## Chapter 1088 – Ancient Vampire

Once we landed, I let everyone down.

“Are you okay?!”
“Ugh, uh-huh… I’m okay.”
“Katt… this…”

Winea, standing on her own, checked her body and answered, while Cloudie looked at me with a surprised expression. Of course, they’d be fine. I had offset all the impact using the Heavenly Demon Advent Steps just now.

They probably just felt cozy clinging to me.

“Wow…! No, goddamn it! Who has time to be impressed! Save it for later and run!”

Karin shouted fiercely, grabbed Cloudie’s wrist, and dashed off. I immediately slung Winea over my shoulder and followed Karin.

“Katt-nim!!!!”

Then I heard Hilde’s voice from above.

“Are you safe? What was that just now? Everything was getting smashed and those stone pillars!!!!”

—Screeeeeech!!

Pink light was burning in Hilde’s eyes. She seemed very surprised by what she had just seen.

—Heavenly Demon Advent Steps.

It’s become even more enhanced.

But that’s not what’s important right now.

“I’m fine! No problem! More importantly, drop everyone off and run with us!!!”
“Yes!!!”

Hilde dropped Liztina and Risha, and Liztina immediately scooped up Risha and sprinted alongside us. Hilde, holding Ari, flew fiercely, matching our speed.

“Let’s get to the gap in the barrier! This is Coltrahn’s territory, so his power seems to be amplified! If we can drag him outside, we can destroy him!”
“We have to drag him outside!”

If that bastard escapes, this world might be screwed.

That’s quite dangerous, though.

“Alright!”

It’s better than fighting in his turf while he’s going berserk! No matter how much of a bastard he is, fighting in his own backyard means he gets half the advantage in this world! We’ll be at an advantage if we fight outside this barrier!

“Risha! What about making another gap here!”
“We should go to the one I already made! If there are two entrances, no, exits, he could come out from both directions!”

It’s better to keep the entrance fixed to one if possible.

“Got it!”

—Thudududud!

As we were running like that.

—Squirm… Squirm…
—Whoooooosh…

The sea of blood that had split in all directions was narrowing in from all sides.

Like the Red Sea after Moses left.

The split sea was trying to return to its original state.

Because the sea, which was his territory and like his heart, was too ashamed to have been split by the great swordsman Moses, so it had to hide it.

The speed was very fast.

“Heavenly Demon Advent Steps.”

—Kwaang!

Each time, I stomped hard on the ground to create a shockwave and clear everything away. —Thwack! Karin unleashed a sword strike, splitting the sea of blood again.

—Squirm!

But even if we split the sea of blood like that, this infinite sea of blood was not consumed at all and continued to narrow in.

“Guh… Opens… the gates…”
“Lord, my lord… A kind person…”
“This is where we’ve lived for generations…”

Even the blood jellies that mimicked the residents were trying to approach us, imitating human language. What happens if we get caught by those things? Maybe they were originally human too. Souls bound by the vampire?

Screw that!

“To dare turn farmers into these goddamn ball-sucking bastards…! Winea! Intercept them!”
“Fire Bolt!!!”

—Whoosh!

Winea, slung over my shoulder, fired fire bolts, taking them out one by one. Yeah. So far, so good. Running like this, it felt like we could escape from the barrier soon.

But.

“Katt… it’s the same here. It keeps getting farther away.”
“Oh, shit! This looks bad!”

Cloudie, carried by Karin, pointed out that the gap in the barrier she had created was moving away, and Karin immediately cursed.

“What the hell!”

It’s the same as in the hallway earlier!

The background kept expanding, and the gap in the barrier over there was running away faster than us…!

—Zooooooom!

Space is expanding infinitely!

And all we could see was the infinite sea of blood. It undulated, rushing at us to engulf us. Fighting in someone else’s territory is really hard.

—Crackle!

Risha was firing off black magic, blocking it as much as possible, but there was definitely a limit.

We have to make a decision now!

“Risha! We need to make a gap! Rather than wasting stamina in this state, let’s just get out of here and fight!”

Liztina said what I was about to say.

“Yeah, Risha! Let’s make another gap quickly! This is a space that bastard can control as he pleases anyway! We can’t catch up to that!”
“I understand!”

—Kwaang!

