Chapter 83: Tactical Coordination! Clash of Gods?

"Careful, its target is blood! You have all become its prey!" Wang Yu shouted to the soldiers standing in the distance and the mages huddled among them.

Wang Yu had already gauged the vampire's strength: its physical prowess exceeded that of a peak official knight. Facing any of the three warriors present—Wang Yu, Edward, or the squad leader—it was an absolute, crushing force.

Even the combined efforts of all three could only manage to hold off this absurdly powerful creature, whose regenerative abilities were equally staggering.

When strength reaches a certain threshold, it exerts an absolute suppression over weaker individuals. Once the gap in power crosses a limit, numbers lose their meaning; no matter how many soldiers stood before this vampire, they were useless, and being torn apart like paper was the only expected outcome.

Moreover, with access to blood, this vampire could regenerate at a hyper-speed. The soldiers would not be an obstacle; they would become its supply pack. Once it breached their ranks, no one present would survive unless they fled.

Wang Yu and the squad leader tried to intercept it, and Edward, being the closest, fought even harder to block its path. But they discovered that when this vampire, which already suppressed them in both speed and strength, chose to evade them, they had no chance of even touching it.

Before? It simply hadn't bothered to dodge. When Edward lunged with all his might, the vampire merely flicked its overgrown limbs against the ground, casually tossing him aside.

Its speed on the ground was actually far greater than in the air. Its body density wasn't built for flight; without magic, flapping those wings was merely a brute-force exertion that barely allowed it to lift off.

But once it could grip the ground, its massive physical power found purchase, and it could effectively glide across the surface. Transforming into a blood-red streak, it charged directly toward the group of soldiers two hundred meters away.

Wang Yu sprinted, unable to stop the creature. Who knew why it had suddenly gained intelligence? He could only strive to minimize the losses, using every possible means to kill this thing.

Yet, Wang Yu soon realized his error. He was merely an important part of this team, not the whole.

Just because he couldn't contain the vampire didn't mean the soldiers and mages of the Night's Edge couldn't. He had fought alone for too long and hadn't shifted his mindset; his teammates were never mere window dressing.

"Bleed! Mages, tornado!" Avia watched the battlefield with total focus. Though the vampire’s constitution was formidable, it had not surpassed the limits of an official knight; it was not beyond the point of reaction.

Thoughts raced. Avia saw things more clearly than Wang Yu. Intelligence? Impossible. Wisdom is not so easily birthed. There was only one answer: this mindless beast was simply blood-starved.

It wanted blood? Then give it blood. With terrifying execution, the Night's Edge soldiers acted in perfect unison. They used their blades to quickly slice their own skin in places that wouldn't hinder their combat but would allow enough blood to flow. Within three seconds, fresh blood streamed down every warrior's skin.

At the fourth second, the wind spells prepared by the mages were released. A wind rose from the flat ground, spiraling upward. The tornado swept the blood from the warriors' bodies, gathering it. The colorless storm was dyed red, a blood-tempest rising into the sky.

At the fifth second, the vampire closed to within ten meters. A massacre seemed inevitable; the vampire, like a tiger among sheep, was about to slaughter them all. But at that moment, the blood-tempest collided with the vampire.

Undoubtedly, the tempest was essentially just wind mixed with blood. It might have had some lethality against ordinary people, but against this terrifying vampire, it might not even have scratched its skin.

Yet, this harmless gale brought the vampire to a dead stop—or rather, it bound the creature in place.

The vampire stopped for reasons unknown, spreading the small, tentacle-like limbs that had sprouted from its body. It tilted its newly regenerated head back, frantically waving its limbs toward the apex of the blood-tempest.

Wang Yu understood at a glance why it had stopped. The creature’s intelligence hadn't grown at all. In the beast's judgment, compared to the blood of Wang Yu or Edward, obtaining the blood of these soldiers was simply easier.

And so, with blood filling the air before it, even surrounding it in a storm, it was the simplest way to feed. It stopped, spreading its tentacles to reach for the tempest that looked abundant but was, in reality, impossible to fully grasp.

By now, Edward had arrived nearby. Avia cast a flash spell to draw his attention, and simultaneously, the shield from Shael’s second Major Arcana card, The Chariot, was cast upon him.

Edward looked toward the flash and immediately understood the girl's intent. He charged—a full-force charge. Activating the knight’s secret art, "Iron Sun," and surrounded by two layers of shields, Edward slammed violently into the vampire.

The flash had pointed toward the massive pool used for chlorine production. By now, what should have been saltwater had become a pool of highly concentrated hydrochloric acid due to the excess chlorine injection. The corrosiveness of this pool was far more terrifying than the chlorine itself.

The power of the mages was undeniable; what warriors could never achieve was not difficult for them. Creating the tornado hadn't used much magic, and the other mages had been preparing. Water elements gathered, and the entire pool of concentrated acid surged, transforming into a living, serpentine water elemental.

The acid serpent rose, holding its corrosive body high, and under the mages' guidance, it smashed down onto the vampire, which was still thrashing in the blood-tempest.

"Sizzle!" The moment the acid touched the vampire's body, violent corrosion began. The powerful, all-encompassing acid serpent coiled around the vampire, rapidly dissolving everything it touched.

The liquid seeped into every orifice—nostrils, eyes, every entry point—killing the powerful creature from within.

