Eternal Undying Chronicles

Chapter 44 Vampire

Alicarde watched as Elizalina held her face with a sultry expression, her eyes half-lidded. She seemed to experience a strong sense of euphoria coursing through her body, her aura briefly intensifying.

"Oh, Alicarde, your blood is simply exquisite. It is akin to a rare wine—rich, intoxicating, and utterly captivating. I could indulge in it forever. I daresay, I shall keep you all to myself," she purred, her voice dripping with seduction.

Carrisa's voice turned icy and controlled, her gaze sharp as she stepped forward.

"What reason do you have for intruding upon my citadel, vampire? Speak quickly before I exact retribution," she demanded, her words cold and full of disdain.

Elizalina sighed, her demeanor unapologetic. "It is nothing personal, Princess. I was merely drawn by the irresistible scent of Alicarde's life force. Beyond that, I seek a taste of your blood to propel myself to the next stage of my evolution. Surely, you understand—power, transcendence... it is the natural course of those like us.

Though, I will admit, I was somewhat heartbroken," she said casually, her arrogance veiled beneath a thin layer of civility.

Turning her gaze to Argint, Elizalina's eyes narrowed with disdain.

"When he returned, one day, marked with the scent of a bitch... it was impossible to ignore the stench."

Argint sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. "The feeling's mutual. I despise parasites like you just as much. Were you blind, or did you not see he was marked with my scent? Then again, what can I expect from someone who dresses like a prostitute?"

"Dude, can you chill a bit? I was dating that chick. You're making it sound like I date hookers," Alicarde chimed in, though he didn't seem too bothered by the escalating tension.

Alicarde's eyes narrowed as he pieced together the betrayal.

"So, this whole time, you were just manipulating me. Acting all innocent, pretending to care. Or was I just your next meal ticket?"

Elizalina shrugged, her expression unbothered. "You do not sound particularly surprised, Alicarde. Perhaps I wasn't as charming as I once believed. But yes, it was necessary. You were my entry point into greater things, and I assure you, you did not make it easy.

Truth be told, it was a necessary measure. Trust me when I say, I did grow fond of you. However, ambition has its price," she replied, her voice now more formal, her tone betraying a hint of sorrow. "I did genuinely care for you."

Alicarde smirked as the realization set in. "Yeah, I get it now. If I really think about it, the signs were all there. You started by building rapport, getting close, being helpful so I'd rely on you. You even mirrored my speech and habits. Geez, I thought we had something special.

Well, I guess it is what it is."

Though his tone was light, his words carried a sting.

"It must've been fun for you, playing the damsel in distress by manipulating everyone. Now that I think about it, those guys talking trash about me—they acted weird too. You just wanted to give me the satisfaction of swooping in as the hero, huh?"

His heart ached at her betrayal, but Alicarde was strong enough not to let it break him. He sighed, putting the pieces together.

"The most obvious giveaway was the whole confession. You knew I couldn't reject you in front of the whole university. Or were they just your mind-controlled drones, eagerly chanting 'SAY YES'?, now that I think about it, that was weird, most guys hate me. So why did they start chanting in support.

Elizalina stood silently, listening to him lay it all out.

"Indeed, you have uncovered the truth," she replied, her voice devoid of warmth. "That was, as you might say, my entire modus operandi. Or my whole M.O as you would put it."

Elizalina let out a humorless laugh. "You made me feel guilty for nothing. That's just cruel. You find out your girlfriend's been lying to you, and this is all I get? Where's the heartbreak?" She asked, her tone mocking.

"Give me seven business days to process all this, and I'll give you the emotional breakdown you deserve." Alicarde replied mockingly

Elizalina responded with mock sadness, clutching her chest as if heartbroken. "How could you do this to me? I expected you to be devastated, heartbroken even! But here you are, giving me such a lukewarm reaction... truly, have a heart!" she cried melodramatically.

As they bantered, Argint, impatient and fed up, charged at the vampire with blinding speed. But Elizalina's form shifted into a mist, evading the attack with ease. She reappeared behind Alicarde, a wicked seductive smile spreading across her lips as blood-red tendrils snaked from her fingers, slicing through the air with lethal sharpness.

Amena, standing nearby, had her twin crossbows at the ready, their unique design allowing for rapid fire.

