I reincarnated as a vampire, what’s the plan? Act II

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Author: This will be too long

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I opted to let Olivia rest after all we went through in that [Red Orc] hut, and now equipped with everything I need, I set out to run at full power in search of the [Boss Monster] that runs this dungeon floor.

Behind me are nine skeletons armed with swords, they are my offspring produced to the [Singularity] titled [Necromancy] that I obtained not too long ago.

... I don't know at what point Saeko will wake up... but in the meantime I have to take her position in all this.

The [Boss Monster] is most likely some individual of the [Orcs] who stood out among all the others and assumed the title of ruler since no one has been able to defeat him.

The [Orcs] aren't very smart, that they could have detected the barrier Olivia set up for us beforehand is quite unlikely. Something had to have told them that we were there, as it was highly unlikely that they would detect us on their own.

Or maybe I'm wrong and it's another species that has developed enough thinking ability to make a plan against us.

With my [Detect], I locate the individual who is responding to my threat and head in his direction.

As I move forward, the number of [Orcs] appearing becomes larger.

...

Alright, it's time to take action.

-Attack... [Skeleton Warriors].

At my command, the sturdy orc skeletons outrun me and directly hit one orc each. Almost all of them are taken out with ease, but one of them was able to resist my skeleton attacks.

But this is where [Necromancy] becomes a very dangerous skill...

As soon as the first orcs were completely eliminated, then there, the skeletons of those same orcs rise up to become more [Skeleton Warriors], and these new ones organized themselves to assassinate the remaining orc, eventually turning him into another one of them.

Also, I can pour my stats into an overall value of [Skeleton Warriors] so that I can strengthen them all equally, making them outnumber even the base from which they were produced.

But I'm not going to spend too much on it, after all, I'm going up against a [Boss Monster], so I must have the fullness of my abilities to take it on.

I create a bow with my [Recreation] and start shooting while running. Saeko wouldn't be capable of something like that as it requires very high precision to achieve, but as a part of the [System], my processing is notoriously superior to hers.

So I can make accurate shots at throats and crotches, lowering the [Orcs'] guard, allowing the [Skeleton Warriors] to kill them easily.

And it doesn't take them long to notice our siege, so they start to increase their numbers more and more.

Huge hordes of [Orcs] loaded with powerful weaponry that would make it unlikely for simple [Skeleton Warriors] to defeat them.

I was prepared to tackle them all on my own, but...

-They are all yours, [Jörmundgander]!

A familiar voice raises a loud battle cry, and a few moments later, a gigantic serpent emerges from a [Space Gate] from which it begins to ravenously devour the army of [Orcs].

I'm confused... What the hell just happened?

-Uhm... Olivia? What are you doing here?

I ask the woman who suddenly appeared on the battlefield for some reason....

She, with a cheerful expression, says aloud to me:

-I was sullied for hours on end, much tougher than you, you have to let me have some fun! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Die you bastards, die!

She made a reference. She just made a very good reference, but I'm pretty sure he has no idea what he made a reference to.

How do I tell him he made a reference to Drakengard 3?

This is a literary parallel, no doubt about it. And she keeps throwing curses at them, just watching them being slaughtered non-stop.

That's [Jörmundgander], or also known as the [World Serpent]. It's supposed to be sealed somewhere, but I see that for some reason Olivia has a contract with such a beast.

There are a lot of things I don't know, even to be part of the [System]... but it doesn't matter anymore, I'll just keep attacking.

One of the [Singularities] I acquired works in conjunction with a skill, these are [Slayer] and [Vengeance]. Both are [Single Target] skills that explosively boost all stats in order to attack a species.

In turn, they awaken one of the rarest abilities I have, which as you know, is [Genocide]. By having these three working together, the full improvements are as follows:

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[+400% damage, +275% in all other stats, +100% chance to exert "Death Status" and a 23% increase in experience gained. You can exert "Paralysis" on the selected race. There is a 44% chance to evade an attack perfectly. There is a 7.4% chance to gain "Invincibility Status" for 1.2 sec. The more enemies you assassinate, the exponentially better the rewards].

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So, I take a step forward using much of my strength, only to shoot out into the battlefield.

The air produces a pleasant sensation on my cheeks. And nothing stops me from aggressively descending and killing a row of four orcs in one blow with my claws alone.

That's a good combo.

