"Wait, we are not here to fight-!" Lagusa began, as he narrowly evaded my attempt to slash the top of his head off.

  He's faster than before……he must have gotten another Elemental Magic type. It doesn't matter, I'm still faster!

  He pulled out a Spell Card and pointed it at me, before an expression of surprise crossed his face as I slashed at his hand, leaving deep gashes in his wrist and palm, as he sprang back.

  "That won't work on me!" I snapped, catching up with him with a flap of my wings, grabbing hold of his neck.

  He formed a ball of……lightning? Fire? No, it was both……he formed a ball of combined black flames and lightning in his hand, driving it towards my head in desperation. What, was he hoping to make me let go and spring back? Think again! I moved my head aside and evaded his palm, before opening my mouth and extending out my fangs, sinking them into his wrist and ripping off his hand viciously, as he let out a cry of pain, blood pouring out of his wrist.

  I then tightened my grip on his throat and swung him away, sending him flying and his back crashing against the outside of the cave. I flung away his hand that was between my teeth, spitting out his blood that was on my fangs.

  "Bro, chill out for a sec! We really aren't here to fight, like for real! I totes get where you're coming from and your anger is for sure justified, but, look, this is about the Vampire outbreak……at least hear us out?" Rion implored, suddenly appearing in front of me.

  Oh, that's right, I'd heard four sets of footsteps……I sort of forgot when I saw Lagusa and rage took over. Rion was here, and a guy I hadn't seen before, he seemed to have some kind of reptile Anima……wait, reptiles don't have wings, and……hold on, his feet, those hooked claws……

  Ah, of course, the result of Selesa's fuck up. He had messy dark blonde hair, a red right eye, a blind faded left eye, a scarred face and body, and heavily sunburnt skin. He wore the Retribution Tier white coat over a shirtless torso with the sleeves torn off, and his trousers were torn off around the knees as well. His forearms and hands, plus his legs from the knees onwards and his feet, were mutated, along with wings and a tail.

  Wait, that makes three people, where's the fourth? I looked around……before spotting a fluffy black and orange tail swaying from behind a large jutting-out rock. Azeria, huh……was she hiding?

  Now that I think about it, I wasn't feeling any bloodlust from any of them……well, I could feel some from Lagusa, but that was a given, considering that I'd just ripped his hand off. However, I didn't feel any bloodlust from him before I attacked. Okay, so they really weren't here to fight.

  "Alright, I'll hear you guys out. But show so much as hint of hostility and I'll kill you all," I warned, returning to my normal state.

  Didn't want to use up too much of my time limit with Vampire Mode, and it only took me about a second to transform, so whatever.

  "Heh, this guy's so edgy, I love it!" Remarked the dinosaur guy, looking at me with interest.

  Huh, I don't think 'edgy' is a commonly used term in this world……

  "You a Reincarnator too, Dino-Boy?" I inquired in response.

  Tch……his Anima, or Animas, looked way cool, I was kinda jealous.

  "Oh, is that what we're called? 'Reincarnators', huh……it's not very creative," He replied with a frown.

  "True, but it's self-explanatory, which is convenient. Well, anyway……you said this is about the Vampires, but I don't get what that has to do with you lot being here……what's this about?"

  "Right, before we get to that, mind if we heal Art real quick?" Requested Rion with a sheepish grin.

  "Tch……I suppose I'll let him live for now, fine, go ahead."

  Rion picked up the hand I'd torn off and jogged over to Lagusa, who was barely conscious. With the tensions eased somewhat, the three with me walked over and stood by me, as Azeria walked out from behind the rock and headed over to the dino guy. She flinched a bit as I glanced at her, before trying to pass it off and act casual.

  "Huh, didn't I rip your arm off, Senko-san?"

  "That's n-not my……I-I don't……," She stuttered nervously, stumbling back a bit.

  "Haha, good one! Can't believe I didn't make that connection, it's so obvious," Laughed the dinosaur guy, fluffing her tail, before letting go with a sheepish grin as she glared daggers at him.

