Chapter 94: The half-Vampire's house visit to conquer the monkey
"According to Isla, Chipiras and the 'Mad Dog' Berkert~ climb the mountain~ fly through the sky~ go into the lake~"
Vandalieu was singing the route he had planned using information he had gained from the Vampires while doing warm-up exercises by the lake.
Although it was spring, it was still only March. It was too early in the year to go swimming. And Vandalieu wasn't particularly good at swimming.
"I only barely managed to swim fifty meters with the school group… I can hold my breath for over thirty minutes now, though."
How long could seals, sea lions and sea otters swim underwater? Would Vandalieu be able to overtake them soon?
It doesn't matter, I suppose, Vandalieu thought as he flew into the lake.
CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!
Pete stretched himself out from Vandalieu's head towards the shore and pulled Vandalieu back. Vandalieu let out a strange noise of surprise that sounded like, "Hogeh!" as he landed on his back.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?!" asked Princess Levia. "The noise you made was very strange!"
"Probably?" said Vandalieu. "Pete, as long as you stay inside me, it's just like when I take a bath, so it's fine. Ah, wait, stop, don't take root in the shore."
A considerable amount of time passed as Vandalieu calmed down Pete and the plant-type monsters, who seemed opposed to going underwater. Symbiosis was quite a troublesome thing.
Vandalieu was walking smoothly inside the cold lake water.
He skillfully manipulated the Immortal Ent branches extending from his hands and used the earth and rocks at the bottom of the lake as footholds.
"They would probably have disliked it if it was sea water, though," Vandalieu whispered through his spirit-form mouth as he continued along the bottom of the lake. "Maybe I should take this opportunity to think of a way around that?"
It was dark, but even here, there was no problem with visibility thanks to the Dark Vision skill.
But if the water was cloudy with dirt and microscopic organisms, he wouldn't have been able to see even with Dark Vision, so it was fortunate that the water was clear.
"Hmm?"
Several dozen silhouettes holding spears appeared in front of him. But looking closely, although they were human in shape, their whole bodies were covered in scales, and their faces were like a mixture between those of people and those of fish.
These were aquatic demi-human-type monsters, Gillmen.
Sahuagin, who were also aquatic demi-human-type monsters that were like fish with human limbs, known as the Goblins of the sea, also existed in Lambda. But Gillmen were far more powerful monsters than Sahuagin.
Since their mental structure was different from that of people, communicating with them was difficult, but they were highly intelligent, creating equipment from the shells and carapaces of other creatures, and they formed groups of as many as several hundred individuals.
People were not very familiar with Gillmen as they didn't share the same environment as them, but in fishing villages, Gillmen were feared more than Ogres. And perhaps because there was some connection between them and Tristan, the God of the Sea who had created them, they rampaged like berserkers whenever they laid eyes on Mer-people, leading to Gillmen becoming known as the 'Mer-people's enemy.'
"Gubububu."
"Buggukyubugyu."
The Gillmen surrounded Vandalieu at a distance with visible bewilderment in their fish-like eyes.
They were probably saying things like, "What is that?" and, "There are branches coming out of its hands and feet," weren't they?
How troublesome; the monsters in this world don't understand Japanese. If there was a Gillman spirit nearby, I'd use Visualization and have it translate, but I don't see any.
Vandalieu was in a troublesome situation, but it seemed that the Gillmen had decided, "We don't know what it is, but let's dispose of it for now." With an intent to kill directed towards Vandalieu that he could detect with Danger Sense: Death, they drew closer with their spears raised.
Since that was the stance they were taking, Vandalieu didn't need to think hard about what to do, either.
"I don't really feel like fighting underwater, though. I can't have Princess Levia and the others help me, either," Vandalieu said as he threw his Cursed Weapon kunai and scattered poison in the water. "But, well, it is fortunate that I've found these things so that they can guide the way."
Incidentally, Gillmen were Rank 3. But as they were often fought in water and on ships, the Adventurers' Guild recommended that they be considered one Rank higher when fighting them.
Making the Zombie Gillmen lead the way, Vandalieu found an underwater cavern hidden at the bottom of the lake, spent an hour traveling through it before finally raising his face above the water's surface.
"Ah, I thought I was going to die."
If he hadn't bitten into the Gillmen's throats and sucked the air from their lungs every time he was close to running out of breath, things could have been dangerous for Vandalieu.
Gillmen had gills on the sides of their bodies, but they also had lungs to move about above water.
Incidentally, the only reason Vandalieu hadn't done mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration was because he didn't want to. Even if he were to ignore the fact that they were Zombies, he didn't want his first kiss to be with a fish-faced monster.
The Zombie Gillmen's faces silently emerged from the water's surface as Vandalieu made them help him get onto the shore. Vandalieu looked around to see that he had emerged from an underground lake and there was a nearby mansion that looked elegant at first glance… but also sinister upon closer inspection.
"Oh my. It would have been better if you had actually died, dear guest that I have no memory of inviting." A person who gave the impression of a capable steward came out to greet Vandalieu. He was a handsome, middle-aged man with a medium build. The monocle he was wearing, an expensive item in Lambda, suited him very well.
"Hello," said Vandalieu. "I apologize for coming here without notice. My name is Vandalieu."
"Oh my. You really are the rumored Dhampir. For a long time after the rumors began, I have truly desired to meet you. Excuse my late introduction. I am the steward of this mansion, the 'Foolish Dog' Bellmond," said the man, introducing himself with a courteous bow. "What business did you have here today?"
"I was thinking of forcefully taking over this place that you are in charge of," Vandalieu replied. "I'm going to begin doing that now; is that alright with you? Well, even if you say no, I have no intention of returning on another day."
"I see. That is just perfect. I was also just thinking of killing… you!" Bellmond shouted as he moved his fingers, his gentle smile turning into a mad one with his fangs bared.
In the next moment, the Gillmen protecting Vandalieu's sides fell into pieces.
The five Gillmen were sliced silently into over ten parts each, revealing their vividly-colored cross-sections, and fell into the underground lake close to the shore.
As the Gillmen fragments fell into the water with a splash, Bellmond felt disappointed that Vandalieu didn't make even the slightest move.
"Fufu, you don't know what just happened, do you?" said Bellmond. "Despite my appearance, I have lived for tens of thousands of years, and this is the result. If I could get you to enjoy it as well -"
"You're using magic and your fingertips to manipulate super-fine metal threads. The magic is… wind-attribute, I suppose. Electricity falls under the wind attribute, doesn't it?" said Vandalieu.
"What?!"
Bellmond was in dismay; he hadn't expected his secret technique to have been seen through in an instant. But in the next moment, each of his fingers began bending in strange ways, as if they were individual creatures.
"Fuh. It was unexpected that I was seen through so easily, but what difference does it make? You are already a prisoner of my threads!" Bellmond declared. "There is no gap for you to escape through."
Having surrounded Vandalieu with his threads, Bellmond became certain of his victory and regained his composure.
With such a complete surrounding, Bellmond could dispose of Vandalieu before he could even recite an incantation. The remaining Zombie Gillmen were trying to circle around, but Bellmond would easily be able to deal with such small fry when they drew closer.
"Now then, please depart to where your parents are!" he shouted.
He bent his finger slightly. With that small movement, Vandalieu's head would fall off. That was what was supposed to happen, but… he felt a dull resistance.
The threads weren't moving the way he wanted them to!
"What?! This is… I see, you are a Thread User like me!"
