Chapter 399
Chapter 399. The Wrathful Hammer
The misty Daniel was racing fiercely towards the ship’s hold.
He could feel a chilling intent to kill pursuing him, without even needing to turn around.
Those cursed Vampire Hunters…!
—Who would want to deal with those guys!?
Daniel thought, half in a scream. The middle-aged dual-wielder at the front was dangerous; if he had been a Vampire Hunter until that age, he was surely a formidable warrior with an abnormal obsession. He definitely had some nasty trump cards hidden away. He didn’t want any part of it.
And the blond pretty boy behind him was dangerous too. The magical power emanating from him felt otherworldly for a human, and his left eye sparkled with a gleaming silver light. That silver glow—a loathsome sign of the holy attribute for beings of darkness. He too was assuredly a troublesome character. Just as with the first, he wanted no involvement.
“…But poor Hilda has gotten herself in a bad situation.”
He suddenly realized.
Hilda was still under fifty years old, a young girl with little experience. Unlike him, who sensed the danger of those individuals at first glance, she didn’t seem to understand how fatal her actions might be and had shown up without hesitation.
“Why on earth was she trying to fight alone?”
Was she trying to show off? He had no way to know her intentions now, but—
“Well, forget it.”
Daniel was not one to dwell on things that were over. He switched his mindset and thought about what to do next.
It would be fine to continue as mist and escape out into the open, but dawn was approaching. If he submerged underwater, his mobility would dramatically decrease and it would be suffocating. There was no way he could hide for long in a region swarming with bloodthirsty Vampire Hunters.
“Simply escaping won’t do. Considering my brethren and the future, I need to deal as much damage as I can to them—”
With that, Daniel aimed for the ship’s hold.
Why? He wanted to savor the ‘food’ he had captured one last time, but—
—Daniel intended to burst through the keel as he escaped.
To make it difficult for the Vampire Hunters to escape, he would lure them towards the deepest part of the ship and then smash the hull to sink it. Conveniently, he planned to create a hole in the bottom of the ship they arrived on when he fled into the water.
Once he dragged them underwater, it would be over for them. Unlike him, who wouldn’t die from lack of air, the heroes would drown, and they wouldn’t be able to chant spells in the water…!
“…Hmm.”
Along the way, sensing a human presence in the cabin, Daniel slipped through the door’s gap.
“Hyiii… Mom…!”
Inside, a young lake pirate, barely a boy, was cowering and crying, seemingly having hidden away in fear of the battle.
Daniel materialized. Startled by the sound of footsteps, the boy lake pirate looked up to see the emotionless vampire noble suddenly appear before him—
The blood blade swiftly pierced through.
“Ahh-gg, gah, ngiiii…!”
“You think you aren’t going to be made a minion. You can’t open this door. Bang on it and call for help. Once someone opens it, kill them.”
“G-got it…”
Daniel once again dissipated into mist and exited the room. Behind him, the door began to be knocked on heavily, and the boy lake pirate’s heartbreaking cries echoed out.
“Alright, alright.”
He would stall for time this way while also drawing the Vampire Hunters’ attention. If they thought there might be a captive, they would hesitate to retreat, and if that decoy could wound them, that would be even better.
Along the way, he encountered some loathsome individuals trying to negotiate surrender or cowardly escaping on lifeboats, which he ensnared and set to rampage or locked in a room, turning them into bait for captives.
“Well, the real captives are—”
All locked up in the storage hold of the ship.
—From above, he heard the jarring screams and chaotic sounds of magic. The traps he’d set seemed to be starting to work.
He could almost picture the Vampire Hunters’ disgusted faces. Daniel couldn’t help but smirk. He couldn’t afford to abandon the decoy if they were normal civilians, and if they were converted, that couldn’t be overlooked either. They needed to be hunted.
“This profession is truly ironic.”
With a snort of laughter, he landed at the bottom of the ship, licking his lips with glee. Now then, he had been interrupted earlier but before sinking the ship, it was time to dine—
Crack.
An ominous sound came from directly above.
