Chapter 60: The Coldblooded and the Gale

"Shit! How come he's a vampire!? He walked through sunlight along with us and the sun didn't burn him!" Shouted Maximillian as he ran through the dark halls of the temple, trying to find a way out. The entrance was blocked by living demonic statues and his comrades have been turned into ghouls so he needs to find another way.

"There is no escape for you, for you have entered freely and of your own will. Leave some of the happiness you bring."

The man who brought them into this death trap, Alucard, is currently lurking in the shadows, constantly laughing and taunting him from various corners of the large temple.

Normally he wouldn't fear mere vampires but Alucard is different. He can sense it long before they entered this death trap. Even with the Artifact he carried, he doubt he could match that monster who strikes from the shadows.

"Huh!?" He stopped as he encountered a horde of ghouls who were once his comrades… only they are no ordinary ghouls. The ghouls before him have more bestial features than the ghouls he know. They have bigger fangs, elongated hands and massive claws. They even ran on all fours like beasts and moved faster than normal ghouls would.

"Dammit!" Maximillian unsheathed his sword, a sword that he purchased from the Necromancer, which generates some cool air the moment it leaves its sheath.

"You think I'll go down that easily!? I am Maximillian the Coldblooded!" Shouted Maximillian as he moved at high speed to bisect the ghouls one by one. Some of the ghouls were fast enough to dodge even his speed attacks though.

"Tch! These are not normal ghouls!" He shouted.

"But can they match this!?" Maximillian increased his speed and began leaving behind some afterimages. By the time he appeared behind the ghouls, they were already sliced to pieces.

"Heh. With this sword, I am faster than that Kouadoi!" Declared Maximillian while grinning as he continued searching for the exit.

As he ran through the halls, he saw a silhouette of a beastkin in front of him.

"Who are you!? Show yourself!" He shouted while brandishing his sword.

"I'll be the one asking questions here, scum. Where is that scholar Alucard?" Zeta said as she stepped into the dim red light, revealing her form to Maximillian.

"You're… Shadow Garden!? Tch! If you want to find him, go look for him yourself! I want nothing to do with him anymore! But…" Maximillian said while grinning. He then unleashed a sudden high speed lunge at Zeta, which she dodged.

"Since this whole operation is screwed, I suppose bringing your head to Lord Mordred will be good enough to cover for this disaster." Continued Maximillian as he moved at high speed while unleashing cold air from his sword.

"Hoo… You must be Maximillian the Coldblooded then." Said Zeta nonchalantly.

Maximillian appeared behind her, intending to stab her from behind.

"Gotcha!" He stabbed her, only to find her form disappear.

"Wha… an afterimage!? You too…!?" Muttered Maximillian in complete disbelief at an enemy who can match his speed.

"You're still 10 times slower than Lord Shadow." Whispered Zeta behind him.

"Tch! It doesn't matter how fast you are if I do this!" He shouted while unleashing freezing wind from his sword to his surroundings, covering the walls, floor and ceiling with ice and snow. Zeta noticed parts of her slime suit freezing.

"I see. In order to match an enemy who's as fast as you, you would slow them down with that sword." Said Zeta, unbothered by the cold.

"That's right! I purchased this sword specifically to give me an edge against Kouadoi! Now you shall have the honor of being its first victim!" Maximillian declared as he moved in such high speed that multiple afterimages of him appeared around Zeta, all of them moving to slash her from multiple directions at the same time.

"Heh." Zeta merely grinned as she matched his speed without moving from her place, deflecting multiple slashes from multiple directions in an instant.

"Wha-!?" Maximillian jumped back, flabbergasted at how his enemy had deflected all his high speed strikes even while being affected by his sword's freezing air.

"You think my specialty is speed? That's cute." Zeta said as she watched Maximillian's head fall to the floor before he realized it.

"This level of cold isn't nearly enough to slow me down. You're just too weak." Zeta said as she broke the ice covering her slime suit with a burst of magical energy.

"Now then… Time to hunt down this Alucard guy." Zeta began walking before she heard an ominous voice echoing throughout the halls.

"I bid you welcome to my humble abode, Shadow Garden. Please enjoy your stay and listen to the music made by the children of the night. For you're not leaving until you're one of us."

After the voice finished, Zeta is suddenly surrounded by a horde of ghouls and gargoyles.

"Hmph. As if these things could stop me."


Epsilon ran at high speed towards the forests outside Perv's castle despite her wounds. She is already several kilometres away in just several minutes.

"Ughh… I must escape… and contact Victo—559!" She muttered as she continued running before detecting someone's magical signature approaching.

She dodged a high speed lunge from a brown haired young man wearing Oriana military uniform.

"Impressive! To think you can dodge that even while being wounded! But you cannot run from me, Kouadoi the Gale!" The man arrogantly declared.

"Tch! Of course they would send a speed expert after me!" Epsilon said.

"Indeed. Lord Mordred is extremely interested in you, Lady Silon. To think that a renowned pianist like you is one of the infamous Seven Shades."

"So my identity has been compromised."

"Yes it has. Now be a good girl and don't make this harder for yourself. No matter how fast you run, you cannot outrun me."

"Are you the only chaser?" She asked.

"Heh. Currently I am the only one fast enough to catch up with you because Maximillian isn't around. But even if he's assigned to this job too, there's no way I'll let him catch up with you."

