Vampire: World of Blood-Chapter 97: Kingdom

"GLURGRRPP...

With the sound of gurgling blood and molten lava coming from Merciless’ pierced throat and the lava itself striking the floor, scorching the earth below, Merciless’ whole body began to develop enormous sores from both inside and outside as his skin deteriorated and his red crystal-like bones became visible. He twitches in anguish; everything was burning; he could feel his entire inside being boiled and steaming from inside out.

Lava blood red was even pouring out from the vacant eye socket as well.

At this time, every orifice in his body, even his pores, was leaking bloody molten lava from every conceivable angle. And then he heard it: a man’s voice, which he mistook for a ghost coming back to haunt him.

"There you are, you obnoxious microbe, so this is your true body; well, then, I will not let you leave my grasp now that I caught you, you bastard. Let us see how you enjoy it when you are forced to play on someone else’s playground."

[Shine: Star of Glory]

The instant those words left Zakcry’s lips, the molten lava surrounding Merciless’ impaled form began to expand, engulfing him in a lava sphere and swallowing him whole until they were abruptly gone from the location itself.

...

...

...

...

...

...

Albedo’s Merciless eyes met with a gloomy surrounding; the sky above was empty of stars, yet a vast solar eclipse encompassed them; his thumbs touched something cool, but something was lacking from the experience itself. And when he peered down, he was shocked to find himself seated on the surface of a glowing, crimson ocean that seemed to stretch indefinitely.

But what drew his attention at first was the abundance of weapons in this strange space; nevertheless, they were all biological weapons consisting of flesh, bones, and blood. And by around him, he means underneath him, for each weapon radiates unique power and has its own presence as if it were alive. They were floating in every part of the space in the water underneath.

Albedo Merciless, of course, already had a general notion of what this was when he groaned and muttered.

"No wonder this one is a problem; with his attacks and now this strang space, he’s a fucking Azamite. Hehe... I never expected to stumble into one of those dangerous motherfuckers so early in the game."

Albedo Merciless said, but his statement was overheard, and a voice responded.

"Based on your eyes, I believe you are a Michellian... Just my luck, you will not only be a pain in the ass to kill but also a hazardous pain in the ass. However, why do you resemble the brat Albedo of clan Loviatar? You are certainly not him; that youngster cannot perform anything as complex and mad as this; such a refined alteration of matter must have required years of training to perfect at this level; you are extremely powerful indeed."

Zakcry remarked to Merciless, who had just realized he had forgotten to change the color of his eyes, but it didn’t matter since dead men don’t tell tales.

"Hmm, how did you do it?"

Merciless asked Zakcry a puzzled question, to which he chuckled and responded.

"If you’re asking how I survived, the answer is a simple one. I didn’t; you killed me with that final strike and took all of my souls, but I can always rise from the dead; from me there is always another chance."

Zakcry responded, keeping his response brief and cryptic. This adversary was clearly not going to divulge his abilities, which was a wise decision. To show your strength to an opponent is like to saying, "Okay, bro, this is how you can kill me." It was a silly thing to do, but vampires with huge egos are known to do things like that from time to time.

’Hmm... from what I’ve seen, this guy can create biological weapons and armor; the question, however, is whether it’s his ichor or a magical nature. The possibility of it being something else outside the boundaries of the various abilities in this universe was also a possibility.’

Merciless thought to himself; after all, he was in a situation where the tables had been turned against him. He knew this wasn’t a good situation to be in at all; an Azamite in their own kingdom is essentially god, as they can manipulate this personal space that is cut off from the very rules of the universe itself however they want, and according to his memories, some Azamites can even implement laws in their kingdom to give them a buff, or some kind of advantage.

’Hmm, I can still feel my CD, but I can’t get out of this place, and there is no way for me to break free from this imaginary space from the outside either, since that’s what it is: an imaginary spatial region.’

’In simpler terms, it does not exist in the real world, but rather in the caster’s thoughts; such an envious and dangerous racial trait to possess, but no worries, I will take this racial ability for myself as well; of course, that will be as soon as I eat him, even if I have to kill him a million more times, I don’t know how his immortality base power works.’