As soon as we decided that, we braked sharply and stopped.

—Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
—Whoosh! Whoosh!!

In that state, we unleashed murderous attacks in all directions, preventing the sea of blood from narrowing any further, while guarding Risha.

“…!”

—Shhhhh.

Risha, creating numerous black magic circles, summoned a hideous demon hand, just like when she entered this place. It was grotesque as it crawled out of the magic circle, wiggling its fingers, but considering the situation, it almost looked like a savior.

Good, hand! Hurry up and open the gap in the barrier!

—Chiiiiiiiiik!!!

The hand, making a hook with its fingers like Captain Hook, scratched the air with the tips of its terrifying claws, and black sparks flew as cracks began to appear in the air.

—Crack! Crack! Crack!

It felt like cutting through the air with a grinder.

At this rate, soon… It was that moment.

—Whoosh!
—Screeeeeeeeeech!

From over there.

“Damn!”

A large number of skewer-like things flew like arrows.

No.

The word “arrows” wasn’t enough.

“Shit!”

Because they were blackening the sky.

Countless numbers of skewers flying from over there filled the red sky and rushed towards us.

“Damn it, darkie!!! We’re gonna become hedgehogs at this rate!!!”

Winea shouted with a serious face, creating a magic circle.

“It’s okay. We can block it.”

It’s a huge amount.

But, it’s not enough to defeat this Heavenly Demon Kim Katt. Believing that gathering thousands or tens of thousands of those things can harm us is foolish arrogance.

“Yes. Those things are no problem! Karin! Cloudie!”
“Yeah!”
“I don’t think we can’t block them.”

So, we stood there, preparing to defend as if protecting Risha.

—Screeeeeeeeeech!
—Screeeeeeeeeeeech!

The skewers get closer and closer. Only when they completely covered the moon could we see what they were.

“Blood Spears.”

Those weren’t ordinary skewers, but all blood-red blood spears made of blood. The vampire was making spears out of blood and throwing them at us like crazy.

The target is still Risha, who’s trying to make a gap?

Predictable.

Just as they were about to pour down.

“Now!”

I signal.

“Haaaaaaap!!!”
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

Liztina and Karin’s shouts echoed.

—Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
—Kuuuuuung!!

The flying blood spears disappear.

We swung wildly in all directions, destroying, evaporating, or blowing away all the blood spears. Winea and Hilde’s wide-area magic also shone, and the plant barriers created by Ari also did their part.

—Kwaang!!!

Each time we swung a big blow, hundreds of blood spears beyond dozens disappeared. For me, “big swing” was something I could use several times in a second, and it was the same for Karin and Liztina.

Cloudie, who tended to focus on single-target damage, didn’t score much, but she was intercepting all the ones that were leaking towards Risha.

—Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

We cut down all the blood spears flying in, creating sword flames.

But.

“Ugh…! The concentrated attacks are coming this way!”

There are too many.

In the end, we could only block it perfectly after Risha deployed defensive and interception magic as well. Damn it, shit. I thought it would be okay even if tens of thousands poured down just now, but it seemed like there were even more than that. I can cover tens of thousands, but a hundred thousand is too much.

That vampire bastard knew very well that Risha was the number one target.

Anyway, what happens when Risha joins this side?

The work of creating a gap in the barrier is delayed.

The hand that was making the gap was now gone.
We’d have to summon it again to start the work again.

—Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The storm of blood spears shows no sign of ending.

“Damn it…!”

Vampire, you bastard…!
I’ll kill you for sure!!!

I thought endlessly while cutting down the blood spears. Is this really the vampire’s ability? Can this bastard exert infinite power like this in this space? Is this the power of the real ancient bastards?

To this extent without even revealing his true form.

To kill it.

—Flash!

Instantly.

All the blood spears disappeared.

“What…?”

Not only that.

The sea of blood that had been staining the floor red had disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. All that remained was an infinite ground made of what looked like white marble and a castle standing in front of us.

And only the red sky and the blood-red moon.

“What is this!”
“This is the power of the barrier!”

The background changed too quickly.

“Can he exert omnipotent power inside the barrier?”
“No, sis… there’s no way that’s possible…”

Omnipotent power.

“That’s impossible.”

I said firmly.

