Azhantu (3)
In the basement, there were several iron doors, and in front of them were a desk and a couple of chairs.
On the wall, keys hung neatly on nails.
‘No one’s guarding it. Those kids must have escaped.’
Peering through the keyhole of the iron door, I found most of it was empty.
Except for one spot.
A small boy curled up in the corner, hugging his knees.
He must have heard me, but he didn’t move a muscle.
Clank, creak—!
As I opened the iron door with the key, I felt the small body flinch.
“Hmm hmm… Hey, I came because your sister sent me. You’re Aaron, right?”
I spoke gently while keeping a safe distance, and he trembled slightly before slowly lifting his head.
His tear-stained face looked even younger than his age, just like Diana.
“Sister? Really…?”
“Yeah, Diana has been so worried about you. Let’s quickly get out of here and go home.”
“Hoo— Ugh, uuuuh…”
Hearing Diana’s name, Aaron seemed relieved and began to weep.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Calm down. Stop crying, and let’s go see your sister.”
“Sniff, sob… Yes, Uncle.”
I comforted Aaron, calming him down and lifting him up as we stepped out the door.
“We’re going outside now. There are scary things behind the door, so keep your eyes shut, okay?”
“Yes…”
I didn’t want to scare him, so I covered his eyes as we stepped out.
“A smell of alcohol…”
Aaron murmured quietly, but I pretended not to hear him.
Better than the smell of blood, right?
As we exited the Barcolak base, Diana, who had apparently been watching from a distance, immediately ran towards us.
“Aaron!”
“Sister—!”
Finally, the siblings embraced, bursting into tears.
I couldn’t interrupt, but time was of the essence, so I had no choice.
“Hey, can you save the crying for later?”
“Sniff… I’m sorry, Uncle. Thank you for saving Aaron. But are you alright? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
Once she had calmed down, Diana hugged Aaron and expressed her gratitude.
“Yeah. I told you, it was nothing much.”
“But your clothes are stained with blood…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. None of this is my blood.”
It was a lie, of course.
But it was true that I was fine, so I quickly shifted back to the topic at hand.
“Anyway, I still have work to do. Diana, take Aaron back home.”
“Wha? Aren’t you coming with us?”
“I’ll come find you after I finish my work. And until I tell you otherwise, try your best to act normal. Got it? Oh! And take these with you. Use them if you need to.”
Handing over my money and some belongings to Diana, she looked up at me for a moment before lowering her head and whispering.
“… You really have to come back? It’s a promise.”
“Yeah, I’ll definitely be there within three days. Just wait patiently. And remember to move to a place where there aren’t many people when I come.”
I smiled and gently sent the siblings off before stepping back inside the hideout.
The real work starts now.
‘The problem still isn’t resolved.’
The reason they kidnapped Aaron.
‘A certain vampire specified Aaron directly.’
That was the information I got from interrogating the organization members before I wiped them out.
Of course, he probably thought it was someone important’s order, not knowing it was a vampire.
‘And he said he would come tonight.’
If he was still alive, nothing would be resolved, so I had to make sure to kill him.
There was no chance of winning if we fought straight on, but fortunately, I had the materials I needed to attempt some means.
“Hoo… Shall we prepare for our guest?”
There wasn’t much time left now.
*
Late at night.
I sat in a chair in the midst of the ruined hideout.
Honestly, I didn’t think everything would proceed just the way I envisioned.
I’m not a genius strategist, and how well can a hastily concocted plan work in just a few hours?
‘Still, I’ve done as much as I could. The last piece I can’t control will be left to luck.’
I had thought through various factors and prepared, but there was no denying the possibility that things might not go as planned.
‘If that happens, I’ll have to proceed with Plan B.’
As I was endlessly waiting for someone, I noticed a presence as someone opened the door and stepped inside, signaling that my awaited fortune had arrived.
‘See, being good pays off! Now, it all depends on me.’
Someone walked in calmly, surveying the blood-soaked chaos around.
“Hmm, what a delightful fragrance. Did you prepare this to welcome me? It certainly pleases me.”
As he approached with a smirk, the vampire suddenly stopped, his expression turning serious as he looked down at me.
“But these kids appear to be my former servants. You know what you’ve done, right?”
It seemed my calm demeanor sparked his curiosity, as he didn’t look like he intended to attack right away.
I rose to face the vampire.
“I came to this city not long ago. These little ones, believe it or not, tried to extort me. I got so mad thinking about it.”
“Oh, so you deliberately came to kill them? But what’s the reason for sticking around?”
“The fault of the pets falls on their owner, right? I waited just to see your face.”
Whether he believed me or not, I just rambled whatever came to mind.
He didn’t seem very interested in the context anyway.
“Right, but I had something I ordered them to do; this complicates matters.”
“Oh dear, did I unintentionally trouble you?”
“It was almost time for my meal. You’ve disrupted that, and that doesn’t put me in a good mood.”
He spoke casually, regarding me like a dead man already.
Sure, he was ignoring me, but he had quite the talkative nature.
“So you. Where did you take that kid?”
Damn, has he caught on?
“Well, after I dealt with those nuisances, I found one kid locked up and had him released. But why are you looking for that child?”
I contemplated lying but figured it was pointless since he was already convinced.
Instead, I decided to probe how he identified Aaron.
He seemed to like to brag, and understanding the cause was important.
“Hmm, no particular reason. I enjoy the taste of children’s blood and happened to find a kid smelling delicious in a pharmacy, so I just ordered them to bring him.”
