66 – 14 – Irregular Mutation – 1

Lora also saw a huge, very huge wolf appear on the battlefield and devour the moon.

It was of course the same for Gi-jun, who leaped while riding the giant feline beast called the Red Flame Beast—a phantom beast unique to the Flame Humans—drawing the attention of everyone on the battlefield to himself.

Terrified, she cried out in a sharp voice.

“We have to go…… we have to go help! Gi-jun can never win alone……!”

She had half-suspected it, but to think he would really risk his life to block the monster without a moment’s hesitation.

She thought she knew his heroism well, but she had never expected him to be someone who cared so little for his own life.

Lora’s chest tightened at his attitude, which remained unshaken even in the face of crisis.

He was a person who must never die in a place like this.

She had to save him.

Even if it meant sacrificing Lora’s own life, she had to……!

“Hmm, well, what should we do?”

However, Armillca chuckled as she said that.

Even while carrying Lora on her back, her swift feet were as fast as ever, and although she supported Lora with one hand and swung a long saber wildly with the other, the werewolves fell one after another with their necks slashed, as if drawn by a magnet.

Perhaps because the moon had disappeared and the werewolves had all weakened at once, Armillca’s battle had already reached a level that could only be called pure slaughter.

“This is why werewolves are no good. They can’t even use their strength properly without the moon, can they? They are so inferior.”

“Armillca, I don’t care what happens to the other werewolves right now. We have to go save Gi-jun!”

“Ehh, do we have to? It obviously has a higher rank than us. It looks dangerous, so let’s just run away by ourselves.”

Helping the party leader as a fellow party member was something that required no second thought; it was only natural.

Armillca’s attitude was an unacceptable act of betrayal.

“How…… we are in the same party!”

“Ah, right. Cancel, cancel——.”

She did not mean that she was taking back her words.

She meant that she was canceling being bound to Gi-jun in a party.

Immediately after, as if she had really left the party, her name was gone from the party window, which could only be checked while in a party.

Leaving a party arbitrarily was an action considered taboo during combat, and not only did the system impose a penalty that prevented joining a new party for a month, but if a mercenary belonging to the Mercenary Guild committed such an act, they could face suspension, or in severe cases, expulsion or execution.

Lora’s expression froze hard.

“You.”

“Ahaha, are you worrying about me because you’re afraid I’ll get scolded by the guild? It’s fine, they’re all going to die here anyway. There won’t be anyone to testify. Lo—ra, you should get out of that party quickly too.”

“Armillca!”

“Or are you worried you’ll die? There’s even less need to worry about that. I have no intention of letting you die. Because I’ve fa—llen for you so much. So much so that I don’t care about the mission at all, fufu.”

Hey, Lo—ra.

Drawing out her name affectionately, Armillca smiled eerily, curling the corners of her mouth.

Fangs so sharp they looked as though they would drip blood at any moment flashed red in the darkness.

“Did you perhaps notice my identity?”

“Ugh——!”

At that moment.

Lora slapped a sheet of paper she had prepared in advance for emergencies onto Armillca’s back.

The light exploded brilliantly, throwing Lora into the air with its recoil—and In, who had been desperately chasing after them, caught her safely.

“Lora, are you okay!”

“I’m fine, brother…… thank you.”

“Brother? Bro—ther——?”

The vampire barely managed to peel off and extinguish the burning paper stuck to her shoulder.

Armillca bared her fangs and growled at In.

She had known that In was chasing them from behind, but she did not like that the relationship between the two seemed closer than she had expected.

“What are you? Did you…… lay your hands on my Lo—ra?”

“Lora is my sister.”

In replied quietly to Armillca, who asked in a chilling tone as if she would never let him die peacefully if he had touched Lora.

Seeing him carefully lower Lora from his arms and swing his staff in all directions to secure her safety, Armillca asked back blankly:

“Sister……?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Pfft, haha!”

She finally burst out laughing, forgetting even the current situation.

“I’ve heard stories of ignorant Orc bastards who can’t control their lust kidnapping human women to use as playthings! Pfft, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of a half-Orc born that way considering a human to be family! Puhahat……”

“We share the same father.”

“Huh?”

Armillca froze on the spot upon hearing words she had not expected at all.

The half-Orc, In, conjured a bright light over the staff he held, his eyes shining coldly.

“It means my mother was an Orc, vampire.”

It was an energy she had seen a few times and was familiar with, but was by no means pleased to feel.

An Orc was wielding the divine power of light!

Armillca could not believe her eyes.

There were two priests in the party?

……And a priest who wielded light, which was strong against vampires?

“Our father was a high priest of Ishtar. That is also why the two of us siblings were born with Ishtar’s divine power.”

Opening a book filled with divine power, Lora continued speaking as she released dozens of pages from it simultaneously to cast a massive holy spell.

“I lied to Gi-jun that I was born as a normal human. I feel sorry about it, but I don’t regret it. Thanks to that, I could deceive an ‘enemy’ like you as well.”

“The guild always prepares for contingencies. I didn’t know you were a vampire, but——we kept in mind the possibility that someone might infiltrate to harm the Hero of Turis.”

