Kento and Rin stood in a large field with the sky darkened by a storm as they stood in front of a boss, it was a blood fox, a massive white fox with red eyes that seemed like a mix between a wolf and a fox. Rin brushed her long purple hair from her eyes as she dashed right for the large creature pulling out her sword. Meanwhile Kento clinched his fist. "Fist of destruction!" As purple flames engulfed his hand, he struck the ground as a fierce wave of destruction surged right for the beast, large pieces of earth went flying right for it as they struck the creature repeatedly.
Rin put an enchantment on her blade as she threw the sword right for the large beast. The blood fox let out an echoing roar that shook the entire field as the adventurer struggled to keep her feet firmly on the ground by the sheer force of the creature's voice. The boss looked up at the sky as a red sphere of energy began to form in it's mouth.
"Not so fast! Aura control: 50 piercing strikes!" Rin made quick hand motions with her left hand with her index and middle finger together as she controlled her blade from a distance as it pierced through the creature, moving at an immense speed like a bullet with only a trail of pink light visible as the monster's HP was decreasing at a fast rate.
That's when her spell ended and she caught her blade when the blood fox looked down at her preparing to fire the attack right for her. Kento rushed in as fast as he could, reaching his ally the moment their enemy fired the fierce sphere of red light. The buff zombie threw both hands out as the projectile went straight for him. Rin got out of the way as Kento was hit with the attack, getting forced back, his feet getting dragged across the dirt before it finally began to slow down.
"D-damn it! This thing is far stronger than I thought. I may not be able to feel pain, but I can sure get exhausted" The blood fox focused it's attention on the zombie and unleashed a blast of energy right at the ball of light. "Sukuda!" the girl cried out as the field erupted in a violent explosion of red energy and electricity. She looked at the left of her vision to see the undead mage's HP was just below half but luckily, he was still alive.
As the boss turned it's attention on Rin once more, the undead mage jumped out of the large crater, putting his hands together. "Fireball: Full power!" Using up all of his MP, the zombie formed a fireball with power almost equal to the blood fox's attack. "Take this you bastard!" He launched the ball of flames right for their foe as it detonated the moment it made contact with the beast as the area was set ablaze with flames.
The pair glanced over at the flames to see the fox was just barely alive with a faint amount of health remaining. Taking up no more time Kento charged right in as the beast snarled at him charging right back at him. It attempted to claw him as purple flames manifested from its's claws, the undead mage slid past the coming strike before punching the enemy in the stomach with everything he had.
The monster was sent staggering across the field smashing into a tree. "W-we did it" Sukuda cheered before collapsing onto the ground out cold... Rin ran over to her party member looking at his HP that was now at 10%. "Heh, you can be an idiot sometimes, but you're a good teammate to have" With a smile she pulled his arm over his shoulder and walked back to the village inn...
Chapter 1 One who stands Above The Undead
The zombie awoke sitting up against the wall of their room in the inn while Rin stood over by the window looking outside at the knight sky. "Hehe, sorry Rin, I didn't mean to pass out on you, but I'm glad we won" She gave him a smile responding: "Dorry worry, about it, if it wasn't for you taking that powerful attack for me, I probably would've died...that beast was level 30 and yet we were only level 12 and 18. Surprisingly we managed to win with just a faint amount of health"
[Level 17 Achieved]
[Undead horde Acquired]
[Evolution transmogrification Acquired]
"Wow, I didn't expect to level up so fast from beating one boss, but then again it was several levels higher than us and we're still around the levels where you level up at a decent rate"
"Yea, but since I'm level 21 now, this is probably where my level ups will slow down unless we managed to beat a monster far stronger than even the blood fox" Kento looked at his evolution ability info:
"Switch between evolutions at will with a cool down of 10 seconds"
The zombie closed his eyes picturing his original zombie form when he first awoke in that cave, his large buff form began to shrink as he reverted back to his 1st form before he evolved. "Sweet! With this skill I can go around town without scaring people!"
"Ha! Kento, you're still a zombie, you might not scare many here with that form, but for those not used to a zombie walking around, you'll still scare plenty of people"
"You're right, hopefully I can obtain a 3rd evolution that's less scary to people" They fell asleep for a few hours before waking up and going down stairs to the bar in the inn to get something to eat. As they sat at the bar, the bartender set some steak and potatoes out for them while Kento gave her two gold coins as payment.
"Are you sure you want to use your gold coins sir? The food was only 20 silver pieces each"
"I don't mind, I have a good amount of gold at the moment from taking down boss-level creatures" Jus then an old man's voice whispered through Kento's ear: "I call to the undead...rise and obey me..." Sukuda's eyes glowed purple as he stood up emotionless walking out the door without a word.
"Kento?" Rin ate some of her food and give the bartender a silver coin to keep their food warm while their gone. The adventure ran outside to see the zombie walking outside of the village down the forest path with her following behind to see where he was going. After a few minutes of waking, they reached a cave with a red light illuminating inside.
She waited in a tree scouting, as her friend walked into the cave without hesitation. "Hmph, something's not right, Sukuda wouldn't just randomly walk into a cave like this. I should see what's going on. About time I use a skill I picked up a few levels ago for a situation like this. Skill: Duplication" A clone of her manifested from wisps of blue energy as they formed into a clone of her.
She ordered the double to scout the cave and see what's going on inside. It entered the cave, moving stealthily through the dark with Rin seeing through the eyes of the clone. Inside the cave she saw a legion of the undead, zombies and skeletons. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw her friend standing in the ground of undead as an old man in a dark-red hooded-robe stood above them on a stone podium.
