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Chapter 163

“Ugh—”

Ian hesitated and turned around. The gardener, surrounded by smoke, was struggling and turning. Vines were crawling back together, reforming into the barrier. However, it wasn’t far, and Ian could easily pass through now. Instead of running, Ian clicked his tongue and tightened his grip on his sword.

Swoosh.

Just as he was about to turn back toward Alfwyn, a golden barrier rose, blocking the vines. The rose vines touching the sacred power began to burn, and Philip\'s voice followed.

“Go, my lord. He must not escape....”

Ian, frowning, looked at Philip. In Mev\'s arms, being moved to the side, Philip, despite his pale complexion, was extending his right hand. The dagger in his shoulder remained unpulled.

With a face like you\'re about to die, what are you talking about?

“Stop talking nonsense–-”

“It\'s okay, Ian. Go.” It was Mev, who carefully laid Philip down, who interrupted.

She stood up and turned toward the approaching maids. Her entire body was now covered with dark red holy power.

She readied her sword and added, “Leave them to me. I won\'t let a single one survive.”

Her voice was as cold as ice. As Charlotte looked at Ian, Philip\'s urgent voice continued.

“Hurry, my lord. The relic\'s power is nearly depleted...!”

Finally, Ian clicked his tongue and turned.

“Hold on. Both of you.”

He threw himself through the vines that were burning but still creeping toward him. Charlotte, nodding to Philip, quickly followed behind him.

Whoosh!

As soon as they passed, the barrier shattered. The wall was swiftly reformed, pushing aside the charred vines. The screams of the maids echoed from beyond the wall, followed by flashes of red light. Though the sound felt distant, Ian ran without looking back.

The distortion of senses was nothing surprising. His focus was solely on the gardener\'s retreating back. He wouldn’t let him out of his sight for a moment. The gardener could change the maze’s shape at any time. If he lost him, he’d be failing the comrades he left behind.

“Ughhh–-”

Though the gardener\'s awkward and clumsy run was surprisingly fast, he couldn’t outrun Ian, who had activated the Blessing of Battle.

“Argh!”

The gardener, looking back in fear as Ian approached, soon entered a wide clearing. He frantically clacked his shears, and the vines on either side of the path began to crawl together.

Without hesitation, Ian kicked off the ground. He passed through the narrowing entrance and swiftly crossed the clearing, swinging his sword at the gardener. The Wind Blade, amplified by chaos power and infused with holy power, slashed through the gardener\'s thick legs.

“Gahhh!” The gardener, both legs severed below the thighs, collapsed to the ground.

Charlotte, following close behind, barely made it into the clearing as Ian jumped up. Aiming for the gardener’s head, Ian raised his sword.

Whoosh—

“...!”

Suddenly, a dark streak flew at him. Ian twisted his body and swung his sword. The dark streak was severed and dissipated almost immediately. As Ian landed and rolled, a grating voice echoed from atop the barrier.

“Cutting that? As expected, impressive, hehe...!”

A man with a thin, elongated frame clad in dark, tight-fitting leather spoke. He wore a mask stitched together from two pieces of leather, covering his face up to his nose. The thing that had interrupted Ian was a whip in the man\'s hand. The handle and the whip seemed to shimmer black as if made of shadows.

“....”

[Torture Specialist.]

Ian stood up without acknowledging the quest window that popped up, closing it immediately. He lunged toward the gardener again.

“Ugh, ugh–-” The gardener, who had picked up his severed legs and was crawling away, cowered.

Swish—

A black shield formed a circle around the gardener. Ian struck it hard, but the shield did not break. Instead, it was his sword that shattered.

Why are there so many interruptions? Fuck you all, Ian inwardly muttered, tossing aside the broken sword.

“I never thought the day would come when we\'d have to save that idiot.”

“The Dragon Slayer is scary, isn’t he, sister?”

A whispering voice echoed from behind.

“...!” Charlotte’s eyes widened, and her fur and mane stood on end as if in alarm.

Ian, retrieving a new sword from his pocket dimension, saw two platinum-haired vampires standing side by side on the barrier.

