Chapter 83: Combat Synergy

"Watch out! This creature is drawn to blood—you're its target!" Wang Yu shouted toward the soldiers and mages in the distance.

Wang Yu had finished assessing this vampire's strength. Its body surpassed the capabilities of even an advanced knight. It would easily overwhelm any of the three warriors present—Wang Yu, Edward, or the squad captain.

Even working together, the three of them were barely able to defend against it. The vampire's ridiculous power and extraordinary regenerative abilities made it nearly unstoppable.

With such a vast gap in strength, weaker individuals would be utterly suppressed. Numbers were meaningless—ordinary soldiers were nothing more than fodder.

Not only that, by consuming their blood, the vampire could recover at an alarming rate. The soldiers would only serve as rations for the vampire. If it were to plunge into their ranks, no one present would survive.

Wang Yu and the squad captain both tried to intercept it, as did Edward, who was closest. However, they soon realized that when this vampire truly wanted to evade them, they had no chance of landing a blow.

Previously, the vampire hadn't bothered to dodge because it hadn't needed to. When Edward charged with all his might, the vampire simply planted a grotesquely elongated limb on the ground and swatted Edward aside with ease.

Its speed was even more terrifying on land than in the air. Its body wasn't naturally built for flight; without magical support, even its massive wings were barely enough to lift its dense frame.

The ground served as an anchor for the vampire's immense strength. It was now able to dart across the battlefield like a crimson streak, barreling toward the cluster of soldiers two hundred meters away.

Wang Yu sprinted after it, knowing full well he couldn't stop the vampire. Its sudden display of cunning surprised him. He would do his best to mitigate the losses and use every means at his disposal to destroy it.

Yet he soon realized his mistake. He wasn't the sole pillar of this team.

Just because he couldn't hold back the vampire didn't mean the Nightblades' soldiers and mages were helpless. He had fought alone for so long that he hadn't yet adjusted his mindset. His teammates were no amateurs.

"Draw blood! Mages, summon a tornado!" Avia shouted, her attention razor-sharp. Despite the vampire's formidable body, the distance it had to cover was large enough that the soldiers and magicians had time to react.

Avia's thoughts raced. Was it intelligent? That was impossible. Intellect couldn't emerge so easily. The answer was clear: this mindless beast wasn't cunning; it was simply bloodthirsty.

If it wanted blood, they would give it blood. The Nightblades' terrifying discipline became evident. The soldiers swiftly slashed their own skin, choosing spots that wouldn't hinder combat but would bleed profusely. Within three seconds, fresh blood flowed from each of their bodies.

By the fourth second, the magicians completed their wind spells that they had prepared in advance. A gale rose, spiraling upward, and carried the soldiers' blood into the air. A colorless tornado turned crimson as it gathered their blood, forming a bloodstorm.

By the fifth second, the vampire was merely ten meters away. A massacre seemed inevitable; the predator had become a tiger among sheep. Yet, as the bloodstorm clashed with the vampire, the situation changed dramatically.

The bloodstorm was no more than strong wind interspersed with drops of blood. Against this fearsome vampire, it was utterly harmless, incapable of even scratching its skin.

Even so, the harmless whirlwind immobilized the vampire. It stopped dead in its tracks, extending its additional limb-like appendages toward the storm as it frantically swiped at the torrent of blood overhead.

Wang Yu understood what had happened with a single glance. The vampire was simply operating on primal instinct. It had judged the soldiers to be easier targets than Wang Yu or Edward.

And now, with blood swirling all around it, the vampire believed it had found an effortless feast. Engulfed by the bloodstorm, it abandoned all thought of defense and focused solely on absorbing the illusory bounty.

Meanwhile, Edward reached the scene. Avia cast a flash of light to grab his attention while Charles, hidden among the soldiers, used a second upright Chariot to reinforce Edward with another protective shield.

Edward glanced toward the flash and immediately understood Avia's intent. He charged forward at full speed, activating the knight's secret art, Steel Sunlight. Surrounded by two layers of shields, Edward slammed into the vampire—straight toward the enormous vat that the mages had been using to produce chlorine. The pool, originally filled with brine, had long since transformed into concentrated hydrochloric acid. Its corrosive power far surpassed that of the gas.

The mages were indisputably capable. What would have been impossible for the knights had been trivial for them. The tornado required little magic, and the mages had split their attention and begun preparing other spells. Water coalesced, animating the pool of concentrated acid and transforming it into a writhing serpent.

The acid serpent rose, its corrosive body menacing. At the mages' command, it lunged at the frenzied vampire trapped in the bloodstorm.

The acid corroded the vampire's flesh the moment it made contact. The acidic serpent coiled around the vampire, dissolving everything it touched.

The acid invaded the vampire's body through every orifice—its nose, eyes, and more—in order to destroy it from within.

With what little blood it had left, the vampire furiously regenerated from the corrosion. It struggled desperately to escape the acidic torrent, but the acid serpent kept writhing under the mages' precise control, preventing it from touching solid ground. Without any leverage, it couldn't escape the corrosive storm.

Just as the vampire mustered its tremendous strength, flapping its massive, paddle-like wings to propel itself free, Edward appeared. Without hesitation, he plunged his blade into its wings, which were large relative to the rest of its body and much more fragile.

