LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 13: Funeral
There was this one prick in my junior school. His parents were rich, so his ego was soaring through the sky from the first time we started the semester. Set aside his parents' money, this guy is that smart and cunning type. Really loves to torment other kids without getting the blood on his hands. Harms everyone whom he dislikes. Bullied kids would report it to the teacher but nothing would be done, so his nasty behavior ruined many kids' school experience.
But regardless, kids and teachers alike would flock to him. Partly because he's a smart brat, always got top 10 in every exam. Bright minds plus wealthy parents is a killer combination for becoming the people's favorite. Not to mention his angelic looks, half russian flowing in his blood. And I can't forget how eloquent this guy is at talking. Whether it's public speaking, or storytelling, that mouth of his always carries this aura of persuasiveness. Felt like you got preached by hitler, if you ask me.
And this dirty sucker in front of me reminds me exactly of that guy.
"—and that was why, I believe it would be ideal for us, to join forces. Alas, it won't be easy. But, risk is something we all must take for striving a better future, won't you agree?"
At the end of his speech, once again I woke up from the trance. And it seems like he also knew I didn't quite pay attention. He asked me.
"Is the food not to your liking, perhaps? You're not even touching it."
But I went silent. Folded my hands, head posturing a little downward, looking like I'm thinking hard while in reality, I am thinking. About how to destroy this guy.
Seriously, I'm feeling creative right now. There are approximately 248 ways to deal with him. He may put up a good fight, but it would be shameful for me plus a blow to my pride as a veteran player if I can't deal with him cleanly.
A high ranking vampire and a [Dimensional Magic] user. It's the most annoying combination you could possibly encounter. First, a vampire is, by nature, a [Blood Combat] user. And one of the characteristics of [Blood Combat] is [Drainage]. An easy-to-deal-with skill, but really annoying to fight against.
Their regeneration rate as a vampire race is already super fast, then topped with [Drainage], creating the most annoying enemy who could regenerate 50% of their health in like, 3 seconds. Moreover, [Dimensional Magic] is one of the most popular kinds of magic thanks to its versatility, but the main reason why players love [Dimensional Magic] is because of its elusive kit. Fit for escapism or ambushes.
Luckily,the source of [Dimensional Magic] is entirely from that ring in his index finger, right hand. Regrettably, the magic inside seems to be high enough to control all this space, so it won't be easy. Then again, the surest way to end this charade is by destroying all this space. But if I could snatch this castle from him, why wouldn't I?
"Hmm, no matter how I think about it, it's the best." I murmured in whisper, but this vampire was visibly delighted as his sharp sense of hearing could catch my quiet voice. Gone the slightly sour face he wore earlier. Perhaps because I didn't touch the food.
"Haha, can I judge your whisper as yes?"
"Well, it was tempting after all. How can I refuse that?"
Yes. The ever-expanding castle was hard to pass on.
The vampire, oblivious to my inner thought, laughed heartily hearing my answer.
"Good, good! I believe our alliance will be forever and ever."
I'm just chuckling in response. Of course, I'm not entirely looking down on him. No matter how experienced I am with vampire and [Dimensional Magic], the possibility of him hiding a card in his sleeve is highly possible. Just because I'm familiar doesn't mean I'm not cautious. But, even after I deployed many appraisal skills, nothing stood out. I would like to see him in a different light, trying hard not to put him in the same category as those vampire npc I repeatedly fight in the game.
But I just can't. He is just really your average vampire.
That [Dimensional Magic] in his ring, which used to control this space, is probably his biggest weapon. And I have one spell to perfectly counter that magic ring of his.
Subconsciously, I chuckled again. Now I remember. The biggest point in my memory about that arrogant kid, is not how he lived happily ever after, or about the cruelest event in his tyrannical tale. But his downfall. The crumble of what people thought was a solid castle made by roman's brick, turns out to be a sandcastle instead. His ruination made an impact so great, his years of absolute presence practically vanished from our memory. Except for his demise.
How, you ask? Well, there are three— no, two main reasons.
First, the challenger destroys his biggest power. The thing that gives him the most confidence. In that kid's case, it's his family's wealth and his own good looks.
[Dimensional Separation]
My magic instantly sprang into action, separating the space we are currently in with outside. Isolating this space in a box-shaped special dimension. He reacted a beat late, and realizing his inability to use [Dimensional Magic] in his ring, his head whipped to look at me. His eyes blazed with anger as he shouted his question at me.
"What are you doing?!"
"Robbing you." I said honestly. "Give me your ring, and I promise it won't be painful." And even give him my mercy.
Instantly, his face soured. The aura of a high-ranking vampire fully engulfed the air inside. Now that he finally understood my intention, he no longer hides his full strength which I already perceived long ago.
"You made a mistake. You should accept my proposal while I'm feeling generous. I don't know how you know but do you think sealing my [Dimensional Magic] will make any difference? Do you think this puny trick gives you the confidence to defeat me?"
"Uhh, yeah."
"Foolish. Then let show you the might of my— GYAAAAHHHH!!"
[Overburn]
[Cremation]
And the second, the most crucial step of this delightfully terrible downfall is, throwing hands. Without mercy. Me and most of the kids didn't see first hand how dreadful the beating he got from the challenger since he's doing it in the shadows. But the circulating 30 seconds video in our little school community shows the peak of cruelty a teenager could possibly do. I heard he even needs to do surgery. And from the rumor, he suffers from ptsd from the beatings.
So, I applied that formula in this plan.
"GAAAAAAHHH!!"
