Chapter 15

Chapter 15
### Chapter 15

Ajantu (3)

Down in the subterranean level, several heavy metallic doors were fitted into the walls, while a desk and chair sat directly opposite them.

Nearby, a series of keys dangled from nails driven straight into the masonry.

‘The place is completely unguarded. Those captives could have easily slipped away.’

Peeking through the small viewholes of each metallic door, I found nearly all the cells completely abandoned.

Save for a single one.

Tucked into a far corner, a diminutive youth sat on the floor, pulling his limbs tight against his chest and curling inward.

He did not jump or move at all, even as he caught the impression of someone arriving.

Clank, squeak —!

Selecting the proper key, I unlocked the heavy barrier and stepped inside, watching his tiny frame give a sudden shiver.

“Hey there. Your sister is the one who sent me here. You’re Aaron, right?”

I kept my tone gentle, keeping my distance so as not to startle him, and the trembling youth slowly lifted his face. His cheeks were stained with tears, showing a mature weariness that mirrored Diana’s features perfectly.

“My sister? Is that true…?”

“Yes, Diana has been completely beside herself with worry for you. Let’s get you out of here and get you back home right away.”

“Huhh—sob, ugh, waaaah…”

The moment Diana’s name left my lips, all of Aaron’s terror seemed to vanish, and he dissolved into a fit of heavy weeping.

“It’s alright, you’re safe now. Take a deep breath. Wipe those tears away, we’re going to reunite you with your sister this very moment.”

“S-sob, sniff… Okay. Sir.”

Offering what comfort I could, I lifted Aaron into my arms and carried him out of the cell.

“We are heading toward the exit now. There are some unpleasant sights beyond this doorway, so make sure you keep your eyes tightly shut, understand?”

“Yes…”

Knowing such a grim scene would do no favors for a child’s mental state, I shielded his face as we made our exit.

To be absolutely certain, I pressed Aaron’s head against my chest, ensuring he couldn’t catch a glimpse of the surroundings.

“It smells like strong drink…”

Aaron whispered softly against me, but I chose to offer no reply. A heavy scent of alcohol was far preferable to the stench of slaughter, after all.

The moment we cleared the threshold of the Barkolak headquarters, Diana came sprinting toward us from the shadows, as though she had been keeping vigil from a distance.

“Aaron!”

“Sis—!”

Without a second thought, the two family members threw their arms around each other, weeping loudly in their relief.

Though I hated to disrupt such a profound moment, our current peril left me with very little choice.

“Hey, little ones? I hate to be a spoilsport, but could we perhaps save the tears for a safer location?”

“Sniff… I’m sorry, mister. I can’t thank you enough for bringing Aaron back to me. Are you unharmed, though? You didn’t get hurt in there, did you?”

Diana managed to regain her composure slightly, offering her profound thanks while keeping a tight grip on Aaron.

“Yes. Look at me. I’m completely fine, truly.”

“But your garments are covered in crimson stains…”

“Don’t worry about it, none of this belongs to me.”

A complete fabrication, naturally.

However, since I was functional enough to manage, I immediately pivoted to the matters at hand.

“Regardless, I still have some unresolved business to take care of here. Diana, I need you to take Aaron and head straight back to your house.”

“What? You aren’t retreating with us?”

“I’ll tie up these loose ends and track you down afterward. Until you hear from me directly, behave as though nothing out of the ordinary has occurred. Understand? Oh, and take this. It should help cover whatever expenses come up.”

I pressed some funds and a few of my personal assets into her hands. Diana stared at me intently for a beat before dipping her head in reluctant acceptance, leaning in to murmur quietly.

“You… you absolutely must return to us, promise? Don’t break your word.”

“Yes, I will return within three days at the absolute latest, so just keep a low profile and wait for me. When you depart, make sure to stick to the back alleys where you won’t attract any attention.”

Giving them a reassuring grin, I offered the pair a final word of comfort before heading back inside the compound.

The real challenge was about to begin.

‘The underlying threat hasn’t actually been neutralized.’

There was a specific reason Aaron had been taken in the first place.

‘A certain vampire had issued an explicit command for Aaron to be seized.’

This was a piece of intelligence I had managed to wring out during my interrogation of the thugs before ending them.

Naturally, the low-level grunts hadn’t realized they were dealing with a vampire; they merely assumed they were executing a directive for some powerful aristocrat.

