Masked Knight

Darke was stunned when he saw Rody holding Diane’s hand. Their hairs and clothes fluttered in the wind as they both walked slowly across the lake. The moment they reached the shore, the air shook and the energy dissipated. The lake reformed and the waves subsided. The turbulent wind also gradually returned to normal.

"You...you guys...What happened?" Darke looked at Rody in surprise.

Rody and Diane were soaked and also covered in mud, but they were smiling happily. This was especially true for Diane, who was smiling sweetly as she tightly held Rody’s hand.

Darke looked at the two and realized something. His eyes fell onto their tightly held hands and then he looked at Diane’s face. After that, Darke laughed and asked, "What happened down there? How did you create that huge incident?"

Rody laughed then replied, "Let us talk about it when we reach home. We almost lost our lives today!"

Darke looked at the wooden staff in Rody’s hand and said somberly, "Did you find this under the lake?" After pondering for a moment, his expression changed and loudly asked, "Isn’t this..."

Rody nodded and replied, "Yes! Like what you have guessed, this is the Staff of Moses!"

Darke’s expression turned complicated. He thought to himself for a moment and quietly said, "The Staff of Moses is actually here...This is a really complicated matter. Let us leave here quickly! You also better keep that thing away properly. This artifact’s reappearance is going to bring troubles from the Church."

After the three of them discussed a little, they left the forest bringing along the two Mythical Beasts.

The sky had turned bright and hundreds of soldiers surrounded the hunting grounds. They had felt the earthquake but did not immediately rush into the hunting grounds because of Rody’s strict order. They anxiously waited outside the hunting grounds and felt relieved when they saw them return.

Rody ordered that the soldiers continue keeping watch here. The hunting grounds had some animal cages which they used to secure the beasts. After preparing the carriages, with a group of cavalrymen leading, these three departed for West Hill City.

When they reached a junction not far away from West Hill City, Darke stopped the carriage. He then said to Rody and Diane, "Take the Mythical Beasts back with you first. I have something else I need to do!"

Diane frowned and asked, "What do you need to do? Aren’t you coming back with us?"

Darke shook his head and replied, "This is very important!"

Rody looked at Darke and said, "It is very important? Let me accompany you. Maybe I can help."

Darke hesitated for a moment. He then shook his head and whispered, "Not necessary. You two don’t need to interfere with this. I will handle it on my own." After that, Darke did not say anything else and jumped off the carriage. He took a horse from a cavalryman. Darke left quickly on his horse after waving to Rody and Diane

Rody and Diane looked at each other after Darke had left. Diane first asked, "What happened to him? Why did he suddenly become so secretive?"

Rody pondered for a moment and then he smiled, "I think this may be related to the vampires."

...

The morning sun shone down as Darke rode quickly to the north of West Hill City. He had an anxious expression and did not stop at all the entire way. He whipped his horse and hurried to the outskirts of West Hill. Using the army’s token that Rody gave him, the guards at the gates did not stop him. He rushed to a large pub near the public square in West Hill City. He then jumped off the horse and went into the pub disregarding the stares from other people.

The pub was a three-story building. Darke quickly rushed in and grabbed hold of a waiter as he asked, "Where is Miss Nedis?"

The waiter apparently knew Darke. Although he was surprised by Darke, he smiled and replied, "Mister Darke, the Miss had just gone out to the winery to the south."

Darke released the waiter and rushed out. He jumped onto his horse and rode quickly towards the south. People nearby looked in surprise as Darke dashed quickly on the road without caring about the people around him.

Nedis’ winery was in a village outside West Hill City. It was in a remote location next to the river. The air was thick with the smell of wine throughout the year. When Darke arrived at the winery, he was already soaked in sweat. He saw Nedis’ carriage parked at the winery from afar. The surroundings also looked calm and nothing seemed to have happened. Darke felt relieved.

However, he noticed that something was not right as he got nearer to the winery.

It was too quiet.

In the past, the workers would be very busy and it would be very noisy. The waterwheel had also stopped turning. Only the cold wind blew, carrying the twigs along. The water gurgled in the river as it flowed rapidly.

The air was filled with a strange scent. Darke instinctively held the sword in his hand, jumped off his horse and ran into the winery.

"Damn!" Darke took a single glance and cursed.

There were about eight bodies lying down on the floor of the winery. Looking at their clothes, these people were the workers in the winery. Darke did not have the time to look at their wounds. He quickly ran out and looked into the carriage to find that it was empty.

Darke, who was somber, shouted, "Nedis!"

Darke ran around the winery a few times and finally found traces of footprints on the ground. After that, Darke started his pursuit by following the tracks.

