The shattered remains of ghouls were strewn across the field like weeds.

Everywhere on the land swept by the bombardment, fires were ignited, spewing thick smoke up into the air.

On the road of this scorched battlefield.

Ten vampires were leisurely walking as if they were out for a stroll.

They were still distant, but clearly visible to the naked eye.

'They're laughing.'

These monstrous bastards, walking through the corpses of our allies scattered in all directions, were laughing.

I had learned that normal shelling and sniping were meaningless to them, so I didn't give the order to shoot.

The vampires quickly approached.

When they were close enough for our voices to reach each other, I shouted.

"May I ask you something, Vampire King?"

Then, all the vampires stopped at once.

Seated on the palanquin, looking up at me, Celendion smiled faintly.

His innocent boy-like face emanated the scent of blood.

"Ask away, Ash."

"Why did you send your ghouls first to die?"

At my words, Celendion tilted his head.

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"I'm asking why you vampires just watched from behind while your ghouls and Fallen Blood minions were annihilated."

Even though Celendion and Alpha Beta were the bosses.

Wasn't it worthwhile to send ordinary vampires mixed into the waves?

I couldn't understand this tactic from a strategic point of view. But...

"You're speaking strangely, human."

His answer to my question was truly unexpected.

"Do you dine with your pets?"

"What...?"

What the hell does that mean?

"The ghouls and minions that died earlier are... to us vampires, they're like hunting dogs we raise."

Celendion calmly explained.

"Of course, we cherish and love them. Even to the extent of giving up our own lives for them. They are my loyal and brave army, fighting the enemy alongside us. But they are dogs."

"..."

"You wouldn't dine at the same table with them, would you?"

Snap!

My teeth clenched together.

"Your 'dining'...”

"You already know, don't you?"

Celendion pointed at us.

"It's you."

"..."

"You humans are our meal, Ash."

I clenched my fists tightly. Celendion continued to chatter to me.

"We release the hunting dogs first. Humans weak enough to be killed by dogs are food for dogs. But if you survive against my dogs, then you can be said to have proven your qualifications at least."

"Qualification...you say?"

"Yes. The qualification to be eaten by us vampires."

Celendion gently laughed, looking up at us on the city walls.

"We don't particularly want to eat humans who are only good enough to be dog food. So, we first release the dogs for 'selection'."

"..."

"Isn't it the same for you? You choose the tastiest piece of meat from good livestock. What happens to the leftovers? You give them to dogs and pigs, don't you? It's the same principle."

He confidently spat out nonsense.

"I'm a vampire. I want the blood of strong, willful humans who know how to fight. Noble human blood. It tastes much better."

"..."

"You, who have withstood the attack of my dogs, have also proven your qualifications."

The corners of Celendion's mouth twisted up into a creepy grin.

The other vampire bastards, too, harbored the same ghastly smiles.

"Well then- rejoice, humans."

Eyeing us as if we were cuts of meat displayed in a butcher shop, he continued.

"You all have earned the opportunity to become our meal."

So said Celendion.

"Damn..."

"Crazy bastard..."

The soldiers, turning pale, stumbled back.

The vampire bastards, excluding Celendion, chuckled at the sight.

Looking at us with the eyes of obvious predators.

"...Damien."

Grinding my teeth, I looked to my side.

"Erase the smiles from those damned faces."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Damien lifted his crossbow to his chest.

"As you command."

He drew an arrow from the quiver in front of him and loaded it into the crossbow.

He took a deep breath, took aim, and-

Whoosh!

Fired lightly.

***

Screeech-!

An arrow shot from the fortress soared through the sky.

The arrow pierced the air in an instant and was fast approaching the vampires.

"Oh, look at this."

Alpha, who had just deflected hundreds of silver arrows and sent them back over the fortress, laughed.

"Doing something that won't even get him killed." 

The foolishness of humans never failed to astound him. Like prey caught in a spider's web, futilely struggling even though they were inescapably trapped. Why couldn't they realize that until the very end?

"I wish you would stop this pitiful resistance." 

Saying that, Alpha waved his hand. A surge of enormous magical power flowed within him, following the path of his bloodstream. Alpha reached out his hand, attempting to grasp an arrow with this magical power.

"...?"

However, something was off.

"Eh?"

Try as he might to grab it with his magic, the arrow strangely changed its course each time, as if it possessed a will of its own.

'What's happening?'

Baffled, Alpha finally concentrated his magic power into a shield,

Clang-!

But it was broken through.

The arrow pierced straight through the shield, barreling towards the space between Alpha's neck and chest. He realized that he would not be able to block this attack.

"Cough?!"

At that moment,

Zing-!

Beta, who had rushed in, swung her axe, striking the middle of the arrow. The arrow shattered into pieces right before it could hit Alpha.

The strange power that had been present in the arrow disappeared, and the pieces of the arrow scattered about normally.

"Cough, cough..."

