Chapter 82: Encirclement and Suppression

While the events unfolded within the sewers, the members of the Night’s Edge outside maintained their operations with methodical, clockwork precision. Unlike the uneven competence of the city guard, even the lowest-ranking soldier of the Night’s Edge possessed a discipline and obedience that left no room for doubt.

Faced with the long-delayed success of the chlorine gas attack, no one grew impatient, and no one voiced a complaint. Soldiers stood in formation, mages maintained their incantations, and billowing clouds of yellow-green, corrosive gas continued to pour into the sewer entrance.

Wang Yu, Edward, and the squad leader formed a triangular formation at the front. Nearly two hours had passed; the sun had reached its zenith, the hour of noon. Perhaps this was the best moment to confront a vampire?

With a grave expression and his Ripple fully extended, Wang Yu kept a constant watch on the situation below. After two hours of massive chlorine injection, unless the enemies had found a way to escape, they were bound to be severely crippled.

If they did not emerge to fight for their lives now, they had either already fled or were preparing some other contingency. Wang Yu had intended to pump the gas until dusk to ensure a thorough cleansing, but he remained vigilant against the latter possibility.

Two hours of intense focus was no hardship for a man like Wang Yu; if necessary, he could hold this line indefinitely. Soon, he would realize just how necessary his caution had been.

Within the range of his Ripple perception, at a sewer bend, a blood-red figure flapped leathery, pitch-black bat wings, transforming into a crimson blur as it surged toward the exit.

His heart jolted. Without hesitation, he activated his Blood-Burning Drive. Only the sudden surge in physical performance allowed him to catch a glimpse of the creature: skin the color of fresh blood, eyes glowing with a faint, eerie light, devoid of any biological emotion—only endless bloodlust and malice.

The skin, though human in texture, was pitted and cratered, writhing as it knit itself back together. The massive, bat-like wings were similarly marred by tiny corrosive holes, now being sealed by creeping, thread-like filaments of blood. It seemed this impossibly fast creature was still, fundamentally, a thing of flesh and blood.

"Careful, enemy attack! All soldiers fall back! Edward, squad leader, prepare to pin it down with me! Mages, cease casting and prepare to support! Soldiers, shield the mages!" Wang Yu had begun his deployment the moment he sensed the creature.

The soldiers moved with practiced speed, surrounding the mages and forming a human wall. The moment the order was given, the crimson figure burst from the sewer, streaking into the sky and unfurling its black wings beneath the scorching noon sun.

The three warriors at the front frowned. A "Blessed Vampire"—not only unafraid of the sun, but seemingly invigorated by it. The massive shadow it cast upon the ground looked like a true giant bat looming under the moonlight.

Yet, in the next instant, this over-excited vampire learned the meaning of the Night’s Edge. With near-light speed, several bolts of blue lightning tore through the air. The veteran mages, who had been channeling the current, had not been idle; against a target of such velocity, lightning was the ultimate weapon.

The bolts converged into a single, thick strike, slamming into the vampire’s body with a flash that eclipsed the midday sun.

"Watch out! It’s unharmed, prepare to intercept!" Wang Yu, with his 15-meter Ripple field, was like a player in a strategy game. He held absolute vision within that radius. The lightning was devastating, but the vampire’s skin was merely charred. Others might not see it, but Wang Yu did—it was already moving!

"Boom!" A sound like an exploding balloon echoed—the dull thud of the vampire violently beating its wings against the air. The red blur transformed again, charging directly toward the source of the lightning, seemingly unaffected. "Useless, but painful..." A mindless beast, driven by simple thoughts.

"Edward!" came the roar from Charles. A Tarot card was flicked into the path of the crimson blur: The Star, upright. Simultaneously, Edward whipped a card from his belt: The Star, reversed.

As the cards manifested, light flared. Edward blinked to the position of the upright card, his Lion Shield held high, glowing with brilliant gold.

This high-grade magical artifact was designed to convert battle aura into kinetic force, and of the three warriors, Edward possessed the strongest aura.

His aura vortex spun violently; his formidable talent and tireless training made the Duke’s son a peerless combatant. He poured every ounce of his strength into the shield, knowing he could not hold back.

"Clang!" The vampire struck the shield at an impossible speed. The kinetic energy stored within the artifact erupted, creating a shockwave that rippled through the air, causing the soldiers nearby to stagger, their unprotected ears bleeding.

Edward and the vampire were sent flying in opposite directions. Edward, despite his full-power burst, was clearly at a disadvantage. He crashed into the ground, leaving a crater, his shield sent spinning away. Gritting his teeth, he reset his dislocated wrist and scrambled to his feet, charging back into the fray.

The vampire merely shook its head, regaining its balance with a flick of its wings. Its evil eyes locked onto the "weak creature" that had struck it. "Useless, but painful... eat him." A simple, mindless judgment.

Sensing something, the vampire veered aside. Where it had stood a moment before, Wang Yu lunged, his axe swinging through empty air. The vampire’s red eyes fixed on him. "This creature's blood... especially delicious..." But its answer was a small bottle Wang Yu hurled at it.

