MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE

Chapter 347: Letting out the demons

The massive shape in the darkness continued to solidify, the air crackling with ancient power. Blake and his companions stood their ground, hearts racing as they prepared for battle.

"I ask again," the thunderous voice boomed, "are you prepared to face the trials of eternal night?"

Blake stepped forward, his blood humming beneath his skin. "We are," he declared, his voice steady despite the fear coursing through him. "We've come too far to turn back now."

A deep, rumbling chuckle echoed through the cavern. "Very well," the voice said. "Then let the trial begin."

Suddenly, the darkness surged forward like a living wave. Blake reacted instinctively, forming a blood shield that glowed crimson in the gloom. The impact sent him skidding backward, his boots leaving furrows in the stone floor.

As the darkness receded, they finally saw their opponent. The guardian was a colossal creature, its body a shifting mass of red and black scales. It had the general shape of a dragon.

The dragon's sheer size was overwhelming, its massive form nearly filling the cavernous chamber. Its head alone was larger than a wagon, crowned with a array of obsidian horns that scraped the ceiling far above. Scales the size of shields covered its body, shifting between deep crimson and midnight black in a hypnotic, ever-changing pattern that seemed to absorb the light around it.

Its wings, when unfurled, spanned the width of the chamber, each membranous surface etched with glowing, arcane symbols that pulsed with an eerie, eldritch light. The dragon's eyes were twin infernos, burning with an ancient intelligence and barely contained fury.

Its claws, each as long as a man's arm, left deep gouges in the stone floor with every movement. A ridge of razor-sharp spines ran down its back, ending in a powerful tail that could easily crush boulders to dust.

When it opened its maw, rows upon rows of teeth like obsidian daggers were revealed, and the heat of its breath warped the air, creating shimmering mirages. The very air around the dragon seemed to crackle with barely contained energy, as if reality itself strained to contain such a mighty being.

As it regarded Blake and his companions, the dragon's low growl reverberated through the chamber, shaking loose stones from the walls and sending tremors through the floor. It was clear that this was no mere beast, but a primal force of nature given form, a guardian that had stood watch for countless ages.

Blake tightened his grip on his weapon, his blood powers surging in response to the imminent threat. He knew that this battle would push him to his absolute limits and beyond. The fate of their quest, and perhaps the world itself, now hung in the balance.

"By the ancients," Dumphries breathed, his eyes wide with awe and terror.

Randal drew his sword, the blade gleaming with an otherworldly light. "How do we fight something like that?" he asked, his voice tight with tension.

"Together," Reggie answered, his hands already weaving complex patterns in the air. "Use everything we've got."

The guardian roared, the sound shaking loose stones from the cavern ceiling. It lashed out with a tail of pure darkness, sweeping towards them like a scythe.

Blake reacted instantly, forming a blood wall. Seeing the enormous size of the tail coming his way, he thickened the wall by two more layers, pouring every ounce of his power into the construct.

But as the tail met with the solid blood wall, it simply shattered like glass, sweeping them all up and sending their bodies crashing into the far wall.

They all landed with a thud, rolling on the ground before coming to a stop.

Instinctively, all their eyes began to glow red. This was more than a fight to get what they came for now. Survival was also on the line.

The two knights, Reggie and Randal, looked at each other. Without a word exchanged between the brothers, they knew it was time.

Shadow fingers began to seep out of the ground beneath their feet, crawling up around their legs. The darkness spread, crawling up their bodies and covering every inch except their eyes in ever-moving shadows.

Dumphries, ever trusting in his sword and craftsmanship, pulled his weapon for the first time. He too knew that this fight would take all of them. Even the old vampire blacksmith was not going to sit this one out.

Finally, Blake dug his fingers into his palm. Blood seeped out, and quickly, he formed a gauntlet on both hands. But he didn't stop there.

His eyes suddenly began to shed red tears, blood flowing down from them.

Dumphries was the first to notice this, but he saw that neither Randal nor Reggie appeared shocked by the sight.