“Ha——so I thought I had deceived you completely, but I was the one being deceived? What a comedy…… a boring comedy.”

Suddenly turning serious, Armillca raised a bloody finger and ran it along the blade of her saber.

The line of blood drawn along where her finger passed wriggled as if alive, forming characters.

Accordingly, the blade pulsed in tandem, inflating the power dwelling within it—the ‘Blood Power’ unique to vampires.

“O Ishtar! Bind and melt the filthy darkness with your light!”

“Ah——ha!”

Just then, the golden ring that appeared as Lora’s holy spell was completed surrounded the area and narrowed down, attempting to bind Armillca’s movements, but surprisingly, she resisted more than half of the holy spell.

“Why do you think I’ve been active in human society? Lo—ra, that’s because I, among all vampires, am particularly strong against light.”

Even now, when they had become completely hostile to each other, she still maintained a gentle tone only toward Lora.

Lora found that fact incredibly chilling.

“Don’t you think we are a match made in heaven after all? Hmm?”

“…….”

Even though Lora did not answer and burned a few more pages to strengthen the holy spell, Armillca smiled as if she did not care, then raised her sword to point at In.

Her eyes, which had turned red before they knew it, were flashing like those of a wild beast.

“Once I clean up the nuisances, let’s have a deep talk just the two of us. Yes, it would be good to talk about our future. After I make you my kin, the two of us will spend eternity together——.”

“Shut up, vampire!”

Unable to bear her presence any longer, In charged with his staff in the lead.

—Clang!

The steel staff, reinforced by the power of Ishtar, the Goddess of the Morning Star who brings light, clashed with the sword, reinforced by the vampire’s Blood Power, creating a terrible repulsive force.

In took a step back, while Armillca stood her ground and shook her hands.

Stepping firmly on the ground and taking another step forward, In’s eyebrows trembled.

“Kh……!”

“It doesn’t matter how much you prepare.”

Armillca, who instantly saw through the fact that he was tense, smirked.

“You guys are always like that. What’s the point of realizing I’m a vampire when you can’t even stop me? Unfortunately, that is your limit. There is only one way to overcome it.”

The tip of the sword, thrust at a speed exceeding human cognition, finally snapped the steel staff that In had reflexively thrust out.

The light that dwelt inside it went wild and swept over Armillca, but a barrier of blood that rose as if wrapping around her body blocked the light and evaporated.

Armillca, revealed after the barrier disappeared, was so perfectly fine that one would even doubt if she was actually a vampire.

“It is to come over to the darkness. Of course, this is for our Lo—ra. I have no intention of giving an opportunity to a filthy Orc like you——!”

Armillca thrust her sword forward once more, raising the tip of the blade as if she were fencing.

Lora created a shield of light with her holy spell, but it only managed to hold and stop Armillca’s blade for a brief moment.

Since the sword that was meant to pierce In’s neck ended up only making a hole in his arm, it was not entirely meaningless, but……

“Did you forget my ability?”

“I haven’t…… forgotten……!”

In gritted his teeth and replied to Armillca, who smirked and ridiculed him.

The moment he was pierced by the sword, the blood rapidly decayed starting from the wound and flowed backward toward his heart——but In drew up his divine power and purified all of it.

Then, he actually took another step toward Armillca and firmly grabbed the blade that had pierced through his arm.

“I’ve got…… you……!”

“Ignorant Orc. As expected, it would be better for you to die quickly for the sake of our Lo—ra as well.”

Perhaps fed up with his persistent resistance, Armillca narrowed her eyes, glared at him, and added strength to the hand holding the sword.

“Please die, quickly. Lo—ra is waiting for me.”

“The one who dies is you!”

Lora’s sharp voice cut in.

Armillca, who was giggling as if even that was lovely, suddenly felt something glittering in the sky that had turned black due to the disappearance of the moon.

Even when she tried to move from the spot, wondering ‘No way,’ In, who had grabbed past the sword and gripped her arm, held her tightly and would not let go.

“Let go……!”

“O Ishtar, Goddess of Love, let the woman who rejects me change her mind and stay by my side——!”

“Love?! Don’t make me laugh, I won’t be happy receiving love from the likes of an Orc! Let go——!”

In’s divine power was more persistent than Armillca had imagined.

It should have been a struggle just to purify the blood that was decaying in real-time, but not only that, he was also casting Ishtar’s holy spell to bind her movements!

Then, she realized that In’s face was turning black.

This half-Orc was now giving up on even purifying his own blood and pouring all his divine power into holding her!

“Are you…… trying to die?”

“As long as I can protect my sister, any number of times.”

The moment after In smirked.

A spear of light falling from the sky pierced Armillca from head to toe.

“Kahak——!”

Armillca coughed up a large amount of blood.

Blood was the source of a vampire’s strength.

She, an opponent they could not have guaranteed victory against even if In and Lora combined their strength, rapidly weakened after losing her blood.

In fact, no matter how much the compatibility difference was, this was originally something that could not happen.

There was only one reason why this was possible.