Bellmond's threads had been tangled in the string-like objects extending from Vandalieu's own fingers.
"No, I do not have that Job," said Vandalieu. "But I can manipulate thread-shaped objects."
Every single one of Bellmond's super-fine metal threads had been entangled in Vandalieu's extended hairs and the sticky threads he had produced from his tongue and claws.
Vandalieu's Thread-reeling Technique was far lower in level than Bellmond's, but he simply needed to extend his threads around himself, so tangling them with Bellmond's was simple.
"… Are Dhampirs a race capable of such things?" asked Bellmond.
"I don't know any other Dhampirs," Vandalieu replied.
To be more accurate, Vandalieu had seen the Dhampir girl who was being protected by Heinz, though he didn't know her name, but he had only seen her once. He didn't know whether she could spit threads from her mouth. He thought it likely that she couldn't, however.
Bellmond gave a defiant smile upon seeing that Vandalieu could manipulate threads like him, even if it was through different methods.
"I see; this is no longer a battle between a Vampire and a Dhampir, but between a thread-user and a thread-user… the thought that I would be blessed with the opportunity to fight another enemy who uses threads did not even cross my mind," he said. "I must thank Hihiryushukaka-sama from the bottom of my heart."
It seemed that a strange switch had been flipped inside Bellmond. There was an innocent light shining in his eyes, as if he were talking to his closest friend.
"Now then, let us both make our utmost effort to seize the glory of victory!" he declared, his eyes looking at Vandalieu as if looking at a worthy foe. The moment he finished speaking, his shoes were torn apart loudly from the inside. "Now then, dear guest! Can you hold out against the threads from my twenty digits?!"
Each of Bellmond's toes grew longer, like those of a monkey.
He wriggled them skillfully to manipulate his threads. There was no trace of the dejection he had displayed earlier; there was only the fast pounding of his heart.
Perhaps it was the appearance of a worthy enemy, or perhaps it was because he had a premonition about this battle. Either way, he had no doubt that the being before his eyes would grant him something.
The threads released by Bellmond were entangled with Vandalieu's, one after another. However, Bellmond's threads passed through, cutting their way through and closing in on their target.
"What is wrong? You cannot win with defense alone!" shouted Bellmond.
"You're right," said Vandalieu.
"Now then, I suppose I should begin a counterattack," said another voice from some distance away. Astonished, Bellmond turned to look in that direction.
To his left, some distance away, the Zombie Gillmen had gathered in one spot. Wondering whether it was these Gillmen Zombies who had talked, Vandalieus popped out from their scaly bodies, one after another.
"Eh? What? Dear guest, are these your brothers?" Bellmond asked the Vandalieu whom he had engaged in battle, bewildered at the other Vandalieus that were smoothly appearing from inside the Gillman Zombies.
"No, all of them are a part of me," Vandalieu replied. "The one fighting you is my physical body, which is moving the others through the Long-distance Control skill."
"These ones," said another Vandalieu, "are my spirit-form clones made after using Out-of-body experience, which had been fused with the Zombie Gillmen."
"Now then, I'm going to begin my counterattack," said yet another spirit-form Vandalieu.
The spirit-form Vandalieus pointed a long, pipe-shaped object that the Gillmen had been carrying on their backs towards Bellmond.
"A physical body and spirit form bodies?! No, no, please wait, dear guest, that is strange," Bellmond stammered. "Do you mean to say that you used your physical body… your main body, as a bait to fool me?!"
"Well, you say it's my main body, but is it?" said Vandalieu.
"Did you not think that you would be unable to entangle all of my threads, and that you would be torn apart? In fact, in one more minute, I can separate your entire body into pieces," said Bellmond.
"Even if my body is separated into pieces, it will take me less than three minutes to put the pieces all back together, so I won't die," Vandalieu told him.
"… But even Noble-born Vampires would die from that."
"Also, I have this method."
A Worm's head sprouted from the back of Vandalieu's neck. Its mouth, the only feature on its head, opened and a thick fluid overflowed from it.
That fluid… the Dark Copper, became an armor that surrounded Vandalieu's body. Datara had tempered this Dark Copper Golem into a suit of armor.
And then he even put his Magic Absorption Barrier and his Impact-Negating Barrier up, engulfing both his and Bellmond's threads.
Bellmond was dumbfounded at the way Vandalieu was creating defenses one after another with such ease. And now that Bellmond's threads were in the barriers, they were almost completely immobilized.
Every time he moved his fingers to try and manipulate his threads, his threads instead ate into his fingers and blood sprayed from them.
"I am aware that I am being impolite, but… Dear guest, are you some kind of aberration or monstrosity?" Bellmond asked. Now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to cut off all of his limbs and run away, but he asked this question instead of reciting the incantation to do so.
His heartbeat grew violent as he realized that defeat was unavoidable; his cheeks became flushed and his eyes trembled, blurring his vision.
"I consider myself to be a person, so it is very regrettable that you said this to me," Vandalieu replied as the spirit-form Vandalieus loaded a silver projectile into the pipe… or at least began to, before changing to a different projectile.
An Iron bullet was loaded into the pipe… the gun that had spiral-shaped grooves built into the barrel to make its projectiles rotate. Vandalieu made small adjustments to his aim and then used Telekinesis to send the bullet forth.
"Fire."
In contrast to the flat-toned voice, the bullet was fired with a thunderous noise.
"Kuh… fushaaah!" Bellmond extended his forked tongue to manipulate a thread to try to avoid Lambda's first bullet that had been fired by Vandalieu.
But the iron bullet flicked the thread aside and struck Bellmond's torso.
『You have acquired the Artillery Technique skill!』
It seemed that in Lambda, the skill for using guns was not Gun Technique, but Artillery Technique.
The iron bullet crashed into the far wall opposite the underground lake, causing part of the wall to crumble. It did make sense that it was being treated as a cannon rather than a gun.
Also, the barrel of Vandalieu's telekinesis rifle that he had built for accuracy and power was literally nothing more than a barrel; there was no trigger or magazine, so it was probably difficult to call a gun.
But even as Vandalieu acknowledged the power of his Telekinesis gun and its barrel, he decided never to use it underground unless absolutely necessary.
"By the way, can you talk? I used an iron bullet instead of an Orichalcum or silver one, and I also altered my aim a little, so you shouldn't die," said Vandalieu, looking down at Bellmond, who was rolling around on the ground in a pitiful state, but maintaining his polite tone of speech.
"Kah… Hyuh… I humbly apologize… for showing you such disgrace…"
A hole had been gouged out from Bellmond's right flank through his chest; fragments of entrails, bones and blood had scattered about. Also, because he had been sent flying after being shot and rolled across the ground multiple times, his body had been wounded by the sharp threads that he had been manipulating.
No digits were left on his hands or feet, and his tongue was in shreds.
However, the "disgrace" that Bellmond mentioned was not referring to that. He was referring to his own true appearance, which was now visible because his monocle, a Magic Item of disguise, had broken.
Terrible burn-marks and stretched scars were visible through his torn clothes. Half of his handsome face was covered in burns, and one of his pupils was cloudy.
And the shape of his ears had changed.
"It's surprising that you were a woman," Vandalieu remarked. "And it seems that you were originally a Beast-person. Can members of Vida's races also become Vampires?"