Looking up, Daniel’s eyes widened at what he saw.
A longsword blade had suddenly sprouted from the ceiling.
“Let there be light!!”
—His reflexes and rich combat experience as an advanced vampire allowed him to avoid the direct hit. Realizing he couldn’t mist immediately, he leaped back, raising his cloak to shield himself from the light.
Even the light-absorbing fabric couldn’t block the searing, wicked heat that prickled at him—moments later, with a loud crash, the ceiling collapsed and a man fell through.
Thud! He landed at the ship’s hold.
“Finally caught up to you…!”
Shaking off splinters, the young man stood up. With sun-kissed skin, brown hair, and brown eyes, he looked like an ordinary human… except that his magical power was considerable. More importantly, he radiated a silvery aura.
A Vampire Hunter—no, a hero! Daniel judged this by the holy sword in the young man’s hand, which was not your average sword favored by Vampire Hunters but a sturdy one built for battle.
Clearly emphasizing durability over portability—this man specialized in frontline combat. Such was the ‘essence’ he exuded.
While Daniel was on guard, aware that other Vampire Hunters could drop in from the hole in the ceiling, to his surprise, there were no following hunters. Above, the sounds of sword clashes and magic continued to echo. Could it be—that this hero had come alone?
“Ha! Charging in by yourself takes quite the guts.”
Daniel laughed as he flicked his cloak dramatically.
In the lightless ship hold, he was going to challenge the night noble alone. He likely had strong magical power and confidence in his skills—a mix of reckless bravery typical of heroes. Cautious Vampire Hunters would never take such reckless chances unless absolutely necessary, let alone discard the advantage of numbers…!
Daniel struck a noble-like elegant pose while subtly signaling with his hand behind his back so the hero wouldn’t see him.
Unbeknownst to him, he had concealed minions at the back stairs. He intended to have the Vampire Hunters who came down the stairs ambushed, but perhaps he could provoke this hero and attack once they were preoccupied…
“You’re all alone? No, that’s not right.”
The hero’s—feral grin widened.
“I’m not alone.”
A chilling wave of ominous magical energy ran down Daniel’s spine.
“Martin.”
“Yes.”
The void answered.
From somewhere, something silver and shining—
Appeared behind the hero…!
“Liberto.”
“Yes!”
“William.”
“Yeah!”
“Clifford! Christoph! Johan!”
“Yeah!” “Sure!” “Aye!”
“Samuel! Fergus! Bruno! Warren! Jackson—”
One after another, without a break.
Silver silhouettes emerged.
Cursed, translucent beings adorned in silver, the shine of the holy attribute…!
“What… the hell… is that?!”
Even seasoned Daniel couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Unconsciously, he began to back away. Spirits!? But then—why are they clad in holy attributes!?
Why, as undead, aren’t they burned by the silver light!?
What on earth is this!! This is!!!
“Everyone, he’s wondering, ‘what the hell is that?’”
The hero spread his arms, scanning the surroundings.
The silver shadows each wore decidedly furious expressions, cracking their non-existent knuckles and rolling their shoulders—
“I’ll teach him what ‘what’ is, damn it!! Get him, boys!!”
The hero pointed dramatically at Daniel with the holy sword.
“Go for it!!”
“Uooooooo—!!!”
Roars. No, shouts of rage.
The silver shadows surged forth like an avalanche.
“Uggh, uaaahhh!!”
Daniel let out a pathetic scream, unbefitting a noble, as he unleashed blood blades in a defensive stance.
But the overwhelming number and momentum of the spirits wouldn’t be halted by anything.
No.
It couldn’t be stopped—!
“You bastard!”
“I’ll kill you!!”
“Bleed to death, you bastard!!”
They rushed, they surged, they rushed!
The powerful fists of silver-tinged sailors pummeled down upon Daniel, burning his skin as if hot iron was pressed against it, creating billowing smoke!!
“Guh—Gyaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!”
Seering pain burned his soul.
A curse to strike down humanity’s enemies.
Daniel, without any sense of shame, screamed with all his might.