’But if he is anything like myself, his means of resurrection must have a realistic limit or weakness. And with Ana’s memories and my memories, I saw through my soul, which Father fused with her conceptual realm.’

’So, I can say without a single shred of doubt, there is always a flaw with these sorts of powers. I do not believe there is such a thing as a true immortal; everyone, including the gods, has weaknesses; even my own father, who is the closest thing to absolutely unkillable, can be killed with the grace series he made.’

’Heheh... so no Crimson Dawn to assist me, ha? Ehehehe.. ohhh well! It does not matter either way; I will eventually adapt if push come to shove.’

With those remarks, Albedo Merciless began to take on a battle form, transforming both arms into huge swords covered with radiation lighting. His hair turned whip-like as it glowed purple. Soon after, he began to grow an extra pair of arms, but with gigantic black dire wolf claws, with the claw tips heated with plasma to the point they became akin to lasers.

Behind him, Black Tail began to split into eight smaller, distinct tails. Each of these tail tips features a pointed, stiff spearhead that is likewise heated by plasma, while around the many tails themselves are many crimson-colored bone-like hooks.

Finally, a familiar-looking scarlet energy engulfed Albedo Merciless, just as it had Zane during their combat. On that note, his eyes closed; of course, his regular sight was worthless, as such; he was switching to his mind’s eye as everything began to shift into outlines, providing him with an even more detailed perspective. In his current state, all open and blind areas were gone; he could perceive everything around him, leaving no possibility for surprise attacks.

However, similar to what Merciless was capable of achieving inside his Crimson Dawn, the Azamite pulled it off as well, because Merciless began to hear his voice being projected from every corner of this space.

"Your position has improved, Michellelian; you now appear to be a courageous fighter rather than a coward. Very good; now then I will answer in kind; do not disappoint me now."

Zakcry, declared as Merciless remained silent, for that was when the crimson water in front of him began to rise and gain shape, eventually morphing into a humanoid figure. And out of it emerged Zakcry, but unlike previously, he was wearing entirely new armor.

The black figure stood imposingly, emanating a sense of fear and might. He was a marvel to behold, dressed in obsidian armor that absorbed light from all around him. The armor, constructed with baroque detail, appeared old and unearthly. Each item was decorated with swirling patterns and sharp, jagged edges, alluding to the deadly force hidden within.

A ragged, dark cloak hung over his shoulders, adding to his ominous appearance. It spread out behind him like a fallen angel’s wings; he looked like an imposing man who has won many battles of long-fought wars and hard-earned wins. His helmet, with its terrifying visor, completely obscured his face, leaving only the image of his eyes glowing with an awful light. Spikes protruded from the helmet, giving it the impression of a black crown suitable for a king of shadows.

In his right hand, he held a gigantic sword nearly as tall as himself. The blade, a wonder of fatal beauty, had a serpentine shape with serrated edges. The hilt was designed to resemble a dragon, with red ruby eyes that gleamed ominously. The sword’s guard also had elaborate carvings.

Every aspect of his armor appeared to be alive, pulsing with a black force that echoed through the air. Chains and rings studded his waist, clinking quietly with each step. His huge, reinforced boots crushed the dirt beneath him with each stride, giving his route an air of inevitability.

Merciless, watch on goosebumps running up his spine and beads of perspiration streaming down his face; this was a sensation he was all too familiar with, first with those blessed Bloodshine that made this life possible for him, and then with Zane, both times when he was close to death.

And yet, here he is, still standing and very much alive; the disparity in strength was very clear, and Merciless could feel it, his instincts screaming at him to flee. However, a single thought crossed his mind at that moment.

"And despite all that, I live...hehe... Hehe. If today be my day I die, then let yours be tomorrow."

"Because when I come back, I’m coming back for blood... I can’t die; I always come back, but you know... Ughhh... dying is such a bitch!!"

Merciless overcame his trepidation and charged head-on. His claws and blade were ready for a fight as he charged towards Zakcry at light speed. Zakcry, on the other hand, looked at Merciless as he assumed a combat posture, a darker blue-purple aura covering his sword and intensifying it to the point where the blade itself took on the hue of the very aura that surrounds it.

