The Vampire Lord was starting to get annoyed with the situation...

"You think fire will stop me? I am eternal!"

Shane drew the bow once more, and this time, he poured more mana.

"Then let’s see how eternal you are." He muttered softly, and he doubted that the Vampire could hear that.

He unleashed a volley...

He used the bow’s ability this time!

Soon, fire arrows were raining down like meteors. Each shot was guided, and it was capable of burning into the Vampire Lord’s essence. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The Vampire Lord finally realized that this wasn’t just an Epic or Legendary Bow made by the elves. This was a Mythic Bow bestowed upon him by the Elven Queen!

The Vampire Lord screamed, and his form started weakening. His arrogance just a few seconds ago was replaced by fear. After a long time, he suddenly looked vulnerable.

Shane’s eyes narrowed. "This is for Nika."

Though he didn’t know Nika that well, he was aware of how important she was in this shelter...

It was already surprising that Tris was able to keep his head cool and didn’t charge to his death.

Nonetheless, Shane knew that he had to eliminate this Vampire Lord at all costs...

Soon, the bow glowed brighter, as if it could feel Shane’s fury.

He drew the string to its limit, channeling all his energy.

Soon, a massive arrow of fire formed and it was seen by everyone within the Draconic Fort!

They were stunned!

Even Tris, who was planning to do something on the shelter’s barrier generator, paused for a moment... The energy that was gathering felt like a Dragon’s Breath!

He almost thought that a Dragon had entered their shelter!

However, it was only Shane’s attack!

Soon, there was an arrow blazing like a comet.

Shane actually released it!

This made Tris worry about his Fort as it might get destroyed instead of the Vampire Lord!

However, the Vampire Lord wasn’t able to act fast enough...

Shane actually used an Aura Suppression and Spirit Shackles at the same time to delay the Vampire Lord’s movement even for a couple of seconds!

Thanks to that, the arrow streaked forward, piercing the Vampire Lord’s chest!

Flames erupted!

Just like that, the Vampire Lord tried to escape, but the fire also started consuming the blood mist, burning through his essence!

He was shocked...

The Vampire Lord staggered, his body trembling. He couldn’t use his Blood Mist!

His crimson eyes widened in disbelief.

"You... mortal... how..."

Shane lowered his Sylph’s Whisper.

His body was also shaking from exhaustion as he used up all his Mana just now. However, he remained standing while looking at the Vampire Lord.

"Because I have better equipment." He replied slowly.

The Vampire Lord snarled as he decided to escape with a different method for now...

"This isn’t over... I will return..."

His body began to twist, shrinking and reshaping.

In desperation, he abandoned his humanoid form, condensing into a bat.

With a screech, he tried to escape into the night sky.

Shane frowned after seeing this...

Still, he knew that he could still eliminate the Vampire Lord.

He raised his hand, lightning sparking at his fingertips. "You’re not getting away--"

But before he could unleash his Lightning Surge, something unexpected happened.

The air around the bat shimmered.

A bubble of translucent energy appeared into existence, trapping the Vampire Lord mid‑flight!

Whom~

The bat screeched, slamming against the bubble-like barrier, but it held firm!

Shane froze, stunned. "What...?"

Then he realized. It wasn’t his doing. It was Tris.

From the ramparts, Tris stepped forward, and his eyes were filled with fury...

Behind him, the Core Extractor looked exhausted.

Apparently, he had been carrying a wooden chest just now.

It contained dozens of Wyvern Cores filled with corrupted draconic energy.

All these cores were already sent to the Barrier Generator.

Then, Tris used the energy taken by the Generator to create another change to their barrier.

Indeed, instead of a dome of mana that would release a lightning storm from time to time, a containment field was made!

It was the bubble around the Vampire Lord, locking him in place.

Shane lowered his hand as his lightning faded. He turned to Tris.

"You... trapped him?"

Tris nodded. His voice was filled with hatred. "I can’t kill this thing yet. It has to suffer."

The Vampire Lord screeched inside the bubble, his wings beating furiously, his aura pressing against the walls. But the Wyvern Core-powered barrier held strong!

Shane gently nodded. after hearing that.

He could feel Tris’s rage. Nika’s death had cut deep, and this was his vengeance.