"I am from a race known as the Forest Monkey Beast-people," said Bellmond. "With that said, I am not a Beast-person; there is Lamia blood mixed in my ancestry. This tongue and, though it is difficult to tell now, my blind eye, are in the shape of those of a Lamia's. It is not impossible for members of Vida's races to become Vampires. However, there is a ninety percent chance of failure and the possibility of death as a side-effect of the transformation. But how did you know I was a woman? As you can see, all of my womanly parts have either been burned or cut off."
"I can see your internal organs through your wounds," said Vandalieu.
"I see… That slipped my mind." Bellmond, who turned out to be a woman, gave a bitter laugh. "So, will you finish me off?" she asked. "I am not as powerful as you, but I am a Noble-born Vampire with the status of count. I will be able to recover from wounds such as these. I do not know if I will be able to move in the same way that I could before, but after half a day, I will be able to manage walking. Also, even while we are enjoying this conversation, it is not impossible for me to recite an incantation if I tried."
"But you're not trying to recite any, are you?" said Vandalieu. "In fact, you have no intention of making a counterattack. Also, the Death-Attribute Charm skill is having an effect, isn't it?" He could no longer feel any reaction from Danger Sense: Death.
Bellmond gave a surprised look before exhaling, as if coming to an understanding. "I see. So, it is a charm-type skill. However, rather than me having been charmed by you, dear guest, my heart is being stirred because I was wondering what would change if I killed you, and by the fact that even if I cannot kill you, you will do me the favor of killing me."
"Ah, so it was having that kind of effect."
Even though it was a charm, it didn't mean that it would cause everyone under its effects to become friendly towards Vandalieu. Those who were ill or mad like Bellmond would show reactions like this.
In other words, a yandere.
Now that Vandalieu thought about it, Sercrent and Isla, whom he had defeated previously, were Vampires, but unlike Eleanora, they hadn't become friendly towards him. It was possible that they hadn't simply resisted the Death-Attribute Charm, but that it had simply exhibited its effects in a distorted way.
He had already broken Sercrent's soul, so he would have to ask Isla once he returned to Talosheim.
Vandalieu made a note of being more careful from now on.
"So, surely you are not telling me to change sides, are you?" asked Bellmond.
"Change sides," said Vandalieu.
"… So, you are."
"I am," said Vandalieu. "All you did was try to kill me; I don't have any particular grudge against you, and I want you to teach me about using threads," Vandalieu continued as Bellmond gave him an exasperated look. "Also, I'm currently recruiting a steward."
"… Even though I am a very evil person?" asked Bellmond.
"Hmm, but there is nothing haunting you. Could it be that you have spent long years watching this place and not gone outside?" Vandalieu asked.
"… That is correct, dear guest," Bellmond replied.
She had told Vandalieu that she had lived for tens of thousands of years, but in truth, she had only lived for around ten thousand years after becoming a Vampire.
Ten thousand years ago, the clan that she had been born to exiled her due to her ancestor's blood manifesting as strange physical features. After wandering aimlessly, she finally reached a place where people lived, only to be treated as a monster and raped.
On the verge of death, she was picked up by the Vampires who worshipped Hihiryushukaka.
"My master just happened to be looking for an obedient subordinate to guard this mansion," said Bellmond. "Despite its appearance, this is a place that serves as both a shelter for dire situations and as a vault for items; it would never have been left in the hands of someone who would betray her. And my master found half-dead individuals such as myself, saved them and raised them as Vampires."
"Considering that, you don't seem to have much loyalty," Vandalieu commented.
Bellmond gave a small laugh. "All kinds of things can happen if you live for ten thousand years. Especially with a body like this. The scars I gained before I became a Vampire cannot be healed, you see."
For the first few years, she had worked frantically to repay the favor that her master did for her. She studied hard and improved herself among companions with similar circumstances.
Her ability was acknowledged and she became a Vampire. While she shed tears for her companions who steadily grew fewer in numbers over the next few decades, she continued to frantically polish her skills so that she could return their favors to her master as well.
She was left in charge of this mansion and several centuries passed. She gradually began wondering if she was simply being made use of.
On her thousandth year after becoming a Vampire, her master forced the Magic Item monocle on her, along with the words, "Don't expose your horrid appearance at this mansion."
On the ten-thousandth year. Everything began to feel like it was in vain. There were almost no opportunities for Bellmond to amuse herself by using the techniques that she had learned, and even when there were, they ended quickly. Even when she thought it might be better to make an escape, when she asked herself what she would want to do after escaping, she couldn't come up with an answer.
She thought perhaps it would be better to simply die, but she couldn't bring herself to do that, either.
Before she knew it, several more years had passed. After spending so long in a worn-down state of mind, Vandalieu had appeared.
"Then isn't it fine to change sides and join me?" Vandalieu asked, satisfied that Bellmond hadn't been involved in Talosheim's fate.
Of course, he didn't simply think that she was another victim. She had killed several people in the past ten thousand years, and had likely committed many crimes.
But these were things that Vandalieu didn't care about in the slightest.
"Honestly, I don't really care that it's very questionable whether you're good or evil," Vandalieu continued. "The perception of that changes easily between nations, cultures and ages. And I'm apparently considered an evil person to a great number of people, too. I don't know about the ideas of good and evil in a society that I have no relation to."
Vandalieu couldn't imagine that absolutely good beings could exist. Good existed because the concept of evil also existed. Since this was his way of thinking, the idea of good and evil was in itself an ambiguous concept.
In fact, both on Earth and in Origin, good had failed to save him.
Of course, he knew that it would be narrow-minded to come to conclusions based on only his own experiences, but things were going well in Lambda with this way of thinking, so he thought that this was fine.
"… What about the fact that I tried to kill you, dear guest?" asked Bellmond.
"I won, so it doesn't count," said Vandalieu.
He simply thought that in fights to the death, the victor held the rights to the life of the defeated.
With monsters, he stripped them of their materials and Magic Stones, and with bandits, he killed them and drank their blood.
Even in war, killing enemy soldiers was an achievement, and capturing them alive earned extra money.
With that being the case, Vandalieu had defeated Bellmond, so he was free to invite her to join him.
"Speaking in extreme terms, it's just a matter of changing sides while you're still alive, or changing sides after you die," Vandalieu told her. "But when you die, your memories and personality might crumble or undergo significant changes, so it would be most helpful if you changed sides while still alive."
There were some, like Chezare, who shone brighter after becoming Undead, but those were rare cases.
"So, what will you do?" Vandalieu asked.
Since Vandalieu hadn't needed to use Dead Spirit Magic, Princess Levia and the other Flame Ghosts were free, so they appeared before Bellmond.
"It is better for you to join His Majesty," said Princess Levia.
"We haunt His Majesty like this, and even though we are Ghosts, we are able to eat delicious things. Isn't that right, Levia-sama?" said another Flame Ghost.
"Yes. It would be reassuring to have you lend your strength to His Majesty," Princess Levia told Bellmond. "Can I make this request of you?"
Realizing that there was no escaping this particular guest, Bellmond gave in. "Very well, dear guest," she said. "However, I have two conditions. The first is that you defeat my master… Ternecia-sama. The other is that you return my body to its original form."
If Vandalieu were to be killed by Ternecia, there would be no meaning in changing to his side, and in her current state, Bellmond wouldn't be able to teach him about using threads or act as his steward.
"I understand," said Vandalieu, giving a nod to these conditions that even an S-class adventurer would hesitate before accepting. "I'll start by gathering and reconnecting your organs and bones together. Princess Levia, everyone, please keep your flames down. Bellmond's offal is almost burning."
