Chapter 81 - 80 : Blood in the streets (6)

Only 1 vampire left. The Baron itself. The ground shattered as I launched skyward. My claws tore into his throat before he could finish another smirk. The bastard didn’t even choke—he laughed, blood bubbling at his lips as if this was just another performance. "You stabbed me once already. Didn’t you wonder why I’m still standing?" His chest rippled. A second heartbeat echoed through the battlefield. "Two hearts," he hissed. "Did you really think one was enough?" My tail coiled. My wings spread, gold light searing the ruined street. "Then I’ll tear them both out." I felt it even mid-flight with the Baron— The others... had done it. They killed the Hybrid. But we weren’t done. Not yet. The Aristocrat tried to flee. His black coat flailed against the wind as if mocking his dignity. Buildings blurred beneath us. I didn’t care where we landed—I just wanted him *away* from the others. I slammed him into the rooftop of a half-burnt department store. The concrete cratered, dust exploding like a smoke bomb. He rose out of the rubble like liquid itself, bones cracking back into place. "Magnificent," he sneered, his form rippling. "A beast who thinks he’s human. Or perhaps... a human pretending to be a beast?" "Shut up." Lightning built in my chest, surging upward until my entire ribcage hummed with energy. My jaw opened and a torrent of blue-white plasma roared forth. The Aristocrat’s smirk melted into a scream as the beam carved across the rooftop, disintegrating walls, melting glass into dripping slag. He shielded himself with a wall of blood spears, hundreds forming into a barrier like a crimson forest. My beam tore through them, sizzling, turning his weapons into mist, but the bastard still stood—scorched, bleeding, but alive. He retaliated. Blood lashed out in the shape of serpents, barbed whips snapping around my wings, yanking me down. I tore free with a single flex, feathers scattering like blades that sliced into his chest. We collided midair—claw to spear, wing to whip. My claws raked across his ribs, tearing through like parchment, while his spear stabbed into my shoulder, sizzling with blood magic that burned like acid. Volt’s instincts flared inside me, urging, "Tear out his heart!" "Gladly." I drove my claws through his chest, ripping until the bone cracked. He screamed—not from pain, but laughter, blood splattering his face as he leaned forward to hiss, "We do not die." "Then disappear." I hurled him across the rooftop, chasing instantly, my tail slamming down like a wrecking ball. The roof gave way entirely, both of us plummeting into the shopping mall interior below. Shards of glass and twisted escalators greeted us. He staggered to his feet, reforming half his ribs as blood stitched them together. I didn’t let him finish. My wings spread wide, arcs of electricity crawling across each feather, before I folded them forward and blasted another thunder beam from my maw. The mall’s entire food court evaporated in a blinding storm. Tables, signs, even the giant "SALE 50%" banner ignited into ash. This time, the Aristocrat didn’t walk out of the flames smiling. His body dripped apart, chunks sliding off into pools of blood. He tried to crawl back together—arms reforming, face shaping—but I was already on him. I pinned him down with one claw, pressing his skull into a cracked tile. My other hand formed into a spear of pure lightning, a condensed blade humming with Volt’s power. His one remaining eye glared up, hateful, desperate, amused even now. "Even if you kill me... Valentine! He will avenge me...." "Then I’ll kill them too." The spear plunged straight through his skull. His body convulsed, blood spasming outward like an explosion, then sizzling into nothing under the current. I didn’t stop until every last drop of him was burnt away. Bastard still talked. " I am Blood. I can’t di..." I slashed. My claw impaled his chest—the other side—and drove through the hidden heart. He froze. Blood sprayed. His eyes widened, finally stripped of arrogance. "No... I... am blood—" "Not anymore." I ripped my claws free. He collapsed. For the first time—he didn’t get back up. [System Announcement] Mission 5: Elimination of the Vampire Aristocrat has been completed. Vampire Baron, Valentine’s first slave has been slain. All participants within District Buk-gu Ulson shall receive +3 Levels as contribution reward. Special Merit Acknowledgement: Due to exceptional contributions in this mission, the following players will receive an additional +5 Levels: > – Shin Ye-Jun > – Shin Ye-Rin > – Park Seo-Yeon > – Jeong In-Ji > – Shin Mi-Sun > – Kim Hyun-Tae [System Global Update] Mission Interval Granted: A 30-day stabilization period before Mission 6 begins. During this interval, monsters will respawn at lowered intensity. Players are advised to recover, fortify, and prepare. [Important Notice] A critical system-wide announcement will occur in 3 Days (72 Hours). All survivors must be present at the time of announcement. [Private System Message – Restricted Access] (Delivered only to Shin Ye-Jun and Shin Ye-Rin) System Warning – Rule Violation Detected Entity: Volt, the Three-Headed Dragon Status: Forced Slumber [Reason] Volt exploited system loopholes by enabling Shin Ye-Jun to Beastify twice within a single day cycle. This constitutes direct interference with system balance. [Penalty Enforced] – Volt has been sealed in Unknown Slumber for an indefinite period. – Beastification access will remain restricted until Volt naturally awakens. – Shin Ye-Jun retains his combat form of memory but cannot invoke Volt’s presence. [System Reminder] Great power demands balance. Those who defy equilibrium will be judged. Await the day when Volt opens his eyes once more. My beastification form needed abruptly as I was busy reading the new messages. Unlike before, when I let go of beastification with Junior or Roger, they Spawn beside me but this time Volt didn’t came back. It seems that he truly is gone for now. I was far away from my original base so I had to walk back. I took one step. Then another . Limping. Steading myself to not collapse. The only thoughts in my mind were, "I hope Mother and Ye-Rin are alive." Please. Please. Please.