With his spine tingling, Alpha looked down at the broken arrow on the ground. The silver that was imbued with red energy emitted an eerie light.

"What are you doing, Alpha?" 

Celendion asked with a hint of amusement.

"Unable to block a single arrow?"

It was not a question, but a mocking laughter at Alpha's startled appearance. However, Alpha was serious.

"No, my Lord, it's... different!"

"Oh, what's different?"

"This arrow... it's not an ordinary silver arrow."

His blood magic had been shattered in an instant. Alpha had a gut feeling.

"This arrow is dangerous!"

As soon as Alpha warned them,

Swish! Swish! Swish-!

A volley of arrows were shot from the castle walls. The long-range shots aiming for ordinary vampires arched through the sky.

"What's this, arrows?"

"Despicable..."

"This trivial thing!"

Just like Alpha, the vampires scoffed at the archery and tried to easily block it. But they couldn't.

Thud! Thwack! Thunk!

"Cough?!"

"Hack?!"

"What the-"

They could not block it.

The first vampire's throat was pierced after the shield he was trying to block with was shattered. The second vampire had his palm and neck pierced when he tried to block with concentrated magic in his hand. The third vampire tried to evade by transforming into mist, but his neck was pierced despite his efforts.

The three vampires who were hit in the throat began to cough up blood violently. A flicker of interest passed in Celendion's eyes.

"It's not an ordinary silver arrow. Could it be... Star Silver?" 

Alpha, who had been inspecting the broken arrow on the ground, broke out in cold sweat.

"Yes. It is Star Silver. But it's not only that. It seems to be tempered with the devil's gallbladder."

"Using that precious sacred silver and even the gallbladder to make an arrow? They've prepared quite well in order to kill us." 

Celendion chuckled.

"But this won't be enough..."

Just then,

Boom-!

A gunshot sounded from the top of the castle wall.

Why was it that when he heard that sound, a chill ran down the spine of the Vampire King, Celendion?

"What's this?"

Celendion's crimson eyes followed the trajectory of the projectile that was shot from the castle wall. He soon identified what it was.

"A magic bullet?"

Creakkk!

The incoming magic bullet precisely hit the head of the first vampire whose throat was pierced,

Burst...!

And blew his head off.

The vampire, dyed in a purple mist, collapsed lifelessly to the ground. He did not regenerate or resurrect. His soul core had been destroyed. But Celendion did not care about the death of his subordinate.

"...This is."

As Celendion quickly looked up from the shattered head of his subordinate,

Boom-!

A second shot.

The vampire who had been struggling with an arrow through his neck and hand was struck by the magic bullet. He couldn't avoid it either.

Burst-!

Instant death.

Watching the head of his subordinate explode, Celendion laughed.

"This magic bullet...!"

Boom!

A third shot.

The third vampire, who had tried to evade by transforming back into mist, realized that evasion was impossible. Sensing death, he closed his eyes tightly.

Crash-!

Screee...!

But, he did not die.

Celendion, who had leapt out and reached out, caught the magic bullet...

Celendion's hand was torn apart, blood splattering in all directions, as he withstood the demonic power of formidable might.

But undeterred, Celendion looked down at his bloody hand.

"Is this demonic power... that of Orlop?"

If so, the magic gun that had fired this demonic power must have been cast with the Orlop's magic core.

"A weapon made from the essence of the Nightmare Commander- The Nightmare Slayer."

Joy filled Celendion's face.

"A weapon that can truly kill me!"

***

Strike with silver and finish with magic.

That was the basis of our tactics against the blood clan.

Damien had done it alone against the vampires. He struck them with arrows and sniped them with the magic gun.

He swiftly dispatched two vampires and was about to finish the third when Celendion interfered.

But it didn't matter that he'd only caught two.

"Haa, haa, hoo!"

Damien, who had been rapidly firing arrows and Black Queen, was panting heavily.

Targeting the soul core required more concentration than usual, so it seemed the stamina consumption was not ordinary.

But even so, he was about to shoot another, so I quickly grabbed Damien's shoulder.

"Stop, Damien!"

"Huh? Haa, haa, but! Still!"

"You've done well enough. You've thoroughly broken the nose of those guys who were arrogant."

If it were up to me, I'd like to let him keep shooting.

But Celendion had already started blocking. Shooting more would be a waste of ammunition and stamina.

"Rest a bit and recover. We still have things to do."

"Okay..."

Damien leaned against the wall and began to catch his breath. I looked to the south.

As our attack stopped, the vampires began to advance again.

Leaving behind the bodies of their fallen comrades, they still moved with light steps.

They were really close now. Close enough to see the wrinkles on their faces.

And Celendion was laughing.

"Haha, haha, haha! Fight, humans! Prove your worth!"

With an even more vicious smile than before. As if he was ecstatic.

"Whether you'll become the prey of livestock, the meal of us vampires, or - whether you'll kill me and survive! Haha! It's about fighting! Keep fighting!"