Quickly the orcs take it out on me and start to swing their weapons in my direction. I see that their numbers have increased quite a lot, I think their reserves are still quite full because there is a very huge amount of them.

I have no idea how they reproduced, and I don't really care either...

An orc approaches from my left, raising a two-handed longsword against me. I am unfazed by this action and simply raise my left hand to ward off the blow and parry the blade.

It might seem crazy considering I am smaller than him and yet, I was able to parry the fullness of his attack with one hand. I have small collateral damage as there is still impact force, and it shattered the joints of three of my fingers. But I still have enough strength to stop him.

I think it's time for me to get a real sword, instead of continuing to make fakes.

I activate [Bloodlust] then... and feeling the full threat imposed on himself, the orc could only collapse to the ground without resisting. There's foam coming out of his mouth.

That's what that other [Singularity] that I got does, it exerts an enormous terror towards a single individual that is capable of destroying his ability to think.

Now with the orc's sword in my hands, I realise that it's quite heavy, if I'm careless I'm going to end up falling down from using this, but I'm still able to lift it.

I'm still able to lift it.

Although I struggle at first because I haven't handled weapons of this volume, I manage to slice the nearest orc in half. Its halved skeleton became two separate [Skeleton Warriors].

It doesn't take me long to get used to this weapon....

By this point, the [Necromancy] skill has gone up three levels. It would be unnecessary to report it at this point; I have no choice but to move on.

I turn on my own axis, and start to move forward like this. I'm not very good at wielding this weapon, but I guess this is one way to use it.

As I increase my speed, with increasing ease the orcs begin to be cut in half by my attacks. In this way I maintain a constant and considerable destructive power, in which I find myself slaughtering orcs non-stop.

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[You've leveled up!]

[HP, MP and SP restored]

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It's amazing the amount of experience points used by this species, but I see that there is a reward commensurate with how hard it is to level up now.

Even I have no idea of the potential we now possess as a species. I am impressed.

Although...

Jörmundgander is stealing everything I'm doing... damn you, you underdeveloped lizard. You're lucky I wouldn't be able to kill you if I tried.

The orc massacre is getting more and more enormous. So much so that the smell of blood floods my nostrils and makes me a little dizzy... not because it makes me nauseous, but because it awakens that insatiable feeling I have.

By this time, a sea of blood was flowing beneath my feet. We have killed so many of them... but there are still so many of them left.

And I... I'm thirsty...

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["Bloodlust" has boosted "Vampirism" and triggered adrenaline production]

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Ok, I'll go with my instincts.

Thanks to the skill I acquired earlier, [Blood Magic], I've become able to produce weapons all over the terrain I'm on. Blood stalagmites and spiked walls are produced on the battlefield, executing one orc at a time.

And it doesn't take me long to reach the place of death, and sink my fangs into the pressed or impaled corpses of my enemies. Thus stealing their stats.

By doing this, I just keep strengthening my [Skeleton Warriors] more and more, to the point where they have enough [Magic Energy] to produce their own armour and other types of weapons like spears and axes.

But not only with [Blood Magic] do I find myself slaying all these monsters, I also do it by making use of the skills I already have, such as [Steel Claws] to tear their flesh or [Luminous Magic] to destroy them from the inside out with multiple [Morningstars].

The battlefield has become one-sided. Only one side is dying and no one else.

Therefore... it was time for the main individual of this whole massacre to make an appearance.

I was just finishing sucking the blood of an orc whose head I blew off when I felt a powerful pressure approaching.

It's a giant...

-A [Vampire]? I thought they were extinct... How many centuries has it taken for your imperfection to develop again?

And to my surprise it can talk.

Wow, I get it, this is the other intelligent life form on this floor?

Its presence is distinct from that of the [Water Hydra]... which leads me to know that its sturdy appearance and the war hammer on its shoulder are not mere decoration.

Even knowing that it's not comparable to anything I've faced before, I'm not afraid.

I was made for this. I can adopt the personality of the individual who has reached the highest level [Valuation], and make a copy of their memories. But far from that, the main benefit of me being present is due to the immense amount of information I can process.

But ok, I'll answer your question.

-I don't know, a millennium... a hundred years more, a hundred years less, maybe.

-Mmm... I understand. But... I thought all vampires were as powerful as Redhart, and you're weak?

Huh?

You just said something really interesting...

-You met Redhart?

-I certainly did... -. The huge orc pauses for a moment, pointing at a huge scar on his chest.

