Albrecht felt Claude's pure wrath as he squeezed his neck. However, he wasn't going down without a fight.
[Skill 'Causality Slash' activated]
Without hesitation, Albrecht swung his hand at Claude as he activated his skill. Right now, this was the best move he could do to get out of Claude's grasp. And it worked.
Sensing the raw energy behind the attack, Claude had no choice but to let go of Albrecht as he dodged the attack. Free from Claude's choke hold, Albrecht plummeted in the air. Before he could use any of his skills, a figure appeared in front of him, catching him.
"Sorry, that guy's too fast, I couldn't see his movements." Rhydderch apologetically said as he bit his lips. He couldn't believe that the white-haired guy managed to snatch Albrecht while flying, and he moved faster than Rhydderch's sight.
"He's the one behind the breach. If we defeat him, we reclaim the fallen kingdom." Albrecht explained as Rhydderch put him down. Now that he thought about it, he didn't have any skills that would help him fight in the air.
If only he had some sort of 'wings' or 'air walk' skill, he could go head to head with Whitelock.
['Eye of Judgment' equipped]
[Name: Claude Whitelock
Race: Vampire
Bloodline: Whitelock Bloodline
Skills: Vampire Metamorphosis (Unique), Sariel Death Scythe (S-Rank), Bloodborne Sense (A-Rank), Wind Walk (C-Rank), See more...
Level: 27
Stats: See more... ]
Albrecht was surprised to see the 'Level' label instead of 'Rank'. That's why he decided to direct the Eye of Judgment on himself, and to his surprise, it also said 'Level'.
[Name: Albrecht Stein
Race: Human?
Bloodline: None
Class: None
Skills: Blessing of the Divine Paladin (Unique), Saddim's Touch (Unique, S-Rank), Causality Slash (Unique), See more...
Level: 1
Stats: Locked, level up to view your stats]
"Albrecht, watch out!" Rhydderch called out as Claude swooped in again.
This time, he activated his skill 'Sariel Death Scythe', summoning a scythe that looked like a charred twisted tree branch with a crimson red gem imbued in it. He swung his scythe and it produced a black slash that traveled at Albrecht.
[Skill 'Causality Slash' activated]
Albrecht swung his hand, uncertain of the output of his skill. Fortunately, his slash's energy was slightly stronger than the black slash from Claude's scythe, and the attack canceled out as they hit each other.
[A skill can be recorded in the Akashic Record of Space and Time]
[Requirement to copy the skill: Claude is a proud member of the Whitelock Clan and an esteemed figure in the Vampire Race. Bring him down to his knees and ask for his sister]
[Fulfillment of the requirement will allow the user to copy one of Claude's skills]
Claude was enraged that his attack didn't land, and so he plunged at Albrecht, swinging his Sariel Death Scythe downward. His momentum and aura allowed him to accelerate faster than sight. Had it not been for the System warning Albrecht of the attack, Albrecht would've died right then and there.
As Albrecht jumped to the side with a confused expression on his face, Rhydderch and everyone watching let out a gasp. How could someone dodge that kind of attack?! And by the looks of it, Albrecht was not even focusing on the match.
Everyone's leisurely time on the sidelines had come to an end, however, and they weren't just spectators of the fight anymore. Without warning, multiple shrieks and howls were heard as thousands of beasts flowed out of the fallen kingdom.
It was now time for everyone to fight.
"FIGHT ME, YOU COWARD!" Claude taunted as his teeth chattered in exasperation. All this time, Albrecht just did the bare minimum, and despite his inferiority, he was able to dodge all of Claude's attacks.
However, Albrecht wasn't paying attention to him. As Claude listened to what he was saying, he realized that Albrecht was talking to himself.
"What do you mean to ask for his sister? What?! How does that even work? How is that a requirement? You think this is a game? You're just playing me for a fool." Albrecht continued his monologue. It's as if he was having an argument with his conscience.
And technically, he was. After all, the System just gave him a ridiculous requirement, and he adamantly wanted the System to alter it. If anything, he wanted one of Claude's skills, but there was no way he would fulfill the requirements set by the System.
"Alb, leave the beasts to us! Just keep that vampire at bay. We'll help you as soon as we can." Rhydderch called out, to which Albrecht nodded in response. Rhydderch was confident that Albrecht would be able to hold the vampire off. His dodging skills were impeccable, and Rhydderch couldn't even compare his skills to his.
As the fight broke out, the Diamond and Platinum Rank Adventurers decided to reserve their energy. That's why most of the adventurers who fought against the first wave were Gold Rank Adventurers.
From afar, Sun Wu and the Heroes of Relics watched as Albrecht fought against what seemed to be an S-Rank Monster. They couldn't believe that the person they were seeing right now was the same Albrecht they kicked out of the party three days ago.
Then again, it's not like they could dwell in their thoughts for too long. They have a horde to defeat, after all.
Black Gem Wolves, Flying Manticores, Iron Horned Gorillas, and Minotaurs charged at the adventurers. It was a threatening horde, and the adventurers weren't sure whether they could handle the numbers or not. Nevertheless, they fought.
The Gold Rank Adventurers took the frontlines, and the higher-ranked adventurers supported them from the rear. This was to ensure that the higher-ranked adventurers would have enough energy to deal with the next waves of beasts.
Ultimately, the goal was to defeat the guardian of the Second Outerlayer. They assumed that the vampire fighting against Albrecht is the guardian.
Dealing the final blow on the guardian will grant that adventurer ownership of the kingdom, and it would automatically fall in the hands of his or her respective kingdom.
This was what the neighboring kingdoms agreed upon before the reclamation project commenced.