The tracks led to the forest behind the winery. As it was late in the autumn, Darke had difficulty following the tracks because of all the fallen leaves on the ground. Fortunately, he was a seasoned hunter. He followed the tracks on the ground, the markings on the trees and also the scent of the blood in the air as he pursued hurriedly.

After tracking for about ten meters, he saw a corpse on the ground. Darke took a look and found that the person was Nedis’ coachman. The corpse had a frightening appearance. His face was pale gray and twisted with fear. His neck had some small bite marks too.

"Vampires!" Darke cursed. He dashed ahead.

As he pursued further, the trees became denser and there was barely any space to run. Darke’s face was scratched twice by branches, but he ignored it while rushing anxiously. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound. Darke stood still and turned around to see a branch not far away from him shake.

Darke then thought to himself, ’There is no wind here. How could the branches shake?’

Just as soon as he thought that, he heard another rustling sound coming from the right. Darke immediately held his sword with his mouth and took out his bow. Darke then grabbed four arrows and nocked them. He then watched the surroundings.

Another rustling sound came from behind him. Darke turned around sneering and immediately shot out four arrows. There were four muffled sounds as Darke took his sword and rushed forward. He saw his arrows stuck into a tree trunk but also noticed traces of blood on one of them.

"Hmph. Looks like it is a vampire!" Darke sneered. He then bit his own finger and pressed a drop of blood onto the blade of his sword. The blood merged with the sword. Darke then chanted a spell. A red light burst from his body and his sword turned into a unnaturally red color.

An odd and cruel laugh broke the silence. This laugh seemed to come from all directions. A voice then said, "To think an exorcist would actually appear! That traitor Nedis actually dared to collaborate with an exorcist!"

Darke then bravely said, "Bloodsucking bat! Come out if you dare! Do vampires only know how to hide and strike from the shadows?"

The voice unexpectedly replied in a soft, gentle and seductive voice, "Hey! This human looks interesting. Are you tensed up because of that slut Nedis? What is she to you?"

Darke turned pale and coldly shouted, "Come out!"

"Aiya! Isn’t it easy if you want to see me? You just need to look up..."

Darke looked up to the top of a tree trunk to see a sweet and charming face giving him a strange smile. Her smile also revealed her two sharp fangs.

Darke swung his sword as he quickly retreated. The figure then sprang ahead. Her body descended slowly to the ground as she blocked Darke’s escape route.

The vampire was obviously a woman. She was totally naked, her body suspended in mid-air. She had a seductive expression as she licked her lips. She then laughed and said, "Didn’t you say you wanted to see me? I am here now."

She opened up her pair of black wings behind her and gently flapped twice. After that, she slowly advanced towards Dark.

Darke’s expression did not change and shouted with bated breath, "Evil spirit". Darke swung his sword down at the vampire.

The woman laughed and raised her hand to block. However, when the sword was nearer, she saw the red light on the sword and turned pale. She retreated a few steps and softly said, "Blood destroying blood! You actually know such a technique."

Darke did not stop and shouted, "It is to end your life!" He took a few steps forward and slashed again.

The female vampire avoided the slash quickly like a ghost. She dodged left and right as Darke slashed and her body drifted away. She did not stop laughing as she continued, "Aiya! Why are you so merciless? I am a woman. Don’t humans show mercy to women?"

"Hmph!" Darke snorted and grabbed a few more arrows with his hand. He then nocked and shot the blood-destroying arrows consecutively like lightning.

The series of arrows shot out rapidly towards the female vampire. The female vampire was immediately flustered. Darke was very skilled in archery. The female vampire suddenly screamed as she retreated very far away. Her left arm was struck by an arrow.

The female vampire’s seductive look disappeared and looked grim instead. "Bastard. I am only just toying with you, but you have injured me."

The vampire screamed. Her body expanded dramatically and her claws stretched out, revealing ten sharp blade-like fingers. She then shot towards Darke like lightning.

Darke clashed with the vampire. Ping! Ping! Pang! Pang! His sword was blocked by the vampire’s claws and could not injure her at all. The vampire’s gaze turned murderous. She stretched out one hand to grab Darke’s neck. Darke rolled on the spot and slashed at her legs with a backhand swing. The vampire shrieked and jumped.

A wound appeared on her leg. The vampire then screamed in anger and the wound on her leg healed automatically. As she screamed, her body grew larger. Finally, her fur grew very long and her sharp fangs also protruded out. She screamed in a hoarse voice, "Bastard! How dare you hurt my noble body!"

