Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

Chapter 88 The Willow Eradication 4

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Daniel surveyed the battlefield, his gaze focused on the coordinated efforts of the 7 Atlantean vanguards in their formidable power armor. Their movements were synchronized, akin to a well-oiled machine, with one member wielding an assault rifle leading the advance, another providing impregnable cover with a massive armored shield, and a third unleashing a torrent of devastation with a formidable heavy machine gun. Their seamless teamwork allowed them to outmaneuver and overpower the defenders, effortlessly gaining ground and outflanking the guards of the manor.

He then turned his attention to the entrance of the manor. While the vanguard continued to suppress the defenders from the manor, it was now his and Michaela's duty to neutralize any incoming reinforcements heading their way from the outside.

In this operation, the primary objective was to extract Wrath from the Willow family estate, and Penthesilea had devised three plans for this purpose.

Plan A involved infiltrating the estate and discreetly extracting Wrath. However, a crucial requirement of this plan was that Wrath needed to be mobile and able to move on her own. The infiltration team was not equipped to support an unconscious individual requiring urgent medical care. To ensure a safe extraction, they would have to silently maneuver through the manor for at least a kilometer before reaching the extraction point.

Plan B entailed forcibly removing Wrath from the estate while she was unconscious and in need of immediate medical attention. This plan carried the risk of attracting unwanted attention, as the ship would have to dispatch a medical transport vehicle equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment. This would leave little room for the remaining team members to extract themselves, forcing them to find their own means of escape.

Plan C was the most destructive option, to be implemented only if Penthesilea determined that Plan B had likely failed. In this plan, the ship would deploy an assault team to the estate, causing chaos and widespread destruction. The objective was to draw attention away from the extraction point, allowing the medical vehicle to retrieve Wrath and the team amidst the diversion.

The assault team would be outfitted with the heaviest power armor available to ensure their survival in prolonged skirmishes. They would also have access to the most potent weaponry from Daniel's arsenal, maximizing their destructive capabilities within the operational area. 

This team was prepared for war, not merely a confrontation between rival factions or families. Their purpose was to eliminate any obstacles in their path and create an environment of chaos and devastation until their objectives were achieved or they perished trying.

Upon realizing that the Hightower's big-shot had dispatched five non-human reinforcement vehicles, Penthesilea deemed the risks associated with executing Plan B to be too high. Consequently, she made the decision to fully commit to Plan C. With Daniel present on the ground, the mission had shifted from diversion to the complete eradication of all opposing forces.

Five black luxury cars approached the estate entrance, heading towards the landing zone where Daniel and Michaela were positioned. They stood nearby, awaiting the arrival of the reinforcements. Through his earpiece, Daniel received information that the vehicles were en route from the battleship, estimating a five-minute arrival time at the cleared landing zone, which had been secured by the seven formidable vanguards in their hulking power armor.

Daniel's task was to divert the attention of the reinforcements until the extraction was complete, either persuading them to leave or eliminating them if necessary.

As the car doors opened, a group of individuals dressed entirely in black emerged from the vehicles. There were 25 of them, their eyes emitting a blood-red inner glow, and their pale faces suggesting a deficiency of blood.

"Vampires?" Daniel muttered upon seeing the reinforcements.

On the vampire side, they noticed Daniel standing alongside Michaela, who was adorned in a full suit of holy armor. Daniel himself wore a long black leather coat, black pants, and a black suit worn over what appeared to be a modern cuirass containing an array of tools and weapons typically associated with vampire and monster hunting.

"What is this? A female paladin from the Vatican with... a vampire hunter? I thought your kind had gone extinct due to infighting and persecution by the Vatican," one of the vampires taunted, provokingly.

Daniel remained unfazed by the remark, as he was not truly a vampire hunter. Having maximized his level in the "Grand Hunter" profession card, he had acquired vast knowledge and experience, greatly improving his physical condition. His reflexes, strength, and speed had reached their peak human potential, and he now boasted a well-defined six-pack and lean, muscular physique that perfectly balanced strength and flexibility—a prerequisite for an elite hunter.

However, what he lacked was practical combat experience to complement his newfound strength. Despite possessing the same knowledge and experience as a seasoned veteran hunter, he needed to familiarize himself with his enhanced abilities.

"This is mage business, paladin. Remove your lackey from here, and we will pretend we never encountered you," another vampire chimed in, issuing a warning to Michaela, whom they perceived as a paladin, to remove Daniel from the scene.

Michaela was on the verge of retaliating, but Daniel signaled her to hold back. He then turned his gaze toward the group of vampires.

