“Ughh!”
The pain was proof that he was still alive. A moment of relief, the mercenary slightly opened his eyes and soon understood that it was a false hope. With her skinny arms, Shalltear had gently caught him before the rest of his body could crash onto the floor.
He still hadn’t escaped from the clutches of this terrible monster.
No, not only that — his eyes showed a huge, gaping mouth. A stench he had never experienced before, like a condensed mass of blood, stabbed his nose.
“Ahahahahahaaaaha, sooooooo fuuuuuuuun. Did you think you could die so eaaaasiiiilly?
“D, Don’t kill—.“
“Noooooooo waaaaaaay, it’s been so long since I’ve sluuuuurrrpeeed someone uuuuup.”
Her mouth tore open up to her ears, it was wide enough to swallow a man’s head whole.
No one at that place had any idea.
Originally from the DMMO known as YGGDRASIL, the monster known as the True Vampire was a terrifying existence.
Their gaping jaws stretch wide enough to form a semicircle, their canines reach past their chin, and their crimson eyes glint with the color of blood.
Their feet and hands are equipped with razor sharp claws that are over a dozen centimeters long. From the eerie way they move, to how they leap at their target when attacking, the True Vampire was of such an appearance.
A normal vampire was a monster that was both human and bat, and an Origin Vampire had an appearance that was even more monstrous.
Amongst the different vampire classes, the only monsters that could be described as beautiful would be Shalltear’s servants, the vampire brides.
The reason Shalltear herself, who was a True Vampire, had a beautiful appearance was simply due to the illustration and 3D modeling skills of the guild member who designed her.
The present Shalltear was the real appearance of a True Vampire. In other words, her usual form was a lie.
Like a rubber toy, like an ugly, large leech, Shalltear wrapped her mouth around the man’s neck.
With the feeling of countless needles digging into his flesh, the mercenary heard the disgusting sound of huge amounts of blood being sucked from his body.
A chill permeated through him and he felt his fluids being sucked away. It was a frightening feeling that he had never before experienced.
Although the mercenary wanted to thrash about, his limbs grew heavy. He could feel his consciousness rapidly slip away.
Having completely sucked all the blood from the body, Shalltear tossed aside the now dried-up husk and licked the blood trailing from a corner of her mouth with a long, slippery tongue. Seeing the mercenaries who were now running in complete chaos, she broke out into a smile that spanned her entire face.
“There’s sttiiiilll this many leeeeeeeeffffft?
Countless screams, like cries of children, wails of despair tore through the cavern—.
Surrounded by the stillness that now blanketed the hall, Shalltear wore a gleeful expression. The blood orb that hovered above her was now only slightly smaller than a human head. It had grown from the vast amount of blood it had absorbed.
“This is sooooooo muuuuuuucccccccch fuuuuuuuuuun!”
Hearing Shalltear’s jubilant shout, the vampire bride who had been blocking the entrance bowed her head and responded.
“Seeing you happy fills me with joy as well, great master.”
“Maaaaaiiiiiiiiin diiiiiiiiissssh!”
Shalltear headed for the door that Brain had disappeared into, and forcefully yanked it open. The bolts popped out, and the door was ripped off along with its hinges.
The room was small, but filled with numerous sacks and wooden boxes.
There, Shalltear smelled something completely unexpected. Mixed with the scent of dirt— the smell of fresh air, it was coming from the outside wind. At the same time, she felt the presence of the human weaken. Even when she had lost herself in her Blood Frenzy, Shalltear had never once forgotten the mission that was entrusted to her.
“KUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
Whether it was from anger or a simple howl, Shalltear screamed in a bizarre voice as she headed to the source of the breeze, flinging aside the junk blocking her way.
Less than a meter away, behind a stack of boxes, was a hole. Although it was mostly covered with dirt, there was a small crack where the fresh air flowed freely through.
“Theeeeey haaaad an emeeergency exxiiitt!”
The lesser vampire did not lie; it merely did not know about the existence of this hidden exit.
What most do not know is that even when under the influence of magic, one cannot reveal information that he didn’t know in the first place. If the person was told a lie but believed it to be the truth, he would be spreading false information when prompted.
Unlike Mare, Shalltear did not have any abilities that allowed her to move the earth. Blowing it away with a shockwave carried the risk of the hole collapsing on itself.
He had gotten away.
The truth dawned on her. Shalltear, whose mind was dyed red, soon realized that she had failed her mission.
Fury twisted Shalltear’s face.
Why, why didn’t this human insect move according to her, Shalltear Bloodfallen, Nazarick’s Floor Guardian’s predictions?
She was going to let him give his worthless life for the good of Nazarick, why didn’t he understand and be happy about that?
As Shalltear was grinding her teeth, the vampire bride who was supposed to stand watch outside the cave spoke to her.
“— Shalltear-sama!”
Her temper flared at the servant that dared to abandon her watch without orders. Shalltear’s vision became momentarily dyed in red as she considered destroying her on the spot. With great effort, she calmed herself; it was important to hear what the vampire bride had to say, it may be important.
“Whaaaaaat iiisss iiittt?”
“A large group is heading this way.”
“Huuuuuuhh? Suuurrviiivooorrs? Thhheeeeen weeeee haaaavvvve to greeeeeet thheeem! Ahaha ahaha ahahaha!”
Part 4
Shalltear leapt forward. Like a bird flying through the dark, she landed on one foot on top of the barricade at the entrance of the cavern. Her servants, the two vampire brides, were slowly following her back up the entrance.
Shalltear wore a smile as she looked at the target.
She spotted a tightly formed group.
Leading the front were three men who looked to be warriors. Each of their equipment was different, but even the shabbiest looking one out of the bunch was wearing armor forged by overlapping many scales together: Scale Armor. Each man held a weapon in one hand and was carrying a shield on his back.
Behind them was a red-haired female warrior wearing banded armor. At the back of the group, protected by those in front, walked a lightly-dressed man holding a staff; most likely a magic caster. Beside him, walking side-by-side was a faith magic caster wearing a bishop’s garb over his armor. The man wore a pendant around his neck in the shape of a flame.