The huge dark figure stood perfectly still for several minutes as thick black clouds swiftly blanketed the sky. Heavy rain began to pour from the heavens. Decker stepped out from within the massive demon.
His clothes were tattered and his hair was a wild mess. He looked up through the shattered ceiling and felt the cold drops falling against his skin. He stretched out his hand and observed the water sliding down his fingers.
"Hehe, the heavens are crying for the Crimsons," he muttered.
However, his moment of victory was short. A spear suddenly cut through the air and pierced the dark giant directly in the chest.
The massive creature let out a low and guttural growl. Fury ignited within Decker. He gritted his teeth and rushed to the jagged edge of the ruined dining hall to see who had thrown the weapon. Looking down at the castle grounds, it did not take long for him to spot the perpetrators. Disgust twisted his face when he saw Reina and her companions standing far below in the rain.
He turned his gaze back to the giant dark figure. "Go kill them. They are nothing but annoying fucking insects, and I want them stepped on. Hard."
The giant dark figure let out a thunderous cry. It obeyed the command and leapt down from the castle heights. The massive creature caused the earth to shatter and a deafening boom echoed as its heavy feet made contact with the ground. As it landed, the dark energy within it surged. Reina watched in horror as the figure grew even taller and wider. Its massive shoulders expanded and its height increased as it drank in more of the power of Decker.
"Spread out!" Reina shouted. Her voice cut through the heavy rain and the chaos.
The head of the dark giant snapped toward her like a blur. Reina was now its first target and the monster wasted no time. It stepped forward and unleashed a devastating punch aimed directly at her.
"Blood Step!" Reina exclaimed.
She turned into a blur and narrowly dodged the heavy blow. The ground where she had just been standing completely shattered from the raw force of the attack.
"Attack the legs!" Paul ordered the three vampire knights.
They nodded their heads and instantly sprang into action. The knights targeted the left leg of the giant and swung their swords with all their might. However, hitting the dark figure was like striking an impenetrable iron wall. They slashed repeatedly and struggled in vain to pierce the tough dark skin of the creature.
"Our weapons do not seem to have any effect on this monster!" one of the vampire knights shouted in frustration.
"Stop complaining and keep hitting the leg!" a second knight urged. His voice was completely fueled by determination.
The dark giant figure, towering at nearly twenty-three feet, looked down at the two vampire knights relentlessly attacking its leg. It let out a faint growl, a low rumble that reverberated through the air, before retaliating. One vampire knight was swiftly kicked in the chest, the force knocking the wind out of him and sending him sprawling to the ground. The second knight was about to meet a similar fate when Helen, acting quickly, lunged in from the right and stabbed the giant's leg, causing a shallow but painful wound. This distraction was enough to divert the dark giant's attention.
As the giant turned its focus toward Helen, she had already retreated. Her instincts guided her to safety just in time. The knight who had been striking the leg of the giant also fell back and gasped for breath.
Reina rushed to join Helen. Both of them stared up at the colossal figure looming over them, its massive shadow stretching across the rain-slicked ground.
"What are we going to do about this monster, sister? Our swords cannot even pierce its skin!" Helen exclaimed. Frustration was evident in her voice as she gripped her useless weapon.
Reina hesitated. Her gaze was fixed on the dark giant. She had deliberately held back, observing every movement of the creature in hopes of identifying a single weakness.
"This monster is probably just too strong," Reina replied thoughtfully. "For now, I think our only option is to stall for time and look for an opening."
====
Caden, in the meantime, was engaged in a fierce exchange of blows with a dark shadow clone. The shadow swung its blade-like arm in a swift side slash, but Caden parried it with exceptional skill.
"Damn, I am not even fighting a living thing. How is this creature getting stronger as we go? I need to end this before things spiral out of control!"
Caden raised his spiritual force and dashed toward the shadow clone at full speed. He jumped high into the air until both of his feet reached the ceiling. Gravity should have pulled him back to the floor, but his feet stuck to the stone like glue.
With his long hair cascading downward toward the floor, he peered at the shadow clone from above. They locked eyes, and Caden felt a cold chill; there was no life or consciousness in the gaze of the creature.
"Come up and fight me, you fucking black turd," Caden shouted, beckoning the clone toward him.
