135 Vampire with Inheritance
"Fully crystallized vampire lord. Be careful, you two." Master Arden focused his inner core, making a hand gesture across his chest. His dark blue robe billowed without wind as vast energy surged forth, refusing to dissipate.
The energy coalesced before him, taking shape as the ethereal form of a simple, unadorned knight's sword—two palms wide and the height of a man.
Along the blade, light rotated slowly, radiating an aura of neutrality and peace.
Will Embodiment of Swords!
As Cloud Citadel's signature technique, it was renowned throughout Cascadia.
Though they carried no physical blades, their Will Embodied Swords cut sharper than Crown Mountain's finest silver and steel.
"You've really gotten us into trouble this time," Master Rhys sighed, glancing at Master Arden.
The Grand Master had sent them down the mountain to retrieve their martial arts techniques, but before they could even find Peter Volare, they had stumbled upon a great vampire lord.
"I didn't exactly drag you in here," Master Arden said with a roll of his eyes.
"That's true." Master Rhys smiled grimly, then summoned his own Will Embodiment of Sword before him.
Already inside and likely discovered, there was no point in assigning blame. The situation required actions not recriminations.
After all, what was the point of descending the mountain if they weren't willing to fight a vampire when they were confronted with one?
... …
Rose scanned the area but saw no sign of John or any evidence of combat.
Despite her deep trust in him, anxiety began creeping into her heart.
Like humans, vampires came in different varieties. While most were wild creatures, some belonged to powerful aristocratic families and organizations.
The illusion array they'd encountered earlier proved this point—a weak defense that provided only basic aura concealment and simple illusions, making it trivially easy to breach.
Paradoxically, this made their opponent seem even more formidable. Only the truly powerful could afford to be so wasteful with such ostentatious defenses.
John had demonstrated his prowess as a body-tempering martial artist to Rose, but he had made no attempt to hide his inexperience in matters of cultivation.
He didn't even know what Will Embodiment was, let alone the treacherous and varied methods of vampires.
Given his inexperience, he could easily fall prey to their tricks.
"Madam Hightower, let's focus on the vampire before us first—we can worry about everything else later."
Master Rhys tactfully reminded the woman, his brow furrowing in puzzlement.
As an experienced silver bell vampire hunter, her battle composure should have surpassed that of two reclusive Templars. Yet here she was, visibly flustered.
"I know." Rose took a deep breath, clenched her fists tightly, and focused on the secluded valley in front of her. Killing intent surged in her large, blue eyes.
The two Templars were formidable powerhouses in Cascadia, each matching Arnold Stark in strength.
With their aid, even if they couldn't overcome a fully crystallized vampire lord outright, they stood a fair chance in battle.
Adrenaline surging, the three figures burst into a sprint, their boots pounding the soft earth as they raced towards the shimmering turquoise spring.
But just as courage rose within them, a piercing shriek shattered the valley's serenity. A monstrous wing, vast and scaled, the color of a stormy sea, erupted from the depths of the spring, blotting out the sun and casting a chilling pall over the valley. The air thickened with a palpable sense of dread as the sage-like old man before them unfurled just one of his wings, its span dwarfing even the tallest trees.
The monstrous wing, a living blade forged from nightmares, descended with terrifying speed. The wind howled in its wake, a prelude to the devastating force that threatened to cleave them in two. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and the tranquil spring erupted in a maelstrom of churning water as the monstrous creature unleashed its fury.
Faced with this terrifying momentum, the two Templars narrowed their eyes, pushed off the ground with their cloth shoes, and leaped swiftly into the air. In one fluid motion, they thrust out their sword fingers. In response, two massive ethereal blades shot forth like lightning, its incredible speed warping the very air around them!
The massive wing sliced through the air and cleaved into the steep stone wall as easily as a knife through hot butter.
A terrifying gash split the cliff face dozens of yards high. The entire upper section collapsed, sending tremors throughout the secluded valley. At that moment, the two illusory swords pierced the blue-green wing with devastating force. Feathers exploded outward as the clash of metal rang sharp through the air.
