103 Chapter 103: True Vampire

As the blood around my body bubbled, I smiled despite the blood leaking from my lips.

"…?!"

Seeing my expression, which was amused despite the supposedly hopeless situation of utter despair that he believed he had forced me into, Bradley and his doppelgangers instinctively took a step back.

"All right. I'll recognize you as a powerful vampire."

"…what?!"

"Class 1 Vampire…therefore I'll be removing all the seals…down to level 0."

"What the fuck are you talking about?!"

Adaptative Mutation. No, of course not. I was just ripping off Alucard from Hellsing Ultimate.

However, Bradley Kreuger didn't know that. All five copies of him watched, aghast, as the blood around me swirled and my body disappeared into it.

"What…"

All of a sudden, they were all wiped out, dragged, screaming into the pool of blood. One of them managed to escape, but at the swing of my sword that emerged from the red sea, his legs were severed just beneath his knees.

"Ah…aaaaah!"

Bradley sprawled on the ground and floundered helplessly. It was his turn to feel how it was like to lose his limbs.

Rolling on the ground, he struggled to get up on his knees. As he did so, he turned around, only to stare wide-eyed at me.

My black, shifting form was emerging from the sea of blood, my physical shape seeming almost too fluid to be captured by his vision.

"You…you monster!"

"Well then!" I laughed and spread my newly regenerated hands. "Let's fight! Let us fight as how vampires should! The ultimate battle between two of the strongest vampires in history! Well! Let us enjoy ourselves!"

"Ah…ah…!"

His jaw dropping, the lone surviving doppelganger of Bradley stared at me, and then backed away. He swung his Azreal Drakkan at me, unleashing a blood spell, but I merely held up a hand and absorbed the blood.

"Hmm, pretty lackluster. I'm sure you can do better than that."

"No…no way…impossible!"

Screaming, Bradley stumbled and fell back into the sea of blood, splashing wildly and thrashing about.

"What's the matter? Didn't you say you're on a completely different level from all the enemies I've faced? Aren't you the strongest vampire, the one whose shoulders the fate of Morten rest upon? Weren't you the ultimate hero who was supposed to save Restia? Come then! Show me the full extent of your powers!"

"M…monster!"

Bradley shrieked and tried to kick away with his severed legs. I merely stared down at him condescendingly.

"What are you waiting for? Regenerate your legs right away. Transform into bats. Summon your famliars. You can do at least that much, right?"

"Don't come near me!!!!"

Too slow.

"What a disappointment."

"?!"

With a swing of my Blood Dragon Sword, I left a massive gash on the shrieking Bradley, almost opening his back and severing his spine. He crashed down, paralyzed, wailing in pain and rolling about in the puddle of blood.

"I…impossible! There's no way….!"

"After all that bragging, I thought you still had something up your sleeve."

I slowly walked over to his flailing body and shook my head bitterly.

Thanks to Adaptive Mutation, it seemed that I had powered up tremendously. It was a pity. If Bradley had chosen to kill me instead of letting me live (albeit painfully) in order to torment me longer, he would have won. The Adaptive Mutation ability wouldn't have kicked in, and I would have died permanently.

But I knew his character. I knew how he would act, and so I gambled on it. After receiving the hint from Chronos, I had devised a plan based upon how I knew he would act. Just like every other cliché antagonist who decided to play around with the protagonist instead of killing him once and for all. Basically the same mistake I refused to repeat against my fomer classmates.

This was why I killed my former classmates immediately instead of trying to make them suffer. It was stupid, it was risky and it wasn't worth it, especially if they escaped and turned the tables on me. I wasn't going to give them that chance.

Hmm, let's see…this is interesting.

At the corner of my eye, I could see my updated information.

Name: Tanaka Tomoyuki

Species: Undead

Job/Rank: Gravekeeper/Vampire King

Title: Hero Slayer

Special Abilities: Adamantium Will, Rapid Regeneration, Lord of Darkness, Absolute Appraisal, Summon, Sword Saint, Adaptive Mutation, Blood Thralls, Blood Magic, Enhanced Attributes, Nightmarish Hypnosis

Initially, it didn't seem like there was any difference, but I realized that I had been promoted from Vampire Lord to Vampire King. Furthermore, I didn't receive any new abilities except Rapid Regeneration, which was more of an improved version of an already existing one.

Oh well. That was better than nothing. No wonder I was instantly growing back amputated limbs.

"But it seems like the match is already over."

"Ah…ah…!"

Bradley was staring at me, his eyes wide in shock and fear. My shifting, misshapen form almost looked like a window into the immaterium. Countless eyes opened and blinked, staring at him from behind the screen that was my body and fixing him under a chilling gaze with their bloodshot pupils. A hallucination, an illusion…but one that felt so real to Bradley that he was practically pissing himself from sheer terror.

But the dragon's head that I had summoned was real. A familiar…the undead dragon that I had enslaved after killing it. Its slavering jaws snapped as it reared over the trembling Bradley.