"Very well," Shane muttered. "But you have to pay. I’m not getting the loot because you captured it alive."

Tris nodded, as he also planned to compensate Shane. If not for his efforts, his bubble-like barrier may not be enough to contain it.

"Of course. Let’s settle that after this Cross‑Apocalypse Event."

The defenders, still busy on the battlefield, erupted in cheers as soon as they heard that the Vampire Lord was finally captured.

The Vampire Lord, the monster who had bypassed their barrier, possessed Nika, and wounded Shane, was finally defeated and could no longer be a threat.

With their greatest threat neutralized, the survivors turned their focus back to the battlefield.

"Forward!" Pascal roared. At this time, his grief from losing Nika was already tempered by fury.

"Clear the horde!"

Even the Super Soldiers surged ahead as they cut down the remaining zombies.

Warden Units advanced in formation, dismantling thralls and vampires.

Meanwhile, the remaining enhanced warriors under the lead of Pascal leapt from the ramparts to join the battle and eliminate the remaining enemies.

Tundra hurled another bomb, incinerating a cluster of Hunters.

Garron’s axe cleaved through a Tyrant’s skull.

Caesar’s shield slammed into a Juggernaut, knocking it back into the ground for the Super Soldiers to cut and pierce...

The battlefield soon began to stabilize.

Shane exhaled, lowering Sylph’s Whisper.

His body trembled as he was drained of mana, but he stood tall.

He glanced at the fallen guard whose life he had claimed to revive himself.

"I’m sorry... but your sacrifice gave me another chance."

Then he turned to the defenders. "The horde is thinning... Just endure a bit more!"

He shouted after Cloud confirmed that no more enemies were coming out of nowhere.

As long as they kill the remaining creatures alive, they’d be able to win this.

By the time dawn’s light touched the fortress walls, the battlefield was littered with corpses. The Vampire Lord remained trapped in Tris’s bubble, screeching in impotent rage.

The battle was far from over, but the tide had shifted.

And now, the Vampire Lord that should be leading an army of Low-Tier Vampires was defeated and captured!

Because of that, Shane was hoping that the next horde wouldn’t have an organized army.

***

Meanwhile... three days had passed since the Cross‑Apocalypse Event began, and the seas had become a nightmare.

Akame’s ship was battered by relentless wyvern assaults, their wings were blotting out the sky as they dove with claws and fire.

The crew fought desperately, ballistae and rifles firing upward, but the wyverns were too many.

The situation worsened when the waters themselves turned hostile.

From beneath the waves, murlocs and zombie sea creatures swarmed!

They were clawing at the hull and dragging defenders into the depths.

The ship rocked violently and its defenses strained to the breaking point. T

hough no vampires had appeared, the combined assault of wyverns and sea zombies threatened to sink them outright.

Akame, the captain, stood firm at the helm.

His eyes scanned the horizon, searching for salvation. Then he saw it... a land.

An island was up ahead... Its shores were their only chance of survival.

"We’ll sink at this rate! All hands, prepare to land!" he shouted.

The crew obeyed, steering the battered vessel toward safety.

The ship groaned under the weight of battle, but they managed to reach the shore.

As soon as they landed, the survivors leapt onto the sand, continuing the fight against the wyverns and sea creatures that pursued them.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on them... Well, three days of constant combat at sea had drained their strength.

Yet landing gave them hope!

That hope grew when they realized they were not alone!

"Perfect!"

A human shelter stood on the island but soon, they confirmed that it was also under attack. Waves of zombies, vampires, dragonoids, and wyverns battered its defenses.

Akame’s crew feared they had stumbled into another doomed battlefield.

Then they saw it.

Five massive humanoid machines strode across the battlefield, towering mechs that dwarfed men and monsters alike!

"W-what the heck?"

Their steel fists crushed zombies, their weapons tore through vampires, and their cannons blasted wyverns from the sky.

Against the dragon army, they fought like titans, scattering enemies with every strike.

Akame and his crew stared in awe.

What had seemed like certain death transformed into a vision of hope.

The shelter was not weak at all! It was powerful, fortified by technology and warriors unlike any they had seen before!

"What in the world is this shelter doing hiding from all of us?"