Yize was stunned, feeling like he was about to burst into tears.
*Was this a mistake? First it was Qisi, and now it’s this Heart. Why am I always targeted by these troublesome characters at first sight?*
In a bit of a frenzy, he blurted out, “So, can you tell me why you chose me? Is it because I’m too handsome and look particularly delicious?”
As he spoke, he didn’t forget to deflect the trouble, pointing at Swan beside him. “Look, this junior of mine has such delicate skin and fair features—a standard ‘little puppy’ type. Doesn’t he suit your palate?”
Swan: “???”
Yize’s hand quickly shifted to point at Dio on his other side. “And my senior over here, he’s tall and sturdy, full of vigor—the perfect template for a dark-skinned athlete. Don’t you fancy someone with that much power?”
Dio: “…”
Having finished his piece, Yize immediately turned to the strange-looking Swan and Dio and added, “Seniors, please don’t mind me. I’m just purely curious about the hunting preferences of these Vampires.”
Heart was amused by Yize’s antics and let out a giggling laugh, the interest in her crimson eyes intensifying. “They are indeed quite good, but…”
She licked her lips, her gaze firmly locked onto Yize.
“You’re the only one here who looks timid, like you can’t wait to hide yourself. That cautious little expression trying to avoid me is just too interesting… I like bullying people like you first!”
Hearing this, Yize nodded inwardly with realization. ‘Sure enough, if one wants to camouflage themselves, they have to take the middle path.’ His face remained expressionless, but his eyes flickered slightly, his thoughts unknown.
“Then come here obediently!” Before Heart’s laughter even died down, her figure flashed like a ghost. Her five fingers formed a claw, and with a sharp whistling sound, she lunged straight for Yize!
However, Sarah, who had been on full alert, was even faster!
“Don’t even think about it! Wind Wall Entrapment!”
Sarah gave a soft shout as the mana she had been brewing instantly erupted.
In an instant, a wall of rock wrapped in wind-strips stood before Yize.
*Screech — !*
Heart’s sharp nails clawed fiercely against the wind wall, producing a tooth-aching, tearing sound.
The wind wall shook violently, and the azure airflow was torn into several cracks. However, it did not collapse instantly as it had when facing Qisi; instead, it stubbornly blocked Heart’s assault.
Sarah immediately made a judgment in her heart.
*Although this Heart’s strength and speed are still terrifying, she is clearly a notch below Bart from the Raymond territory, who could shatter my Wind-Rock Barrier with just a few kicks!*
Despite this, Heart’s attacks remained as relentless as a violent storm. She continued to swing her claws and strike, causing the cracks on the wind wall to multiply. The speed of repair was gradually failing to keep up with the speed of destruction.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Sarah’s forehead as she maintained the magic with all her might, her heart solemn. *Even if she isn’t as strong as Bart, she is by no means someone we can deal with easily!*
Seeing the situation, Emma immediately waved her staff. Several emerald-green energy chains surged out from the ground, attempting to bind Heart’s feet. At the same time, she didn’t forget to cast Mana Recovery on Sarah to help stabilize her mana.
With Sarah standing against the pressure in front and Emma assisting with crowd control from the flank, Yize naturally felt no pressure. He had no intention of making a move and even quietly took half a step back, hiding himself better behind the seniors’ protection circle.
After all, since the female lead was present, there was a high probability he would be fine.
Also choosing to observe from the rear were Swan and Dio.
Swan clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on Heart. The fires of revenge were burning within him, but he forced himself not to use Igneel’s power.
‘No… not yet… the “price” of that power is too terrifying…’
The thought of the potential physical changes sent a chill down his spine. He was not prepared to use that kind of power unless it was absolutely necessary.
As for Dio, his gaze was the calmest, even carrying a sense of scrutiny and calculation. He carefully observed Heart’s every movement and every burst of power, searching for that fleeting flaw.
Just as Sarah’s wind wall was about to be completely torn apart and a triumphant smile appeared on Heart’s face —
“Now!”
Dio moved!
His figure seemed to merge into the night, leaving only a flash of snow-white sword light like a bolt of lightning tearing through the darkness!
There were no flashy moves or long charging periods. There was only a thunderous strike condensed at the tip of his sword after compressing his entire body’s Battle Qi to the extreme!
This sword strike was so fast it exceeded Heart’s reaction limit!