Master Arden's right hand jabbed forward with a sword hand seal, left hand gripping right wrist firmly. His loose sleeves whipped violently about as his arms quivered with exertion. "What an impossibly tough vampire body!"
"Cut!" Master Rhys's amiable demeanor vanished as his youthful face twisted into a fierce snarl.
With a clang, the two illusory swords finally pierced through the wing, splashing a wave of blood two yards high, which poured down like rain, staining the turquoise spring with a layer of red mist.
"Kee-yaa!"
Another piercing bird cry echoed in agony.
Meanwhile, a figure in a white dress materialized beside the wooden house. With cold eyes, Rose swooped down from the air toward the white-robed old man below—the same one whose right arm had transformed into that massive wing.
She struck with both palms, unleashing a surge of fierce essence power!
Boom!
The old woman leaped in front of her brother, absorbing the palm strike head-on. The impact sent her hunched form staggering back several steps.
She barely steadied herself, her face twisted with grim determination. "That thief must have powerful connections to summon so many allies. I wonder what he promised you all in exchange for your deaths."
"What a charming young lady." Rajitha, the son, smiled even wider as he wiped the dried blood from his arm with his luxurious feathered robe. He stepped forward, blocking Rose's path.
… …
Rose steadied her breathing. Though the bandaged wound on her wrist threatened to reopen, her palm remained charged with condensed essence.
Hearing the old woman's question, most powers in Cascadia would have attempted to explain themselves and resolve the misunderstanding.
But H.A.R.M. and Cloud Citadel were not most powers—they had only one way of dealing with vampires: elimination.
Rose assessed the three figures before her with a single sharp glance.
One fully crystallized vampire lord, one still crystallizing, and a weaker one at nascent Crystal Realm.
If these three vampires were to appear in Cascadia, they would require a H.A.R.M. General's personal intervention to minimize casualties.
Realizing this, Rose knew she couldn't give them another moment to prepare. She shot her palm forward with deadly intent!
Suddenly, as if in retaliation against the two Will Embodied Swords, a brilliant blue light flared to life on the massive wing the old man had unleashed!
It was a green feather hidden among the other feathers.
The moment it lit up, an invisible ripple spread through the air. As the ripple touched the illusory swords, they silently shattered, dissolving back into pure essence and energy that scattered into the sky.
Meanwhile, the old woman extended her right arm, revealing a red feather.
A gentle red light surged forth as the terrifying wound on the old man's wing—where the will-embodied swords had pierced through—restored itself to pristine condition in an instant.
The two Templars' watched in stunned silence as their Will Embodied Swords shatter before their eyes, dissolving into motes of light. Their breath hitched in their chests, and a cold dread gripped their hearts.
The sight of the gaping wound closing in the blink of an eye sent tremors down their arms, their sword fingers trembling uncontrollably. "As we feared... a great vampire with an inheritance..."
"Hahaha!" Rajitha seemed to relish the Templars' reaction immensely. He suddenly reached out, and feathers lit up on both his arms—one green and one red, shining brightly.
"Son! Get out of the way!" Before he could finish laughing, the old man in white robe suddenly shouted sharply.
In that instant, a piercing aura of lethal sharpness crackled through the air, drawing everyone's attention to the area.
Across the valley, at the cliff's edge, a man stood tall despite his disheveled appearance. With a dejected expression, he gripped a resplendent divine bow in one hand while the other slowly drew back the bowstring.
The slender bowstring drew taut as a mountain's weight.
Peter Volare fixed his steady gaze on Rajitha as his aura surged outward. The veins on both his arms bulged, his skin split open, and blood instantly soaked his clothes.
The bow was drawn to four-and-a-half tenths open.
He attempted to brace the bow arm with his leg, but his right leg had gone completely numb.
Gritting his teeth, he gripped the bowstring with white-knuckled fingers and forced it back another inch, his face contorted with the tremendous strain.
His hair whipped wildly in the energy surge as he drew the bow into a perfect crescent!
A brilliant white light coalesced on the longbow. Though his eyes were fixed on Rajitha, his arrow remained trained unflinchingly on the old man!