Published: July 8, 2025
"Fuu, fuu..."
Ryo catches his breath.
"Did you defeat it?"
The one who murmured was Robert Pirlo, who was watching from a distance.
However...
"Lord Rondo! Something's off!"
For once, Robert Pirlo yelled.
Even Robert himself didn’t understand the source of his discomfort.
Something was wrong; that was felt in an instant.
A second later, he understood.
"I sense an overwhelming amount of magical power..."
He couldn’t help but murmur.
"I cut off its head and pierced its heart, but is Murakumo not enough?"
Ryo shook his head gently.
But soon realized.
"Ah, it didn't pierce the heart."
Yes, it had certainly pierced through the back to the chest.
It should have been where the heart was located, but it wasn't there.
Zoltan, who had instantly regenerated and distanced himself from Ryo, spoke.
"That's unfortunate, Duke Rondo."
"You moved your heart's position, didn’t you? How cowardly!"
"You caught on quickly. The church says to annihilate a vampire, you must sever its head with a sacred weapon and pierce its heart. However, if the heart is in a different position, it cannot be annihilated. It's a simple solution."
"Normally, you can't move the position of the heart."
Ryo frowned and shook his head at Zoltan's explanation.
"That's a foolish fixed idea. The heart can be anywhere as long as it can send blood throughout the body."
"But blood is also sent to the lungs..."
"Just extend the blood vessels."
"Ah... so you applied the technique of accelerating the growth of the vampire itself in that way."
Ryo was shocked, almost beyond surprise.
At the same time, he understood the difficulty of annihilating it.
If, as Zoltan said, "the heart is in a different position," piercing it would become surprisingly difficult.
"To begin with, it's cowardly that simply severing the head isn't enough. Why are there so many species like demons and phantoms?"
That was the cry of Ryo's soul.
"It can't be helped. Humans should be that way too."
"They can't!"
"Is that really so? Have you tried every possible method? Did you conclude that you couldn't? That's not the case, is it?"
"That's not the case, but trying such experiments is ethically wrong."
"I see, humans are troublesome creatures. If that's the case, you'll once again fall under the control of vampires."
Ryo reacted very rationally, and Zoltan shrugged.
"Now then, what will you do, Duke Rondo?"
"My objective remains unchanged. Zoltan, I will defeat you."
"You couldn't, could you?"
"That's not a problem. If I cut you to pieces like severing your head, I should be able to slice the heart, which is somewhere by chance. This is human wisdom."
"...I cannot comprehend that."
"Poor vampire."
Zoltan shook his head, and Ryo looked at him as if he were a pitiful being.
If Abel were here, he would have silently shaken his head again...
"Well, good. It's time for us to attack as well. [Flame Rain]."
"[Layered Ice Wall Level 20]."
Flames poured down like rain.
Moreover, each one erupted fiercely upon colliding with the ice wall.
"Two hits and twenty layers disappear? What incredible power!"
"Naturally. I am the grand duke."
"A self-proclaimed grand duke."
"The first duke is rather small-minded."
"The definitions of capacity differ between humans and vampires."
Ryo responded clearly to Zoltan's provocation.
Right now, this place was also a battleground for the claims of vampires and humans.
If he lost the argument, it would permit the vampires to trample the human world; that must be avoided!
... Ryo thought to himself as he countered.
Of course, if Abel were here, he would silently shake his head again...
"This is a representative battle between humans and vampires!"
Ryo declared.
"Interesting! Then I must show this to others as well!"
Saying that, Zoltan cast a spell.
"[Flame Destruction]."
From Zoltan's raised right arm, thousands of lines of flames arced in a semicircle.
The castle collapsed.
The sky was exposed, and the walls crumbled.
Vampires and humans battling outside became visible.
This meant, of course, that their fight could also be seen from the outside.
"What utter madness."