Damien came to an abrupt halt as a shadow loomed over the crowd and stood in his path. The weight of his heavy armor, hidden under his robe, hindered his ability to move at maximum speed, and it allowed unscrupulous individuals to catch up to him despite his efforts.
Oliver, with his dull eyes, gave Damien a curious gaze that made the teenage vampire uneasy.
"I didn't expect to see you again so soon," Oliver said with a sly smile, "but here we are. It seems you know more about my friend in that building over there. Care to tell me what happened to poor Gello?"
"I don't know a damn thing," Damien replied, his black eyes narrowed in defiance.
The enforcer narrowed his eyes before letting out a mocking laugh. "You really think you can deceive me with that, do you?"
Damien knew he couldn't afford to waste any more time and summoned a plume of dark flames with his Darkfire spell. The enforcer's robes rose to block the attack with two blades in the shape of a cross. One was a machete and the other a shortsword.
By the time the attack dissipated, the Shadow Knight had already sprinted deeper into the streets. The crowd had thinned as people noticed the scene and screamed in alarm as they retreated. Some were not fast enough and were pierced by sharp daggers flying from Oliver's hands. Damien watched as a small blade narrowly missed his hair and struck an unaware woman in the shoulder, causing her to cry out in agony.
The vampire glared at the enforcer, trembling with rage as innocent bystanders were caught in his attacks.
"You fucking bastard," Damien spat out. "Do you have no remorse?"
He looked at the dying bodies of those caught in the flying daggers with regret. He had no idea how many more his opponent had.
'In truth, I'm somewhat responsible for all this.' The vampire swallowed his guilt down, doing his best to focus on the enforcer. 'I can't lose focus. I have to take him out now!'
Oliver tilted his head in confusion. "For what? It's not like I hit anyone important. Just a few peasants whose lives never mattered."
The worst part about the statement was the sincerity behind it. The enforcer looked at those caught in his attack with indifference, fueling Damien's anger.
The vampire unsheathed his sword and prepared to face Oliver. He wanted to make it as quick as possible, knowing that the longer he stayed, the more likely reinforcements would arrive.
He charged toward the man and narrowly deflected another dagger thrown with precision and accuracy. Damien had faced faster opponents, and he knew Oliver was likely among them. Despite this, the enforcer was not superior to the others Damien had fought and didn't lose confidence.
Oliver was unable to step back in time and parried a strike to his shoulder, wincing at the force behind Damien's blow. He quickly turned serious and attacked with frightening drive and the intent to kill. Few dared to challenge the vampire head-on after feeling the strength behind his attacks, but it seemed the enforcer was different in that regard.
The Shadow Knight displayed his superior skill with the sword, noticing certain habits and tendencies as their sword fight progressed. Oliver used the longer machete for downward strikes and wide swings, and the short sword for quick, stabbing attacks. Damien persevered, adjusting himself accordingly and maintaining a firm and steady stance without the use of his shield.
From an outsider's perspective, they could only see Damien struggling against a relentless barrage of strikes. But Oliver's face quickly turned to frustration as he struggled to land a lethal hit on the youngest member of the Rose clan.
In a swing that left his side exposed, Damien capitalized and delivered a powerful kick that sent Oliver crashing to the ground. The impact told Damien that his enemy was likely wearing metal armor under his robe.
"Kuhok-!"
The enforcer, although protected, keeled over from the power of the boy's kick. He raised his eyes to meet the cold, obsidian gaze of Damien. It was unlike anything he'd seen on a child before. A measured look that showed confidence in one's self.
"You're looking down on me," Oliver muttered, his unkempt appearance and long hair giving him an air of danger and unpredictability. He was no longer smiling or in a playful mood.
The enforcer grabbed the ground and crushed it in his grip as an unholy red aura overtook his senses. "FUCK YOU!" he shouted, his eyes glowing with a malevolent light. It made the boy remember unpleasant memories of a previous opponent he had fought before.
'Wait...A berserker! Just like Delo-!' Damien exclaimed, bracing himself for the renewed ferocity of the enforcer's attack.
The vampire struggled against the enforcer's heightened strength and speed, his sword clashing against Oliver's blades with a ringing sound. Damien was pushed back despite his endurance and defense. With most of his body guarded by armour, the boy focused on protecting his head and neck.