"…hmph. You're not even worthy enough to be dragon's food."

"…ku! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

As if something inside Bradley had snapped, he burst into hysterical laughter, his eyes taking on a crazed gleam. Pushing his hands off the ground, he forcibly leaped back and wore an ugly grin that bordered on insanity.

Raising his sword, he fired a single spell into the air – a flare that exploded and emitted a shrill shriek.

"Uh…what's that supposed to be?" I rolled my eyes.

"Ku ku ku! It's just a signal. To my private army! My subordinates, the retainer knights of House Kreuger, all of them deployed and scattered across the surroundings from the start! They'll be here within seconds!"

"…does this mean you've planned all this from the very beginning?"

I remained calm as I questioned Bradley.

Since Claire McAlterize had already consciousness, there were no eyewitnesses. If he disposed of me, he could easily cover it up by claiming it was an unfortunate accident. Moreover, he could threaten Lilith to keep her quiet.

Or so he thought, but there was no way in hell Lilith would keep quiet. The moron was obviously underestimating her.

The main point was that he had prepared the venue for the duel with the intention of having his subordinates cover the place from the start.

"This is also a brilliant strategy, Hero Slayer. Such is the nature of duels…you should know that! The third-ranked vampire knight and heir to House Kreuger can't afford to lose! Surely you, the hero of demons, should understand?"

Bradley was smiling triumphantly.

Apparently he believed that I was close to my limits after dealing terrible damage to me, and Lilith was clearly no longer able to fight.

If everything didn't go according to plan, he knew he would at least be able to weaken me enough for his private army to finish me off with sheer numbers. This was his last resort, a contingency he had in place in the unlikely event of his defeat.

Or so he thought, but…

"I know. I kind of expected that, so I brought my own battalion along."

"…eh?"

Gunfire and cannons exploded in the air, and the night sky lit up as surges of plasma beams and las-fire lanced through the surroundings. Shrieks and screams of men were drowned out by the thunderous roar of tanks.

The vox-bead in my ear crackled.

"Sir, we've engaged the enemy. Also battalion sized, but they have no heavy armor. They're dug in pretty tightly, but we're pummeling them hard. I estimate we'll be able to break their lines in ten minutes."

Daniel's voice hissed over the comns system. Another explosion resounded in the distance, and someone wailed in the background.

"Uh, make that eight."

"I'll be done by then too."

Smiling, I turned back to the dismayed Bradley.

"Well…it appears my men have engaged your private soldiers. I hope you brought some anti-tank weaponry…ah, whoops. I forgot. I don't think anyone in Restia other than the dwarves of Moria have developed such destructive weapons yet."

"What…?!"

"You really didn't think I would come here unprepared if I knew all about your nefarious plans and what you've orchestrated, did you?"

While Bradley shouted in shock, I sneered. The dragon lowered its head and bit off the lower half of his body, causing him to scream.

"Major! Don't do that! We need him alive to testify!"

While Bradley howled in pain, a familiar voice shouted from behind. I glanced and caught sight of Captain Elia Kratz and a platoon of light infantry hurrying over the temple grounds. The soldiers turned around and fired their rifles into the surroundings, elicitng a cry of pain. A man, dressed in a white uniform bearing the crest of House Kreuger, yelped and fell, blood leaking from his chest. A second guy toppled over, his head a bloody mess.

"Sorry, but you'll have to explain to his majesty Emperor Gremory what you were conspiring behind the scenes…and why you decided to commit high treason."

"…what are you talking about?!"

"Don't bother making excuses," Lieutenant Gio called out as he led his platoon into the temple. "We heard and recorded everything with the smart communication devices that the Major gave us. About how you had threatened her highness Queen Lilith, the sovereign of Haemorage. Also how you employed assassins from the enemy, the human armies, to assault her. And the violation of the rules of the duel as well as the attempt to intentionally kill your opponent. We heard and recorded everything, and even broadcasted it to the rest of the Haemorage army."

"U…gah!"

Bradley Kreuger realized that he was cornered. Even if he was one of the four great nobles, there was no way he could explain his actions…now that the military had a recording of his admission to his crimes, there would be an enquiry. The council of elders wouldn't let him get away with this, and his father might just lose his position. Plus there was still the Demon Lord, Emperor Regis, to answer to.

And from the approaching rumbling noises of tanks and the dwindling gunfire, it was clear that his private soldiers were being routed by the 1,087th Magna Battalion.

"Please surrender, Lord Kreuger."

Elia solemnly requested that he allowed her soldiers to arrest him without resisting.

"…fu…"

Bradley realized that he was way over his head and utterly cornered. However, despite recognizing his defeat, he refused to be captured so easily.

Using his sword, he casted a spell and summoned wings of blood. They stretched across his shoulders and flapped. Creating a gust of wind that sent Elia and her men staggering backward, Bradley took off and soared high into the air.

