The Heroic Spirit’s Underground Mausoleum, 10th Floor
The Ice Empress’s writhing thorns formed an ice wall between Melfina and Estoria, dividing the hall into two sections so they couldn’t interfere with each other. The 10th floor, being the lowest, was small in total volume, but its entirety was dedicated to this hall. Even if it was halved, it wouldn’t hinder combat. More than anything, Melfina’s objective was to prevent Estoria from making contact with Atra.
“Oh my, you don’t have to dislike me that much.”
Estoria glanced at the wall. The thorns had begun to wrap around her legs as well, but she didn’t seem to care at all.
“It looks like it’ll be quite a struggle to destroy that thorn wall… So then, I suppose I’ll have to dispatch you first, won’t I?”
“You say that so casually. Do you really think it’ll be that easy?”
“An assassin talking about sanity? You, ranked 8th, are trying to fight me, ranked 7th?”
Estoria continued to smile enchantingly. Ange, on the other hand, curled the corners of her mouth upwards and smiled like someone she knew too well.
“Didn’t the Reviver always say that to the Judge? Your ranks aren’t that different. Or are you just putting on a brave face because you lack confidence? Estoria-chan?”
“…Ah, you’re right. But it’s infuriating.”
Without bothering with her legs grasped by the thorny ice, Estoria leaped high. Seeing multiple bats flapping simultaneously, she must have escaped the restraints by transforming her legs into bats. Black wings sprouted from her torn nun’s habit, appearing strikingly similar to Sera’s.
“The thorns are annoying, so I’ll take my leave from mid-air.”
Estoria reached into the cleavage of her ample bosom and pulled out a white staff. Even with her generous chest, it was clearly too large to hide. Well, it wasn’t something to be surprised by at this point, a trivial matter.
“This is a staff called ‘Supreme Heavenly Bliss.’ It feeds on the user’s lust to increase magic power. It looks beautiful, doesn’t it? Don’t you think it suits me perfectly?”
“That’s just sickening.”
“Oh, we have a difference of opinion. What a shame.”
Ange had seen that white staff before. It was when she teamed up with Zildra, the 3rd Pillar Creator, in the past. She wouldn’t say where, but it was an object of pure disgust, including its aesthetic beauty. Estoria raised the Supreme Heavenly Bliss high.
“Well then, I’m going to kill you. Punishment Light of Salvation.”
*FLASH!*
The vast cathedral was covered in a torrent of intense light. Blinding rays, so strong that one couldn’t even open their eyes, poured down relentlessly. However, what was truly terrifying was the fact that each of those light rays was an S-Rank spell. Its power, capable of destroying even the thorny ice empress covering the ground, stemmed from her high magic power. Or was it the effect of the white staff, the Supreme Heavenly Bliss? Either way, the thrones that remained after the light subsided, with the exception of the ice wall, were gone.
“Whoa, scary! What is this, on Efil’s level!?”
Gerard was the one who blocked the onslaught of the Punishment Light of Salvation by raising his shield to the sky. The great shield, further modified by Kelvin, was strangely unharmed. Gerard himself was also more intact than expected.
“You’re still wonderful, old man. To be so lively after receiving my love…”
Estoria’s eyes, licking her lips, were those of a female panther. Gerard felt an indescribable chill running down his back, a shiver. Gerard had seen those eyes before. He wouldn’t say where, but they reminded him of the strong gaze of a large, formidable woman, making them a source of fear. However, Estoria couldn’t keep her gaze fixed on Gerard alone.
*CLANG!*
Ange, having passed through the Punishment Light of Salvation with ‘Unblockable’ and swiftly ascending to Estoria’s mid-air position with ‘Heavenly Walk’, was there. Dagger and staff clashed, their shrill sounds echoing through the hall.
“Hahaha, you took that well!”
“I knew you’d pass through my magic!”
