Point-of-View: Rion Xester

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  I took off into the air using Flight and flew over the Vampires, making sure to stay out of that Zero Vampire's fifty meter range. Art and Rex were circling him, their guns cocked. Boss shot past him, making a beeline for the three Vampires who were wearing capes. Azeria, Presde and Hacte were racing around them, heading for the nine Vampires at the back, with the black and red neckbands, where I was headed too.

  Alrighty, I gotta take out two of them, huh, which ones should I pick……eenie, meenie, miney……mo! I rapidly swooped down towards two of them while forming a large black fireball with wind swirling around it, firing it at them as I neared the ground, the flames erupting as it burst onto the ground near them.

  The others had begun fighting too, and it looks like they were luring the Vampires away from each other and spread out, using the hit and run provocation tactic the boss had suggested……huh, since the others had spread 'em out, I don't need to do any luring, I can just fight without worrying about all that! Was it just me, or were they being lured too easily……? Oh, well, whatever!

  "Such an obvious and simple-minded strategy, you do not truly believe that it will work on us, do you?" Inquired one of the Vampires I'd attacked.

  "Indeed, mere humans will never be able to so much as scratch us, we are both of the Vampire Generals!"

  Both of them looked unscathed, just a few small burnt spots on their clothes.

  "Heh, we'll see about that!" I grinned, slamming my metal-knuckles together, "So, like……do you guys have names or something? Also, 'Vampire General' sounds cool and all, but it doesn't actually mean anything to me, so yeah……"

  "So, you humans truly know nothing of us? The strongest of the Vampires is obviously our king, followed by the five Evil Numbers which includes Lord Zero, the fourteen……my mistake, the thirteen Vampire Knights, the forty Vampire Generals, and the few hundred Vampire Minions are the weakest of us, although they are still as strong or even stronger than the average so-called S-Ranked Adventurers of this world. I am Vampire General Whith, and you will die by my hand," Declared one of them.

  Whith, huh……he had gray hair in a bowlcut, with two horizontal red streaks on top. He wore a dark green t-shirt and blue trousers, a super normal outfit for a 'general', he also had a long sword on his back. I guess they didn't need armor since their healing powers are sick as hell and all, but those outfits seriously lacked style……

  "And I am General Tearstrom, and I concur, you are to perish here and now, human," Added the other one with a smug smirk.

  She had short black hair neatly combed back from her forehead, with a single red frizzy lock of hair that fell over her forehead. She wore a white tubetop that showed off her midriff, along with a black short skirt over short red tights. She had a large metal club on her back.

  "Nice to meetcha, Whith and Tearstrom! I'm Rion Xester! Do you guys have last names? And by the by, your outfits are totes awful, especially you, Whith……hm, yours is actually kinda hot, Tearstrom, but kinda impractical as a battle outfit, don'tcha think?"

  Huh, they both looked kinda pissed off. Was is something I said?

  "Have humans grown more idiotic while we were sealed away……?" Mumbled Whith with a look of irritation.

  "I believe this is simply insolence……first, only the king and the Knights may have two names, we Generals only have one, so do not insult us, human! As for our clothing, it matters not, unlike you humans, it is not essential to our survival or health, it is simply for aesthetic purposes……and I demand that you retract your statement, I must agree that my fellow General Whith has poor taste in clothing, but my choice of clothing is dignified and awe-inspiring!"

  "Uh……maybe it was two hundred years ago, but if I had to describe your outfit in one word, I definitely wouldn't use 'dignified', I think what would fit better would be……hm, lemme think……ooh, I know, slutty! In a good way, of course!"

  Not quite sure, but I think that made her madder.

  "Enough of this foolishness!" Snapped Whith, "This human must die!"

  "Jeez, I have a name, you know……"

  But, yeah, looks like the time for talk was over. Time to fight! Whith shot towards me with his sword drawn, his eyes glowing menacingly. Wow, that blade had to be at least six feet long! I sprang back as he swung it down at me, but my timing was off since his reach was longer than a normal sword, the blade leaving a shallow gash in my left shoulder, as Tearstrom appeared behind me.

  "You are finished, behold my Cross!" She exclaimed, her arms suddenly getting ridiculously buff and muscular, before she swung her club across towards my spine.

  I swiftly spun around, to let my armored torso take the blow. Her club slammed onto my midsection, from the bottom of my ribcage to my waist, a shockwave bursting out upon impact, as I let out a gasp. That's……that's the first time I've ever actually felt an hit on my torso……my chest and abdomen were covered in a plated turtle shell-like exterior that, till this point, had never failed to fully absorb the impact of any attack.

