Chapter 14: This vampire is too familiar

My muscles tensed as the tension in the air became palpable. Adrenaline surged through my veins as survival instinct took over.

My gaze focused on the vampire, its face contorted with fury and predatory instincts.

"Araknedis, cover me!" I yelled, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it hammering in my ears.

Magical energy surged through my veins as I prepared to fight.

Araknedis moved with the speed of lightning, her sinuous figure dancing through the shadows as he approached the vampire.

His blades glinted in the dim light, ready to slice through the air with lethal precision.

The vampire lunged forward with supernatural speed, its claws sharp as razors. With a fluid motion, I raised my Xanderyl to block its attack.

The force of its blow resonated through my body, but I held onto the weapon firmly, determined not to give in.

"Araknedis, now!" I shouted, pushing against the vampire with all the strength I could muster.

"GOT IT! HAHAHAHA" He let out a very maniacal laugh as he striked with his strongest move.

"ICELORDS LEGACY STRIKE!" He shouted while dashing at the speed of light against the vampire.

"TOO SLOW!" The vampire managed to dodge his strike but he was so powerful to destroy the entire house.

"WATCH YOUR BACK, MONSTER!" I shouted while i striking to her back. 

My sword grazed its body with deadly precision, but the vampire writhed agilely, dodging the blow.

The ground trembled beneath our feet as the battle ignited the air around us.

The vampire was an unrelenting foe, its resilience surprising and its superhuman strength making it a formidable adversary.

The vampire was acting really strange.

It was like she knew our moves, but how? Nobody ever dodged that.

As we continued to fight, time seemed to stretch, each moment an eternity of struggle and tension.

Blood soaked the ground around us, a testament to the ferocity of our battle.

But we would not surrender.

With every blow, with every breath, we clung to the hope of survival. We knew that our only chance was to fight until our last breath, until one of us emerged victorious.

The battle raged on, a deadly dance of life and death. But we would not give up.

We were warriors, determined to protect our city and those we loved, even at the cost of our own lives.

As the battle raged on, the vampire proved to be a formidable opponent, its strength seemingly endless. Every strike was like a hammer blow, testing our endurance and resolve.

But then, in a moment of desperation, I saw an opening.

With a swift maneuver, I managed to land a powerful blow to the vampire's face, causing it to stagger backward.

After that blow, the vampire staggered back and covered its face, as if hiding its identity.

It had taken the hit very hard.

"This magical equipment from Michael is truly strong..." I said to myself proudly.

In the chaos of the fight, its mask slipped, revealing a face that sent a chill down my spine.

We saw a woman.

She looked like Maria, but she wasn't her.

The vampire was beautiful girl with eyes red as rubies and long, silky white hair and now stood before us in all her terrifying glory.

Her appearance was regal and commanding, draped in garments befitting a vampire general.

She wore a flowing gown of deep crimson, trimmed with accents of midnight black that seemed to absorb the light around her.

A high collar framed her porcelain-like face, enhancing the otherworldly aura that surrounded her.

But it was her eyes that held the most chilling allure.

Crimson orbs glowed with an unholy fire, reflecting the depths of her power and malice.

They bore into me with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine, a silent reminder of the danger she posed.

Her weapon of choice was her own claws, hardened to a sharpness that rivaled steel and infused with dark magic.

With each swipe, they left trails of shimmering energy in their wake, a deadly testament to her prowess in combat.

As our battle reached its peak, I couldn't shake the sense of familiarity that washed over me.

Despite the fear and adrenaline coursing through my veins, there was something about her presence that stirred long-buried memories within me.

Images flashed through my mind like fragments of a shattered mirror, hinting at a connection I couldn't quite grasp.

And then, in a moment that froze the chaos around us, the vampire hesitated.

Araknedis whispered my name in the air like a ghostly echo, seemed to pierce the veil of her darkness.

She recoiled as if struck, clutching her head in agony.

Tears welled in her eyes, a stark contrast to the ferocity she had exhibited only moments before.

Me and Araknedis were watching the scene. 

We were pretty confused but we still were on guard because she was maybe trying to fool us.

"Alex...," she whispered, her voice tinged with sorrow and confusion.

The sound of my name seemed to unlock something deep within her, stirring emotions long sealed away.

For a fleeting instant, the veil of her vampiric nature fell away, revealing the tortured soul that lay beneath.

In that moment, I saw not a monster, but a lost and broken girl, trapped in a prison of her own making.

But before I could react, the darkness closed in once more, and the vampire resumed her attack with renewed ferocity.

She spitted out lots of blood from her mouth before dashing at us again.

The battle raged on, but now, amidst the clash of steel and magic, a flicker of hope ignited within me.

Perhaps, buried beneath the layers of darkness, there was still a chance for redemption.

But i never forgive vampires, they must all die.

The vampire attacked Araknedis for first but this time she used her bare hands without claws.

The orbs around her were also trying to hit him.

Araknedis managed to block everything but he was sent against the wall.

"FUCK! THAT HURTS ! YOU DISGUSTING MONSTER! YOU'RE GONNA DIE! HAHHAHA" once again , he laughed like a maniac.