‘Furthermore, they indicated the buyer was scheduled to arrive this very evening.’

If that creature is permitted to draw breath, the danger will never truly pass, meaning I must ensure his demise tonight.

An open, honorable duel offered zero prospects of victory, but fortunately, the environment provided me with the necessary components to even the odds.

“Phew… Time to set the stage for our upcoming visitor.”

The clock was ticking down rapidly.

—

Deep within the dead of night.

I took a seat on an intact chair positioned right in the center of the demolished compound.

In all honesty, I harbored no illusions that every piece of this puzzle would fall perfectly into place.

I am far from a master tactician, and a scheme thrown together in a mere handful of hours could only carry me so far.

“Still, I’ve pushed my preparations as far as possible. I’ll have to let fortune handle the final variable.”

Weighing the various elements at play, I had taken every precaution, confident that the probability leaned in my favor, though I remained acutely aware that a total failure was entirely possible.

“If everything goes sideways, it’s going to get incredibly ugly, but I’ll simply have to pivot to Plan B.”

As I sat there in the silence, waiting indefinitely for the trap to spring…

The distinct sound of the main door creaking open reached my ears, and looking toward the entrance, I knew my gamble had paid off perfectly.

“It seems a righteous path truly yields rewards! From here on out, it’s up to my own execution.”

Taking a casual glance at the gory landscape around him, the figure strode unhurriedly toward my position.

“Hmm, what an exquisite aroma. Did you arrange this lavish slaughter specifically to mark my arrival? It truly suits my sensibilities.”

Stepping forward with an easy smirk, the vampire suddenly halted, his expression turning cold as his gaze locked onto me.

“Though it appears these lowlifes happen to be the tools I was employing for my errands. You seem entirely aware of what you’ve done here, correct?”

Intrigued by the fact that I was simply sitting there waiting for him without a hint of terror, he seemed content to converse rather than striking instantly.

I pushed myself up from the chair to look him in the eye.

“I’m a newcomer to this particular town. These associates of yours decided it was a wise idea to cross me, you see. The more I ruminated on it, the more it agitated me.”

“Ah, so you marched into their den out of pure spite and slaughtered the lot of them? Yet, rather than fleeing into the night, you chose to remain here?”

“They say when a hound misbehaves, the fault lies entirely with the master, doesn’t it? I simply harbored a desire to view the master’s face firsthand.”

Whether he bought the narrative or saw right through it, I simply offered whatever absurd explanation came to mind.

In reality, the specific context behind the massacre didn’t seem to occupy his thoughts at all.

“Fair enough, though there was a particular task I charged these mortals with. And it appears your little tantrum has disrupted my schedule.”

“Well, it seems I’ve caused an inconvenience without meaning to.”

“It is precisely my hour for sustenance, you must understand. I am never in an agreeable disposition when my meals are delayed.”

Gazing upon me as though I were already a carcass, his tone remained perfectly conversational. He held me in complete contempt, yet he couldn’t resist the urge to gloat.

“Tell me then, where have you secreted away the youth?”

So, he had deduced the situation after all.

“I cleared out the trash in this establishment, discovered a single youth locked away in the cells, and sent him packing into the streets. But what makes that specific boy so valuable to you?”

I briefly considered feigning ignorance or arguing, but since he was entirely certain of the situation, such an effort was pointless.

Instead, I sought to gently coax out the method he used to target Aaron specifically.

He possessed the arrogant streak typical of his kind, and uncovering his reasoning was essential.

“Hmm, there is no grand mystery to it. I simply possess a refined preference for the vitality of young children. I happened to cross paths with a youth emitting an absolutely intoxicating aura near the apothecary, so I directed my subordinates to secure him for my collection.”

So, that was the catalyst.

No matter how skilled Diana had been at navigating the perils of the slums, there were certain factors beyond her control.

Furthermore, given how dire Aaron’s health had become within that apothecary, she likely lacked any alternative strategies.

“Sigh… No matter, I shall simply task a fresh batch of underlings with hunting him down tomorrow morning. For this evening, I suppose I can settle for your essence, even if it is a subpar substitute.”

The moment his speech concluded, sharp tendrils of crimson light erupted from his fingers, rocketing directly toward my arms and legs.

“Whoa?!”

Having kept my reflexes completely coiled throughout our dialogue, I barely managed to twist my body out of the path of the incoming projectiles.