"What is this?" The vampire was like a blank robot; perhaps its premature birth had left it incomplete, or its power had been poured entirely into physical strength at the expense of its intellect. It didn't even think to dodge.

"Crash!" The glass shattered, and the viscous liquid inside began to writhe. It was no poison, but a semi-finished Acidic Regeneration Agent—a volatile, ravenous, carnivorous slime!

Sensing the nutrient-rich flesh, the slime began to feed, secreting corrosive enzymes and unfolding its digestive organs to cling to the vampire’s body, gnawing away.

"Skree!" The creature shrieked in agony. The slime was devastating against such resilient flesh; you might not break a stone with a fist, but acid could dissolve it entirely.

Simple rage flooded the vampire’s mind. The source of its pain became its primary target: Wang Yu, still falling through the air.

The vampire beat its wings, tearing through the air, its fangs bared as it lunged. The speed was so great that even Wang Yu, with his mid-tier official knight reflexes, could barely react. A direct hit would surely incapacitate him.

But, unlike the vampire, Wang Yu was not alone.

Just as the vampire reached him, it felt a massive, invisible force dragging it down—a pull so strong that no amount of wing-beating could break free, as if the very air around it were being dragged down too.

The squad leader’s eyes, hidden behind his helmet, were locked onto the vampire. Though it was a struggle, he activated his inner potential. It was enough!

Nearby trees and stones were pulled toward the earth by a bizarre force. Within the squad leader’s range, everything was being torn downward, including himself.

Inner Potential: Earth’s Return. It could exert up to four times the gravity on everything in its radius. Years of practice had allowed him to branch this technique further, focusing an additional, crushing weight upon his target.

At this moment, nearly ten times the normal gravity tore at the vampire. Even its monstrous strength could not resist the pull of the earth. It plummeted uncontrollably.

It flapped its wings frantically, using the air to buffer its fall, but another figure was already within the radius of Earth’s Return. Wang Yu, his axe glowing with a terrifying light, descended.

The potential energy of four times the gravity added to his momentum. Wang Yu had used a series of magical barriers as stepping stones to reach a great height, and now, he and the vampire were falling together.

There was no stopping it. Wang Yu gripped his axe with both hands. The kinetic energy turned his strike into something transformative; steel would always be harder than the skull of a vampire, no matter how resilient its flesh.

"Crack! Splat!" The axe blade bit deep into the vampire’s bald, crimson head. The bone shattered like an eggshell under a stone, white fragments flying, blood and grotesque tissue spraying outward.

Having crushed the skull, Wang Yu faced a dire problem: a fall from a dozen meters. Even though the squad leader had canceled Earth’s Return, the speed was still staggering. If he hit the ground, he would need to start planning his funeral.

But Wang Yu’s style was to dance on the edge of a blade without being reckless. Chariot, Iron Sun, magical barriers, and even wind-based protection spells from the mages had been cast upon him. He landed, kicking up a cloud of dust; aside from the pain, he was unscathed.

He rolled to his feet, watching the vampire with its head split open. He did not move recklessly. Though its brains were spilled across the ground, the thing was not dead. The Ripple could not freely enter its body, which meant it still lived.

Recalling how his Blood-Stained Gale could turn spilled blood into a weapon, he remained cautious. He would not approach the heap on the ground.

He turned to signal the others, only to find the Night’s Edge soldiers and mages already preparing a fireball. The combined casting of dozens of mages created a sphere of flame above them that looked like a miniature sun.

Wang Yu smiled at the vampire on the ground. He was glad to have such reliable teammates. Under that fireball, no matter how strong the vampire was, it would be reduced to ash!

He did not lower his guard. The motionless vampire was a ticking time bomb. And as he feared, the enemy proved even more troublesome on the ground than in the air.

From somewhere within its body, tiny, blood-red limbs sprouted, anchoring themselves to the ground and pulling with frantic strength, allowing the skull-split vampire to move with terrifying speed.

Simultaneously, these tentacles acted like sewing needles, stitching the vampire’s wounds at high speed—the cracked skull, the missing tissue, all being knit back together.

"Damn it!" Wang Yu cursed. The creature’s speed after being wounded was even more absurd than before. It moved across the ground with lightning pace, repairing itself as it went.

Worse, it was heading toward the soldiers. Had that axe-blow actually given it a brain? Wang Yu grew grim. He dared not imagine the chaos if this creature gained true intelligence. If it reached the soldiers and mages, they would be no different from ragdolls.

Gritting his teeth, he charged, joined by Edward and the squad leader.

In truth, Wang Yu’s fears were misplaced. Intelligence did not emerge so easily; the vampire was merely driven by the instinctual "thirst" of its kind.

A gift from Elfin, this vampire was not only immune to sunlight but possessed a unique trait similar to inner potential: a Blood Pool. As long as there was blood, it would not perish.

Wang Yu’s strike had crippled it, but the Blood Pool was repairing it at a terrifying rate. However, human blood lacked the energy of its own monstrous flesh. Repairing the brain had consumed nearly all its reserves; repairing the rest was beginning to overdraw its very life force.

It needed blood—more blood. The instinctual thirst drove it toward the soldiers, the weakest yet most numerous targets. And for Wang Yu, this was the worst possible choice.