  I had to admit……I liked the fact that someone was so afraid of me, it really stroked my ego. Anyway, Rion healed Lagusa, pressing his severed hand to his bloody wrist as he did, the injuries healing up in no time. Huh, their healing spell was better than the one available here. Lagusa stood up with a dazed groan, a heavy scar around his right wrist, where his hand had been reattached.

  "Tch, the position of my hand feels a bit off, you did not reattach it properly, Rion," Grumbled Lagusa in frustration.

  "Huh, for real? Looks fine to me, dude," Shrugged Rion, glancing at it.

  "Don't call me 'dude', I do not like it."

  "Hey, your voice is annoying, you old bastard. Talk again and I'll lob your head off. So……got anything to say?" I growled, entering Soul-Eater Mode and extending out my claws.

  He frowned but didn't say anything. Yeah, that's what I thought.

  "Alright, let's get down to business! So, basically, we want to team up, a temporary truce to be specific!" Rion remarked bluntly.

  "What? You cannot possibly expect us to agree to that," Frowned Instructor Tabbs.

  "Yeah, not happening. We're not helping you guys, and we sure as hell don't want your help either."

  "Come on, don't be like that! Think about it, we'd be totes useful against the Vampires. This is what we propose……if they attack The Empire first, we won't ask for your help, but if they attack the Rustlands first, we'll help you fight them," Explained Rion……

  okay, that was a suspiciously good deal.

  "So, then……what's the catch?" I inquired skeptically.

  "No catch. It's in our best interests to destroy the Vampires too, you know. And we stand a better chance with you on our side. Of course, not all our forces will join you, it'll be the four of us here plus some lapdogs. Oh, right, I should introduce the seventh member of the Retribution Tier, Rex Archer," He said, nodding at the dinosaur guy.

  "Seriously, Dino Boy's name is Rex? How original," I responded with a raised eyebrow.

  Well, not that I was one to talk……

  "Hey, that was already my name before I got my dino Animas!" He spoke up in protest.

  For real? Cool coincidence, I guess.

  "So, I was wondering……how much do you guys know about the Vampires?" I asked curiously.

  "Oh, well, uh……not much. Actually, we know basically nothing. Our scouts outside Silvland reported the attack, and that they seem to be able to kill humans just by biting them or stabbing them with their claws, but we don't know anything beyond that."

  Well, that's understandable, it's not like had a Vampire on their side to explain things.

  "I suppose I could tell you what we know, but you see, the thing is……the best case scenario for us would be The Empire and the Vampires to kill each other off, or at least end with the winning side severely weakened. But I'll be sure to let you know if they turn out to attack us before The Empire, assuming we accept your truce."

  "You sure don't mince words, do ya, bro?" Replied Rion with a wistful smile, "Come on, this truce is totes in your favor!"

  "I suppose you're right……fine, here's the can propose, we'll take the four of you, but no need for any lapdogs, they'd be useless. And we won't let you inside the Rustlands, you can set up a camp outside the north gate or something. Of course, the final decision won't be mine to make, but that'll be my recommendation to the higher ups. That's the best I'm willing to do."

  "Hm, I'll have to talk to our boss about it……I know, how about we meet here tomorrow at the same time to confirm?"

  Hm, I was pretty curious about the appearance and abilities of their leader, should I add the inclusion of those details as a requirement? No, better not push my luck too much. After all, objectively speaking, they would be useful additions.

  "Yeah, fine. We'll be doing no further negotiating, so both parties will have to respond with either a yes or a no, and the temporary truce will only be formed if both parties say yes," I concluded, to which they agreed, I then added, "The fact that you'll be back as soon as tomorrow means that you've planted Teleportation Points between here and The Empire, doesn't it?"

  "Hehe, busted. Well, we set them up a while ago, so yeah," Rion replied sheepishly.

  "Yeah, whatever. We're done here for today, so, you know……get lost," I remarked, turning my gaze towards Lagusa.

  "Yup, we'll be going now! See ya tomorrow!" Grinned Rion, pulling Lagusa away, Azeria and Rex following after him.

  "Hey, let's fight next time, it'll be cool to go up against someone so OP!" Exclaimed Rex, waving as he left.

