Lawson saw the monster in front of him. Terror paralyzed him. All his senses screamed danger; his entire body was on high alert, as if he were facing an apex predator.
Never in his life had he heard of a vampire... mistake, at least not a monster like that.
A memory flashed through his mind: an old lesson in church during his training as a hunter.
"Remember. If you ever encounter a Romanian vampire, especially one who controls the 'Blood'."
"They are like walking humanoid weapons of mass destruction, because they are direct descendants of that demon who brought calamity to the world... Vlad Tepes. If you encounter such a vampire during a hunt... retreat immediately!"
'Retreat? When the descendant of that demon is here? I'm sorry, but I won't comply with that order. A soldier of God cannot flee,' Lawson thought with a slight smile.
"On guard! Use your Level 4 protections! A Class A vampire is in front of you!" he shouted, grabbing his sword with both hands.
"Yes, sir!"
He opens his eyes and speaks in a neutral voice: "Heavenly Father, I turn to you for protection. Bless my allies with the protection of your power!"
Suddenly, a golden energy begins to cover Lawson's allies; little by little, the hunters are enveloped in a protective layer; their armor is covered by a golden glow.
"God, bless my hammer!" said Lucas, the bald hunter, and his hammer was formed by a denser golden energy.
Soon, the other hunters cast spells similar to Lucas's.
The creature that has just arrived looks at the hunters, and its smile widens; they feel their bodies shudder at the sight of this creature's teeth, but before they can do anything, the creature moves its arm, and a large ball of blood condenses on its finger.
Lawson opens his eyes: "Protect yourselves!"
The most experienced hunters waste no time and raise their shields, preparing for impact.
BOOOOOM!
A large cloud of dust rose after the creature's powerful attack. A few seconds later, the dust dispersed, revealing a large crack in the pavement and several injured hunters.
The moon reflected off the creature's blood-red wings as Sesha looked at it, somewhere between surprise and relief.
"You're late, husband," but suddenly, Sesha looked at it in confusion. "What happened to you? What is that shape?"
Sesha looks at Lucien's "face," if you can call it that, and several thoughts run through her mind: 'How did he get here? What is that shape? Now with him here, we have a chance to escape.' She looks at Kronii, who has not finished healing due to the energy used by the church.
When Lucien looked at Sesha's body and saw her condition, deep inside, he heard the sound of a chain; suddenly, his body began to lose its shape, turning into a dark composition.
The hunters felt the world lose color for a second; they could all sense the strong, murderous intent and forgot to breathe. That 'thing' was too terrifying.
Feeling Lucien's gaze, they feel their hearts tighten, their bodies grow heavier... and deep inside them, they feel an emotion awaken: fear... fear of this unknown creature.
"Tsk." Lawson clicks his lips. He will not let his will be broken by the devil's son, and he speaks softly: "Heavenly Father, allow my mind to calm and my heart to be still. Cleanse me of worries and fill me with the peace that only You can provide."
The golden energy concentrates in his hand, and then he squeezes it like a tomato, and this energy travels toward the hunters.
Suddenly, they felt the fear leave their bodies, and they began to calm down; everyone felt peaceful, it was like returning to the warm embrace of your mother... but this did not last long, because Lucien made a move.
All they saw was a red lightning bolt flash past them; suddenly, several heads fell to the ground, and Lucien appeared on the other side with multiple hearts, squeezing them and drinking their blood.
This display terrified the hunters. The only ones who didn't lose their composure were Lawson and Lucas, who were veteran hunters... but the rest had already turned pale.
"M-Monster!" shouted a hunter and ran away, not wanting to become food for that thing.
"It destroyed our lord's protection..." Lawson muttered in disbelief and couldn't help thinking, 'I was wrong to try to hunt this thing...'. But quickly his expression hardened.
"No, this is my job that was given to me; my faith cannot falter." He looks at that thing and orders:
"Lucas!"
"Yes!"
Lucas runs toward Lucien and attacks him with his mace covered in golden energy... but it sinks as if he had struck a dark substance; Lucien looks at the mace even though he feels like he is being burned at 1000 degrees, smiling as if it were nothing.
"You're mocking me!" Lucas attacks him again multiple times, but fails to hurt Lucien.
Lucien grabs him by the head, pulls him close to his eyes, and says, "&%#$%&."
Lucas doesn't understand anything, but he feels his blood heat up, his body swell as if it were decomposing, and explode like a watermelon.