So that was the cause.
Even if Diana had dodged dangerous places quite well, there would always be limits.
Especially since the pharmacy was where Aaron had been sick, he really didn’t stand a chance.
“Sigh… Anyway, I’ll just have to get my men to bring him in tomorrow. For now, I’ll have to make do with you.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a stream of blood from his fingertips shot toward my limbs.
“Huh?!”
I had kept on high alert during our conversation, so I managed to react just in time to dodge it.
Right afterward, I drew my weapon and charged at the vampire.
Clang—!
The sword I swung was blocked by his sharpened red claws.
Then his opposite hand swung directly at me, slicing through my midsection and tearing my already worn battle attire apart.
“Oops, I almost diced you into pieces. But still, your body is tougher than expected.”
“Ugh, take care with sensitive merchandise!”
I ducked to avoid the onslaught of sharp claws.
At that moment, a hand surrounded by a red aura came rushing toward me.
Crash—
I quickly rolled on the ground to evade the attack, but my heart raced with fear.
“Tsk, you’re quite nimble.”
Fortunately, he didn’t seem intent on killing me immediately, but that didn’t mean I stood a chance.
Clang—!
I gritted my teeth and swung, but my sword was easily blocked.
At the same time, a stream of blood was slashed from his claws, slicing through my entire body.
It seemed like he meant to immobilize me, but I wouldn’t fall that easily.
Even if my sword was blocked again, I continued to swing it.
“Your recovery is impressive. This could be another intriguing delicacy. I’m looking forward to it.”
The gap in physical abilities was vast enough that even my enhanced body couldn’t measure up to his.
With the red claws jutting out like blades and the streams of blood shooting from them, if he had set out to capture me, I would have been dead by now.
“But your healing is too ridiculous; you’re resisting too much. I suppose I need to make you easy to eat, even at the cost of a few losses.”
His assault intensified.
The crimson claws were swinging faster and sharper.
“Ugh!”
I tried to resist as best as I could by moving my sword, but…
It was impossible to block all his attacks with my capabilities.
And ultimately…
Squick!
Even my ability to endure with “Sturdiness” had its limits, and my right arm wielding the sword was sliced off.
‘Great, my right arm is gone again. But whatever, it’s the end anyway.’
I let my thoughts escape casually as I leaped at the vampire for a final melee.
Crack—
Then, the vampire’s arm pierced through my chest.
“What is this? You even deliver it prepared for easy eating? What great service, I’ll have to use you often.”
Assuming I was alive, of course.
The vampire murmured softly as he sank his sharp fangs into my neck.
Ignoring the sensation of blood being drained from me for the first time, I smiled casually.
“Guest, you’re quite the rushed one. I have some fiery services prepared for my first customer, so enjoy yourself.”
Right after I finished speaking, I bit down on the ring-shaped magical equipment hidden in my mouth and activated it.
Whoosh!
Flames burst forth, igniting my body.
And the flames spread to the vampire who was still attached to me.
“Kuh?! This madman!”
He panicked and tried to shake me off, but I clung tightly, using the remaining arm and legs like a desperate bug.
I could feel his hand embedded in me destroying my insides and even my heart.
As I sensed his other hand tearing off my left arm, he reached out for my legs intending to sever them as well.
‘But it’s already too late.’
The flames that erupted from my body quickly spread, engulfing the surroundings in a blaze.
I wasn’t just setting fire to the place.
“You! You planned this from the start! You intended to die together!”
I had set the stage for our demise before he even arrived.
I spread oil found in the kitchen and warehouse all over the chaotic interior.
Even if the scent of blood was overwhelming, if I spread it openly, the vampire would take notice, so I decided to provoke a fight to break the barrels of oil.
He might have sensed the oil’s scent during the battle, but I was gushing blood while raining blows down upon him, making it hard to focus on much else.
And so the small amount of oil that could be masked by the scent of blood acted as a fuse connecting the barrels separated at a distance.
Whoosh! Boom!
The runaway flames reached the oil barrels, triggering a chain explosion.
The entire structure ignited like a bonfire.
‘Wow~ What a spectacle.’
With my limbs all torn off, now I was just a toothy grin, biting into the vampire’s shoulder while enjoying the show.
In my embrace were multiple oil bottles, and as my chest was punctured, oil drenched me, turning me into a living torch.
‘And once I ignite it with the magical equipment, it’s over.’
To prevent my arm with the magical equipment from being severed, I had deliberately kept it in my mouth.
AAAGH—!
I tumbled away from the now burning vampire, rolling on the ground.
Having suffered damage to my eyes from the flames, I couldn’t see ahead.
Boom!
The sound of explosions echoed everywhere as the raging flames roared.
Even in this situation, my tenacious life force clung tightly to existence.
‘Thank goodness it worked out as planned.’
I was fortunate in many ways.
After engaging in battle, it was clear he was significantly stronger than me, but that was all there was to it.
He merely wielded superior physical abilities and the powers of his blood; he couldn’t use any exotic magic.
He must have been on the lower tier among vampires.
‘And with that, he won’t survive from this inferno.’
After all, fire was one of their weaknesses.
‘It might not be in this world, but this level of fire should still mean something.’
With a thud—
As I felt the debris collapse upon me, I sensed the end of my life approaching.
‘Still, I had some fun. [Mission: Help the unfortunate girl find her brother.] …Success…’
Whoosh— BOOM!
Thus, Hainz met his demise alongside the vampire in this other world.