  "Fine, but it's your funeral……I won't bother holding back or anything."

  "Seriously, man……you're so edgy!"

  With that, they headed off, presumably teleporting back to The Empire. Glad that's over. Now, then……

  "You guys sure were quiet, why'd I have to do all the talking?" I grumbled with a sigh.

  "Oh, well I did not step in because you were handling the situation very well by yourself, I did not see a need to assist," Said Instructor Tabbs with a shrug.

  "Sorry, I was talking to Atticus, he was really intrigued by the guy with multiple Animas," Was Fuo's excuse.

  "Like the instructor said, you seemed to have a good grasp on the situation without the need for any help," Added Ekai in agreement.

  "Even if you'd been struggling, I sure wasn't going to step in," Shrugged Az bluntly.

  "Fine, I get it. Whatever, let's go back and report this. Tch, I should have brought some of my Call cards along," I sighed wistfully, as we began heading back.

  Things were about to get busy……

  ———————————————————————————


  Point-of-View: Arturo Lagusa

  ———————————————————————————


  "Damn it, how humiliating! I do not usually let my pride and emotions control me, but I did not like that!"

  "Chill, dude. In hindsight, you coming along might not have been the best idea……it was pretty obvious that he's carrying a big, fat, whopping grudge against you," Remarked Rion, as we arrived at the final Teleportation Point, not far from the west gate of The Empire.

  "Man, he was crazy strong! Like, unbelievably strong!" Exclaimed Rex excitedly.

  "Tch, I did not expect him to be so unreasonable……the terms he set for this truce are too heavily in his side's favor," I frowned moodily.

  "I wonder if he'd have been a bit more lenient if you hadn't been there. He definitely glanced at you warily when he added the term that we won't be allowed into the Rustlands. He totes expects you to pull something, which is understandable," Pointed out Rion.

  "Yes, he will not let his guard down. And even if he did not, we cannot afford to kill him until the Vampire threat has been dealt with."

  "Huh, I wonder why he agreed to only take the four of us instead of requesting the rest of the Retribution Tier and maybe even the boss himself," Mused Rion curiously.

  "Isn't it obvious? Letting all eight of us get that close to the Rustlands would be risky for him, he is likely uncertain that he will be able to take us all on if we were to break the truce."

  "Okay, but why didn't we offer to all join in the first place? If it turns out that we're just barely short of the firepower we need."

  "That was Valaque's call, not mine. But I do somewhat agree with, or at least understand, his line of thinking. If he and all of the Retribution Tier were to die, then The Empire is finished. However, if only a few of us were to die, and Valaque and a few others remained, they could still take over the world if the Vampires are defeated. At the very least, the Vampires are likely to be severely weakened, and they should be able to handle that much, that's probably what he is thinking. Of course, this all depends on the assumption that they will attack the Rustlands before they attack The Empire. It's a very calculated risk, and taking everything into consideration, it is hard to say if that is a risk worth taking," I replied with a frown.

  How annoying, not long ago, The Empire was the biggest threat to the nations of this world, but now, we were much lower down the food chain. We had lost contact with Platinberg, according to our scouts, they had barricaded their gates and fortified their walls. A futile effort borne of desperation, but unfortunately for us, it meant that we could not rely on our alliance with them.

  Silvland may be out of commission, but the Rustlands still have their alliance with Bronztan to rely on. Should I still remain loyal to The Empire or perhaps I should change my allegiances? No……if I were to do so, the Rustlands would likely be the safest place to be, but the boy would make sure that won't happen, and he clearly has a significant degree of influence with the higher ups of that nation.

  "You know, being the villains really came back to bite us in the ass, huh," Said Rion wistfully, "Also, it really sounded like Kuro knew something about the Vampires that we don't."

  "That form of his……it matches the description of the Vampires our scouts saw. In other words, he is either part-Vampire, or he has access to the abilities of a Vampire, or……something along those lines. If that's how powerful all Vampires are, then we have a huge problem on our hands," I sighed, furrowing my brows as the situation we were in was quite bleak.

