Screams resounded in the night in a town known as Dreake. The place was small and should have been called a village instead of a town. The houses that were made out of stone and thatch were closely packed together. Streets were paved with the same stones that made the homes, but not all the roads were done, as some were still dirt. The thing that stood out most about this place, however, was the massive grey walls that were over 30 meters high surrounding the entire village.

People ran through the streets and alleys in panic and fear. Men, Women, and children all fled from the creatures that were chasing them. Only a select few that were brave enough or were a sort of warrior stood to fight. However, through the power and speed difference between them and the creatures, they were completely overwhelmed. The darkness of the night served to spread even more fear and confusion, as people didn’t know where to run. The monsters killed and devoured those they could find.

Teeth that were mangled and crooked but razor-sharp. Eyes that were slit like a cat and glowed in the dark with a yellow light. Pale, dried-up skin that was the same as a corpse that had been left out in the sun to dry.

A ghoul, an undead creature that was said to feast on the flesh of the living as a way to claim back their once mortal lives.

There were dozens or even a hundred of them. They broke into houses, killing and feeding on those inside. The ones that ran and the ones that fought back all eventually met the same end. The ground was covered in half-eaten corpses, and the walls of the houses were covered in the same red liquid that ran through the streets.

A figure moved through the road, running. They held a glowing sword in their hand as it glowed with shimmering white light like the sun. The figure used the sword to easily cut through the undead that got in his way. This individual was Thomas. A light-skinned man who looked to be in his thirties. Who had short black hair and a beard that looked to have been shaven recently?

He wore silver armor that was adorned with various decorations, but the most notable one was the large cross on the chest. It was a cross that was silver in color, like the rest of his armor. Two pairs of gold-colored wings were behind the cross. The symbol represented the guardians of humanity. The symbol of the Order.

His eyebrows were furrowed, and his teeth clenched. He gripped tightly on his sword as he ran with all his might.

This… this was not a mistake that could be easily forgiven. Their negligence had brought the worst situation for these people!

He screamed in his mind as he turned into an alleyway. Anger and frustration bubbled up in his heart as he went past more corpses.

He turned the corner to the street, and he found two ghouls. They were too busy feeding on a dead body to have noticed him. Thomas easily dispatched them with a single slash to the neck. Undead were weak to silver and combined with the holy light that coated the sword. He was able to easily exorcise the weak undead.

They should have done a full sweep on Dreake! This was especially his fault when he considered that there were a few situations in which an undead could hide from an aura search. If only he could have insisted more on the barrier.

Thomas and his allies had arrived in this town about a day ago. They were on patrol, and Dreake was one of the human settlements they had to search for creatures of darkness like undead and demons. The day they arrived, they had used a large aura technique to sense if any undead were nearby but hadn’t found anything in the area.

It would have been impossible for us to miss this many undead on the first sweep. They could have missed one or two if they knew how to hide, but a whole army? –No, these ghouls were…. The town’s people turned undead. Were Necromancers responsible? –No, not this fast and certainly not this quietly. He hadn’t even sensed any magic or rituals being performed. And why were they only ghouls? No, this was not the work of necromancers. This was—

Thomas’s thoughts were interrupted by a feeling of uneasiness and danger. He knew this feeling very well and has often experienced it in this line of work. Killing intent. He reacted fast, with no second guessing or hesitation in his movements. He lifted his sword that was in his right hand in between his chest and what was coming. His left hand touched the flat part of the blade at the other end of the sword, using it as a shield. He wished for the best as he braced himself.

Something hit the sword with enough power that it sent Thomas flying. His bones raddled, and pain came from his arms. He ignored it, however, and focused on dealing with the next attack that might come. Before he even hit the ground. He pulled more mana from his core, the same holy mana that covered his sword. The energy moved to his entire body and acted as a cover. He glowed with the same radiant light as his sword did.

His back then hit a wall hard enough to knock the air out of him. He was fine, however, since the mana took most of the force. He landed on his feet and immediately took a stance, ready for his opponent.

The creature that had just appeared where he was a moment ago did not attack however. It just smirked at him and gave him a look that a cat would give to a mouse.