"Ah, I'm sorry! I will keep my distance now," said Princess Levia.
"Dear guest… I have to question calling someone's organs 'offal,'" said Bellmond.
Perhaps she had been too hasty in her decision. But even so, Bellmond couldn't help but hold great expectations of Vandalieu.
"GUAAAAAAH! LONG LIVE TERNECIA-SAMAAAAAA!" Daroak, a Noble-born Vampire with the status of marquis, fell as his heart was pierced through by the fist of a female warrior, letting out a dying scream that sounded as if he would end in an explosion if he was in a special effects film on Earth.
He was the one praised to have the greatest fighting ability after Ternecia herself, a man known as the 'Fighting Dog' in the underground world, someone who had lived for tens of thousands of years.
"Hmph. No matter how much you turn your body into mist, you are powerless before my Shining Fist Technique."
Jennifer, who had defeated Daroak with her Magic Item bracers that were shining white, joined her companions and glared at the final remaining boss.
The Pure-breed Vampire Ternecia, who had her usual prostitute-like appearance, clicked her tongue at the death of her trusted aide as she glared back at Jennifer.
"Oh my, you really went and did it," said Ternecia. "Even my Five Dogs have all been wiped out except for one… To think that you disposed of three of them, even if Isla wasn't among them. I underestimated you people a little."
All around, there were ruins of buildings and trees lying on the ground. This had been one of Ternecia's bases, a considerably stylish mansion, but… because of the destructive waves of battle, it and the forest around it had been turned almost into a wasteland.
"Still, you are quite flashy," Ternecia continued, looking around at what was left of her base now that there was no longer a ceiling obscuring her view of the moon and stars. "The legendary champion Bellwood felt pain in his heart every time he even stepped on a flower. Are you people different from him?"
"To hesitate to destroy you in order to protect a remote forest with nothing but monsters living in it would be a sin," Heinz replied. "I did think about it, however, as this forest is the source of a river."
Bellwood had avoided using knowledge from other worlds, but he had proactively spread knowledge regarding the natural environment, which still remained today. The fact that water was stored in forests was one of the pieces of knowledge he had left behind.
"Tch, words befitting of 'the one who tears through the darkness,'" said Ternecia. "But I am tired of hearing your voices! I'll let you continue singing as my Undead!"
Ternecia released a killing intent powerful enough to produce physical pressure, but on the inside, she was irritated and a little discomposed.
What are Birkyne and Gubamon doing?! Why are they not hurrying here; at this rate, I will be forced to use that trump card!
As if seeing the disturbance in Ternecia's mind, Diana, the priestess of the Goddess of Slumber Mill, made an attempt to cast an enchantment spell.
"I won't let you! Kah!" Ternecia gave a strange cry as she tried to use the Petrifying Demon Eye that she had replaced her right eye with.
"That's my line!" said Delizah. "Great Provocation!"
Ternecia's hostility was forcibly redirected to Delizah by her Shield Technique martial skill.
Delizah's fingers and toes began turning into stone with an unpleasant sound, but Ternecia's gaze was quickly turned away from her.
Ternecia let out another noise of frustration.
Edgar had creeped up to her and attacked from her blind spot. His Mythril short sword, enchanted with light-attribute magic, was pointed at Ternecia's vitals.
She blocked it with her claws and tried to tear through Edgar with the same motion, but in the next moment, his body vanished like mist.
"A Clone?!"
"I'm surprised you could tell. Most would confuse it for magic." Edgar waved his short sword as he created more clones of himself using Afterimage, an advanced Armor Technique martial skill. Even if most of them were just illusions, considering that any of their attacks could be real, they couldn't be ignored.
"All together!" shouted Heinz. "Radiant Sword Flash!"
"Radiant Fist Barrage!"
Heinz's magic sword and Jennifer's magic fists assaulted Ternecia. Even she couldn't handle all of this; her body suffered numerous wounds.
Considering the amount of Vitality that she had, all of them were little more than scratches. However, the attacks of Heinz's party were all specialized against Vampires. Even these scratches inflicted her great pain, greatly reduced her extraordinary regeneration ability and, most importantly, caused her concentration to come apart.
"… Don't swarm me, you brats! Chaotic Wind Blade Dance!"
Unable to contain her irritation, Ternecia released countless blades of wind into her surroundings. This should have forced Heinz and his companions back temporarily, giving her an opening to regain her composure.
However, Diana recited an incantation. "Mana, be guided by the goddess and become peaceful. Magic Slumber Wave."
Her spell drastically reduced the power of Ternecia's own spell, enough for Ternecia's spell to be deflected by the anti-magic defense of the party's defensive equipment, which was made of plenty of Dragon and magical metals.
Now that Heinz and his parties were the ones with an opening, the force of their attacks increased.
These people… They are accustomed to fighting enemies who are stronger than them!
The Shield-bearer Delizah would draw the enemy's hostility, Edgar would follow up, Jennifer would attack with many small attacks while Heinz would close in with a single powerful one, and Diana would support all of them.
Their coordination of execution was very advanced, and Ternecia was unable to exhibit her powers against them. On her own, she couldn't deal with the coordination of Heinz's party. No matter what she tried, she couldn't make any successful significant move.
The monotonous attacks she released in her irritation and frustration were blocked or had their power dampened by Delizah and Diana.
"How can I, Ternecia-sama who has survived the war against the champions, lose to such inexperienced brats!"
Ternecia was enraged. It was true that she was strong. She was a creature at the top of the food chain; she was so powerful that she could crush the average Dragon as if it were a winged insect.
However, that was precisely why she was weaker than she had been a hundred thousand years ago.
She had robbed countless of their lives over the past one hundred thousand years. However, most of these lives had been taken in one-sided slaughters, while the enemies she had faced who were capable of fighting her evenly were within countable numbers. And for the past few tens of thousands of years, she had simply existed as a tyrant ruling over countless subordinates.
Ternecia's instincts had been dulled by the days she had spent without ever experiencing her life being at risk; her mental strength and techniques that had once been sharp were now worn-down and loosened.
In such a state, Ternecia had no way of defeating the coordination of Heinz's party on her own. The three Pure-breed Vampires had been ruling in a parliamentary system precisely for situations such as these, but -
Kuh, do Birkyne and Gubamon intend to abandon me here?!
Her last ray of hope, her reinforcements, did not appear.
Ternecia gave a hoarse scream as she received yet another shallow wound. Although Heinz and his companions were now certain that they could defeat her, they were continuing their attacks without letting their guards down.
And then Ternecia bared her fangs and gave them a maddened laugh. "Die as you regret having cornered me! Activate, Demon King's Horns!"
In the next moment, Heinz and his party were torn apart by the horns sprouting from all over Ternecia's body.