The sound of a woman whispered in Zakcry’s ears.

’Outpout has reached 430%, father.’

’That is great, my daughter. Now, then, Oblivion, let’s show this faceless bastard how a real warrior does battle.’

With those words spoken, the aura intensifies almost tenfold, and with one sideway strike of the sword, the blade shoots forth a bluish-purple laser blade that cuts space itself. The strike was instant, and before Merciles knew it, he was cut in half, both his lower and upper bodies burning away under the heat of a dark blue flame.

His body was burning away indefinitely, and he was disappearing at that instant. Merciless opens his mouth, and his tongue transforms into another replica of himself, which swiftly detaches from the mouth and jumps back into the fight.

As the flesh he parted with burned away into nothing, not leaving even ashes behind.

’Note to self, that sword is bad news; my body is highly resilient and similarly resistant to certain levels of heat, but it burned away my flesh and bones like it was nothing, and very rapidly at that.’

Merciless murmured to himself as he closed the gap immediately by utilizing his coordinator to teleport instantly, knowing the coordinates for everything within a 1000-kilometer radius via mind eye.

This surprised Zakcry because he didn’t perceive any spatial interference, but Merciless was still able to close the space in front of him in a moment, and Merciless swung his hand downward without warning. However, when his attack impacted Zakcry in the neck with full power, he believed he had delivered a death blow. However, like a dog attempting to bite metal in two and breaking its teeth in the process, Merciless’ arm blade broke in two as it twisted and flew to the side, while Zakcry remained fully unharmed.

’What the hell is this armor made out of?’

Merciless questioned, profoundly surprised by Zakcry’s armor, which was so hard that even a full-power attack from him did not harm him in the slightest.

Zakcry, on the other hand, lifted his head at Merciless. At this moment, time had almost stopped for both of them. But at that moment, Zakcry spoke, and Merciless listened.

"A fighter can be many things, but a warrior is not one of them; choosing meaningless conflicts without sacrificing one’s life at the cost of battle is not the warrior’s way. As a result, a fighter cannot kill a warrior, for a fighter does not know what death truly is."

"And you, who hide behind that scarlet Stein world, is not a fighter. But a coward with a desire to fight, we are not the same. But enough talking; I’ll just beat the facts of life into you and consign you to oblivion myself."

And so said, so done. Since the following instance, Zakcry whirled his body about and unleashed a massive, powerful, and bone-crunching back-kick to Merciless’s stomach, causing him to spit out blood, sending Merciless soaring in the air. Merciless, on the other hand, was able to slow himself down by developing a pair of succubus wings to anchor and counteract his motion.

But just as he regained his footing, Zakcry was in front of him, swinging for Merciless’ head, but Merciless was able to reply just in time, his thought process speeding up to its limits as he used his arm shield he built earlier the night against the goblins. However, they hardly hold up, and Zakcry was able to chop through them with considerable ease. He also hacked off half of Albedo Merciless’ head in the process with a single swing.

A shockwave exits the blade due to motion, arcing the water while it continues to cut space as before.

Merciless was surprised to see that even fortifying his shield with aether did not protect him from the sword, overriding his spatial immunity. And, as before, flames began to burn away at his body, this time from above and from his arm, but determined to live, Merciless transformed into a swarm of cockroaches as he flew in many directions, some of the flames produced by Oblivion consuming and erasing the majority of the cockroaches. However, less than half managed to escape the flames.

And these surging cockroaches began to multiply so quickly that there was a sea of them flying in the air.

Zakcry glanced up, his emotions unknown, but his balant insults were as active as ever.

"That form really suit you."

"So hard to get rid of, haha... oh well, you being hard to kill actually makes this all the more enjoyable."

"Tsk!! You are the last person I would ever want to hear something like that from; if anything, you are as resilient as a roach."

"Hmmm, well, we shall see who is the cockroach after one of us kicks the bucket!!"

Zakcry proclaimed loudly, raising his palms towards the enormous sea of roaches. The crimson water beneath his armored boots began to ripple as a plethora of biological weapons appeared from beneath the ocean depths at his command.

