"A snake? Then I might as well burn the head." Vlov waves his hand, a immense wall of fire is sent in my direction. It blocks the entire corridor.
I step back. "Rika! Shield Noel!" I can survive this, but she can't. And even if she could, Noel is completely paralyzed out of fear right now.
Rika shouts. "Okay! Got it!" She gets in front of Noel, her body is the world's mightiest shield. In our previous fight not even Vlov's concentrated attacks could damage her, this wall of death is no different.
But that doesn't apply to me of course, if I'm hit by this I'll burn to death. I have a few options of how to counter it. First is the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Second in clashing against Vlov's flame with my own grain. Third is making a hole in the corridor and dodging that way.
My instincts tell me that every single option is wrong. I can't take Shiki's glasses and kill oxygen in time. My grain will not consume the flames in time. If I make a hole in the wall this whole place will fall on my head.
This is a death trap, a normal human cannot survive this. The vampire has declared my death, his guillotine is heat. The snake's head will be burned.
As if. "Don't get too cocky, undead." The ground is made of stone, beneath that is dirt, and it shall be easily destroyed by Vlov's flames.
Nonetheless I kick the ground, with my enhanced strength dirt flies at the flames, enough to cover the whole corridor. It's obviously not enough to put out the fire, but what matters is that the fire's first contact is not me.
The sounds of flames consuming everything is echoing through the corridors. But those flames got weaker, even if the decrease in power was less than point one percent, that's just enough.
I swing my sword, grain burst forth. Normally it would not have been able to consume the fire, but in battles like this that point zero chance matters.
It's not enough, so far that wall of death has made contact with dirt and grain, but it will still reach me. That's why I burst mana throughout my entire body.
It's like an aura of ki from Dragon Ball is surrounding me. It's not something I thought I could do until now, it was purely instinctual, something I've begun doing since my first kick without realizing.
The heat of the vampire reaches me, but it's weak enough at this point that I survive. Nonetheless I suffer a minor amount of damage. It's fine though, I knew I couldn't completely avoid it.
The underground shakes, I kicked a big enough piece of the floor that this place felt it. It's still better than me destroying the walls however.
Vlov smiles very slightly. "This battle is already won, you realize that, right? Or did you not learn anything about our previous encounter?" He's correct of course.
This place could crumble at any moment, and Vlov could simply fire a blast all around him. Him and Rika would survive, Noel and I would die.
But I do have one single advantage. The executor known as Ciel is rushing to my location without a doubt, there's no way she hasn't notices these tremors. When she arrives the battle will shift.
With her speed it will take less than a minute. Vlov can destroy this are in less than a second, so that what he says I can only respond...
"Didn't I say to not get too cocky, undead!?" I rush at him, I will challenge this knight to a duel. I can only hope he still has his pride as a knight.
He smirks. "Very well then." And points his lance at me. That thing is far more dangerous than his fire, but it's not more dangerous than the ceiling.
I must not clash my weapon against Vlov's weapon, that is one truth that I cannot forget. Ciel herself said that, and I will trust my teacher.
But I'm not the only one rushing at Vlov. Rika is doing the same, that's because Noel no longer needs her as a shield, no, it's because Noel needs her as a shield.
If Rika is closer than she can block Vlov's fire better, he has to generate heat from his body after all. So maybe she can stop that heat before it grown into an inferno.
Even though I started my dash first, Rika reaches Vlov way before I do, she tries to punch him. There's the sound of a cut.
Vlov dodged Rika's blow and cut her cheek. That lance manages to damage the Queen of Curses, it's way too dangerous, just like I thought.
Her droplets of blood fall to the ground, they melt their way even deeper as they go. It's just like Sensei theorized, inside of her body Rika is grain.
Rika hasn't been hurt in years, and yet she walks through the pain. With a roar she... Bites Vlov's shoulder.
The Vampire leaves out the slightest growl. "You...!" And punches Rika, there's an explosion concentrated on his fist. It's not enough to hurt Rika, but it does send her back.
That said, his arm is missing now, I can see what's left of his shoulder bubbling. That's because it's melting, Rika's saliva is grain.
But more importantly, missing his arm means he dropped his spear, and that's why I move as fast as I can.
I reach Vlov. "Who gave you permission to hurt my girlfriend?" And I swing my sword. Vlov tries to catch it and yet... I cut right through it. Releasing another blast of grain.
I don't end my swing there, the next one I aim at his throat, but that's when...! I feel hot, my whole body feels hot. My entire body is screaming death.
Vlov releases a concentrated explosion around his body. The only reason I survive is because Rika pulled me back with her arm, she was already being moved backwards with Vlov's attacks, so she had momentum to save both of us.