Just as the words left his lips, a sudden tremor vibrated through the stone walls, shaking the entire castle to its foundations. Along with the physical shudder, a wave of chilling and suffocating power washed through the room. Caden felt his skin crawl as the surge of dark energy pulsed from somewhere else in the building. He frowned, momentarily distracted by the sheer weight of the presence, but he quickly ground his teeth and pushed the sensation aside. He could not afford to lose his concentration now; he had to keep his focus entirely on the monster standing below him.
The shadow clone looked at Caden emotionlessly and shook its head from side to side. Caden did not know what the creature was implying until it held out its hand. A dark energy ball formed in its palm. The shadow clone gave off a light, eerie chuckle before firing the dark energy attack straight at the ceiling.
The shadow clone looked at Caden emotionlessly and shook its head from side to side. Caden did not know what the creature was implying until it held out its hand. A dark energy ball formed in its palm. The shadow clone gave off a light, eerie chuckle before firing the dark energy attack straight at the ceiling.
"Blood Step!"
Not wanting to take the attack head-on, Caden turned into a blur and narrowly evaded the strike. The dark energy ball tore a hole through the ceiling. It seemed like a minor attack, but the precision and speed proved it was highly effective.
"Ick!" Caden gasped, caught off guard by the power of the blast. "What the...? This creature has that in its arsenal? I need to be more careful from now on. Otherwise, I will be in big trouble!"
The shadow clone unleashed more dark energy attacks. Caden ran along the ceiling, his feet pounding against the stone as he dodged each ball that hissed past him. The shadow clone followed from below, relentlessly firing dark energy balls in rapid succession.
Then, Caden spotted something on the ceiling that sparked an idea. He glanced down and saw the shadow clone hot on his heels. A grin spread across his face.
"Yes, keep following me, you fool," Caden whispered.
Caden ran along the ceiling, which was now riddled with small holes from the earlier attacks of the shadow clone. He reached a massive chandelier hanging overhead and deftly severed the chain. The heavy fixture plummeted toward the shadow clone below.
The chandelier struck with a heavy impact. It momentarily stunned the shadow clone, which had not anticipated such a clever tactic from the vampire. That split-second distraction was all Caden needed to seize his opportunity for a counterattack.
"Blood Strike Graceful Decapitation!"
Caden launched himself from the ceiling at full speed with both hands gripped tightly on the hilt of his sword. The stone cracked beneath his feet as he dove toward the shadow clone to end the battle. The clone had no time to react to the incoming assault. The blade of Caden pierced the neck of the shadow and cleanly severed its head from its shoulders.
"You were an annoying little prick," he muttered.
He walked over to where the head of the shadow clone lay on the floor. He stared down at it and spat on its face in contempt. Then, he slowly lifted his foot and brought it down with a heavy stomp, crushing the head into nothingness.
"Phew." He wiped the sweat from his forehead until a massive noise from outside caught his attention.
"Huh?"
He dashed to the window and his eyes widened at the sight of the colossal dark figure looming below.
"What the fuck is this?"
He scanned the grounds below, trying to make sense of the chaos. "Who the hell is fighting this monster?"
Then, he spotted his mother and the others locked in a desperate battle against the dark giant.
"Shit. I have to help them!"
====
Reina quickly issued orders to the vampire knights. "You lot are going to keep the giant busy while Helen and I charge up a full-powered Blood Punch. We need to damage this creature as much as possible!"
The knights nodded in agreement. "Yes, my lady!" they replied in unison.
One knight who had been kicked by the giant dark figure had already recovered and was ready to rejoin the fray. The three vampire knights led by Paul split up, attacking the giant from three different angles. "Try not to get hit by this creature!" Paul shouted to his comrades.
"Do you think this is going to work, sister?" Helen could not help but ask. Her voice was laced with concern as she watched the massive monster loom over them.
"I do not know," Reina admitted, her face tight with a grimace. "You already stabbed the creature with your sword, and I am pretty sure you infused the weapon with spirit force, but it barely left a mark. This is likely a demon."
"A demon?" Helen exclaimed. She gritted her teeth, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Did Decker really make a deal with a demon? How is this possible?"