She only had time to turn her body before the blade, condensed with blazing Battle Qi, swept past her shoulder with incomparable power!
*Spurt — !*
Blood splattered!
A fair arm, accompanied by a spray of dark red blood, was severed and fell to the ground.
“Ah — !”
Heart let out a shrill scream, her face filled with unbelievable terror and pain.
‘This human’s speed and Battle Qi are actually this formidable…’
Although her carelessness played a part, Dio’s strength had indeed given her a significant shock. The intense pain and the heavy blow of losing an arm caused her to instantly lose all will to fight.
She gave Dio a venomous glare, and the blood-light around her body surged. She transformed into a crimson afterimage and fled toward the depths of the darkness at a speed even faster than when she arrived, not even having time to leave a parting threat.
The battle was declared over the moment Dio struck.
The scene fell into a dead silence, with only the whimpering sound of the night wind blowing through the damaged carriage.
Everyone looked at Dio, who stood with his sword sheathed and his breath steady, their eyes filled with shock.
Dio looked regretful. “A pity, I didn’t cut off her head.”
He was aware of the Vampires’ recovery abilities. As long as they had blood, they could recover even from a severed arm.
Yize looked at Dio’s figure and clicked his tongue inwardly. ‘This Second Senior’s combat power is a bit off the charts! One sword strike to chop that tough-looking Vampire…’
He tried hard to recall his blurry memories of the game *Era*. ‘Strange, I don’t remember any strategy blogger mentioning that there was such an outrageously strong physical damage dealer in the party when fighting this kind of mini-boss in the early game?’
“Dio!” Rose was the first to snap out of her shock, her face filled with unbelievable surprise. “You… over these past six years… you’ve actually become this strong?”
Witnessing her brother’s terrifying strength reignited her hope of fighting against the Vampires. The gaze she directed at Dio was full of relief and reliance.
Sarah also breathed a long sigh of relief, suppressing the waves in her heart. She stepped forward and gave Dio’s sturdy shoulder a hard pat, her tone carrying both praise and a hint of inquiry.
“Dio! You were really hiding your strength! Quick, tell your senior, how did you train this pure and condensed Battle Qi to such a sophisticated level?”
With her extensive experience, she keenly sensed something unusual.
“And… your style of fighting is fierce and sharp, focusing on the one-hit kill. It’s so concise and efficient… it almost seems to carry the shadow of a ‘Sword Saint’?”
Dio’s heart skipped a beat. Sarah’s eyes were indeed sharp.
In his previous life, when the human defensive line was on the verge of collapse, he had fortunately obtained a fragmented Sword Saint inheritance, which gave him the power for one last stand.
In this life, he had used his memories to find the clues to that inheritance early and had paid a price far exceeding that of an ordinary person to temper himself, leading to his current strength.
However, the matter of his rebirth was his greatest trump card for overturning all tragedies; he could never reveal it to anyone.
Maintaining a calm expression, he explained in a flat tone that intentionally fit his “martial idiot” persona, “Senior, you overpraise me. Over these years, I have indeed put most of my energy into studying the way of the sword, remaining focused without distractions. That’s why I’ve made some progress.”
He skillfully avoided the specific question about the Sword Saint inheritance.
“As expected, Teacher Claire’s eye for recruiting disciples is unparalleled!”
Emma’s eyes were shining with admiration as she looked at Dio.
“Senior Dio, you were truly amazing just now! That sword strike was too fast!”
Even Swan, who was usually silent, was deeply shaken. He looked at Dio, and his mind couldn’t help but recall the Dio of his childhood — someone who worked hard but whose strength wasn’t particularly outstanding.
‘All these years… he’s actually improved this much…’
A complex wave of emotion welled up in his heart, consisting of both joy for Dio becoming stronger and frustration and regret over his own weakness.
‘If back then… if back then I had power like Dio’s, would the Raymond family have…’
“Kid, stop with your wild thoughts.”
In his mind, the dragon soul Igneel’s voice rang out lazily, tinged with a hint of disdain. “That Dio senior of yours is indeed a formidable character among humans. But in the end, he still hasn’t escaped the scope of being ‘human.’ That female Vampire just now had a mottled and impure bloodline; in the eyes of us Dragons, she’s nothing more than inferior goods. If he were to encounter a true high-ranking Pureblood, with his meager strength, his end wouldn’t be much better than those of penned-up food.”