Vlov suddenly has both of his arms back, he kicks his spear back into his hand, and gives chase. He will reach Rika in a blink, and that tool of destruction will reach her before that.
Fifteen seconds have passed, fourty five more until the invincible iron maiden of the church reaches us.
Rika can only counter attack with one arm, the other one is still holding onto me. But nonetheless she tries punching Vlov's spear.
The vampire is trying to impale Rika, he interrupts her punch with his own. He only needs to use that spear with one hand after all.
I swing my arm at his spear, my weapon will clash against his, I will break Ciel's advice. But that's because I have no other options, I reinforce my weapon.
Our two weapons meet, my katana's blade cracks in a million pieces, his is slightly moved to the side. He yet again scratches Rika, but we stopped him from lending a fatal blow.
Rika and I finally regain our positioning. I immediately extend my hand towards Rika. "Give me anything!" I'm hoping for the glasses however, I'm still not confident about the gloves.
Vlov pulls back his spear, and then he trusts it again, I can't block it again. But this time Rika has both of her arms free. She punches the spear away.
Vlov steps back, his arm that's holding the spear is shaking. "Amazing, you improved boy. You're moving as fast as a top enforcer." I have no idea what that means.
Thankfully Rika hasn't forgot about my previous request, from her body she pulls out two items.
One is a usual pair of glasses, they contain the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. The other one is winter coat, I have no idea what it is.
Rika smiles. "I got you a new present Yuta~!" How though!? Is that Vlov's ability!? How did you copy it!?
Was it the bite? That can't be right, because Rika has certainly never taken a chunk out of Sensei or Shiki before and yet she copied their abilities.
It doesn't matter I don't have time to question it, I quickly take both of them. If this is Vlov's ability then hopefully I can fight fire with fire.
The vampire is looking curiously at the objects, but before long he shakes his head and dashes at Rika.
He's using his fire to blast himself forward, like a jet. And now he holds his spear with both hands.
Thankfully he's completely ignoring me, so while Rika moves to clash against him I put on the items.
First there's a headache, it's from the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. It's as annoying as ever, but it's also my only way of killing Vlov.
Then there's a strange temperature drop in my body, you think the winter coat would have the reverse effect.
But it doesn't matter, Rika has reached Vlov. Thankfully she doesn't clash with the spear outright, instead she tries punching it from below.
Vlov's momentum sends the spear to the roof, it's now stuck there. Another massive tremor echoes around the area, this place will collapse soon.
Thirty seconds have passed, thirty more until Senpai arrives and puts this vampire down. I have to kill him before then.
Rika punches Vlov away, he flies and loses his spear, I breathe a sigh of relief. But I still have to keep an eye on it.
Rika does not pursue him, instead she guards the only object that can harm him. So Vlov raises his hand and sends another wave of hellfire at us.
He's hoping Rika will move and defend Noel or me. That way he can gain another opportunity to obtain his killing weapon. If he does then Rika losing her life will be on the table again.
But this time I can counter it. I stomp on the ground and channel Vlov's power into a wave of my own. I do not know how to control it, so I simply send energy forward.
My eyes widen as the temperature around me drops. What leaves my body is not wave of fire, instead ice blocks the hell Vlov created.
The vampire eyes widen. "Idea Blood!?" That word echoes through my head, but I ignore it for now.
Vlov's ability is ice, not fire... No, it's more accurate to say that fire is a more complex application of it.
Thirty five seconds.
Vlov quickly shakes his head and dashes towards us. From his belt he draws a black sword, and with one quick swing he clear the area of the ice remaining.
I point my finger at him and send energy flying forward. I couldn't shape into anything, that's because I don't know how to. So what I fire at Vlov are multiple misshapen ice blocks.
He strikes them all mid-air, not losing his speed at all. "What kind of flea ridden dog are you boy!?" There's a bloodthirsty smile on his face.
It's unusual for someone like Vlov, he's always quiet and confident. But this duel between warriors is reawakening his pride, one he lost long ago.
Vlov reaches Rika, but it's futile. My cursed ghost girlfriend is the better fighter up close, still Vlov cannot be underestimated.
They clash, the catacombs shake as debris begins to fall. Two beings are breaking the sound barrier again and again, this place won't last for long.
Fourty Seconds.
Vlov is fighting Rika one handed, hoping that he can grab the spear with the other. That's why I send a single ice block in the direction of his hand.
Before it hits Vlov he does another small concentrated explosion, it doesn't affect Rika, but it does block my attack, and most importantly, it shakes the roof.
