A perfect futsal field, one goal for each player. Raised over the center of the field, a screen with the photos of the competitors — both in epic poses — and with each player's score right below. On an electronic panel above, the name "Manolinho Soccer 64" looped.
Vast was ready with his nunchaku. Whatever the ball, he wouldn't let it in. "It might be risky to attack him directly, so it's better to get into the game until I understand this Curse better."
The checkered ball was handled with sublime dexterity by those feet. Hypnotizing, one could say. Whatever moment he was photographed, it would be an award-winning scene.
After a short display of his ball-handling skills, he said:
— Alright, let's put this thing in there now!
From unknown places, the boy produced a syringe containing blood. Vast was initially confused, even more so as he observed the destination the crimson liquid had.
Straight into his vein, he injected it all at once. A dangerous application, but one that elicited a very satisfied groan from him. And, following that, the effects of the thing.
What is that!? An energy more than familiar to Vast overflowed from the boy's body suddenly, the transformations began immediately.
His skin became paler, veins standing out all over his body. Veiny he became. In his mouth, two fangs protruded outward, while his long hair fluttered with the help of a mysteriously sourced wind.
All these factors combined resulted in the birth scene of a superior creature. And, to definitively mark its arrival in the world, the aura of the body took the trouble to present the new individual.
Vampire Descendant
Strength 34/100
Agility 12/100
Intelligence 57/100
"For an effect like this... that blood was... !!"
Vush... GOOOOOOOAL!!
Vast teetered on the brink of madness for a moment — the camera angle zoomed in on his face. At his feet, there it was, the ball displaying its magnificent checkered pattern, almost laughing at his face still frozen in pure shock.
On the looped screen, the game's name changed from "Manolinho" to "Vampirinho Soccer 64". — Hey! Weren't you in a hurry? You need to kick it back if you want to keep the game going. — An eager face.
A solitary drop of sweat ran down Vast's face. A countdown. Seconds he used to stare directly into that eager look, craving a good slap on the butt. And when the salty drop collided with the ground, his foot also met the ball.
THUMP! The doubled force did a great job of shooting that item like a true cannonball, drawing a surprised look from the Vampire. Contrary to what he probably expected, two could play at this game!
Or so Vast thought.
The Descendant bellowed: Phantom Hand! And in the background, a second, deeper voice echoed the name for some unknown reason. Vast searched for the origin of that voice, but in a way, he knew it was impossible.
As the name suggested, a translucent hand nearly triple the size of the Vampire materialized in front of him, catching Vast's powerful shot. A short trail of smoke marked the definitive halt of the circular locomotion.
— It's futile! — he warned, tossing the ball back to his feet. — The whole family knows how your Curse works, Prince Vast. Normally, I wouldn't be able to retaliate with just my Curse, so I had to use the master's blood right from the start just to be safe…
He glanced at the scoreboard for a brief moment. The score still being tallied.
— In other words… — His leg swung back. His gaze locked onto the target. — You're in the worst possible situation!
GOOOOOOOAL!!
The scoreboard changed. 2x0 for... Diego! Vast paid attention to the enemy's name for the first time.
However, after such a jaw-dropping revelation, the prince's reaction was a short, satisfied sigh.
— Great! — he said, drawing a confused look from his opponent. — It's good to see that even traitors still bother to treat royalty with the respect they deserve, although it wouldn't make a difference to me.
— Tsk! You talk too much for a poor prince!
Vast already expected that, sooner or later, they would start using his Curse against him, specifically the part about the healing factor. He was just surprised it happened so quickly. Vampires turned out to be smarter than he ever expected. But none of this was enough to stop his advance.
With the score now at 2x0 for Diego, he would have trouble getting out of there as fast as he wanted.
"He transformed all at once into a Descendant, which means that blood was from an Original."
Emilia crossed his mind, but the amount he talked to her during the party was enough to understand that she wasn't the type of person to give something like her blood to just anyone like him.
Stolen novel; please report.
"The strength he gained from this is a problem, but the Curse must have some loophole…"
Vush... GOOOOOOAL!!
"There must be... right?" The scoreboard changed. 3x0 for Diego.
There was a way around everything, or so Vast thought. He had to find a workaround for this situation before the score became too humiliating.
With the ball now in his possession, he prepared and kicked it the same way. A power that broke the sound barrier right from the start. Only the trail; a blur became visible on the field. Human or Vampire, anyone hit by this shot would have their body pierced, but even so...
Thump! The muffled impact again by the Phantom Hand. And, just like before, Diego's shot was stronger.
GOOOOOOOAL! Score: 4x0.
"What exactly is happening!? It's too fast! Even if I hit the ball, I would be unable to stop it with brute force! Moreover..."
Enraged, he kicked again. Defended, and before he could even think, he heard the voice once more.
GOOOOOOOAL! Score: 5x0.
The masochist chuckled cynically. Meanwhile, Vast was squeezing blood from a stone.
"He's really not even trying to hit me directly."
With so much power in the shots, killing him would be the most obvious option. If that wasn't happening, then this must be nothing less than one of the loopholes of the Curse.
"Right, if he can't use the shots to kill me, I can focus on how to retaliate. My doubled strength isn't enough, but I'm sure just one extra thing will be enough to force my balls in there."