Smiling proudly, he sneers:

-This is the mark of "The Calamity", what made me what I am today! What makes you think that such a puny existence as you would be able to even do me any harm! I already survived "The Calamity", how do you plan to defeat me?!

-...

I get it... he managed to grow up just by surviving Redhart's attack.

I don't know. I don't care either.

[Orcs] are melee combatants par excellence, they have an addiction to fighting so to speak. And if I were to find a way to defeat him, it definitely shouldn't involve that huge hammer.

If things go well... I can kill him...

Anyway, it's not like I lose anything.

My stats are super enhanced thanks to all my skills I activated earlier...

-Reduce your size to that of a normal human... I challenge you to a bare-knuckle fight, just me and you.

When I said that, taking a boxing stance that I looked at in Saeko's memories, the [Orc] saw me, and smiled.

-Until you say something interesting, [Vampire]! I thought you were going to be a coward like the rest of your kind! Haha, it's been ages since anyone has challenged me to a one-on-one fight!

Without a single hesitation in my words, the [Orc] accepts my invitation and using one of his abilities, reduces his size to that of a human. But he still has a large muscle mass and not to mention his stats.

For something that has lived a thousand years... this is going to be like child's play.

The huge hammer falls to the ground and shakes the entire battlefield.

And in an eloquent voice, he says:

-My name is Drïmur, and I am the [Orc Emperor]! I accept your challenge, [Vampire]! Just you and me, in a fight to the death! There will be only brute force between us, all melee attacks are valid!

I maintain my stance, looking straight ahead... I notice that everything else is silent.

Ahh, my need to say something a little out of place is starting to kick in. Damn you, Saeko, why do you have to be socially maladjusted?!

Shit...

It's okay, just take a deep breath and exhale...

-I'm Elise, and I'm a [Higher Vampire]... and I... I'll make sure to put your head on a silver platter, no matter how much it costs me.

That's when Drïmur lets out another laugh.

-Hahaha! That's the way to talk! Now come here, and throw the first punch!

...

Looks like this is going to go on a little longer, yet.

----[Finale]

After receiving such an invitation, she kept silent.

The silence in the entire fighting area was deadly, and the tension between Elise and Drïmur was colossal.

As an onlooker, Olivia watches from afar as she thinks...

"She's about to do something crazy again... I'd go help her, but in my current condition I don't think I'm capable of fighting... I'll let her have the limelight, she deserves it."

Olivia is fully confident that her partner was going to manage somehow or other. So she doesn't worry about anything.

Back to Elise...

She quickly goes through all of Nishimiya Saeko's memories containing martial arts. From a guy with a flying cloud who dyes his hair, to a [God] and a [Human] going head to head with only their fists.

Also videos from a certain platform showing the execution of these moves... and it is then that Elise decides on one of them to start the fight.

It seems that Drïmur doesn't plan to block in this battle, so out of mere respect, Elise decides not to do it now either.

She prepares to mimic that move...

She makes the [Magic Energy] flow in her body. All her muscles feed on such power and are stimulated at the same time. Elise's heart rate accelerates, and she feels her body begin to warm up.

Having properly analysed her realisation, the rest is simple history. She took a small momentum on her own axis and lifted her body by spinning it multiple times, and with what could be considered the "instep" of her greaves, she connected a full on instep tornado kick against the face of her current foe.

All the centripetal force was concentrated in that one spot, and simply exploded as it connected with Drïmur's cheek.

Her foe was sent flying to the left of her perspective, so Elise didn't take too long to return to her original position and prepare to take that blow.

----[Elise's Perspective]

-That was interesting... now it's my turn.

Drïmur's cheerful tone of voice fell apart, and from one moment to the next he appeared behind me. I could barely react in time when his arm came down on my head like a hammer.

The force of the impact pinned me a few millimetres into the ground, and my right hand is most likely dislocated a little now.

But... after being blocked after making an attack with such force, I could see how some of Drïmur's arm muscles ruptured, opening up bleeding wounds.

Oh.

That is the consequence of possessing too much brute strength and having no way to imprint that power into a weapon. Drïmur occupies a hammer because it is what would allow him to more easily distribute his tremendous explosive power in an area.

So this is going to be a battle of endurance?

It doesn't take me too long to prepare my next strike, after having analysed Drïmur's entire body, I deduced that there is only one area that doesn't have the protection of his muscles.