Name: Bellmond
Age: Approximately 10,000 years old (18 at time of Vampire transformation)
Title: Ternecia's Foolish Dog
Rank: 10
Race: Noble-born Vampire Countess (Forest-Monkey-type Beast-person)
Level: 7
Job: String Master
Job level: 7
Job history: Apprentice Hunter, Apprentice Thief, Thief, Assassin, Servant, Thread-user
Passive skills:
Dark Vision
Superhuman Strength: Level 3
Rapid Regeneration: Level 5
Status Effect Resistance: Level 6
Self-Enhancement: Subordination: Level 10
Mana Recovery: Damage: Level 10
Sense Presence: Level 7
Intuition: level 3
Mental Corruption: Level 7
Active skills:
Bloodsucking: Level 7
Archery: Level 1
Throwing: Level 1
Short Sword Technique: Level 9
Wind-Attribute Magic: Level 2
No-Attribute Magic: Level 1
Mana Control: Level 1
High-speed Flight: Level 1
Silent Steps: Level 8
Trap: Level 5
Dismantling: Level 3
Transcend Limits: Level 1
Housework: Level 10
Thread-reeling: Level 7
Unique skills:
Offering
The weakest among Ternecia's close aides, her 'Five Dogs,' who has been given what is, in a way, the most important role. She was often sneered at by the other members of the Five Dogs for being a "watchdog."
Other than the occasional times that Ternecia visited her, Bellmond has spent over ninety percent of her ten-thousand-year-long life guarding a mansion with nothing but weeping, gasping, screeching Undead. Thus, her mental state is one step away from being like that of a disabled person, and she is possessed by a desire for her own destruction.
However, because of this, she has distanced herself from other Vampires, and in that regard, she is normal.
She was originally a female of a race of forest-monkey-type Beast-people, but part of the Lamia blood in her ancestry manifests itself in her physical features.
But due to the violent rape that she suffered before becoming a Vampire, her body is covered in scars and burn-marks. One of her eyes lost its vision on one occasion of her being assaulted, and the long tail that she should have has been cut off.
Thanks to her blindness in one eye and the irresponsible way that Ternecia has raised her, not caring as long as she didn't grow defiant, she is actually the weakest among the Five Dogs. She was not equipped with any Magic Items other than her Magic Item monocle.
Also, Vampires do not gain any bonuses to their talent for magic, so because she was born as a Beast-person, she remained unskillful with magic even after becoming a Noble-born Vampire. This is why she does not use any magic other than the spells needed to assist her in manipulating her threads.
She is at her strongest when she uses Short Sword Technique to fight, but… she is a hobbyist who prioritizes her hobby.
She is a master when it comes to ordinary housework; particularly when it comes to cleaning, she works flawlessly despite being in a mental state where entire blocks of several years can go missing from her memory at once.
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Chapter 95: Fire
With her shoulders heaving up and down, Ternecia gave a gleeful cackle at the drug-like sense of liberation that was filling her mind. Her appearance was now quite unlike that of a Vampire.
There were horns not only coming from her temples, but twisted, branched horns had also sprouted from her back, abdomen, upper arms, the back of her hands, thighs, knees and calves.
"Kufuh… Did you see it? Did you taste it? This is the power of a sealed part of the Demon King Guduranis… the 'Demon King's horns.'"
The fragment of the Demon King that Ternecia had acquired several tens of thousands of years ago. That was what these horns were. The 'Demon King's horns' that could pierce through all kinds of magical defenses and even tear through Adamantite with ease. This was Ternecia's trump card.
By joining forces with Birkyne and Gubamon, who also harbored fragments of the Demon King in their bodies, she had escaped from heroes with the divine protection of heroic gods and emerged victorious in battles with Pure-breed Vampires who worshipped other evil gods.
But that would end today.
"I see, fufu, they betrayed me. Ah, I see, I don't need them. I'm this powerful, aren't I? That's right, I'm strong. I don't need them. I'll kill them, take their fragments of the Demon King, find the other fragments in the Amid Empire and Orbaume Kingdom - guh!"
Ternecia was seething with rage at Birkyne and Gubamon who hadn't come to save her, but suddenly she gave a groan and clutched her head.
This is bad, the encroachment has already begun. I have to hurry and suppress it…!
Fragments of the Demon King bestowed vast power to those who possessed them. Enough power to even fight against gods.
However, the price of this power was great. The fragment of the Demon King's body was still alive. It was trying to take over the mind and body of Ternecia, its false host, and gather the other fragments of the Demon King in order to resurrect him.
Even if it weren't alive, the Demon King's fragments contained Guduranis's Mana that had properties that were not supposed to exist in Lambda, so they would still eat away at their hosts.
The extent to which this had occurred was displayed as the 'Demon King Encroachment Degree' skill on the Status. Ternecia's Demon King Encroachment Degree was already level 5. The higher the level of the skill, the more freely she could use the fragment of the Demon King, but it was also proof of how close she was to the Demon King, how much her mind had been encroached upon.
Ternecia tried to calm herself and suppress the Demon King's horns, but seeing Heinz and his party get back to their feet around her, she had no choice but to stop doing this.
"This is… the power of a fragment of the Demon King," Heinz murmured.
"To think you'd fill my Adamantite shield with holes. You really outdid yourself," said Delizah.
Heinz and his companions had been seriously injured, but none of their wounds were fatal. And even those serious injuries were steadily healing.
"… Good grief. It seems that you are far more like Vampires than I am," said Ternecia. "How is it that none of you died with my last attack?"
Delizah's Adamantite shield and Heinz's armor of Mythril and Dragon scales had been torn to pieces by the Demon King's horns. Even if they were A-class adventurers, at least one… in particular, the lightly-equipped Edgar and Jennifer, should have suffered fatal wounds.
However, all of them were still alive and ready to continue fighting.
Before them was a monster who had lived since the age of the gods, defeated several gods and even possessed a fragment of the Demon King, there was no sign of defeat in their eyes.
Does one of these people have that Job? No, if that were the case, I should have been cornered further. Which means that at most, one of them has the qualities for it.
"Well, that just means that I have to kill you until you die! Raging Spiral Throw!" Shouting the name of an advanced Throwing Technique martial skill, she fired the Demon Kings' horns that were sprouting from her body!
"Don't try to block it!" Diana warned her companions. "Please avoid or attack them!"
Heinz's party did as she said, dodging the Demon King's horns or striking them to change their trajectories with martial skills.
"We'll create an opening!" Edgar shouted. "Million Slashes!"
"Go, Heinz!" said Jennifer. "Thousand Radiant Destructive Fists!"
The two of them both used the Transcend Limits skill along with advanced martial skills, closing in on Ternecia while spinning and striking down the Demon King's horns.
"Leave it to me!" said Heinz. "True Magic Radiant Destructive Attack!" The tip of his magic sword, which was glowing even more fiercely than when he had cut Chipiras in two, closed in on Ternecia.
"Evil Wall!" Ternecia shouted, and the Demon King's horns grew from her body once more.
The Demon King's horns were different to the horns of Dragons that were made of bone; in terms of properties, they were more like the horns of deer or rhinoceroses. Just as a deer grew new antlers every year, the Demon King's horns changed their shapes in the places that Ternecia wanted them to.
The reason she wore clothes with many slits that exposed her skin was so that she could use the Demon King's horns when she needed to.
The horns twisted, branched and entwined around each other, turning into a shield to meet Heinz's magic sword.
"UOOOOH!"
"AAAAAAAH!"
Heinz tried to pierce the Demon's Kings horns and drive the tip of his sword through, but Ternecia grew more Demon King's horns, solidifying her defense further.
This guy! This guy is a Guider after all!
Guiders were those who led not only their chosen companions, but many others as well. Excluding the champions like Bellwood and Zakkart, who had possessed this Job in the age of the gods, the number of people who had acquired this Job in the past one hundred thousand years could be counted on two hands.
In a way, it was a Job considered to be a requirement to be a champion.
The fearsome thing about Guiders was not only their own strength, but the way they endlessly strengthened their companions and those under their guidance.
