The air inside the strange dinsional plane had grown heavy.
A pale sky stretched endlessly above the ruined battlefield, glowing with a cold gray light that felt neither like day nor night. The ground below was torn apart by magic and violence. Blackened craters scarred the earth. Long cracks ran across the stone like veins spreading across a corpse.
At the center of it all floated the sorcerer.
His robes drifted slowly in the windless air, and his eyes looked down at the Moonshade family like a man staring at insects crawling across the floor.
Monts earlier one of the ancient ancestors of the Moonshade clan had died in front of everyone.
The old vampire’s body had been struck by a beam of condensed mana so dense that his chest had collapsed inward like brittle glass at first. The corpse had not even touched the ground before exploding into a pile of scattered splashed paint like blood.
The Moonshade family stood frozen.
Forr Baron Rivik clenched his fists so hard his nails pierced his palms.
"You-!"
Ancestor Ghurn’s eyes trembled.
"This bastard!"
Even the younger mbers of the family who had followed them into this unknown plane felt their minds go blank.
"The ancestor..."
They had all seen death before.
But seeing one of their ancient pillars fall so easily created a cold feeling in their hearts.
The sorcerer looked down at them with mild interest.
"Hmm."
He tilted his head slightly as if examining a collection of stones.
"Is there no one else?"
His voice carried across the battlefield with calm indifference.
No rage.
No excitent.
Just simple curiosity.
The Moonshade family felt humiliation burn through their veins.
But they did not even have ti to mourn.
They knew one thing very clearly.
If they hesitated even a mont longer they would all die here.
The sorcerer slowly raised one hand.
"Well," he said casually, "since there’s no one else, then you all have to—"
BANG!
The sound exploded through the air.
The sorcerer’s eyes widened slightly as sothing crashed into him from behind with terrifying force.
A violent shockwave burst outward.
The ground cracked.
Dust and debris shot into the sky.
But the sorcerer had already reacted.
A transparent barrier appeared around him at the last instant.
The attack slamd against the shield and produced a thunderous ringing sound.
The sorcerer turned his head slowly.
And then his eyes narrowed.
Hovering behind him was a figure covered in dark red aura.
The sa ancestor he had just killed.
The old vampire’s eyes glowed with feral determination.
His chest was still torn open where the fatal strike had landed earlier. Blood dripped from the wound, yet his body continued to move with frightening power.
The sorcerer stared for a mont.
Then he chuckled softly.
Below them the Moonshade family erupted in shock.
"That’s...!"
Forr Baron Rivik staggered forward.
"Ancestor Varic!"
Ancestor Ghurn’s expression turned from grief to wild excitent.
"He’s alive!"
The younger mbers of the clan gasped in disbelief.
Elder Noir stared at the sky with trembling eyes.
"He... he was killed... we all saw it..."
Ancestor Varic did not look back at them.
His gaze remained locked on the sorcerer.
"Don’t celebrate yet," he growled.
His voice sounded rough like gravel grinding together.
"My heart was destroyed. I used the Blood Resurrection Art to restart it. I won’t last long."
The Moonshade family froze.
That technique burned through the user’s life force.
Ancestor Varic had revived himself at the cost of his remaining lifespan.
But the old vampire simply smiled.
"If I’m going to die anyway," he said, "then I might as well tear a piece off this arrogant brat first."
The sorcerer began laughing.
A slow, amused laugh.
"Wonderful," he said while brushing dust from his sleeve. "Truly wonderful."
His eyes glead with excitent.
"You people are more entertaining than I expected."
He looked down at the Moonshade family again.
"Let’s make this more interesting."
He tapped the surface of the shimring barrier around him.
"If you can break my shield," he said lightly, "I will not hurt a single one of you as I let you go."
The Moonshade family stared at him.
Their eyes widened.
The sorcerer continued smiling.
"After all," he added casually, "your old vampire managed to hurt earlier. That was fantastic."
A wave of anger spread across the clan.
Ancestor Ghurn’s voice thundered.
"So you would let us go but plan to cripple us afterward?!"
The sorcerer blinked slowly.
"What?"
His tone sounded almost confused.
"The deal was to let you go if you scratch ."
He shrugged.
"And even that happened already."
Then he smiled coldly.
"I didn’t say I won’t beat you all up first before I let you all go, didn’t I?"
The arrogance in his voice ignited the
Moonshade family’s fury.
"You bastard!"
"We will kill you!"
"You dare humiliate us like this!?"
Ancestor Varic roared.
"Enough talking!"
He raised his clawed hands.
"Everyone attack at once!"
