Chapter 9

Night and Dawn (2)

    Tartarus believed one must be thrice as skilled to afford mercy to an opponent. Thus, training her master to be thrice as good as the average person was conducted in secret. And today's attackers being vampires, already superior to humans in abilities, made the feigned attack seem not so unsightly to those unfamiliar with her.

    "If that old director saw my current state, he'd surely burst into laughter."

    "Ouch..." The pretense ended when the girl in the kimono was kicked on her right shoulder. She jumped to reduce the impact, making it seem like she was hit much harder than she actually was, for the sake of appearance. She then released the bindings on the two.

    Those aware that the attack was almost ineffective included only the girl and the one who kicked her. The other two, caught off guard, didn't notice whether her being thrown was feigned or real. Blinded by pride and anger, they dashed at Tartarus, failing to notice the real danger that was about to emerge.

    "Tartarus!!!"

    Esther Dewald, unwilling to suppress his anger any longer, unleashed a pit-black aura around him along with magical power that erupted in a way unknown to even himself. His shout made those who were asleep take notice of the fight, with some even opening their dormitory windows to watch with binoculars.

    Tartarus transformed into the enormous pitch-black chains once again, but this time they appeared as dark handcuffs with chains much longer than usual. Esther didn't care about the external appearance; internally, he urged his weapon to absorb blood and souls to heal injuries, surprising even Tartarus with his concern.

    The souls taken did not extinguish the flames of wrath within him; instead, they blazed even stronger, making the tattoo of chains and the handcuffs illuminate in the darkness. Although invisible to the naked eye, their oppressive atmosphere made those around nearly suffocate.

    "You won't kill. I will do it myself."

    In the blink of an eye after his words, Esther charged at his opponents with shocking speed, appearing before them instantly. Even Tartarus was astounded by the immense power surge within the man before her. The ground he used as a launching pad shattered into pieces under the pressure.

    The first condition: anger.

    The mythic chain silently calculated the source of her master's power and stored it in her memory.

    The tall figure in pajamas, without any fuss or prolongation, Esther used both his hands, locked in handcuffs, to grab the head of his opponent and violently smashed it into his left knee, flipping them over. This left the other vampire stunned, not expecting Esther to turn the tables so quickly. However, in a moment, the intruding vampire launched its blood-colored claws agilely at him. Esther dodged to the right before striking back with what was in his hand.

    The claws pierced perfectly into the neck crevice, causing the figure in black to flail due to having more vitality than a regular human. Esther looked at the figure in his grip before forcefully pushing the impaled opponent away. They hurriedly withdrew their claws, but before they could recover, the young man was already upon them.

    Esther's foot swept up the neck of the first man, sending him crashing to the ground before leaping onto the second. All attempts at stabbing with their claws were futile, as they were ensnared by chains, effortlessly broken by the person entangling them without a hint of hesitation. Esther glared at his enemy before unleashing a barrage of punches to the face, blood spraying everywhere. Finally, he used the handcuff chains to strangle and then twisted with all his strength.

    Crack!!!!

    The sound of snapping bones echoed before the figure in black collapsed to the ground.

    Death seemed all too easy.

    The last invader leaped backward to create distance immediately, quickly chanting a spell that Esther couldn't catch. But Tartarus was able to grasp the essence of it. She knew the lengthy spell had to be either a grand or a domain magic.

    The chant of the twilight resounded so loudly that spectators wanted to join in.

    "Listen to the wailing of the night,

    Awaken and rise with envy,

    Weep, sending death to the invaders,

    My brethren, arise to annihilate the foe."

    Vampire Concerto!!!!!

    A blood-colored domain expanded aimlessly with the sole vampire at its center. Bats began to emerge from the shadows of buildings and living beings alike, congregating in the sky before encircling Esther, standing on the ground. It resembled a giant cave made of bats.

    Instantly, the young man was surrounded by thousands of the winged rodents. The prisoner of the cursed building found himself imprisoned once more, with no door left to open. Some bats began attacking him continuously, from one to tens, from tens to hundreds. He used fists, feet, knees, and elbows to their fullest extent, utilizing every attack stance known and unknown.

    Those that perished turned to dust; those that survived attacked again. However, shadows were too plentiful in this place.

    Initially, Esther thought to use Tartarus' magic, but it was dismissed due to its high energy consumption, much more than he anticipated. Moreover, Tartarus had just expended her power... Esther didn't want her to strain any further, unaware that his weapon was increasingly worried about its master's consideration.

    Even though large-scale magic was usable only a few times a month, dealing with a swarm of bats... she had a way already.

    Bang…Thud

    Punches landed, throwing the creatures into one another, but new ones always took their place. Despite the dark night, light from the buildings created more shadows than expected. His body was as battered as a corpse on a battlefield, covered in blood, saliva, and bat excrement.

    The spell seemed too real, and the numerous small enemies were a blind spot for his hand-to-hand combat style.