As she had once been under the guidance of a champion herself, Ternecia knew this all too well.
"GAAAH! Evil Wall! Evil Armor! Spiral Pulverizing Strike! Light-crushing Dark Spear!"
"Kuh?!"
Ternecia unleashed martial arts of Shield Technique, Armor Technique, Throwing and Spear Technique in quick succession, enduring Heinz's attack with sheer strength and forcing him back. And then she glared at the one she suspected could become a Guider, as well as his companions who were likely being protected by him, grinding her teeth.
She needed to kill Heinz, his companions and the Dhampir they were keeping at all costs. If they were left alone and given a chance to develop further, it was possible that the Vampires would be helplessly hunted down in the future.
Currently, Ternecia was still stronger than them. If she faced them down now, she would have about a seventy percent chance of killing them all.
However -
"Damn it, if I could just use magic, I would have more options!" Ternecia's head was in pain from using advanced martial skills in quick succession. The mysterious Mana in the Demon King's fragment had poor compatibility with other attributes of magic. Because of this, when the Demon King's horns were active, Ternecia couldn't cast any magic other than no-attribute magic.
Normally, this weakness would be meaningless due to the sheer power of the Demon King's fragment.
『The level of the Demon King Encroachment Degree skill has increased!』
Ternecia heard this voice echoing inside her head and she screamed as the sinister sensation of the Demon King's horns grew stronger. She felt a pleasant, numbing feeling spreading through her body, countering her headache and blurring vision. Her sense of panic reached a peak.
At this rate, even if I kill these guys, I'll be taken over by the fragment! I have no choice but to finish this later!
"I will definitely kill you. Remember this!" Ternecia screeched.
"She's trying to escape!"
"We won't let you!"
Heinz and his companions tried to chase after Ternecia as she fled, but she fired the Demon King's horns once more, obstructing their way.
By the time Heinz dealt with the horns, Ternecia was nowhere to be seen.
Using the legendary-class Magic Item implanted in her molar, Ternecia managed to teleport to her secret hiding place and then collapsed, pressing her forehead against the smooth, polished stone floor.
"I-I managed to escape…"
She had to regain her strength. She had to tell Birkyne and Gubamon that Heinz could become a Guider and then kill his party with their help.
This wasn't the time to be waiting for the Dhampir who was beyond the mountain range.
There was something wrong with Hihiryushukaka, too. How could he call himself the Evil God of Joyful Life? Heinz and his party were far more dangerous than a Dhampir who could create Undead, weren't they? Why hadn't Hihiryushukaka sent a divine message to kill Heinz earlier!
"Bellmond… Where are you absentmindedly strolling about now?! Hurry and come to me! You are my 'Foolish Dog,' aren't you!" Ternecia called for her last remaining confidant… her most useless servant.
This servant was scum who could only serve as a watchman for this place and as emergency rations; her mind and body were both broken and her appearance was unsightly. However, she possessed the unique skill called Offering. With the effect of this skill, the one who consumed her would recover all of their Vitality and Mana, and most status effects would be removed.
If Ternecia drained Bellmond of her blood, she could instantly make a full recovery. That was why she had kept Bellmond here all this time.
Now Ternecia would have Bellmond give her life to repay the favor of being picked up by the Vampires.
"Why aren't you coming! Hurry and - ah?"
Ternecia made no attempt to hide her irritation as she stood up. She saw not Bellmond, but five children all with identical faces, pointing a pipe in her direction.
Her mind froze for a moment before she screamed for her life.
"Telekinesis gun, fire."
With a roaring sound, something was fired from the pipe. Ternecia had been trying to suppress the Demon King's horns, she was forced to use them to try and protect herself a moment before the projectile hit her.
But the bullet fired from the pipe pierced through the Demon King's horns, which could normally tear through even an Adamantite shield, as if they were made of hard candy. It found its mark in Ternecia's neck.
Ternecia's eyes were still open wide in astonishment when her entire face disappeared. Her headless body collapsed onto the floor once more.
And then there was another roaring noise as the bullet hit the wall far on the other side of her, causing the cave to tremor. A few seconds later, there was a splashing noise as something fell into the underground lake.
"It seems that Orichalcum really does have a different level of power… but maybe I put too much Mana into it."
Vandalieu sighed as he looked at where his four spirit form bodies had been before disappearing due to the violent recoil and the gun barrel that now resembled a split piece of bamboo.
After Vandalieu put together the various scattered pieces of Bellmond back together, she had told him that the place Ternecia appeared when she visited this place was a port inside the mansion that allowed her to travel directly from the mansion to the underground lake via a boat.
The legendary-class Magic Item that Ternecia had in her molar was small and exceptional in how portable it was, but it was only capable of teleporting her to a previously-recorded location and the place she teleported from.
Vandalieu had been watching Heinz's party corner Ternecia through Lemures stationed far away from the battle, his gun with an Orichalcum bullet loaded in it waiting for her the moment she made her escape.
While waiting, he had created a small Dungeon for teleportation purposes behind Ternecia's hideout, wandered around, tamed the Undead Ternecia had created and collected the Magic Items and other items that had been kept here.
Incidentally, a week had passed since Bellmond had joined his side.
"She came here faster and in a more spent state than I expected," Vandalieu remarked.
"Is there not something else you should be saying?" Bellmond asked him.
"Something else…? Is there something I've forgotten?"
"Yes." Bellmond sounded a little exasperated at the fact that Vandalieu didn't show any particularly strong emotions after easily disposing of a Pure-breed Vampire who had ruled the underworld since the age of the gods.
But from Vandalieu's perspective, Ternecia was far less of an enemy than Gubamon, who was the boss of the one who had killed his father and the one who had stolen the corpses of Talosheim's heroes, and Birkyne, who was Eleanora's former master.
Of course, Ternecia was the person who had been pulling the strings to cause the war between Talosheim and the Mirg shield-nation two hundred years ago, so she had indeed been on his list of "people he definitely had to kill."
"Ah, if you're worried about the fact that this underground space might collapse, it's fine, because I've already made it more tremor-resistant," said Vandalieu. "Even in the worst-case scenario, we will have time to escape."
"… I can see that from the numerous thick stone pillars you have built next to the mansion," Bellmond told him.
"I do not think that is what she meant, Master," said Luciliano.
Even though it meant being parasitized by a creature and being equipped inside Vandalieu's body, Luciliano's burning researcher spirit had driven him in a desire to see the Undead created by a Pure-breed Vampire.
Luciliano was the first living human Bellmond had seen in a long time; thinking that he understood, she felt a sense of empathy.
"Those precious materials on the ground must be quickly collected!" Luciliano exclaimed. "This is a specimen of a Pure-breed Vampire that has lived since the time of the gods, one that has received the divine protection of an evil god! Its value is unfathomable!"
"… No, that is not what I was trying to say," said Bellmond.
Our senses of values don't match. It must be because I'm insane, thought Bellmond, feeling a sense of loneliness as she looked at Luciliano's eyes sparkling with greed.
"I suppose you're right," said Vandalieu, agreeing with Luciliano. "Death Delay. Please infest her," he requested his insects after casting a spell on Ternecia's body, which had started convulsing on the ground. And then he equipped her corpse inside his body.
It would have been a pity to let the large amount that had spilled onto the floor go to waste, so he turned it into a Blood Golem, made it go into his mouth and gulped it down. The broken horn fragments were collected into his luggage.