Giving me time to breath eh? Monsters sure have become polite these days.

He smirked back at the creature, as he repositioned his stance so that it was more refined and less hastily made.

He looked to be okay, but that really hurt!

His arms were numb, his legs shaky, and his heart drummed in his chest as the adrenalin coursed through his body. He smiled with excitement as he looked at his opponent, who was lit up by the light coming from him. A vampire.

It looked like a human if you were to ignore the unhealthily pale skin and the long claw protruding from its fingers. Its eyes were similar to those of a ghoul, but they glowed with a crimson red color.

Thomas sighed in frustration and regret at the unreasonableness of the world. His intuition had been right that they weren’t facing a necromancer. He had hoped it was wrong because now they were going to facing an even more bothersome opponent. And judging by the number of ghouls, there was more than a single vampire.

"You know, my body isn’t as young and as strong as it once was,” Thomas complained as he grabbed his shoulder with his other hand, massaging it. "So, you could’ve held back even if just a little on that blow.”

“….” The undead frowned, as it looked at Thomas incredulously.

There didn't seem to be any other vampire with it, which was good if He wanted to kill it. Though he still wished Henry's barrier was up right now. That would’ve made exorcising it easier.

“Oww… not much of a talker, are you? I understand. My captain doesn't like to talk much herself."

Its physical abilities were much greater than mine. He would be pressed if he were to challenge it head-on. He needed to keep it at a distance, which his mana would’ve been more than enough. The problem was how he was going to kill it?

“So, you and your friends came to visit Dreake, eh? how do you like the place thus far?” Thomas said with a smile.

“….”

The vampire didn't answer but started to look more and more annoyed. Thomas's smile became even wider as he spoke the next words with glee.

“Though it’s still relatively new compared to other human cities, it still has qualities that make up for it. Like the dragon territory not too far from here. Did you know that once every few years or so, you can see the dragon pass this place by...?”

Thomas talked about his experience in Dreake while he finalized the strategy to kill the vampire in his head.

Let’s hope this works, and I can kill the vampire in one blow.

“Silence!” It shouted as it glared at him.

“Growl… aaaa…” it rubbed its ears, “I can still hear you talking in my mind, yapping away on and on,” It said angrily, "Do you not realize your situation, human? Or was this your way of trying to extend your life? Because if it was. You failed horribly,” It said with a growl. “I’m more pissed off than merciful because of you running that mouth of yours.” It smiled, showing off its two sharp teeth on its upper jaw.

“…………....... So anyway, Liz, the small shit, Framed me for that incident! I wasn’t even there for god’s sake. The—”

The vampire lunged at Thomas, baring its fangs. The knight smiled as he tensed up his body for combat.

Bad idea, little bloodsucker.

He activated the technique he was preparing. Blinding light radiated from his body and burned the vampire skin, causing it to sizzle.

The vampire stopped as it hissed in pain.

“Why you!” It tried to retreat by taking a step back but had been too late. It was close enough.

He swung his sword horizontally and decapitated the creature. The head left its shoulders and Thomas in the same motion absorbed the momentum of the swing with his hips and switched his form into a thrusting stance. He drove his sword through the vampire's chest.

His attack missed its target, however. The undead had turned its body into multiple bats and flew in different directions before the attack even hit.

Damn it! Its reaction was faster than he thought.

Thomas had expected that the pain from the light, combined with the paralysis it would get from having its head removed, would have stun it enough to let him kill it. But it seemed to be much older than what its aura told.

If this were to become a battle of attrition, then he was in trouble.

He sighed as he repositioned his sword in front of him and looked at the vampire. It had reformed on top of a roof of the house opposite Thomas.

“Tsk… That really hurt you bastard!” It said with a hiss before groaning in pain. “Aarg, I didn’t think it would hurt this much.” It looked at its skin that was still badly burned and traced a finger across its neck. It glared back at Thomas.

“Killing you won’t be enough now. I’ll be sure to torture you in the most painful way I could imagine before draining you like the worthless blood bag you are!” it bellowed, but didn’t immediately attack.

