7/29 16:13 (Summer, Night)
Edgar didn't hesitate, linking himself with all of his surviving Ghouls, observing the battle from various location, while combat capable ones were in position depending on their role and abilities.
The Mana Well formely powering the barrier ws connected to every single one of them, ready to be used.
Meanwhile, the other side of this battle was in position, Evan and Azure in front, Klevel and Marine in the middle and Fora in the back to guard their back and especially the last two.
Evan was the first to speak.
"Should we start fighting now or do you prefer a dialogue first?"
"Oh? You speak of dialogue yet you are the one who destroyed my gate, enter without even asking and in a position ideal for fighting. Additionally, that one is barely holding herself back from a rampage, isn't she."
He nodded towards the Half-Elf, who as he was saying, was barely holding herself back from shooting arrows everywhere.
Evan smiled slightly at this, his eyes observing the enemies around them, before responding calmly.
"You know how it is. Once someone is as enraged as she is, you can only be out of her way. But don't worry, if you sincerely answer to our question, your death will be much faster than otherwise."
"Oh? No offering to leave me alive if I answer?"
"I'm sorry. This is already as much as I could compromise. Now, " he turned towards the red-head, her eyes piercing through the Vampire before them. "is she here?"
A snarl on her face, she answered.
"No, She is not. Not even in this waste of an island. But maybe he knows where She is." The air around her briefly sparked, her bow now trained on him.
"How curious. Who should I know the location of, pray tell?"
A snarl on her face, Evan quickly interfered before the negotiations would break down right there and then.
"We are seeking someone you took."
"Oh? I don't remember taking anyone so important that a B-Ranked Party would hunt my Master and all of his Servants."
Her snarl worsened further, her left hand already holding an arrow, her intent clear.
"Her name is Scarlet!"
Silence stretched between them, as Edgar actually and actively observed Azure finally understanding.
"I have no idea who you are talking about."
For the first time in the manor, Klevel intervined.
"You are lying. You may be a couple of centuries old, yet you are still younger than me and a much worse lier than even many children. You know exactly who she is and probably even where she is."
"I see… I didn't think that a man of the faith would be so well-versed in lying, but it seems I was wrong. However, you don't doubt she is alive at all… I see, I understand. Your Unique Skill…" he nodded towards the archer. "You can only find people by using their blood. And you cannot "hunt" her by using your own blood, can't you?"
Silence fell between the two sides before being interrupted.
"However, I am quite disappointed in you. Even now when you should be in your early twenties, you are still inferior to your sister when she was fifteen, even with your special weapons." He closed his eyes as if grieving.
However, this taunt didn't land the way he expected.
"Obviously. She is the best after all."
This response was certaintly unexpected for him, but none of her party reacted at it.
After all, they knew very well how much Azure worshipped her sister.
Yes, worshipped was the correct term for it.
She didn't look up to her as a big sister, but she worshipped her as someone wholly superior for her to admire, without any equal.
Klevel spoke up again.
"It seems to me as if you are very calm for someone in your position. While your natural power as a Vampire is quite high, you are not a warrior. Additionally, your master was stronger than you are and we are stronger than we were when we killed him."
"You are right. I, however, am a scientist and view losing control of myself because of emotion to be a fatal flaw. Especially when I find myself the weaker party."
"I see. However, it seems like you have no intention of telling us where she is."
The Vampire smiled calmly, his Mana and Vital Energy starting to glow around him and some of his Ghouls around them, various Magical Circles manifestating before them as the battle started.
Fireballs, lightnings and blade of winds and water rained down upon them, only for Fora to respond.
"Earth's Protection."
At the command, the floor of the mansion rose around them forming a dome around them, being converted in an hard metal by her Unique Skill before being enhanced further by her Mana, blocking the assault.
It wasn't the end as Azure proceeded with the next step, rising her bow towards the sky, her target for her Unique Arma being the white-haired one.
"Piercing Heavy Shot."
A red clad arrow was shot towards the sky before suddently turning, barely being stopped by a barrier that suddently sprang around him, caused by the automatic barrier generator prototype before it entered in cooldown.
He didn't hesitate, the Ghoul that had the previous role of guarding Luna activated its Unique Skill.
The fact tha it had a Unique Skill may seem like a contradiction considering how Monsters are not able to acquire them, however if someone is turned in a Ghoul while they have awakened their Unique Skill, it remains awake at E-Rank while a Ghoul cannot awaken one on their own.
