A Stunning Conclusion!

…Vladimir? Why is he here?

Isn’t this supposed to be an organization that worships an evil god?

…No, this should be an evil organization; there are quite a few guys who look like henchmen standing around him, probably all coming out of the big room with him.

It’s just… why is there a woman beside him? And she’s disheveled… it makes me almost not know where to look.

Perhaps seeing through my confusion, Vladimir smiled and clarified for me.

“Heh heh~ I was severely injured by you all before, so I’m using this organization, which has signed a contract with ‘us,’ to collect the blood of fresh young women to heal my wounds.”

Saying this, he bared his fangs and bit through the woman’s pale neck.

“Ah!”

The woman bitten first shrieked, then her expression increasingly distorted, leaving only a look of enjoyment.

The drained woman was tossed aside by him.

“Hmm… not bad, young women’s blood is indeed more delicious~”

Then, his gaze, like a lick, fell upon me.

“Your blood must be even sweeter, no? The fusion of the world’s most precious bloodlines… just thinking about it is unbearable~”

“You bastard…”

Through Senior Aina’s memories, I already knew the fate of those bitten by him.

Marked as a familiar, becoming his puppet, to be played with by him for their entire life.

…Presumably, the woman just drained would suffer the same fate.

“But you’re still useful now, I can’t enjoy you yet… well, you’ll be one of ‘us’ eventually~”

With a pleased expression, he spoke to me… no, to the person behind me:

“So, little Daniel, you absolutely cannot kill her, alright? And you all, no动手 [making a move/attacking] either.”

“…”

The black viper behind me watched with predatory eyes.

The other members merely looked at me, making no moves.

As expected, without orders from their superior, they wouldn’t act.

I was just about to relax…

“However, apart from that, you can do whatever you want~”

The instant he received the instruction, Daniel vanished from my sight.

As expected, he’s still aiming for behind me, isn’t he?

Gripping the short sword I had seized earlier, I immediately swung it behind me.

…However, I hit nothing; the short blade merely cut through the air.

“…?”

There was no time for confusion; a cold presence above instantly stole my attention.

He was actually hanging above my head!

The black viper dropped, its powerful momentum instantly tackling me!

“Clang!”

Fortunately, I forcefully parried his attack, saving my right arm from harm.

But… this guy, he’s so strong!

Matching him in strength was definitely not the best strategy, so I summoned several ice shards and shot them at him, forcing him back.

But before I could even regain my stance, his next wave of attacks surged forward like a tide.

He probably instinctively sensed the threat my magic posed to him, so his subsequent moves were tricky and swift, giving me no time to cast spells.

The most I could do was use some simple magic for defense, but beyond that, I couldn’t even find an opportunity to counterattack.

…Even at this point, I couldn’t defend against all attacks.

Scattered wounds appeared on my body, and the seeping blood had already stained my arm.

“Ah ah~ This posture is truly beautiful~”

Vladimir on the side was still making sarcastic remarks, watching us as if at a circus.

…Though irritating, his playful attitude was actually better for me.

Daniel alone was already more than I could handle; if Vladimir joined in, I probably wouldn’t last even a second.

But… even with just Daniel, continuing like this would surely lead to my defeat…

I had consumed a lot of stamina to take down the guard earlier, and now with such high-intensity fighting, my stamina was already faltering.

“Hmm… what a good show… how can such an interesting scene not be accompanied by delicious blood?”

Vladimir abruptly spoke.

…What does he mean?

I cast my gaze, only to find another woman in his hand.

Isn’t that the last person I saved!

“…呜呜!”

Seeing my surprised expression, Vladimir revealed a malicious smile.

“Miss Moonlight, did you really think I wouldn’t notice these little lambs you brought?”

“You…!”

He throttled her neck, and she looked pained.

“It seems you’ve been tainted by quite a bit of human aura, haven’t you? Still worrying about others even now… but do you truly have that luxury?”

It was this momentary anger that made me expose an opening.

The viper’s short dagger struck like a snake’s fangs.

“You are strong, but your kindness holds you back!”

Damn it… I can’t dodge it, and there’s no time to cast magic…!

…Could it be, this is the end?

“Bang!”

“Clang!”

Just as I closed my eyes, preparing to give up struggling, a violent sound echoed through the entire corridor.

At the same time, I felt a warmth.

When I opened my eyes again, what greeted me was a golden-haired beauty with a dignified smile.

“Sorry, Ailena, I’m late… no, perhaps I arrived just in time?”

She held me with one arm, and with the other, wielded her sword, maintaining a parrying stance… it seemed she had blocked Daniel’s attack in the nick of time.

…Gazing at the young lady’s profile, her spirited smile filled my vision. It was like a ray of dawn piercing the night, bringing me instant relief and making my heart pound.

At the same time, a magical reaction came from behind me, and a sharp wind blade sliced past us, aiming directly at Vladimir.

This magic… Young Master Claude came too?

Vladimir also noticed the attack directed at him, dropped the woman in his hand, and flickered away, dodging the wind blade.

“Oh dear, oh dear… I was just about to see Miss Moonlight’s face twisted in pain, what terrible timing.”

Vladimir suppressed his smile and shrugged.

“But now is not the time to fight you all…”

I had seen it countless times; his body sank into the shadows, attempting to escape again.

“Don’t think you can escape!”

Young Master Claude again unleashed several wind blades, but just like before, they failed to stop Vladimir from leaving.

“Let us meet again on the ‘Day of the King’s Awakening’.”

Only his voice remained, echoing in the corridor.

“…The troublesome guy is gone; now it’s time for us to settle our private grievances.”

The young lady raised her hand, the tip of her long sword pointing directly at Daniel.

“You’re the one who hurt Ailena?”

The young lady’s face darkened, her tone icy cold.

“…”

Daniel said nothing, only attacked relentlessly.

To avoid getting in the way, I slipped out of the young lady’s embrace, and she too held her sword with both hands, seriously facing the enemy.

The instant their distance closed, a powerful aura erupted around them… no, rather than an aura, it was a field composed of sword energy.

“Clang, clang, clang, clang!”

Their movements were so fast that even I could barely make out what was happening, only seeing the afterimages left by their swinging weapons.

The other organization members also reacted at this moment; they rushed towards the hidden women, probably preparing to abduct the weaker ones as hostages.

However… a wind barrier rose before them, preventing them from touching anyone in the slightest.

At the same time, Young Master Claude drew his sword, took a swift step forward, and instantly subdued those henchmen.

…Since Young Master Claude was taking action, I couldn’t just stand by.

Using what strength I had left, I seized an opportunity and hurled an ice shard at Daniel.

Of course… given Daniel’s abilities, this attack naturally couldn’t hit.

…But, it was enough to expose him for a split second!

“Thud!”

Just as I expected, the young lady’s long sword pierced Daniel’s side.

“Cough…!”

A smear of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

But even with serious injuries, he pulled the sword from his side, quickly exited the young lady’s attack range, and at the same time, threw a spherical object onto the ground.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, smoke billowed everywhere.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

By the time the smoke cleared, Daniel had vanished.

…Injured, he would probably encounter the female protagonist, and the kind Sophina would give him treatment—this was also a prerequisite for Daniel’s route.

But all of that matters little…

“Ailena! Let me see your wounds!”

Now, I just want to get some good sleep.

Lying in the young lady’s arms, I drifted into a deep slumber.