Transforming into bats and then reforming again allowed the vampire to reattach its head without having to grow a new one. But the wounds it had sustained were still there. Its skin was still burnt from the light, and its neck was still in pain. The wounds recovered slowly, as did any wound that an undead received from silver or holy magic.

“I think you forgot your clothes,” Thomas said provocatively as he pointed at the clothes in front of him. The vampire had left all its clothes when it broke apart its body and turned into multiple bats.

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“For a race that likes to consider itself superior to humans. You sure don’t have decency.”

He tried to bait the vampire through its emotions again, but it ignored his taunts and simply glared down at him.

It was wary.

His eyebrows knitted together.

A wary vampire is a hard-to-kill vampire. There was nothing he could do not unless he was willing to destroy the entire area around me, but even then, there was no guarantee that the creature would die. Besides, if he were to use that much power and it happened to survive. He would truly be at its mercy.

Thomas turned his head in the direction of where the inn was.

Fighting this guy was pointless and would be a waste of time. He needed to get to his allies. Henry’s lack of response to the current chaos was concerning.

Thomas looked at the vampire again. Its wounds were almost completely healed.

Its regeneration was pretty fast. It must have fed before it got here. Was he specifically its target and that’s why it was prepared? Or was it just a coincidence?

He shrugged before he turned and ran down the street.

It didn’t matter anyway. He wasn’t going to get anywhere if he just stood around all day speculating.

“Human!" It yelled, but Thomas just ignored it.

He then felt the death aura of the vampire closing behind him fast. It followed after Thomas, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

It then lunged at Thomas’ back, its razor-sharp claws extended. He rolled to the side and barely dodged the attack.

In that same breath, he got to his feet and deflected the follow up blow aimed at his chest. He stepped forward and countered with a slash to the neck.

The vampire’s footing had been awkward, so he hoped that it would find dodging this attack difficult. However, to Thomas's surprise, it avoided the attack with immense speed.

It leaned back and let the shining sword softly pass through where its neck had been. It then came back as fast as it went with another claw attack. Thomas simply pulled his sword back to block the attack long enough to move his head.

The clawed hand smashed the sword aside, slashing Thomas’ cheek. But as soon as it touched his skin, it sizzled and crumbled into dust.”

The vampire immediately jumped back and made some room between them. Its arms from the elbow down had completely disappeared, burnt away by the holy mana.

Thomas let out a sigh of relief that he had survived that. If he was slower to move his head, his brains would have been splattered all over the floor right now. He repositioned his sword again, ready to receive an attack, but he’d rather he didn’t.

As he thought close combat with a vampire that was at full power like this was a bad idea. Why was it so fast!? If it wasn't so sloppy and wasteful with its movements. He would have been long dead!

It looked at its missing arm with amazement and confusion. It then looked at Thomas, surprised, to which he just smirked at it.

During that last attack, the vampire almost took off Thomas' head. It had made contact with Thomas' skin. And although the skin-to-skin contact was small and very brief. The mana that flowed around in Thomas had easily transferred to the vampire, like electricity moving from one conductor to another, and destroyed its arm.

Thomas materialized six arrows of light and launched them towards the vampire. Though the vampire was stunned, it was still able to avoid the attack by turning into a swarm of bats and flying away.

Yeah, it wasn't going to be that easy, huh?

He glared at the vampire that was back on the rooftop, regenerating its arm.

"Oi, are you just going to keep on running like this, or are you going to face me like a man!? Well, if there is still any left in you.”

The undead ignored him and didn’t say anything.

Thomas snorted and pulled more mana out of his core to surround himself with. He then added more to his sword before he swung his sword in an arc at the vampire. A slash made out of light shot out.

It easily avoided the attack by jumping. But while it was still in mid-air Thomas shot out another volley of arrows. The vampires turned into bats and avoided that attack too.

Thomas then turned and ran while the creature was still not in physical form.

He wanted to get to his allies and not waste his time playing with the undead, so whenever the vampire tried to reform. He would blast it with mana until it turned into bats. It couldn’t attack in that form, so Thomas had no worries of turning his back.

They played this little dance for some time till Thomas sensed a change in the air.

He smirked at the annoying creature. It was in front of him, blocking his way. The vampire seemed to notice the change, too, because it frowned before it clicked its tongue.