The battlefield exploded into motion.
Ancestor Varic moved first.
His body blurred through the air like a crimson cot as he slamd both fists into the sorcerer’s shield again.
BOOOOM!
The barrier rippled like water struck by a hamr.
At the sa ti Ancestor Ghurn leapt into the sky.
Dark red wings of blood energy erupted from his back.
"Blood Tyrant Spear!"
A massive spear ford from compressed blood mana and shot forward with terrifying force.
The projectile slamd into the barrier and erupted in a storm of crimson light.
Elder Noir rushed forward next.
His robes flapped violently as he extended both hands.
"Crimson Binding Chains!"
Dozens of glowing chains burst from the ground and wrapped around the sorcerer’s barrier.
The chains tightened like iron snakes.
Mana sparks flew everywhere.
"Now!" Noir shouted.
Elder Zenaya soared into the air on the enormous owl that Cain had given them the previous day.
The creature’s wings stretched wide as it let out a sharp cry.
Zenaya raised her staff.
"Blood Moon Lance!"
A long spear of swirling red energy ford above her head.
She thrust the staff downward.
The lance crashed into the barrier like a falling star.
Behind them the remaining eight ancestors unleashed their own techniques.
"Blood Fla Dragon!"
"Scarlet Storm!"
"Devouring Fang!"
Massive waves of crimson magic filled the sky.
Explosions erupted one after another as every attack slamd into the sorcerer’s shield.
The entire battlefield shook.
The ground collapsed beneath the pressure.
Wind roared across the shattered land as the Moonshade family poured every ounce of power they possessed into that single mont.
Ancestor Varic roared while striking the barrier again and again.
"Break!"
Ancestor Ghurn slamd another spear into the shield.
"Don’t hold back!"
Elder Noir’s chains glowed brighter as he forced more mana into them.
"Keep attacking!"
Even the younger vampires joined in.
Dozens of blood magic spells shot upward like a storm of arrows.
For several long monts the sky was nothing but blinding red light and roaring explosions.
Then slowly the attacks stopped.
The Moonshade family hovered in the air or stood on the broken ground below.
Every single one of them was panting heavily.
Sweat mixed with blood on their faces.
Their arms trembled from exhaustion.
Ancestor Varic lowered his fists and breathed heavily.
"Did... we get him?"
Dust filled the air.
A thick cloud of debris hid the sorcerer from view.
The vampires waited.
Silence spread across the battlefield.
Then a soft voice spoke from inside the dust.
"Hmm."
The cloud slowly parted.
The sorcerer still floated in the sa place.
The transparent shield surrounding him remained perfectly intact.
Not a single crack.
Not a single scratch.
The Moonshade family froze.
The sorcerer stretched his arms lazily as if waking from a pleasant nap.
"That was fun," he said.
Ancestor Ghurn’s eyes widened.
"No..."
The sorcerer looked down at them with a gentle smile.
"You all tried very hard."
Then he raised one finger.
"Let’s see what happens if you push a little harder."
The Moonshade family’s anger erupted again.
Ancestor Varic bared his teeth.
"Again!"
The vampires roared in unison.
They gathered their remaining strength.
Blood energy began pouring from their bodies like burning flas.
Ancestor Ghurn raised both arms.
"Everyone use your strongest spell!"
The sky turned red once more.
Massive blood magic circles ford above every vampire.
Elder Noir’s voice thundered across the battlefield.
"Crimson World Collapse!"
A gigantic sphere of blood energy appeared above his head.
Elder Zenaya’s owl screeched while she summoned another spear of terrifying power.
Ancestor Varic gathered every drop of life force remaining in his body.
His aura surged violently.
"Blood King’s Wrath!"
The attacks fired simultaneously.
The sky exploded with crimson light brighter than the sun.
The ground cracked deeper and deeper as the overwhelming force slamd into the sorcerer’s shield.
The impact shook the entire plane.
For several long seconds nothing could be seen except blinding red brilliance.
Then slowly the light faded.
The dust drifted away.
The Moonshade family stared with desperate hope.
They waited for the sound of cracking.
For the barrier to break.
For anything.
But when the dust completely cleared, the sorcerer was still floating calmly inside the barrier.
He looked down at them with mild curiosity.
"It seems," he said slowly, "none of you could put a single dent on my magic defense spell."
Silence crushed the battlefield.
The vampires felt despair creep into their hearts.
The sorcerer rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck with a loud pop.
"Now then."
His smile returned.
"It’s ti to break you all."
His eyes glead with cold amusent.
"As you leave."
User Comments
0 comments from readers