‘That damn man……! Because of that cursed cooking……!’

Recalling the dish packed with the power of light created by Gi-jun, Armillca ground her teeth and cursed him.

She had noticed the danger and avoided it as much as possible, but she still had to eat a little, and as a result, she could not avoid her light resistance being weakened.

Furthermore, In and Lora, who had devoured all of his dishes, were in a state where their ability to manipulate light was amplified instead.

“Die!”

Simultaneously with Lora’s shrill cry, a shooting star fell from the sky once more.

Armillca was certain that if she was hit by that, her physical body would be annihilated.

Even though she shook the sword held by In like crazy and used unfamiliar blood magic to somehow shake him off, he stood firm like a great mountain without budging.

Surprisingly, however.

Just before the spear of light fell——In, his eyes wide, hurriedly let go of her and threw his body aside.

She wondered if he had suddenly become afraid of death, but that was not it.

“Lora!”

“Kyaah?!”

Immediately after In hugged Lora and dodged away, a werewolf landed with a thud on the spot where she had been just a moment ago.

Armillca, who avoided the spear of light and saved her physical body thanks to In pulling away, silently stared at the bastard with her hair disheveled from the shock of the fierce battle.

It had a build larger than any werewolf she had seen since entering these ruins.

Pitch-black fur, and threatening musculature.

Above all, a thick scent of blood that could only be felt from someone who had taken countless lives—which only she, as a vampire, could detect——.

“You……”

Armillca quickly picked up the sword rolling on the floor and pointed it at the beast.

She checked Lora’s condition out of the corner of her eye.

Whether that damn Orc had protected her by using his own body as a cushion, fortunately, Lora herself appeared unharmed.

The Orc himself did not move as if dead, but she would rather be grateful if he had died.

It would be best if she could take Lora and run away like this, but the werewolf that appeared before her eyes did not seem like he would let that happen.

Then, there was no choice.

She had to fight.

“You are Quinodon, aren’t you?”

—Yes, and you guys are hostages.

Quinodon, the leader of the werewolves seeking revenge on the Vrykolakas, spoke with a grin, revealing his dirty teeth.

—For a great revenge, and for a new evolution. You must be sacrificed.

“Heh, hostages? I don’t know why you need hostages, but you seem to be underestimating me——”

Armillca burst into laughter, lifted her sword, and drove it deep into the ground.

Armillca’s blood scattered on the ground rose up drop by drop and was absorbed into her blade, eventually staining the blade crimson.

—Do you think I’ll let you play tricks——!

“Ha!”

Quinodon, who kicked off the ground and closed the distance in an instant, swung claws that emitted a black, sinister energy.

Armillca raised her crimson-stained blade to block it, but her body slid backward under a blow that was ridiculously heavy for her battered body to oppose.

—I will end you quickly——!

“You……”

Staring into the dirty eyes of the werewolf, whose whites were stained bright yellow, Armillca whispered quietly.

“You’ve been hiding all this time, haven’t you? Because you weren’t confident you could beat me head-on, you intended to wait for me to die and kidnap Lora. Right?”

—It was patience for the great cause.

“Making such a long excuse for just being a coward, ugh!”

—Grrrr……!

Perhaps stung by her words, the beast pressed down heavily on Armillca.

Even as she smiled, trying to look relaxed, Armillca’s mind was racing complexly.

At this rate, it was difficult to defeat him in her current state.

Even so, she did not think of abandoning Lora and escaping alone, not even in the slightest.

They had to escape together——or she had to defeat him here somehow.

How?

—Kh!

At that moment, a spear of light flying like a flash of lightning pierced the werewolf’s back.

The holy spell of light, which was as effective against werewolves as it was against vampires, gnawed away at Quinodon’s mana and weakened him.

Armillca, seizing the timing when strength drained from his body, swiftly slashed his arm, retreated, and shouted in a shrill voice:

“Lo—ra! Thank you, I love you——!”

“It’s not for you……!”

Lora, holding several sheets of glowing paper in her hand, said while grinding her teeth.

“She was standing in front of In, blocking him as if to protect him as he lay collapsed on the ground, and a sheet of paper infused with divine power could be seen burning on the chest of the dying half-Orc.”

“It’s to protect my brother, and…… to prevent that son of a bitch from getting in Gi-jun’s way. Don’t get the wrong idea and fight with your life on the line, vampire!”

To think they had to join forces with an opponent they were fighting to the death just a moment ago; could there be any other comedy like this?

Let alone having to help the vampire who was targeting her!

Yet, no matter how calmly she thought about it, this was the best option right now.

To save her brother’s life, and to avoid causing trouble for Gi-jun.

Lora gritted her teeth and resolved to fight alongside her enemy.

“Haa, of course.”

Perhaps she even liked seeing Lora get emotional and spew harsh words; Armillca, exhaling an excited breath, faced the enemy with a beaming smile.

“Though, until I make Lo—ra my kin, I can never die……!”

—Kraaaaaah!

The camp of light and the camp of darkness, humanity and vampire and werewolf.

A battle full of chaos began.