  But I'm pretty sure one of the plates of my natural armor was cracked, as were my lower ribs, and my knees had buckled and nearly collapsed upon impact. And to make matters worse, I had been keeping my healing Spell Card, along with a couple of others spells in my belt, and they had all just been crushed……not good, looks like healing is off the table.

  "What the……? My weapon is dented, how……? Hm, you are sturdy, human!" She remarked, as she swung it down at me again, before I sprang off to the left to evade it, right as Whith appeared behind me and drove his sword towards my back.

  I twisted my body in mid-air, the blade slashing the left side, I grabbed the end of the blade with my left hand and slammed my right fist onto the middle of the length, breaking it in half. As I landed after springing away, he began to drive the broken stump of his blade towards me, I spun around and let the blade strike my abdomen, it shattered upon impact, right as I drove the other half of the blade that I was still holding towards his throat.

  He began to step back but I pierced him through the throat, as he let out a cough of blood. Before I could attack again, Tearstrom sprang up from my left and swung her club down at me. I wrapped and intensified flames and wind around my right fist and drove it up with all the strength I could muster, slamming against her club, a deafening clang erupting upon impact, the force kicking up a wild dust cloud.

  I let out a hiss of pain as I felt my knuckles crack, one of my knees bent as the impact rattled my body, a sharp pain going through my forearm, before the end of her club shattered, blood spurting out my fist. I gritted my teeth and strained the muscles in my shoulder and arm, ignoring the pain as best I could and continuing to drive my damaged fist forward, slamming it onto her face and sending her stumbling back. Her arms returned to normal as she fell to the ground with a dazed groan.

  Arghhh, I think I fractured my forearm, and my fist hurts so bad, I can barely move the fingers on my right hand……and both Vampires were completely intact, they had both already healed the wounds I inflicted. The both shot towards me from either side, extending their claws out since both their weapons were busted.

  I waited till they neared me, and at the last minute, shifted my position and grabbed Whith's wrist, before swinging him over my shoulder and slamming him onto the ground, breaking his spine and dazing him. I then blocked Tearstrom's thrust of her claws using my right hand, her claws piercing through my palm, I quickly grabbed her hand with mine, wincing as the claws cut in deeper as I closed my fist around hers.

  She raised her other arm, making it more muscular and bulky, right as I drove my left fist towards her neck, wrapping my fist in swirling wind-enhanced flames. I tilted my head out of the way, but her beefed-up fist clipped the side of my head, right as my flaming fist crashed onto her neck, searing her skin, crushing her throat and sending her flying back with a choked gasp. I then charged up more wind-enhanced flames in my hands and began firing them at her, before a sharp pain erupted across my back, my flames dissipating.

  I turned around, to see that Whith had recovered and had fired one of those red blasts at me. He fired another, I quickly jumped and rolled away to avoid it, biting my lower lip to keep myself from screaming in pain. Fuck, my back hurts so bad……! He had scorched off my skin and a little bit beyond that too……come on, man, these Vampires recover way too quickly. Tearstrom was also back on her feet, looking unscathed. Damn it, they don't even look tired.

  "It seems like you have realized it……we Vampires do not tire as fast as you do, our stamina reserves are several times greater, and unlike you humans, our Blood Magic does not run out, no matter how much we use it," Remarked Whith, forming a couple of large swirling orbs of red in his hands, as Tearstrom did the same.

  So those red blasts are called Blood Magic, huh? They began circling me, keeping their distance warily. I was starting to feel faint, all the pain was starting to overwhelm me……wait, is my head bleeding? Oh, right, Tearstrom struck the side of my head earlier, no wonder I feel dizzy.

  This is impossible, I can't take both of them……I could probably take one, but with their recovery speed, I couldn't create an opening long enough to take one of them out, the other would simply swoop in and save their partner before I could off them……and they were so fast that I didn't have time to charge up any large-scale attacks, though that worked both ways, they didn't have time to charge up their Blood Magic attacks to the point where they could incinerate me, like the blasts that were fired onto the pawns, lapdogs and animal-monster hybrids we attacked them with.

  "You fought well, human, but this is the end for you……as a sign of respect for your tenacity, we shall make your death instantaneous, our Blood Magic will incinerate you before you can even feel it," Remarked Tearstrom, as they continued circling me while charging up their Blood Magic blasts.

  If I charged at one of them, the other would just blast me……they were treating me like a real threat, given the level of caution they were employing right now……heh, I guess I should be flattered, huh……nah, screw that, I'm not going down without a fight, you hear me!?