Using my own strength, I put my right hand back into place...

-*whistling*

Drïmur looks surprised at how I did that without even wincing.

... well, what does it matter.

I propel myself with my feet as if I were going to jump, and prepare to drive my right elbow into the orc's solar plexus. Such an attack was so unexpected and savage that Drïmur himself could not keep the air in his lungs.

That attack only moved him a few centimetres... but I don't wait for him to launch his next attack before proceeding.

In Saeko's memories... there's a guy named Bruce Lee. That guy is average if we're talking about combat, but if his techniques had been developed in a world with [Magic], it would be a different story.

He created his own martial art, Jeet Kune Do, it's an irregular variant of martial arts... and therefore, it's something that nobody knows about.

Among the techniques he developed, there is one in particular that I consider to be above all others.

I raise my right hand, making my fingertips touch the middle of his chest already having imposed a huge amount of [Magical Energy], and then...

I simply close my right hand. And it is at that moment that the [Magical Energy] explodes into a single point. Drïmur could not resist the sudden force that sent him flying backwards with brutality.

This is the [Zero Inch Strike].

I'm not going to stop with just that.

Sooner rather than later, and accelerating my body with [Acrobatic Aerodynamics], I advance fast enough to intercept his impact trajectory, and then, send him back to the ground with a single kick.

When we're back on the ground, I get on top of him and start punching him repeatedly in the face. Again and again, non-stop, no matter how much Drïmur resisted, I was not going to move from my current position.

The [Orc's] face is being wounded by all the hits he is receiving from my invisible armour, but it is not necessary for him to know about it.

I don't stop my blows... until I realised, that I had been lifted by Drïmur himself along with him.

Oh... I think I should have stopped a moment ago...

Drïmur yanks me from my position, and that's when he grabs my neck and legs.

Wait, wait, wait, wait! Don't tell me...!

-No, wait...! Don't even think about it! Not Bane's, not Bane's, not Bane's!

No! No! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Drïmur, oblivious to my screams, lifts me up for a few seconds and then drives my spine into his knee.

Damn it, he did do Bane's to me!

How can I be so excited and sore at the same time!

After doing that, even though he didn't kill me, Drïmur releases me, slamming me to the ground brutally.

And without taking time for anything like me, he brings down an axe kick towards my head.

I only acted on instinct, for the next second, I managed to create a shield with [Recreation] to protect my face from the impact. It almost slips out of my hands and I can barely keep it steady, but I was able to block the first blow.

-You fool!

Drïmur keeps kicking at the shield, one after the other. The metal is being disfigured by each connected blow.

I stop the shield with my left arm, and quickly pull out one of the [Vial of Distilled Blood] I bought from my inventory and smash the glass with my mouth, consuming everything completely. I didn't have time to open it.

With the blood entering my system, my regenerative abilities are boosted, which caused my spine to be restored almost immediately.

Parrying one last of his kicks, I slide out of his grasp and somersault to my feet.

My back still hurts a little, but it's not something that's going to stop me from moving forward.

I've already assessed his moves, it's time to just get this fight flowing... I activate [Future Vision] right away, so I can anticipate any attacks he's going to throw at me and have my counterattacks ready.

I can see that Drïmur is excited about this fight. And for some reason, so am I... we're smiling while killing each other.

Oh, I get it.

It's because I've always seen Saeko having fun on her own in battles. This is the second big fight I've done in her place. It's just that the last one wasn't fun at all compared to this one.

I haven't felt so alive until now.

To hell with [Future Vision], I'm going to beat him with honour!

Then we start exchanging punches, kicks, shoves, and whatever moves we can think of to attack each other.

My nose is starting to bleed from so many blows, and Drïmur's jaw is slowly dislocating as we keep throwing punches at each other.

My ribs gave way to break, and so did the bones in my left foot. But I'm not the only one taking collateral damage, as Drïmur's muscles continue to tear as he launches more attacks to the point where his shoulders are turning to mincemeat.

But neither of us stop our blows. No matter the injuries, no matter how long it takes.

Only that... little by little the battle is nearing its end.

I lift up Drïmur's chin and throw a blunt upward blow, a couple of teeth flying out from my blow. And on the other hand, the [Orc] drops his fist on my head, stunning me for a brief second.

It feels like my skull is about to crack...

My whole body hurts from the fight we've had... but I have no problem with what I'm doing even so.