"My minions, you've laid dormant for far too long, it's time we take over the village and then this entire world...But first, it seems we have an intruder...go and find them and bring them to me!" The legion of undead let out groans as they marched towards the entrance where Rin was scouting.
(I only have a few seconds until my double times out, might as well use a skill to slow them down) Her clone stepped out in the open of the horde and aimed both hands in their direction. "Flame dragon dance!" Flames in the form of a dragon manifested as it went straight for the horde, scorching everything in it's path before soaring into the air curling into a ball of flames before erupting in a blaze of fire.
Monstrous groans of despair could be heard as smoke emanated from the cave's entryway The clone vanished as the horde made their way outside, surrounding the tree the adventure was crouched on. "This isn't good, I need to get out of her or at least see if I can save Kento from whatever's happening. She saw her ally in the crowd and aimed her hand in his direction. "Break free of your status effects!" A green aura outlined the zombie's body as his glowing purple eyses reverted back to normal.
"W-what's going on? Where am I!?" He looked around to find himself surrounded by dozens of undead. That's when he spotted Rin on the tree as the monsters began clawing at the tree, the girl's MP was empty so she couldn't use anymore spells. Sukuda clinched his fist as he transformed into his elite zombie form. "Get away from her...Fist of destruction!"
Striking the ground with all his might, he sent a shockwave throughout the fore causing zombies to go flying in all directions before falling back to the ground with small amounts of HP left. "You all are nothing but mindless creatures, I may be a zombie like you all, but at least I realize what I'm doing! Flame magic: Pheonix inferno shell!"
The buff zombie's body ignited in a barrier of flame as he charged right for the legion of undead, sending fierce blows to several at a time with hi large fists as each one hit the ground defeated...
After nearly 15 minutes of slaughtering the horde. The old man in the red robe walked outside turning his gaze on Kento. "Obey me undead...destroy the girl" Once more Kento's eyes lit up purple as he looked at Rin still on the tree with corpses lying all over the ground.
R-Rin..." The undead mage uttered as he lunged straight for the tree throwing a punch right for her. The assassin jumped off the tree just as it was destroyed by the zombie's immense strength. "Sukuda! It's me Rin! You need to snap out of it!"
Her assailant struck the ground, knocking her back as she hit the side of the cave before hitting the ground. "Hehe, it's no use girl, he's under the control of my horde crystal, all he can do is follow my command unless I release him. So, you might as well accept your fate brat"
"You're wrong, he may be a zombie, but he's a zombie with a will of his own! He cares about others, he cares about me! He's the only undead I've seen hold back his hunger for the sake of others even if it weakens him" She slowly got up when Kento came charging right for her, striking her in the abdomen against the cave. She spat out blood from the devastating blow as she looked up at the controlled adventurer.
She shook in pain as her health was at 10% She reached both hands out, pulling his face to hers as she kissed his lips, a tear running down her face as she uttered weakly: K-kento" She hit the ground at the brink of death when the zombie snapped out of the curse. He looked to see his friend passed out on the ground, her health at 1% He shook with both fear and anger as he quickly poured the only health potion he had into her mouth before setting her up against the cave walls.
Turning to the hooded man he clinched his teeth in anger as he let out a cry of pure rage. "YOU BASTARD! RAAAGGHH!" Fierce surges of red energy burst from the zombie's body as he could feel his power rising from his sheer rage.
[Buff Acquired: Berserker Mode]
•ATK doubled
•Regeneration no cool down time
•Knock Back nullified
"Hehe, you think I'm scared of an enraged monster? The fun is just beginning...forbidden art: Undead legion transfiguration!" He watched as all the dozens of corpses of undead became a red flesh-like substance as they all stuck together around the man forming into a colossal undead wearing the red robe. The colossal undead let out a deafening roar shaking the region before looking down at Kento.
Kento, stilled blazing with rage, leaped right up to the creature who was now a level 50 monster. They threw a punch simultaneously, sending a fierce shockwave across the forest. Blood gushed from the undead's arm from the sheer power of the clash. "Impressive boy, you may be stronger than I once thought, but you're merely a level 18 your chances of beating me is slim to none!"
Sukuda landed on the ground in front of his target, gripping it's leg before throwing it up into the air with all his strength. The massive creature was sent high into the sky as the sun's rays damaged it lowering it's health to 70% before it fell back towards the forest. Jumping with all his leg stregth, Kento soared up right for the falling target, unleashing a barrage of power strikes to it's abdomen at incredible speed. "Fist of destruction finisher!" Striking the monster one last time with his palm, he sent a devastating blast of purple energy through it's body and out it's back as a large gapping hole was left in it's torso.
Kento fell back to the forest out of MP while the colossal zombie was sent into the mesosphere, just outside of earth for a moment before the gravity pulled it back to earth, the moment causing the monster to burn up like a meteor before impacting in the forest a mile away leaving a large crater.
Sukuda made his way over to the scorched body of the undead and stabbed it's fist into it's body, pulling out the dead mage as he took all his items in his inventory even his robe. Reverting back to his normal zombie state, he put on the blood-red robe and the necklace with the purple crystal as he smirked making his way back to Rin before falling asleep beside her...
A Few Hours Later...
Kento awoke, it was pitch black with only the stars being the one thing he could see. He looked over at Rin who was asleep with her head on his lap, her health up to 50%. He kissed her forehead before picking her up and making his way back to the village. "Illuminate" A sphere of golden light manifested in front of him as he walked down the forest path towards the village.