Pop!
A heavy silence fell, but it only lasted a few seconds until Lucien's laughter was heard.
"HAHAHAHA~!" This feeling he feels is too intoxicating, and part of his mind is on Sesha.
Lucien stops laughing and runs toward two hunters, holding their heads as if they were watermelons and flashing a huge, distorted smile.
"P-Please... don't kill me..." begged the hunter, but this only made the creature smile even more.
Lucien smashes the hunters' heads like coconuts!
CRACK!
Everyone present heard the sound of bones breaking.
"What a beautiful sound..." Lucien's body returned to its previous form, and he looked at the hunters with a smile. "Don't you agree?"
Seeing the expressions of terror on the hunters' faces, who have lost all will to fight, his smile only grows wider.
"We must flee..." A hunter spoke fearfully, swallowed hard, and shouted, "We cannot fight this monster!"
"Are you going to run away from these demons? We have to kill them!" asked a more fanatical hunter.
"Damn it, I'm not going to die for something stupid like that!"
'Is that the attitude of a hunter?' Lawson couldn't be more disappointed. They weren't the same ones who would give their lives for God, but when faced with the devil, they flee. So weak is their faith. He sighs and looks at the creature.
He can see that this creature lacks experience; it has a lot of raw power, yes, he has no doubt about that, but the way it displays its power is ineffective, so he has no choice but to make a decision.
Sacrificing his life to gain more power.
And he begins: "Oh Father, I offer you my life for your love, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins that so offend the Immaculate Heart of Mary! AMEN!"
Suddenly, a pillar of white energy with golden hues falls upon his body; his western sword grows in size, becoming a great sword.
Lawson, covered in this white and gold energy, crouches down; he bends his knees and, with a push, damaging the ground beneath him, flies like a missile toward Lucien.
When he approached Lucien, he swung his large sword diagonally with a neutral expression.
Realizing the danger, Lucien covered his body with lightning, and then the hunter's voice was heard.
"It's useless, it's too late now. Die, son of the devil!" he said with a fanatical grin, as the sword melted in his hand, just like his armor.
Lucien didn't understand what the hunter meant until he saw a white line on his chest; suddenly, he felt a pain he had never experienced in his life.
He clutches his bleeding chest and slowly feels the strength begin to drain from his body as he falls heavily to the ground.
"LUCIEN!" Sesha cried out in concern when she saw her husband unconscious.
"Hahahaha! I have killed the devil's son!" Lawson laughed like a man possessed; he inhaled sharply and, on the verge of collapse, shouted, "Listen to me! That monster has fallen: now is your chance!"
He put his hand on his chest, his smile faded, and in a weak voice, he murmured, "Do it... I no longer have the strength..." Then he closed his eyes forever.
Seeing it fall, the hunters felt hope return to the pit of their stomachs. They looked at each other for a moment, as if they had finally read the sign, and burst into a run: cries of spells rang out in unison, they would not let this one chance slip away!
"Damn it!" Sesha used her gravity power to the fullest to prevent the hunters from approaching her husband: "Kronii!"
Kronii, who has recovered much more, runs using her vampiric speed.
The hunters see a vampire approaching at full speed, and some prepare to face her, as they have the numerical advantage.
"Die!" Kronii increases her striking speed, her eyes glowing a deep blood red.
"Hahck!"
"Kugh!"
"Huek!"
Several hunters died when Kronii's claws pierced their throats, but she was quickly surrounded by more hunters.
Meanwhile, the rest approached Lucien's body, which lay unconscious on the ground with a deep wound in his chest.
One of the hunters managed to escape Sesha's gravitational pull and raised his sword with a savage grin.
"Die, you cursed monster!" he shouted.
The blade came down, and...
Suddenly, a wall of crimson flames erupted between the hunter and his prey. The heat caused the air to warp; the hunter's cross began to melt as he backed away, screaming.
Then a soft, sensual voice was heard.
"My husband is very popular."
The fire split in two, allowing a woman with reddish hair that shone like lava in the wind to pass through.
Her eyes, the same color as blood under the moonlight, rested on the petrified hunters.
She wore a black dress that hugged every curve of her body, covered by a short jacket with a high collar and wide sleeves, with golden buckles that sparkled with every step.
The silence was absolute.
Only the crackling of the fire behind her could be heard.
"M-Madam Scarlet!"