Chapter 44: Vampires Pride (2)

What would you do…?

All alone, faced with a horde of monsters.

Incoming, charging straight ahead with wild abandon.

Vicious, an unimaginable horror.

Absurdity, a scene of madness.

What could be done?

Would you run?

Naturally.

Would you cower?

Without a doubt.

However…

There was a difference, a difference between those who flee, and—

Those who face a threat head on.

With overwhelming strength, with invincible might, enemies fall.

All who oppose…perish.

At the hands of one, no matter the count, each and every foe, without exception will—

"...Die"

Yue swung her arm, raising the blood-red halberd above her head.

Like the minute hand of a clock, it stood straight and upright, unmoving in the grasp of the small progenitor vampire.

As she watched the swarm of arachne barrel toward her, she lifted her chin in a dignified manner, gazing down at the legion of feral monsters coldly.

Her posture regal, her presence striking, with one arm raised in the air and the other relaxed at her side, Yue took a step forward.

Then another.

Long, golden strands of hair rose, floating majestically.

The arrival of a higher being, not yet a god or demigod, but something inching ever closer.

At this moment, overhead, numerous thick drops of viscous crimson suddenly manifested.

She turned her head, looking to the side as she glanced back at one of the figures who stood behind.

—Stretching, the countless drops of blood elongated.

She met his gaze, the young man who was always a sea of calm.

—Thicker, the blood spears above expanded.

But even then, she could see the anticipation in his eyes.

—The body of a missile, the tip of a spear.

So in response, she smiled.

—One final command, the halberd fell, her arm a guillotine.

A smile filled with affection, the love… of a Progenitor.

—An untold scene, the beginning of a war, a war of catastrophic proportions.

The blood missiles streaked the air, leaving behind nothing more than a blurry image. 

Their target locked, they spread across the horde of rampaging spiders.

Regardless of the difference in number, mass destruction was all but certain.

And just before they collided—

An ice-cold voice, a chilling tone resounded.

"Blood Explosion"

Silence.

Yes, like a dead battlefield, not a sound could be heard.

Only a brief flicker of light, a single ignition of gunpowder, or an elusive flash of lightning—

*BOOOooomm!!—BoOOOoooOOm!!—BooOOOOOmMM!!!*

The room shook magnificently.

Fireworks of orange and bright red illuminated the entire area, painting the walls, dyeing the ground, completely overshadowing the dim green light.

The deafening screeches of dying arachne echoed throughout, accompanied by a chain of concussive explosions.

A contradicting scene of beauty…and hell.

Powerful shockwaves, accompanied by blasts of searing heat uprooted wild stalks of grass and kicked up massive clouds of dust, bringing forth a devastating reaction.

Yue turned back to the scene ahead, a light smile still adorning her bewitching face.

This was war.

Two opposing parties faced off.

—Complete.

One died so the other could live.

—And.

Death was merely a number to be tallied.

—Utter.

However, she, the Vampire Princess, preferred—

Annihilation.

Force that couldn't be stopped, she sought total ruin.

Although not all of the lesser arachne had died at her hands…it was enough.

—Enough to tear everything else to ribbons.

"...Don't get in the way."

She stepped forward, her boots clicking against metal and stone.

The smell of burnt grass and charred flesh attacked her nostrils, but that was insignificant.

Thick plumes of smoke that would've otherwise obscured the natural sight of any ordinary being was of course, paid no attention to.

Instead, she walked.

Slowly, her pace picked up.

A stride.

Steadily, her legs moved a bit faster.

A jog.

Straight toward the oncoming crowd of monsters, the wind brushed past her skin as dust and smoke parted, opening up a path for her advance.

She broke out into a full sprint, her blood-red halberd still dragging along from behind without an ounce of resistance.

*KIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!*

The Arachne Queen's shriek reverberated alongside the cacophony of screeches from its lesser kin.

Even so, rather than being intimidated by their ferocity, Yue continued her march, dashing ahead fearlessly.

Within mere moments, repulsive creatures with crusted ink black exoskeletons arrived in front of her, their bodies unlike any spider ever seen back on earth.

Large, round abdomens, more prominent than other limbs, leading down to their oval shaped cephalothorax that housed all eight red eyes, fangs, and razor-sharp feelers.

Standing upon their thin but deadly legs that allowed them to reach the height of an average human, they were terrifying monsters beyond comparison.

Still—

"Hu…"

Yue exhaled, the heat of her breath blending in with the clouded surroundings.

—A few feet away.

Tightening her grip, there was no need to hold back, and she did no such thing.

*FWOO!*

With blinding speed, deadly precision, and ruthless efficiency, her arm lashed out at once—

*SPLGH!*

—And a spray of blood was all that remained.

She swung her massive halberd with the ease of holding a twig, seamlessly cutting through the nearest arachne.