[LVL. 25 Achieved]
[Skill Acquired: Undead Configuration]
[Skill Acquired: MP siphon]
They reached the town where commander Kazuhiko and a group of level 20 knights stood beside him as he looked at Kento with a serious expression, his arms crossed. "I'm sorry Kento Sukada...I'm afraid you're no longer welcome here. I'd suggest you look for somewhere else to live unless you'd like me to cut you down with my blade here and now"
Kento set Rin on a bench by a house before standing before the group of knights. "Why are you doing this, I at least want a reason" He said in a dark tone with a frown, his hair covering his eyes. The commander continued to give him an annoyed look but answered: "One of my subordinates saw you mercery beat on your own party member, I can't allow a brute like you in this village any longer now go"
A dark-purple aura began to flow around the zombie's body as he looked at the ground. "Oh really, did he also tell you I was being controlled and when I finally escaped, I healed Rin?"
"Enough of your lies, you have one minute to leave before I kill you monster!" Kazahiko pulled out his sword pointing it towards the zombie who was at his breaking point. "Stay away from the girl if you know what's good for you" The commander proceeded to walk away with the other knights keeping their eye on him.
A tear ran down Kento's face as it fell hitting the grass. Just then the undead mage advanced right for one of the knights, it was a young guy with brown hair and hazel eyes wearing silver armor. Kento grabbed him by his face. "Undead...configuration" He said in a soft cold tone as the knight's face corroded into a zombie as it's skin grew dark and rotted. The mage looked at the other knights with a dark stair causing them to run away in fear.
"What!? Where are you fools going!? Get back here and fight! Fine, sems you dug your own grave" Kazahiko chaged right for the zombie when the zombified knight stopped the coming sword strike with it's own. "I see, you're able to turn the living into undead and control them, though I am impressed, it won't be enough to stop me!" With an abrupt slash of his blade, he split the undead knight in two as it hit the ground. "I'm sorry fallen warrior, I shall avenge you by killing this monster!"
"Funny, coming from the guy who just killed his own men"
"Silence you bastard! Sword of justice: Lightning strike!" Aiming his sword to the sky, a sudden bolt of lightning came down striking the zombie with fierce power as his HP was reduced to half from just a single attack. "You see, you're no match for me, you have only yourself to blame for this"
"Don't tell me you think you've already won..." The necklace around the boy's neck lit up with purple light as zombies began crawling out of the ground as an entire horde stood around him facing the commander. "If you want to continue...be my guest"
"Why you!" Kazahiko sprinted towards his target with the line of undead guarding him in a straight line. "Berserker mode" Kento smirked as his horde let out groans as their eyes lit up red with a red aura swarming around them. The knight decapitated two undead getting past the line of corpses when the others lunged at him, tackling the commander to the ground.
"Rrrr! Unhand me you filth!" He looked up at Kento who grinned with his hair hiding his eyes. "Seems this is the end for you. I'm curious to see how strong of an undead you'll make commander. A level 40 becoming an undead" A purple aura manifested around Kento's left palm as he reached down for his target's face to use undead configuration when Kazahiko managed to break free of the horde, sending the zombies staggering in all directions as the knight pulled out his sword, going for the finishing blow.
"Holy strike: Kiru no shokan! With a brutal pierce through his target's abdomen. A devastating ray of purple energy burst through Kento's body, out his back as it obliterated everything in it's path for miles. The undead mage laid on the ground, his Hp at 1% as he was almost too weak to fight, but he caught up out of stamina from taking so much damage at once.
"Impossible, that should've killed you! What is this, are you something more than a mere undead!?"
"I-I don't know anymore, but one thing's for sure, you're not winning this fight"
"Oh, and just how can you be sure about that?"
"I have a skiil that let's me siphon the MP from my enemy and their attacks and with all that MP you just used, I have more than enough stored to one-shot you" A smile grew on the injured zombie as he clinched his fist transforming into his elite zombie form. "You won't keep me from Rin...no one will...fist of destruction: ultimate"
Focusing on only his target, he struck the ground as a pillar of purple energy erupted from beneath the knight's feet as the immense pillar of light nearly reached the sky by it's tremendous level of power. The entire region shaking with Kento's hair blowing in the force of the attack.
All of the villagers came out to see Sukuda revert back to his normal state as Rin finally awoke on the bench with the commander descending from the sky, impacting the ground with only 1% of HP remaining. "T-this is blasphemous...a level 40 being defeated by a mere level 25...how laughable....I shouldn't even call myself a night. Spatting out blood, Kazahiko died in front of everyone as Rin watched in both confusion and shock while the villagers ran away in fear.
The assassin walked over to her friend grabbing his hand. "What happened, why did you kill the commander!?" Kento clinched his teeth as tears ran down his face. "He had a subordinate lie that I beat you up intentionally and planned to banish me and told me to stay away from you. Once I heard that, I snapped and did everything I could to make sure he couldn't take you away from me, you're the only one who sees me for more than just a mindless zombie. You see me as if I were human" She rested her head on his chest as tears continued to fall from the mage's face when a screen popped up in front of him:
[Level 30 Achieved]
[Evolution Available]
Still holding Rin with his right arm, he reached out and pushed the screen as it shattered like glass like all the others. That's when a purple aura outlined his body as flesh began to form around the undead's body until he stood before Rin looking like a pale human with red eyes. She looked up at him to see his face as he smiled at her showing vampire fangs.
"Y-you evolved into a vampire?"
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
"Looks like it...at least I'm not a mere zombie anymore" Rin blushed seeing the new appearance of her friend that looked even more attractive with his gleaming red eyes and black hair. Trying to stop blushing she suggested they leave before anyone else comes back to try and attack them again.