The vampire had indeed obtained some blood, which was frantically repairing the damage from the acid. Though its intelligence was no different from a mindless beast, instinct drove it to flee, to escape this ocean of acid.

The acid serpent, controlled by the mages, rolled incessantly, preventing the vampire from touching the ground and using the leverage of a kick to break free.

But the vampire’s immense strength, combined with its large bat wings—which acted like fins or oars—allowed it to use the acid's own resistance to try and force its way out.

That was when Edward arrived. Without hesitation, he lunged into the acid, driving his blade deep into the vampire's wing—a part that was large but relatively fragile compared to the rest of its body.

Already brittle from the acid's corrosion, the wing was severed by Edward’s blade. Losing its balance, the vampire’s effort to escape only caused it to spin in place.

The acid continued to corrode it; it was facing a slow, agonizing death. As for Edward, though he was also enveloped in the acid, his two layers of protection—manifestations of mana and battle aura—hardly reacted to the liquid, making the acid no different from ordinary water to him.

The synergy between warrior and mage far exceeded the sum of its parts; this was why, on the battlefield, they were a combination that was never separated.

Edward stared fixedly at the vampire. All that remained was to drag it out. If they kept this up, the vampire would be consumed by the massive volume of acid. Without blood to replenish itself, it would face only death.

However, everything happened quite suddenly. A group of people appeared on a nearby hill—middle-aged men and women with children, seemingly on an outing. Seeing the scene, they didn't interfere, and the adults guided the children away.

"Orphanage children? Just happened to be here during the mission?" Avia’s vantage point allowed her to see them. She glanced briefly before returning her attention to the battlefield.

And in that single moment, the situation shifted. The vampire suddenly stopped struggling.

Before Edward or anyone else could react, a blood-red tentacle sprouted from the vampire's chest, piercing Edward’s two layers of protection and his heavy breastplate, driving deep into his flesh.

No one knew how the vampire had suddenly unleashed such power; the acid should have exhausted its regenerative capacity. But it happened.

The limb dug into Edward, frantically draining his blood, while acid seeped into his wound, corroding his flesh.

Pain flickered across Edward’s face for a second, replaced immediately by resolve. Memories flashed, and the steady man suddenly wore a crazed smile. "No retreat!" he roared silently.

He grabbed the vampire's limb with both hands. If he was to die, he would soak in the acid with it. Whose blood would run out first, or would the vampire be dissolved first? Let’s see!

But one person saw more clearly than the rest. Under Wang Yu’s ripple vision, the phantom of a giant eye of flesh appeared behind the vampire. It was the Source of Life, Elphin.

Why was it there? There was no time to think. It had appeared, and the vampire still had to be destroyed. That had never changed.

Wang Yu looked at Edward, who held onto the vampire even as it pierced him, and wore a similarly crazed smile. He was glad to have such reliable teammates. Now, it was his turn again.

"Mages, stop the acid! Shael, swap me with Edward!"

Wang Yu roared, his spirit communicating with the deity he knew. "I beg of you, Lady of the Night."

The tall, black-clad lady nodded, bestowing her power upon her believer—no, her friend.

Shael was truly a genius; his mastery of spatial magic was perhaps beyond even Avia’s reach. A tarot card was tossed to Wang Yu. Edward already held one. Light flickered, and Wang Yu swapped places with Edward.

Trusting his partner without hesitation, the mages dispersed the acid serpent.

Now it was Wang Yu who had the limb driven into his body. Before this, he had swallowed all his "Heart of Molten" body-tempering medicine. "Blood-Burning Drive" was activated, and with the explosive supply from the medicine, Wang Yu’s blood grew so hot it nearly ignited.

He glanced at the vampire, his lips moving to recite the guidance chant for the Lady of the Night’s power: "Eternal Darkness." An uncaused darkness manifested under her power, covering Wang Yu and the vampire.

The divine art had no lethality, but Wang Yu didn't need the Lady of the Night to help him kill; he needed to kick the Source of Life off the battlefield.

Within the void detached from reality, the Lady of the Night and the Source of Life stood upon the same lake. The Lady looked at the twisted, aberrant giant eye, her expression beneath her veil one of pity, but mostly indifference. She sighed, "Pitiable thing."

With a wave of her black-gloved hand, using the "Eternal Darkness" as a medium, she cast a shroud of darkness, isolating herself and Elphin from the battlefield. The rest was left to her Archbishop.

Wang Yu unceremoniously pumped his scalding blood toward the vampire. You like to suck? Then suck on this energy-filled blood!

The knight’s secret art, "Bloody Rage," was pushed to its limit. Every drop of blood became an extension of his body. He had never tried turning his blood into a weapon before, but this was the perfect opportunity.

Wang Yu’s blood surged through the vampire’s limb, pouring into its body. Anemia? Perhaps. But Avia was there; he didn't care!

The ripple feedback returned to Wang Yu. It had arrived; his blood had reached the vampire’s blood pool. His brain, dizzy from blood loss, instantly sharpened.

"Die, you freakish vampire." The drive of "Bloody Rage" traveled through the ripples to the vampire’s blood pool, connecting with the scalding blood inside, and then—detonated!

The darkness dissipated. Wang Yu crouched on the ground, his face deathly pale. But the vampire had been pierced through by countless spikes formed from the blood within itself, dead beyond all doubt. Those spikes still radiated scorching white steam, hissing. Using blood as a weapon: Bloody Rage.