There was no need to ask if they were the twins; they looked identical as if cast from the same mold. Another quest window appeared.

[The Shadow Sisters.]

Ian closed the window and launched himself forward.

Swish!

A shadow whip swept the area where Ian had been standing. The torturer, now running along the wall, looked at Ian with a sinister smile.

“Your face looks like it’s wearing a mask...! I can’t wait to see it twisted in pain, Dragon Slayer!”

They really are the classic lunatics.

Ignoring the taunt, Ian circled the shield surrounding the gardener. Of course, there were no gaps. It seemed they were stalling for time until the gardener could recover.

Should I just keep smashing it until it breaks?

“...!”

Ian\'s eyes narrowed right after. One of the twins suddenly poked her head over the wall. It was the older sister. The moment their eyes met, Ian felt his vision distort around her red eyes. The inside of her red pupils undulated with a strange wave pattern.

They say you get hypnotized when you make eye contact.

However, she couldn’t completely take over Ian’s consciousness. Simply drawing on chaos power, Ian instantly restored his senses.

As his vision cleared, Ian flicked his left arm.

Thud!

A dagger embedded in the sister\'s forehead caused her head to snap back. The next moment, she disappeared below the barrier, only to reappear beside her sister.

Pulling out the dagger from her forehead, she muttered, “It didn’t work, as expected. But I didn’t think you’d shake it off this easily. He’s different from you, right, kitty?”

As the twins turned their heads simultaneously, a smirk spread across their faces. Charlotte, now with an eyepatch covering her eyes, held both her fang sword and a silver sword.

Her mane, emanating a quiet murderous intent, swayed as the younger sister burst into laughter.

“Did you bring that as a countermeasure? Do you even think you can fight in that condition?”

Charlotte responded by throwing herself forward.

“Oh, so you can fight, huh?”

“I wonder what kind of tricks you’ll show us this time.”

Contrary to their cheerful tone, the sisters\' eyes were cold as they stepped back.

“Haha! You’re finally paying attention to me!” The torturer, who had swung his whip again, laughed as he looked at Ian charging at him.

He swung his whip arm again. The whip, changing its trajectory as if alive, elongated and aimed for Ian’s side. The Magic Force Field flared up around Ian.

Crackle—

The whip, blocked by the field, didn\'t stop; instead, it climbed over its surface and reached Ian. Almost simultaneously, Ian extended his left arm into the whip’s path.

Swish—

The whip, as if waiting, wrapped around Ian\'s arm. The magic contained in it spread through Ian’s body.

With a crack, as the Magic Force Field shattered, the torturer laughed.

“Got you...! Now you can’t escape the pain I’ve created—” The torturer’s voice trailed off.

Although his magic was supposed to inflict extreme pain on Ian, Ian\'s expression didn’t change. He wasn\'t even being dragged forward.

Crack—

Planting his heel firmly into the ground, Ian grabbed the whip with his left hand and pulled hard. The torturer, clutching the whip handle, was yanked toward Ian. While infusing them with magic, the whip couldn’t stretch infinitely like it usually did.

“Are you enduring the—” As the shocked torturer blurted out, Ian’s eyes filled with red holy power.

Slash—

The blade that touched the center of the torturer\'s pupil sliced horizontally through his head. Ian extended his left arm, grabbed the torturer by the collar, and slammed him into the ground. Ian’s eyes turned red, and a fireball ignited in his grip.

Boom!

The fireball exploded from his hand, blowing a hole straight through the torturer\'s chest. Ian\'s hand, imbued with holy power, remained unscathed. Ian finally spoke in a voice tinged with irritation.

“The pain? Yes, I\'ve just endured it.”

The pain had been severe. It had caused him to waste unnecessary holy power. But it wasn’t a total loss. This time, he had completely incinerated the true blood.

The torturer, his chest blown open and half his head gone, began to turn to ash. The shadow whip wrapped around Ian’s left arm vanished, leaving only the handle. Dusting off his left arm, Ian turned his gaze to Charlotte, who was rampaging on the barrier opposite him.

