Chapter 69

Oga hissed, both in annoyance and in pain. He didn't expect that Micheal von Christner would become ridiculously strong in his rage. His arms burned and ached as he weathered the thunderous blows with his own blade. So far, it was like a contest of strength that was slowly getting way out of hand.

"RAAH!"

He crashed into one of the supporting pillars but was thankfully still standing. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself off. However, that left him open. He looked up and his eyes widened a little as he watched the vampire leap up towards him with his curved greatsword raised high. Yet, at the zenith of his leap, he was knocked to the ground by a charging unicorn.

"Ha! Nice one!" he cheered on as he steadied himself on his shaky feet. Then, he felt a hand go under his armpit and help steady him. Glancing to his side, he noted a familiar mop of black and white hair.

"You alright?" asked Shien with concern as the vampire got to his feet after crashing to the floor.

"Heh, never felt better," the mazoku replied with a grin.

"Well, we already mopped up the extras," the jackal-folk informed him as flying daggers courtesy of Yogiri flew at Micheal. One missed but one was buried to its hilt in the vampire's chest.

"Heh, we better finish this one up then," said the former as the vampire pulled out the dagger and tossed it aside. With a sudden burst of speed, he rushed down the rogue and swung but she disappeared with a burst of sound that crashed against him.

"Have you finished yapping? We need to settle him already!" she yelled at them as she reappeared by their side.

"No problem!" he shouted back as he got up. He then felt something getting slipped into his free hand. Looking down, he saw that it was a carved wooden dagger. He raised his brow.

"Can't go killing vampires without a stake, right?" snarked his friend beside him.

"Heh, got that right," he muttered with a grin as he tucked it into his belt.

With a roar, in again, intercepting the vampire's blade as it tried to dig into the unicorn's flank.

"Oi, I'm not done yet!" he shouted as he continued swinging his weapon again like his life depended on it.

Metal crashed against metal and the fight resumed.

"SHIKAKA!"

"HORAYO!"

Both spectral fists collided, the force generated pushing both spirits and their owners back.

Reyo scoffed, looking on angrily, "You still wish to fight back? How brave you are."

"Hmph! You took part in all this, of course I'm going to fight," Korone retorted, "I'm bringing you in, dead or alive."

He scoffed again and replied, "Fool! I will not be imprisoned by the likes of you! You will die before I ever stoop so low as to be defeated by you!"

Before he could advance, a voice shouted, "Cheater!"

He scowled when he noticed the blond girl on her feet, brandishing her rapier and surprisingly, a dagger.

"Oh? And what can you do, other than insult me?" he asked dismissively.

"You talk about feasting? It's cooking time!" she shouted as she pointed her dagger at him.

Much to his shock, an orange beam streaked out from the dagger point straight at him. He stared, outwardly unflinching, as Blood Memoriam deflected the beam of crackling energy upwards. However, it was disturbing as she had never displayed that spell before. Just what had happened to her to suddenly develop powers similar to his. As powerful as he was, six opponents were a bit too much. Granted, he could easily take out a few of the weaker ones, the dog girl would always get in his way. And he had no idea who was the second extra. Damn it all. He would have to escape and perhaps fight on more even terms.

"Damn it all," he repeated out loud as he looked past the bounty hunter with narrowed eyes, "If it weren't for you, I would have finished them off. No matter... I shall retreat for now and destroy you another day!"

He then made a run for the door that his master went through. Lucky for him, his spirit deflected another potshot at him.

"Enough! I won't be stopped!" he roared as he grabbed the heavy cover of his master's coffin and tossed it straight at her friends.

He made a dash for the exit; an explosion and a shower of debris followed in his wake as he got out of the room. He then went through the door to his right and found himself in a room with several coffins. He took another right and peeked inside. He growled when he noticed that the undead and the spawn in the room were huddling against the walls of the room.

"Fools!" he shouted as he burst in, "You cower in your corners while intruders stomp around your master's abode. Hopeless! Redeem yourselves and kill the intruders in your master's place of rest! NOW!"

