As Molly's voice echoed through the room, the silk threads in her hands tightened, causing all thirteen coffins to shatter. From within, a variety of bats burst forth. Molly nearly laughed out loud. These old ones didn't even try to fight; their first instinct was to flee, demonstrating their fear of death to the extreme.
Molly didn't know exactly how long these vampires had lived, but it was surely longer than the documented maximum lifespan of 2,800 years. After all, even the puppet they had sent to confront her was a 2,000-year-old vampire.
However, fleeing as bats wouldn't help them. Molly had already figured out this trick, so she swiftly ensnared the bats with her threads. Realizing that this tactic was ineffective, the bats quickly gathered together, reverting to their human forms. They immediately launched a fire spell, burning Molly's threads.
These old ones might be scared of dying, but their combat skills were top-notch. They quickly identified that Molly's threads were weak against fire. As the threads burned away, the room filled with the scent of charred protein.
One of the vampires sneered at Molly, his expression clearly saying: Is that all you've got?
Molly, of course, had much more up her sleeve. While the threads were a convenient and frequently used weapon, her greatest strength was her own body. Besides, she had brought something else specifically for these old vampires.
As the last of the threads burned away, two firearms slid out from beneath Molly's maid skirt. She grabbed them effortlessly and aimed at the vampires, who were now fluttering above her on bat wings. These old ones fit the image of vampires from the movies Molly had seen before her transmigration, even down to their bat wings.
As the bullets fired, they blazed brightly, their sparks particularly noticeable in the dark chamber. Most of the vampires dodged the bullets, but one foolishly tried to catch one with his hand.
It was a stupid move. Although the bullet didn't penetrate his hand, the solar flower essence within it seared his flesh. The smell of burnt meat added to the mix of burnt thread and gunpowder already in the air.
The vampire let out a scream, shouting something in a language Molly couldn't quite understand. She guessed it was an ancient vampire dialect—Adele had mentioned it a few times, and the intonation was somewhat similar.
Oh, so they really are ancient. A bunch of old geezers from the ancient times.
Having realized the bullets posed a real threat, the vampires no longer attempted to catch them and focused solely on dodging. Molly's firearms fired rapidly, the chamber echoing with their blasts as she emptied the clips.
Although the researchers had developed automatic weapons, the ammo was limited, and Molly had to reload. She threw her backpack on the ground, kicked it open, quickly reloaded her guns, and stowed the bag away with a swift motion.
Molly's agility was impressive, but the elders weren't fools. They quickly realized that the bullets, rather than Molly herself, were their true danger, and they focused their attacks on her backpack.
As Molly dodged their magic, and they dodged her bullets, the chamber turned into a spectacular display of sparks and magical effects—a dazzling battle scene. However, the ammunition was bound to run out eventually. In a moment of vulnerability, one of the vampire elders managed to destroy Molly's backpack. Fortunately, she tossed it aside before the bullets inside could explode.
Molly paused, landing lightly on the ground.
Not a single elder had fallen, and they hovered above her with sneering smiles. "Human, you've shown impressive skill in finding this place and even managed to wound us," one of them said. Molly's speed and accuracy had forced them to take risks, leaving them with several injuries, but none of them were fatal.
The solar flower bullets had caused them significant pain, though. If Molly's firearms could do this much damage to the elders, they could only imagine how effective they would be against lesser vampires.
Molly raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. So they do speak the modern language after all.
Of course, it made sense. If they couldn't understand the modern language, they'd be clueless if someone insulted them right to their faces.
Without a word, Molly tossed the empty guns to the ground. The twin-gun-wielding heroine act was over—it was time for her to switch to one-punch mode. She cracked her neck, the sound of bones popping echoing in the chamber.
Her eyes locked onto one of the vampires, and he instinctively knew something was wrong. He felt like a prey animal under the gaze of a predator. Before he could react, Molly leaped into action, her strength so immense that she left a crater in the floor. In a flash, she grabbed the vampire, one hand gripping a magic stone embedded in the ceiling, the other seizing his head.