"I see. Then I just have to kill you." Declared Epsilon.

"Ha! Defeat me!? After you're wounded by Lord Mordred's attack!? Have you gone mad?" Kouadoi said while laughing. His laughter interrupted by Epsilon's high speed uppercut, which he barely dodged, though the slash left a cut on his cheek.

"Tch! So you're still strong and fast enough even with that wound. But that's useless!" Kouadoi brandishes his blade, which is surrounded by yellow electricity.

"An Artifact?" Muttered Epsilon as she noticed the magic enchantment on the blade.

"Indeed! I can't let that Maximillian to defeat me with an Artifact so I had to purchase one myself! With this blade, I'll move at lightning speed and you can never keep up! In fact, I should soon change my name to Kouadoi the Lightning Strike! Witness my true power!" Kouadoi shouted as he allowed electricity from his blade flow into his body, enhancing his speed and reaction time before finally moving at high speed, leaving only yellow flash as he jumped from place to place like one of the Necromancer's Chain Lightning.

He appeared in front of Epsilon, intending to disable her legs by slashing them. Epsilon blocked his blade with her own.

"Impressive. But that's useless because I can do this!" Shouted Kouadoi as he let the electricity from his blade flows to Epsilon through her blade, electrocuting her.

"Ughh!" Epsilon grunted as she endured the electrocution.

"I'm not finished yet!" Shouted Kouadoi as he moved again, intending to slowly chip away at her resistance by inflicting wounds after wounds with high speed slashes that he thought she wouldn't be able to react to.

"No. You're finished." Declared Epsilon as she predicted Kouadoi's movement and gave a slash to where she knew he would be.

"Whaa….." Kouadoi was unable to change his trajectory as his body already met Epsilon's blade, which sliced his entire body in half. His body separated into two as he crashed against a tree in a bloody fashion.

"Because I have no time for you." Continued Epsilon.

"Ughh… I should leave before more of them come…" Muttered Epsilon as she once again clutched her wound, which began to bleed again from exertion.

She left the forest and met up with 559 along with her direct subordinates, Chi and Omega, in a clearing while still clutching on her wound.

"Lady Epsilon!" Shouted Chi, a blonde haired elf wearing an eyepatch, with concern.

"What happened!?" Said Omega, a dark skinned half elf with short black hair and heterochromia eyes.

"I was ambushed by Mordred." Answered Epsilon.

"By the Knight Beyond Men himself!?" Exclaimed 559.

"Indeed. At least I confirmed that this Alucard person has manipulated Perv into funding his expedition, something even Mordred does not approve."

"By manipulated…. You mean…" Said Chi.

"Just like what Necromancer did to King Oriana!?" Omega finishes.

559 gritted her teeth and clenched her fist when she heard that dreadful name.

"Indeed… I have a bad feeling about this. Send reinforcements to Zeta. I'll join as soon as I'm healed enough." Said Epsilon.

"But Lady Epsilon! You shouldn't-" Protested 559, but she was cut off.

"If Alucard is connected to Necromancer, then he's dangerous… far more dangerous than we could possibly imagine. Zeta will need all the help she can get." Said Epsilon.


"GRAAAHH!" Roared a gargoyle as it attempted to slash 625 from behind with its claws.

"625!" Shouted 626 as she shielded her comrade with her body.

"626! Why!?" Shouted 625.

"Because you're my friend!" 626 declared as she sliced the gargoyle apart and lets her wound heal in seconds.

"626…. But I've…"

"Don't worry about it! Just fight!" 626 said she she faced another gargoyle.

"R-Right!" 625 said as she rejoined the fight.

They continued fighting until they've defeated all the gargoyles in the great hall.

"Dear me…! How did they animate these statues!?" Said the squad leader 624.

"Huh? 625?" 626 said as she noticed her comrade had gone missing.

"625!? Where did she go!?" 624 said.

"I don't know! She was here a moment ago!" 626 said as she looked around while panicking.

"I bid you welcome, Shadow Garden." An unfamiliar man's voice was heard and they immediately turned towards the source of the voice.

"Wha…!?" Muttered 626 as she couldn't believe what she saw.

What emerged from the shadow is a handsome young man with long flowing white hair and dressed like an aristocrat. In his arm is their comrade 625, whose neck has been bitten. It wasn't hard to guess who bit her considering her blood is still dripping out of his mouth, though curiously her own mouth is dripping with blood as well.

"625!" Shouted 626.

"Let her go, monster!" Said 624.

"Very well." The man said as he dropped 625 on the floor.

"625!" 626 didn't hesitate to run towards her comrade.

"626! Don't!" Shouted 624 before she noticed that the man who had been there just now is no longer there.

"Where did he…!?" Muttered 624 as she looked around the place looking for the man.

"GRAAAAHH!" Suddenly she heard a monstrous screech.

"Hyaaah!?" And a scream from 626.

"625!" Shouted 626 as she saw her friend now transformed into a vampire.


Author's Note:

Gave some action for Zeta and Epsilon. Both Maximillian and Kouadoi are speedsters but I gave them different characteristics. Maximillian's ice sword focused on slowing his enemies down while Kouadoi's lightning sword enhances his own speed instead.

Also, are you guys excited for the last episode of The Eminence in Shadow season 2!?