With a smile Kento extended his hand out to her. She took his hand as he pulled her close to her and ascended into the air. She watched in surprise and excitement as they drifted through the night sky. She admired the moon until they reached the cave Kento had first awoken inside and sat outside looking up at the stars.
"Keto, you should feed and get your strength back, here" She scooted closer to him as she gave him space to bite her neck. He hesitated at first before realizing how weak he felt, even as a zombie he rarely ate. Getting close to her, he bit down on her neck, drinking a small amount of blood as his HP filled up.
[Buff active: Blood quenched]
•HP Boost
•Stats +10
"Thank you Rin, I feel a lot better and my HP is back to 100%" The new born vampire softly pressed his cold lips against Rin’s as they shared a kiss...
CHAPTER 2 A Village For The Undead
Deep in the woods a horde of undead walked through the forest carrying logs of wood as many began the process of building a village. Kento and Rin sat on a hill and watched as the undead cut down trees and began to build. Just then, a loud wolf cry rang out in the forest alerting the pair as a large black wolf with red glowing eyes charged through the forest, eating several undead before turning his attention on Kento.
The beast snarled revealing it’s blood-soaked fangs before charging right for him. (This beast may look menacing, however it’s merely a level 25, how deceiving) As the beast opened it’s jaws to devour the vampire, the man vanished in an instant, reappearing right above the creature as he gripped the beast’s head, slamming it to the ground with immense force causing a large crack in the ground.
“Undead configuration” The wolf whimpered as it’s body grew a pale black color along with it’s eyes turning purple as it became an undead slave to Kento. “Heh, undead configuration is an OP ability, with it...there’s nothing I can’t force to submit to me”
“Wow Kento you sure have gotten a lot stronger since we last met and I'm only level 25 while you’ve reached 30. Looks like you’re ahead of me...for now” She smirked pulling out her blade aiming it towards him. “I will find some way to surpass you Kento, I won’t be some girl in need of rescuing!”
“Heh, you’re pretty strong as you are Rin, but be my guest, I've acquired some unfair abilities since we first met but I'm excited to see just how much stronger you get” They bummed fists looking each other in the eye as the sun slowly rose above them causing the remaining undead to turn to dust from the sun’s rays.
The vampire turned toward his new companion to see the wolf was unaffected by the sunlight. (Hmmm, I guess since he wasn’t an undead to begin with, he isn’t affected by sunlight like I was at first) He petted the wolf as it’s tale wagged excitedly. “Heh, seems you’ve calmed down, now what to name you...how about Sarin?”
“Come on Kento, that’s not a dog name”
“Fir enough, but many owners give their pets human names”
“Well not Sarin...how about Genjiro?” Kento once more patted the large dog asking if he liked the name. “Yes master, I do so much love it!” The wolf spoke un a deep excited voice. Both adventurers froze with surprised looks on their faces as they stared at the wolf.
“You could talk this whole time!?” Rin shouted still shocked. The wolf nodded. “I could always talk, though I can’t remember anything before moments ago, I felt a deep rage come over me, next thing I remember I felt calm and was in front of the both of you”
“Hmmm, could someone have placed a spell on you to act in such a way?”
“Possibly master, it’s never happened before”
“Did you have a pack you belonged to? Maybe you can sniff them out and we can see what happened” Genjiro nodded as he began sniffing the air before making his way through the forest. Kento and Rin followed close behind as they walked for some time before the wolf came to a stop.
“What is it?” The vampire asked looking at the motionless wolf. The large beast pointed his nose towards what looked to be a large creepy looking castle that you’d see in a horror movie. “So you’re saying your pack might be in there?”
“I’m not sure master, but something smells familiar in there, if I was part of a pack, then they're bound to be inside”
“Alright then, you two find a way to sneak inside, I'll cause a diversion to draw their attention” He turned to Genjiro rubbing his nose. “Be careful” The wolf licked his face covering him in saliva before walking through the forest that surrounded the manor towards the back pf the castle.
Rin crossed her arms with a pout. “You didn’t tell me to be careful” Kento laughed responding: “I thought you were going to surpass me? Come on you’ll be fine I know you can handle yourself but I don’t know what Genjiro is capable yet” The vampire kissed her cheek causing her to blush before following the wolf towards the back of the castle.
“Alright...let’s get things started” With a deep breath, Kento stepped out of the forest walking right up to the castle. “Unknown intruder spotted!” A guard cried out from a balcony above the large green yard surround the property. A knight in armor pulled out a crossbow firing a steel arrow right for the undead warrior piercing his shoulder as blood dripped from his wound onto the grass.
“Hmph” With a smirk Kento pulled out the arrow as his wound slowly closed. Once more he approached the castle with his HP at 98% slowly regenerating. “Seems the guards outside are weak or at least don’t know I'm a vampire” Reaching the large pair of doors at the top of the stone steps, Sukada struck the doors with just his left fist as the doors hit the ground with a loud boom as dust obscured his view for a moment before fading.
The vampire found himself in a large fancy hallway with glass-stained windows aligning the walls with a fancy red and gold carpet. Sukada made his way down the long hallway before reaching a large flight of wide stairs where a line of knights blocked his path.
“Stop! You won’t go any further intruder! Lady Constance has no time for low Lifes such as you!” The group of knights charged right for them while Kento stood there motionless. One of them pierced through his chest as blood splattered all over the floor. “That was your free shot” The vampire commented raising his head as he back-handed the attacker across the room, crashing into the wall of the room while Kento pulled out the sword.
