Chapter 141: Bad Luck

"Aaaaaahhhh!!"

A piercing scream pierced through the peaceful air of the banquet hall, capturing everyone's attention in an instant.

All eyes were quickly drawn toward the source of the commotion, which seemed to be coming from the direction of the restroom area.

Within moments, a black-haired man burst out of the doorway and sprinted across the hall, as everyone who had been dancing or chatting earlier stood there still in confusion.

Following behind him was a blue-haired elven girl, her expression twisted with fear as she ran.

Amelia, who was standing next to Lucas, frowned in confusion.

"Aster?" she muttered under her breath, trying to make heads and tails of what was happening.

Right then, Aster's wild scream echoed throughout the room again.

"He's a vampire!" she yelled, her voice filled with terror and panic. "Don't let him escape!"

The revelation left the crowd stunned, their eyes fixed on the fleeing figure of the black-haired man.

However, in the midst of the chaos, a handful of individuals were quick to take action.

With lightning-fast reflexes, three men and one woman jumped before the black-haired vampire, effectively blocking his path and bringing him to a halt.

"Tsk!" Magnus clicked his tongue in frustration, his eyes darting around the room as he assessed the situation.

However, his gaze was soon drawn back to the group of people standing in front of him as the woman pointed out the blood on his lips.

"H-He has blood on his lips!" she cried out, her voice shaking a little.

"He's a vampire! Quick, call the military police!" added a man standing next to her, his fists clenched in readiness.

Magnus' eyes locked onto Mercy's from across the room, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of confusion and worry wash over her.

How did he get caught? Was he careless? - she thought to herself.

Damn it. Now what should she do?

As the chaos unfolded around her, Mercy's mind raced.

Should she run and leave Magnus behind? The thought crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it.

Aside from the fact that the patriarch of the Bloodhound clan and Magnus' father would never forgive her if she left his successor to die alone, she was also indebted to Magnus.

Three years ago, during the Battle of Khalos, Magnus saved her life.

She could still remember that day.

It was supposed to be an easy mission, but things quickly spiraled out of control when Reynold Morningstar, a single human, decimated their task force with ease.

Mercy barely managed to dodge a spear thrust to her heart that would have ended her life.

However, even though she managed to survive by a hair's breadth, the aftermath of the Battle of Khalos left Mercy injured and buried amidst a mountain of corpses - both her enemies and allies alike.

Her injuries were severe, and she lacked the strength to free herself from under the pile of corpses.

Death from her injuries seemed imminent if no one came to her rescue. Fortunately, someone did come to her rescue.

Magnus, who was on a reconnaissance mission in the aftermath of the Battle of Khalos, found her buried under a heap of corpses.

With great effort, he pulled her out and got her to his clan's base, where she was treated. He saved her life.

So surely she can't leave him here to die when he's in need of help, can she?

Yes, even though it meant sacrificing her mission and blowing her cover, she would do it if she could save this person!

Kach, Kach, Kach—!!!

Thud, Thud, Thud—!!!

Suddenly, the heads of the three men blocking Magnus' path were swiftly severed and tumbled to the ground.

As the lifeless bodies of the men hit the ground, Mercy emerged, with her hands shrouded in darkness, taking the form of sharp claws while her fangs bared from beneath her upper lip.

"...Huh-?! Khuk!!" the woman standing there gaped in horror at the sight before her.

But she was swiftly interrupted as Mercy plunged the dark claws into her abdomen, causing her to cough up a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

The banquet hall descended into chaos once again as the four individuals who attempted to stop a vampire were slain by another vampire who appeared in the room.

"Aeeeik!" a woman screamed while running in a not-so-ladylike manner.

"There are two!! There are two vampires!" someone cried out, sending waves of fear and panic through the attendees.

"Run! Everybody run!" another voice added, and the room erupted into a frenzy as people desperately tried to flee from the deadly creatures, beginning a stampede.

"Magnus!" Mercy yelled above the screams of terror and chaos. "We can't let them escape!"

"Why bother?!" Magnus retorted. "Our cover's already blown! Shouldn't we just run?!"

"Because we need to minimize the witnesses," Mercy explained urgently.

Her reasoning was sound.