Henry's barrier was up!

Thomas didn't waste time and quickly charged at the stunned vampire. He shot out a volley of light arrows that flew straight towards the vampire. The creature tried to dodge, but it was unable to, as the barrier did more than just hinder a vampire's abilities. It also weakened them.

The arrows penetrated it, and burnt the wounds they made. It fell to the ground as it screamed in agony. When Thomas closed the distance. He immediately swung his sword to kill the creature in one blow.

The vampire seemed to come back to its senses and make a last-ditch effort to block with its arm, but that level of resistance was the same as using a shield against dragon fire. It just simply didn’t work. His sword easily cut through the vampire's arm, dug into its chest, sliced through its heart, and came out the other end. The two halves of the vampire came apart before turning into dust.

Thomas looked up ahead to the light of fire at the end of the street and ran.

***

Thomas arrived at where he sensed his allies and also the place they were residing. An inn that was located near the gates of the town.

The inn, what was left of it, had a large hole on its side like it was hit by a bomb. The entire left side of the building was blown open, exposing the charred remains of the rooms. Smoke and dust filled the air. The ground around the inn was scorched and cracked as if a giant flame had swept through it. A deep crater ran from the hole in the inn and extended for several meters to the huge wall. Several houses around the inn were destroyed, and some were burning, lighting up the surroundings. Small craters could also be seen here and there.

Thomas ignored the catastrophe and looked for his fellow knights. After a few seconds of searching, he was able to see a small crowd of people through the smoke. He went to them and was able to find his allies.

“Is she still alive!” Thomas said, worry coloring his tone.

He ran up to a woman who was lying on the ground. A young woman with silver blond hair and fair-coloured skin. She adorned the same armor as Thomas, though her armor looked lighter and closely matched her curvaceous figure. The armor was torn, scratched, dented, and had patches of blood in some places.

"She's…. fine, just unconscious.”

A young Asian man who looked to be in his twenties said, out of breath. It was Henry.

He looked exhausted, as though he had been running for hours on end. He was on one knee while a small, petite teenage girl tended to his wounds. White shimmering light emitted from the girl's hands as it entered through Henry’s shoulder.

Holy magic Angelus technique?

Thomas looked closer at the small girl. There hadn't been any reports of priestesses residing in this town, so he was interested in the girl. However, he put that aside and asked the thing that bugged him.

“Where is Liz and Mia?” Thomas asked with concern in his voice.

The question had immediately popped into his head when he saw someone else do the healing.

Why wasn't Mia doing it? And where was Liz? It’s hard to believe that someone who was so obsessed with Alice wouldn’t have been here when she was in this condition?

A cramp came up in his stomach when he saw Henry hesitate to answer.

Henry then chose not to answer but to just point. He pointed past the group of people surrounding them to a place that was closer to the half-destroyed inn. Thomas moved past the group and arrived at the two duo.

“I see,” he muttered under his breath after he arrived.

Liz was on her knees, staring down at Mia's lifeless corpse. She didn't seem to notice his approach, or rather, she didn't care.

He focused on Mia, who had her chest torn open by some sort of sharp object.

He clenched his hands as he looked at Mia's body, then to the rest of the destruction and death caused by those wretched creatures!

He inhaled before exhaling slowly.

There was still undead roaming around and possibly more vampires. He should clear out the place while the barrier is still up.

He turned around and stepped forward before he abruptly stopped and turned his head.

“I’m sorry,” He said, but even he wasn’t exactly sure what he was apologizing for. He left without waiting for a response and returned to Henry.

“How many of them are still here, and where can I find them?”

Henry looked at him for a second before he looked back down and sighed.

“Why?” Henry asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to wipe out the rest of those creatures!”

He sighed again, this time not to Thomas but to himself.

“….”

He took a few minutes to himself thinking before he responded back to Thomas.

"In the town center, there are about 25 ghouls. The southwestern part has the most ghouls at about 50, and the rest are just spread out in groups of one to two. No vampires; the one you killed was the last one.”

Thomas turned to try and leave, but Henry stopped him by calling out. He stared back at him.