“Undead configuration” Holding the blade horizontally the once knight sword was covered in a black ooze as it tripped to the floor reveling a black katana. “Heh, seems I can change any weapon into an undead-type weapon using my skill”
“Tsk! Stop him you fools!” A knight cried out as the rest of them went to attack him all at once. Each swung their blades right for the vampire when they felt their blades come to a halt. “What!?” Their target smirked keeping their blades stopped with his black katana as well as holding it with just one hand. “You mere humans couldn’t dream of beating a vampire in a fight” In a sudden thrust of his blade, the group’s swords went flying out of their grasp, hitting the floor.
Kento moved past them in a sudden movement as a slash of darkness appeared behind him before all the knights collapsed onto the floor dead. “Sigh, never thought I'd be so powerful, especially at merely level 30” Kento opened the large doors made of gold at the top of the stairs to find himself in a large throne room. A tall beautiful female vampire sat on the throne wearing a dark-red dress with dark-pink skin, red eyes and white hair.
“Hmm?” She looked at him with surprise before seeing he was a vampire with an attractive face and eyes that gleamed red like hers. She smiled getting up from her throne walking towards him. “Who are you my intriguing man? I've seen many vampires yet none as attractive as you”
Kento thought for a moment before responding: “My name is Sirus and you are?” The vampire put her hand seductively on his shoulder walking around him. “You can’t be serious Sirus, as a fellow vampire you should know good and well who I am. I’m Constantine Vermillion, one of the four vampiric royals. Vampires are known for attracting other vampires so I'm sure you’ve met many other vampires, surely they’ve said something about me?”
“Sorry no, you’re the first other vampire I've met”
“Hmph, well...vampires are also well known for being very...romantic. Perhaps you’d be willing to give me an heir to the vampiric royal throne” Kento blushed unused to someone talking to him in such a way. Before he could respond he felt the queen’s cold lips press against his as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
He quickly stepped back. “I’m sorry but I have someone I already love and care about”
“Awww, then perhaps she’d be willing to share you, I'm not against polyamorous relationships”
Meanwhile...
Genjiro and Rin made their way to the back of the manor when the large wolf suddenly glowed an outline of red as he began digging at a fast rate, piles of dirt flying everywhere as the wolf dug a large tunnel under the house before reaching a wall of stone. With a loud howl, the wolf head-butted the stone wall causing it to crumble reveling a dungeon with rows of cells.
The pair made their way through the dark, cold dungeon where they found three other large wolves trapped in cells, they seemed weak and deprived of food and water. The creatures saw Rin and Genjiro approach their cells and snarled in fear and anger. “Don’t be scared, we’re here to save you”
The wolves continued to growl in the steel cells while backing into the corner. Rin slowly approached the cells reaching for the lock when a burst of red mana sent her flying back, hitting the stone wall behind her. “Their cells must be protected by some kind of magic”
Back In The Throne Room...
“So, why have you come to my castle?”
“My pet could smell something within your castle so I came to see who’s castle this was” She smirked with a sadistic look on her face. “So, you’re attempting to take my dear prisoners from me? I’m afraid you won’t be taking anything from me. As attractive as you are, you won’t leave here alive if you attempt to steal anything from me” Her seductive smirk grew into a dark glare as she walked back to her throne sitting with one leg over the other as she looked down on him.
After a quick pause, Kento’s purple crystal glowed as undead knights crawled out of the floor surrounding the vampiric queen. She sat still as the undead horde grew closer. Without warning, the vampire fired a pink beam from her eyes that sliced across the room in an instant as all of the undead froze before falling to pieces by the piecing attack.
She rested her cheek upon her left fist with a bored expression responding: “Please don’t tell me that was your trump card, no undead could beat a vampire, especially a vampiric queen such as myself”
“No, I wanted to see what you’d do. Seems this won’t be that easy” Kento looked above her head and saw she was Lvl.45. (Hmm, tough but not impossible. Seems I'll have to wait for the right moment to strike, until then I'll just go along with what she wants) Kento slowly approached her while she watched him carefully, her red eyes gleaming. With a smirk Kento pressed his lips against hers as her eyes widened with surprise.
As they continued to kiss, Kento used his skill to siphon MP from her bit by bit to keep her from realizing it. He could feel his body growing stronger from each kiss as his MP went past their normal capacity. After a few minutes his body surged with a dark-red flame-like aura from all the power he had took from her. She fell into him a little dizzy but looked up at him grinning and blushing.
Kento was never the romantic type but did his best to play the part he had read about in vampire romance novels. “Someone seems a little weak” He taunted giving her a seductive smirk. Brushing his palm across her cold cheek he leaned in. “I don’t think you’ve told me your name beautiful, why don’t you tell me”
“C-Constance" She answered blushing harder, struggling to even look Sukada in his gleaming red eyes. “Well Constance, you’re a strong vampire...I wonder how strong our child would be” The vampiric queen’s eyes widened as she covered her face with her hands he patted her head before walking towards the doors he had come through when he felt a hand on his arm.
“Wait where are you going!? He saw her expression of lust and loneliness as she gave him a sad face. “I was going to rejoin my party but I'll stay on one condition”
“Anything Sirus!”
“Beat me in a duel, if I win...you will become my slave and do anything I say”
“Hehe, seems like a win-win for me, but alright, I accept your challenge. Prepare yourself common vampire, you’re about to witness the power of a royal-blooded vampire such as myself” Kento smirked as the monster grinned revealing her sharp fangs before walking towards, a dark-violet aura emanating from her body.
