My Horny Stepmom Turns Me into Her Vampire Slave-Chapter 46: It’s just business (2)

"And now... let’s have some fun!" Joe growls, his voice even more hoarse and cavernous.

With a huge leap, he closes the distance in an instant.

He’s about to crash into him, but Cassian dodges with a quick sidestep.

Joe lands heavily, cracking the floor beneath him and getting stuck for a moment. Cassian takes advantage of that brief opening and moves to his flank.

The blow lands, and his enchanted weapon pierces the ogre’s flesh... but just barely. The blade struggles against his thick skin — not a single drop of blood spills.

All he gets is a slight grunt of annoyance from Joe, as if he’d been stung by an insect.

The ogre rips his feet free from the ground and charges Cassian headfirst like a rhinoceros, but once again Cassian dodges with ease.

Joe’s strength and endurance clearly surpass Cassian’s, but not his speed. Cassian exploits this weakness, launching quick hit-and-run attacks while easily dodging the ogre’s devastating but slow counterattacks.

Frank and Philip watch the perfect stalemate with surprising calm. Joe hasn’t landed a single blow yet, and it doesn’t seem to bother them at all.

On the other side of the room, Kevin Wallace watches the surreal clash.

He can’t take his eyes off the ogre.

He’s never seen anything like it, nor could he have imagined such creatures existed.

He didn’t even know his bodyguard came from another world. He’d always thought he was just a particularly strong, well-trained man.

Fear keeps him from running, but so does his trust in Cassian.

Deep down, he wants to see Frank and his henchmen slaughtered and has no intention of missing it.

The ogre charges with growing ferocity, each blow accompanied by savage snarls. He throws another devastating punch, but once again Cassian dodges and strikes back. This time, Joe’s blow seems slightly faster than the last.

Joe keeps striking, driven by blind fury, and Cassian realizes with growing concern that his suspicion is correct. Each punch is faster than the last, and they’re becoming harder to dodge.

A well-placed right from Joe misses Cassian’s head by inches. He barely avoids it, but can’t dodge the left hook that follows right after.

Cassian is forced to raise his sword to face level, using the flat of the blade to block the punch.

But... crack!

The blade shatters, and the blow keeps going. Cassian barely has time to throw himself back to avoid having his skull crushed.

But now that his enchanted weapon is destroyed and its effects are gone, Cassian is effectively just an ordinary human.

"H-How is it possible you got so strong so fast during the fight? As far as I know, ogres shouldn’t have this kind of ability!"

Frank answers.

"And in fact, he doesn’t. Green hasn’t gotten stronger — he’s just getting used to his real body again. It’s been months since he took his true form, so he needed a bit of warm-up to readjust. That’s all."

Realizing the situation is now desperate, Kevin Wallace starts running toward the nearest door.

But before he can reach it... BANG!

His body collapses to the ground, struck by a precise shot from Frank. The bullet passes clean through him, entering at the nape and exiting through his mouth, killing him instantly.

Cassian draws a dagger from its sheath — another enchanted weapon.

He’s about to resume the fight when Frank orders his henchman to stop.

Then he points the gun at Cassian.

"You’re a mercenary, right?"

Cassian nods.

"I thought so. I once belonged to a house of mercenaries myself. And you — what house are you from?"

"I’m Cassian of House Eisenfaust."

"Eisenfaust... I’ve heard a lot about it — a house of blacksmiths, then. Now I see how you got all those enchanted weapons. And tell me, Cassian Eisenfaust — how did someone from the most prestigious blacksmith house in the kingdom of Kristalia end up working as a bodyguard on Earth?"

"I’ve wanted to fight with my own creations since I was a child. But when I applied to the royal army, I was rejected. The same happened with various mercenary companies. They were only interested in me as a weaponsmith, not as a fighter. Apparently, that’s the price of bearing the Eisenfaust name. I left N’Raeth because I wanted to build my own path in a place where no one doubted an Eisenfaust could fight as well. That’s all."

"I see... and now that your employer is dead, what do you plan to do?"

"I’ll do what I’ve always done since I came to this world over twenty years ago — offer my services to anyone willing to pay."

"What a fortunate coincidence. You’re looking for someone to serve, and I’m looking for capable fighters. You held your own against Green — that alone proves your skill. And as an Eisenfaust, you can forge enchanted weapons. Someone like you could be very useful to me."

As soon as he says it, Cassian kneels before Frank.

An eloquent gesture that needs no words.

"I am glad to see that you are much more intelligent than your previous master. Now let’s go — you will discuss the details of the contract with my secretary."

"At your orders, master."

Frank gives a satisfied smile.

The stone of his ring begins to glow and a green serpent of energy emerges from it.

It slithers toward Kevin’s corpse, devouring it in an instant and leaving behind only his clothes.

After that, it does the same with the bodies scattered in the living room. Then it returns into the stone.

"There is nothing left to do here — we can go," Frank orders.

Then he shifts his gaze toward Philip.

"Oh right, I almost forgot. Wallace’s wife and son are still somewhere in here — it’s not wise to leave witnesses. Black, take care of it. Join us at the car when you’re done."

"As you wish, boss. It might take some time — this place is enormous, they could be anywhere."

"If I may," Cassian says. "This villa has an underground bunker built by Mr. Wallace. I am quite certain they have taken refuge there. I can lead you."

Frank gives Cassian a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"I hired you just a minute ago and I’m already glad I did. Escort Black to the bunker."

"As you command, boss."