Genevieve's eyes turned yellow. Both of her fangs grew longer, and her claws became weapons. It did not take long for the woman to regain her senses and know what to do next.
"Power," she muttered, more confident in herself.
Without hesitation, Genevieve helped Sonata open the way as he countered the seemingly endless warlords. She was stronger than before, even the Intermediate Undead could not stand it. The defensive Sonata slowly retreated to join her.
"Blood Speed," Genevieve unconsciously cast a spell. This was the first magic she used to help herself to break her speed limit.
In a world where many people can use magic, there are also some types of magic that are considered special, like Hermit's magic which was made especially for Hermit. The vampiric spell was made for vampires too.
Genevieve, who must have spent tens or hundreds of years cultivating her power, was able to use it because the blood in her body came from a thousand-year-old vampire. She had become both a vampire and a magic user.
The synchronization between Sonata and Genevieve went smoothly because they had fought many battles together in the past. Genevieve used to feel worthless because, no matter how hard she tried, Sonata always seemed out of reach. However, when Sonata borrowed Genevieve's magic to increase his speed, the two successfully reached the double pillar stone pedestal, and Genevieve reached out her hand to take Sonata's. He turned to look at her for a moment.
...She caught him...
She said to herself in her heart.
But her hand was loosened from his as they rushed forward towards the front.
"Don't follow," Kronox shouted, stopping his servants. "The sun has risen outside."
Briden stopped at the front of the exit. He had received new magic that allowed him to freely enter and exit Necropolis, but knowing that it was morning outside, he had to stop and think.
"If you guys go out, that bitch will die," Briden yelled, threatening to chase after them. "But you probably don't care about her life."
Sonata stopped running and went silent. He looked anxiously at Genevieve, who had become a full-blown vampire. He was thinking of all sorts of ways to get her out without her dying in the sun.
"I will delay them. You have to survive," Genevieve said, pulling out a knife and preparing to sacrifice herself. Sonata had just remembered something and knew what he had to do, but Genevieve had no idea.
Sonata could not hold back his laughter as he and Genevieve vanished before Briden's eyes, leaving him cursing in frustration. Briden had only thought that Sonata would run away, but he did not expect that Sonata would take Genevieve with him.
At the altar above, a soft light was shining through the area. Sonata sat, gasping for breath, leaning against a pillar, while Genevieve stood gazing at the sunlight coming through the leaves and hitting her body. The sun did not hurt her, but it gave warmth to her body, which was supposed to be cold.
"How do you know that the light has no effect on me?" Genevieve asked.
Sonata pointed at the knife that Doc had made. Genevieve was unaware that the artificial sunlight had no effect on her. She was now a special type of vampire that he called a "Day Walker."
"This must be the reason Markel wants this blood so badly," Sonata said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"We can't rest assured. Let's hurry back to Atezia," Genevieve replied.
"There's another place I have to go to," Sonata said.
**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
After receiving help from Professor Dogma, Devan set out in pursuit of Master Waldo, traveling from north to south and from west to east in search of him. He practiced his craftsmanship along the way, but soon realized that his skills were still inferior to Waldo's by many levels. Devan spent the rest of his time focusing on improving his skills.
The fire in his heart was not only burning for revenge against his enemy, Waldo, but was also consuming him from within. Despite advancing his sword skills, Devan found that his overall strength was declining, causing him to lose confidence in himself and the path of truth that he used to follow. Little by little, Devan was losing the qualities of a Paladin.
"Hand of Heaven"
Devan slammed his palm onto the Giant Chameleon Deval that had attacked him. However, the Deval was barely damaged, providing evidence that his power as a Paladin was waning.
Instead of feeling afraid, Devan charged towards the enemy, throwing his shield to freeze it before finally cutting off its head with his sword.
"It's okay to lose the power of a Paladin. I can still improve my sword skills," Devan comforted himself.
He reviewed his remaining abilities and realized that his strength and speed were still his main weapons. However, the loss of his more advanced spells, such as Fire Ball and Mega Fire, was a serious setback.