Crash! Slash!

The twin sisters were darting back and forth between each other\'s shadows, but Charlotte relentlessly pursued them, swinging her sword. She paid no mind to the thorns embedded in her body or the shadow blades slicing her flesh.

“Rawr!”

The more she was hurt, the louder she roared and rampaged. Instead of rushing to help her, Ian just turned his gaze away. She had dreamt of revenge, replaying that day\'s events countless times in her mind. He intended to let her have this chance to resolve it with her own hands, whether she succeeded or failed.

Well, I won’t let her die.

At least, not right now. With that thought, Ian moved toward the cracking shield. Inside, the gardener was rampaging.

Crack, crack—

The shield shattered, and the gardener, holding up his shears, leaped out. His body was fully healed as he howled.

“Ughhh—”

The surrounding barrier walls writhed like waves.

Swish—

A red streak flew toward the gardener\'s center. His eyes widened beneath his mask.

“Arghhh!” The gardener flailed his shears in desperation.

***

Crack—

The sound of flesh tearing echoed.

The older sister, who had been watching her sister dodge Charlotte’s attacks, widened her eyes and turned to the side.

“...!” She saw the gardener with one shoulder entirely severed. Ian had rolled past him and was now on the ground.

“Arghhhh!” The gardener let out a scream of pain. The uncontrolled magic he released drew the surrounding vines toward him. Ian dodged the thorny vines extending like tentacles, darting his body here and there.

“You should have stayed quiet, you fool....” Clicking her tongue, the older sister placed a rose petal in her mouth and began to draw in magic.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a breeze blew over her head. When she looked up, she saw a black mane fluttering and sharp, gleaming fangs.

When did she get here?

Internally shocked, the older sister extended shadow thorns while diving into the shadows. But this was exactly what Charlotte had anticipated.

Thud!

The fang sword, slashing across the ground, speared through the chest of the older sister, who was falling into the shadows.

“Urgh...?!”

The older sister\'s eyes widened.?? The pain was dizzying. But it wasn\'t too late yet. It wasn\'t a silver sword. She hurriedly clenched her hands. The two hesitating shadow thorns immediately extended again and stabbed into both sides of Charlotte\'s waist. Then, as if pushing, they drove in deeper. But Charlotte did not back down.

Crunch!

She bit into the older sister\'s neck. The bite was so powerful it nearly crushed her neck.

“Sister—” The younger sister screamed from behind.

The older sister wanted to shout for her not to come, but it was already impossible.

Sss—

Charlotte’s silver sword was slowly cutting into the older sister’s abdomen, burning her flesh. The blade inched toward her throbbing heart.

“...!” The older sister’s eyes widened as if they would tear apart, and the shadow thorns that had pierced through Charlotte’s sides withered. Feeling the older sister’s strength leaving her body, Charlotte finally released her neck. Her mouth was filled with the vampire’s blood and flesh—a taste of revenge she would never forget.

“Nooooo!” A ripping scream echoed.

Charlotte turned with the sister still impaled on her sword. Though she couldn’t see, her other senses were sharper than ever. She felt the rush of the approaching shadows and the crying figure charging at her as clearly as if she were seeing them.

“....” Charlotte smiled, baring her fangs. She swung her arm, tossing the older sister, now turning to ash, toward the oncoming shadow thorns. In the next instant, she leaped forward, her grip tightening on her sword as a beastly roar escaped her lips.

***

Crack—

The sword that fell in the middle of the wooden mask stopped as it cut vertically down to the gardener\'s neck.

“Uh... ugh....” The gardener\'s head, letting out a low groan, split open from side to side.

Likewise, the shattered wooden mask fell off. Beneath it revealed a grotesque face that strangely had a childlike impression. The face, emitting sounds of blood and phlegm, was filled only with pure pain and fear. Ian\'s eyes, which had been flickering a gray hue, calmed down immediately after that.

Boom!

The Vacuum Explosion blew the gardener\'s head and chest apart, scattering fragments of flesh everywhere. Ian pressed his sword deeper into the exposed flesh and conjured a fireball.

