The room was filled with thick metallic blood.
At its center sat a peculiar figure, a faint smile curling on his lips.
"So, even the Bounty Hunter failed... how disappointing, But I'm not like the rest of these weaklings."
He slowly rose from his seat, eyes glinting with menace.
"Let me show you why they call me Duke of council."
The girl stepped into the main hall, dagger firm in her grip. Darkness cloaked the room, and the air was thick with the scent of blood. The room was vast filled with many valuable chairs. Ornate boxes lined the edges, filled with glittering treasures untouched by time. No one seemed to be present.
Then, faint footsteps echoed in the stillness. Her instincts flared. She raised her guard, eyes narrowing, The danger was approaching towards her.
From the behind, a large shadowy figure appeared without a sound. It was Duke Heon, emerging from the darkness. He struck directly at her neck, aiming for her blind spot. Just as the attack was about to land. The girl dodged the attack from 2 cm away and quickly created distance between them.
Duke Heon spoke.
"Now I understand your ability. When you're within 2 cm of danger, your body moves on its own to protect you. Isn't it?."
The girl said nothing and stood silently in a defensive stance.
"It's not a problem for me," he said coldly, "because I am a naturally superior being than you."
He launched his sharp claws, aiming once again for her neck. Just like before, when the attack came within 2 cm, the girl dodged effortlessly. The claws struck the ground instead, tearing through it and causing massive destruction.
The girl finally spoke.
"You're different from the other vampires, stonger and smarter. You must be the one who tortured Karlos, right? I'm here to avenge him."
Suddenly, a fast punch came flying toward her face. This time, it closed the distance even more, it closes the gap just 1 cm away. The sheer force behind it shattered the wall behind her, leaving a trail of destruction.
Yet still, she managed to dodge in time.
"So, you want to avenge him? He was just a foolish leader who fell into our trap. How much did he offer you? I'll pay you more. Switch sides, and I'll forget everything that happened here. Sounds like a good deal, doesn't it?"
A sharp dagger suddenly slashed toward Duke Heon's neck, his head was dropped to the ground in an instant.
"Even if you offered your life, it still wouldn't be enough. We don't kill for money, we kill for a reason."
But the vampire duke's head began to regenerate, while the severed one decayed into dust.
"So, you've chosen death itself. What a shame... to lose a rare gem like you."
Suddenly, multiple versions of Duke Heon emerged from the shadows. Dozens of them rushed toward the girl, aiming to kill. But every time an attack came within a single centimeter, she dodged flawlessly again and again.
With each dodge, Duke Heon's speed and power had increased.
The entire council chamber was torn apart, reduced to dust by the sheer force of his blows.
Yet even then, he only managed to close the gap reaching just 0.5 centimeters from her.
Growing irritated, Duke Heon barely had time to react before a dagger slashed horizontally across his body, slicing him into countless pieces. For a moment, it seemed he had been defeated — dead and dismembered.
But then, the scattered fragments began to stir.
Each piece reassembled itself, regenerating rapidly until he was whole again.
"I told you," he sneered, "I am far superior. The more you cut me, the stronger I regenerate."
Without warning, he surged forward , his shadows were erupted in all directions, striking from every angle. This time, something had changed. He had broken through his limits.
He had evolved in mid-battle.
The dagger-wielding girl noticed the shift instantly. Gritting her teeth, she deflected every strike with lightning reflexes. Each clash between blade and shadow sent shockwaves tearing through the castle, reducing walls to rubble and pillars to dust.
The battle had become a storm fierce, relentless, and unstoppable.
They exchanged blows so many times that the entire castle began to shake. Debris fell like rain, cracks spread across the walls, but Duke Heon didn't care. He was enjoying it.
"This is getting fun," he grinned.
With a sharp hiss, he activated his secret technique, his body started twisting and morphing into a massive bat-like creature. His strength, speed, and senses all surged, enhancing every attribute. He launched a relentless assault, his claws and wings tearing through the air.
The castle couldn't withstand the chaos. Walls crumbled, the floor split apart, and the entire structure slowly began turning to dust. But to Duke Heon, none of it mattered to him as long as he was entertained.
The dagger-wielding girl stumbled slightly, breathing heavier than before. Still calm, she muttered:
"You're really one tough bastard. But let me show you a little trick."
In an instant, she kicked Duke Heon in the head, creating distance, then shifted into a new stance.
He narrowed his eyes.
"What... is that stance?" he muttered. It was the first time anyone had used such a form against him.
Before he could finish the thought, she vanished and in a split second, reappeared in front of him.
He welcomed the challenge and attacked without hesitation. But something was different.
Her movements were sharper. Faster.
She unleashed a flurry of slashes, too fast for the eye to follow. At first, Duke Heon felt nothing. But then he notice the sharp pain, Dozens of cuts opened across his body.
He tried to regenerate his body.
But her strikes only grew faster so rapid, so precise, that his regeneration failed to keep up.
She whispered coldly:
"Form One: Countless Strikes."
Before the final word left her lips, Duke Heon had already been reduced to dust, torn apart into unseen pieces.
She stood silently at the castle gate, her eyes falling on the lifeless body of Karlos.
"Your wish has been fulfilled," she whispered. "Duke Heon has been eliminated."
The first light of dawn crept over the horizon, casting golden rays across the battlefield, a gentle contrast to the destruction that surrounded her. The castle lay in ruins, the echoes of the fierce battle slowly fading into silence.
She slipped her bloodstained dagger back into her pocket and took a deep breath. Then, as if remembering something, she reached into her coat and pulled out a folded note.
she opened it with intrest and read the first line.
"The Myth of Yeos..."