Elizalina waved her hand toward Alicarde, smiling seductively, her face flushed.

"Dearest Ali, do you know what makes vampires truly terrifying?" she asked, her voice soft yet chilling.

Alicarde stayed on guard, backing away cautiously. "What? Your giant tits and your thirsty attitude?"

She giggled, her amusement evident. "No, darling. It is hemomancy, the power to control blood. And with it, I can do this."

With a flick of her wrist, Alicarde's chest caved in as blood violently exploded from his body in a morbid fountain, streaming toward Elizalina.

The blood twisted and coiled, forming grotesque shapes that danced around her. Alicarde was flung backward, crashing into the mansion's walls, leaving a spiderweb of cracks upon the lavish surface.

Dazed and weak, Alicarde struggled to stay conscious, the rapid blood loss making him dizzy. His vision blurred as he tried to make sense of the chaos, barely registering Carrisa preparing for her next move. Disoriented, he slumped to the ground, too weak to stand as he sat there, trying to process the whirlwind of events.

"Ahhh when am I gonna learn, to .... not talk about women's tits to their face" he slumped down.

The battle raged with chaotic intensity. Carrisa's dark flames erupted like a volcanic inferno, engulfing the room in scorching heat and casting dark shadows on the walls. Her mana surged into the blaze, each wave aimed to incinerate Elizalina.

Yet, the vampire countered swiftly, summoning blood shields and spears with her hemomancy, deflecting Carrisa's fierce magic with feline grace.

Amena moved like a shadow, her strikes precise and deadly as she circled the vampire. Her crossbow bolts tore through Elizalina's defenses, shattering the hardened blood constructs.

Despite her skill, Elizalina was forced to retreat into her ethereal mist form, dodging attacks with supernatural agility, only to return with devastating blows when corporeal.

Argint, a blur of red and silver, charged with claws outstretched. Her strike barely missed, as Elizalina's mist form allowed her to evade. In a flash, Argint landed, her claws carving deep grooves in the floor as the impact sent shockwaves through the room. She wasn't done yet.

Argint leaped to the high chandelier, her agile body twisting mid-air, severing it from the ceiling with a ferocious swing of her claws. The massive fixture crashed down, shattering into pieces as it struck the floor beneath Elizalina. In an instant, the vampire dissolved into mist, evading the destruction.

But Argint wasn't about to let her slip away again. Timing her next move with predatory precision, she waited until Elizalina began to revert to her corporeal form.

The moment her ample chest solidified, Argint lunged with blinding speed, claws extended, slicing across Elizalina's chest. Blood splattered across the marble floor as the vampire gasped in pain, her elegant face contorting with shock.

"Got you" Argint whispered with cold fury.

Elizalina tried to wave her hand, manipulating the blood around her in defense, but Amena was faster. With a swift motion, her arm morphed into a blade, slicing through the blood shields with ease. The split second of confusion threw Elizalina off, giving Argint the opportunity she needed.

Before the vampire could retreat into mist form again, Argint's claws dug deep into her chest, unleashing her devastating technique.

"War Wolf First Form [Grimgrowl] !" Argint roared. The wind howled like wolves as the power of the technique sent a sonic boom through the room, striking Elizalina with full force. The impact hurled her across the room, crashing towards Carrisa.

Carrisa seized the moment. With a surge of speed, she appeared behind Elizalina, her claymore in hand. In one clean motion, she sliced the vampire in half at the waist, blood spraying into the air.

Amena followed up with a deadly barrage of crossbow bolts, each one embedding itself into Elizalina's back. And as if to seal her fate, Argint leaped into the air, delivering a powerful kick that sent the vampire crashing into the marble floor, causing the ground to shake and the pillars to collapse around them.

Smoke and dust filled the air. The mansion, once a place of grandeur, was now in ruins. Yet even as they cornered Elizalina, Alicarde couldn't help but think of Carrisa, the arsonist who had once again set her own residence ablaze.

'Carrisa, that crazy arsonist, had set her own residence ablaze... again,' he mused, recalling the times she'd done it before.

He hadn't interfered since Elizalina's blood control attack. Why would he? The girls were doing fine. But something bothered him—Elizalina's restraint. She had the power to use her hemomancy to devastating effect, yet she didn't. Was it out of mercy, or was it because of him?