  "Nah, I don't think so……I mean, if all Vampires were that crazy strong, don'tcha think they'd've been more eager to accept our truce?" Pointed out Rex.

  He had a good point.

  "Hm, sometimes you prove to be smarter than you look."

  "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

  "I was wondering," Chimed in Azeria, "Why was he and those others there in the first place? We had planned to go all the way to the west gate of the Rustlands for our truce negotiation……I forgot about that when he suddenly appeared out of nowhere and attacked Sicario, but now that I think about it, why were they all there?"

  "Good question……I do not know. I was rather startled when he charged at me, and then I was too busy trying to stay alive to consider why he was there. Hm, there is no sense in trying to guess, speculation won't get us anywhere," I replied after mulling it over.

  "And another thing……didn't your remote activation spell fail on him?" Added Azeria with a look of concern.

  That's right, I had almost forgotten……

  "Yes, it was a paralysis spell, but it did not affect him at all. Are Vampires immune to spells, or was it something else?"

  "Dude, Vampires are totally not immune to spells, they were literally trapped by a spell for two hundred years, remember?" Pointed out Rion with a raised eyebrow.

  "No, that is not quite the same……they may be immune to just infliction type spells. No, I am just speculating again, I cannot say for sure," I muttered in frustration at the lack of information.

  We had reached the west gate of The Empire, the guards opening the gates to let us in. Now, to report to Valaque……

  "Hell no, the truce is off. Those terms basically require us to send four of our best fighters to be their pawns. Screw it, it was a stupid idea to begin with. As if humanity could really set aside all their differences and team up even in the face of such a threat," Declared Valaque with a huff.

  "You make that sound so philosophical, but you do realize that the reason their terms are so rough is directly due to our past actions?" Pointed out Presde, rubbing his eyes groggily.

  "W-well, yeah, b-but I……just sh-shut up, man, can't you just let me riff sometimes? I want to sound cool, you know," Complained Valaque indignantly.

  "So, what do you propose we do if the Vampires attack us first?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow.

  "We can take care of ourselves! Make a ton of big-ass barriers with some badass effects to ward them off, and we'll bolster the east side of the walls and gate. We'll also let loose all the animal-monster hybrids we conjured up. Don't even bother going back to turn down the truce, let them figure it out themselves. Command all members of the lower tiers to drop what they're doing and focus on building up our anti-Vampire measures!" Ordered Valaque after mulling it over for a bit.

  So, he was going for this approach, after all……our resources would be drained if we had to defend ourselves against the Vampires, but we didn't have much of a choice. Certainly, the terms of the truce had been too one-sided. We could only hope that we had the power to fend for ourselves.

  "And what if all that is not enough?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow.

  "Well, in that case, we won't have a choice……we'll prioritize our own survival and I'll use that last resort we have in store."

  What he spoke of was a measure that we had put in place in case we were ever taken over by another nation, but it was very much a last resort, something only worth opting for when we had no realistic alternative and nothing left to lose. The fact that he was suggesting it at all, just emphasized how big a threat we were facing……

  ———————————————————————————


  Point-of-View: Kuro Black

  ———————————————————————————


  "So, yeah, those were the terms I offered them……but honestly, I'd feel a lot safer if we turned the truce down," I concluded my report.

  I was at the Ragiu mansion with Erhtaph, Headmaster Yiserir and Aurich Goldway.

  "Yes, I agree. We cannot trust them," Nodded Aurich with a grimace.

  "I concur, it is true that they are powerful, but their presence may unsettle our ranks, such a blow to morale could be devastating," Agreed Erhtaph, nodding in agreement.

  "Cool, then I'll reject their offer. In which case, we'll have to turn to Bronztan for help," I surmised.

  "We have already been in talks with them regarding that, but they seem keen on playing this defensively, they plan to seal up their gates and form more barriers around their nation," Sighed the headmaster, rubbing his temples.

  "Take a different approach then……how about if we let them evacuate their citizens here, in return for their Adventurers joining us on the front lines. Things'll be cramped, but it's better than everyone dying. We have knowledge about the Vampires that none of the other nations do, add that detail in as the cherry on top. That should be a pretty appealing offer, the Vampires won't be interested in an empty nation so I doubt they'll destroy the place or anything," I suggested after thinking it over.

