You know that sensation when a gun was to be suddenly aimed at you? It didn’t matter how much you could deadlift or how hard you could punch—because you’d realize in that moment, death was inevitable. That was exactly how I felt right now.

Munera Obsidian stepped forward and said, "Heh," in a low, somewhat purring voice. I retreated a step, but I was met by a wall. Her presence filled the little hallway. "A human who’s still alive in this mess? Fascinating," she said, her eyes shining with a dark humor as her lips formed a mocking grin. "And here I believed that I had dealt with every weakling."

Munera attacked as fast as a snake before I could even detect her movement. With an iron-like grasp, her hand sprang out and grabbed my neck. I was slammed against the cold, unyielding wall in an instant, and the force of the blow forced my breath out of my lungs.

SHIT.

My breath was cut off by her tightening fingers, and I felt a sharp pain shoot through my neck and spine. However, what really frightened me was not the physical pain but rather her overwhelming strength and the fact that she could easily break my windpipe with a mere flick of her hand.

Her ominous, black eyes stared into mine, probing, assessing. "Little human, what are you doing here?” With a tone full of condescension, she asked. “Trying to play hero? Or just looking for a quick death?”

Bored. That’s what she was, the reason why she cared to talk with me. Perhaps she was buying time for herself to recover some strength after her fight with this dead werewolf. Meaning she wasn’t at her full power. Not that any of that was important to me; she could kill me even if she was at death’s door.

I was unable to speak or breathe. The darkness was drawing in, making it harder for me to see clearly at the edges. My thoughts raced, looking for any way out of this. I was absolutely positive that I couldn't fight her. She was much more than I could manage.

Today is the day I die.

I could feel death creeping up from behind me, just a millimeter away. She just had to twist her finger, and my neck would twist the other way.

My only chance was to somehow convince her to let me go, but what could I possibly say to sway someone like her?

Then, just as panic was about to take hold of me, I remembered a name that might be my only hope. Ah, right… I almost forgot. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a choked gasp. Munera narrowed her eyes and relaxed her hold just enough to allow me to stutter out a single word.

“Nebula…”

Silence spread through the room.

I could practically feel the weight of the name bearing down on me as it hung in the air between us. Something flashed in her eyes for a moment. Inquisitiveness? Interested? Whatever it was, it was sufficient to prevent her from breaking my neck that very moment.

"What did you say?” Munera demanded, her grip tightening once more, but her tone slightly changed—it became more inquisitive rather than deadly. Her gaze pierced through me as though she were attempting to draw the truth from my very being.

“Nebula… Carlstein… she is my fiancée…” I managed to gasp out, the words tumbling over each other in my desperation. “We’ve… we’ve been in love since childhood… Dear mother-in-law.”

Her eyes widened slightly, the first real sign of emotion I’d seen from her. The cold detachment in her gaze faltered, replaced by something far more dangerous. A sense of recognition passed through her pupils. “Nebula?” she repeated, her voice softer now, almost contemplative. “My daughter… you’re saying she’s engaged to you? A mere human?”

To be fair, she herself did willingly marry the Carlstein Baron, that lucky bastard. She couldn’t judge her daughter for loving a human. Even if, of course, I was making a lot of shit up.

But yes, it’s true.

The character I said who was half an Obsidian Vampire… was none other than her.

My fiancé, Nebula Carlstein.

When I joked ‘Unless the sunlight bothers you, it's better than indoors,’ with her, there were more underlying implications that I let her catch back then. I nodded as best as I could with her hand still around my throat. “It’s… it’s all true.”

Munera’s gaze stayed still, scrutinizing every inch of my face as if searching for any sign of deceit. The pressure of her fingers was stubborn, a constant reminder of the power she wielded over me. If she thought I was trying to make a fool out of her, she could and would end me. I felt sweat on my forehead, feeling her weighing my words, deciding whether or not to believe me.

“Tell me then,” she said, her voice a deadly whisper. “How did you know I am her mother? Speak quickly before I change my mind.”

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay calm despite the panic clawing at my insides. “I… I have an Optical Skill. An Aetheris Eyes, I'm sure you know what that is…” I lied, my mind scrambling to come up with something plausible. “It allows me to see things… like levels and other details. It’s limited, but it works. I can see that you’re on the 7th Ascension,” I added, hoping the flattery might work in my favor. “I’m not sure exactly what Level, though…”

Munera’s eyes narrowed, her gaze still as cold and sharp as a blade. But she didn’t immediately dismiss my words. Instead, she seemed to be considering them, turning them over in her mind.

Thankfully, I remembered her from the game, [Arcane Crown], that she was at the 7th Ascension. She couldn’t be weaker than that now, otherwise I’d have been able to see it.