'Damn it all to hell...! I can't afford to engage in a long fight! It'll only make things worse. I have to end it in one blow.' Damien thought to himself, frantically searching for an opening in Oliver's defense. The enforcer was a skilled fighter, but Damien refused to back down. In a momentary lull, he gritted his teeth and mustered all his strength for a powerful attack.
"SHADOW-!"
Even in a mindless rage, the shaggy-haired man flinched back from the well of energy condensing within the teenager's chilly blade. He got goosebumps on his skin as the surrounding area of the boy darkened considerably. But Oliver didn't retreat. He brought both his blades down with the intent of killing Damien before he could hit him with incoming spell.
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"SMITE!"
The blades broke in Oliver's hands, unable to withstand the intense energy of Shadow Smite. The enforcer let out a pained cry as he was sent flying into the distance, crashing into a nearby food stand and unleashing a cloud of dust. Damien couldn't even breathe a sigh of relief before sensing two significant presences behind him.
The boy reacted quickly, blocking a massive axe coming from his left flank. But he couldn't react in time to the gauntleted fist that smashed into his solar plexus. Even with his armor, the blow knocked the breath out of Damien and he watched as the giant brothers geared up to fight him
"Whaddya' know. Enforcer Chester was a fake! Who woulda' thunk it?"
"Don't act like you knew that," Orcsbane grumbled. He seemed slightly peeved about the entire ordeal, but cracked his neck in preparation for a fight. "Of all the territories, why'd it have to be us? When was the last time we had to fight as a duo anyway?"
Rotfoot shrugged. "Couple years, probably? But it's the first time as far as I remember that we fought three versus one."
Just as the barefooted giant said that, Oliver rose from the destroyed remains of the food stand, covered in dust and dirt. He was bleeding from the head and severely injured, although the aura around him had strengthened significantly.
Damien surveyed the situation and knew his chances of victory were slim. Had it been a one on one fight, there was no doubt in his mind he could achieve victory. Two on one was a significant challenge, but the vampire was confident his armor and weapons could bridge the gap. But challenging all three of them at once was foolish, especially when he didn't know the full extent of their abilities. He could only make an approximation based on what they've shown so far.
'That enforcer is stronger than both of them. But he's already injured. I need to keep him distracted while I deal with the others.'
The boy sighed, closing his black eyes for a brief moment. He opened his backpack and placed his sword within. Keeping the Twilight Bandits in his peripheral vision, he pulled out another weapon from his extra-dimensional bag. A memento from a fallen enemy.
"I suppose this is the most suitable weapon for the job," Damien said, brandishing the new weapon with grim determination.
Stormbringer's Might
Made from adamantium, it boasts great hardiness and durability. It is embedded with a greater elemental lightning core.
- Reduce darkness resistance of enemies by a minimum of 5%, up to a maximum of 20%. Resistance reduction is reliant on enemy status.
- Deals great piercing and slashing damage.
- Due to the lightning elemental core present in the weapon, there is a small chance of shocking opponents with every blow.
- Bolt: Summon a lightning bolt from the tip of the spear. -100 MP. Deals up to 20% of INT as damage, multiplied by the tier of Lightning Mastery. Medium chance of shocking the opponent.
- Greater Durability III: Further increases the equipment's natural durability and resistance to wear & tear.
- Return I: Upon command, the spear will fly to the user's hand.
- Weight: 3.5kg
"Mana Infusion."
The spear crackled with electricity, responding to Damien's increased bloodlust and vigilance. He unclasped the shield from his back and wielded the two incredible items in tandem.
'Although I am most familiar with the sword, I can't neglect the advantages the spear has against many opponents.'
Rotfoot and Orcsbane were undaunted, going from the left and right flanks to eliminate all his avenues of escape. The vampire headed straight for the axe-wielding giant on the left, knowing he was the weakest link amongst all them. Rotfoot wore no protective clothing and was the most vulnerable of them all.
He neatly avoided Orcsbane's mighty gauntlets crashing down from above and parried the battle axe that was trying to separate his head from his shoulders. In an instant, Damien closed the distance and cut deep into Rotfoot's torso without hesitation.
They were strong, but Damien had dealt with worse. Being embroiled in war zones like Welton and against the Ankheg Queen's army had steeled his mind. He had faced his most powerful adversaries and found the giant brothers lacking in comparison.
"Grrgh!" The giant gritted his teeth as electricity ran through his body. His eyes went wide with pain, paralyzed temporarily by the magical spear.