This shook the spawn out of their turning and they quickly brought the rest of the undead out of it too. Satisfied, he left the room to continue making his escape. Heading down the tunnel to his right, the tunnel led to a dead end with a glowing magic circle. With a smile, he stepped into it and disappeared in a flash of light.

Nene wanted to move but couldn't. There was no way she could reach her recovering friends. And what could she do when she did? How could she-

"This cannot pass."

The priestess' words seemed to echo in her brain as four purple tentacles sprouted out of her back. Aiming them at the rapidly moving cover, crackling energies poured onto their tips as four eldritch beams slammed into the coffin cover, breaking it apart and sending it all over the place. The bard continued to gape as the eldritch priestess looked at the fleeing faux vampire and tried capturing him.

"Tch, such a slippery eel," Nene heard her mutter as the summoned tentacle failed to grasp a hold of his ankle.

The bard then took a fearful step back as Ina'nis turned to face her.

"No need to be afraid, my dear Nene," she stated with an otherworldly smile, which suddenly became pencil-thin and devoid of emotion. She then turned to the main entrance of the room and muttered, "How annoying. He is becoming quite a pain."

The lore bard then became aware of the familiar, slimy, sensation at the back of her mind. And then, as the occupants of the previous room burst in, a rumbling voice weighed down on her and spoke in her mind, "See how the world bends to my avatar's will..."

Tentacles burst forth from the darkest corners of the room as the eldritch priestess gestured and chanted in an unknown tongue. Every enemy was bound and held in place, every limb tied down, not one able to move freely.

"No mortal eyes can see them, for they cannot comprehend. But those that have made a pact with me... all shall be laid bare should they will it..."

The tentacles on her back then aimed at the undead, the tips slowly gathering energy. With another word, the four eldritch beams shot forward, piercing through multiple bodies like a hot knife through butter.

"These, you will learn in due time. You only need to preserve the pact."

With the enemies defeated, Ina'nis turned around to address her, "Now that is taken care of, I- why are you crying, Nene?"

She blinked in surprise. She then felt something trailing down her cheek. Reaching up to touch it, she brought her fingers to her eyes. Blood. The stress on her mind reached a peak, pushed to the brink. Her vision swam and she felt as if she was flying as darkness consumed her sight.

Polka quickly ran forward to catch Nene's falling body before she could hit the ground. She and Botan looked over her worriedly while Lamy marched up to Ina'nis and growled, "What. Did. You. Do."

"Ah, no worries. She just saw too much for her mind to bear," stated the priestess with a smile, "All she needs is a little rest."

"Huh, so, is my help still needed?" asked Korone as she suddenly peered over the cleric's shoulder, surprising her.

"For now, it is. Later, I might be hiring you for your services," was the reply.

"Okay!"

"Is this connected to Reyo?" asked Lamy with a frown, still looking unconvinced, "You will be sending Miss Korone after him, I presume."

"Perhaps," she stated as she calmly walked past them, "Come, let us be rid of this coffin. Does anyone have a fire source?"

The rich lining of the coffin made suitable tinder, especially after getting ripped to ribbons by the lion girl. As she lit the spark to set it alight, the eldritch priestess simply smiled at the job well done.

"What now?" asked Polka once the fire was roaring.

"Well, what else do you see here?" Ina'nis asked rhetorically, motioning to the other two coffins, "We continue burning."

The greatswords grinded against each other amidst the growls and grunts from both combatants. With a roar, Oga overpowered and pushed Micheal off and tried to follow up. Unfortunately, he got a kick to the stomach that halted his advance. Two more furious swings sent his opponent back on the defensive. With a loud yell, he tried taking back his advantage and charging back in. Mirroring his yell, the vampire swung his own sword downwards, but it wasn't aimed at the mazoku.

A veritable shock ran up his arms as the large, curved sword collided with his and forced it down. His eyes widened as his blade crashed against the ground as he continued moving forward. He grit his teeth when he noticed it curving ever so slightly as a minute crack developed a third away from the tip.

"Damn it!" he roared as he brought his sword around for another swing.

