Just as the soldier who was tasked with informing the commander of the threat, he heard the third explosion from the village gate.

'I need to hurry' he thought.

He almost opened the door when it flung open and a tall man, wearing golden armor walked out,

"What is happening?" he asked.

"Commander George!" the soldier saluted. "There is a threat at the gate!"

"Is it the empire?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, I was ordered to inform you before I could get a visual, sir!"

George looked towards the gate and scrunched his face. He could feel Arriks aura, but couldn't feel any other one. ' who could he be fighting?' he thought.

"I'll head to the gate, gather as many of our soldiers who aren't injured and tell those watching the perimeter to stay vigilant, there could be more enemies waiting for our defense to weaken" he ordered.

"Yes sir!"

The soldier ran towards the area that the other soldiers were resting.

George looked towards the gate and started running.

Arrik and Altar were still fighting, the other soldiers couldn't even join and stayed watching.

Altar removed his invisibility, he didn't see any use when the opponent could sense him with aura and he might as well use it to strengthen his body even a little, A black layer covered his body and his attacks started getting faster and stronger. Arrik was confused by this, he couldn't sense any aura from his opponent and he didn't feel any mana from him.

"How are you keeping up with me, I can sense you don't have aura or mana?" he asked..

His blade cut horizontally and Altar dodged low preparing to cut Arriks stomach. Arrik cut downward before Altar could and Altar dodged right, but he still managed to cut his left side right below the ribs side

"I have no reason to tell you" Altar charged at him with an overhead swing. Arrik raised his guard, but rather then swing downward Altar changed it to a horizontal swing, Arrik parried it and Altar spun using that momentum to swing the sword as fast as a whip, so rather then slash he went for a stab and Arrik got cut on his right cheek when he barely dodged. He swung his sword and cut Altar in the stomach, the cut was deep enough to reach his intestines and blood gushed out like a fountain..

"That's it, get him!"

"That's our captain!"

The soldiers celebrated the normally fatal wound for fighter at their rank, especially since Altar wasn't awakened in any of the cores of power he would be dead shortly. The only people aware this isn't true is Altar and Arrik who just figured out the fact. 'He's still fighting like its nothing' he thought through gritted teeth and blocking heavy strikes.

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"I have a question for you, are you the guards for this village?" he said sending another slash towards Arrik like his innards weren't hanging out of his body.

"What?" Arrik parried and countered with two slashes sending sharp aura towards Altar.

"Is that not why your attacking me, your the guards and you think I'm with the bandits that attacked this village, it's the only reason I can think of as to why your attack me" Altar dodged the one aura slashes, but got his by the second one on his left shoulder.

"You have time to think in the condition your in?" Arrik tried to make space between them, but Altar closed in, he was doing a good job at keeping Arriks back to the archers giving the archers no chance to take aim.

"These are flash wounds at best" Altar said while sending flurry of stabs. Arrik believed him, he could see his wounds healing, it looked like Altars blood was pulling his intestines back in and the injury on his shoulder already looked brand new.

'I've heard of vampire regeneration, but this is ridiculous' he thought as he lifted his sword in the air and a giant vortex surrounded it. 'I need to end this now, my injuries are bleeding way more then they should' he thought. His injuries were bleeding profusely, curtesy of the residual black energy on Altars sword.

Altar was about to charge forward to disrupt the incoming attack, but he sensed a strong presence on its way. He made a quick decision and and ran towards a soldier that were closest to not only him but the forest, though it was still a decent distance away he could be there in a flash.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Arrik swung downward sending a vortex that was at least twenty feet in width and forty in height.

Altar seemingly not taking note of the oncoming attack, stabbed into the stomach of the soldier with his left hand, the soldier was in absolute shock as at one moment there was a fight going on with his captain and the vampire, then boom, he was impaled by his arm. Altar pulled out a red orb from his stomach.

'My...? Aura...?' his final thoughts as the world went black.

"NOOOOO!!" a young soldier next to him screamed and in an act of foolishness charged at Altar sword in hand.

Altar stabbed the boy all the way through with his sword until his arm was reaching the other side of the boy. He threw the sword up and pulled his arm out, but with another red orb. He caught the sword with his mouth and looked back to see the vortex was on him, Arrik was all smiles as the attack connected and caused the very earth to shatter beneath its might.

When his Aura bottomed out and the vortex vanished he sat down breathing heavily. He an none of the soldiers could see anything other then the pieces of armor from the two soldiers that managed to to be destroyed.

"There's no way it survived right?"

"Impossible, an attack like that could even put the commander in a sticky situation, you think a mortal rank could survive?!"

"Mortal rank my ass, that thing was abnormal"

"Gentleman" a deep voice said.

"Commander!" They all looked at Commander George and saluted.

"Report" George looked at Arrik.

"A vampire I think"

"You think?" George raised in eyebrow.

"To be fair I've never faced one personally and from stories I've been told, they are tough opponents, but not at mortal rank, that thing could regenerate most damage without a problem, taking a nibble from one of the soldiers to speed it up a little, had strength and speed matching mine while not having a source of power, instead using a very insidious black energy" he held his injured left side that was bleeding profusely. George saw his heavily bleeding cheek.

'He does enjoy talking after a near death experience, this must have been an anomaly of some kind' he rubbed his chin.

"Which crest did he wear?"

"He didn't wear one, hells he wasn't even wearing clothes, only furs to keep himself decent it seems"

'A vampire without a crest?' George sighed.

"Get Olivia to patch you up and give the other captains a description of our little anomaly to pass along the rest of the soldiers" George said scanning the damaged area and noticed a hole.

"You think it's an anomaly?"

"Yes"

Arrik stood up and wobbled inside.

"HURRY WITH THE REPAIRS TO THE WALL!" George yelled and followed him.

The soldiers got to work, except for one, he was looking around to try and find his friend.

"Where did Grey go?" he asked.

"Maybe he got sucked into the captains attack?"

"Unfortunate, good kid"

"Talented too"

The more veteran soldiers all said nonchalantly.

To be continued...