The evolved vampire summoned his black katana when Constance clapped her hands together still slowly approaching him, demon art: Vampiric blades of despair” That’s when blades made of violet energy manifested behind her in a rainbow formation. “Let’s see how a commoner fare against the blades of despair” She raised one hand up before making a chopping motion as the blades launched right for him.
Using his full speed, Kento moved around the large room at immense speed, each blade following close behind. (Shit, these blades don't let up, and aside from her drained MP, I’m not sure just how much damage each of her blades could do if they actually land a hit on me! Very well...seems I'll have to use my trump card early) Clinching his fists now running on the walls, he leapt from the walls back onto the floor. “Haaaaggh!” His eyes went from red gleaming irises to his entire eyes glowing, his body grew more muscular with his fangs growing bigger. He had activated berserker mode...
While in berserker mode, he could feel a strong burning rage within him, but with the power of his vampiric form, along with his experience using this mode, he could keep his mind stable just enough to control it. The blades struck his body from different directions as his heath went down to 60%
“Heh, seems you took a bad hit from just one of my abilities, you might as well submit to me” That’s when she noticed Kento’s wound began to heal as his health went up each second. “Don’t worry...this fight is just starting” The enraged vampire advanced right for her at an even greater speed, his stats all increased by berserker mode as he threw a devastating blow right for her abdomen, sending her staggering back into her throne as the shockwave shattered the stained-glass windows causing shards to rain down around them letting in moonlight.
Kento breathed heavily from the rage dwelling within him while keeping himself calm on the outside. Constance slowly stood up coughing as she felt weak and dizzy from the strike. “W-what is this? I was sure I put up a protective barrier to protect myself from that attack, how could I already Be out of MP!?”
“Heh, do you give up then?”
“No, I will show you that royalty such as myself is more than a mere title!”
She new her powerful skills required far more MP than she could recover in time so she took a deep breath manifesting a pink katana made of pure energy. “I may not have much MP, but you’re still no match for one such as myself!” With a smirk she advanced straight for him gripping the blade firmly while Kento held his undead katana out in front of him horizontally with one hand.
“You may be high-level vampire…but with my growing potential, versatile skills and advantage in this fight…I’m sure I’ll be the one to be the last one standing!” Gripping his blade with both hands, Sukuda charged towards his coming foe as he planned to attempt a move link. (With these two skills I should be able to create a move link where two skills boost one attack. Berserker mode plus fist of destruction equals….
“Blade Of Destruction!” As a burst of purple energy engulfed his hands along with the red aura of berserker outlining his body, both combined into a single color flowing from his blade as both vampires clashed in an immense burst of power. He clinched his teeth letting the rage overtake him in an attempt to increase his overall strength against the higher level opponent.
Red and purple electricity surged around them in sudden bursts when Constance’s blade shattered like glass catching her off guard as she was left wide open for an attack. She closed her eyes as her combatant went to strike before stopping inches from her face. Looking before her she saw him standing before her with a smirk on his face out of breath as he pointed his sword at her with one hand.
She pouted at him before grinning. “Now then Constance, you’re my follower and must do anything I say” With a seductive grin she stood up. Yes master would you like your prize ?” She was about to reveal her breasts when Kento covered his eyes crying out: “Now’s not the time to be messing around!”
“You’re right master, we need to preform the slave ritual so you can claim me as truly yours”
“Slave ritual?” Kento gave her a confused look. “Oh yes master! There’s a spell that forever binds me to you so I can truly Belong to you!” The vampire queen excitedly put her hands together with an overly happy expression on her face.
“The way the spell works is you must drawl an X on my chest with your own blood infused with your magical energy than say: submit to me” Kento was hesitant since he was never want to care for something so cruel like a slave, but since she was willing and saw this as the price for losing, he went along with it.
Pricking his finger, blood dripped from his index finger as he slowly made an “X” symbol upon her chest as she made slight moans from the excitement. With a sigh he threw his arm out towards her announcing: “Submit to me!” Constance let out cries of both pain and pleasure as the symbol lit up purple with transparent chains appearing from his palm forming a collar around her neck before vanishing symbolizing the ritual’s completion.
“There master, I now belong to you”
[Follower Acquired]
[Stats have increased]
“He was hesitant but nodded placing his hand upon her head patting her. “Now that you belong to me, we can use this castle as the core of our land and then...mold it into something more” His minion walked over to him placing her hand upon his shoulder looking at him.
“What do you mean more master?”
“I don’t want to just travel through each town, seen as nothing more than a mindless creature people fear. I will grow an entire town, possibly a whole city, one where monsters and humans can live together in peace without no discrimination”
“I don’t care for humans, but if this is what you want then I'll follow your orders master, it may take time but I'll try and be more passive against other creatures. But what shall we do for blood? Human’s blood are one of the purist kind that keeps us at full Strength”
Sukada thought for a moment before answering: “If blood from humans can feed us to our full content, then creatures stronger than them with more power might be an even greater substitute”
“Aside from humans and weaker creatures, I've never tried feeding off powerful monsters before”
“Think Constance, a stronger creature means they should have more magic and power within their blood” She thought for a moment before realizing what her master was saying made sense.
“Now then, it’s time I go find my other party members to make sure they’re ok”
“Aww, but I was enjoying our alone time lord Sukuda” Kento began walking out of the room as he made his way through the large castle with the vampire close behind with her hands together walking obediently. She showed him to the dungeon below where Rin and Genjiro had freed the fellow wolves.
“Kento they’re stealing my Nokoyami!” Sukuda glared at her when a sudden shock of electricity shocked Constance as the slave seal glowed in flash of red. The others watched in surprise before it stopped as she stood with her head down.