“An optical skill, you say?” she murmured, her grip on my throat loosening just a fraction more. “Interesting…”

I could see her thoughts churning behind her cold eyes, and I knew this was my only chance. I had to make her believe me, had to make her care enough to let me live. My mind raced as I tried to find the right words.

“I’m… I’m not asking for mercy,” I stammered, my voice hoarse from the pressure on my throat. “But Nebula… she would want me alive. She’s… she’s always spoken about you, about how proud she is of her lineage… of you. How sad she was when you ‘died’. I remember consoling her afterward… when we first met during our childhood in a noble event… I’m really surprised to see you alive… mother-in-law.”

“....”

Munera Obsidian was still a mother, in the end. She had her reasons for faking her death and leaving her daughter behind, and it wasn’t because she hated Nebula. There were other matters.

Munera’s grip loosened even more, and for a moment, I thought I might actually have a chance at escape. Her expression slightly softened, and I noticed the tiniest trace of humanity in her eyes. There was a trace of the maternal bond she might have with Nebula.

For the first time, I saw a flicker of hesitation.

“She’s proud…you say?” Munera’s voice was quieter now, more thoughtful. She seemed to be lost in thought, her mind drifting to memories I couldn’t begin to fathom. She hid it well, but she looked happy that her daughter didn’t find her vampire lineage disgusting.

It was working.

Then her eyes snapped back to mine, losing the positive emotion, and her grip tightened once more. Though the grip was not as harsh as before. Indeed, it was working.

She looked at the family emblem on the chest of my clothes. “If you’re lying to me, human, I will make you regret it. You’re from the Romani house, eh? I’ll confirm if you’re truly engaged with her or not, after leaving this place.”

“I’m not lying,” I croaked, my vision swimming as I struggled to breathe. “She… she always talked about you, about how she wanted to be strong, like you.”

Munera’s eyes looked into mine for what felt like an eternity, and then, as if making a decision, she released me. I collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, my hand instinctively clutching my bruised throat. I looked up at her, waiting for her next move, still not sure if I was going to live through this encounter.

Munera turned her back on me, her voice cold but with a hint of something else. Perhaps reluctance, perhaps caution. “Consider yourself lucky, human. Sparing someone as weak as you wouldn’t do me any harm. But if you’re telling the truth, and you’re indeed my daughter’s love, then killing you would be a loss. So I’ll let you live. Oh, and,” she paused and turned her head back. “Don’t you dare tell her that I’m alive.”

She walked away, her movements graceful and arrogant, leaving me kneeling on the ground. My heart still raced with the adrenaline of near death. I watched her leave, my mind spinning.

Fucking powerhouses.

As Munera disappeared into the shadows, the weight of her presence lifted. I once again realized just… how close I had come to dying. “Fuck,” my hands trembled as I slowly rose to my feet, the full weight of what had just happened settling over me.

The relief was almost overwhelming, but it was dampened when I told myself how narrowly I had escaped with my life.

I had survived, but barely. And now, I had to move. She told me to run, so if she saw me for a second time around here, I'd be dead for sure.

The task of gathering the blood still remained, and the clock was ticking. It was tickling fast. I couldn’t afford to waste any more time. With one last look in the direction Munera had gone, I turned and began to wander the mansion.

****

Amelia Dustlaef sliced through the sky, her wings beating furiously as she ascended higher. She reached above the burning city, the same sky that had transformed into a battlefield crackling with chaotic energy, filled with auroras of power that clashed violently around her.

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Below her, Lockdarn was a sea of flames and devastation, but Amelia’s attention was fixed solely on the figure before her.

The Vampiric Father, the nightmare from ancient times whose very presence seemed to shroud the sky in darkness.

She had expected a difficult fight, but now, as she confronted him head-on, the full weight of her situation crushed down on her. Injured though he might be, the Vampiric Father’s strength was beyond anything she could have prepared for. His power radiated out like a suffocating wave, threatening to smother her entirely.

The worst part, she realized with a sinking dread, was that… he wasn’t even trying.

He was playing with her.

Amelia veered to the side, her wings straining as she narrowly avoided a blast of dark energy that ripped through the clouds. Although she avoided the energy itself, the shockwave came for her. It slammed into her, jarring her bones.

She retaliated with a deafening roar, a purple pillar of plasma spewing from her maw in a furious torrent. The searing heat of her breath was enough to melt steel and turn armies to ash.

However, he just dodged it.

Last time he chose to block it, but this time he was dodging. Does that mean she was doing some damage?

With a lazy flick of his wrist, the Vampiric Father summoned a shield of dark energy, absorbing her flames and scattering them like embers in the wind. Amelia’s heart fell, while a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips, his red eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

“Is that truly all you have in you, dragon?” His voice rumbled through the air, a taunt that sank into her very core. He floated effortlessly as his dark robes swirled around him. They were like living shadows. “I presumed that a creature of your lineage would offer more of a challenge.”

