Chapter 59: The Chase and the Shifting Form

Lucia and Lovelenica, though clearly less powerful than the Stone Giant, possessed far greater speed and nimbleness. The moment Lovelenica issued her warning, Lucia reacted instantly, dodging the attack.

She leaped backward, effortlessly evading the Stone Giant’s massive strike. Yet, in its wake, nearby houses collapsed with a thunderous roar.

The walls shattered under the Stone Giant’s immense bulk. Even though Lucia had dodged the direct blow, the sheer force of the impact sent her reeling, forcing her to sprawl atop the newly formed ruins.

Lucia glanced at the surrounding wreckage. Within those destroyed homes, sleeping residents had been caught unaware. Blood steadily seeped from beneath the fallen slabs, some individuals forever silenced in their slumber, others half-buried in the debris, their fates unknown.

“Bastard…”

Witnessing the horrific scene, Lucia immediately lifted her head from the ruins, her teeth grinding in fury as she searched for Rachel’s whereabouts.

However, after summoning her familiar, Rachel had instantly leaped onto a rooftop and fled towards the city’s outskirts.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely kill you! You damned Vampire!”

Lucia gripped her Gun-sword tightly, pushing off her knees to rise from the rubble.

This was all the Bloodkin’s fault. So many innocent residents had perished. She swore to kill that Bloodkin and avenge the fallen citizens and her comrades.

With that resolve, Lucia prepared to pursue Rachel in the direction she had fled.

“Lucia! Don’t chase her! We need to deal with this Stone Giant first!”

Seeing Lucia’s impulsive surge of anger, Lovelenica immediately extinguished the idea of pursuit from her mind.

Even if Rachel was currently in a weakened state, Lucia might not be able to defeat her. After all, Rachel was a Bloodkin, and no one knew what other tricks she might have up her sleeve.

Moreover, protecting the citizens was far more crucial than chasing Rachel. If the Stone Giant wasn’t dealt with quickly, the surrounding populace would suffer terribly. The recent roars had already startled some nearby residents awake; they didn’t understand what was happening, only that they needed to flee for their lives.

“…Understood!”

After Lovelenica’s admonition, Lucia regained her composure. Protecting the people was indeed paramount. Suppressing her burning anger, she began to devise a plan to defeat the Stone Giant.

As the two conversed, the Stone Giant once again raised its massive fist, bringing it down towards Lucia, who still stood amidst the ruins.

Just then, a colossal light shield abruptly materialized before Lucia.

It was the Priestess. From atop a nearby roof, she held a scepter, its gem glowing with a faint golden light, sustaining the shield before Lucia.

The Stone Giant’s fist slammed into the light shield, which shattered upon impact. Yet, the blow was repelled, bouncing the Stone Giant’s arm away.

“This power… is it actually a Fifth-tier? What exactly happened?”

The Priestess had, in fact, arrived with the Night Watch stationed in this district. They were still a step too late, allowing Rachel to escape.

“It’s a Vampire! She got away, and this is the familiar she summoned!”

Boom—

A massive fireball crashed into the Stone Giant’s chest, the immense force even causing the behemoth to tilt slightly.

While the Church’s Holy Power and blessings were potent against Fantasy Creatures, they struggled to inflict significant damage on a pure elemental familiar like this. Thus, the Night Watch Mages were the ones best suited to attack the Stone Giant.

A knight, shield raised, bravely stood before the Stone Giant, drawing its attention. From a distance, the Priestess continuously bestowed blessings and protections upon the knight, while the Mages relentlessly barraged the Stone Giant’s colossal form with their staffs.

“Saintess, please lend us your strength!”

During a lull in her incantation, the Priestess called for Lucia to join their fight. Then, her gaze shifted to Lovelenica, who was standing nearby.

“Lovelenica, quickly, pursue that Bloodkin! Your attacks are ineffective against the Stone Giant. Let the four of us handle it; you *must* eliminate that Bloodkin!”

“Very well, I’ll take care of it.”

Upon receiving the Priestess’s command, Lovelenica nodded. Despite being a Fifth-tier Beheading Nun, her attacks were indeed largely useless against this type of familiar. Lucia, at least, wielded Holy Fire that could incinerate anything, whereas Lovelenica possessed only ordinary Holy Power and slashing strikes.

With that, Lovelenica moved across the rooftops, pursuing Rachel, who was now little more than a distant black speck.

‘Teacher, you must… you must eliminate that creature…’

Watching Lovelenica’s retreating figure, Lucia found herself praying unconsciously.

Lovelenica was quite pleased with the current turn of events. She could sense Rachel’s familiar aura, making it imperative that she stop her. Now, with the Priestess dispatching her alone for the pursuit, she would not only have the opportunity to test her post-vampiric powers but also to uncover the truth behind that aura.

After sustaining her injuries, Rachel’s escape speed seemed to have significantly dwindled. Her figure grew larger in Lovelenica’s vision, now nearing, and they had both reached the city wall.

Rachel leaped high, scaling the towering city wall. Seeing this, Lovelenica immediately sprang from the rooftops, landing gracefully atop the wall herself.

“To think you actually followed…”

Rachel did not immediately vault over the wall to continue her escape. Instead, she stood waiting for Lovelenica. She turned, her crimson eyes, still weeping blood, glaring darkly at Lovelenica as she stepped onto the battlements.

“You lowly swine, are you truly so eager to meet your death?”

“Heh, don’t flatter yourself. I have no interest in you whatsoever. If it weren’t for something I need to know about you, I wouldn’t have bothered chasing you at all.”

Lovelenica idly scratched her ear with her pinky finger, completely dismissing Rachel.

“You’re not a born Bloodkin, nor were you embraced. I’m very curious where your power truly comes from.”

“You…”

Upon hearing Lovelenica’s words, Rachel was instantly struck with terror. She couldn’t comprehend how this human before her had discerned such a secret.

“Nonsense! I am Bloodkin, a monarch of the night! How dare a lowly human like you pass judgment on me!?”

“Heh, so you were once human, yet now you call humanity a lowly race?”

Splat—

Rachel ceased her bickering with Lovelenica; continuing the conversation would only infuriate her further. Before Lovelenica could finish speaking, Rachel blurred forward, appearing directly before her. Her left hand formed a claw, striking out towards Lovelenica’s chest.

To Rachel’s astonishment, Lovelenica neither dodged nor flinched, allowing Rachel to tear through her body.

However, as her sharp claws sank into Lovelenica’s chest, Rachel was startled to find no sensation of impact. The flesh in her grasp dissolved like sand, and Lovelenica’s form before her began to shift in an unsettling manner.

Lovelenica’s body gradually dissipated, transforming into a swarm of black bats. A crimson mist swirled around the multitude of bats, which then surged towards Rachel before coalescing once more a short distance behind her.

“You… How is this possible!?”