Survive as a Prison Guard in the Game

Chapter 94
Count Dante (4)

Count Dante’s shield blocked Manuel’s spear, and in its wake, a powerful gust of wind swept through the area.

*Rumble!*

The ground shook and the mansion collapsed.

Several trees were uprooted.

He plunged his sword into the ground.

“……Hup!”

He braved the harsh wind and craned his neck to see what was in front of him.

Count Dante was standing firm.

Red armor made of blood protected his body, and the massive shield above his head flowed into his body.

“Kahahahahaha.”

Count Dante was drunk with his own strength.

He looked over and began to pace slightly.

“Is this all you have?”

“Not yet.”

Manuel stood up and raised his sword. White light poured from his body, healing Manuel’s wounds in an instant.

*Whoosh!*

The wings spread out again.

Manuel turned his head slightly to look at him and opened his mouth.

“Stay back for a moment.”

There was a look of determination in his eyes.

Manuel has a special ability.

Like the Blazing Soul he’d possessed, Manuel had a Divine Blessing that amplified his abilities.

A special move, his last resort.

If he used it, he would be able to push Count Dante to the edge. Count Dante would then use his last resort, the Second Awakening.

At that point, Manuel and him can make a baton pass and finish Count Dante off.

“I understand.”

He pulled his sword from the ground.

Sheathing it, he moved in the direction of the mansion, creating distance.

“Veronica, Goddess of Creation, your servant is here. Help me to destroy this evil.”

The Goddess blessed Manuel.

Wings of brilliant light enveloped Manuel, forming an armor of pure white light.

Holy Knight of the Goddess.

Manuel took a stance, sword raised, and charged at Count Dante.

“Ha!”

With a shout, he slashed vertically.

Count Dante dodged Manuel’s blade with ease, and a burst of white light erupted from the spot where Manuel’s blade had passed.

*Boom!*

Count Dante laughed at that.

“How funny.”

Count Dante stretched out his arm and spears made of blood appeared behind his back. Dozens of spears rushed toward Manuel.

*Clang!* *Clink!* *Clang!*

Manuel swung his sword and parried the spears. One of the spears changed course and flew toward him.

He prepared his sword to parry the spear.

The world turned red as Arrakis’s eyes activated. The moment he parried the spear with his sword. Red light burst from it.

He used the Shadow Alter Ego to separate himself.

*Boom!*

The spear exploded, engulfing the area where he’d been standing, and with it came the thick smell of blood. Wrinkling his nose, he could hear Count Dante’s voice in the background.

“You have an interesting ability.”

“Is it?”

He used the shadows to bind Count Dante’s feet. At the same time, he turned and swung his sword. The Count quickly raised his hand to block the blow.

Manuel came in from behind, aiming for his throat.

“Haaa!”

The white light was aimed at Count Dante’s neck, and Dante was able to distance himself again.

*CRASH!*

A shield made of blood protected Count Dante. Manuel didn’t stop there, he continued to push Count Dante.

*Clang!*

*Boom!*

Manuel poured divine power into the shield.

Cracks began to appear.

Count Dante frowned as he watched the shield made of blood crack.

“You…!”

Count Dante hurriedly distanced himself from Manuel, who didn’t let up in his pursuit. Eventually, Count Dante forged a sword out of blood and clashed directly with Manuel.

*Clang!*

*Clang!*

*Bam!*

“Where’s your laid back attitude?”

“Shut up!”

Calmly, he watched the two engage in battle.

The Count Dante he had seen in the game was truly a master of the blood arts, and his destructive power was beyond imagination.

He was one of the strongest in the continent, let alone the Darkness Seven, and had been studied by countless people in the past raids.

But now, he was nowhere close to it.

He’d only just become a pureblood, so he was unable to properly use his powers and had no idea how to utilize them or other aspects of his abilities.

Still, he was able to fight like this because of the superior physical abilities of a pureblood vampire.

“What a fraudulent race…..”

Shaking his head, he watched the battle unfold.

As Manuel pushed himself to the limit, Count Dante began to be pushed back in earnest, and wounds began to appear all over his body.

“Grrrrr….”

Count Dante gritted his teeth and glared at Manuel, but there was nothing he could do now.

Knowing this, Manuel struck the decisive blow.

With all his might, Manuel’s attack fell upon Count Dante. Divine power glowed in the sword’s long vertical slash.

*Slash!*

A long sword cut across Count Dante’s chest, blood gushed out, and he dropped to his knees.

*Thud!*

“Bleghh!”

Count Dante, who had lowered his head, coughed up blood. Manuel, who was gasping for breath in front of him, gathered his remaining strength and raised his sword.

“Name the one who gave you the blood of a saintly candidate.”

“He… he…..”

“Saint Cross.”

A light in the shape of a cross pierced Count Dante’s back.

*Squelch!*

“Argghhhh!”

“You’d better start talking fast if you want to save yourself any suffering. Who is the one who gave you the blood of a saintly candidate.”

“Argghhhh…….”

Count Dante trembled and clenched his fists. The blood crown atop his head writhed.

The sign of a second awakening.

The crown of blood turned into a crown of thorns, piercing Count Dante’s head. Count Dante’s head snapped toward the sky, and a scream rang out.

“Aaaah!”

The crucifix on his back was shattered, and a huge wave of energy blew Manuel away.

“Manuel!”

He leapt forward and caught Manuel.

Putting some distance between them and placing Manuel down in relative safety. He was unconscious from the aftermath, which had taken all his strength.

“Huuuu…..”

What was about to happen had to be hidden from Manuel, if he opened his eyes in the middle of the fight, it would be a disaster.

