"My name is Richard Crimson, son of Markus Crimson and the grandchild of Leonidas Crimson. You lot killed my grandfather, no one will leave here alive" Richard declared with a tone of confidence.
"Hahahaha, you are just a young vampire, acting tough. I can kill you with my bare hands" The lizardman cracked his fist, ready to take the young vampire's life.
Richard ignored the lizardman and went up to Dante "Are you alright? Can you move?"
Dante tried to get himself together, he bowed his head "Yes young master, this one can move"
"Then take your family and leave, I already killed most of the enemies outside, so you should be safe for the moment"
Dante looked at his wife and again at Richard "Young master, I can't possibly leave you here alone to fight that thing"
"Do not worry about me. If I die here, it just means I am not worthy of the surname Crimson. Knight Dante, your family is also mine, so we must protect each other. You will only hold me back if you stay here. If you leave, perhaps you can send someone to come assist me."
"My lord…I…I…"
"No time to talk, Knight Dante. Take your family and escape"
Dante looked at Richard, fighting the tears that was trying to escape from his eyes. He nodded his head and went to his wife. Alice made eye contact with Richard.
"Thank you, young master" Alice said, bowing her head.
Dante and his wife left the castle through the door, leaving Richard with the lizardman.
"Hehehe, you know you are going to die"
"Yeah yeah, let us see who will die first" Richard replied, rolling his shoulders in preparation.
Richard and the lizardman stood opposite of each other. He looked down at Richard and grinned evilly "I can't wait to see the look on your father's face when I show off your severed head, hehe".
"Well, I can't wait to remove your head and place it on my wall as a trophy. I'm sure that would make my father proud"
"Then let us not waste each other's time. Now Die!"
The lizardman started to unleash a vicious punch. The punch was so fast that Richard did not have any time to dodge. The young vampire was quick to block the attack but the force was so overwhelming that Richard was send hurling through the wall.
"How is that you punk?"
Richard lay on the ground, surrounded by rubble and debris. "Fuck, that hurt. No wonder Knight Dante was in such a pitiful state; this guy is crazy strong."
The lizardman then came through the hole he punched Richard. He looked around and saw that Richard was in the middle of the room, still on the ground "Sorry about that punk, I used to much strength, didn't I?"
Richard then then slowly stood up "You punch like a little girl snake".
The lizardman's anger surged once more, his expression twisting into a snarl. "You know, I heard you have a little brother. I will find him, sever his head, and drink from his skull. How does that sound?"
The air in the room started to become heavy as Richard's hair began to rise slightly. His eyes glowed crimson red "You know, lizard, I was thinking of taking your leg and letting you go, but now I've changed my mind. Your biggest mistake was threatening my little brother. Let me show you a technique that I have not been able to master just yet but I'm sure it will satisfy your taste buds"
Richard's pale right arm started to glow red.
"That blood punch you did earlier isn't going to work twice punk" The lizardman then focused his spirit force and placed it into his right arm "Let us see which one is stronger"
"It seems you weren't listening lizard".
As Richard walked towards the lizardman, his right arm started to turn red like heated metal. "Fuck my right arm hurts like hell. This is the pain I have to endure when I fuse the technique blood punch with the clan's hell flame ability" he thought, gritting his teeth against the agony.
The lizardman's confidence grew as he stepped closer to Richard, a predatory grin spreading across his face. "This is exciting! Let us find out who is truly stronger."
Both vampire and lizardman reared back their arms, muscles coiled like springs, and unleashed powerful punches. Their fists collided with a thunderous impact, sending a shockwave rippling through the room. For a moment, it seemed as though their powers were equal, locked in a stalemate. Their fists pressed against one another and neither is willing to yield "It seems that we are at an impasse" The lizardman said while grinding his sharp pointed teeth, thick veins bulged from his head as he struggled to overpower the young vampire.
Richard smirked "Looks like it, but let me show you the power of the Crimson's."
"Burning Blood Punch!" Richard screamed, twisting his fist as he released a tremendous amount of energy. The force blasted through the lizardman's arm, a shockwave of power erupting from the impact. The punch continued its devastating journey, tearing through the lizardman's right shoulder and chest, creating a massive hole in the wall behind him.
Blood gushed from the lizardman's wound, spilling like a waterfall, and his eyes widened in shock. "What power…" he gasped, struggling to comprehend the strength of his opponent.
The sheer force of Richard's attack left him weakened, and he could no longer stand. Falling to his knees, his left hand pressed against the gaping wound on his right shoulder, he stared at the blood staining his palm. He lifted up his head and Richard was standing before him, his right arm was still blood red.
"State your name Lizard" Richard asked the lizardman who was on both knees.