Boom!

The gardener\'s swollen chest exploded, shattering the blade again. Ian kicked the gardener\'s still-kneeling body, causing it to collapse.

Thud.

As the gardener\'s body fell lifelessly, the surrounding vines began to revert to their original forms. Ian tossed aside the broken sword and drew another from his pocket dimension. Only three longswords remained, and the only dagger left was the fairy dagger.

Confirming the completion window for the quest before him, Ian reached into his pocket dimension again, retrieving the last two throwing daggers and securing them to his belt.

“...!”

Another quest completion window popped up.

[Butler and Maids.]

It didn’t surprise Ian that Mev had killed Alfwyn; the fact that a quest completion window appeared was what caught him off guard.

So as long as I accept the quest, it doesn’t matter if I don’t kill them myself...?

Perhaps it was possible because he recognized Mev as a comrade. His thoughts didn’t last long.

“Eeeeek–-”

It was because a piercing scream erupted from the distant barrier. He turned to see Charlotte impaled by several shadow thorns, while the last twin screamed in agony as she was skewered by Charlotte’s silver sword. The screams soon subsided, and the shadow thorns piercing Charlotte dissipated into smoke. The quest completion window popped up once more in front of Ian just as Charlotte collapsed.

“—!” She looked up at the sky and howled. Her body was a mess, but at that moment, she seemed to have regained her primal nature.

...I didn’t think she’d actually succeed.

Ian thought, rushing forward.

Charlotte\'s body, having finished her roar, tilted and fell off the barrier. Even then, she didn\'t let go of the swords in both hands.

Whoosh!

Ian caught her and stopped, his back hitting the barrier. Charlotte, still wearing the eyepatch, revealed her bloodstained fangs. It was a relieved smile.

“I’ve succeeded... Ian.”

“Yes. I saw.” Ian replied curtly, examining her condition.

Her body was riddled with thorns. There were especially many on her bare feet and legs, exposed beneath her tattered boots, and on her forearms. Additionally, there were numerous cuts and stab wounds all over her body. Even for a beast-person with superior vitality, recovering in a short time seemed difficult, especially in the middle of the demonic realm.

Ian immediately summoned the holy power from his tattoo and infused it into her body. It wasn\'t a difficult task. For someone skilled in handling both magic and chaos power, it wasn\'t much different.

“...This is?” Charlotte flinched briefly but soon spoke.

“Save your strength, Ian. I just need a little rest.”

"Shut up. I\'m going to leave you here, but I can\'t just abandon you, can I?"

“If it’s something like that....”

Karha\'s holy power, which had flowed into Charlotte, didn’t dissipate but slowly spread throughout her body. Perhaps it recognized a warrior who had completed her own battle. Charlotte’s expression began to relax.

“Damn... I’m too late....” A low sigh echoed from the opposite passage.

A low sigh echoed from the opposite corridor. As Charlotte jerked her head up, Ian pressed it down firmly again and looked toward the source of the voice.

Unlike the vampires they had encountered so far, it was a gaunt and unimpressive middle-aged man. His lack of hair, eyebrows, and beard gave him an even more eerie appearance. Moreover, the shadow cast at his feet was unusually large.

“Well... it wouldn’t matter....” He muttered without enthusiasm as he raised his arm.

Immediately afterward, a gigantic form rose from the shadow. It was a massive experiment, composed of multiple human torsos stitched together into a large mass, with numerous limbs protruding haphazardly.

“...!” A quest window appeared before Ian\'s eyes, but he paid no attention to the words. His gaze was fixed on the lone upper body protruding from the massive experiment. Pale silver hair, gaunt shoulders, and familiar features. Ian instinctively held his breath as red eyes glowed.

"You’re finally here... I\'ve been waiting."

At the sound of the voice, Charlotte, who had been lying down, jerked her head up again. This time, Ian did not stop her.

"Then now...."

Thesaya, alternating her gaze between the frozen Ian and Charlotte, who was fumbling to grasp her eyepatch, wore a smile that seemed on the verge of tears.

“...Please, save me, guys.”