Boom—!!!
As my arrow hit Magnus, a deafening explosion engulfed the hall in flames.
The scorching heat licked at our skin as we momentarily shielded our eyes from the blinding light.
It was my new Exploding Arrow – the upgraded version of the one I used against Reina. This one packed more punch than the previous one.
However, even after I landed a successful hit, we all knew that this attack alone would not suffice to defeat a vampire as powerful as Magnus.
As the smoke cleared, a monstrous figure emerged from the ashes.
Its charcoal-colored skin was rough, and its limbs were elongated, giving it a grotesque appearance.
Two sharp fangs protruded from its mouth, and two glowing red orbs replaced its eyes.
There was no doubt about it - it was Magnus. The tattered remains of his burnt suit from the explosion of my arrow easily confirmed his true identity.
He had shed his previous human disguise to reveal his true vampiric form.
What appeared to be an angry look was plastered on the monster's face as he looked at us with disgust and contempt.
With a quick sweep of his hand, Magnus summoned dark energy that crackled around him like lightning.
In response, Nero stepped forward, his long sword pulsing with a vibrant azure aura.
As he bent his knees and gripped his sword tightly, Nero let out a fierce battle cry that echoed through the hall.
"Arghhhaaaa!"
The aura around Nero's sword intensified, infused with the power of his mana as dark energy coalesced into an orb in front of Magnus.
Swoosh—!!
In a sudden burst of movement, Nero launched himself forward with incredible speed.
Fwoosh—!!
The dark orb in front of Magnus also shattered into a devastating beam of darkness, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.
In a flash, Nero's sword collided with the vampire's beam of darkness, and a light explosion occurred.
Kaboom—!!!
The force of the collision sent shockwaves through the air, causing the ground beneath our feet to tremble.
Nero's sword sliced through the darkness, cutting a path forward as he charged toward Magnus.
Seeing this, Magnus dismissed his spell-casting and unsheathed his silver-bladed sword again.
"Drink my blood!" he yelled in a hoarse voice, and suddenly several short spikes appeared out of his sword's handle and pierced Magnus' hand.
As the blade of the vampire's sword dyed into a shade of blood-red color, he rushed forward at Nero and swung his sword.
Cling, Cling, Cling—!!!
The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed throughout the hall as Nero and the vampire engaged in a fierce sword fight.
"Cover Nero!" I shouted to the others, pulling another arrow from my quiver and nocking it onto my bow.
Amelia and Anastasia followed suit, firing their own arrows to keep Magnus at bay.
But Magnus was too fast for them. He dodged and weaved between the arrows while attacking Nero with deadly precision.
I needed to act fast.
With a steady hand, I aimed my arrow not at Magnus but at the ground beneath his feet and released the bowstring.
Swoosh—!!
Boom—!!!
As soon as the arrow hit the ground, a massive explosion rocked the hall, sending debris flying in every direction.
Magnus was caught off guard, stumbling back from the force of the blast. It was our chance to strike.
"Haaaa!" Right at that moment, Elijah's battle cry echoed through the hall as he leaped forward, brandishing his massive battle hammer above his head.
Fwooosh—!!
Thwoom—!!!
The sound of impact filled the air as the hammer swung down on Magnus, but the vampire was too quick.
He spun out of the way, causing the hammer to crash into the ground, digging out a crater on the neatly polished floor.
Before Elijah could even pull back his hammer to strike again, Magnus suddenly appeared behind him, his claws poised to strike.
"....?!"
The half-dwarf turned just in time to see the vampire's attack, and his eyes widened in shock
He couldn't possibly lift his hammer back up and defend himself so fast!
The vampire was too quick for him!
Bang, Bang, Bang—!!!
Hugh tried to shoot at Magnus from a distance, hoping to push him away from Elijah.
Clang, Clang, Clang—!!
However, with inhuman accuracy, Magnus deftly blocked the bullets with his sword, causing them to ricochet harmlessly off his blade.
Kuish—!!
Using his other hand, Magnus struck Elijah's back with his claws, tearing his flesh and leaving deep gashes on his skin.
"Aaargh!" Elijah grunted in pain and stumbled forward before falling to his knees.
But before Magnus could land another attack, William appeared out of nowhere and slammed his body into the vampire, sending him crashing into a nearby wall.