...Doc's gift of a sword had helped to partially fill the gap, but there was still more to be done…
In addition to finding a new weapon, Devan needed to replace his armor, which had been destroyed by Waldo. He turned his attention to the chain armor that was available for purchase.
**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
In a village, Devan received news that Waldo had appeared. He hurried over, only to find that it was just a rumor.
"So, you're here to catch a thief?" a villager stopped talking when she saw Devan holding a declaration of arrest. Waldo was one of the few who had not received a pardon from Cerise. Some people had requested that she take away his talent and force him to return, but Cerise seemed to know Waldo's true identity. In Devan's opinion, she had made the right decision by choosing to announce Waldo's arrest, as it would prove that he was defeated and his fame was lost. This would be useful for Devan's pursuit of revenge.
If people were still obsessed with praising that immoral paladin, he knew that he would have a hard time hunting him down.
"It's a pity he's not here," Devan replied calmly, but his eyes filled with rage.
"Anyway, since I'm already here, it would be great to help defeat that devil known as Fogi as well."
"Anyway, you've come all the way here. It would be great to help defeat that Deval as well."
This was a common occurrence, especially in rural villages that were far from civilization. They often relied on adventurers for protection, as was the case with this village that had been attacked by Fogi.
"Its shape was like a monkey, small, with two legs and four arms. Alone, it isn't that scary, but in a group, it's very dangerous," the headman explained in detail while drawing wooden sticks on the ground to illustrate.
"Where are they?" Devan's tone became more intense than ever. He thought that this would be a good opportunity for him to practice.
"In the cave to the north. Just follow this stream and you'll find it."
**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
As Devan walked north, using the stream as a landmark, he found himself standing in front of a cave. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the same cave that the village headman had warned him about. He could smell the unmistakable scent of blood wafting out from within.
...Probably more than thirty of them in there, maybe even fifty. You must be careful not to fall into their trap. Instead, try to lure it out into the open air, it will be easier to fight them. These creatures are terrible…
Devan remembered the warning of the villagers, but he paid it no heed. Instead of trying to lure the creatures out or sneak in carefully, he boldly walked into the cave with a torch and immediately launched an attack on the guarding Fogi.
With lightning speed, Devan sliced through the creatures one by one, cutting them in half before they had a chance to scream or warn their comrades. The first two were killed instantly, and the third and fourth were quickly dispatched as well.
Calmly wiping the bloodstains from his sword, Devan knew that there were no more creatures guarding the entrance of the cave. However, he was aware that the scouts would soon discover the truth about the smell of blood. They would realize that it was not the scent of their victims, but the scent of their own.
As he waited for the scouts to arrive, Devan imagined them approaching from the direction he had anticipated. But instead, he was caught off guard by another group of Fogi who were hiding outside the cave. One of them tried to blow a poison dart at Devan, but he was quick enough to deflect it with his sword.
"These guys are really cunning."
Fogi charged at Devan from both the front and the back, coordinating their attack in a way that suggested they were not like typical devils. The larger Fogey attacked head-on, forcing Devan to defend himself, while the smaller ones wielded weapons stolen from humans, such as crossbows and poison darts. The most dangerous of all were the Foggy who could wield magic from the back of the group.
Devan was expert at fighting enemies, and being flanked from both sides did not back him into a corner. However, his troubles began when Fogi snatched the torch. Though Devan was able to catch him in time, the devil's blood caused the flame to extinguish.
Despite the fact that Devan had a sword at his disposal to reignite the fire, he did not use it. The ill-fated former paladin was reminded of the time when his eyes were so badly damaged that he was left in despair. This experience strengthened his resolve to overcome the current situation with his own strength.
Devan struggled to cope with the difficulties posed by enemies who could clearly see in the dark. He focused on feeling the trembling air and the foul stench that clung to the Foggy, along with their bloodthirsty killing intent.
Chink, clank, thud!
The sound of swords clashing against the small figures intermingled with the sound of a wooden log slamming into their flanks. Devan managed to dodge a dart but was hit by a ram. He then grabbed the stick and sliced the enemy's arm before kicking the other Deval until they spat out blood and flew away.