Suddenly, the vampire jumped back.

"No... Icelord... You won't fool me..." She said.

"Oh? So you knew? Hahaha... So you know us, right?" Araknedis laughed again while getting up.

He wasn't hurt at all but his armor was broken, revealing all of his physique.

Scars all over his body.

His body was glowing of a strange blue-white light and there was a strange aura surrounding him.

The temperature near to me was starting to lower, enough to make me feel cold.

It was his special technique, the Absolute Zero.

This move requires lots of concentration and is a tecnique that only Icelords could master.

The entire area around him began to freeze, reaching temperatures even below zero.

This technique used a particular type of magic that generated ice capable of freezing even demons themselves.

This technique requires a great expenditure of energy and magic and is not easy to use.

While Araknedis is in that state, no one can ever approach him as even a touch of his could freeze the heart of any kind of monster or person.

His senses are amplified by 200% and his physical attributes increase greatly; moreover, he can also manipulate ice at will.

"Why don't you try to touch me now? Monster? Hehehe..." He said. 

He sounded like he was the real monster here, it was cool.

The vampire remained silent

Araknedis then looked at me, smiling proudly.

"So? What do you think of me? Am i cool?" He asked.

I laughed and nodded at him.

The vampire's screams echoed through the chamber as she fought to extinguish the mysterious white flames devouring her leg.

With a surge of sheer willpower, she tapped into a hidden reservoir of power, channeling it into a potent healing spell.

As her hands glowed with an ethereal light, the flames began to wane, slowly receding until only smoldering embers remained.

With a ragged breath, the vampire rose to her feet, her wounds closing before our eyes.

I watched in awe as her flesh knit itself back together, the injuries inflicted by Araknedis's magic fading into nothingness.

It was a testament to the vampire's resilience and strength, a reminder of the formidable foe we faced.

Araknedis's expression darkened as he realized the extent of the vampire's power.

Despite his best efforts, she had managed to turn the tide of battle in her favor once again.

But we weren't about to give up.

With a renewed sense of determination, I readied my weapon, preparing to rejoin the fray alongside Araknedis.

"We can't let her get the upper hand," I said, my voice firm with resolve. "We have to keep pressing the attack."

Araknedis nodded, his eyes gleaming with determination.

Together, we launched ourselves at the vampire, unleashing a barrage of attacks in quick succession.

But once again, she proved to be a formidable adversary, parrying our blows with ease and retaliating with strikes of her own.

The air crackled with energy as our weapons clashed, each blow ringing out like thunder in the enclosed space.

As the battle raged on, I could feel the weight of exhaustion settling over me, the strain of continuous combat taking its toll.

But I refused to let it slow me down, drawing upon every ounce of strength and determination I possessed.

Beside me, Araknedis fought with a fierce intensity, his movements fluid and precise as he danced around the vampire's attacks.

Despite the odds stacked against us, he never wavered, his unwavering resolve driving us forward.

Suddenly, Araknedis screamed out my name.

"ALEX! ALEX! ALEXYUS SPURIUS!" He shouted.

Why did he say my name?

The vampire suddenly stopped in the midst of its assault, its limbs stiff as stone as it stared intensely into the void.

A desperate whisper escaped its pallid lips, my name echoing in the air like a sinister echo.

"Alex...yus..."

Its voice was a thin thread, laden with deep and haunting sadness. Its eyes, once filled with fierce determination, now reflected only pain and torment.

The dark red light that had illuminated them dimmed, leaving behind a penetrating darkness.

For an infinitesimal moment, the veil of its vampiric being seemed to slip away, revealing the fragile humanity that lay beneath the surface.

Its shoulders slumped, its fiercely regal posture crumbled under the weight of its own emotions.

"Alex..." it repeated, its voice cracked with pain.

It was as if my name had awakened a part of it that it believed to be lost, a part that had been buried under layers of darkness and despair.

In that moment of vulnerability, the boundaries between us blurred.

Araknedis stopped and his magic disappeared.

"NO! NOT NOW!" He screamed.

The vampire didn't attack.

She kept crying tears of blood while laying on the ground with her body shaking uncontrollably.

She kept repeating my name.

"Who the hell is this...?" I said to myself.

That was the perfect chance to attack but my senses told me not to.

"IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO MUCH! SAVE ME ALEX!" The vampire screamed. 

I felt like i knew this girl but... my mind was focused on the situation.

The vampire stopped her cry.

After that moment of vulnerability, she seemed to regain control of itself.

Her tears dried quickly, replaced by a look of cold determination.

Suddenly, her eyes became of a strange golden color and she started speaking.

Her voice became totally different.

It wasn't a voice, a choir was coming out from her mouth.

Lots of voices like demons.

"I will not allow you or anyone else to hinder me," it murmured darkly, its words dripping with threat. "I am the lord of darkness, and no one can stop me."

With one last contemptuous glance, the vampire turned and fled, disappearing into the shadows like a ghost in the night.

I stood motionless, watching its disappearance with a mixture of frustration and sadness. I hadn't been able to change its fate, despite my efforts.

"What the hell was that?" I asked to Araknedis.