplished vampires.
"My.. my... please go easy on this junior." Lucy pretended to be surprised. More so, the blood in her veins bubbled as well and two large wings fluttered into existence from her back. Contrary to her mocking gesture, she was taking this fight more seriously now.
Bones cracked in her arms as she tore the tattered dress off her body. Her beautiful breasts had been damaged but she lacked the time to feel enraged about that. Her eyes glowed even more brightly as every single motion in the room came to a rest.
*Badum* *Badum* The whole place seems to be throbbing with her heartbeat. *Badum* *Badum* Her chest roared like an engine as her figure blurred. *Pang* *Pang* Nothing can be seen, only two blurry figures seem to be tussling with each other.
*Pang* *Pang* In contrast to two physical beings fighting, the sound produced was more like two steel clubs crashing into each other. Lucy had gained back the advantage over the man.
For all rhyme and reason, Randall had been at a disadvantage even before the fight started. The bloodline of progenitors held extreme superiority over the purebloods, evident by Randall's eroding will.
More than the physical fight, Randall was losing the fight of will power. Every heartbeat of Lucy was like a sky drum beating in his mind, enforcing the decree of her bloodline. It was like she was pressing him down with her sheer mental thought, forcing him to abide by the commandment of the blood.
"Noooo.. I must not surrender...!!! Haaaahhhh...!!!" Randall gave it his all but Lucy was still maintaining the same smile, as though amused by the desperate efforts the poor man put in.
*Clang* *Clang* Right at that moment the smile on her face was retracted. As a vampire with senses many times sharper than a human, she reacted swiftly. Two shiny bullets were heading her way. Too late.. *Dappp*
Lucy was shot. She was only able to avoid one of them.. the second one struck her on the left side of her abdomen, piercing her. Her expression changed as her face grimaced in pain.
Randall came to a stop, completely taken aback by this sudden event. His eyes scanned the room and found Clive sticking his back to to the wall with a smoking pistol in his hand. The carved barrel of the gun was red hot but the man kept it trained at the kneeling woman.
"Enchanted bullets?" Looking at how the bullet managed to penetrate Lucy's iron skin, there was no doubt in Randall's mind that the weapon had been crafted by a master craftsman especially to deal a fatal blow to a vampire.
*Ggrerrr* Lucy growled at the man, but the burning agony was seemingly wrecking her organs, poisoning them. "Mr. Victor, take her out... I only have a single bullet left." Clive screamed on top of his lungs, hoping the man will move faster and take out the injured woman.
Randall stood in place, quietly gazing at the belching woman on the floor. "Take her out, Mr. Victor..!!" Clive cried out, confused by the hesitation. He can't risk firing the last bullet now that Lucy was aware of him. He had to save this last one in case she charges him.
The longer Randall stood without any movement, the more Clive's agitation grew. What was the deal with this idiot? He should finish her off while he had the chance. "What are you... Aahhhh..??"
Clive wanted to curse out at the guy, only to find his neck clasped between long bony fingers. The person had moved so fast that Clive's eyes could not even register his motion. "Ughhggg..?? Aaahhh...??" With his neck squeezed, he can't speak out clearly, but his frenzied eyes displayed his jumbled emotions.
Anyone will be stupefied if the man you are trying to save ends up attacking you in return. That was the crux of Clive's expressions right now.
"You dare..!!" Randall squeezed his hands even harder, suffocating the human and holding him off the ground. His legs flailed as his lungs protested due to the lack of sufficient air.
Randall's face morphed in rage. Lucy was the one who had been shot but he can feel the pain of the bullet in his own body. Such was the connection between the purebloods and the progenitors.
Unwilling to die like this, Clive turned the piston in his hands towards the man and fired without a second thought. The echo of the fire muffled the sound of his neck being broken in half.
< Kudos!!>>