Igneel’s tone then shifted, pointing toward someone else with intense interest. “On the other hand, that kid named Yize… tsk tsk, the amount of mana stored in his body makes even me feel a bit alarmed. It has long since exceeded the limits of a normal human. This guy’s strength is definitely unfathomable. His current appearance is nine times out of ten just an act.”
Hearing this, Swan subconsciously looked at Yize, who was currently squatting by the damaged carriage, and his lip couldn’t help but twitch.
He really couldn’t connect this senior — who had just “offered” him up without hesitation and currently looked harmless or even a bit cowardly — with the word “unfathomable” from Igneel’s mouth.
“Igneel, are you… are you sure you didn’t sense it wrong?” Swan couldn’t help but confirm again in his heart.
“Hmph! How could my perception be wrong?” Igneel’s tone carried dissatisfaction at being questioned. “Just you wait and see, this kid is hiding a lot!”
***
On the other side, the one-armed Heart endured the intense pain and the weakness brought about by massive blood loss. She transformed into a blood-colored shadow and fled back in a wretched state to the stronghold occupied by Horn’s pillar of influence.
She rushed straight into the depths of the castle’s dungeon, where dozens of pale-faced, numb-eyed human “blood cattle” were penned.
A glint of bloodthirsty madness flashed in Heart’s eyes. She lunged forward, her sharp fangs piercing into the neck of a screaming man, and began to drink greedily.
As the warm blood poured into her throat, a surging life energy quickly nourished her damaged body.
At the hideous stump on her shoulder, granulation began to wriggle and intertwine wildly at a visible speed, and her bones extended and reshaped…
In just a short moment, a brand new, pale arm grew back out!
“Heart, what happened to you? You went out for a hunt and ended up in such a miserable state?”
A slightly husky female voice rang out. At the entrance of the dungeon stood a tall, curvaceous woman with healthy wheat-colored skin, dressed boldly.
Looking at Heart’s newly grown arm, a clear look of surprise appeared on her face. This was Spade, one of the four executives under Horn.
Heart caught her breath and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, a hint of lingering fear and venom flashing in her eyes. “Spade, I had ‘good’ luck today. I ran into Rose, the woman from the Betty family that Lord Horn has been thinking about.”
“Oh?” Spade raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued.
“She somehow managed to bring reinforcements — several people who look like they’re from the Magic Academy.”
Recalling that fleeting glimpse of sword light, Heart still felt a lingering fear.
“Among them was a large man specializing in martial arts. He’s very strong… I wasn’t careful and was ambushed, losing an arm!”
“What?!”
The relaxed expression on Spade’s face instantly vanished, replaced by solemnity.
“To be able to wound you and force you to flee by severing an arm… that man must be at least Tier 5, or maybe even a Tier 6 warrior!”
The four of them — Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, and Red Hearts — were originally famous experts or those with special talents from the borders of the Human Empire. Later, they were favored by Horn, given purer blood, and transformed into Level 3 Vampires, possessing strength comparable to Lord-class monsters.
Ordinary Tier 4 professionals were completely defenseless before them. Only human experts who had reached Tier 5 or even Tier 6 could potentially fight them head-on.
“I think… he very likely reached the threshold of Tier 6.” Heart nodded with a gloomy face. “His sword was too fast, too sharp… and the degree of his Battle Qi condensation is something I’ve never seen in my life.”
“Lord Horn is in a dormant period these few days and cannot be disturbed.” A look of ruthlessness flashed in Heart’s eyes. “I suggest the four of us move out together! When the time comes, not only can we capture Rose, but we might even be able to offer her equally beautiful sister, Dini, to Lord Horn!”
Hearing this, Spade licked her full lips, her crimson eyes flashing with excitement and greed.
“A man who could make even you, Heart, suffer a setback… sounds very interesting indeed. Fine, I’ll go with you. But let’s get this straight: if that man suits my palate, you have to leave him for me to ‘enjoy’ slowly! You know, I like ‘big’ men…”
“Suit yourself!”
Heart snorted coldly, but the image of Yize’s seemingly panicked face flashed in her mind.
‘However, there’s a black-haired boy who must be handed over to me…’
The two looked at each other and smiled.
A joint operation by four Level 3 Vampires could be considered giving the Betty family plenty of face.