203. Is He Truly a Vampire
A shoulder plate flew toward me, attempting to shield its master. I caught the massive armor with one hand and drove my right fist into the Ascendant King's forehead.
CRACK!
The bone shattered instantly under the force of the fist.
Suddenly, another piece of arm armor shot upward.
I smashed the shoulder plate I was holding against it, sending it flying. My right hand then clawed at the wound on the bull vampire's forehead, fingers digging in with crushing force as I tore away another large chunk of bone.
"AHHH!" The Ascendant King unleashed an agonized howl.
The bull vampire's two massive hands reached for the top of his head. I planted my foot on its brow and whipped my right leg in a horizontal strike. Powered by the green light, my kick tore cleanly through the creature's hand.
I bent down and delivered another powerful punch.
With each strike, I tore away another piece of skull.
Strength had fully returned to my body. My spine coiled with dragon-like power as golden patterns of fierce beasts rippled across my skin with each strike.
The Ascendant King had revealed his true power. I too was revealing my true power, and soon, if all went as planned, the bull vampire himself would become part of my true power.
Once I had torn a large enough opening in his skull, I stood up and quickly formed a sword seal.
A crimson longsword, dozens of feet in length, materialized in the air above.
I turned coldly to face the swirling armor pieces that attempted to shield the bull vampire. With precise strikes, I smashed each piece away, sending them flying through the air.
"..."
Witnessing the young man's savage display of raw power, the two Gold Bell Vampire Hunters gulped involuntarily.
The seemingly quiet and reserved young man, when confronting a vampire, seemed to have transformed into a vampire himself.
The mighty Ascendant King was utterly powerless in front of him.
"This time..." From the moment John emerged from the golden light, Aisha slowly unclenched her hands. She realized John had never needed anyone to save him.
She gazed at John Kane and asked softly, "Can I make the kill this time?"
Chloe instinctively turned her head.
Though Chloe hadn't spoken her thoughts aloud, the perceptive Aisha had understood her plan.
After shifting responsibility to the Martial Abbey and Martial Orders, Cascadia would simply feign ignorance and wash their hands of the matter.
However, there was one person who could never distance himself from this ambush: whoever killed the Ascendant King.
The Profound Ice Dragon soared forward, lunging at the Ascendant King's forehead!
I planted my foot on the bull vampire's face and struck the Profound Ice Dragon with my fist, sending it tumbling backward.
"..."
Aisha looked on with resignation.
The crimson longsword plunged downward, fierce demonic power pouring into the Ascendant King's head. Within, dragon and tiger phantoms tore and ravaged until they had ground everything to pulp.
The towering bull vampire's eyes went wide as the light in his pupils slowly dimmed.
The massive saber's hilt slipped from his hand as the ring-pommel sword fell to the ground.
[Slain a fully Spiritualized Blood-Transforming Bull Vampire, total lifespan 10,700 years, remaining lifespan 9,832 years, absorption complete.]
After the panel prompt faded, the floating bronze armor pieces fell one by one, each shrinking to the size of a palm and settling quietly on the ground.
I gathered all the armor pieces and circled the bull vampire, discovering a wisp of red mist at his waist.
Taking the red mist, I sliced open his belly to retrieve the crystal core, and while doing so, collected the heart blood into the silver bell.
"Wait," Chloe said, opening her mouth to warn me.
Killing a vampire with such a background—even if I didn't destroy the corpse and erase the traces—was I planning to take the blood to the capital to claim a reward?
Before she could voice her opinion, she saw me put the entire bull vampire's corpse and that ring-pommel saber into a white pouch.
I held the crystal core in my hand—it felt heavy and warm. Never had I seen a crystal so large: a foot and a half long, with a cracked surface, its thin, almost transparent shell revealing a fully formed bull infant inside.
A powerful demonic scent emanated from within. In an instant, the infant bull's eyes snapped open.
Suddenly, searing pain shot through my head. Just as I stuffed the infant into my silver bell, my vision plunged into total darkness.
… …
"Be careful. Someone may seek revenge..." Chloe walked toward Kane, trying to explain the situation to him. Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Kane's face twist into a ferocious and sinister expression. Suddenly, his leg shot upward, striking her abdomen and sending her flying like a rag doll.
Samir Jabal recoiled in shock, swinging his longsword defensively as he backed away. "Vampire!" he shouted, his mind reeling with confusion. This handsome young man had just killed the Ascendant King before their eyes—without him, all three of them would have died. Yet the ferocious manner in which he'd slaughtered the bull vampire was so violent and primal, it seemed more characteristic of a vampire than a human Realm Breaker.
Aisha launched her Profound Ice Dragon, her mind in turmoil. She couldn't believe John was a vampire. That day in the capital, when she had explained to him the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization technique, she had witnessed firsthand his remarkable human intelligence and understanding.
In the ruined church, she'd seen his struggle against the vampiric turmoil that threatened to consume his mind. She had helped calm him with her Frozen Resolve, which revealed the deeply rooted humanity within him. That's why she had vouched for him to General Grant, then in front of all the H.A.R.M. Generals. Yet now, his eyes glinted with ferocious cruelty, and he moved with pure animal instinct—truly like a beast vampire.
Just as she was thinking, Kane lunged at Samir, like a predator attacking the weakest prey. Samir's sword slashed upward, striking Kane's outstretched arm. However, it was as if the blade had struck metal—all it did was deflect the arm's aim. Kane's fist hammered down on Samir's shoulder, shattering the bones with a sickening crack.
"Aisha, help!" Samir screamed in desperation. Aisha bit her lip, hesitating. Another bone-shattering crack echoed as Kane's kick smashed Samir's shin, breaking his left leg.
The force of the impact sent Samir flying backward, landing near Chloe.
Sensing Aisha's hesitation and worried about her strength, Kane lunged at the two Gold Bell Vampire Hunters.
Chloe rose up, thrusting her spear at Kane's throat.
She wasn't hoping to strike true, watching Kane's movements tensely while staying ready to roll away.
To her surprise, the spear struck Kane's Adam's apple. Though the spearhead didn't penetrate, it still drew blood.
Kane suddenly froze, surprise flashing in his eyes. As realization struck him, he vanished from the spot, materializing nearly a thousand yards away before disappearing completely from sight.
Chloe's face was still pale with shock as she spat out a mouthful of blood. Samir groaned in pain beside her. Pointing in the direction where Kane had vanished, he asked in a trembling voice, "Is he a vampire in disguise?"
Chloe had the same doubt in her mind. Could the Salem General have been right—was Kane another Karim Shaheen after all?
Realization dawned on Aisha. Kane had been using the vampiric core's energy to harmonize his embryo. If the embryo gained consciousness, it would become vampiric and violent. The embryo was clearly fighting for control over Kane's body—which meant he was in grave danger.
"How can we find him?" Aisha asked Chloe with concern.
Chloe withdrew her Gold Bell. "Every silver bell connects to a gold bell. I've tracked him before—we can find him again."