Unfortunately for him, the vampire seemed to be targeting his sword more than himself, hacking at the cracked part of his blade. He became even more enraged when the part shattered and broke off after a few clashes. Micheal then took a few steps back and prepared to swing, the blade of his sword glowing red. The same stance he took before the mazoku was sent crashing into the pillar.

"Gah, this is going to hurt," he thought to himself as a plan formed behind his knitted brow. With another yell, he charged in as fast as he could.

The enemy's blade moved, slicing through the air as he moved in with his own blade raised. He could feel the curved blade biting into his side, cutting through skin and muscle but just that.

"OGA!"

The rage dulled the pain and moved him forward; his blade found its mark and was buried into the vampire's shoulder as he felt the guard of the vampire's blade pushing against his skin. He noted carefully how his opponent freed one hand and reared it back to punch. He tilted his head to the side to try and avoid it while making a similar motion, except to grab instead of a strike. His head crashed into the vampire's helmet, leaving a visible dent in it. As Micheal flinched, the mazoku kept a firm grip as he let go of his sword and pulled the wooden dagger from his belt. With one swift motion, he stabbed his opponent straight in the heart.

"Yeah!/ Alright!"

The vampire froze. He then gazed down at his chest. At the same time, Oga vomited blood as he fell over backward, crashing to the ground. The former then wheezed out and fell to his knee.

Pulling out the wooden carving, the von Christner stated, "Well, it seems you are the victor."

"Heh, thanks to my friends," Oga coughed out as he grinned at the vampire, "Good fight."

"Indeed… I am, at least, glad to have fought honorably one last time," the former stated before collapsing forward. Dust spread out as the horned helmet bounced once and landed at his feet.

Oga coughed again as he continued to bleed out before feeling a soothing sensation. Surprised, he felt his side and found his wound closed. He also heard hooves.

"I suggest a week's rest to recover from this ordeal," stated the unicorn as it approached him with its horn a-glow. As the light dimmed, signaling the end of the healing, it continued, "I suppose I should check on the one that summoned me before I leave."

"Yosh, that was a good fight," said Shien as he and Yogiri approached as the mazoku gingerly got to his feet.

"Ah, it sure was," he replied with a grin as the unicorn teleported up a floor with a flash of dim light.

"Hey, guys! You won?"

Their heads looking up spotted a familiar fennec fox girl looking at them from the balcony.

"Yo! You settled your fight too?" called out Oga as he waved.

"Yeah… not without trouble."

"When have we adventurers settled anything without trouble?" he quipped.

"Eh heh, yeah..." she muttered sheepishly. She then turned around and said loudly, "Ah, hold on! I'll get her."

Shrugging, he turned to his friends and said with a toothy smile, "I think we're done here. Let's check up on them and then head back. I'm sure Lord Aruran and the others got through some interesting fights of their own."

"Heh, I bet none of them fought with a unicorn by their side," replied Yogiri, "Well, unless you count Civia."

Sharing chuckles between them, they headed up the stairs to the upper level.

AN: Greetings, readers. Welcome back.

The night is ending. First up, Oga versus Micheal. Well, not exactly. Just to show Yogiri, Shien, and the unicorn wiped up the vampire spawn and the ghasts. Oga is not having it easy going 1 vs 1 with a vampire. And it isn't easy normally.

And then, back to the Reyo versus Holo5 fight. So, Nene has gained a warlock level. Orange-colored eldritch blast. Her love-love beam is in full effect. And Reyo retreats. He is smart enough to see that things have stopped going his way. But before he makes a clean getaway, he sends the undead in the previous room after them.

This brings us to Nene's POV. She can see the true form of Ina'nis' power. Thus, the flavor of Ina's spells. Summoning tentacles as part of her spells, invisible to the naked eye but shadows of which could be seen by fellow pact members. Also, the Ancient One speaking to her. And then she fainted. Polka catches her and Lamy starts going after Ina. But, after some assuring, they move on to destroy Kruze's coffin as well as every other coffin present there. Remember everyone, always try to wreck a vampire's resting place should you find it.

The last scene of the chapter shows Oga's victory against Micheal. The others came very close to intervening but held their ground. This should be a good victory for the guild, eh? Right, There was also a vague hint to Ina'nis hiring Korone to hunt down Reyo. That lives to be seen.