Wasting not a single second, I unsheathed my blade and lunged directly at the creature.

Clang!

My downward arc was abruptly arrested as his elongated, ruby-colored fingernails intercepted the steel.

In a flash, his opposing hand swept across my midsection, the razor-sharp talons easily shredding the damaged armor I wore from my previous encounter.

“My word, I nearly tore you apart prematurely. You possess a far sturdier constitution than I anticipated.”

“Gah, you need to handle the merchandise with a bit more respect!”

Ducking low, I managed to slip beneath the wicked claws slicing toward my throat.

As I did, a hand wreathed in dense, crimson energy passed a mere fraction of an inch from my face.

Thud!

Throwing myself into a desperate roll across the floorboards, I evaded the follow-up, a cold sweat breaking out across my skin.

“Tsk, a slippery one, aren’t you.”

Fortuitously, it was clear he harbored no desire to end my life immediately; his intention was undoubtedly to drain my vitality while my pulse was still thumping.

Naturally, that realization did nothing to grant me a tactical advantage.

Swipe!

I delivered a sweeping slash with my blade, only for him to swat it aside effortlessly.

Simultaneously, a spray of condensed blood arced from his talons, carving deep gashes across my flesh.

His strategy was clearly aimed at systematically crippling my mobility, but I refused to break so easily.

Even as my steel was repeatedly deflected, I forced myself to keep swinging, maintaining a relentless offense.

“Your capacity for mending is truly extraordinary. This promises to be an exceptionally exquisite feast. I find myself quite eager.”

The sheer chasm in raw physical parameters, paired with his lethal ruby talons and the weaponized blood, formed an assault that my physically augmented form simply could not match.

Had he been fighting with lethal intent from the outset, I would have been reduced to mincemeat long before now.

“Nevertheless, your persistent defiance is becoming tedious, regardless of how quickly you knit back together. Even if it diminishes the flavor slightly, I must break you into a more compliant state.”

The ferocity of his assault surged exponentially. The crimson talons flashed through the air with terrifying velocity and precision.

“Gah!”

I marshaled every ounce of my strength to parry the onslaught with my sword, yet…

Given the limitations of my current vessel, countering every incoming blow was a mathematical impossibility. And inevitably…

Slash!

Despite the inherent sturdiness of my form, the right arm maintaining my grip on the hilt was completely severed from my shoulder.

‘There goes the right arm once again. Well, it is of no consequence now; the trap is fully sprung.’

Allowing my thoughts to drift with absolute detachment, I channeled the remaining momentum of my body into a final, desperate lunge toward him.

Crunch!

The vampire’s outstretched arm tore cleanly through the center of my torso.

“What is the meaning of this? Delivering yourself directly to my maw? Such immaculate compliance. I would certainly employ your services more often, assuming you were to survive this encounter.”

The fiend muttered his mockery quietly before plunging his elongated fangs directly into the side of my neck.

Paying absolutely no mind to the horrific sensation of my life force being drawn out for the first time, my lips curled into a grim smile.

“Valued patron, you truly possess no patience whatsoever. As a special token for our very first transaction, I’ve prepared an exceptionally scorching experience, so please, indulge yourself completely.”

The instant the words left my mouth, I triggered the ring-shaped enchantment device that I had kept hidden beneath my tongue.

Whoosh!

A cascade of sparks erupted, and my entire form was instantaneously consumed by a violent blaze.

The vampire, locked in an intimate embrace with my torso, was immediately dragged into the inferno.

“Argh?! You absolute madman!”

He thrashed violently in an attempt to fling me away, but I locked onto his frame like a parasite, utilizing my remaining left arm and both legs to clamp him in place.

I could feel his impaling arm twisting frantically inside my chest cavity, rupturing my internal organs and tearing my heart to ribbons.

When he realized he couldn’t dislodge my torso even after completely severing my left arm, he directed his claws downward, attempting to lop off my legs.

‘But the clock has already run out for both of us.’

Long before his arrival, I had meticulously transformed this entire layout into a mutual tomb.

I had gathered the reserves of flammable oil discovered within the larder and the storage vaults, distributing it covertly throughout the chaotic rooms.

Given the pungent odor of carnage hanging in the air, pouring the oil openly would have immediately triggered the vampire’s acute senses, so I had deliberately initiated a frantic duel to smash the barrels open amidst the chaos.