Blake's voice was low and intense as he spoke. "I've done well to keep this side of me away for two years through lots of training and support from Rose. Now, however, I'm going to let my demon out to play."

A smirk crossed his face as a deep, resounding voice took over the chamber. There was an unmistakable shift in the aura around him now. Everyone could feel it.

The air crackled with tension as Blake's power surged, his blood swirling around him in intricate patterns. The guardian dragon seemed to sense the change, its fiery eyes narrowing as it reassessed its opponents.

Dumphries gripped his sword tighter, his gaze flicking between Blake and the monstrous dragon. Whatever secrets Blake had been hiding, whatever power he'd been holding back, it was clear that this battle would reveal them all.

As the group readied themselves for the fight of their lives, the cavern trembled with the dragon's growl. The true test of their strength, their bonds, and their resolve was about to begin.

The battle erupted with sudden intensity. Reggie and Randal vanished from their spots, their forms melting into the shadows. Two dark spots appeared on opposite sides of the cavern, streaking along the walls with impossible speed.

In perfect synchronization, the brothers emerged from the darkness, their joined hands forming hammer fists as they struck the dragon's head from both sides. The impact created a miniature shockwave, forcing them back, but they braced themselves against the cavern walls.

The dragon, however, seemed more enraged than hurt. "By the gods, I've never felt anything as hard as those scales!". Reggie's voice echoed through the chamber, tinged with disbelief.

Fury blazed in the dragon's eyes as it began to power up, the heat in the chamber rising dramatically. A menacing red glow built in its throat, growing brighter as it neared its maw.

Suddenly, a torrent of hellish flames erupted from the dragon's mouth, spreading like a fiery flood towards Reggie. Both he and Randal instinctively sank into their shadows, narrowly avoiding the inferno.

Blake immediately began to create a blood wall but something in him insisted he looked back. When he did, he saw Dumphries frozen in awe and terror, unable to move. Without hesitation, he rushed to the vampire blacksmith, rapidly creating a series of blood walls behind him - one, two, three, up to six layers of crimson defense.

The dragon's breath shattered through each wall in succession, the intense heat pushing relentlessly forward. Blake's eyes widened as he realized the blood barriers wouldn't be enough. In that split second, only one desperate option came to mind.

Blake knew what he had to do, even as the realization filled him with dread. He turned to face the oncoming inferno, spreading his arms wide. His eyes began to glow with an otherworldly light as he prepared to unleash the full extent of his power.

As the dragon's flames shattered through Blake's blood walls, he realized with growing dread that conventional defenses wouldn't be enough. In a split-second decision, Blake tapped into the deepest reserves of his power.

With a grunt of exertion, he formed a thick dome of blood around himself and Dumphries. But instead of solidifying it, Blake kept the blood in a constant state of rapid circulation. The outer layer of the dome spun at incredible speeds, creating a centrifugal force that deflected the intense heat.

As the flames made contact with the spinning blood barrier, they were caught in the vortex and redirected around the dome. The heat was still tremendous, and Blake could feel his strength draining rapidly to maintain the construct.

Inside the protective bubble, Blake gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his face from the effort and the residual heat. He glanced at Dumphries, who stared in awe at the whirling barrier of blood that stood between them and certain incineration.

"Dumphries," Blake managed to say through clenched teeth, "I can't hold this forever. When I drop it, be ready to move!"

The dragon's breath attack seemed to last an eternity, but finally began to subside. As soon as Blake sensed a lull, he collapsed the blood dome, quickly reforming it into a wave that propelled both him and Dumphries to safety.

They landed hard several meters away, the stone floor still hot to the touch. Blake was panting heavily, the extended use of his powers taking its toll. But there was no time to rest – the dragon was already turning its attention back to them, smoke still curling from its nostrils.

Reggie and Randal emerged from the shadows nearby, their eyes wide with a mix of relief and amazement at Blake's quick thinking.

"That was... incredible," Dumphries breathed, finally finding his voice. "I've never seen anything like it."

Blake managed a grim smile. "Let's hope we've got more tricks up our sleeves. Something tells me we're going to need them."