Why was she hesitating?

Carrisa stood over Elizalina's battered body, pulling out a Whitewood stake from her dress. Alicarde had no idea where she kept it, but he wasn't about to ask.

She approached the fallen vampire with cold, ruthless eyes.

"It is not often that I have the opportunity to kill a purebred vampire. Your life force is indeed tenacious, but I fear this is where it ends."

Elizalina closed her eyes, a small, resigned smile forming on her lips. She was ready to face death with the dignity of a noble. Carrisa raised the stake, ready to deliver the final blow. But as it descended, flesh and bone met resistance. The stake did not pierce Elizalina's heart—it was Alicarde who stood in the way.

The pain was unbearable, the Whitewood Ash burning into his flesh, and his regenerative abilities failed to heal the wound. He gasped, his chest heaving from the agony. Carrisa's face, usually unreadable, flickered with a brief moment of shock. She withdrew the stake, allowing him to collapse beside Elizalina.

"Ouch… that… that really hurt," Alicarde groaned, struggling to speak. "I should've just cried out first… Why did I think this would be cool?"

"What do you think you are doing?" Carrisa's voice was laced with exasperation, though her aloof tone remained intact.

"I have no idea," Alicarde coughed, forcing a smile through the pain. "I think… I'm just trying to save my friend."

"Get out of the way so we can kill this parasitic bitch!" Argint growled, her voice filled with fury.

Alicarde's heart sank at her words, the venom in her tone unmistakable.

From behind him, Elizalina's voice, weak yet resolute, whispered.

"Why? Why did you protect me? I do not understand." Her words held a weight of confusion, as though she couldn't comprehend why someone would spare her.

Ignoring Elizalina for a moment, Alicarde turned to face Carrisa. "Oh, shut up," he said, his voice trembling with emotion.

"I'm tired of it. I've seen more blood this week than ever before, and I can't take it anymore. I just don't want you to die… not like this. Yeah, you lied to me, and that sucks big time, but I'm not exactly the most honest person either. I don't have a good reason to stop them from killing you, but even then, I can't just let you die."

Elizalina's eyes were filled with mistrust. "If you intend to humiliate me, I would rather perish. If imprisonment is your goal, end my life now, for I shall never endure chains again."

"Geez, why would I want that?" Alicarde sighed. "I just don't want you dead. Now, shut up and let me fight and grovel for your life to be spared. This time, I'll be the hero while you play damsel in distress."

He stood protectively over her, glaring at Carrisa and Argint. Carrisa hesitated, uncertainty flashing in her eyes.

"Alicarde, she is dangerous. She may very well come after us again."

Alicarde shook his head. "She won't."

Argint, however, was less forgiving. "No, I won't allow it. You can't let this parasite live, especially after everything she's done. My tribesmen—do you know how many her kind has slaughtered?"

"Argint," Alicarde said softly, his voice pleading, "I don't know about the feud between vampires and werewolves, but Elly didn't kill your people."

"She hurt you, and that's reason enough for me to hate her," Argint spat. "Reason enough to kill her."

Alicarde could see the anger in her eyes, mixed with suppressed pain. "I'm not hurt, though, so let's call it even. Please, Argint."

"I will kill her, no matter what you say," Argint declared coldly.

"Then… I'll fight you."

Argint scoffed, "You'll lose."

"Then I'll kneel and grovel."

Frustrated, Argint punched a nearby pillar, shattering it into rubble. Silence fell over the room, the flames flickering around them. Carrisa sighed, resigned.

"Very well. She may leave. As you wish, Alicarde."

Argint scowled, turning her back. "Do whatever you want, idiot."

Alicarde's heart lightened. Even Amena, silent as ever, gave a slight shrug of acceptance. Elizalina, her body regenerating, stood up slowly, her eyes never leaving Alicarde. Her grey eyes sparkled with an intensity he had never seen before.

"A noble never forgets their grudges… or their debts."

'Huh, what does that mean.... is she cool or is she coming back for more' Alicarde thought

Before Alicarde could ask what she meant, she dissolved into mist, disappearing into the night. The mansion was in ruins, but Alicarde knew he had made his choice. He needed to get stronger, not just for himself, but for those he cared about.