He kicked, again and again, putting all the strength he had into his legs. The ball crossed the field fast enough to be barely visible, yet the voice and the change in the score were always the same.
G G G G G
O O O O O
O O O O O Score: 10x0 para Diego.
O O O O O
O O O O O
A A A A A
L L L L L
!! !! !! !! !!
Vast was already sweating like a horse, his hair sticking to his neck and his breath heavy. At least no damage was dealt to his clothing, which remained intact — except for being soaked.
"How does he manage it?" was the question that lingered.
For a result like this, Diego's strength was probably already high as a Cursed, and now amplified by the transformation into a Descendant.
"Maybe it's an effect of the field. Some kind of bonus for summoning this whole place, or maybe...!"
PLAM! The sound, not the narrator's voice, made him jump in surprise. The ball hit the crossbar, denting the metal. It then rolled and stopped in the middle of the field, magically appearing at Vast's feet seconds later.
— AH~! Hit the bar! How annoying. Well, whatever. This game's gotten pretty boring, so it shouldn't be a problem to try some new tricks with you, right?
The prince analyzed. Diego's expression visibly changed, still with the presence of the longing look, but with something more. His eyes were different, a slight spiral now replacing his pupils.
I see! Vast couldn't help but let a smile break out. Next, it was his turn, and he controlled the ball, lifting it to chest height and kicking it toward the goal at the right moment.
Once again, it was stopped by the same ability as before. Without hesitation, Diego countered, but unlike before — a direct shot — he hit the ball with the top of his foot, generating a curved motion in midair that confused the prince.
GOOOOOOOAL!! He heard the warning after the ball collided with the edge of the crossbar and, by sheer luck, entered the goal.
"He really changed since the start of the match. In the end, it wasn't about pure skill, the effect of Vampire blood, or even arrogance, much simpler than that..."
The score changed again: 11x0. And along with it, the prince's mentality shifted. "It's the effect of the Curse itself! A power type that drains the user's sanity!"
Little was known about the Curses beyond the fact that they carried "positive" and negative points. They didn't seem to have classes, similar effects, or the like; they simply existed in their various forms. Except for one.
Some Cursed ones were capable of altering reality around them, just like Diego, who summoned the futsal field. An ability with heavy restrictions, but that provided extra strength to the user over time while the power was active. As mentioned before, at the cost of their own sanity.
— LET'S GOOOOO! The shout carried more force than the shot itself.
"If he's losing sanity as time goes on, I could just wait for him to collapse. But... how long would that take? Would it really work? There's no way to know, but maybe it's a good idea to extend this game, even if it's just for a few minutes..."
Vast controlled the ball, preparing for his turn to attack. In response, Diego licked his lips.
— Come on, come on! I can't give you a quick death if you keep dragging it out like this, damn it!
The vampire was already threatening to leave his goal and go to Vast, only refraining likely due to the ability itself.
They stared at each other for a few seconds. The prince, pensive, analyzed the opponent from head to toe. Diego showed an increasingly large spiral in his eyes, and drool began to trickle from his mouth. Finally, Vast declared:
— Let's see how far you can go.
Using the sharp tip of the Crimson Shooter, he penetrated the ball and burst it. The checkered pattern now spread across the ground and carried by the wind.
No reaction came from Diego, and the reason for such calmness became obvious next. Another ball appeared without Vast realizing it. On the panel, a yellow card icon appeared next to his image.
— Ah! I forgot about this detail, right? Diego laughed, taking advantage of the moment to stretch. — Trying to end the game forcefully gives you a yellow card, gather three and you lose. Directly attacking the opponent using the ball results in a red card, which also leads to defeat.
"I understand, so this was the reason he hadn't attacked me until now." He looked at the panel, the yellow card putting pressure on him. "I better not commit any more fouls. But, all this talk still doesn't help me. I need an idea to counter his shots...!!"
An electrifying spark crossed his mind. Could it be...? Without wasting any time, he kicked the ball clumsily. The Phantom Hand was unnecessary this time; Diego controlled the ball with his own hands.
— What's this? Giving up? That's no fun, man...
With his hands, he tossed the ball into the air, enough to reach the height of the panel. Then, he jumped behind it.
— My Curse was considered one of the best among the mercenaries of the Baskerville Family. Now, with all the enhancement from the blood of an Original Vampire, I'm better than even my older brothers!
He reached the ball when it was six meters high. His foot struck accurately, a powerful shot that made the sphere fly in such a perfect straight line that even the greatest mathematicians wouldn't believe it.
With an attack like that, it was no surprise. The GOOOOOOOAL announcement came immediately, and the score changed to 12x0 as soon as Diego's feet touched the ground again.
Relaxed, he said: — Honestly, I thought it would be harder considering they sent me to eliminate you. In the end, I guess their fear was just a bunch of crap...
Vush... GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!
Diego froze. With difficulty, his gaze slid downward as a salty drop trickled from the top of his forehead and, after reaching the edge of his chin, dropped and collided with the ball at his feet.
His whole body trembled for a brief moment; quite noticeable to Vast.
— What's wrong? I'm just getting started. — He spun the nunchaku and stopped it under his arm. — Keep going. I don't have all day.
The score changed: 12x1. The changes finally began!