'From the moment I was hit... I felt it. The difference in level.'
'He's going to kill me.' Xavier
'...Since I'm going to die... I'll use everything... And devour you...' Xavier
With countless blood orbs over his head, Xavier charged down the tunnel toward the noble.
The short ivory haired twin pulled out five throwable knives and held each in one hand in a fighting stance.
While the other sister was also preparing to draw her weapon, the Vampire noble stepped forward to face Xavier, pushing the two aside.
"It's fine... You two focus on gathering the food. I'll deal with this myself." He spoke with excitement.
*Step!* *Step!* *Step!*
"Consume it... " Xavier muttered as he pressed down on the buttons in the grip.
"Don't stop drinking... Until that fucker is dead."
*Pierce!*
Spikes extended out of both sword's cross-guards instantly piercing Xavier in his hand as he continued his charge towards the Vampires.
[Both Vampire Swords are consuming your blood.]
[In exchange for the blood, you are receiving it's power.]
[Blood Level: 4.9 --> 4.7--> 4.6/5]
[Status]
[Strength: 29] <+10>
[Agility: 35] <+10>
[Stamina: 10]
[Sense: 22] <+10>
[SP: 3]
As Xavier began putting even more force into his steps, dents began forming on the tracks.
The Vampire noble's arm blurred as he swung it down; a vertical slash mark appeared down the train tracks, heading straight for Xavier.
*FWOOSH!*
The Vampire widened his eyes as Xavier's figure vanished.
In surprise, he turned left only to discover Xavier crouching against the wall, muscles bulging from his legs.
*CRACK!*
The Vampire's eyes widened as Xavier kicked off the wall and appeared in front of him with both sword swings heading straight for his face in an X cross.
'He's faster-'
*CLANG!*
Immediately, the Vampire noble swung his sword, parrying the two swings.
As the three weapons collided, a gush of wind spewed down the tunnel.
The Vampire noble was insanely strong, upon collision Xavier was knocked up onto the tunnel's ceiling, crashing onto the head of a sleeping ghoul.
"Drink more!" Xavier yelled out as he leapt off the ceiling back down on the tracks where the Noble was.
*CLANG!*
The two swung and parried again, but this time Xavier managed to hold his ground. His arms were bulging with veins.
*BURST*
Both were knocked back before stepping in and swinging their blades again.
*FWOOSH!*
The noble's arm and sword blurred as he swung it, full speed at Xavier's neck.
*SLING!*
Xavier redirected the swing using the edge of his blade before leaning into counterattack with his other blade.
*THRUST!*
Xavier thrust his other sword's edge towards the noble's chest.
*CLANG!*
It was instantly countered by the noble with a blurred swing from below, causing Xavier's arm to rise.
The parry almost forced the sword out of Xavier's hand. He held on, but was knocked off stance, leaving his body wide open from his neck downward.
*CRASH!*
A knee sank into Xavier's chest, causing him to cough up blood before a kick smashed into his face from the side.
While sliding down the tracks, Xavier saw a blade reflecting off his irises, heading towards his head.
*SPLATTER!*
A pool of blood gushed out of Xavier onto the floor as his arm was severed cleanly. He managed to kick off he track and avoid a fatal wound at the cost of just his arm.
'Oh~ He dodged that at the last se-'
Xavier interrupted the Noble's thoughts as Xavier's sword drew closer, horizontally from the right
*SWOOSH!*
He ducked, choosing to avoid it.
But that was exactly what Xavier wanted-
*WHAM!*
Xavier's foot crashed against the bottom of his chin, causing his head to bop back.
Though he noticed it an instant earlier, the momentum from ducking prevented him from avoiding it completely.
*CRASH!*
Xavier followed up with a side-kick which slammed against the Vampire noble's face from the right, sending him sliding right down the train tracks.
"..."
When he wiped the blood off the edge of his lip, veins bulged out of the side of the noble's face. His swollen cheek instantly healed, reverting to normal along with the blood.
But the fact that he allowed himself to be hit by a nobody like Xavier, it riled him up.
"You-"
"Devour." Xavier interrupted.
As the vampire noble turned to Xavier, his eyes widened. Not in rage, but confusion.
*Gulp* *Gulp* *Gulp*
Right before his eyes, he was witnessing a stream of ghoul's blood entering Xavier's blood from the blood orb.
Streams of blood were being consumed simultaneously from two different orbs.
[You are consuming ghouls blood!]
[You gained +1 Stat to strength.]
[You gained +1 Stat to Agility.]
[You are being healed by the ghouls blood.]
[HP: 27 -> 29 -> 31 -> 34 --> 35/35]
[Blood level: 4.3 --> 4.6 --> 4.7 --> 5/5]
While watching the blood flowing from Xavier's severed body part and latching onto its severed arm, the Vampire sought to comprehend what he saw.
Xavier's severed arm was suddenly pulled towards his body by the blood stream before reattaching itself.
*Gulp* *Gulp* *Gulp*
While gulping down the ghoul's blood, Xavier gave his newly reattached arm a few swings with the sword.
[You have consumed the ghouls blood.]
He then got into the position to continue his battle with the noble only to be left confused as the noble began laughing before him.
*Thump!*
Xavier's eyes widened as he stumbled forward. A huge amount of blood gushed from his mouth as he hung his head.
'My chest and stomach burns... It's like my throat is on fire...'
'And my hunger... It's growing.'
[You have been poisoned by the ghouls blood.]
[Forced evolution into a ghoul commencing.]
[Failure to transform into a ghoul will result in: Death.]
"Haha... Hahahaha... Didn't you find it strange how I didn't make any moves while you were having your drinkfest?"
"It's because I knew that blood would only poison you..."
"I thought your lack of a fighting stance was bad... But now this...? You... You're already dead."
"I don't even have to fight anymore, I can just sit here and wait a few minutes for you to drop dead-"
He was interrupted by Xavier who suddenly burst out laughing in front of him.
"Haha!! I don't need to worry about that, you wouldn't do that."
"After all... To run from an opponent, regardless of whether he's poisoned or not, isn't in your prideful nature."
As he approached him, Xavier showed him a wide grin.
"Then again... I could be wrong... I mean if you're scared, feel free to run away." Mocked Xavier.
Veins bulged out of the Vampire noble neck and head as he heard this.
Xavier wasn't one to enjoy talking during fights, however he was intentionally provoking to keep him at bay.
'Devour.'
One of the remaining five blood orbs suddenly erupted into a stream of blood that followed him as he walked toward the vampire. Xavier didn't drink the blood however, he had other plans for it.
"So... Vampire noble, what's it going to be? Are you going to run away from this dying man?" Xavier asked as his grin widened.
The moment he asked that question, the air around the noble changed. It became colder and darker, all the other hostages along with the Vampire twins felt it.
A force which musn't be reckoned with.
"Drink." He commanded as he pierced down on the button on his sword's handle.
*Pierce*
His sword's cross guard erupted with spikes that pierced his knuckles. Despite its similar design, his sword looked very different from either of Xavier's swords.
It felt more powerful and unique to him.
"Scared? Me?"
[Sound Manipulation...]
In a blink, the Vampire appeared before Xavier saying, "Say that again and I'll rip your tongue out.".
[Hypersonic Blast.]
- Next Chapter Preview: Ghoulified Gluttony's Berserk