"Wait! Are you trying to escape?!"

Elia cried out, but it was too late. Bradley was hurtling away, even as his body – half of which had been devoured by my dragon – slowly healed and regenerated. He was heading toward the dense forest that grew right next the temple grounds.

It was obvious what he intended. He was going to disappear into the forest, heal his wounds, and then escape Haefield. Upon which, he would then return to his territory and make use of his influence to cover everything up.

Or perhaps, to flee the council of elders' wrath and live in another demon kingdom while plotting his revenge.

"…too naïve."

A red streak of light sailed across the night sky like a shooting star and pierced the flying Bradley, knocking him out of the air and sending him crashing into the ground.

The Crimson Blood Lance then spun around and returned back to Lilith's outstretched hand. Evidently, she was the one who had activated her curse and threw her spear at the fleeing Bradley before he could disappear into the forest.

"Lilith…san?"

I glanced at the vampire queen in wonder, amazed at how she launched such a precise shot despite running out of strength earlier.

"I told you earlier, right? That you should not underestimate me."

That was right. Even though she was exhausted and injured, Lilith Scarlet was still the number one vampire knight in Haemorage and their queen. She was their strongest spearwoman and possessed the ultimate blood techniques.

"You…!"

As Bradley hollered, I stepped over to him and smiled.

"Oh, by the way…nice try."

"?!"

Ryuu swooped down, having emerged from the shadows, and crouched. From his jaw dangled the half-alive doppelgangers of Bradley Kreuger. All four of them. Including the one Lilith just shot down, that made all five of them.

"Sorry, but…"

Ryuu crushed them all in his jaws before I beheaded the disbelieving Bradley with my sword.

"…Major! You're not supposed to kill him! We need him to testify in court!"

"Ah whoops…let's just write this off as an unfortunate accident. We tried to apprehend him, but he escaped and we were forced to shoot him…something like that?"

"…you…!"

Elia sighed, but shook her head and glanced at the headless corpse as well as the crushed doppelgangers. The four doppelgangers were all disappearing into bloody mists, leaving only Bradley's headless original body lying in the dirt, his neck spilling out blood. For good measure, I stabbed his head to ensure he stayed dead.

With these vampires, you would never know.

"Well, it's our fault for not being able to apprehend him, so…I guess you didn't have a choice. But Blood Doppelgangers? Isn't that technique supposed to be a rare and powerful skill used only by the most powerful vampire nobles?"

"He is one of the most powerful vampire nobles, you know," I reminded her, only for the Captain to grin sheepishly.

"Oh, right. I forgot."

"Anyway, good job, guys."

"Ah. Thanks!"

"Thanks, sir!"

"Good job, sir!"

My men saluted or reacted happily when I praised them. Elia coughed and turned to them.

"All right, let's round up the prisoners! Don't let any of them escape! We'll get them to testify in front of the council instead!"

I watched as my battalion mopped up the rest of Bradley's private army. With nothing much to do, I plopped down to my feet, exhausted. Dismissing Ryuu and whatever familiars I had summoned, I began resting.

"Are you all right, Tomoyuki-kun?"

"Yeah. How about you, Lilith-san?"

Lilith smiled and shook her head. She was still resting against the stone wall of the broken temple, her ruby eyes staring up at the night sky in wonder.

"In the end, you're the only person who did not abandon me. Even when the situation seemed to be at its most desperate…you never gave up on saving me."

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Her mind seemed pretty distant as she whispered that.

In contrast to me, Bradley – despite assessing the girl named Lilith as the "best tool" – had discarded her and escaped by himself.

"That isn't true."

While Lilith sank deep into her thoughts, I smiled and shook my head.

"…eh?"

"When I said that I will head to the venue of the duel and participate in it, everyone helped me. Not just my battalion…all the soldiers in Haefield Camp did. Your commanders, your men…your soldiers. They were all concerned for you. The whole camp mobilized to help you. Well, only my battalion moved out, though, but your officers and commanders have been preparing a lot of things back in camp. They're getting ready to invade all the territories of House Kreuger."

"…what?"

I grinned. "Yeah. Your soldiers are all willing to go that far for you, your highness. So please don't ever think you're alone. You have an entire army that's willing to fight for you. Furthermore, this is after they deciphered the historical records in Alucard's tomb."

"…huh?"

"Yeah, when I talked to them, they were beginning to read the historical records and understand what happened in the past. But none of them cared. They told me, 'Alucard is Alucard. Queen Lilith is Queen Lilith. What she does now is more important than what her ancestor did in the past. We'll all follow her to our deaths.'"

"That's…"

Tears dripped down from Lilith's eyes.

"Yup."

I rose to my feet shakily and offered her my hand.

"So let's go back. You still have a lot of things to take care of, your highness. Your loyal army awaits you."

"Yes."

Lilith took my hand and stood up unsteadily.

Then the both of us turned to join the rest of my battalion, who were busily rounding up the prisoners.