“Though I said that there were no more vampires. I didn’t mean we killed all of them. One of the two that attacked us escaped. I can't sense him within the barrier, which means he left the town, but that still doesn't mean there isn’t a possibility we might meet him again. Refrain from using too much mana because, with Alice like this, you're our only real weapon against any big threat that might show itself.”

"Hmm… I see… and is this one the one that killed Mia?"

Henry hesitated for a moment before he reticently agreed.

Thomas then turned and left. The first destination was the center.

***

Some time passed, and Thomas returned to the place that could now be called a camp. He was bleeding in some place and was exhausted, but overall, he was fine. He had spent hours fighting, and although the ghouls were weak. There were still too many of them for the job to be a breeze.

Through his little rampage, he was able to save a few people and rescue those who were still hiding in their homes. He had pointed them to here where Henry was.

Small tents now covered the place, and people could be seen cozying up to campfires they'd made. The girl from earlier had been healing all the people who'd been injured. And some people were going into town to try and get supplies before they got destroyed by the fire.

But Thomas couldn’t help but feel regret and guilt at their failure to stop this massacre. A town that originally held more than a thousand people was reduced to nothing but a group of people that barely added up to a hundred.

Thomas observed all of this as he walked around looking for his fellow knights. After some time, he saw that he was just walking aimlessly. He decided to ask someone for help, to which they pointed him to a larger-than-ordinary tent.

He walked up to it and then entered after he got permission. As he entered, a small fist suddenly came at him. He easily caught it before giving out a sigh.

“Glad to see you're doing well, Liz," Thomas said to a dark skin young woman who looked like a little girl.

"Hmph… looks like your reflexes are still pretty good old man," She said with a light tone.

She was short, her head reaching to his stomach as she stood straight. She had short black hair that reached her shoulders. Her face was what one would call cute rather than beautiful. It was childish like she was yet to grow.

He let go of her hand, to which she tried again, but with a kick this time. She aimed for between his legs. Thomas widened his eyes as he abruptly stopped the kick with his hand.

“Why you little—" he said, as he reached out to try and strangle the little shit, but he was stopped by Henry's voice.

"If you two want to play like kids, please take it outside. I'm trying to think here!" He glared at Thomas and Liz. "I don't believe it's necessary for me to explain to you our predicament, right?”

He looked at Liz disapprovingly, to which she just looked away sternly. He sighed before he looked at Thomas.

“Done with your little expedition?” He said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes, it's done. I was able to save the lives of a few people, in fact," Thomas said honestly, as he tried to not fan the flames that was Henry’s irritation. "So, how have things been on your end?"

Henry scratched his short black hair in frustration.

“Stressful and exhausting.” He slid back on the wooden chair he was on. "I wish these 'things' could be solved as easily as you did with a sword and some fighting spirit, too. I wish Alice was awake so she could take her duties as leader back."

Henry snatched a piece of paper on the table next to him. It was a map, and he'd had been looking at it before Thomas arrived. He brought it out in front of his face.

“We’re not close to any other settlements. The only closest place would be the capital, but it would take more than a week of travel. And moving in a large group would make things even worse.”

“Hmm... I see? But large group," Thomas said, not really sure what Henry was complaining about, but what got him curious was the mention of a large group.

Was he planning to take the survivors with us and evacuate? Wouldn't it have been better to request help for Dreake instead? Dragging multiple people who couldn’t fight and were horribly injured through landscapes of forests and harsh terrain filled with monsters wasn’t a good plan.

"We need help. They need help. We both need help. Traveling while we were short on food and manpower ourselves could only lead to a disaster where we’re exhausted and are killed by a horde of something that wanted to eat us. Not to mention the vampire that still might be waiting for us outside the walls. We’ll need others who will help in making camp and keeping watch.”

“Why can’t we just stay here for a few days till everyone is healed up?” Liz asked.

“It’s for the same reason we can’t leave the survivors here in wait for aid. There is no food. Most of the storages were burnt away by the fire.”

He stood from his chair as he started to roll the map.

“Find a place to sleep and rest up. We will be leaving as soon as possible-- Probably in the mid-day. That will give us some sort of head start if the vampire is still after us,” Henry said as he ended the last part in a murmur.