"Shadow Servant."
The boy wasn't a fool and kept his senses sharp; the moment Oliver dove after him while he dealt with Rotfoot, he summoned his trusty companion and saw the wolf jump to protect his back. It was a perfect distraction while he began dealing with Orcsbane.
Damien removed his blade and parried yet another blow from Orcsbane. With his brother severely injured, the bulky giant swung his arms, enraged. Damien dodged and parried with ease, noticing the lack of Infusion skills utilized by the two.
'They're just brutes. I overestimated them. They've only relied on their innate strength to make it this far.' The vampire thought to himself. He turned his eyes to Oliver, noticing the deeper, red aura surrounding the enforcer. Maxwell stuck faithfully to his master's command and fought to buy time as long as possible. Thanks to the man's berserk-like state, he could not notice the wolf's conservative approach. 'That man is the biggest threat here.'
Even with the shadowy canine playing as safely as possible, Oliver's never-ending assault of bladed weaponry was difficult to survive against. Judging by a regular human's stat point per level, it was safe to assume the enforcer was likely level forty or above.
"GRAHHHH!"
Orcsbane unleashed a devastating punch once more, angered at the boy's lack of attention to the battle, but it was halted by the gravite shield in Damien's hands. In the brief contest of strength, the vampire boy began pushing Orcsbane back. The stupefied expression on the giant's face as a boy a third of his size pushed him back unilaterally was priceless.
"Darkfire."
A plume of flames spread from the bladed tip, forcing the giant back. Damien followed it up with multiple spear jabs, aiming for critical points like joints, hands, and neck. Even when wearing heavy armor, he was skilled and agile enough to dance around Orcsbane until he collapsed.
At the end of it all, the few who remained to watch the battle saw the giant brothers fall to a single boy. Damien stood over Orcsbane's unconscious body before turning his eyes to the last remaining opponent.
Maxwell had kept the man busy, separating the berserker from the main battle. He swung his blades and chased the canine relentlessly. The enforcer had progressively gotten smarter and even managed to hit Maxwell a few times, although not hard enough to dispel him. The vampire pointed his weapon at the enforcer and muttered out a single word.
"Bolt."
Similar to his own Shadowbolt, the weapon unleashed arcs of electricity that were much faster than its dark-based counterpart. But Oliver was fast. Noticing the spell, he moved with beast-like instinct, cutting the magic bolt and stopping in his tracks. It seemed as though his berserk state left enough sanity for him to communicate.
"You motherfucker. YOU'RE DEAD!"
Damien gave him no rest. Despite the increased stats, he was already injured from the Shadow Smite. The black-haired vampire narrowly avoided an attempt at his throat which sliced his robe open, causing the severed cloth to fall to the floor.
A berserker's energy was not infinite; although they got stronger and faster with every wound, it was simple task of making minimal movements and let the enforcer waste himself trying to land a lethal hit. Soon, Damien saw the opportunity he was looking for.
CLANG
He swung his arm and forced Oliver's arms away. The enforcer's discolored teeth were gritted as he ran out of energy. The teenaged vampire raised his armored boot.
The boy stomped on the man's knee, causing it to bend inward. The agony of his leg being broken snapped Oliver out of his rage-fueled state, and he collapsed to the floor, unable to continue. Although he was a berserker and a larger threat than both the giants combined, he was nothing in comparison to the mad vampire, Delont.
Damien glared at him with a dark look in his eyes. "This wouldn't have happened if you had just let me go."
"You," Oliver snarled. Despite being defeated and lying on the ground with a broken leg, he was still able to gather such intense animosity. "You really think it will end with just this? Mark my words. I'll fucking find you. YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL-"
The vampire boy struck him in the chin using the butt of his spear. There was a part of Damien that wished he had used the blade instead, but he didn't want to kill unless necessary. Killing them would likely attract more attention from the Twilight Bandits, which was the last thing he wanted.
"I need to lay low, but I can't just disappear like this. I need to let the kids know. Damn it all-!"
Damien looked around and saw the horrified looks of the populace, he discarded his old robe and ran off into the back alleys with Maxwell alongside him. He knew he needed to get out of sight and find a way to contact the orphans as soon as possible. He couldn't afford to be caught by the Twilight Bandits again. He had to keep moving and stay one step ahead of them.
The tattered remains of his stolen robe fell to the floor, a lost detail amongst the destruction caused by their battle.