Vampires are also powerful in terms of raw strength. Ange and Estoria were no match for the latter, and she blew Ange away with a swift swing of her staff from a balanced state. However, Ange didn’t suffer that easily. Even while being blown away, she used Heavenly Walk to kill the momentum and immediately recovered. The next moment, she threw a kunai, and Estoria responded with a spear of light. Each found their optimal solution and began exchanging attacks.
This exchange of blows was also fierce. Ange perfectly dodved the meteor shower of light beams, which approached at literally the speed of light, while Estoria repeatedly transformed into a bat to avoid letting the kunai touch her skin. Even if one bat was taken down, it seemed to have little effect on Estoria. If this continued, it would be a boggy war of attrition.
“Are your kunai poisoned or something, how insidious? And that black hood is so plain too.”
“Hahaha, what are you expecting from an assassin? Besides, this hood is the height of fashion!”
…Although they were engaging in a somewhat, or rather, quite immature argument, a battle raged on to compensate for it.
“Leaving your guard down again, are we?”
This time, Gerard moved. Ange had thrown kunai separately during her attacks, embedding them in the wall to create a staircase of kunai. He leaped up it. With a powerful jump, uncharacteristic of someone in full armor, Gerard swung his demonic sword at Estoria.
“You must be kidding, I wouldn’t be caught off guard.”
Something appeared between Gerard and Estoria. Not just one. Multiple. They were black, spreading wings of the same color, intercepting Gerard.
“Nngh!”
The swung demonic sword sent one of them to its demise. But Gerard had no more strength to resist gravity and fell to the ground. As if to pursue him, they also began to descend at high speed, chasing Gerard.
“You killed one of my finest subordinates, a Vampire Lord, in a single blow. I find myself falling for you even more.”
Vampire Lords are a superior race of vampires. They are said to possess skills comparable to High-ranking Demons and would be certified S-Rank if they appeared on the surface.
“Don’t you think you should fix that easily infatuated personality of yours?”
“I’d rather not hear that from you. —Sarcophagus of Repose.”
A coffin-shaped barrier deployed around Estoria. At the same time, Estoria’s attacks on Ange ceased, and Ange’s attacks were also blocked by this coffin.
“…What’s the meaning of this?”
Ange stopped attacking and asked.
“Well, this Sarcophagus of Repose is very sturdy, but it also prevents me from attacking. Let’s take a break. It seems like there’s no end when I’m fighting you.”
“It’s a bit late for conversation now.”
Along with her words, Ange threw a throwing knife with an exploding tag aimed at Estoria’s face. The knife, upon touching the coffin, detonated immediately. While it was as expected, the coffin showed no cracks, let alone any damage. Estoria, unfazed by this act, opened her mouth.
“The Vampire Lords I set upon the old man just now were all originally dead and turned to ash. Back when I was alive, during the time Demon King Gustav was expanding his territory in the Underworld. I have now resurrected them.”
“You were given the name ‘Reviver’ for a reason, weren’t you?”
“Oh my, this is quite a powerful ability, you know? Those I have drunk blood from become my kin. Conversely, those to whom I have given blood become living beings. That is the power of my ‘Rebellious Army.’ There are various conditions, of course. Like, it won’t work if there are no remains… In the case of those children, it was ash after death. Those 8 people who attacked Melfina were also heroes from the Great War Era, carefully selected from the remains. After all, this place is a treasure trove.”
Estoria smiled enchantingly. On the surface, Gerard’s battle with the Vampire Lords had begun.
“That’s why my storage is so well-stocked. My recent hobby is watching from inside this coffin. You wouldn’t want to be sweaty, would you?”
“Hah, I think you’d be better off exercising to burn off unnecessary fat.”
“This isn’t unnecessary. It’s proof of my benevolence.”
From Estoria’s coffin overflowed the living who had returned to life. Beings transcending their races clustered together.
Thanks to you all, we’ve surpassed 100,000 points.
I never dreamed we’d come this far when the serialization first began. It’s quite emotional!
I won’t be satisfied with this, and I’ll continue to do my best, so I ask for your continued support.