She arched her body and charged, swinging her huge palm. Darke felt like he was hit by a huge force. One side of his body had turned numb as he was thrown flying away. He crashed into a tree before falling to the ground.

The vampire roared and then she approached in large strides.

Suddenly, the vampire roared in pain. She turned around as she swiped with her claw. Darke was lying down on the ground but he saw that the vampire had deep cuts on her back. He then heard a voice in his ear. "Run quickly!"

Darke immediately realized that this voice belonged to Nedis. Although he could not see her, he could feel her helping him up. They then ran deeper into the forest.

"Do you think you can run away?" the vampire roared from behind. She then grabbed a huge stone and threw it. The stone crashed beside Darke, who then heard Nedis’ cry of pain. Her body suddenly reappeared and she spat out a mouthful of blood. They both then crashed onto the floor.

Nedis’ clothes were a mess and her hair was scattered. She struggled to stand up but then she heard footsteps behind her. The vampire stood towering in front of them and had a hideous grin. "Nedis. You have finally appeared!"

Nedis sighed and coldly hmphed.

Darke suddenly pulled out a bottle from his body. He opened it and threw the bottle at the vampire while rolling away with Nedis.

When the bottle fell onto the vampire, the vampire was soaked in the liquid from the bottle and black smoke immediately started to emerge. The vampire suddenly roared loudly and struggled violently, moving forward to claw at Darke.

Darke felt a burst of pain on his back as he was caught by the vampire. Nedis was holding Darke’s hand and could not avoid a powerful kick from the vampire. She was sent flying.

As the vampire’s roar subsided, she gasped for breath and asked, "Did you think a single bottle of holy water is enough? Holy water is not enough to kill a higher ranked vampire like me!"

She flung Darke to the ground. His body trembled as some bones broke with a cracking sound.

The vampire took a deep breath. The wounds on her body instantly and automatically healed. After that, her body shrank and her appearance returned to that of a naked beauty. She flapped her wings and then smiled at Nedis, who was still struggling on the ground. "So? Nedis? Still trying to escape?"

Nedis grunted and coldly said, "So what if you have captured me? Ruth, you slut. You are just jealous of me!"

The vampire laughed charmingly then gently replied, "Nedis. You are right! I am indeed jealous of you! I am extremely jealous!" She then stepped one foot on Darke’s chest. Her voice became gentler as she spoke, "Do you know? I really hate you a lot! Every day, I think about how I would torture you when you finally fall into my hands."

Even as her voice became softer, she stepped harder on Darke. He struggled to lift her foot, but she put even more weight into it. The great amount of pressure on his chest had caused more bones to break. Darke could not help but groan in pain.

Ruth licked her lips and laughed, "What are you going to do? Nedis, I believe this human is your friend. He is about to die. Aren’t you going to save him? Come! Come and save him!"

Nedis sighed and struggled to stand. Instead of looking at Ruth, she looked at Darke, who was on the ground, and said, "You already caught us anyway. Sigh...Darke, looks like both of us would not be able to survive."

Ruth smiled softly and sweetly. She pointed her index finger at Nedis and provoked her with a beckoning gesture1 as she whispered, "Come!"

Feeling helpless, Nedis could only slowly walk forward. However, the moment she was near enough, Ruth swiped at her with her hand. Nedis was hit and was flung away, her face covered in blood showing where the five fingers struck.

Ruth laughed sweetly and said, "Oh, I am sorry. Perhaps I used a little bit more strength...but our vampire’s genius Nedis suddenly became so useless?"

Nedis shook her head. She ignored the blood on her face and struggled to stand. She then laughed bitterly and said, "It is not heavy, not heavy at all. Compared to the time I choked your brother to death and murdered your father, it is too light and not heavy in the slightest bit."

Ruth’s expression immediately sank as she gritted her teeth. "Slut! You actually dare to speak to me with this tone!" She reached out to grab Nedis but stopped midway. Ruth flashed her sweet smile and said, "Oh, I have almost forgotten. Nedis, you are truly cunning! Are you trying to provoke me so that I would end your life quickly? Do not worry. I will not take your life so early. I had so much trouble locating and catching you. Now that I have finally found and caught you, I must definitely take my time to enjoy it! I promise to make you scream for ten full days! Rest assured..."

Ruth laughed sweetly and her voice became even more gentle. However, the tone of her voice was extremely cold that Nedis could not help shivering. Nedis turned pale and shouted, "Ruth, you slut! What ability do you have? All you can do is rely on Jackal, that old lecher who is on his last legs! I can’t even bear to look at the face of that idiot! Only you..."