Thwooom—!!!
The impact left a huge dent in the wall, and debris fell from the ceiling.
"Get up, Elijah! We can't let him take us down one by one!" William shouted as he stood protectively in front of Elijah.
"Arghh!" Elijah slowly stood up, using his hammer as support while holding his injured back and groaning in pain.
Meanwhile, Amelia, Anastasia, Hugh, and I unleashed a barrage of arrows and bullets, raining down a relentless assault on the spot where Magnus struggled to stand, using the vandalized wall as support.
Boom—!!!
Thwush, Thwoom, Thwoosh—!!
As my own arrow exploded and others' arrows and bullets hit the wall around him, debris and dust clouded the area, obscuring our view of Magnus.
Although we couldn't see him, we could still hear him hissing and growling in anger.
"Keep him down for a little longer!" Nero yelled as he charged toward the struggling vampire, his sword pulled back and glowing in an azure hue.
Swish—!!
"...Huh?!"
But in a split second, something darted past Nero in a blur, leaving him momentarily confused before he realized what it was.
"He's moving!" Nero spun around and shouted, alerting everyone to face the incoming threat.
Magnus was now heading straight for Amelia and Anastasia, his sharp claws at the ready.
"I see," I thought to myself out loud while stroking my chin, analyzing Magnus's tactics. "He's trying to eliminate the long-range fighters first. It's an optimal strategy when fighting solo against multiple enemies."
Basically, his plan was to take out the archers and the gunman first.
After he's done with that, he would isolate the close-range fighters for one-on-one battles.
Meanwhile, he was now also avoiding the strongest fighter in the group, Nero.
Despite being angry and filled with contempt, he was thinking with his head. I can actually applaud him for that.
Even Reina, one of the seven former Abyssal Vampire Kings, wasn't this calm when I fought her.
"If he takes out Anastasia and Amelia, he'll come after Hugh and me next," I realized, quickly strategizing our next moves.
"Should I go in for close range?" Hugh, who was standing right next to me, asked.
Yes, we long-range fighters were spread out in pairs. Anastasia and Amelia covered the right side, while Hugh and I covered the left side.
I waved my hand in dismissal. "Don't bother," I replied before quickly and loudly barking orders. "Aster, protect the archers, Aster! Ella and Grace, engage the vampire!"
Aster was skilled in defensive magic, especially with spells — ‹Ice Wall› and ‹Water Barrier›, which could withstand attacks from powerful foes like Nero and Quinn.
Her expertise made her the perfect choice to keep the long-range fighters safe.
Meanwhile, Ella and Grace were closer to Amelia and Anastasia – the spot where Magnus was headed.
They could move quickly to engage the vampire first, keeping him occupied while Nero made his way over.
Since Nero was already on his way to face Magnus, I didn't need to give him any additional orders.
With Grace and Ella keeping Magnus busy, Aster would ensure the safety of the archers, and Nero could join the fight with everyone's support.
By engaging Magnus with Ella and Grace and protecting the archers with Aster's magic spells, Nero would have a clear shot at taking him down.
The plan ensured that Magnus couldn't run away, harm the archers, or avoid Nero's attack.
With this foolproof strategy, victory was almost guaranteed.
And as the mastermind behind it all, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in my strategic prowess. Yes, I was indeed a genius!
This plan was perfect, wasn't it?! Ha!
Following my command, Aster quickly cast a water barrier spell around Amelia and Anastasia while Ella lifted her rapier up and Grace held her halberd tightly.
Fwoosh—!!
"....Haa?!"
But suddenly, something happened that made me widen my eyes in surprise and shock.
"Fuck," I cursed under my breath.
"Lucas… is he heading toward us?" Hugh asked.
"...Yes," I nodded.
Yeah, so, in the middle of his charge, Magnus suddenly changed directions and made a sharp turn toward Hugh and me.
I had underestimated him.
Magnus had counted on us to focus all our defense on protecting Amelia and Anastasia, leaving Hugh and me vulnerable.
With Elijah injured and William unable to reach us in time, we were on our own.
The rest of our team was also too far away since I had redirected most of our manpower to guard Amelia and Anastasia.
"Hahaha!" I let out a bitter laugh. He had outsmarted me.
So this is the difference between excellent tactics and battle experience, huh?
Fine, so be it.