Amelia’s chest tightened at that disrespect. Her jaws clenched. Not just from the exertion but from the creeping terror that ate at her resolve. She had thrown everything at him, and it had all been for nothing. Her most powerful attacks were mere annoyances to him, he was too strong, and he deflected with ease. The gap between their strengths was becoming all too clear, and the realization twisted like a knife in her gut.

He was right.

She was no match for him.

“You’re not as fearsome as your reputation suggests, as Amelia of the Waybound,” noting her silence, the Vampiric Father continued as he circled her, a predator savoring the hunt. His crimson eyes never wavered from hers. They glowed with a dark, mocking amusement. “Tell me, which one of your parents is a gold dragon?”

Amelia’s jaws clenched at that question. She wasn’t here to converse. Her claws twitched as she scanned for an opening, any sign of weakness she could exploit. She decided to distract him by replying. “Why do you care?” she spat, her voice sharp. “Does it matter who my parents are?”

A low, sinister chuckle rumbled from his chest. That sent a shiver down her spine. “It’s merely a curiosity, little dragon. What is a golden dragon from the Saharan Desert doing here in the Ethenia Empire, hmm? So far from your sands, where your kind rules supreme. It’s enough to make one wonder.”

Amelia brushed it off with a false chuckle of her own. “Believe me, if you knew who my parents were, you’d turn your heels and flee. It doesn’t matter. I’m here to protect the innocent,” she said, her golden scales flickering with power as she gathered her energy for another strike. “To stop monsters like you from destroying everything in your path!”

Of course, the threat of her parents was mere words. Otherwise, she’d have told him who they were if that’d truly make him flee. The Vampiric Father found the answer amusing regardless.

“How noble of you,” he said with a raised eyebrow, sarcasm dripping from every word. “But tell me, dragon, do you truly believe you can stop me? You’re not dumb. You must have realized by now that this battle is not in your favor.”

He was right, and she knew it, but surrendering was not an option when it meant the death of thousands.

Amelia refused to give up. Instead, she shut her eyes. She focused all her fear, rage, and determination on her next action. Her body emitted a dazzling golden light… as she got ready to release all her power.

“Oh, you are going to use a genuine gold dragon attack now, instead of that purple show? Excellent, let me see,” he remarked, smiling in anticipation of the assault.

The sky ignited as if the sun itself had descended, and with a ferocious roar, she surged forward, claws outstretched, maw open to release another devastating wave of golden.

[Bloodline Skill: The Gold Dragon’s Breath.]

Liquid flames burst toward the Vampiric Father, who prepared his own attack. The two collided in a blinding explosion of light and darkness. The pair of powers collided in a dazzling explosion of light and darkness, generating a catastrophic impact so intense it seemed to split the very essence of reality.

The fragrance of mana filled the air, causing shockwaves to disperse clouds and shake the earth below.

But even as she poured everything into this attack, Amelia felt the little damage it did. She felt crushed. The Vampiric Father was simply too powerful.

He absorbed most of her flames, deflected her strikes, and countered her moves with skillful precision. That left her frustrated. Her wings burned with fatigue, her breath came in ragged gasps, and the radiant glow of her scales began to dim as her strength left her...

“Such a waste,” the Vampiric Father mused, effortlessly blocking her latest assault, his hand crackling with dark energy. There, however, was a deep burn on his chest. “You could have lived a long, illustrious life in your desert, ruling over lesser beings. Instead, you chose to die here, far from home. And for what? For a cause that was never yours.”

“S-stay quiet!” Amelia roared, and the sound echoed until that began to vanish like her dwindling resolve. She couldn’t let him break her spirit. He must not see how close she was to giving up. She hurled herself at him once more, and truth whispered at her.

This was a losing battle.

Every clash drained her, and each exchange edged her closer to defeat.

The Vampiric Father's smirk widened even further. He sidestepped her attack and then followed it with a devastating blast of dark energy. It slammed into her side, and Amelia let out a cry of pain as she was sent flying through the air. Desperately, she tried to steady herself, but no matter how much she forced it, her wings merely flapped weakly. Despite her efforts, she found herself quickly dropping in altitude.

“I’ll give you credit for your stubbornness,” the Vampiric Father said as he observed her, watching her with cold detachment. “But even dragons have their limits, my dear. And yours are painfully clear.”

Amelia struggled as her vision became blurry, attempting to stabilize herself in the air without success. The intense pain in her side made it difficult to take deep breaths. With her mind racing, she searched for any strategy or glimpse of hope to change the situation, but no ideas surfaced. She found herself overpowered and trapped with no way to flee.

She heard the soft murmur of the wind, urging her to leave, to forsake the city to its fate so she could save herself. The idea was unpleasant and embarrassing, but... what other option did she have?

