The tearing space suddenly opened before a vampire's chest, like an invisible blade, instantly ripping him in half. Even though the vampire's blood no longer flowed naturally, the thick liquid built up within his body still gushed out, glowing with an eerie dark red under the moonlight.
Clarisse's unexpected strike caught the entire vampire hunting party off guard. Dressed in the Holy See's white combat uniform, she shot out of the spatial corridor like a bolt of lightning, moving at extreme speed—even the vampires, known for their agility, had no time to react.
In just one or two breaths, three vampires had already been sent flying by her heavy punches, their bones broken, crashing several yards onto the ground.
"Damn it! Kill her!"
Only then did the vampire hunting party finally recover from their shock, and battle instantly erupted!
There was no fear in Clarisse's eyes, only boiling fighting spirit. To be able to use her abilities freely, without worrying about harming innocents, solely to protect the faith in her heart.
This feeling made her soul tremble.
In the darkness, countless figures moved at high speed, the sounds of fists and feet colliding nonstop. Adrian stood in the distance, indifferently observing the battle. Though it was late night, his vision was completely clear—everything was in his sight.
Clarisse, who fought with increasing ferocity, had the fire element entwined around her limbs growing even more intense.
"Boom!"
Flames suddenly erupted, exceptionally bright in the pitch-black night sky.
"Ah!"
Punches and kicks packed with flames were even more destructive—as soon as Clarisse struck, a charred mark immediately appeared on the vampire's body, giving off the pungent smell of burning flesh. Just a simple blessing from Adrian had condensed such high-temperature flames on her fists and feet, making their lethality shocking.
The vampire hunting party, which had initially been evenly matched with Clarisse, crumbled in an instant, with several members defeated, and the tide of battle completely turned.
"The Holy See... is actually this strong?" Blade stood on a distant tall building, quietly watching the battle below. He'd originally come to provide backup, but now it seemed he'd been way too worried.
Only two people from the Holy See had come, yet they needed no help at all.
Especially Adrian, who remained motionless, his white robe fluttering, gave Blade an extremely dangerous feeling.
"Bang!"
Another heavy punch was thrown—Clarisse was getting increasingly skilled in close-quarters combat. Her past experience fighting Adrian seemed to be etched into her muscle memory; every move was sharp and precise.
The members of the vampire hunting party could hardly believe they were being suppressed by a single person!
"Use guns!" The leading vampire could no longer bother hiding, roaring hoarsely.
Firearms were brought out one after another.
Clarisse's eyes narrowed, and the space around her began to ripple. Under the Holy See's training over the years, combined with Adrian's recent guidance, her control over her abilities was pretty refined.
The spatial corridor opened again, swallowing all the bullets fired at her, which then returned through another corridor to the vampire hunting party!
The dull thuds of bullets penetrating flesh rang out one after another, and screams were constant. The vampire hunting party, armed with firearms, was completely suppressed by Clarisse alone.
"Their close-combat skills are a mess, and their superhuman physical abilities aren't utilized at all."
"These guys' physical abilities are, at most, only two or three times that of a normal person. Centuries of comfort have, after all, eroded the vampires' former strength."
Adrian stood by, witnessing the entire process, and evaluated in his mind.
The vampires' performance was way below his expectations, completely unfitting for their status as dark rulers of the Middle Ages.
The battle had lasted only a few minutes, yet the vampire hunting party had already suffered heavy losses—most members had lost their combat effectiveness, with only two or three barely able to stand. The battle was basically decided.
"Damn it... the Holy See actually has this kind of power..." The captain of the hunting party painfully looked up at Clarisse—this woman's strength exceeded their expectations.
He'd originally thought this was an easy mission, but he didn't expect to run into such a formidable enemy.
"Your Eminence, how should they be dealt with?" Clarisse didn't act on her own but turned to Adrian for instructions. Her breathing was slightly hurried, but her eyes were still bright, and the fire element surrounding her hadn't completely faded, flickering slightly in the night.
"Are you the captain?" Adrian looked at the only guy in the hunting party who was still conscious. From their earlier exchange, he was the strongest one.
"Yes," the other guy responded through gritted teeth.
Having identified his target, Adrian lightly raised his right hand, his fingers moving slightly.
"Ah ah ah ah ah!!"
Golden holy light suddenly burst forth from within all the vampires' bodies—except for the captain, the rest of the members all turned to ash amidst their mournful wails, scattering with the wind.
The remaining captain stared blankly at this scene, completely frozen. He couldn't even comprehend the power Adrian had just displayed.
"Boom!"
Psychokinesis swept through, shattering the captain's knees, and he heavily knelt before Adrian. He endured the intense pain, not making a sound.
Since the guy had left him alive, it meant he still had value in surviving.
"Tell your vampire Elders, the three-day deadline has passed."
"I'm taking over the stronghold in this city. If the perpetrator of the church massacre isn't handed over in three days, I'll take over another stronghold. This will continue until you hand over the perpetrator."
Adrian's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable sense of oppression.
"I... understand..."
"I'll inform the Elder Council..."
The captain responded with difficulty, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Get out."
Adrian frowned slightly, and psychokinesis erupted again, blasting the guy dozens of yards away, heavily slamming him into a distant wall.
"Pfft!" The captain spat out a mouthful of blood—the intense pain almost made him pass out, but Adrian's control over the force was just right, leaving him with a breath.
After the vampire captain's figure disappeared into the night, Adrian suddenly turned to the other side: "Won't you come down and chat?" His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Blade's ears.
Blade snapped out of his shock, took a deep breath, and leaped down from the tall building, landing lightly in front of Adrian.
"I've got no bad intentions—I just learned that a vampire hunting party was dispatched and wanted to see if I could help," he said honestly, while cautiously maintaining a safe distance.
"Eric Brooks... Blade, the Daywalker, the vampire hunter."
"You want to cooperate with the Holy See?"
Adrian said calmly, listing Blade's identity like he was counting off his own assets.
Blade was slightly surprised but then relieved—with the Holy See's intelligence network, it wasn't strange for them to know his identity.
"Yeah, I do have that idea."
"With the Holy See's intelligence network, I believe achieving my goals will be way easier."
He responded frankly.
Adrian quietly scrutinized him, his gaze seemingly able to see through people's hearts.
Finally, he slowly said: "You're not strong enough."
"Vampires are also way more complex than you imagine. They've been able to lurk in the human world for thousands of years without being wiped out—they have their own way of surviving."
This made Blade frown: "But I've fought vampires for years and understand their weaknesses..."
"You only understand the surface."
"Behind the vampire Elder Council are even older existences—those sleeping ancient vampires are the real threat. As you are now, you're not ready to face them."
Adrian cut him off.
With that, Adrian turned and gestured to Clarisse: "We should go."
"In return for your kind support, I'll tell you a way to improve your strength."
"Pay attention to the vampire's Blood God Ritual."
"This ritual can help you get strong quickly..."
As the portal closed, their figures disappeared into the night, leaving Blade alone to think. The events of the night had given him a completely new understanding of the Holy See.
At the same time, he was also really interested in the Blood God Ritual Adrian had mentioned.
Show Some Supports By Giving Powerstones
Next BONUS CHAPTER at 200 powerstones