【Name: Veyralis】
【Level: LV76】
【Racial Traits: Rapid Adaptation, Shadow Affinity】
【Skills: Shadow Shift LV10, Shadow Mark LV10, Shadow Control LV10, Enchanting Voice LV10, Physical Resistance LV10, Magic Resistance LV10... Regeneration LV9, Abyssal Magic LV9... Multiple Will LV6...】
A ward full of lunatics, huh...
Veyralis looked like a girl of fifteen or sixteen, her violet eyes shimmering faintly with seductive allure—clearly bearing the widely spread succubus bloodline among half-demons.
However, the tail swaying behind her was not the heart-shaped kind typical of succubi, but rather long, slender, and flexible, its black arrowhead tip twitching restlessly with her mood.
Her petite frame was wrapped in black markings—living tattoos that writhed and shifted with her wild laughter.
“Hahahahahahaha!” The girl’s mouth curled into a nearly torn, grotesque grin. “I—I’ve never seen such a round vampire before! Hey, if you turned into a bat right now, would you become a fat little bat that couldn’t even fly?”
She even reached out playfully to pat Sigismund’s belly, only for him to raise a hand and block her without expression.
Outwardly, Sigismund showed no emotion, but inwardly his rage was churning. Yet that fury wasn’t directed at Veyralis’s mockery.
He had expected this. With his current appearance, mockery from Veyralis, Elinor, or even his old rival Alamar was inevitable.
What truly caught him off guard was—
“Pff—hahaha, fat bat!” The voice of the true culprit echoed in his mind, utterly unbothered, making him almost want to perish together out of sheer frustration.
Veyralis finally finished laughing and tilted her head, speaking in a syrupy tone: “But still... so round and soft—kinda cute, actually. I like it, Sigismund~”
That voice carried power. Behind him, several of Sigismund’s Blood Knights grew dazed, their eyes glassy.
However, Sigismund, who was already on guard, was unaffected. The moment she uttered the word “like,” he reacted instantly.
Blood Manipulation · Barrier!
A thick blood shield condensed before him in an instant. At the same moment, several shadow spikes erupted from beneath Veyralis’s shadow, striking the shield with a heavy hiss.
Blocking that sudden assault, Sigismund didn’t hesitate—his bulky frame moved with surprising grace as he leapt backward several meters, widening the distance between them.
Behind him, the Blood Knights regained their senses, drew their weapons, and let dense blood energy coil around their blades. Crimson light flashed in their eyes as they locked onto Veyralis, ready to strike the moment their master gave the order.
But Sigismund simply stood coldly, saying nothing.
“Tch.” Veyralis pouted, feigning a deeply hurt expression—as if she weren’t the one who had just tried to kill him.
Her arrow-tipped tail smacked the ground irritably, making a light tapping sound.
“Really now, I just said I liked you, and you dodge me like that… I only wanted to get a little closer.”
“Spare me.” Sigismund didn’t want to get entangled with this unpredictable lunatic. His gaze shifted toward the army resting behind her as he asked the only thing that mattered to him: “Where’s your Abyssal Beast?”
“You mean my little cutie?” Veyralis blinked her purple eyes. “Visarius borrowed it to play with.”
“The Prince took it...” Sigismund muttered, a little disappointed. He had hoped to use that creature for a brutal strike against Alamar.
“The news of your arrival here won’t stay hidden for long. We have to move quickly. I’ll brief you on the plan later. Until then, you and your troops—” his tone hardened, “—stay put. No wandering.”
With that, he didn’t wait for Veyralis’s inevitable nonsense reply. His body flared with bloodlight and transformed into a fat bat, flying back toward the Scarlet Tower.
Truth be told, he wished he could do as Elinor did—stay far, far away and never meet this deranged woman at all.
Still, among the three Dukes, someone had to bear the burden of coordination—and that unfortunate duty fell to him.
For now, a mere probing attack was still acceptable.
“Why did she attack you just now?” Lin Jun’s voice sounded in his mind, this time stripped of its teasing tone. After all, Veyralis had just attacked their shared body!
“Who knows what goes on in that crazy woman’s head... Anyway, don’t let her like you.” For the sake of his own body’s safety, Sigismund warned seriously, “Better yet, don’t meet her at all.”
“She controls shadows? What kind of hybrid is that?”
“Troll, succubus, and shadow demon.”
“Troll and succubus I get, but... shadow demon? Isn’t that more like an elemental being? Succubi can mate with those now?” Lin Jun felt his worldview cracking once again.
“That, I don’t know,” Sigismund replied. “Only that His Majesty found her in a demon lord’s laboratory.”
“A demon lord’s... laboratory?”
Lin Jun wanted to ask more about the demon lord, but whether Sigismund truly didn’t know or simply didn’t want to say, he couldn’t get any more information.
And when they returned to the Scarlet Tower, Lin Jun received a piece of bad news—
Of his two loyal half-vampire subordinates, only one and a half came back?!
…
Northwest Frontline.
When the Abyssal Beast appeared on the horizon, the morale of the Allied Kingdom Army visibly collapsed.
It was as if something had defiled the very concept of life itself.
Dragon’s head, bear’s body, scorpion’s tail—and a pair of massive, tattered wings from different creatures—an abominable amalgam enlarged to mountain size.
Every step it took made the earth groan, vibrations climbing up through soldiers’ legs, shaking their bones and courage alike.
It was not a creature of nature’s making, but a horror torn straight from the deepest nightmares.
Duke Brennus, the commander, spoke in a dry, trembling voice. His silk gloves were soaked with sweat from constantly wiping his brow.
“W-what... what should we do?” he asked instinctively, as though seeking salvation from the figure beside him.
Sword Saint Elvian’s gaze swept over the silent, terrified army camp and then returned to the monstrous form afar. His voice carried weary resolve. “We’ll just have to cut it down... That purple glow in its chest should be the core, right?”
“Master, are you sure about this?” Fifteen asked anxiously.
Elvian’s hand rested on his sword hilt. “First time trying. We’ll find out soon enough.”