Molly's face broke into a sudden smile as she twisted the vampire's head clean off, his screams abruptly silenced. Moments later, his body disintegrated into ashes, scattering to the floor below.
With a graceful flip, Molly landed lightly beside the pile of ash. She glanced up at the remaining vampires and said, "You don't seem so tough after all."
The remaining twelve elders were visibly enraged by Molly's taunt. They realized that this human was different from any they had faced before and launched a coordinated attack.
But Molly simply smiled—a smile that belonged to someone who knew they were the strongest. She had been holding back to test the firearms, but now that she knew their effectiveness, there was no need to restrain herself.
One by one, the twelve elders fell, their bodies reduced to ash as Molly effortlessly took them down. After the final elder disintegrated, Molly stood in the now-ruined chamber, clenching her fists and stretching. She had sustained a minor injury during their last-ditch counterattack.
Specifically, a small section of her hair had been singed.
After defeating the twelve elders, Molly felt a brief pang of emptiness. She was so strong, it almost felt as though she had transcended this world. For a moment, she felt a sense of loneliness, akin to the kind of protagonists who, after becoming invincible, found themselves without a worthy opponent.
But then she thought of Adele. Having no opponents was a good thing. If these thirteen elders had been strong enough to push her to the brink, what if she had died in the process?
How could Adele survive in a world without her? If Adele found out Molly had died, she might choose to join her in death. If she didn't know, she might search endlessly, living the rest of her life as a widow.
Molly didn't want to see that happen.
She searched the battle-scarred chamber, even tapping the walls with her gun, but found no way out. So, as she had previously planned, she decided to punch her way out.
Taking a deep breath, she focused all her strength into her fist. Molly had never tested her full power before, but now, after the warm-up with the elders, it was time to see what she could really do. The ground beneath her feet cracked, fragments of the floor levitating in the air as her power radiated outward.
Then, with a powerful leap, Molly propelled herself upward, her fist crashing into the ceiling. The magic stones shattered, raining down in a cascade of debris, and the entire chamber trembled with a deep, rumbling sound.
In an instant, Molly found herself tearing through layers of soil, the once-solid earth crumbling like clouds before her punch.
A moment later, Molly burst through the surface and into the open sky. The sky was still dark, with stars twinkling in the black expanse above.
Below her, the capital city shook violently from the sudden earthquake, buildings collapsing as the ground heaved. The unprepared vampires and other creatures were buried beneath the rubble.
Oops, maybe I overdid it.
Molly felt a twinge of guilt, but then again, she reasoned that the outer walls of the bunker wouldn't allow humans inside, and those further out wouldn't have felt the full force of the quake. The human servants should be fine. As for the vampires… well, it didn't matter if something happened to them. Besides, their physical strength was probably enough to keep them safe.
From her vantage point, Molly spotted a swarm of bats fleeing from the bunker, transforming into human forms once they reached the surface. Among them, she noticed a pale figure with silver hair, dirtied and disheveled from the rubble. Molly guessed this was Adele's grandmother.
There were also a few other vampires she didn't recognize, but their green and golden hair hinted at their identities. Molly landed lightly on the ground and quickly dealt with the remaining vampires, sending them to join the elders, leaving only Adele's grandmother.
Standing amidst the ruins, Molly approached Lady Black. It didn't really matter whether she spared her or not. Out of respect for her being Adele's grandmother, Molly was willing to let her live. To Molly's surprise, Lady Black remained calm.
She rose from the ground, looking Molly straight in the eye, and asked, "Is White still alive?"
Molly shook her head, and Lady Black's expression grew somber. "I see…" she murmured, giving Molly a small, sad smile. "In that case, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and take my life too." Molly could see that even if she spared her, Lady Black wouldn't live much longer.