Already weakened by the acid, the wings gave way under Edward's strike. One wing was severed entirely in one blow.

The vampire, now off-balance, spun wildly in place. Unable to escape, it was at the mercy of the acidic serpent, its body dissolving with each passing moment. Without blood to sustain it, the vampire faced an inevitable death. Edward was likewise surrounded by acid, but the two barriers of magic and fighting spirit around his body were inert to acid and protected him.

The combination of warriors and magicians had a synergistic effect beyond that which either group could have produced on their own; this was also why they were an unstoppable force on the battlefield.

Edward fixed his gaze on the vampire. His only task now was to drag things out. If he could stall long enough, the vampire would be consumed by the overwhelming acid. Without blood to replenish its strength, the vampire would surely perish.

However, things took an unexpected turn. On a nearby hill, a group of people appeared—middle-aged men and women accompanied by a handful of children who seemed to be on an outing. Upon witnessing the scene, they reared back. The children retreated from the area under the adults' guidance.

"Children from the orphanage? Did they just happen to stumble across our mission here?" Avia had a clear view of the people on the hill from her vantage point. She glanced briefly at them before refocusing on the battlefield.

But the instant she looked away, the tide of the battle shifted dramatically. The vampire abruptly ceased its struggles.

Before Edward or anyone else could react, a blood-red tendril burst forth from the vampire's chest. It pierced through two layers of Edward's defenses, penetrated his heavy chest armor, and sank deeply into his flesh.

No one could fathom how the vampire had mustered such a surge of power. The relentless acid should already have drained the creature's regenerative abilities.

The tendril embedded itself in Edward, ravenously sucking up his blood, while acid from the wound seeped into his body, corroding his flesh.

Pain flickered across Edward's face for an instant, but it was swiftly replaced by resolute determination. Brief memories flashed through his mind. The composed knight let out a wild laugh, a silent roar of defiance. He would not retreat!

Both of his hands shot out, clutching the vampire's tendril with an iron grip. If the vampire wanted to kill him, then they would perish together in this sea of acid. Either the vampire would die from acid corrosion, or Edward would die from blood loss.

One person on the battlefield saw much more than anyone else did. Via his ripples, Wang Yu could see a colossal blood-red eye materializing behind the vampire. It was none other than Erphine, the Font of Life.

How could he suddenly have appeared? Wang Yu had no time to ponder this conundrum. Erphine's presence changed nothing: the vampire still had to be eliminated.

Glancing at Edward—who held the vampire in a death grip even with the tendril lodged in his body—Wang Yu broke into a similarly crazed grin. He was glad to have such dependable allies. Now, it was his turn to act.

"Magicians, stop the acid! Charles, swap my position with Edward's!" Wang Yu roared, his mind reaching out to a familiar deity. "Lady of the Night, please assist me."

The tall, black-robed Lady nodded, granting her power to her believer—or rather, her friend.

Charles wasted no time. He was a true prodigy of spatial magic, one whose mastery rivaled and possibly even surpassed Avia's. He tossed a tarot card to Wang Yu. One was already attached to Edward. With a flash of light, their positions were exchanged.

Without hesitation, and with full trust in their allies, the magicians dissolved the acid serpent.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Now, it was Wang Yu who had the tendril piercing his body—but he had already downed the Heart of Molten Fire and activated Bloodburn Drive. The explosive surge of energy from the potion and the technique caused his blood to burn with such intensity that it was nearly aflame.

Facing the vampire, Wang Yu's lips moved as he recited the invocation for the Lady of the Night's power. A field of darkness enveloped him and the vampire, cutting them off from the outside world.

The spell itself had no offensive capability—but Wang Yu didn't need the Lady's help to kill his enemy. All he needed was for her to keep Erphine out of the fight.

In the void that lay beyond reality, the Lady of the Night and Erphine stood atop a vast lake beyond expanse. The Lady glanced at the distorted, grotesque eye, her veiled face betraying a hint of pity—but mostly indifference. With a soft sigh, she muttered, "A pitiful thing."

Raising her black-clad hand, she used Wang Yu invocation as a medium to draw down a veil of shadows, isolating herself and Erphine from the battlefield. The rest was up to her bishop.

Back in the battle, Wang Yu mercilessly pumped his scorching blood into the vampire through the tendril. "You like drinking blood, don't you? Then take as much as you want—this blood is full of energy!"

Wang Yu pushed Blood Tempest to its limit. Each drop of blood became an extension of his will. He had never weaponized the technique to such an extent before, but now was the perfect time.

His blood rampaged through the tendril, flooding into the vampire's body. Perhaps he was losing too much blood, but with Avia around, he could recover from anything that didn't kill him outright.

Through his ripples, Wang Yu's mind tracked the progress of his blood as it entered the vampire. Though light-headed from blood loss, he attempted to focus. His spirit sharpened as he felt a response from his blood.

"Die, you abomination," Wang Yu growled. Through his ripples, he activated Blood Tempest, linking all the scorching blood within the vampire's body. Then, he detonated it.

The darkness dispersed. Wang Yu knelt, pale and exhausted, but alive. The vampire, however, was riddled with countless spikes formed from the explosive blood, dead beyond a doubt. The spikes radiated heat, sizzling and steaming—a testament to the power of Blood Tempest.