  "Very well, I shall get on that right away. We have already set up Teleportation Points between us and Bronztan, so exchanging messages will not take long," Said the headmaster, writing something down.

  "If they still refuse, then we'll just have to forget about them……it'll mean that they're too scared to fight, and there's no point in forcing them into it."

  I then updated them on the improvements I'd made to the ambush plan, which they agreed to put into motion. And with that, I headed back out to the Goblin cave area, to continue stocking up on Stored attacks……

  The next day, we kept at it, taking a break just before the agreed upon time for The Empire's envoys to arrive. If Lagusa shows up, I just might kill him after turning down their offer. However, half an hour after the agreed upon meeting time, there was no sign of anyone. Guess they must have found our terms too one-sided for their liking……oh, well, it works out for us just fine.

  "Well, looks like they aren't going to show up, that means they've taken back their offer of a truce. So, let's get back to……," I began as I stood back up, before trailing off as I heard footsteps approaching.

  It's just one person this time……

  "Yo!"

  It was Rion.

  "Just you today, huh?"

  "Heh, yeah. So, about the truce."

  "About that, thanks but no thanks. Teaming up with you guys is not a risk we're willing to take, so yeah," I cut him off with a shrug.

  "Oh……well, that works out. Yeah, so our boss didn't like your terms. Actually, he didn't want us to respond at all, but I figured since I did promise to be here, I should show up……," He trailed off sheepishly.

  "You know, I've been wondering this for a while……Rion, why are you with The Empire? I mean, the last thing I think when I look at you is 'villain', Lagusa definitely fits the bill but you've got strong 'good guy' vibes for someone who's been complicit in mass murder."

  "Well, uh……gosh, I'm not sure how to respond to that. Hm……maybe I'm just loyal?"

  "……why are you asking me?"

  "Anyway! Do you think you could give us some info about the Vampires? That'd be super helpful!" He requested earnestly.

  "Yeah, no. I stand to gain nothing by……on second though, okay. But first, I'll need you to spill the beans on your leader."

  If they had more info on the Vampires, it'd increase their chances of defeating them, or at least killing more of them than they otherwise would have, so it might be a gamble worth taking, to give him a few useful details……

  "Mm, I dunno about that……," He replied uncertainly.

  "For every useful fact you reveal about Tirayze Valaque, I'll tell you a fact about the Vampires in return. I already know about his multi-Elemental Magic types. Here's what I want to know……his physical appearance, whether or not he's stronger than I am, his fighting style, The Empire's progress with guns and the animal-monster hybrids, and any notable new spells."

  "……wow, you, uh, sure learnt a lot about us, huh? Well, I can't answer all of those, but I guess can answer some……okay, telling you what he looks like should be fine……"

  He explained what Valaque looked like in detail, and he didn't seem to be lying, so……

  "Okay, fact about the Vampires……six of them are definitely stronger than me, and about a dozen more excluding those six are more or less on par with me……apparently."

  "Seriously? That's not as bad I was dreading! Okay, about Valaque's strength……I think he's stronger than you, but I honestly don't know for sure."

  Kinda vague, but I guess I'll take it.

  "Okay fact number two, and this one's gonna be super useful……there's no such thing as a fatal wound to a Vampire, it's a 'destroy the core' thing with them, know what I mean?"

  "Oh, like boss monsters in video games!"

  "Pretty much. So, willing to exchange any more info? I've got a lot more handy facts to share……," I remarked temptingly.

  "Um, well……no, I think that's as far as I should go. I'd love to get more deets on the Vamps, but if I keep going, I'll inadvertently reveal too much fo sho," He sighed wistfully, "Well, I'll be heading back then. Thanks for the info, dude."

  "Uh-huh. I would like The Empire to get wiped out by the Vampires, but it certainly wouldn't hurt if the Vampires are severely weakened by the end of it, and the information I gave you will help with that……that's all there is to it."

  "……are you being tsundere right n-?"

  "Absolutely not."

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  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

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