“I-I'm sorry master, I didn’t mean to upset you, it’s just...I worked hard to get those wolves, they’re called Nokoyami, wolves said to have immense magical power”
“If you had fed and given them more freedom, I would’ve let you keep them, but seeing them like this...I'm going to let them go and have a better life away from here. They’re probably traumatized by you and this place so I won’t let them have to suffer any longer. Rin, use any spell you can to heal them and let them go, I won’t let any monster live like this”
“Yes Kento. Healing Art: Full restoration” A glisten of green light covered the pair of weak creatures as they were healed to full HP They turned to Kento and gave him a nod. “Thank you Kento Sukuda, we are in your debit. As a means of thanks, we shall give Genjiro a piece of our power. I am Taiyoto the wolf of the sun and this is Tasuki the wolf of the moon.
The wolves approached Genjiro as the sigil of an orange sun glowed on their head while a blue moon appeared on the other’s. Orange and blue mana flowed from the pair into Genjiro as he let out a howl as one eye glowed orange and the other blue as a dark-red aura flowed around the outline of the Nokoyami before the wolf reverted back to normal.
“There, we’ve bestowed a piece of our power to you, use it well. As for the vampire, since you placed a slave seal upon her I doubt she’ll be much of a threat anymore, but please make sure she won’t harm innocent creatures again” With that the creatures created a purple rift walking through them before leaving.
“There, at least they’re free. Now the next step...” Kento crossed his arms thinking for a moment before his eyes snapped open as he turned his attention upon Costance. He walked up to her, his face inches from hers, she blushed as his eyes looked deep into hers. “Where did you get those Nokoyami?” He gave her an angered glare as she looked away still blushing before responding: “I- got them from an organization that buys and sells magical creatures”
The party leader gritted his teeth in anger as the place vibrated and his eye glowed a little brighter. “Where? Where are they so I can crust them where they stand!?” His long black hair flowed in the breeze caused by his built-up frustration.
“They’re in a small hideout in the forest but I'm not sure where they are I know it’s not far from here though” Stepping back Kento made his way outside before ascending into the air at immense speed, a red aura outlining his body. He looked over the vast forest for any sign of a hideout or magical creatures but couldn’t see anything. He closed his eyes, trying to sense the magical aura of the creatures but still nothing.
In a fit of rage Kento threw both hands out letting out a cry of pure rage as his red outline burst into a massive aura of red energy causing the entire forest to shake violent, his hair whipping around as his eyes glowed as bright as his aura. His party watched him from the grass covering their eyes from the flare of light until Kento finally landed back down in front of them out of breath from screaming.
“What’s wrong Sukuda? I’ve only seen you that made once or twice so I know this must be bad”
“I-I can’t find them, I don’t see anything and there’s not a trace of magic to sense. Those creatures, I can’t help them if I don’t find them soon!” The vampire struck the ground in a fit of rage leaving a crack before taking a deep breath calming down. Constance placed a hand on his shoulder giving him a smile. “Don’t worry Master, if I look for them, I'm sure I can find them since I paid them pretty well last time, if I tell them I'm looking to buy again their guard will be down long enough for you all to get to my location and stop them”
“You’re right! We’ll look for the hideout while you can rest Kento!” Rin said with excitement. “Actually Rin, you’ll have to stay here, if I bring someone new, they’ll be suspicious so you’ll have to stay here with Kento and Genjiro”
“Oh-ok” she said a little bummed. They turned to see Kento fast asleep on the floor from the fight with Constance and fits of rage. (He’s already asleep!?) Rin thought with a surprised look on her face before the Nokoyami put him on his back as they went into the castle placing him in the master bedroom's bed which was a dark-red fancy room with a red bed with many pillows and thick blanket and a wind facing the bed.
Rin sat by the bed with Genjiro curled up on the floor beside the bed. Constance looked at her master fast asleep before opening the large window, flying out into the night...
The vampiric queen drifted through the night sky, the sound of trees rustling with the moon illuminating the forest. “Hopefully pleasing lord Sukuda he may want to become more than friends, hehe” She grinned before descending down in the center of the forest. “How did I find their hideout the 1st time? Hmm...maybe Sukuda couldn't sense them since he has a limited range. Though, he was going by magic sense not the scent of blood and you can’t hide the scent from a vampire queen”
She took a deep breath as a red mist flowed through the forest giving off the trail of blood. Depending on the creature, weak animals had thin red mists while powerful creatures had thick flows of red mist. Moving on foot she dashed through the forest at fierce speed, trees rushing by her as she focused her sight on the thick scent of blood in front of her.
After about a minute of moving through the forest, she found a small steel fortress with a transparent magical barrier around it. (Seems I found it...now I just need to alert master”
Meanwhile within the castle Kento slept silently with his other party members beside him when the vampire abruptly awoke as if from a nightmare as he sat up alerting the pair. “Kento what’s the matter?” Rin asked, worried about her friend.
“I-I'm not sure, it felt as though Constance was trying to get my attention, she must know a way to alert me using the slave sigil. Jumping out of bed he noticed the window was left open and could feel his follower’s location. “Let’s go!” He leapt from the windowsill flying through the night, his MP only half rejuvenated while Rin rode on the back of Genjiro as he moved on all fours at lightning-fast speed.