He checked her pulse and took a reading.

He shouldn’t wake up for a while.

“Let’s go.”

In a single leap, he covered the distance and moved to where Count Dante was. Perhaps in response to his scream that had accompanied his second awakening, there was a commotion from the direction of the mansion.

Multiple movements.

Soon, a vampire emerged from where the mansion had been. It was a woman with a familiar face.

Vampire Queen Vivian.

She walked toward Count Dante. Count Dante bared his fangs and drank her blood.

“You’ve already become a …… vampire.”

Vivian was getting thinner and thinner.

Count Dante looked very refreshed and threw Vivian aside.

“Vivian!”

“Don’t move!”

He stopped Fabian, who was about to run to Vivian. He looked at him, troubled, but shook his head firmly.

“Damn it!”

He turned his head to look at Count Dante.

The second awakening of the Vampire Lord.

Its symbol, a crown of blood thorns, glowed from its head. Count Dante patted the crown of thorns on his head.

“Is this the power of a pureblood….”

The vampire looked at him, the corners of his mouth upturned.

At that moment, there was a flash of foreboding, and Arrakis’s eyes warned him.

Count Dante blurred and disappeared.

Pulling his senses up, he located the enemy, to his left. Even though he could read the movement, his body couldn’t follow.

*Stab!*

Count Dante’s hand pierced through his waist.

“Urgh!”

Blood gushed from his mouth as pain radiated through his body. With a sickening laugh, Count Dante withdrew his hand.

Count Dante’s eyes arced.

His nose flared, bringing the blood from his hand to his mouth. If he lets him eat that, there’s no way he’ll be able to capture him.

[Blazing Soul (EX) is activated].

With the blue fire from his heart, the power of the phoenix spread, filling him with health and mana.

For 10 minutes from now.

All of his power is tripled.

Forming an Aura Blade, he severed Count Dante’s hand.

*Thwack!*

An unexpected attack.

Count Dante’s eyes widened.

He immediately spun around and used a Gale Slash to sweep in front of him. Count Dante quickly distanced himself. He closed the distance with a flurry of slashes.

“Have you been hiding your ……power?”

Count Dante’s eyes narrowed and his gaze settled. From his blood, he created an arm and formed a spear in his hand.

He rushed at the vampire.

He swung his Aura blade and used a Storm Slash.

*Slash!*

*Swish!*

*Clang!*

Faster.

And even faster.

He continued to deliver a series of blows so fast he couldn’t react, driving Count Dante to the limit.

“How’s that?”

“…….”

“You’ve always had it easy with your minions, but now that you’re fighting for yourself, it’s hard, isn’t it?”

He drew his purifying power toward Count Dante, who couldn’t even answer.

Despite his words.

Even in this situation, he’s simply pushing Count Dante back. A single blow was needed to end this.

Swinging his sword wide, he closed the distance.

“Huuu…..”

A bright moon floated in the night sky.

From the subspace pouch, he retrieved the Archmage’s Desire and slipped it into his hand. It was reusable because the day was over.

Mana filled his body.

A mana hole temporarily enhanced by the blazing soul. This should be enough for him to use the technique.

Returning Cairo to its sheath.

Grabbing the moonlight from the other side.

Taking a deep breath, he channeled all the mana in his mana hole into the Moonlight.

As the mana flows into the sword, it becomes an Aura.

When the mana takes shape, it becomes an Aura Blade.

And a technique to unleash the formed Aura Blade and send it flying.

Harungel’s Swordsmanship, mid-level skill 1.

Half-Moon Slash¹

He swung the Moonlight at Count Dante. The mana from the sword formed a half-moon, slicing Count Dante in half.

*Slash!*

Count Dante was cut in half, with an empty expression on his face.

[Harvesting a damned soul].

As the message faded, pain poured through his body. It felt like someone was shattering his bones with a hammer.

“Kuweh-eh!”

He vomited as he hit the ground.

Even with the increased power from the Blazing Soul, this was not a skill he could use often.

“Ugh….”

He pulled out an elixir from his subspace pouch and poured it into his mouth. Feeling his body recovering quickly, he pushed himself back to his feet.

“Vivian!”

Fabian sobbed as he hugged the skinny woman. Slowly, he walked over to them.

“Fabian.”

“You said you’d let me meet…, you said you’d let me meet Vivian, but what is this!”

Fabian, flushed with rage, jumped to his feet and grabbed him by the collar.

“Save her…… Save her!”

“Do you really want to save her?”

“……what?”

From within his pocket, he pulled out a blood contract he’d prepared in advance. A cursed object that would bring death to the contractor if the contract was broken.

“Swear to it.”

Fabian looked at the contract, swallowed, and looked at him.

“You want me to give you everything I have?”

“Yes, give everything to me. Then I’ll tell you how to save Vivian.”

“How… can I save her.”

Turning, he walked over to where Count Dante was. Using Moonlight, he extracted the heart from his left chest.

With that, he walked over to Fabian.

“The heart of a pureblood vampire. If you eat this and become a pureblood vampire, you can save Vivian.”

“If I eat this, I can save her?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me what I… have to give you, why I should give you my all.”

He placed the heart in Fabian’s hand.

“When you become a pureblood vampire, you’ll join an organization called the Darkness Seven. That’s where I want you to be as my personal spy.”

“…..”

“The blood oath is just the bare minimum to ensure you don’t betray. I’ll rescind it if the plan is successful.”

Fabian bit his right hand and drew his own blood on the blood contract.

“Very well. Deal.”

** ** **

TL/N:

1. Those Familiar with the Game Dragon Nest can recall the Half Moon Slash animation.