Its Unique Skill was simply called Acceleration and, at D-Rank as it had at the moment, sped up time for itself or others to around four time the normal and so the cooldown on his barrier was quickly finished while he was chanting for a Spell and making a red Magical Circle.
"Bright Flare."
A jet of white flames was released from it, being amplified by various Artifact on his person, piercing through the dome and blasting it apart from the inside.
He didn't hesitate and his Ghouls obeyed his orders trasmitted through his Soul Link, a second bombardement of Magic Spells raining down on the cloud of smoke without any hesitation while various Ghouls were seeking the Iriblades through various different methods, ranging from sensing Mana and Vital Energy, to sensing heat, sounds and smells.
He suddently moved, dodging a swing from a blade made entirely out of light as Evan rose from beneath him, before his barrier sprung up around him, stopping another arrow from piercing through him, before hastily jumping back, evading the second swing from Ethan.
This was only possible because Acceleration was activated on himself, otherwise he would have been hit from that slash or the following ten.
However, this wasn't enough.
Suddently from behind him, Fora rose from beneath the floor, her hammer already swinging and striking at his back.
His barrier sprung up, only for it to be destroyed as a rain of arrows fell, just in time for the swing of her hammer to sending it flying.
Evan accelerated, instantly cutting off his left arm almost at the shoulder.
Edgar was faster than Evan because of the fact that he was a C-Rank Vampire affected by Acceleration, however Evan was a B-Rank Human and was actually skilled when it comes to battle.
The old Vampire was faster, yes, however he was much more wasteful with his movement than any of the Iriblades and found himself being slowly, but surely cornered.
While the damage caused by Fora was already fully healed, his arm was in much worse condition as the light charred his wound, making it much harder, much more expensive and time consuming to heal.
Fortunately he already activated a pain nullification artifact or the pain would have ended the battle already.
Before it could react, water blades rose from underneath the floor, cutting into him.
He understood now were the others were as Evan attacked again.
He made to dodge only for two arrows to pin his feets to the ground and for Evan to cut off both of his legs at the knees at once, charring them.
He fell, barely able to stop himself by using his one remaining arm, before looking up, a sword made out of light at a centimeter from his neck and a nocked arrow staring at his face, chains of water holding him in place while a dome of the same steel as before was around them, separating them from his Ghouls.
"Maybe you don't understand. You have answers that I want."
Azure told him, a cruel light in her eyes.
He sighed, finding himself having to use his ace up his sleeve already.
.
-
7/29 16:13 (Summer, Night)
Meanwhile, in a forest in the central-meridional Midrar, Luna was surrounded by people.
"Tell me, what is a cute thing like you doing all alone."
As the leader spoke, his subordinates spread out, ready to attack her.
Luna didn't bother to answer him, uncaring of his existence as she continued to walk on the road.
Upon being ignored like that, the leader red in the face because of anger, attacked her with the sword in his right hand, trying to cut off her right arm.
In response, her Unique Arma manifested herself around her hand, blocking the sword as she ruthlessly attacked, her fist crashing in his hastily raised guard, making him step back as his subordinates prepared to attack.
Five arrows fell upon her, only for her wings to appear around her and block them all.
Suddenly her wings forcefully opened, sending the three… bandits?… trying to attack her, flying away.
A fireball was cast on her, only for her wings to separate from her body and become a pair of shields, one blocking said fireball and the other sending another one of her future meals crashing away.
Before she could press on the attack, she found herself having to dodge as a mace fell where she was previously.
"Sorry Boss. It seems like we cannot capture her alive."
"You are right. What a shame."
He responded, rising his sword and taking it with both hands.
The two were the strongest warriors of his group, composed mostly to high E-Ranks to low D-Ranks, equivalent to an high D-Rank Adventurer and specialized in battles against other people.
Without hesitation, every single one of his group started to actively circulating Vital Energy, preparing not to capture her, but to kill her.
She smiled in answer as she prepared to an actual fight, happy to not have killed her previous targets instantly.
After all, conflict is a way to grow she was quite familiar with.
Her Shapes turning to float around her and her Familiars being Summoned from the shadows casted by her newly reformed wings, away from the battle itself, but near enough to observe and interfere in it if necessary.
Her Vital Mana flowed around her, her claws and her body ready to kill and her fangs shining in a bloodthirsty smile as bloodlust shone in her eyes.
This was, after all, the only emotion that her eyes could show.
The battle started as both arrows clad in Vital Energy and another Fireball were launched towards her as her wings started flapping.