"Curse more! Keep cursing!" Ruth laughed and replied, "Just from you cursing me, I know that you are afraid of me! I am so happy to finally see our Miss Nedis afraid."

Darke, who was under her feet, groaned from the pain. Nedis’ face was pale as she knew that there was no hope left. She sighed and asked, "Mister Darke, why did you come all the way here? Sigh."

Ruth laughed and said, "I really need to thank this human. If he did not come here, you would not have appeared. You are one of the few geniuses who know how to use Blood Escape. Miss Nedis, I am truly jealous of you!"

Ruth suddenly lifted her leg and ruthlessly kicked Darke towards Nedis. She smiled and said, "Alright. Both of you already know how strong I am, right? You might as well take this opportunity to bid farewell to each other."

Ruth smiled proudly and said, "Nedis, you better not try anything funny. Dozens of my subordinates are keeping watch outside. It is impossible for you to run! I deliberately allowed this human to come in to draw you out! You must wait for a taste of my revenge!"

Nedis smiled wryly. She supported Darke up and whispered, "Mister Darke, why are you here?"

Darke shook his head and whispered, "I found out today that there were vampires at West Hill today. After dealing with it, I wanted to inform you about it immediately so that you could escape quickly. I did not think that they would locate you first. Looks like I am too late. I am sorry, Miss Nedis."

Nedis smiled and said, "You do not have to apologize. You have saved my life before this. If you had not saved me in the Northwest that time, I would have died long ago. I should be the one apologizing as it seems like we will die here today."

Darke’s face turned solemn when he heard Nedis mention the Northwest. He thought of something for a moment then shook his head and kept quiet.

Ruth looked at them struggling to stand up. She laughed and said, "What’s wrong? You have finished bidding farewell so quickly? My subordinates are waiting excitedly outside! This man looks good and his blood must be delicious! My subordinates have not drunk fresh blood in a long time!"

Ruth laughed complacently until her body shook. At this moment, a cold voice came from outside. "Your subordinate? Are you talking about this fellow?"

Ruth’s laughter suddenly stopped when she saw a young man slowly come out from the woods.

The man had a slender body and his craggy face was in a sneer. He had long blue hair that hung down loosely behind him. One of his hands was placed behind his back while the other was clutching a vampire’s neck. He dragged the vampire in his hand as he walked forward.

He was not walking slowly or hurriedly, but each step seemed to emphasize his grim smile. Those footsteps seemed to ruthlessly trample on Ruth’s heart.

The man then slowly lifted the vampire and tightened his grip. Crack! The vampire’s neck broke! After that, he casually threw the corpse onto the ground and slowly wiped the blood off on the lower hem of his shirt. The man then raised his head and smiled at Ruth as he said, "I am sorry. I don’t think your subordinates would be coming in. This is because, incidentally, I hate vampires. When I see one, I will kill one..."

"Who are you?" Ruth turned pale and looked surprised. She looked at the man fiercely and asked, "What happened to my subordinates?"

The man smiled, exposing his white teeth and lightly said, "Allow me to first introduce myself. My name is Rody, and I hate all of you flying bats."

He ignored Ruth to look at Darke and Nedis. He then smiled and said, "I am sorry I am late. The fellows blocking the way outside were annoying."

He then looked straight at Ruth’s body and sneered. "You are also a vampire...That is great!"

Rody smiled cynically as he slowly walked towards Ruth. For some unknown reason, Ruth felt coldness creeping into her heart when she saw Rody slowly approach her. It was as if an inborn fear rose in her heart as she instinctively felt danger approaching.

She could not help but step back. Suddenly, she screamed and transformed into her vampire form. Her body grew much larger. She brandished her claws at Rody and roared at him. However, her legs did not stop moving backward.

Rody then stood there smiling. Suddenly, he frowned and mumbled to himself, "How should I kill you? Using the sword seems too simple." Rody suddenly thought of something and smiled. "Ah! Right! I found an interesting toy today! It is a good time to try it out on a high ranked vampire like you!"

Rody stretched out his hand and a white and holy light appeared. A wooden stick then appeared in his hand. Rody gently lifted the Staff of Moses. Smiling, he said, "Come on. The game begins!"

Nedis gave out a long sigh as she looked at the confrontation between Rody and the vampire. She whispered to herself, "Looks like I was not wrong. He really isn’t a simple person." She then smiled at Darke and said, "It seems like we won’t be dying today. Right?"

Darke laughed. He sighed but kept quiet.

Translator’s Notes:

1. There are many different beckoning signs around the world, some even considered as insults to another country. (America beckoning signs are considered insults in Japan.) The one used here is the ‘beckoning finger from United States’.