I do a [Zero Inch Strike] to Drïmur's chest again, and a stream of blood emerges from the monster's throat. Unlike before, it was now better able to stand on its own two feet instead of being sent flying.

Shit! Because he did that, the recoil hit me and my arm twisted at a weird angle in an instant.

I don't have time to heal.

I lunged at Drïmur with my left shoulder, and the weakened orc was carried away by the impact along with me, this time there was no collateral damage as I reinforced my entire body with [Magical Energy].

My energy consumed the orc's. I have no idea how long we have been fighting, but at some point, Drïmur stopped making counter attacks. I had stopped measuring my blows long ago.

I didn't expect an additional 400% damage to be quite a considerable change for a monster with a millennium of existence.

My anger had been dissipated since before the fight started and I just started having fun.

-That's... what Redhart should look like... well done, girl... there's no strength left in my body... cof...

Before I throw the final blow, Drïmur begins to talk to me a little.

Breathing heavily, I can't answer him at all...

He looks at me with his face full of bruises and one eye flooded with blood... he is not afraid of death to any extent.

If the conditions had been different... we could have been friends... couldn't we?

-Thank you... for giving this old man... one last joy... my body has long been screaming at me to stop... but I wanted to see, how far... the next Redhart... would come...

I can't answer him a single word.

Instead of feeling good about killing my enemy, I'm feeling sorry for him... but there's nothing I can do about it now. If I were to leave him here, I would only extend his suffering that much further.

Tears begin to well up in my eyes... I don't want to kill him, but I must...

That's what a fight to the death is all about, it would be a humiliation for a born fighter like Drïmur for me to spare his life.

-Don't feel... sad... you did well... before you died... Could you tell me... your name...?

Between little murmurs, Drïmur asks me that question.

By this point I've caught my breath somewhat.

In a half-hearted way, I tell him...

-I said it... at the beginning... I am... Elise...

-Haha... so you are... the new Redhart... I'm glad, that I made you bleed so much... please, kill me quickly...

That request made me gulp.

I can't believe I got so sensitive over a monster.

I reiterate, if the conditions were different, we could have been good friends.

I'll just say one last thing...

-You were... a very good rival... thank you for allowing me to be your last joy, since I will also be your last breath...

-It is an honour... to be recognised by the [Heiress of Calamity]...

That was the last sentence Drïmur said before I plunged my index and middle fingers into both of his eyes, and was destined to savagely rip his head from the rest of his body.

Blood began to spurt out.

What Saeko wanted was accomplished... but me, I don't feel good about everything that happened...

I don't feel good about killing the one who made Saeko suffer.

My [System] has no programmed behaviour in the face of sadness, so the tears that come out of my eyes are like the tears of a newborn baby. I never thought I would feel so horrible for killing a monster.

I will always remember you, Drïmur...

...

Suddenly, I heard a joint scream.

Multiple voices at the same time are screaming. I didn't understand at first what the [Orcs] were about. They were all performing some sort of ritual now that their [Emperor] has died.

Hearing all that made me feel even worse than I already felt, for I didn't know the respect they all had for Drïmur.

Even though they are monsters, I see that they are still able to establish relationships between their own kind.

And then, when I see [Jörmundgander] move...

-WAIT, OLIVIA! DON'T KILL THEM!!! -. I raise my voice in a piercing scream.

But it was insignificant. The [World Serpent] swallowed the remaining [Red Orcs] and I could do nothing to stop him.

However, the [Orcs] did not resist, they did not even make an attempt to move.

That is a representation of the loyalty they had to their [Emperor]... they were so loyal that with Drïmur dead, they had no reason to continue to live much longer.

They gave themselves up to death in the hope of seeing their [Emperor] again.

You are fortunate, Drïmur... all your subordinates loved you. Hardly anyone has the determination to die along with their ruler, seriously they were loyal to you.

I am a little glad...

Because this way, I know that Drïmur won't be alone in the afterlife.

I feel like an old friend died... that's how bad I feel right now...

-Rest in peace... my friend...

After saying that, I simply buried Drïmur's body in a pile of earth. I will keep his [Warhammer] as a memento of the best battle I've ever had.

To this point, is that I can relax my shoulders as I continue to weep silently...

I forgive you, Drïmur.

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[The effects of "Vengeance", "Genocide" and "Slayer" have been deactivated]

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I still don't feel well...

Please come back Saeko...