  I kept my eyes on them as I began forming spheres of black flames, combining them with swirling wind, channeling my Mana as fast as I could. Okay, let's think this through……their red beams were definitely more powerful than my flames, I'll lose for sure in a DBZ-style beam clash……I gotta gamble, but if I don't time this perfectly, I'll be incinerated.

  Heh, the risk make it thrilling, adrenaline was starting to pump through my veins, and I could barely feel the pain that was throbbing through my back and right arm anymore. Oh, man, I hate to say it, but this is really exciting……heh, maybe the blow to the head is making me lose my mind, and I probably have a concussion……but screw the details, they don't matter right now.

  I followed their movements carefully as they continued to circle me, waiting for them to fire while charging up my own flames and wind at a steady pace, the air around me shimmering wildly like a desert mirage. And then it happened, the two of them suddenly stopped circling me, planted their feet and fired their charged up blasts at me……now! Immediately, I sprang up and used Flight to fly up as fast as I could, biting my lower lip as a sharp pain went through my right foot……and I couldn't feel my foot anymore.

  I hadn't been fast enough to clear their blasts, my right foot had been completely incinerated in the blink of an eye……I bit harder down on my lower lip with an agonizing hiss of pain, while turning my gaze to the two Vampires. Everything hinged on how the both of them would move……Whith's wings spread out and he began to fly up towards me, his right hand's claws extended while his left hand formed another orb of Blood Magic.

  Now! I compressed and combined the flaming spheres in my hands and fired it with as much speed as possible down towards Tearstrom, who began to spring back in alarm. The ground was already scorched from when they both fired at me, and as my swirling, compressed fireball reached the ground, it rapidly expanded and blazed across the ground, a stifling wave of heat bursting up towards me, right as Whith reached me with a fierce look in his eyes.

  He fired the blast at me, I evaded it but it hit my right hip, before he flew at me and thrust both hands towards my face, his claws extended. Right before he could skewer me, I grabbed his wrists and stopped him, making sure that he couldn't break free. He swung his tail up and whipped it down at my wrists, before I caught it between my teeth and chomped down……there, that should keep him immobilized, I had moved in really close so that if he tried to kick me, he didn't have enough room to generate any real momentum.

  And I was twisting his wrists upwards, so that any Blood Magic blasts he might fire would miss me……and he couldn't use his wings to attack since he was using them to stay in the air.

  "I'm gonna burn you now," I informed him, making sure to keep his tail firmly trapped between my teeth, before blasting out my flames and swirling them around him.

  "Damn it, let go of me! You lowly human, I will kill you! Do not think you can incinerate me so easily, behold my Cross, Fortify, the ability to harden my exterior!" He exclaimed triumphantly, his skin toughening up.

  I focused on my flames, intensifying my output and increasing the speed of the swirling wind, rotating the rapidly growing flames faster and faster……from the corner of my eye, I could see Tearstrom starting to fly up towards me……I don't think so! I blasted flames out all around me, intensifying the heat as much as I possibly could, to keep her from nearing me.

  This is draining my Mana at an alarming rate, I need to end this quickly! Damn, it was getting hard to breathe, it's so hot……but I gotta keep at it!

  "Damn it, let me go!" Yelled Whith, desperately trying to break free of my grasp, as his skin and flesh began to sear off into ash, his face writhing with pain.

  As his abdomen and arms began to burn away, I spotted a red marble-like thing in his right shoulder……that must be his core, and the odd position probably meant that they really could move their cores around their body. Crap, I'm almost out of Mana! Fine, in that case……

  I opened my mouth and let go of his tail, before quickly leaning forward and grabbing his core with my teeth and biting down on it, shattering it. He let out an excruciating scream of pain before going up in red flames and disappearing away. Fuck, yeah……I got him……

  Crap, I'm out of Mana and strength, I can't even maintain Flight anymore, looks like I'm falling down……

  I crashed down onto the ground on my front, twinges of pain erupting from my ribs and right arm. Not to mention my missing right foot……well, at least it wasn't bleeding, the stump was seared shut since the foot got scorched off. Owie……this hurts real bad. I can't move much anymor……I stiffened as I heard footsteps approaching me, getting closer and closer……

  "I shall commend you, you actually managed to kill a Vampire General, but you are finished now, human……I will enjoy consuming your life force," Remarked Tearstrom, walking up to me, her eyes glowing menacingly red.

  Shit, is this it for me……?

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