There were many different weapons, all of which appeared to be alive due to their biological nature and presentation; some were swords, others were spears and shields with mace and axes, but there were also guns, siege weapons, and modern weapons such as tanks and missiles, if he had to guess what the last bits were based on their shape and form, but they were all in biological form.

These weapons all appeared to have their own power; some were drenched in flames, some in ice, others vibrated uncontrollably, and he could see one manipulating gravity and another with a distinctive appearance that seemed to freeze time in its presence. He had terrible feelings about all of them.

But suddenly the weapon began to adjust mid-air as they took aim, and with a single command, Zakcry said.

"Get rid of him, my children; the one who kills him, I will promote them to a bishop."

And as if in response to their father’s words, all of the weapons began to erupt with strength, their deadly killing intent all aimed toward Merciless, plainly fueled by excitement at this news.

’Fathers bishop.’

’We must kill this roach; we must, must.’

’Yeah to murder.’

’For father, we must bring father glory!!’

Each weapon was adequately inspired as they began to fly towards Merciless at incredible speed; thunder was heard and many flies were vaporized; the cracking sound of ice could be heard; and the environment froze at the hammer’s presence, converting everything its aura touched to snow. A tremendous explosion can be heard, and several firearms with various rounds are shooting at the flying roaches, shredding them to pieces.

The roaches attempted to evade, but it was impossible. Finally, all of the roaches were annexed. Or so Zakcry thought because, suddenly, using Coordinator, a single roach survived the onslaught as it approached at lightning speed. A large amount of energy was present within the roach’s cells, and the moment it made contact with Zakcry, a massive explosion engulfed him whole.

The explosion itself was similar to a nuclear bomb going off, with an enormous blaze engulfing Zakcry’s entire being for a kilometer around him and a tremendous shockwave spreading from all directions. The heat from the massive, twirling fireball was even hotter than the sun’s very surface.

On the other hand, the fragments of cell remnants floating in the air began to repair, and a body of flesh, bones, and blood was soon visible; it took him 5 seconds to reassemble his body from seemingly nothing.

Merciless looked onward, a frustrated look on his face, when he saw Zakcry begin to walk out of the giant fireball. Looking at him, he was completely fine; there was not a single scratch evident on his body, much less his armor at all. It was as if all his attacks were somehow rendered useless the moment they came in contact with Zakcry.

This, of course, made Merciless begin to speak up.

"And you call me the roach, you invunerable bastard."

The sound of Zakcry’s armor could be heard vividly with every stride, Oblivion on his shoulder; Zakcry, on the other hand, responded to Merciless’ statement.

"Whine all you want, Michellian, as long as you stand before the star of glory. I will never know defeat; in here, I am at my peak; to be honest, I am hardly trying since I am just using a mere 30% of my power; nonetheless, if this is the best you can show me, I must admit that I am quite disappointed."

On that note Merciless caugth on to something in her words.

’Star of glory....hmm... wait could it be?’

Merciless spoke as he began to glance up, his gaze fixed on the massive eclipse that blazed above them. However, upon closer study, the eclipse itself did not appear to be an eclipse, but rather a black sphere engulfed by eerie flames.

’I see, so that’s how it is, this mother fucker is utilizing some strange ability to boost his defense; well, that may be one component, so if I get rid of that star, I might have a fighting chance. However, that is easier said than done; this man has defenses in every possible corner, below and above, and he is at the epicenter, tsk... this is a genuinely troubling scenario.’

Albedo Merciless said to himself, quickly realizing the unfair situation he found himself in.

And yet...

He didnt felt scared at all...

No something was different here...

Something profound: the odds were against him, the enemy was strong, and so was there defense.

Even yet, Merciles began to smile gleefully, his sclera becoming black and the brilliant blue shining brighter. If one looks at the eyes, they appear precisely like Michelle’s.

’Agh... my blood, it’s singing... it’s boiling; what is this sensation of delight? What is this great sense of satisfaction? At this rate, I’m going to die, and yet, I’m so fricking happy right now.’

’More... more...moremoremoremoremoremoremoremoreMORRRREE!! I want to feel more of this sensation, ghraaa!! Show me Azamite, show me more.’