He walked closer to the two as he reached the entrance.

“I’ll maintain the barrier till then, so you--” His eyes widened as he froze up. Surprise and incredulity colored his face.

“This…. This can’t be….” He muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Thomas asked with a frown.

Henry didn't answer but just turned his head in the direction of the tent wall. He stood motionless as he kept muttering to himself.

"Oi Henry!" Thomas called out this time with a much stronger voice. Henry seemed to snap out of it as he looked at his two friends, who had concerned looks.

“What’s wrong? You seem…. Spooked.”

Henry was a little confused as to why Thomas would say that till he realized his hands were shaking. He clenched them as he took a deep breath, calming himself down.

“I’m fine, thanks,” He said as he exhaled. “We have a problem.”

Thomas or Liz didn’t reply but just focused on Henry, showing that they were listening.

“We…. Have another vampire problem.”

"Another? So it's a new one?" Liz asked, and Henry nodded.

“What? it’s trying to break into the barrier?” Thomas add.

"No, they're already inside. They didn't break through the outer layer to enter, nor were they already in the town. They just appeared like they came out of thin air."

Thomas and Liz both frowned at this.

“Then let’s just kill the dang thing. If it's in the barrier, it should be weakened—and combined with my technique. Thomas should have no problem dealing with the bloodsucker," Liz suggested.

"Hmm… she is right, though I am a little concerned as to how it was able to escape your sense. We should be able to defeat it."

"I… I'm not so sure about that," Henry said, his voice filled with doubt.

Thomas looked at Henry with disbelief, and Liz had a surprised look on her face.

“It’s that strong!?” Liz remarked.

"If not an ancient than, I'm sure, they’re a greater vampire."

In Henry's words, the entire tent went silent. Everyone didn’t know what to do with the information that they had been given.

An ancient vampire, an undead so mighty that it said it could take on a squad composed of only second-ranked order knights and still win. An undead that was comparable to a first-ranked knight in power.

The silence was broken by murmuring and stressed shouts coming from outside. Liz paled, and Thomas attempted to remove his sword from its scabbard but was stopped by Henry.

"It's not the vampire. It's still currently on the other side of town, so calm down," He said, waving his hands up and down in a calming gesture.

They stepped out of the tent to meet a group of people. They were all men ranging from 19 to 40 years. Fear and nervousness coated their face as they argued among themselves.

“What’s going on here?” Henry asked in an authoritative voice.

The mumbling quieted down to a whisper as they looked at each other, wondering who was going to go forward.

A man who looked to be slightly older than Thomas stepped up. His black hair was messy, along with his beard, which looked to be unwashed for days.

"Umm… sir..." His voice was gruff, and he spoke very slowly.

“You can call me Henry.”

“Ahh, sir Henry-”

“Drop the sir.”

The man stopped speaking, as he looked hesitant to for fill Henry’s request.

"Just tell me what the problem is. There is no need for formalities. It's not the time or place," Henry said with a sigh.

“The town… the bodies are…. missing.” The man said slowly.

"What?" Henry asked, confused.

“The bodies in the town. They have disappeared,” The man repeated.

"What do you mean they disappeared? Corpses don't just vanish." Thomas entered into the conversation.

“I….” The man stammered as he took a step back

Henry shot Thomas a glare.

“Thomas.”

Thomas sighed as he took a step back while folding his arms.

"Liz, go and check on Mia and the deceased," Henry said before he returned his attention to the man.

Liz immediately took off, leaving Thomas and Henry to the group.

“Please explain to me what happened.”

***

When They had gotten the full explanation. Henry had sent them off to tell the others to be ready to leave. Liz returned some minutes later after they had left.

“So she is gone, I presume?” Henry asked.

She nodded, looking just as devastated as when Mia died. Thomas gritted his teeth but ultimately remained quiet. They waited for Henry's decision, as he was the leader at the moment.

"Well, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the vampire that just arrived is responsible for this.”

He pulled his hair back along with his head as he looked at the ceiling of the tent. He stayed like that for some number of seconds before he looked back at the two.

"We only have a few options, and the most I find attractive are these two. We can run, or we can fight."