"It is very much possible, sister. But this is no time to think about what happened. We need to defeat this creature, otherwise our whole clan will be killed," Reina said with a serious tone. "Let's begin."
They both began to charge their fists, drawing in their energy and preparing to unleash a powerful Blood Punch. Meanwhile, the vampire knight Paul became the primary target of the dark giant. The creature unleashed powerful punches that sent shockwaves rippling through the wet ground. Rubble, rocks, and mud splashed everywhere with each heavy blow from the giant. Paul managed to dodge the attacks just in time, his movements sharp and desperate.
Paul's anger had reached its boiling point. He ran up directly under the creature, dodging between its massive pillars of legs. "You fucker, making me run like a headless chicken!"
He jumped and stabbed the creature with everything he had, aiming for the area where a human's testicles would be. "Take this, you overgrown piece of shit!"
His sword was imbued with spirit force to increase the damage, but the attack was almost useless. The blade only left shallow scratch marks across the crotch of the giant. The creature looked down between its legs, its dark, empty eyes finding the tiny knight. It tried to grab Paul, but the vampire was too fast. Frustrated, the giant decided to change tactics and jumped high into the air.
Paul looked up and realized the massive weight of the monster was about to come crashing down.
"Retreat!"
The giant creature came crashing down with the weight of a falling mountain, stomping both of its massive feet into the earth and unleashing a violent wave of destruction. Dust and jagged debris choked the air as Paul shouted over the roar of the impact.
"My lady, we need your assistance! This battle is spiraling out of control!"
"We are ready," Reina replied, her voice steady despite the chaos. "Create an opening for us!"
The three vampire knights looked at each other and nodded in unison. They knew their role was to distract the beast long enough for the two female vampires to unleash their full power. With a fierce battle cry, Paul sprinted toward the dark giant and leaped high into the air until he was face-to-face with the monstrous figure. His muscles tensed as he delivered a powerful hook punch with everything he had.
The punch connected, but it felt like a mere tickle to the giant. Paul stared in horror, unable to believe the raw density of the creature.
"Impossible," he breathed.
The dark giant swatted the vampire toward the ground with a single, massive swing of its arm. The earth shook as Paul slammed into the dirt. He could feel bones snapping throughout his body. Just as the giant raised a fist to crush him into a paste, one of the other vampire knights moved. Using the Blood Step technique, the knight snatched Paul away just a split second before the killing blow landed.
"Hey, ugly!" a voice called out, slicing through the storm.
The giant turned toward the sound. Helen stood gracefully in the rain, her fist glowing a brilliant, lethal red. It looked like a polished ruby, rich and alluring, with dark veins snaking and pulsing beneath the skin.
"Blood Step!"
She turned into a blur and dashed toward the giant. With a tremendous leap, she closed the distance and landed within striking range of its midsection.
"Take this! Blood Punch!"
She unleashed a vicious strike directly into the abdomen of the monster. The attack would have ended almost any other opponent, but this was no normal enemy. It was a nightmare created by a demon. The impact sent the dark giant staggering back a few steps, but it quickly regained its balance and hissed. Helen stared in disbelief, her heart racing.
"How can this be?" she muttered, retreating to regroup.
"Let me give it a try, sis," Reina said, her voice heavy with the dread starting to grip her heart.
Without waiting for a response, she lunged forward. She aimed for the exact same spot Helen had hit, channeling every ounce of her strength into her arm.
"Blood Punch!"
The strike sent visible shockwaves rippling through the massive body of the giant. It stumbled back a couple more steps, but it did not fall. Cold sweat trickled down the back of Reina as despair began to creep in.
"This creature is unstoppable," she whispered. "How long can we keep this going before this demon kills us all?"
"Let me try, mother!"
A new presence bolted past Reina like a streak of lightning. Caden arrived, his fist glowing like a piece of blazing, white-hot iron.
"Burning Blood Punch!"
He drove his fist deep into the stomach of the dark giant. This time, the response was different. The creature was sent hurtling backward as if it were a child's toy flung across a room. A small, charred hole appeared in its midsection, hissing with the sound of escaping steam.
Caden stood his ground, his eyes burning with intensity. "Looks like you cannot stand against the flames of hell."