They reached Constance’s location as she stood in front of the magical Barrer sounding nearly a mile around the entire hideout. “Master! I’m glad you noticed my call for you! This is the place I got the nokoyami, though there’s a field of magic blocking our way”
“If this is where those creatures are being trapped, then I won’t stop until they’re free from this accursed place” Placing his hand upon the barrier he attempted to absorb the magical power to weaken it, only to feel a jolt of electricity shock him causing him to pull his hand away. “I knew this wouldn’t be that simple...however I still have a few ideas up my sleeve...Summon undead Katana!” With his blade in hand, he struck the sphere of magic as volts of lightning traveled from his blade back to him, sending him staggering back.
“Tsk! Berserker mode, fist of destruction! Gripping his blade with both hands he prepared to use his trump card charging right for the field of magic. “Blade of destruction!” With red and purple flames swarming around him, he pierced the blade with all he had. The level of power erupted in a blinding ray of light as the barrier cracked but was still intact as the cracks began to slowly repair themselves.
Their party leader fell to one knee gripping his blade out of breath as his MP was reduced to one. “I-I can’t do it...i’m still not strong enough to break it...” That’s when Constance grabbed his face pressing her lips against hers as he began to regain MP, siphoning the vampire’s. Rin looked away pouting until Constance was drained of MP. “N-now it’s your turn Rin” she responded dizzy from all her power diminished.
“M-my turn!” Rin blushed shocked looking at Kento who was out of breath, his MP only at half capacity. She shyly closed her eyes when her friend kissed her, her shaking ceased as she began to kiss back more lovingly as her MP slowly transferred to him. She too felt dizzy while a aqua-blue aura swarmed around his body.
“Master, I have a skill they might help you” Genjiro let out a howl as green flames ignited around their leader’s arms and feet.
[ATK BOOST]
[Movement Enhancement]
With his stats increased along with his full NP, he griped his blade with all his will power, leaping into the air right for the shield. “Blade of destruction full power!” The entire forest shook as the barrier shattered to pieces with glass-like shards falling before vanishing.
“Huff...huff, we-we did it. T-time to free those creatures and make them pay for what they’ve done. The party got on the back of Genjiro as the magical beast rushed straight for the large steel gates of the fortress. Knights in dark armor spotted them with one signaling the rest while four fired arrows from the top. “Don’t stop Genjiro, we need to break through!”
“Yes master! With another howl a green aura swarmed around them as he moved faster opening his mouth firing a blast of yellow energy, completely destroying the door as they infiltrated the fortress. “Halt trespassers you shall go no further!” a group of knights blocked their path with one firing a cannonball straight for them.
With the ounce of mana she had, Constance fired a thin pink beam from her eyes, slicing the cannonball in two as the two pieces fell to the ground landing before them. “Damn it, at this rate we won’t be able to hold them back!” One of the knights cried out as the others stood gripping their blades in fear.
Just then a man dressed in a black and gold hooded robe appeared from a purple rift behind the line of men as he stepped past them facing the party. He had a smile on his face as his dark hair covered one of his red eyes. “Master Sosaru what are you doing here!? Shouldn’t you be in your safe room for protection!?”
“Please, you knights have no chance against a real threat, go...retreat to your rooms while I deal with this nuisance”
“Y-yes sir” The group of warriors retreaded through the dark rift before it closed. “Now that those weaklings are gone, let’s get down to business, why have you invaded our fortress vampire? Surely you have better things to do than dying here”
Sukuda clinched his fist as his party jumped from Genjiro facing their new opponent. “I’m here to free the creatures I'm told are imprisoned here!” Sosaru recognized Constance and glared at her with a cold yet motionless expression. “Ah, the vampiric queen Constance Bloodsheir, I was wondering how such an insignificant party could’ve found our hideout with such ease. You led them here, didn’t you?”
“So, what if I did? He’s my master now and I'll do what I must to please him!” The hooded man noticed the slave sigil on her chest and smirked. “Hmph, didn’t think the vampire queen could be tamped by such a common vampire that’s lower than her. No matter the case, you all shall die here”
Without moving, a black rift opened beneath Kento’s party’s feet as red mana chains shot out of the darkness, wrapping around their body slowly pulling them below. Kento grabbed onto Rin’s hand trying to pull her out as she and the others descended down. “Master!” They cried out before a black mist covered their mouths before they vanished into the mist.
The vampire watched as the mist dispersed leaving nothing left. Sukuda stood motionless staring at the cemented floor as tears began to fall from his eyes.
“How does it feel monster? To have everything taken from you, to feel powerless to stop it and want nothing more than the pain to stop. I know that pain so well that I know how to inflict it on others with ease. Once you’ve felt the kind of pain I have...you have three ways you can react to it: You may let it consume you, you may continue to fight back or you can rise above it and rule at the top, above lower races such as you mere monsters”
“F-FUCK YOOOU!” Kento charged toward the assailant engulfing his left arm in flames when Sosaru made a sudden “X” movement with his index finger as beams of purple mana in the form of an “X” pierced through his body, cutting his arms and legs off in a mere instant as his health plummeted to 20%
“Ack! He looked up at his foe in a growing pool of his own blood, his vision growing red from low HP. “W-what are you!?” Sukuda cried out before looking at the level above their head that showed: “Lvl.70” His eyes widened at the realization that his foe was an entirely different tier than his own”
“Have you realized it monster? You and your friends are dead because of your recklessness, sleep now vampire and hope you may have a better next life” As the man walked up to the weakened vampire, he placed his foot upon Kento’s face before crushing it in a splatter of blood....
Sukuda soon felt a cold feeling all around him as he opened his eyes, finding himself floading within a white void. A text buuble popped up in front of him:
[You’re dead do you wish to revive? You will only be given one]
Kento started at the text for a while before pushing yes as he felt his body being pulled through the rift before waking up
(TO BE CONTINUED...)