His lance falls from the roof, it broke around it. Vlov quickly ducks to pick it up, he's so impressive he can do that while fighting Rika, but...
A black key is a standard weapon used by the church, it's a small blade that can paralyze vampires. This is done by stabbing their shadow.
Noel moved, her human mind finally caught up to us and she sent a single black key flying towards Vlov's shadow.
Normally he would have blocked that, but his attention is split between me and Rika. I can hit him with his own attacks and Rika can severely damage him.
And most important of all, Noel knew her human limits, she did not aim at Vlov's head. She did not activate his survival instincts.
The black key strikes true. "Damn it!" It hold Vlov for a less than a second, but that's enough for Rika to land blow after blow on him.
I dash at the vampire and draw a single black key. They're annoying to use, made to be thrown instead of used as a melee weapon.
Seventeen pieces, I'll cut the this Dead Apostle Ancestor into seventeen pieces with my Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
Death surrounds Vlov Arkhangel.
Fourty five seconds.
Vlov could have sent the entire roof crashing at our heads, but his pride holds. Instead, what spurts forth from his body is ice.
It's like several ice spikes were suddenly created and fires at all directions, the ice version of his fire explosion.
It sends Rika flying back, and I have to quickly cut through the ice's lines of death as I jump back. Cutting through all of them is impossible.
My cheek is cut, my left arm is cut, and ice spike impales itself on my right shoulder, an ice spike leaves a nasty gash on my right leg.
But I'm still alive, and the arm he made useless was not the arm that held the black key, so I can still fight.
How does one approach Vlov Arkhangel when he does not want to be approached? His body can constantly generate explosions, close quarters combat is not advisable.
He grabs his spear from the ground. "Right, let's continue." Rika can now be killed again, and now Vlov is willing to use his ice.
Fifty seconds.
Vlov sighs. "Executor... You're certainly are fast." Senpai arrived before a minute passed, she broke through my expectations.
Ciel is glaring at Vlov. "Dead Apostle Ancestor... I am Ciel of the Burial agency, it's time for you to die."
Vlov chuckles. "This heat is truly amazing... You're strong, I can tell." He looks at me. "And you've improved considerably."
He nods. "An ability that copies other abilities, seemingly endless mana, and the servitude of the Queen of Curses..."
He smiles. "You're becoming closer to the Black Princess's dog. Losing to you wouldn't be too bad."
I smirk. "Oh? So now that I'm winning you're going to suck me off? Sorry, but I don't give you permission to do that."
I continue. "Despise me, and lose to me. I want you to feel sad in your death... That's why I have to tell you some stuff first."
I raise a middle finger. "You're losing to a guy who lives to make a harem? How embarrassing is that huh?"
He chuckles. "There's nothing embarrassing about having a harem, I myself have one." Okay, you're dying. Only I can fuck multiple women!
He continues. "And I could win this at any time I want. I could exhaust this area of oxygen, just like last time." That's true.
If I started feeling out of breath my only option would be to retreat, at least it was like that before I got his ice. Now I can counter that, sort off.
Vlov looks up. "Or I can simply bring the roof upon our heads." He chuckles yet again. "Would you all survive that?"
Why is he considering that an option now? When did he decide our duel had come to an end?
I smirk. "Are you pussying out of our fight? You big baby." Maybe I can appeal to his pride, as a vampire he surely has a lot of it.
Ciel immediately understands what I'm doing. "The great Vlov lost to a teenager and is now running away huh?"
Rika giggles. "What a loser... How did you even get a harem?" Probably by abusing that vampire swag.
Vlov nods. "Indeed, I'll be running from our little duel." He bows. "I Vlov Arkhangel, a knight, admit that I was defeated."
He grins. "Now you must face Vlov Arkhangel, a cold ruthless vampire." Fire burst from his form. It's much more intense than before, without a doubt it will bring this whole place down.
I immediately give out orders. "Rika! Shield Noel!" The executor has stayed almost the entire without helping, that's because she's a human that can't survive this sort of stuff.
Rika rushes to her side, and completely envelops Noel with her body. I for one rush at Ciel, my Senpai is also moving towards me.
Ciel throws a bunch of black keys around us. "I'm making a barrier, please stand still Yuta." I stop moving.
Vlov finally exploded, the world comes crashing down. I can only hope Ciel's barrier holds.
In the next round I will undoubtedly kill Vlov Arkhangel. If I survive this that is.
AN: Lots of fighting this chapter, next one it ends... Normally I would feel bad about releasing a chapter without too much dialogue, but I already released a bunch of normal chapters today anyways.