Chapter 25 - Relics

　　"Master Chief, throw me a silver sword!"

　　At the sight of Chief Hector, Edward suddenly shouted.

　　The Chief Steward heard the shouts and saw the two men who were confronting each other in the open corridor on the second floor of the castle.

　　"Quick, throw the silver sword at Kayne!"

　　The hunters had learned on the way that they were dealing with a lord this time, so one of the first didn't hesitate to throw his silver sword at the second floor.

　　The sheathed silver sword flew in an arc towards Edward, yet just a step short of reaching him, the Duke suddenly rushed forward.

　　The vampire's speed was unimaginable to the common man, the silver sword banged off the shield and then the Duke grabbed Edward by the collar.

　　"You think a weak human can compete with the strength and agility of a Blood?!" The Duke revealed a scowl.

　　Edward's brain was spinning rapidly at this point, thinking of ways to break the ice.

　　Magic couldn't be performed, the silver sword wasn't at hand, so all he had left was ....

　　High school military training military style boxing!

　　Without even thinking about it, the good blue star teenager made the tenth style of military boxing: popping the crotch and topping the elbow.

　　All the Duke felt was a sharp pain coming from his lower abdomen, making him unable to hold Edward's lapels.

　　Edward then slams an elbow right into the Duke's chest.

　　Incredibly massive force knocked the Duke off his feet, and at the same time, because he touched the pendant on the Duke's chest during the elbow strike, Edward suddenly felt a blackout.

　　Time seemed to freeze around him as a woman appeared before his eyes.

　　She was dressed in a gorgeous bright red gown, and her hair, as black as a waterfall, was crowned with a fine gold crown.

　　Her appearance was stunningly beautiful like a goddess, with a faint sadness on her face.

　　"Kayne..."

　　After a soft call, the sight immediately faded away and Edward was brought back to reality.

　　He then saw the Duke, who had been sent flying.

　　''What's with this woman? The Military Style Fist is actually this powerful?''

　　"Kayne, take the sword again!"

　　By this time the hunter downstairs had thrown a second sword at him.

　　Edward immediately reaches out and catches it, then throws off the scabbard and makes a move that he's been practicing hard lately.

　　[Sword Technique: Charge and Stab]

　　The name of this move was mediocre, but its power was not mediocre in his hands.

　　The Duke who was knocked back barely managed to raise his shield to block, but the blade of the sword pierced right through the shield and stabbed straight into the small of his back.

　　"Uhhhh!!!"

　　Edmund grimaced and tried to struggle, but he couldn't resist the extremely rapid spread of the Silver's poison.

　　Soon, amidst the mournful cries, the vampire completely lost his power and turned into a pale black corpse.

　　Edward retreated to the sidelines gasping for air, not quite daring to believe he'd triumphed.

　　It was another... Lucky win.

　　When magic failed and he was unarmed, there was only so much he could do on his own, though he struck a shocking blow with his military style fists.

　　How long would he have lasted if his partner hadn't delivered the silver sword in time?

　　However, it was undeniable that it was one's own hard-practiced sword skills that came into play in the end.

　　"Kayne ...."

　　Just as Edward was reflecting and summarizing, his mind wandered back to the woman who had just appeared out of nowhere for a split second.

　　He looked over at the Duke's corpse, and then he saw the pendant that was glowing with a strange light.

　　Could there be something to this pendant?

　　He stepped forward and, after making sure the Duke was dead to the world, pulled off the pendant as soon as he could.

　　Time and space seemed to stop again, and the woman in the red dress appeared before her eyes again.

　　She stood like that, the expression on her face slowly shifting from sadness to compassion.

　　"Kayne, my child, I have forgiven you, why can't you forgive yourself?"

　　After saying this, the woman's visions faded away.

　　The pendant was still in Edward's hand, but the unusual glow dimmed a little.

　　He was still in a trance when Chief Hector had rushed over.

　　"Kayne, is everything okay?"

　　"It's okay, the lord was killed by me."

　　The Chief Steward had already seen the Lord's corpse on the ground, he frowned and said, "This is indeed troublesome, but it can't be helped, the moment he turned into a vampire, the Lord was already dead."

　　As he was speaking, the chief steward noticed the pendant on Edward's hand.

　　"Kayne, this..."

　　Edward noticed the Master Chief's gaze and he handed the pendant to the Master Chief, "This was found on the Lords."

　　The Chief Steward took a step back, not daring to pick up the pendant, "I see, this is the Guild's long lost sacred weapon."

　　Seeing that the Chief Steward wouldn't take it, Edward retracted his hand to look at the pendant again, "What kind of holy artifact is this?"

　　"This is one of the remains of True Vampire Ancestor Lilith. Be careful, this holy artifact resists a lot of magic, but it is said to be able to devour a person's mind and turn them into a vampire."

　　Edward's heart stuttered as he saw that in the pendant was indeed set a piece of fang like a crystal.

　　He inverted the silver sword and hung the pendant on the hilt, "No wonder, when I touched this pendant just now, I saw a vision."

　　"There is such a thing, it is said that this carries Lilith's resentful spirit. Go ahead and hang it on your sword." The Master Chief, slightly relieved to see his hand leave the pendant, looked around and asked, "Where is Master Baldwin and the others?"

　　"In the ballroom, but everyone is mesmerized by the lord."

　　"Come on, let's go save the day."

　　"By the way, Evelie is on the other side, so you guys go ahead to the ballroom and I'll go find her."

　　Edward went back into the stateroom and found the huntress still unconscious.

　　He recalled the last time Evely was unconscious due to being possessed and started casting [Healing Hands].

　　In the soft glow, the girl woke up in a daze.

　　"Uh, Kayne, I'm sleepy. ...."

　　She rolled over wrapped in the covers and grunted, soon letting out a light snore.

　　This girl has a big heart too.

　　Edward tucked her in and walked out of the guest room.

　　At that moment a hunter was running by, and seeing him out, immediately shouted, "Kayne, something's wrong, come quick."

　　He stepped forward quickly and entered the ballroom with the hunter.

　　Upon entering, he saw Master Baldwin sitting on the floor with a grim look on his face, and the others gathered around him, as disoriented as they could be, a few with their silver swords drawn.

　　"Why."

　　Baldwin shook his head and pulled his hand away from the corner of his own mouth, revealing a sharp canine tooth.

　　The Master let go and said in frustration, "I've been turned into a vampire."

　　Edward is also a bit overwhelmed by what he's hearing, so it's no wonder a couple of the hunters are holding their swords against the Guildmaster.

　　"This .... Where are the others?"

　　"We don't know yet, but there's more than likely no escape."

　　"Doesn't transforming a vampire require a very complicated ritual?"

　　"Not if it's with that." Baldwin gestured feebly to the pendant hanging from the hilt of Edward's sword.

　　"And can this transformation be reversed?"

　　"I'm afraid there's no way around it." Baldwin said helplessly, "You will kill me in a few moments after you have dealt with the others."

　　Chief Hector shook his head and said, "It's not just about you, Master, right now, I'm afraid everyone in this hall..."

　　No one was spared.