"Hahahaha... I’m not dead yet; come on, you unkillable bastard, try to kill me if you can. No, I personally implore you. Yes! Yesss! YESSSZZZ!! I implore you to murder me, strike me, tear me apart, and burn me alive; I will accept it all. Let us bathe in one another’s blood; the aroma of iron is at its best when raw from the wound."

"Typical Michellian conduct, but I like the expression on your face; perhaps you are now seeing things my way. I suppose you can learn very well, so let me show you what it means to be a warrior. Before death, one should not shudder; think of death not as an end but as confirmation of one’s efforts. Death should not be feared but rather embraced, as I shall reward you with a warrior’s view of it firsthand."

"Prepare yourselves, Michellian. If you do not take me seriously, you will die. However, if you survive this, I will acknowledge you as a fellow warrior worthy of shedding blood upon the war-infected dirt, for the battlefield is not biased toward the gallant."

A warrior, ha, well, I really don’t care what you think of me, but I will say this: you are strong. But I cannot afford to lose this fight, to kill the gods, to exact my just retribution, and to restore my predecessors’ glory. "I’ll have to defeat you right here and right now."

Merciless said, to which Zakcry smiled behind his helmet as if he were please at the sigth before him.

"Good, that is the way, Michellian !! We all have something we fight for; my ambition is to reach the star itself. I took this exam not to become a spawn, but to seek greater enjoyment by fighting the strong; this is why I became a vampire; everyone I’ve known has died before the star of glory. I want to push myself to the maximum and gain strength as I progress through this thing called life. I was unbeatable when I was alive, but now that I am dead, I am unreachable."

"If you don’t see the end to this. Then let it be known to just you. That in your dying seconds of unlife, I, Zakcry, Supreme General of the House of Cinderfall, representing the concept of Glory, was the one who sent you to Oblivion’s embrace."

Zakcry announced this loudly as his posture straightened, and when Oblivion was hoisted over his head, the dark bluish-purple aura blazed into a blue flame, lighting the world in blue. The blade stood solid, and Merciless looked at it with mixed feelings; he was thinking about a variety of things, most notably how to escape this onslaught.

"This guy is far more stronger than I originally thought."

"But besides all that, compared to every attack I have faced till now, this thing is by far the most dangerous one I have personally come in contact with."

Merciless remarked to himself as he began to consider a way out of this; the only option was Ophelia’s ultimate veil, but for some reason, he didn’t want to use it; something was telling him not to, almost as if doing so would be a mistake he would forever regret, leaving him with little alternative but to confront this straight on.

And then it hit him.

’That right, I have yet to try that.’

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

’Father!’

"Yes my child?"

’Output has exceeded 10,000%; 1/10th of my capacity has been reached. Would you like me to progress the charge further?’

Zakcry responded immediately to this, as he said.

"No, this is good; this percentage was the same amount I gathered that one time when I one-shot the infant negative dragon. If he survives this, it signifies he possesses the fortitude of a dragon."

"But either way, let’s get this over with."

With those words said, Zakcry began to say a chant a series of complex circles began to form around the blade itself as they rotate fastly.

[By the Howling Abyss, I Call! Oblivion, Devourer of Stars, hear my oath! From the depths of creation, I call the hungry dark! Let the glorious choir scream in your wake! Consume their brilliance, and power the everlasting night! Unleash the Annihilating Pyre! Let their brightness become their pyre! All will cease to exist under Oblivion’s grip!]

"Sing and embrace the void, Oblivionnnn!!!"

At that instant, the world became silent as a dazzling, dark, and ominous bluish-purple light of pure negative energy swirled like a tornado, cutting through the air, space, and even the world of the Azamite kingdom itself. As a massive amount of unimaginable negative energy rained down on Albedo Merciles. The onslaught roared like a beast, exploding and beginning to burn and obliterate everything at the physical, spiritual, mental, and even conceptual levels.

The ominous light consumed everything, as nothing was spared from Oblvion’s grip. Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted, and the entire dimension began to shake under the attack. Reality broke, no, it was being burned away, space began to disappear as many weapons; and even the crimson ocean itself began to burn away from existence.

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

And now, all that is, became all that was.