The golden-haired vampire said in a relieved tone, “It’s good that you’re alright.”
Tiana’s nostrils flared as she sniffed the air, a look of confusion surfacing in her narrow blue eyes. “The smell of blood, meat, filth… and something strange. Are you two really the boy and his sister? You smell terrible, but your scents are definitely inside there. I see. Could it be that you’re their parents?” the silver dragon asked the two yellow-clad figures.
To a dragon with a sensitive sense of smell, the plastic odor of the hazmat suits was nauseating.
“We aren’t their parents; we’re the originals,” the yellow-clad man said, waving the walkie-talkie in his hand. Tiana had already learned about the situation through the walkie-talkie while she was rushing over, so she knew that the person under her claw was an intruder.
“Tiana, please focus your attention on that old man first. Whatever you do, don’t move your claw.”
“Oh! That voice that’s so easy to misunderstand—it really is you, boy! You’re wearing something quite hideous. That yellow is pretty disgusting. Don’t worry, this old man isn’t moving at all. He must have been turned into mincemeat!”
“Sister Dragon, you’ve raised a death flag! That’s very dangerous!”
“Kahahaha! Little Hill, there’s no need to worry! This guy dared to attack my respected and beloved master; I actually think he died far too easily — ?”
The silver dragon, whose body emitted a faint blue light, widened her jewel-like blue vertical pupils in surprise. Zzzzt— The sound of surging electricity came from beneath the dragon’s claw. Tiana used her own willpower to apply downward pressure, the silver scales on her right upper arm bulging. Every single muscle in her body was straining; she felt as if she were about to lose her grip.
An even greater force was pushing up against her claw. If her scales hadn’t been hard enough, the point of impact would have punched a hole straight through her palm.
“Humph, nngh — !!” A grand and powerful roar echoed through the hall.
“Wh—what is this?! This human!” The massive claw was slowly lifted, accompanied by overflowing black mist and flickering arcs of lightning. Within the shadows, Andre arched his back, his bent legs positioned at 45 degrees. He bore the dragon’s claw on his shoulders and slowly stood up.
“Is this guy… a monster?” Tiana was still using her entire body’s strength to press down, her scales flared open from the exertion as wisps of steam rose from her. She was also supporting the weight of the castle’s ceiling, which meant this human was standing up while bearing both her weight and the castle’s weight.
“Impressive, Andre. If you went to the Olympics, I doubt all the world’s weightlifting champions combined could beat you,” the yellow-clad man said, taking a stack of papers from a pouch on his utility belt. “Don’t worry, Tiana. It all ends here.”
Andre’s bloodshot eyes stared straight at Sol, but his vision was partially blocked by the dragon’s long talons. The lenses of the other man’s goggles reflected the sunlight, appearing white as he waved the papers in his hand.
“My Lord Izabilis, I beg for your mercy.” A black Nest emerged in front of Andre. However, before he could finish his sentence, a cold glint flashed. A 70-centimeter-long silver-white blade swept in from nowhere, appearing right at his knee joint.
— !! The blade sliced through his pants.
‘It’s no use. A mere iron weapon cannot deal a fatal wound to me!’ Andre thought. In this state, his body was incredibly resilient. In reality, it truly couldn’t cause a fatal injury, but that tiny, shallow wound was devastating to him right now, especially after taking a direct hit from the dragon’s claw.
With unerring precision, the blade broke the skin, and the protruding tendon was accurately severed. Blood dripped down his pants. “Ugh!” ‘Aiming for my most vulnerable spot and cutting it?’
Andre stumbled and was pressed down again, though he didn’t collapse completely. He knelt on one knee, struggling to support the weight. Because the caster’s mana supply was interrupted and his own will could no longer sustain it, the Nest vanished.
Sol took another step back, flicking the blood off his greatsword. “He really has cockroach-level vitality. To still be holding up with a ruptured tendon.”
Andre finally couldn’t hold on any longer. His knees slammed into the ground, forcing him into a double-kneeling position. Sweat beaded on his forehead, blurring his vision, and even with all his strength, he could only look up far enough to see Sol’s waist. Despite this subservient posture, Andre could still judge that the opponent was about 1.7 meters tall.
Further away, the vampire’s golden pupils had turned a fermented, bright red, signifying her mana was at its peak. Flowing blood-colored magic circles appeared around her, while Dante stood guard beside her with a shield.
“It seems I’ve truly lost this time.” A metallic taste filled Andre’s mouth, and the bright red blood leaking from his lips stained his beard. “Death is but a temporary rest. We shall soon meet again in the Golden Land.” The old man smiled kindly while bearing a mountain-like weight.
Ineffa said indifferently, “How long do you plan to sleep? Get up and get to work, Gar!”
It was an authoritative command that allowed no refusal. In response, the vampire’s shadow surged like flowing water. At the same time, a black-and-red object circled the girl in the Gothic dress.
It was a flat cat made of shadows. The black-and-red entity was larger than everyone present; its body was pitch black and lacked any actual thickness. At that moment, the cat opened its eyes.
Countless eyes? No, it was 1,212 eyes, all fixed on Andre.
The yellow-clad man with the greatsword shouted, “Tiana! Let go, quickly!”
“I know!” The dragon’s claw lifted, and Tiana transformed into her human form, jumping into the hall. The weight on his head and shoulders vanished, and a drop of Andre’s sweat fell. Before it could touch the ground, the black cat was already in front of him. The body of the cat, which was as large as a human, split wide open from the bottom.
‘It turns out it wasn’t a cat.’ Andre realized that the shadow only looked like a cat in shape; it was actually a creature that was nothing but a mouth. Like the jaws of a shark, the black cat’s body clamped onto the Evil Demon Society cultist. Starting from his purple coat and moving upward, it devoured him in one large gulp, along with the faint electricity on his body.
“…Ugh.” Ineffa felt a bit dizzy.
The black cat, having swallowed Andre’s body up to the shoulders, stopped moving. On its way back into Ineffa’s shadow, it finished consuming every trace of blood and about 70% of Andre’s body. Ineffa had consumed too much mana earlier, and Gar’s appearance only lasted for about 4 seconds before her body went limp.
“Leave the rest to Hill and Brother.”
“You…”
The yellow-clad person who had called herself Dante earlier but was now whispering that she was Hill supported Ineffa. Sol placed his hand on the ground, and the floor reshaped itself into a chair. The vampire was placed into the seat.
The two yellow-clad figures walked over to Andre. Only a quarter of Andre’s torso remained, along with his right arm, neck, and head. The emaciated Andre lay quietly on the ground, looking like a thousand-year-old mummy to anyone who didn’t know better.
“Understood! Next up is Dante and Sol’s Boiling Burst combo!”
“Dante,” the girl said as she took forty fire talismans—which could literally make someone boil—out of her storage item. The stack Sol had been holding earlier wasn’t paper either; they were fire talismans.
Andre, who had been lying on the ground planning to play dead while waiting for the two to let their guard down so he could use the parasite item Lierman had given him to seize a new body, felt his eyes nearly pop out of his head when he saw them pull out a stack of fire talismans. He hurriedly raised a withered hand, attempting to stop this wrongful treatment of the elderly.
“Wait — !!”
Unfortunately, the two showed no mercy. Without the slightest hesitation, they tossed the stack of fire talismans onto him with a rustle.
“How impressive. He didn’t even make a sound.” This was the young girl’s praise.
Without a single scream, the old man maintained his final bit of dignity. Shortly after, the aroma of charred meat wafted through the hall.
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