『The level of the Bloodwork skill has increased!』
To think that Vandalieu's skill had leveled up after drinking her blood once. Even if she had been rotten, she was still a Pure-breed Vampire.
"Please let me examine her as well when we return, Master," said Luciliano. "However… recovering her head is impossible, I suppose. I would have liked the Petrifying Demon Eye that Miss Bellmond mentioned, or fragments of her brain, but…"
"I have grown more and more afraid of going outside," said Bellmond. "Have you humans not become even more sinful than you were ten thousand years ago?"
"More importantly, do you know anything about the things that looked like horns and thorns growing from her body when I fired my Telekinesis gun?" Vandalieu asked.
"That is… No, I do not know," Bellmond replied, her tone of speech as polite as ever. "However, I suspect that it may be a fragment of the Demon King."
Hearing this, Vandalieu used Appraisal on the horn fragment that he was holding in his hand.
『Ternecia's horn: Details are unknown, but it contains Mana with the same properties as the Demon King Guduranis's blood.』
"I see… Ah, you two, get away from me," said Vandalieu. "She's coming."
"Coming?" Bellmond and Luciliano repeated.
"Ternecia isn't dead yet."
The moment they understood Vandalieu's words, a black, twisted horn flew out from the distant lake surface.
Vandalieu put up his barriers to try and stop it, but in the next instant, he heeded the warning of Danger Sense: Death in his head and threw himself on the floor.
The twisted horn easily pierced through the Impact-negating Barrier.
"I see, so barriers don't work on those horns. Still… I'm surprised you're alive," Vandalieu murmured in slight surprise as he stood up.
Ternecia, wearing a bloodcurdling, angry expression with water dripping from her body, emerged from the lake's surface.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" she shrieked.
She had grown a new torso with her regenerative ability that defied reality, but she was in a state where her spine and ribs were accompanied only by her internal organs and a small amount of muscle, with some black, hard substance here and there holding her together.
"It seems that the rule that Vampires die when their heads or hearts are destroyed doesn't apply to Pure-breed Vampires," said Vandalieu, immediately using Golem Transmutation to return the gun barrel to its original shape and fire his Telekinesis gun once more, but the bullet was easily avoided this time. "You're quite fast, considering that you look like you are on the verge of death," he remarked.
Despite being enraged, Ternecia had not forgotten the attack that had inflicted such severe damage on her.
"There's no way it will hit if you don't take me by surpriiise!"
The floor shook with thunderous noises, but Ternecia took evasive maneuvers at speeds beyond Vandalieu's expectations. That was how cautious she was of the Telekinesis gun, but in reality, there was a delay of several seconds after firing before the next bullet could be fired, and it was difficult to maintain accuracy at ridiculously-long distances or against moving targets. It was an experimental weapon full of flaws.
I suppose I can't hit enemies that fly around at high speeds.
When fighting Bellmond, Vandalieu had used his main body as bait to stop her movements, while just earlier, he had taken Ternecia by surprise. It seemed that he would need more planning before he could use his gun freely like a protagonist of an action movie.
"DIE! DIIIIIE!"
Ternecia looked as if she didn't even have a shred of sanity left as more of the Demon King's horns were fired from her body. Even being grazed by these horns that were spinning, twisting and branching rapidly would likely cause a loss of a large chunk of flesh.
"Extend your branches and vines," Vandalieu instructed the Immortal Ent equipped inside his body. As barriers were ineffective against these attacks, he had decided to use the Immortal Ent's vines, branches and his own threads to entwine around the horns and trap them.
This was an effective strategy, as the Demon King's horns had plenty of spots where they would get entangled due to their shape. Even though Vandalieu couldn't repel them, he successfully managed to drastically change their trajectories.
"So, Master, what do you plan to do now?!" Luciliano asked.
"There is something I'm curious about, so I'm going to think," Vandalieu replied.
"Can we interpret that as you being composed in this situation?!"
"Princess Levia, I'm going to give you tons of Mana, so I'll be relying on you," said Vandalieu. "Eleanora, please cast Acceleration on me."
"Yes, Your Highness," Princess Levia replied as she appeared.
She and the other Ghosts turned into spears and skulls of black flames and then rammed themselves against the horns, trying to dampen their force as much as possible.
"Leave it to me, Vandalieu-sama," said Eleanora as she emerged from Vandalieu's body to cast the time-attribute spell, Acceleration, on him.
Like Luciliano, she had been standing by inside Vandalieu with a parasite in her own body.
Now that time had quickened for Vandalieu with Acceleration, he went deep into thought as his Dead Spirit Magic intercepted the Demon King's horns.
Seeing this, Luciliano and Bellmond moved to support him as well. Luciliano recited incantations for enchantment spells on the Immortal Ent, while Bellmond used the threads that she was so proficient with to help divert the Demon King's horns.
"BELLMOOOOND!" Ternecia howled. "WHY DID YOU BETRAY ME?! YOU UNGRATEFUL MONGREL!"
With her subordinate's betrayal revealed, her madness was intensifying. It seemed that her anger was making her become more articulate, but she didn't even notice that she was firing the horns before they had finished growing or that she was turning the mansion into rubble.
Bellmond gave a scornful laugh at the one she had given ten thousand years of loyalty to.
"So you say, 'dear guest,' but my new 'Danna-sama*' here treats me far better," she said. "It is true that you saved my life, but I have served you like a dog for ten thousand years. That is enough, is it not?"
Some would say that one should repay the debt of having their life saved by giving that life to the person who saved it, but that depended on individual senses of values, bonds and relationships.
And Bellmond had in fact spent ten thousand years serving Ternecia while being known as the 'Foolish Dog.' Could she really be called a mere traitor?
"You sheetty woman! I'll kill you along with all of the other sluts!" Ternecia screamed.
"Me, a slut…!" Eleanora breathed.
"I-I won't forgive this!" Princess Levia cried.
"Your language was always rather foul, but oh my…" said Bellmond.
"Ah, it is quite fine if you ignore me," said Luciliano. "In fact, please forget that I exist, if you can."
At first glance, this conversation seemed to be a relaxed one, but one attack from the Demon King's horns finding its mark would leave not only Luciliano, but Bellmond, Eleanora and even Vandalieu helpless. Even Princess Levia and the other Ghosts would be extinguished if they were hit after using up the Mana that Vandalieu had given them.
Even though Ternecia was simply repeating her monotonous projectile attacks, they couldn't let their guards down.
And Ternecia herself was in a dire state. She had received a fatal wound without having recovered the Mana and mental strength that she had used up in the battle against Heinz and his party. She had somehow managed to survive with her regenerative abilities and the Demon King's horns, but because of that, she had been forced to continue fighting without undoing the effects of the Demon King's horns.
Thus, she was unable to use magic. She had no choice but to stay airborne and fight, firing horns and spending vast amounts of Mana. If she didn't constantly stay moving, there was no telling when she would be shot by that mysterious pipe again, so she couldn't use her Petrifying Demon Eye.
And since only about thirty percent of her bones and muscles had returned, if she tried to engage in close-quarters combat right now, it was likely that her body would suffer damage.
Damn it! If only I could at least recover my torso! What did these guys do with my body?!
Ternecia was frustrated. If she could at least recover her torso and put herself back together, she might have been able to do something.
Luciliano pressing Vandalieu to collect her body had secretly been an excellent play.