    'Magic is not my strong suit, and I can't use Tartarus... What should I do?' The man, encircled and bitten, gritted his teeth while the nocturnal attackers laughed loudly outside the circle.

    "Esther!"

    He turned sharply towards the voice, even as he was being bitten alive. The young man yanked a bat from his shoulder, crushed it, and then spoke to the other, "Victoria!!!"

    In that moment of distraction, another bat collided with his face.

    “Seeing that you refused to return to your room, I guessed something like this might happen, but I never imagined it would be to this extent, huhu,” the female spirit spoke, covering her mouth with a hand in a gesture more teasing than sympathetic, causing Esther to feel slightly annoyed. However, the one who came out to follow him also meant well for him, so the young man found himself at a loss for words.

    “Pretentious!!!” a clear voice exclaimed from his arm.

    Victoria paid no attention to the mutterings of the chain hiding in Esther's arm. The female spirit turned to the young man with a serious expression, a departure from her usual cheerful demeanor. Her voice was slightly strained, but he wasn't bothered. What mattered to Esther was what she said next.

    “There's a spell that can help you, but it requires a small sacrifice. Are you willing to do it?”

    The young man nodded without giving much thought to the spirit's words.

    Agreeing to do it... not agreeing to chant.

    Swish!!!

    His right hand was severed immediately before he even realized what had happened. Esther glanced at the large silver claymore sword that sliced down beside him. The one holding it was the spirit he had internally deemed foolish and almost useless. The gray spirit was chanting a spell as if it was an important incantation.

    Blood, life, spirit, three elements giving birth.

    Good, evil, neutral, three elements to conflict.

    Heaven, hell, human world, three elements of ferocity.

    Transform my body, return to form.

    Princess in Alcatraz!!!

    The ephemeral form of the spirit of the cursed building gradually transformed, bit by bit. All the smoke surrounding her body faded into her, revealing the image of a knight. The wind, blowing fiercely from the magic power, made her long silver hair reflect the darkness like a mirror. Her dull gray and white dress was hidden under the armor, enhancing her femininity in an astonishing manner. The true form of the spirit he had been conversing with all this time finally appeared.

    Her emerald-green eyes stared at the swarm of bats ahead. With one swift motion of her sword, the bats scattered immediately as the blade swept through them. The sword, which was actually silver, shimmered golden in the darkness, changing its appearance with each swing, sometimes even casting a mysteriously bright red glow with a faint flame.

    “Excalibur, huh?” Esther muttered upon seeing her sword. “Right? It has to be. The legendary sword, right?”

    His anger was quickly replaced by curiosity for the new toy, including the pain from his severed hand.

    “Hestia,”

    Victoria whispered softly, and the light that shone from the sword immediately receded. Esther showed a slightly disappointed face unnoticed by anyone.

    Even though the sword's light faded, its power grew even more intense. Victoria didn’t need to strike directly; the heat wave centered on the sword burned the bats to ashes. Her strikes were more like a dance than a fight, exposing the weaknesses in the magic that summoned the bats, forcing the caster to flee eventually.

    The will to fight vanished the moment the silver knight appeared, making it clear that his vampire gang couldn’t stand a chance.

    Swoosh!!!~

    A muffled sound echoed behind the fleeing figure before slamming him against the wall.

    The masked vampire silently looked at the cross impaling his chest, finding himself pinned against a white building wall. The one who threw it, showing an impassive face, was not Victoria, but Esther, who had thrown the cross with precision.

    A vampire barbeque... and the mask still on. What was that made of again?

    He wasn’t dead yet, but the loosely impaled cross in his right chest was dangerously close. And the backdrop? The administrative building, facing east no less. Thinking about what would happen come morning, he raised his hands to his head.

    A Sun-dried vampire. Will Grace come after me for this? Come to think of it, this guy might just be the unluckiest of them all.

    Victoria stopped in front of him, with a huge pile of ashes behind her. All the bats were gone, and everything almost seemed normal, except for the new decoration on the administration building... a wooden-staked bat welcoming the dawn's warmth.

    “I won’t go out for a walk alone again.”

    The woman chuckled merrily before transforming back into a spirit. The man’s severed hand magically returned to its place, surrounded by a glow. Suddenly, the wound healed miraculously, leaving even Tartarus astonished as she had never witnessed such a thing before.

    “Thank you for lending me your body for a while, Esther,” the young woman smiled charmingly before leading the way back to their residence.

    The next day, in the administration building,

    What is this...

    The director of the War University held his head in frustration. The pranks of an old friend were too sharp. Last night, almost all the professors watched the fight, but no one noticed that the tip of the cross had perfectly pierced through into his room.

    The thrower had to be Esther... but the one controlling the direction and weight was undoubtedly Tartarus.

    He knew from the message written on the wall next to it...

Stupid Old man

“You little troublemaker!!!!!”

That morning, anguished cries echoed through the administration building for quite some time.