The fewer the witnesses, the less information the authorities would have on them.

With so many people having seen their human disguise, there was a higher chance that they could report their presence to the Military Police or the United Military.

Eliminating as many witnesses as possible would increase their chances of escaping the border before the authorities caught up to them.

"We'll kill as many as possible before making our escape," Mercy ordered. "Got it?!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Magnus yelled back before pulling out a shiny silver sword from a dimensional ring on his finger. "Drink my blood," he commanded.

Kach-

With a swift motion, spikes shot out of the sword's handle, piercing Magnus's hand as he gripped it tightly.

Slowly, the shiny silver blade of the sword was dyed into a shade of blood-red.

Suii—!!

Willing mana into his legs, Magnus launched himself toward one of the crowded exits of the ballroom.

Slash, Suik, Slash—!!!

He swung his sword with cruel precision, cutting down anyone who came within his range like they were mere blades of grass.

Cling—!!

Just as his blade was about to cleave off a woman's head, it collided with something sturdy, and a sound of metal clashing against metal resounded in the air.

"Huh?" Magnus arched an eyebrow

Who could stop my bloodsword?! - he thought to himself in surprise.

His question was answered when he saw a black-haired boy with matching abyss-like eyes standing before him, blocking his sword with one of his own.

It was Nero Dekrauf.

Using this split second when the vampire was in a state of surprise, Nero pushed away his enemy's sword and stepped in with his right foot, spinning his body as he struck Magnus with a powerful kick to his abdomen.

Thwack—!!

The force of the spinning kick sent Magnus stumbling back a few steps before he regained his balance and stared at Nero with wide eyes, surprised by the young boy's speed and strength.

How could a human push me back?! - he thought.

In that brief exchange, Magnus realized he couldn't let his guard down around Nero and made a decision to go all out.

"Arghaaaaa!!" with a fierce roar, the black-haired vampire summoned darkness to envelop him.

He made swift hand signs with his free hand, and suddenly the darkness swept over his surroundings.

It was his mind-control spell.

Everyone who came in contact with that sudden burst of darkness had now lost control of their bodies completely.

Even Nero was affected, but the protagonist gritted his teeth and overcame the mind control spell with his sheer willpower.

This earned him another surprised stare from Magnus before he spoke, "You are strong, human. However, are you strong enough to kill your own kind?"

As he said that, all the people near them turned to face Nero. The previous panicked and terror-filled expressions vanished from their faces.

They weren't running to exit the hall anymore, no. Now they were standing there, eyeing their prey like hungry beasts.

"Arghh," Nero groaned in discomfort as he understood what was about to happen. These people were going to attack him.

"Scared of fighting me on your own, coward?!" Nero scowled, locking gaze with Magnus.

"Oh, don't worry," Magnus waved his hand. "I will be fighting too!"

As if waiting for that cue, the people around them quickly rushed at Nero, as the latter could only grit his teeth.

He can't kill them! They were all innocent people who were under a vampire's mind control! How could he bring himself to kill them?!

"Tsk," clicking his tongue, Nero decided to go directly for Magnus. If he kills the vampire, the people under his mind control would be freed.

"Fuu," releasing a soft breath, Nero sheathed his sword and raised his guard.

He can't kill these people but he can just hurt them enough to render them unable to get up for the remainder of the fight.

Swish—

Dashing forward, Nero dodged a fist to his face. He fell to his knees and leg-swept several people off their feet before getting up and continuing forward.

As that fight went on, a couple of cadets tried to stop Mercy from massacring the civilians.

Meanwhile, amidst all this, Lucas stood frozen, his face twisted in a mix of confusion and ridicule.

The massacre was supposed to start by the end of the third song, and Magnus should be the only vampire acting as their enemy during it.

So why did it start early, and why was there another vampire taking part in the killing?

Lucas found himself unable to answer these questions.

Was it something he did? Did he somehow change the story again, for the worse this time? Just what in the world happened?

Whatever it was, Lucas knew one thing for sure. Their class, even with Amelia, Nero, and Anastasia fighting on their side, doesn't stand a chance against two vampires!

Unless.... He takes an active role in this fight.

As he realized that, Lucas couldn't help but curse under his breath, "Just my luck."