In the game, we called them 'cockroaches' along with those paladins, because of how persistent their vitality is. The same is happening here. Even if it's just the fifth to sixth spell, I stack the buff everytime I cast. Yet, this pest still survives with one hp and regenerates 30% on the next second. But well, this is fine for me. I could seal his regeneration with the spell I used to bind that icy woman, but nah. I want to try my spell one by one. Experimenting about this and that which I can't do when fighting those back alley criminals. They turn to ashes with even the lowest spell.
So I'm lucky that this rare specimens are just rolling into me when I need him. Thank you, your pain won't be useless.
By the way, the isolation spell is starting to wear. I believe his minions were ready to ambush me the moment [Dimensional Separation] disappeared by the command of my lab rat, currently scorched with my dazzling seventh spell. Which, once again, survives the harsh ordeal.
Well, time to end this then.
"DO YOU THINK YOU COULD KILL ME?!! THIS LITTLE TRICK OF YOURS WILL SOON DISAPPEAR AND MY ARMY WILL SWARM YOU!!"
Oh dear. Can you not talk with that half-burned face of yours? You look like Two Face. It's gross even if I'm the one who did it to you.
"You mean those 589 Baron to Viscount vampires outside? Bold of you to assume I'm using my full strength to deal with you. Did those mobs give you confidence? You called me foolish but who's the real foolish one here?"
They said pride will be the death of you. I wholeheartedly agree. The prime example is in front of me, who pridefully underestimate me from the moment we met, believing I'm the one beneath him even if he sees me as an equal. Like that kid who now perished into one of those nobody, this one shall bear the same end. A bloody end.
"Don't you realize? Your skills and spells failed to be unleashed because my fire burned it all before you even had time to release it. Don't you see? I haven't used the spell I use to commemorate my debut. Look around you—look at yourself and think, this whole time, who's in control here? You? Or me?"
Slowly, his eyes widened. Face ashen and body shiver. That's the symptom. Seems like the realization finally sinked in. I wonder what kind of fear he felt right now. Is it the fear of death, or the fear of me? Or maybe both? Well, no worries friend, your misery ends now.
[Final Requiem]
[Soul Incineration]
[Return to Ash]
"WAI—"
His wail instantly muffled by the fiery fire I unleashed upon him. At the same time, I teleported the ring in his hands to mine. My hard-to-see mouth grinned, as the sense of accomplishment welled up in my heart. This side is done. Now, let me bring the final requiem for this unfortunate beauty. I collected her body in parts—scattered as food— and assembling it all on the long table. I arrange it in a humanly form, resemblant to a normal corpse in a coffin. The last courtesy I could give.
"May his death, let you rest in peace."
I stare at the now closed eyes. And silently ignite the fire, for hoping it would give her warmth in the afterlife.
Such a paradoxical thing. I felt nothing yet my heart screaming at me to do that. My supposedly dead human heart, carried the funeral which was a form of respect for the tragic tale of a human. I even used gentle fire, with a noble purpose of sending warmth to her soul. Never have I felt like this during my vigilante days. Nor when I still live as a human. This deep sadness and inexplicable sorrow now I feel when my body is incapable of human feeling. Should I call this ironic, or poetic?
"The-The count is dead!"
"DO NOT LET THE ENEMY ESCAPE!!!"
"FIGHT 'TILL THE LAST MAN!!"
Three seconds have passed amidst my dry melancholy, and the spell has been lifted. But no worries. All these minions could not harm me anyway. I could use the newly acquired [Dimensional Magic] to flee, escaping the hassle to burn them all but, no.
"Crashing a funeral is bad ethics. Let me use all of you as the final offering for the dead."
I let them met their wretched master in the afterlife. With this, you won't be lonely there in hell, my ex-friend vampire, whose name I don't know. Aren't I generous? I must be. This is a charity, you see. A testament that even to my enemy, I'm benevolent.
"Hmm. Now what?"
After briefly rediscovering my supposedly dead human sentiment, I was left with void of purpose. Many questions still linger in my mind, mostly the result of logic and rationality without counting for illogical aspects like emotions. The question of: 'why did I do that?', 'for what purpose?', 'didn't I lost my emotion?' and such, may sound bizarre and even incomprehensible.
And it is.
But the reason is something I cannot fathom 'why' or 'how'. The thing is, even if my soul remains human, the biological body I currently possess is not. And there's this discrepancy between the soul and the body. Just like how my perception changed regarding humanity and life, other things like emotion and such also changed. Adapting to the new body.
Hence, my heavy approach on logical and rational thinking, dismissing any emotional and irrationality into the equation.
"Sighh. Even if I think about it a million times, no answer will appear. Forget it. Let's just explore a bit…" and visit that place which I have been eyeing from the beginning.
Equipping the ring, I immediately move to my destination. From the minute I step into this stronghold, my perception already detects a strange room which is heavily reinforced with magic. The magic casted are quite high-ranked, and the purpose is to trap whatever is inside, forever. So my curiosity naturally pricked.
*SWIPT*
Arriving in front of the room, I could now clearly say this is definitely a high-ranking spell. Its intricate and complex circle hinted towards the probability of a seventh or even eighth tier spell. Somewhere in between that. Of course, my question is, what's inside this room? For that vampire to wave this high-tier spell?
"Well, let's find out."
Other mages would probably spend their time to lockpick this spell. But the way of us fire mages is more simple. Yeap, you guessed it.
[Dragon's Breath]
Just destroy it.
*BAAAMM*
*BOOOMM*
No longer than one second after I destroyed the wall between me and inside the room, a series of explosions could be heard from afar. I know with just a gut feeling that if the explosion continues to happen, my hard earned new house would be destroyed in no time. But I cannot release the shock from what I see.
Violet hair, long to the back. Black eyes, asian face, and more importantly, that mole near her nose.
It was exactly the appearance of that unfortunate woman.