As if on cue, the heavens opened, and a light rain began to fall, a gentle patter against the windows that did little to soothe the growing tension within the grand foyer.
Claro Delgado's jaw dropped, his face pale with fear. He was clearly terrified. He turned to Aveline Hightower, his voice trembling as he grasped at a desperate hope.
"Miss Hightower," he stammered, "what... what is your brother's realm?"
"I don't know!" Aveline exclaimed, stamping her foot in frustration. Her fellow Vampire Hunter refused to leave, and she couldn't abandon him. It just felt wrong. There might not be any official rules, but a sense of camaraderie, of loyalty, existed among those who went into the hunt, a bond forged in blood and shared danger.
"Wave Perfection," I replied calmly.
The Delgado family wasn't particularly strong. A dozen or so Wave Realm experts... they might be of some use in a fight. It was best to be upfront about our respective strengths, to avoid any misunderstandings later.
Claro's eyes widened. He gasped, his breath catching in his throat. Wave Realm Perfection? At such a young age? And he was supposedly from a merchant family? Even the most prestigious martial arts families - the Washingtons, the Rodriguezs, the Sharmas, the Atzmons - couldn't boast a talent like that. He hung his head, ashamed.
"I'm... I'm only at the peak of First Realm," he mumbled. The older members of the Delgado family, however, weren't focused on Claro's embarrassment. Their expressions were grim, their eyes filled with a growing dread. Even their patriarch had been taken. Could mere Wave Realmers possibly hope to survive this night?
No wonder Arnold warned me, Aveline thought, surprised by the young man's strength. But then, she reminded herself, this was a genius who valued Crystallizing techniques above his own life. It made sense.
A deafening crack split the sky, and lightning illuminated the grand foyer, revealing the faces of the Delgado family, etched with fear and apprehension.
The women and children huddled together, seeking safety in numbers, while the Delgado family warriors gripped their weapons, sweat beading on their palms.
But the front lawn remained empty; their fear was premature.
Then, the young man sitting in the chair facing the entrance rose, his movements fluid as he drew his ceremonial blade. At that very moment, a massive tiger head materialized in the doorway—suspended upside down from the roof—its jaws agape and fangs glinting like daggers.
Its fur, plastered down by the rain, gleamed a brilliant gold. A pair of amber eyes, filled with predatory hunger, swept across the hall. Its rough claws twitched, and a long, barbed tongue, stained crimson with the blood of countless victims, darted out to lick them clean. Drool, thick with the stench of blood and decay, dripped from its fangs, splattering on the polished floor. The fetid odor of the beast filled the hall, a suffocating miasma that sent shivers down their spines.
The tiger, sensing the abundance of human elixirs—enough to propel it into the Crystal Realm—opened its maw. A deafening roar erupted, infused with such primal terror that it weakened limbs. Weapons clattered to the ground, their metallic sounds rising like mournful cries against the beast's terrifying roar. Faces drained of color as screams echoed through the hall.
Under Alonso's protection, Bellingham had been safe from such blatant monstrous incursions for years. This beast... it had not only infiltrated the city, but it dared to taunt them before attacking.
The tiger vampire leaped down from the eaves, its powerful muscles rippling as it stalked towards the hall.
"Your turn..." it snarled, its voice a guttural growl.
Before it could finish its threat, I shot forward like a blur, my jacket billowing behind me as I soared through the air. My hand clamped down on the tigervamp's head with an iron grip.
I forced the creature back, its massive body arching backward. The Melting Sun Furnace within me roared, its fiery gates flung wide, unleashing the demonic energy I'd absorbed. I gripped the black ceremonial blade in my right hand, its edge glowing crimson. With a vicious swipe, I struck!
Empowered by the Nightshade Assassin, the blade sliced effortlessly through the beast's thick fur and into its throat, a clean, precise cut that severed its spine. Fetid blood sprayed across the hall.
With the tiger vampire's severed head in my grasp, I kicked off its chest, sending the massive body hurtling backward. It crashed into a puddle with a splash, scattering dirty water—its life snuffed out in an instant.
[Perfect Wave Realm Tigervamp slain. Total lifespan: 2310 years. Remaining lifespan: 792 years. Absorbed.]
[Remaining Absorbed Lifespan: 1266 years.]
… …
A stunned silence filled the hall, the only sound the steady drumming of rain against the windows.
The Delgado family warriors, who had dropped their weapons in fear, now scrambled to retrieve them, their hands shaking. They clutched their swords, but their gazes darted around, unsure where to focus.
The tiger vampire's roar still echoed in their ears, a suffocating reminder of their near-death experience. And the young man's sudden attack... it was like the air had been sucked from their lungs. They stood frozen, their minds reeling, trying to comprehend the sheer power and speed "the young Hightower" had displayed.
"Wave Realm Perfection?" Aveline stared in disbelief as the wisp of vampire essence she'd just collected dissipated. "How...?"
She hadn't reacted as poorly as the Delgado family. The moment the tiger vampire appeared, she'd assessed its strength. Powerful, yes, but not insurmountable. With proper coordination, they could have taken it down.
But he ... he'd disrupted her plans, his swift action rendering her strategies moot.
She stared at the massive corpse lying in the rain-soaked front lawn, her mind grappled with the implications. This wasn't some newbie; this was a powerhouse, someone to be reckoned with. And that slight frown on his face... it wasn't nervousness, as she'd initially assumed. It was... disappointment? Dissatisfaction?
… …
With closed eyes feigning meditation, I discreetly summoned my panel. My remaining absorbed lifespan was barely enough to perfect this half-volume of Resurrected Body, let alone deduce a complete Crystal Realm technique.
I'd fallen into a flawed line of thinking. From a human perspective, the Delgado family's patriarch was absent, their forces in disarray. It was the perfect opportunity to strike, to seize control.
But vampires weren't concerned with such petty power struggles. This was a hunt, a competition. They cared only for the most potent human elixirs, the richest sources of celestial essence.
The Delgado family's Crystal Realm ancestor had reached his level through sheer luck, and he wasn't known for his diligence or discipline.
He likely hadn't pushed his descendants to their full potential. The remaining Wave Realm cultivators, though formidable within Bellingham, were likely unremarkable on a larger scale. Hence, the relatively weak tigervamp.
Outside, the rain intensified, the wind carrying the stench of blood into the hall. The tigervamps were now at a disadvantage, caught unaware.
Yet, I couldn't afford to be careless. Every bit of strength mattered when facing a Crystal Realm opponent.
A plan began to form in my mind. I channeled my absorbed lifespan into the Resurrected Body. Even body tempering techniques at the Crystal Realm required comprehension, it seemed. This demand for understanding of Christian theology... it left little room for ordinary folk.
[Year 1: You study the Christian body tempering manual, pondering how to extract the essence of life and death from the celestial essence.]
[Year 3: Your progress is faster than expected. You recall your time spent deducing Astral Fortification, the countless repetitions of the Shadowstrike, pushing yourself to the brink of exhaustion, sacrificing your flesh and blood to fuel the technique.]
[Year 5: You've danced on the edge of life and death since Pinewood County. Recapturing that mental state is merely a matter of time.]
[Year 12: Black and white energies swirl around your fingertips. You begin to temper your body with the essence of life and death.]
I opened my eyes, surprise flickering within them. The First Realm Astral Fortification, and this half-volume of the Crystal Realm Resurrected Body... two seemingly unrelated techniques, complementing each other.
An unexpected boon.
Unfortunately, without suitable elixirs or spirit plants to aid in my cultivation, I'd have to rely on a vast amount of my absorbed lifespan.