If he could exert divine omnipotence inside the barrier, there’s no need to fight and chase us like he did just now.

There are limits and restrictions.

Then we can kill him even inside the barrier.

Changing the background like this is just a childish bluff.

“Over there! Look at that moon!!!”

Liztina pointed at the moon.

“…The landlord has arrived.”
“That’s the Vampire Lord Coltrahn!!!”

They each said a word.

—…

As Liztina said, something was coming down from the moon.

—…

Quietly.

Coming closer without even flapping its wings despite having them, it was the ancient Vampire Lord Coltrahn.

“….”

But he looks quite different from before.

He’s a little bigger, and his impression seems a little stronger. His blood-red eyes were bloodshot, his fangs were already as long as daggers, and his snow-white hair was also flowing. A presence that looks exactly like a vampire lord. He doesn’t even have any garlic stuck in his body.

He spread his large bat-like wings.

Quietly, without even flapping his wings.

He was coming towards us from the moon.

“…To dare.”

At some point.

The approaching figure stopped abruptly and said.

“The crime of invading the territory of I, True Blood Tescania Tunares Verang Coltrahn.”

He talks too much.
I used that long time to observe him.

“With that blood… with blood.”
“Blood?”
“With bloooooooooooooood!!!”

What?

“Blood!!! Blood!!! Bloooooooooood!!! Blooooooooooood!!! Bloooooooooooooood!!!”

He suddenly started tearing at his hair and screaming.

“Blood!! Blood! Blood!!!!”

What’s with this bastard.

“I will repay you with blood!!!!!!!!!”
“Hey, hey… get a grip.”

Is he crazy?

“Ugh, ughaaaaaak!!! You’ve come to kill me! You detestable humans…! How did you find out! My barrier should have been perfect! Even the Valkyries and Dragons couldn’t have figured this out!! Who!!!! Who!!! Someone must have told you the location!!”
“…Katt?”

Cloudie whispered quietly in my ear.

“Do you know him?”
“No, there’s no way!”

Why would I know him!

“Who betrayed me!!! Who!! Who betrayed meeeeeeeeeee!!!”

Coltrahn was tearing at his hair in the air, twisting his body like a malicious child lying down in a toy store, and kicking wildly in the air. It’s like watching my nephew throwing a tantrum on Chuseok, asking me to let him use my computer.

“I can’t withstand the seal any longer!!! My mind has been worn down to the point of despair in that place!! Never again!!! I never want to be sealed again!!! I need my land!! I need my land!!! I need my own paradise where only I can rest comfortably!!!”

—…

Coltrahn, who had been ranting like that, suddenly fell silent.

“…”
“…”
“…”

We couldn’t help but be silent because we were so embarrassed.

Then.

—Whack!

“Ye, ye guys, who are you?!”
“What?”

He pointed at me and shouted in a terrified voice.

“Who are you to invade my territory…! Who are you! Why are you here! Me! You’re the ones who came to kill me!! It’s clear! You came to kill me! You came to kill meeeeeeeee!!!”

What I felt from that tone was pure madness.
—Crazy bastards tend to be strong.

A sudden flash of inspiration passed through my brain.

“…Ah.”

So that’s what it was.

I finally understood everything.

“You are.”

The identity of that thing.

“A Blood Demon.”

Blood Demon Coltrahn.
That was his true identity.

An ancient monster who lost his reason after being crushed by a long seal.
That was the essence of that Blood Demon Coltrahn.

“And I am Heavenly Demon Kim Katt.”

Blood Demon and Heavenly Demon.

If those two exist in one place.

“One of us has to die no matter what!!!”

—Kuuuuooooooo!!!

Feeling the power surging from within, I kicked off the ground.

“The true demon is only this Kim Katt!!!!”

I’m the only one who will rule this world!!!

“Insignificant human! I’ll draw all your blood and put it in a bottle to decorate!!!”
“Shut up, Garlic Man!!”
“Garlic…? Gar!!!!”

—Flap!

The guy who reacted to that word unleashed intense wing flaps.

“Gaaaaaarlic!!!! Garlic!! Gaaaaaarlic!!!!”

He charged at me, spouting incomprehensible sounds.

“This crazy bastard!!! He’s completely out of his mind!!!!”

A crazy, deranged vampire!