The lizardman did not want to die just yet, but he knew that this was the possible outcome when he agreed to join the assault on one of the most well-known vampire clans. Closing his eyes, he accepted the truth of his situation. "My name is…"
The lizardman dropped to the ground before he could give the young vampire his name. Richard looked at his enemy's lifeless body "I'll collect your head when this is all over". he muttered, a mix of triumph and sorrow in his voice.
As he looked at his right hand, Richard felt a grim realization wash over him. The blood-red glow began to fade, and his arm started to harden, cracking like brittle glass. "Fuck, all I feel is pain," he groaned, clenching his teeth against the agony.
The remnants of his right arm crumbled away, falling apart like ashes from a dying ember. He touched his right shoulder, feeling the remnants of power dissipate like smoke in the wind. "We both lost a right arm, huh?" he murmured, a bitter smile creeping across his face.
====
Cassandra and Emma continued to fight hordes of enemies alongside their fellow vampire brethren. Emma who was currently engaged in a battle against a female mercenary held her sword with both hands, parrying every attack that came her way.
"Blood step"
Emma moved at break necking speed, appearing behind the enemy female mercenary "Coming here was your biggest mistake, little girl". With a swift, powerful swing of her sword, she cleaved the female mercenary's body in half, the two halves collapsing to the ground with a sickening thud.
Emma did not waste any time as she scoured the room for more enemies. Just then, she felt a sharp sting in her back. She turned to see an archer, poised and focused, drawing another arrow from his quiver. "I'm going to drink your blood, human!" she snarled, charging at him.
She rushed towards the archer but he quickly grabbed an object within his pouch and threw it at her. Reacting instinctively, Emma slashed at it with her sword, causing the object burst open and the content within the object to splatter all over her.
"Aaaah!" Emma screamed, dropping to her knees in agony as the searing pain coursed through her body.
"Hahahaha, how is that you stupid bitch? Drink some holy water for a change". The archer's laughter echoed in the air, cruel and mocking.
Emma's skin bubbled and blistered as if it had come into contact with acid, half of her face disfigured and her left eye melted away.
"Hehehe," she chuckled bitterly, despite her suffering. "What would Markus say if he saw me in such a pitiful state? To think I was outsmarted by a lowly human." Her gaze locked onto the archer, a storm of fury brewing within her.
She looked at the archer with fury, her eyes blazing with determination. Gritting her teeth, she picked up the sword she had dropped and slowly stood up, her body still wracked with pain from the holy water.
The archer had already cocked his arrow back in the bow and was ready to fire "Now stand still you ugly little thing" the archer closed his one eye as he aimed for Emma's heart.
Emma took a deep breath as she pulled her arm back with the sword in her hand. Her right eye glowed red and her muscles tightened, readying her for the moment. In one fluid motion, she pulled her arm back, feeling the weight of the sword in her grip, then released it with all her might.
At the same time, the archer loosed his arrow, the projectile slicing through the air with deadly precision, aimed straight for Emma's heart. But the agility of a vampire was not to be underestimated. With a swift sidestep, she dodged the arrow, feeling the rush of air as it whizzed past her.
However, the sword she threw spun through the air with a sharp whoosh. With tremendous force, it embedded itself into the archer's chest, the impact brutal enough to send him crashing against the wall with a sickening thud. The blood oozed down the wall as the sword held the archer in place.
"Hehe, bullseye" Emma chuckled darkly, a sense of grim satisfaction washing over her.
Emma did not get a chance to catch her breath as she was assaulted by two other mercenary men. However, Cassandra and a vampire knight decided to intervene
"Do not worry lady Cassandra, I will handle the human on the left" declared the knight, his voice steady and resolute.
"Many thanks, knight. Then I will take care of the human on the right," Cassandra replied
Emma managed to dodge every sword attack from the mercenary, she did not wait long until Cassandra arrived to help her.
"I don't need your assistance sister" Emma said, deflecting another strike with a swift parry
Cassandra rushed towards the mercenary "Blood step". The mercenary man did not have any time to respond. The mercenary barely had time to react before Cassandra moved with blinding speed, her blade slicing through the air. In a heartbeat, she severed the man's head cleanly from his shoulders, his body collapsing to the ground.
Cassandra looked at Emma "I know"
Emma smiled, she touched her own face and when she looked at her hand, it was still stained, a grim reminder of the holy water's lingering effects. Her regenerative abilities were hampered, keeping her from healing as swiftly as she needed.
"Come sister. There are still a lot of enemies, our children are waiting for us". Cassandra said as she picked up the fallen mercenary's sword. She handed it to Emma, who accepted it with a nod of gratitude.
"You are right sister, let us continue fighting for the Crimson family" Emma replied, her resolve strengthening as she gripped the sword tightly.
They both looked up as they heard a huge rumbling above "I wonder if that is Zeno's doing" Cassandra speculated.
"No, I am sure it's Markus". Emma replied, her heart quickening at the thought of her husband.