— III —
"Umm, Ms. Kiara. It seems these gentlemen have a problem with you, not me. So, it's nice to meet you and bye-bye," I said and then walk away from the problem.
As I attempted to make a hasty escape from the tense situation, Kiara grabbed my shoulder, trembling in fear. Her eyes were brimming with tears, "Seriously? N-No, please wait!" she begged. I was taken aback by her desperation, but I couldn't shake the feeling that helping her would be troublesome.
"You're here because of me! Please, don't leave me to deal with them alone," Kiara begged again.
"Well, I never ask you to," I rolled my eyes.
"So, you're going to leave a meek and innocent girl like me alone?" Kiara pouted.
I chuckled, "That meek and innocent girl is a thief. Justice shall be served, I guess."
"WU-ug, I can't deny that. Oh well, how about this? If you help, then I will make sure you will be well compensated. Don't you know, I'm quite famous in the town! Name your wish and I shall grant it. Promise!"
I hesitated for a moment, that was an interesting offer. But before I could respond, a loud bang echoed through the air, and something brushed past my legs. I instinctively jumped back, gazing at where the attack came from. It was the men in arms who aimed their metal rods at us, unleashing a cloud of white fumes that hinted at that deadly attack. What the hell is that? A crossbow with magic? O-Oh boy, if that thing hit me, it would leave a mark for sure.
As the dust settled, the Witch interrupted our conversation. "Finished talking?" she asked, her voice tinged with annoyance.
As I gazed at Kiara's face pale as a ghost, my heart went out to her. Dammit, she was right. She was the one who had summoned me into this world, and I owed her that much. But making enemies in this unknown world... Argh! Fine, let's help her out.
"Hide," I said.
"Wha-What? Where?!" Her voice trembled and sounded frightened.
"Anywhere. Just don't come out until everything is over okay?"
"A-All right..." Kiara nodded, hiding in the shadows near the altar.
"Good girl."
With a swift motion, I sliced my wrist and wove my blood into a web of thread. I whispered to my cells, "Divinity, awaken. Codex Vampiris, come to me." My hair turned white, the sea in my eyes tainted to red. A surge of power engulfed me, sending shockwaves all around the room. With a flourish, I turned to face the group of men in arms, opening my arms in a divine pose, a must-do for gods. My heart pounded with excitement as I prepared to face my enemies head-on.
"Are you here to taste death?" I intimidated them.
Uuwh!! My heart pounded when I imagine how the enemy was charmed by my coolness. I always wanted to look cool when I make my first impression of my enemy, just like the dark hero from the novels! But sadly, all the Heroes I fought skipped the introduction and just lunged to kill me.
Now, don't let it in your mind. Let's figure out how we fought these men in uniform.
The men in arms were armed with deadly metal rods, but it took time to reload. That created window of opportunity for a strike. But, I have no weapon of my own. My Divinity, Codex Sanguis only allowed me to control my blood freely, sharpen my claws and regenerate faster. But, heck, this room was full of crumbling pillars and piles of rubble, providing plenty of hiding spots and obstacles. Perhaps I could use it to my advantage.
The Witch intimidated me back, "Shut it, girl. We're only here for the Doctor. If you don't wanna get hurt, scram."
"Sorry, but can't do it. I owe this girl a favor and a goddess don't break promises," I replied.
The Witch sighed, "So be it. Burn."
With a flick of her finger, the Witch conjured up a bolt of lightning and hurled it at me. I dodged to the side, feeling the heat of the blast as it waved my hair. But I didn't have time to catch my breath, as the Witch charged at me with her lightning spear. I ducked and weaved, trying to stay out of range of her deadly attacks.
"Stand still, dammit! What are you, a cockroach?" she yelled, desperation creeping into her voice after her combos were fruitless. The Witch's attacks grew more frenzied, more desperate, as she tried to land a blow. But I was always one step ahead, always a hair's breadth away from her spear.
And then, just as she thought she had me cornered, I struck. With one sudden swipe, I sent a wave of blood threads snaking out toward her. They wrapped around her body, coiling tighter and tighter until she was immobilized, unable to move.
"W-What is this? Hey, release me!" the Witch yelled. A Burst of lightning came from her body, but it was useless. My blood thread is at least as powerful as steel. I struck her neck, and instantly knocked her out.
"You're right, Miss. My DNA got infused with a cockroach. And you know, a cockroach is flexible and agile. That's why I'm hard to kill," I replied, tying the blood thread tightly and knocking her out. While at it, I took her dagger and repelled the bullets shot at me.
With an awkward smile, I taunted the men,
"Umm, can you guys toss the rods and face me like a man?"
But as expected, the men aimed at me ever furiously. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I dodged the bullets like a skilled dancer, leaping from one obstacle to the next with the agility of a cat. The sound of bullets whizzing through the air filled my ears, boiling my blood with adrenaline. But these men were relentless, and they continued to fire at me with unyielding determination. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I ducked behind a pile of rubble, desperately searching for a way to win quickly.
And then it hit me - I could use my blood thread to swing up to the ceiling and surprise them from above. Alright! While they were reloading, I threw the dagger into the ceiling, tying it up with my blood, and launched myself upwards, soaring through the air like a superhero.
While reloading, the men never saw me coming. As I descended upon them, I snatched up one of their metal rods and shot one man in the leg, knocking him to the ground. The other soldier tried to fire at me, but I was too quick for him. I swept his legs out with a swift kick, then used his body like a battering ram to knock down the remaining enemy. With blood thread I pulled myself closer to the last man standing last man closer, kicking him to the sky before pulling him again to deliver a powerful jab to his stomach, launching him to the wall. He crumpled to the ground, his ribs surely broken, but it made sure it wasn't a fatal wound.
As I stood over the unconscious men, I chuckled awkwardly, "U-ups, I think I might overdo it a little." Well, after fighting countless Heroes (who rivaled the gods), I forgot what normal humans were capable of. Guess, next time I should hold back a little, wouldn't want to attract unnecessary attention.
Suddenly, Kiara said, "I-Is everything over?" while peeking out from her hideout.
"Yes, you can come out, girlie," I said.
"Are you sure? These guys won't wake up anytime soon, right?" she said as she walked towards me unsure. Her feeling mixed with surprise, confusion, and awe.
"For the time being, yes," I replied. Well, after seeing my power, would she finally leave me alone?
But then she hugged me warmly with tears coming out of her eyes, "T-Thank you so much!! I-I-I seriously thought I was going to die," she cried out.
"W-Wait, w-who said y-you could hug me? H-huh? Hey! How dare you wiped out your snort in my clothes!" I yelled but the girl didn't listen and just giggled cutely.
Geez, how could I be angry with that cute smile of hers? When beautiful diamonds that lay in her eyes, looked at me with adoration, I couldn't help but let her do as she pleased.
"Hehe, you said you can't use magic, but aren't you pretty awesome, my Goddess?" the Girl sneered.
"Don't sweet talk me. You made this problem, you should solve it yourself. Return what you stole, girlie."
But Kiara smiled innocently, "But, I stole something from a thief. Why should I turn it back? Anyway, thank you so much! If not for you, I should be dead by now. You're not only a goddess, you are my Heroine!" she said.
I was going to protest, but when she said something that sweet, I changed my mind. Well, I guess it's not that bad to be called a Hero once in a while…