“You’re considering it, aren’t you?” The Vampiric Father’s voice sliced through Amelia’s thoughts. They tempted her. “Running away to save yourself, you’re considering it, right?”

“....”

“It would be the smart thing to do. After all, what is one city in the grand scheme of things? The desert will welcome you back, even if your Academy abandons you. You could leave now, and no one would blame you.”

It was as if his words were like poison. They diluted her mind, and her heart pounded against her ribs. The wind whispered that he was right. That this battle… it was futile.

For a moment, her thoughts drifted. The Saharan Desert, her home, materialized in her mind. The comforting warmth of the sands seemed to provide her with safety and comfort. However, Amelia was aware that deep down, fleeing now would mean being tormented by the thought of the innocent people who would die in her absence.

The people below, scrambling for survival, had no hope against a monster like him. Could she truly live with herself, knowing she had abandoned them?

‘If you're not leaving, I'm not either.’

The voice of that child boomed in her head. Clarity returned. Her wings beat against the turbulent air, muscles straining as she hovered before her enemy.

The fires of the city below reflected in her golden eyes, a burning reminder of what was at stake. She was not those savage dragons of the desert; she was a protector, but that exact savage side of her blood made her immensely prideful to flee.

The Gold Dragons of the Saharan Desert did not turn tail and flee like cowards.

“No,” she growled. “I won’t run. Not from you. Not today.” Her decision was final. If death was the choice, she’d bring him down with her.

The Vampiric Father sighed in disappointment as though he anticipated her response. "Very well," he remarked, his tone turning cold all of a sudden. His red eyes emitted a soft glow. The earlier casual taunting had disappeared, revealing only the unforgiving predator. “But understand this, Amelia Dustlaef—”

Amelia watched as he continued, goosebumps spreading through her skin, “Today, you shall die here. I was planning to let you leave, to let you live, as you seemed to be the daughter of Sahrazzakhan, Dragon King of the Saharan Desert, but it’s not as if he and I are good buddies. So this ends here. You can try and resist, but your power is insignificant. You will fall, and when you do, this city will burn to ashes.”

His words were less a threat and more a fact, and the dark energies crackled around him as if they were true. They coiled and expanded like a living storm that made Amelia’s skin crawl. With a fluid motion, he unleashed a dark power, a wave of intense force that tore through the sky, screaming like a banshee as it cut through the air.

“Come on!” Amelia shouted and met it head-on, her golden liquid flames igniting with a fierce intensity, blazing brighter than ever before. She poured every last drop of her energy into the inferno, refusing to let his darkness overwhelm her light.

The collision was extremely destructive, causing the sky to burst into a violent mix of gold and black. The force of the impact sent shockwaves traveling through the skies, causing a distortion in the very fabric of reality. It felt as though the world itself pulled back from the sheer strength of their clash.

But this time, the strain was too much.

Amelia struggled against the relentless power of the Vampiric Father, feeling her strength falter as her wings strained under the pressure. And then… with a sickening crunch, one of her wings snapped. She screeched in sheer pain.

It was over.

Amelia screamed. The sound broke from her throat as her body plummeted from the sky. The pain was unbearable as if molten lava was being poured in her wings. She tumbled through the air, her broken wing flailing uselessly. The spinning world around her was a dizzying mix of light and darkness, and for a short, frightening moment, she thought it was the end—that she was about to crash and meet her end.

The ground rushed up to meet her, the city’s flames growing closer with each passing second. However, just as hopelessness started to tighten its hold around her, something… changed. A magnificent pillar of light burst from the center of the city below.

For the umpteenth time tonight, the world let out a scream, but this time it was even louder than before. The very atmosphere quivered with its intensity as the light soared upwards, piercing the darkness like a blade of pure, unwavering hope.

There was hope.

The Vampiric Father's attention quickly shifted to the light's origin, his amused expression turning serious—perhaps even fearful.

His self-assured smirk disappeared, replaced by a grim expression as he grasped the situation.

Amelia was still falling, but she managed to get a glimpse of the light’s origin somehow. A colossal, wild creature, its body surrounded by divine energy, raced upward with the velocity and rage of countless storms.

It was the Matriarch of the Moon Wolf Tribe.

Vargathrian of the First Apocalypse.

The divine beast's form blazed with an unholy light that matched the wrath in her eyes. Maddened sparks of flame scattered around the Matriarch as she surged toward her ancient rival, her entire being radiating power and vengeance.

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The sheer force of her presence sent shockwaves through the air, turning the night into day as she tore through the heavens. The Vampiric Father’s confidence wavered, and for the first time, Amelia saw him as something other than the invincible natural disaster.

That moment filled Amelia with confidence. She barely returned to her human form and shouted, “Dragon Tongue Magic: Firefly Wings!” As she managed to halt her fall, her eyes locked on the new display that started in the sky. “How did she…”

The battle wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.