Their defenses may as well have been nothing more than wet paper as they fell at her hands. 

Even then, more and more came pouring in with no sign of ending.

Seeking to surround her, they crowded around, lunged, and slashed.

Like an unstoppable tsunami, they charged relentlessly, no doubt prepared to swallow the helpless girl whole.

However, Yue only stretched out one leg, sliding it back as she silently lowered her stance.

A face completely devoid of emotions, a pale complexion and doll-like features. 

Her cherry blossom pink lips parted, boldly declaring her intentions in a tone befitting a Progenitor.

"All of you… I'll be taking your life."

No one could mistake it.

No one could deny it.

For her will was absolute.

And those who dared oppose it… would meet their end.

*SHWA—!!*

A blur.

Only a red blur could be seen as Yue swung her halberd.

Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, she traced a line.

Nearly visible to the naked eye, any monster that came in contact was—

*SPLIGH—SPLCHH—SPLACK—SPILCH!!*

—Cut into segments.

Flesh was cleaved, severed limbs were thrown, blood splashed in all directions.

Like a warlord, a demon of the battlefield, she slaughtered without regard.

An existence that couldn't be ignored, she swung tirelessly, in her hand a weapon that could no longer be seen.

No matter how many approached, no matter how many attacked, her petite frame couldn't be moved. 

Divots formed in the ground beneath her feet, she stood stationary.

In her crimson eyes that reflected pure havoc was a cruel determination.

…Determination to give each and every single one of these damned creatures an inescapable death.

Then, with a single mental command, she called upon the blood of those who had fallen.

Although it was green—that of a monster—it still couldn't escape her control. 

Under certain circumstances and under that specific category, no blood, no matter how foreign, was capable of eluding her manipulation. 

"Death Stars"

As though gravity had reversed, dark green liquid, such that had spilled from the dead surrounding creatures, slowly rose into the air.

In an instant, the liquid began spinning rapidly, gradually changing its form.

A circular shape, one with bladed edges on all sides, bearing close resemblance to a ninja throwing star found back on earth.

And yet, their size, many times larger, couldn't be compared to any ordinary hidden weapon.

No, these weren't meant to be handheld by any standard, and Yue made sure of their purpose.

"...Perish."

Nothing else needed to be said, and the spinning death stars she'd called forth showed no hesitation in heeding that order.

Thus, they all fell—

*SPLCHHHHhhhhHH–CH–CH–CH–CH!!!*

Grinding through chitin and bone, one after the other, the myriad arachne that had attempted to swarm her with their numbers were killed off in droves.

With each death followed more and more blood weapons, continuing a cycle that would only hope to end upon the depletion of Yue's mana.

However, her mana pool that had grown astronomically through the completion of each floor of the labyrinth would never run dry with just this much.

Moreover, she wasn't one to sit still in this situation either.

Her figure danced around the battlefield, masterfully twirling her halberd around in all directions.

A slaughter.

Wherever she appeared, death followed.

The sensation of her blade slicing through flesh had become too familiar, and the sticky feeling of blood that clung to her skin and clothes was no cause for concern.

With a flick of her wrist, she bisected another arachne, before sidestepping past an attack aimed straight at her head.

Swiftly, she waved her arm, swinging her halberd like the reapers scythe—

*SPLIGH!*

—Blood and organs spewed forth, splattering across the ground.

*FWA!*

She spun on her heel, severing arachne's feelers as she followed up with a diagonal slash that left its body in two.

In mere seconds, she dispatched countless monsters.

A massacre ensued.

Like an unstoppable force, she claimed the lives of many, further dwindling the already diminished number of arachne.

Still, barely even a minute passed since the battle had begun, but when fighting at such an intensity, every little second counted.

Especially since…the boss monster had yet to start attacking.

As the dust, debris, and clouds of smoke cleared, Yue could be seen standing amidst piles among piles of corpses, surrounded by pools of dark green blood that flowed like a river.

A lax posture, loosely clutching her weapon of slaughter.

A stare filled with a silent, concealed killing intent, she gazed at the Arachne Queen that stood just up ahead.

Eight glowing dark red eyes stared right back, emanating an easily discernible but endless wrath. 

A low, guttural sound escaped its monstrous mouth, accompanied by strings of toxic saliva.

It was dangerous.

This monster's threat level couldn't be doubted, but—

"...You're next."

Yue held no fear.

She knew not but triumph. 

If there was one thing she learned after all this time.

From seeing firsthand what a certain young man, an individual she held dear was capable of, she knew for certain—

Holding the belief, the strength, the attitude, the bearing of invincibility.

There was no reason for self-doubt. 

Because…

Who could stop her?

______________________

Tired now. Sleep will get some.

Guys later I'll see you.

Chapter hope you enjoyed.

Please pockets in my power stones.

Appreciated much.