Next chapter, we wrap up. Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.

Omake: Destroyed

The hollow boom seemed to be coming from a few rows away, but coming nearer. Fubuki's ears pricked up upon hearing it and she stopped in her tracks, Izuru and Rikka stopping with her.

"Something is coming," she warned them, prompting everyone to get ready for a fight.

A wall nearby suddenly burst open, sending debris and dust flying. After waiting for a few seconds for the dust to settle, they saw Lord Aruran on bended knee as if he landed there, a single groove in the road leading up to him. His clothes were in a mess but his hair was only slightly out of place.

"Why won't you stay down, Amos?" asked a voice from within the house as a soot-covered nobleman stepped out. His fine clothes were torn here and there and his hair messed and tousled.

"Hmph, I have to defend the city after all. There is no way I will stand down from this," declared the lord as he got up, standing tall with pride, "And I think you can stop calling me Amos. I am Lord Aruran Daiso. This is my city and you are not welcome."

"Fool! I will not be denied my victory!" the former roared as he pointed his finger at the lord, a pinprick of fire materializing.

"The fires of Tamamo beg to differ," stated the fox maiden as she gestured a sphere in front of her and then gestured to the vampire.

"What!?" yelled Kruze when the spell fizzled out at his fingertips. Looking around and finally noticing them, he glared at the fox girl and shouted, "Insolence!"

"Izuru. Rikka. Back up," she stated calmly as she gestured a mystical sign. As her helpers nodded and backed off a few feet, she chanted and ordered, "Trick or treat, Superstition! Make clones!"

An exact replica of herself appeared next to her, already gesturing and chanting softly. Several seconds later, three more mirror images appeared around them. Around the same time, he leaped straight at her.

"You lost focus."

Aruran suddenly appeared in front of him and kicked him in the stomach. Kruze crashed to the ground while he landed on his feet. Glancing behind him, he stated, "Best be on your way. This fight is not yours to finish."

"It's fine, sir. I think we'll stick around," said Rikka.

"Yeah. We can pull you out if things get too much," added Izuru.

"I will burn you to ash!" shouted the angry vampire as several balls of fire appeared over his head.

The two bards glanced at each other and nodded. They then strummed a note and sang the note. Higher and higher the volume went until it became unbearable for him and he clasped his ears in irritation, causing the spell to dissipate into nothing. Then, the fox girl clones then swarmed around him and trying to hit him with their maces.

"Enough!" yelled Kruze as threw his arms out, unleashing a burst of electricity around him, destroying the clones. However, that left him open as a blast of light blew up in his face.

"ARGH!"

Aruran didn't waste this opportunity. He dashed in and landed a powerful punch, the power behind it sending the vampire flying into a light post. As he bounced off, the noble kicked him up into the air and punched upward. An audible crack rang out as the vampire bent into an odd angle.

"...Damn you... and damn your followers," wheezed out Kruze as he tried to crawl away.

"I presume they destroyed your coffin," stated the nosferatu as he stepped after him, only pausing to take a sending stone from his breast pocket.

"I shall have my revenge, Amos, I swear," declared the von Christner when he caught up and grabbed him by the neck. His hands started glowing and the vampire seemed to freeze in place.

"You will do nothing of the sort," he added when a tree burst out of the ground behind him, startling the others. Archdruid Kshryr phased and stepped out of it, the tree then going back into the ground.

"I rather not petition her to do that again, Aruran," he told the noble rather annoyedly. Glancing at the frozen captive, he continued, "Him?"

"Yes," he confirmed, "If you would please."

The archdruid raised his hand, a mote of light engulfing it fully. Placing it on the head, he then said, "With the power of the sun, may you be laid to rest."

A blinding ray of light issued forth and disintegrated Kruze von Christner instantly, leaving behind only dust.

Aruran nodded and said solemnly, "A dark plot halted./ Hope rises upon yonder breaks./ A new day is born."

"Er... but it's still too early for the sun," commented Rikka hesitantly.

"Oh, be quiet."