While the scent of fuel might have registered during our skirmish, what warrior pauses to analyze a faint odor when a lunatic is throwing his life away, swinging steel and painting the room with his own blood?

By utilizing just enough fuel to blend with the iron tang of blood, I had mapped out a network of hidden trails connecting the scattered oil reservoirs like an explosive sequence of fuses.

Whoosh!

Crack!

The localized blaze originating from my position raced along the paths, triggering a thunderous chain reaction among the oil barrels.

In an instant, the entire structure was transformed into a towering pyre of absolute destruction.

‘Ah, truly magnificent.’

With every single one of my limbs now systematically severed, I resorted to sinking my teeth deep into the vampire’s shoulder, hanging there with absolute composure as I appreciated the view.

Beneath my burning flesh, I had secured multiple vials of fuel against my chest; the moment his hand breached my torso, the contents had saturated my form, turning me into a literal human torch.

‘And the catalyst was the ignition device kept safely inside my maw.’

I had deliberately chosen to harbor the mechanism in my mouth, terrified that an attack might rob me of whichever arm was fitted with the device.

“Aaargh!”

The blazing silhouette, radiating a brilliant light, collapsed to the floorboards and rolled frantically as the conflagration continued to feast upon him.

The intense thermal radiation had likely scorched my ocular nerves entirely, as absolute darkness enveloped my vision.

Quaang!

The catastrophic roar of structural beams collapsing and fuel detonating reverberated through what remained of my senses.

Even amidst this total annihilation, the sheer tenacity of my vessel’s life force refused to let my consciousness fade entirely.

‘Still, there is immense satisfaction in knowing the execution matched the blueprint.’

When all was said and done, fortune had favored me in several key moments.

While our brief clash had demonstrated that the vampire possessed an overwhelming martial superiority, that strength was ultimately one-dimensional.

He relied exclusively on his enhanced physical attributes and weaponized blood to dominate, lacking any capacity for complex sorcery.

He was undoubtedly situated on the lower rungs of the vampiric hierarchy.

‘And because of that limitation, there is absolutely no surviving a furnace of this magnitude.’

Ultimately, intense heat remained one of the fundamental vulnerabilities of their species.

‘Even if the metaphysics of this particular realm differed slightly, a thermal output of this scale renders such distinctions entirely irrelevant.’

Plop.

My auditory canals, which had been desperately attempting to repair themselves through my accelerated mending capability, finally failed entirely just as the distinct thud of the vampire’s collapse vibrated through the floor.

At this stage, the only inputs reaching my mind were the oppressive thermal energy and the violent tremors of the structural collapse.

I had successfully ensnared the monster responsible for orchestrating Aaron’s abduction and systematically erased his operational cell.

‘From here on out, my sole responsibility is to maintain absolute ignorance and project total silence.’

In truth, my single greatest anxiety throughout this enterprise was the possibility that the vampire might refuse to step inside the threshold.

Had the creature, with his heightened perception of blood, detected the slaughter within the compound and chosen to retreat or summon reinforcements from the city, the entire strategy would have imploded before it ever commenced.

‘I was forced to leave that critical variable entirely to chance, so it was an immense stroke of luck that his profound arrogance and self-assurance clouded his judgment.’

After all, a total lack of vigilance is the ultimate undoing of any warrior, is it not?

This ordeal provided an excellent mirror for my own tendencies, serving as a stark reminder to never grow complacent or overly reliant on the unique utility of the Avatar state.

‘This setup might actually offer an ideal laboratory environment to observe the exact mechanics of what occurs when an Avatar undergoes total destruction. I lacked the opportunity to fully analyze the phenomenon back during the incident with Hans… though this vessel is rapidly approaching its absolute threshold.’

Honestly, it was a minor miracle that consciousness had persisted for this long with the cardiac muscle entirely obliterated.

The combination of Sturdiness and Rapid Recovery had drained the absolute remainder of my vital reserves to sustain this final spark.

As the crushing weight of collapsing masonry began to blanket my frame, I recognized the definitive cessation of this vessel’s existence.

‘Even so, the experience was thoroughly entertaining. Objective: ‘Succor the Vulnerable Maiden and Retrieve Her Kin’… accomplished… ‘

Whoosh—

Thud!

With that final thought, Heinz reached the conclusion of his journey within this realm, burning away into nothingness alongside the monster.