Feeling the death of his last servant, Mardin unleashed every experimental body in his lab. These were soldiers meant for a later war, when they’d reveal their true nature and plunge this world into chaos. But right now, survival was all that mattered to him.
Clank! Clank!
Bang!
"Graaaagh!!"
Hundreds of vampires—each with the strength of a second- or first-rate warrior, capable of regenerating through bloodsucking—surged to life. If unleashed now, they could devastate the region.
"You dare bare your filthy fangs at him?!"
Clang!
But they’d met their match.
With every swing of the Sword Mistress’s blade, vampire heads rolled, their bodies crumpling. Beyond her own sword, blades scattered across the room moved as if alive, slicing through the undead with relentless precision.
Slash! Slash!
"Arghhh!!!"
"Guhhh!!!"
Mardin’s forces dwindled rapidly. Even their regenerative abilities couldn’t save them from decapitation.
Crunch... crunch.
"Damn it... how did she find me here...?" Mardin muttered, biting his nails as he cowered in his underground lab.
His secret sanctuary was exposed, and an enraged Sword Master was carving her way toward the lowest level.
He racked his brain for options.
Fight alongside the test subjects?
BOOOOM!
The thundering crashes from above ruled that out.
Call for reinforcements?
Even if help came, it wouldn’t arrive in time.
Flee?
It seemed the only viable choice.
"mechanically, "The secret passage might not be enough to escape her. She’d chase me to the ends of hell. And a warp gate takes too long to activate..."
A warp gate could twist space deleteriously space and transport him far away, but it needed time to power up. His remaining test subjects couldn’t hold her off long enough.
"There has to be a way to stall her longer..."
His eyes fell on the priest, still tied to the pillar, thrashing in a daze.
"...A hostage?"
Cliché, but effective. The priest claimed he didn’t know the Sword Mistress, but she might care for him.
It was his best shot.
"Stay still. Move, and I’ll put a hole through you," Mardin growled, radiating mana to intimidate him.
"Eek..." The priest froze instantly.
"Good. Keep it that way."
Mardin activated the magic circle to collapse the entrance, buying precious seconds.
BOOOOM!
"You dare use such a petty trick...!"
The Sword Mistress blasted through the rubble, storming into the lowest level, her face a mask of fury.
"Stop!"
Mardin seized the hostage, positioning him in clear view, a blood-red dagger pressed against his throat.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
The priest squirmed, muffled cries escaping him.
"If you try anything, he’s dead!" Mardin barked.
"...!"
Her eyes blazed with rage.
"I know you can wield swords without touching them! Plant your blade in the ground and raise your hands!"
"You Blood Cult scum... taking an innocent hostage. Have you no shame?"
"Spare me," Mardin sneered. "If you brought him into a trap, you must care about him."
"Urgh...!"
"Do it, or he’s done for!"
Mardin pressed the dagger slightly, drawing a thin line of blood.
"Mmmph!!"
"This has nothing to do with him!" she roared. "Let him go!"
"Comply, or I’ll end him now."
Though he spoke with confidence, Mardin’s heart raced. If she didn’t care, his plan would collapse.
But then—thud.
Her sword plunged deep into the ground, hilt-high. Her hands rose, her face twisted with humiliation and fury.
Three minutes left...
"Good. Stay there. Just a bit longer, and I’ll let him go," Mardin lied.
"How exactly will you release him?" she demanded.
"Do you think you’re in a position to question me?"
It was a bluff. If she didn’t care about the hostage, he was doomed.
But her reaction gave him leverage. Her fury proved the hostage’s value.
"No need to worry," he said smoothly. "The Night Clan doesn’t lie lightly."
"If you don’t release him unharmed, I’ll hunt you down across the Central Plains and kill you."
The more she talks like that, the more power I have...
Her protectiveness was his advantage.
Two minutes left...
The magic circle on the floor glowed brighter, humming with energy.
+
Protagonist’s POV
Fuckfuckfuckfuck.
What the hell was happening?
"No need to worry. The Night Clan doesn’t lie lightly," the vampire said.
"If you don’t release him unharmed, I’ll scour the Central Plains to hunt you down and kill you," Lady Shin snarled.
A vampire held a blood-red dagger to my throat, facing off against Lady Shin, both radiating murderous intent.
"I was just here to travel!"
I’d only come to Anhui for a trip—how did I end up in this mess? The thought of dying here sent a chill through me. I lived without regrets, but I wasn’t ready to die. There was so much I still wanted to do.
"W-What do I do?"
The power gap was glaring, and with a blade at my neck, escape seemed impossible.
Am I just going to die like this...?
Lady Shin and the vampire were locked in a standoff, but I knew how these situations usually ended. Hostages rarely survived.
Hum...
An ominous hum rose from below. A glowing magic circle—straight out of a fantasy game—pulsed on the floor. It wasn’t exactly screaming "party invitation."
That damn sky bastard... always hiding my future, no matter how I begged. Giving me headaches with vague nonsense, acting like it was doing me a favor. I even grabbed it by the collar once, yelling about discrimination, but it never budged. And now it’s screwing me over like this. If it had at least warned me of my death, I could’ve prepared...
Rumble...!!
A thunderous roar shook the underground chamber, loud enough to rattle my bones.
"W-What’s that?!" I gasped.
"...This sound...?" Lady Shin muttered, her eyes narrowing.
The sound was hauntingly familiar, sending a chill through my entire body, like ice water in my veins.
"...A shield!"
The rosary in my pocket activated, enveloping me in a translucent barrier.
"How dare you try something...!"
The vampire pressed the dagger harder against my neck, but it couldn’t pierce the shield.
CRACKLE---!!!
Blue lightning flooded my vision.
"ARRRGGGHHHH!!!"
The vampire’s agonized scream filled the air as I felt Lady Shin’s voice—calling my name, Yuseong, a name I’d never told her—echo in my ears.
HUUUM!!!
The magic circle blazed with blinding light.
Splash!
Frigid water engulfed my body, swallowing me whole.