"I suggest you retreat from this place. One of my subordinates happens to be a vampire, and if possible, I'd prefer to avoid any complications between us," Daniel calmly advised.

"A vampire subordinate!?" the vampire leader exclaimed, seemingly taken aback by the revelation.

"No noble vampire would serve as a human's subordinate! It would be like becoming subservient to the very pig you feast upon every day. No sane vampire would willingly become a human subordinate, especially under the command of a hunter like you! If there were any, I would bet they are nothing more than lowly mixed-blood vampires or mere mistakes born from feeding," the vampire disdainfully retorted.

"Thank you for clarifying that. So... will you turn back, or must we bid you farewell?" Daniel inquired, devoid of any malice or aggression, as if he were asking a friend for directions to the nearest restroom.

"Bid farewell? Haaaa Ha ha ha! What nonsense are you babbling about? We are of noble blood, descendants of the Lucratius clan! And we outnumber you, while you're just a pair! The paladin might present a challenge, but you? A mere second would suffice to put an end to you!" One of the vampires arrogantly declared, their confidence unwavering.

"Thank you for clarifying," Daniel responded politely, just before a large black handgun materialized in his right hand.

Bang!

The resounding thunder of a high-caliber gunshot echoed through the air as the vampire who had taunted Daniel mere moments ago disintegrated into dust from a single bullet fired by Daniel's handgun.

The remaining vampires stood in shock, unable to comprehend how a handgun could be so devastating. Upon closer inspection, they noticed that Daniel's weapon was significantly larger than an ordinary handgun—more akin to a hand cannon, with a barrel hole twice the size of a standard firearm. However, it should have been impossible to kill a noble-blooded vampire with just one bullet!

Suddenly, the vampire leader's instincts kicked in, urging him to flee, hide, or do anything to escape this dire situation. He swiftly dove for cover, shouting, "Scatter!"

He attempted to warn his subordinates, but...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three thunderous gunshots rang out, claiming the lives of three more of his companions and reducing them to vampire dust—an invaluable magical ingredient sought after by mages and certain hunters of ages past.

After witnessing four of their comrades disintegrate into dust, the remaining vampires from Lucratius swiftly scattered in an attempt to regroup and retaliate. Three of them utilized their unnatural speed to close in on Daniel, aiming to finish him off. However, Daniel skillfully retreated, leaving behind a trap in the exact spot where he had stood.

Boom!

A small device deployed by Daniel triggered an explosion, unleashing a barrage of tiny silver nails that pierced through the vampires' skin. The silver entered their blood veins, burning through their corrupted essence, causing unimaginable and excruciating pain to course through their bodies. Overwhelmed by the torment, the three vampires writhed in agony.

Seizing the opportunity, Michaela swiftly intervened, rushing in to protect her lord. With a single swift motion, she decapitated the three vampires who had dared to target Daniel, reducing them to nothing more than vampire dust.

While swiftly retreating, Daniel extended his left hand towards his left side without even turning to look. From his sleeve, a silver stake shot out, aimed at an empty space.

Pierced!!

The silver stake found its mark, piercing through the abdomen of the vampire who had attempted to use magic to sneak up on Daniel. In a brief moment of excruciating pain, the vampire was immobilized. Seizing the opportunity, Daniel wasted no time, launching a second silver stake from under his sleeve. It swiftly pierced through the vampire's heart, reducing them to nothing more than vampire dust.

As for Michaela, she skillfully outflanked two of the vampires who had targeted Daniel. With one swift stroke of her blade, constructed from pure angelic energy, she brought an end to their lives. The blade cut through their bodies, causing unimaginable searing pain as their corrupted blood burned from within. The vampires were reduced to a mere pile of purified vampire dust, which held even greater value than normal vampire dust.

Witnessing the nightmarish scene unfolding before him, the vampire leader of the Lucratius clan, who had survived since the early Renaissance era, was flooded with memories of a hunt gone wrong in the past. He recalled a terrifying encounter with an old hunter who possessed reflexes and movements reminiscent of Daniel's.

It was later revealed that the hunter he encountered was none other than Cornelius Van Hellsing, the founder of the Hellsing clan. During that fateful encounter, he had come dangerously close to death and had been relentlessly pursued for three days straight by the fearsome Cornelius. Now, considering the advancements in technology that would equip such a hunter with a wide array of lethal tools, the vampire leader found himself trapped in a waking nightmare that he dreaded experiencing once more.

"Run! This man is an elite hunter from the Hellsing clan!" the leader cried out in horror to his subordinates, urging them to flee from the nightmare made flesh.