Chapter 93: The Trapped Vampire and Lovelenica’s Dilemma

A volley of sharp swords plunged from the sky, embedding themselves in the earth and encircling the black-haired girl. Lovelenica’s intent was clear: to drastically reduce her opponent’s mobility.

As Bloodkin herself, Lovelenica possessed an intimate understanding of their inherent abilities. She knew that the power to vitalize one’s flesh for high-speed movement became utterly useless when confronted by sufficient Holy Silver and divine energy. Crucially, the very sharp swords wielded by both Lovelenica and Lucia were meticulously forged from Holy Silver.

Still suspended in mid-air after her initial leap, Lovelenica launched another volley of sharp swords, casting them in a tight circle around the black-haired girl. This maneuver definitively sealed her fate, completely negating any further use of her super-high-speed movement.

Finally, Lovelenica touched down. With a swift roll across the ground, she absorbed the impact of her descent before springing to her feet. Gripping her sharp swords firmly in both hands, she launched herself towards the black-haired girl.

The black-haired girl, rather than retracting her hunting rifle, swiftly drew a blade and affixed it to the weapon’s muzzle. Now armed with a makeshift bayonet, she prepared to meet Lovelenica’s two sharp swords head-on.

Silver trails arced through the air as the sharp swords clashed against the bayonet. The prior explosion had already purged the area of any lingering Specters, leaving only the scorched crackle of the inferno and the sharp, metallic ring of their weapons meeting.

Trapped and wounded within the cordon of Holy Silver blades, the black-haired girl found herself unable to vitalize her flesh. The ease with which she had once faced Lovelenica had vanished; now, her bayonet strikes against Lovelenica’s swords failed even to repel her.

Fortunately, the black-haired girl still retained the ability to fire. With a swift parry that deflected Lovelenica’s sharp sword, she immediately brought her rifle to bear, aiming directly at Lovelenica, and then squeezed the trigger in a rapid, relentless volley.

Lovelenica maintained her aggressive stance, her grip firm on her gun-sword, allowing the barrage of bullets to strike her without flinching.

Given the extremely close proximity, the bullets’ full force remained undiminished. The Ring of Arrow Evasion, though it flickered with a faint glow, proved unable to completely repel the incoming projectiles.

Yet, even the bullets that successfully bypassed the Ring of Arrow Evasion proved utterly ineffective upon striking Lovelenica’s form.

Indeed, as the bullets found their mark on Lovelenica, several holes marred her nun’s habit. Yet, remarkably, none managed to penetrate the underlying fabric.

The Church’s nun’s habits were inherently blessed, offering a specific degree of protection; indeed, the higher a nun’s rank, the more potent the blessing imbued into her attire. As a fifth-tier Beheading Nun, Lovelenica’s habit boasted formidable defensive properties. When combined with the protection offered by her Ring of Arrow Evasion, the bullets’ residual kinetic energy simply proved insufficient to breach her habit.

Still locked in her aiming stance, the black-haired girl was utterly bewildered. Not only had Lovelenica refused to dodge, but she had also completely shrugged off the barrage of bullets. With her left hand resting on the foregrip and her right gripping the handle, the girl’s posture rendered any swift transition to a slashing attack impossible.

“Clang—”

With a crisp, decisive slash, the hunting rifle gave way, snapping cleanly in two down the middle. Though the black-haired girl had instinctively released the weapon and leaped backward, a bloody gash still marred her palm, blood trickling towards her fingertips. Had her evasion not been so timely, her entire wrist might well have been severed.

With no other recourse, the black-haired girl unleashed her crimson claws, thrusting them forward to parry the gun-sword that was now arcing towards her.

Yet, to the black-haired girl’s bewilderment, Lovelenica’s strength seemed to have significantly diminished. With only a light parry, she found herself able to push Lovelenica back.

Having been repelled, Lovelenica did not press her assault. Instead, she halted, assuming a defensive posture that radiated extreme wariness.

The black-haired girl cast a quick glance into the distance, her eyes falling upon another golden figure, clad in a nun’s habit, hurrying towards their location. In that instant, she grasped the true reason behind Lovelenica’s sudden change in tactics.

‘So, that’s her game,’ the black-haired girl mused. ‘She believes I can’t escape, so she’s taken a defensive stance to prevent a desperate, last-ditch counterattack?’

The black-haired girl pondered Lovelenica’s intentions, her thoughts swirling.

Lovelenica, however, harbored no such thoughts. Instead, her mind was currently filled with a silent, exasperated lament directed at the black-haired girl.

‘Hold on, hold on! Is that truly all you’ve got left?!’

‘Your face was as unreadable as a stone tablet, making me believe you had countless trump cards hidden away. So, it’s truly just the meager abilities described in the original novel? Why, then, did you bother to put on such a composed facade?!’

‘If Lucia arrives shortly, she’ll likely incinerate you with Holy Fire until nothing but ashes remain. How, then, am I to gather information or absorb your power? For goodness sake, couldn’t you conjure up another escape method?’

Lovelenica, having diligently read the original work, had been convinced that her opponent was formidable. Now, she realized the black-haired girl’s perceived strength stemmed solely from her initial ambush that incapacitated Imeline, combined with the significant magical drain on Lucia and her companions.

‘After taking a fifth-tier spell from Imeline, she couldn’t even stand against me directly…’ Lovelenica paused, correcting herself. ‘No, that’s not quite right. I am, after all, a fifth-tier nun. Under normal circumstances, I should be able to contend with a Vampire who has only just reached the Profane-level.’

In essence, Lovelenica’s original plan was to deplete the black-haired girl’s strength as much as possible. Once the girl attempted to flee, Lovelenica intended to instruct Lucia and the others to remain on standby. She would then transform into her Bloodkin form, pursuing the girl to interrogate her for information. Failing that, she could simply absorb her power.

This very objective was why she had specifically instructed Lucia to guard Attestor earlier.

Yet, to her surprise, Lucia had followed. Lovelenica had distinctly commanded her to protect Attestor. Apparently, Attestor required little safeguarding, even permitting Lucia to join the chase.

Even more unexpectedly, the black-haired girl wasn’t as strong as Lovelenica had imagined. She had now cornered the girl, who seemed to have no remaining means of escape. If that were the case, how could she possibly absorb the black-haired girl’s power?

“You,” Lovelenica’s voice was frigid as she glared at the black-haired girl, “where did you obtain this power?”

“No comment.”

“Heh, tell me honestly, and I’ll let you go. What do you say?”

“Do you truly believe anyone would fall for such a ploy?”

Listening to the black-haired girl’s retort, Lovelenica felt a surge of exasperation. She might as well have just told the girl outright that she intended to let her escape; Lucia’s assistance was still far enough away not to overhear her.

Lovelenica lunged at the black-haired girl, passing her in a blur. Crimson and silver arcs once again slashed through the air.

The two sharp swords in Lovelenica’s hands snapped instantly, and a large tear ripped through the hem of her nun’s habit. Yet, the black-haired girl remained utterly unharmed.

Suddenly, Lovelenica collapsed to her knees amidst the ruins. The black-haired girl’s eyes flickered, a hint of surprise and confusion crossing her features. She glanced at Lovelenica, half-kneeling on the ground, then instantly darted away, fleeing into the distance. Once beyond the confines of the sword array, her suppressed abilities instantly returned. She transformed once more into a long, black shadow, weaving swiftly through the buildings.