The group of six, despite being surprised by Shalltear’s sudden appearance from the cave, did not fall into confusion and maintained their guard. It was a reaction born from their experience.
“Nooooott baaaaaaadd.”
It wasn’t too bad to kill humans that were as weak as tofu, but having opponents that looked like they could actually put up a fight was much more interesting.
Shalltear smiled eagerly as her two crimson eyes glinted with expectation.
“It talke……!”
A look of shock flashed across the magic chanter’s face, but it was only for an instant. Having immediately regained his composure—
“Hostile might be a vampire! Only silver and magic weapons effective. Victory impossible! Retreat! Don’t look into its eyes!”
He shouted in a voice loud enough to be heard in the whole basin.
Having shouted only the important information, the response from the rest of the party was both prompt and swift. The three warriors at the front equipped their large shields and assumed a defensive stance. They did not stare at Shalltear’s face, instead trained their eyes on either her chest or abdomen. The female warrior behind them took each of their weapons and began to apply a coating. An unpleasant stench wafted to Shalltear’s nose.
Alchemical silver.
A special liniment crafted by alchemists; when coated on weapons, it forms a magical film around the blade that gives it an effect similar to silver.
A silver weapon was expensive. Not only that, they wore out much faster than weapons made of iron and couldn’t be used for very long. That’s why most adventurers choose to buy the alchemical silver instead, to use it when the need arises.
With their weapons now imbued with the properties of silver, the group began their retreat.
Even the way they fled was very impressive. The entire group moved as one, their movements orderly and in sync.
“My Lord, God of Flames—:
“It’s pointless! Focus on defensive magic!”
Having stopped the bishop from using his pendant, the magic caster began to focus his casting to the front of the group. The bishop also followed suit and restarted his chant.
Although it differs by class, in general, bishops use the power of God to suppress, destroy, and dominate beings like angels and demons. However, it was a method only effective against enemies whose magical energy was much lower than the caster’s. In other words, the bishop had attempted to cast a spell to suppress undead just now. The magic caster had instantly understood the strength difference between the monster and the bishop, and told him to not waste his energy and use it for something more effective instead.
Having deduced their leader from the flow within the group, Shalltear decided to follow her orders and capture them. But her heart was still clouded by the impulse to slaughter, to see more blood.
She wanted to kill, to crush them beneath her feet, to tear them limb from limb, to cover them in blood. She couldn’t bear it. Her breathing grew ragged and started to foam at the mouth.
「Anti Evil Protection」
「Lesser Mind Protection」
One by one, the two magic casters cast their defensive spells on the warriors at the front.
Shalltear, who was lost in her excitement, albeit dimly, felt something akin to admiration. Even if it was of the most basic— the 1st level, the spells they used were the most appropriate for the situation. They were different from the mercenaries with their reckless attacks, from the fool of a warrior who couldn’t even use martial skills and attacked alone.
With that said — a pointless endeavor is, in the end, just that; pointless. Against such a huge difference in strength, none of it had any meaning.
Faced with such a cute resistance, the tiny sliver of self-control that kept Shalltear at bay was cut.
“No more….. I caaaaaaannnnn’t! I caaaannnn’t waaaaiiiit anymooorrrrre!”
With a voice that had its reins cut, Shalltear moved her feet.
It was truly light, like a single step. But to those who saw her, it would seem faster than a gale.
Just like that, her hand stabs forward.
It penetrates the shield, shatters the armor, ignores the magical barrier, cleaves through the skin, flesh, and bone; the hand wraps around the beating heart and in an instant— rips it free. Ignoring the crumpling figure of the warrior, Shalltear bared the dark red, shape shifting lump in her hand for the group to see. The female warrior let out a small scream, and the bishop’s face looked as if he was staring at an abomination.
Glad to have gotten the reaction she wanted, Shalltear giggled in excitement and cast her magic.
「Animate Dead」
The warrior who had lost his heart slowly stood back up. He had become a zombie, the lowest class undead monster. However, it didn’t end there.
Shalltear licked the heart in her hand and stuffed it into the orb floating above her head. When she pulled it back out, in its place was a pulsating mass of blood— it was as if it was mimicking the appearance of the heart from before. She threw the blood clump at the zombie.
Like an insect, the clump twisted and turned, seeping into the zombie’s body. Thump. For an instant, the body trembled. After several convulsions, the zombie slowly began to transform.
As if all the moisture in its body had evaporated, the skin grew dry and cracked. Its nails grew several fold, and sharp canines formed from its teeth. The undead that stood there was no longer a zombie.
Witnessing the birth of a lesser vampire, the shocked voices of the adventurers cried out in unison.
“That’s impossible! I’ve never even heard of a vampire that can freely cast high level magic like that!”
“You’re looking at one right now! Calm down! Keep a cool head!”
“But!”
“—Retreat is impossible! We have to fight!”
“Got it!”
As the bishop fell into disarray, one of the warriors raised his weapon and charged at Shalltear. The remaining warrior attacked the lesser vampire, who had been his ally in the past.
“My Lord, God of Flames. Destroy the foul being before you!”
An invisible divine power radiated from the bishop’s pendant in every direction. Needless to say, Shalltear was completely unaffected.
“Ahahahaaahaahaha!”
One of the warrior’s swords stabbed through the lesser vampire. Its movements had been dulled by the bishop’s divine energy. Because it hadn’t transformed completely, it was still part zombie and thus the bishop’s attack proved effective. Despite knowing this, the fact that her creature lost to some trivial god’s power was enough to offend Shalltear.
While blocking the sword that came at her with her pinky, Shalltear glared annoyingly at the bishop who stood at the rear of the group.
“Baaaaaaccccck ooooooooffff!”
She lazily flicked her right hand. The simple motion slashed the warrior’s neck and he fell to the ground, blood spilling from the wound.