Meanwhile, Vandalieu was watching Ternecia use the Demon King's fragment, deep in thought.
I also drank the Demon King's blood. So then, shouldn't I be able to do the same thing? But over half a year has passed since then, but there were no signs of me being able to do that at all.
Isn't there some kind of forbidden power? First, I need to use Out-of-body Experience and examine my body… Oh?
As he thought at a pace which had been sped up by Eleanora's Acceleration, he examined his own body and found a strange foreign substance (?) inside his body.
Put me together, put me together, make me whole.
Vandalieu could hear a small voice that he had never heard before. It seemed clear that there was a will inside his body other than his own.
How… unpleasant.
Put me together, make me whole.
『You have acquired the Demon King Encroach -』
You're a part of me. I'm you, and you are me.
Put me together… You? I am you, you are… me? I will put myself together, I will make myself whole.
Yes, that's fine.
Leaving aside Pete and the other creatures in his body, it was not good to have a will other than Vandalieu's own existing in the flesh and bones that made up his body.
『You have acquired the unique skill, Demon King Fusion!』
The moment Vandalieu heard the announcement that he had gained this skill, he knew how to use the Demon King's blood.
"DIIIIE!" Ternecia shrieked.
At the perfect timing, Ternecia's attack pierced through the Immortal Ent's branches, tore through Bellmond's threads and closed in on Vandalieu.
Facing this attack, Vandalieu used his claws to cut his own neck.
"Vandalieu-sama?!" Eleanora screamed Vandalieu's name, but blood gushed out of his neck as if his neck was a fountain, and then twisted around like a snake to intercept the Demon King's horns.
"WHAT IS THAT?!" Ternecia and Luciliano somehow shouted the exact same words.
The Demon King's horns were swallowed up by the Demon King's blood that had surged out from Vandalieu's neck.
"Why do you have a fragment of the Demon King?! Could it be that you undid the seal in Nineland… Hyih?!" Ternecia hastily began trying to escape as she saw the Demon King's blood not stopping after twisting around the horns, closing in on her. But without warning, her body became heavy and stopped obeying her commands.
"This is, it can't be… You intend to abandon me?!" Ternecia grunted as the Demon King's blood, which had coagulated to become solid, broke through the Demon King's horns as if they were nothing more than small branches and sank into her entrails.
As her internal organs were sent flying and she felt death approaching, she could hear something having a conversation.
I, you, join this body. Gather, me, and make me whole.
Incompetent host, incompetent host, I will join the superior hos- the main body. I am you, you are me.
The Demon King's blood absorbed Demon King's horns with the unpleasant noise of skin being torn off before returning to Vandalieu's open wound. Ternecia, who now had nothing remaining other than a few bones and organs hanging from her neck, fell helplessly into the underground lake once more.
『You have acquired the Demon King's horns!』
『The level of the Demon King Fusion, Mental Encroachment and Grotesque Mind skills have increased!』
"Great, I've won." Vandalieu performed a small fist pump.
Eleanora and Princess Levia stared at him in astonishment. Bellmond's mouth was twitching and for some reason, Luciliano seemed to have been moved to tears.
"That just now… was great?" Eleanora asked.
Princess Levia seemed uncertain. "Umm, it seems that you have defeated that person, but…"
"To think that you not only harbored a fragment of the Demon King yourself, but that you would use it to steal the Demon King's horns. Though I say so myself, it seems that I have wagged my tail for a troublesome individual," Bellmond remarked.
"To think that I can research one of the highest of all forbidden arts, a fragment of the Demon King, so closely! Ah, I am so glad you took me as an apprentice, Master!" Luciliano cried.
"It seems that my apprentice's opinion of me has risen in a completely unexpected way, but leaving that aside, let's collect the Experience Points and materials," said Vandalieu. "Ah, and please keep it a secret from my mother that I cut my own neck," he added.
"Umm, Your Majesty? Is your body alright?" Princess Levia asked. She and Eleanora seemed worried, but Vandalieu gave them a nod.
"There aren't any problems with it," he replied. The wound on his neck had healed; other than the fact that he had spent a great amount of Mana, there was nothing wrong with his current condition. "Even if it is a fragment of the Demon King, now that it has become a part of the flesh and bones that make up my body, it is a part of me."
If his dominant hand were to gain a mind of its own and say things like, "Listen to my commands from now on," it would be very troublesome.
Thus, if it was possible to absorb the Demon King's fragments, it was best to do so.
"In that case, well, it is probably alright," Eleanora decided.
"Yes, well, I suppose so," Princess Levia agreed.
The two of them still seemed strangely bewildered, but Vandalieu thought that they would be more satisfied if he became able to use make full use of the Demon King's fragments, so he decided to collect Ternecia's body.
"Bellmond," he said.
"Certainly, Danna-sama."
Threads extended outwards, raising Ternecia's body that was floating on the lake's surface, and dropped her onto the floor.
There was a groan.
Surprisingly, Ternecia was still alive, though there was a thick shadow of death on her face.
But naturally, Vandalieu showed her no mercy.
"Now then, first of all, let's collect the Petrifying Demon Eye," he said.
"Wait… Stop… Help GYAAAAAH!" Ternecia screamed.
"One of the forbidden books that I took from the Mages' Guild says that some varieties of Demon Eyes can't be transplanted if they are not retrieved before death, so I will not wait," Vandalieu told her.
Ternecia opened her mouth and screamed as Vandalieu mercilessly continued his dissection after having already taken one of her eyes… and then Bellmond put her fingers in Ternecia's mouth.
"I am aware that you have a Magic Item implanted in your molar," she said.
Ternecia looked directly into the eyes of her subordinate, who was giving a faint smile. And then she realized that Bellmond was becoming something completely different from her past self.
This woman…! Just like Heinz's companions, she is being raised up by another being! Who, who is this person…!
Ternecia looked around with her remaining eye to see that the same thing was visible in Luciliano and Eleanora's eyes.
And then she finally looked at Vandalieu's eyes, and she was certain that he was the one responsible.
"That eye isn't a Demon Eye, so I suppose I don't really care about it," Vandalieu murmured.
Now that she had lost the Demon King's horns and her Demon King Encroachment Degree skill, she knew just how dangerous this Dhampir was. Even Guiders were nothing compared to him.
I must not be killed by him!
Perhaps it was instinct or Hihiryushukaka's divine protection that told her this. She was shaking in fear, but she literally had no hands or feet to do anything.
She had been cursed with misfortune.
"Ah, this is unexpected," Vandalieu whispered as two silhouettes appeared a short distance away from the mansion that had been turned into rubble.
"Eleanora?!"
"Just what is happening here?!"
Birkyne and Gubamon had teleported to Ternecia's hideout in order to Judge her.
The two of them had wrongly suspected that she had been working together with the Dhampir. Now, they froze for a moment at this scene that they could not understand.
The same applied for Vandalieu and his companions; they hadn't expected that any other Pure-breed Vampires would appear, let alone two of them at once.
Using this opening, Ternecia spat Bellmond's finger out of her mouth and teleported away.
"Curses!" said Bellmond, extending her hand reflexively towards the spot where Ternecia had vanished.
"That doesn't matter," said Vandalieu. "We're running away."
"OBUH?!"
Vandalieu stuffed one of his Worms into Bellmond's mouth to infest her while equipping both Eleanora and Luciliano inside his body.
And then he used Telekinesis to fire his own body like a cannonball towards the small Dungeon that he had created.