MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE

Chapter 224: Excalibur - A core item

As the ice barrier solidified around him and Dravena, Damien meticulously inspected every inch, ensuring that not a single crevice remained exposed. Thick layers of ice merged seamlessly, forming an impenetrable fortress that surrounded them like a cocoon.

With a sense of grim determination, Damien turned his gaze towards Dravena, his eyes glinting with a mixture of defiance and anticipation. With a sudden, sadistic laughter, he casually undid the ribbon securing his hair, allowing the dark strands to fall freely around his face.

"The wall wasn't to keep the people safe," Damien admitted, his voice dripping with malice. "It was to keep my secret safe."

Dravena scoffed at his words, her demeanor defiant as she dismissed his efforts as futile. "It's worthless," she retorted, her tone dripping with scorn. "There's nothing you can do to stop the impending doom. Your feeble attempts are in vain."

The intense heat radiating from Dravena's armor served as a stark reminder of the imminent threat they faced, a threat that seemed insurmountable.

However, Damien's smirk only grew more pronounced as he corrected her misconception. "You underestimate me, Dravena," he replied, his voice tinged with confidence. "I may not have been able to do it in front of everyone, but now that no one is looking, nothing is stopping me."

With a swift and fluid motion, Damien plunged his hand into his own chest, his fingers encased in a sheath of frozen ice. Dravena's eyes widened in disbelief as she beheld the sight before her, her words catching in her throat.

"It can't be..." she murmured, her voice trailing off in disbelief as Damien withdrew a long, black sword with a handle of ice, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly glow.

With a few experimental swings, Damien tested the weight and balance of the sword in his hand, relishing the sensation of wielding such a powerful weapon. As he observed Dravena's reaction, a smirk played across his lips, sensing her recognition of the legendary blade he held.

"Ah, I see by your reaction that you're familiar with this," Damien remarked casually, his voice tinged with amusement. "But just to formally introduce you, meet Excalibur, the renowned sword of House Durello."

Dravena's eyes widened in astonishment as Damien spoke the name of the fabled sword. Lost with the passing of the former leader of the Durello house, Excalibur was a relic of immense significance, its whereabouts shrouded in mystery.

The sword held a profound significance within vampire lore, as it was crafted from the core of a lord, serving as a symbol of power and authority. Dravena knew well the legends surrounding such artifacts, their existence tied to the very essence of vampire existence.

The sword in Damien's hand wasn't just any ordinary weapon; it held a significance far beyond its physical form. Like Dravena's armor, Excalibur was what vampires referred to as a "core item." These items were crafted from the cores of lords, the essence of their very being.

In vampire physiology, the core served as the center of existence, much like a human heart or soul. It was the source of their immortality, allowing them to enter eternal slumber and awaken again when the time called for it. However, once a lord's core was used to create a core item like Excalibur or Dravena's armor, that vampire could never be awakened from eternal slumber.

The process of creating such items was a solemn and sacrificial act. In the case of Dravena's armor, it was forged from the core of a noble leader of the Draconis house, who willingly offered himself for the greater good of his family. This act ensured that his legacy would live on in the form of the armor, but it also meant that he could never be brought back from his eternal slumber.

Thus, both Excalibur and Dravena's armor were imbued with the essence of powerful lords, making them formidable relics with unique properties and significance in vampire society.

As Damien held Excalibur aloft, its gleaming blade reflecting the red hue of Dravena's armor, he cast a smug glance at her, his grin betraying a sense of superiority.

"You see, Dravena," he began, his voice dripping with mockery, "you weren't the only one willing to make sacrifices for the sake of leadership." His words were laced with a dark amusement, a cruel edge to his tone.

Leaning in closer, Damien's expression twisted into a twisted grin. "I did what was necessary," he whispered, the words chilling in their nonchalance. "I killed our past leader and claimed this sword as my own." His eyes gleamed with pride, relishing the admission of his dark deed.

"And you know what?" he continued, his voice rising with a hint of defiance. "I wasn't upset when they called me the proud bastard prince. In fact, they were right." His laughter echoed off the icy walls of the barrier, a sinister sound in the midst of the chaos.

With a flick of his wrist, Damien twirled Excalibur in his hand, the blade shimmering with malevolent energy. "I never quite fit in, you see," he mused, his gaze locked on Dravena's. "But perhaps that word—'fit'—was never meant for me. Maybe the world was just not fit for me, hmm? No? Well, I'll shape it to my liking."

With a sudden gasp, Damien's demeanor shifted, his expression turning almost casual as he realized his next course of action. "Oh, right," he muttered under his breath, as if remembering a mundane task. "I almost forgot. I have to end you before we both die."

His words hung in the air, devoid of emotion, as if he were discussing the weather rather than sealing someone's fate.

Raising Excalibur high, Damien's eyes gleamed with a twisted satisfaction. "Only a core item can destroy a core item," he intoned, his voice cold and final. With deliberate precision, he drove the sword directly into Dravena's chest, the blade piercing through her with a sickening thud.

Then, with chilling nonchalance, he added, "And there's one more thing. I left you for Rose because she was simply better at the courtship ritual. You might want to practice for your next life."

As Excalibur remained lodged in her chest, Damien watched with a macabre fascination as ice began to spread from the point of contact, encasing Dravena's body in a frozen prison. "You never fail me, oh faithful one," he murmured, a sadistic grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

With a swift motion, he withdrew the sword, leaving Dravena's frozen form suspended in the air. As the glow of her armor slowly dimmed, Damien knew that it was over. Dravena was gone, her reign of terror brought to a chilling conclusion.