Chapter 59

The room's sudden transformation left Lennix, Zee, and Clarissa in a state of confusion, their surroundings shifting inexplicably. Lennix clenched his fist, ready for combat. "What the hell just happened?!" he exclaimed, his stance defensive.

"I don't know, but we're completely surrounded," Zee replied, brandishing her dagger, which was poised to strike. Clarissa remained silent, her hands loaded with throwing knives, her eyes locked onto the thralls.

Eirisse, thoroughly amused by their predicament, let out a soft chuckle, using her hand to stifle her laughter. "Did you truly believe I wouldn't know of your arrival? How amusing!" she taunted, struggling to contain her amusement.

Zee questioned, "How did you know?" Eirisse finally reined in her laughter, wiped away a tear before responding with a simple tap of her nose. "I recognize my brother's scent no matter where he hides, even in these dank sewers."

Lennix was taken aback. "How do you know my scent, sister?" Eirisse didn't provide an immediate answer and instead averted her gaze, clearing her throat. Karin chimed in with a question of her own. "You didn't, did you, mistress?"

Eirisse simply gestured for her to remain silent.

Eirisse then directed her piercing gaze at one of the group. "I didn't expect you to see through the illusion, Mr. Shadow," she remarked, her eyes locked onto Ercale, who had been surveying their surroundings.

Confused and curious, Zee turned to Ercale and questioned, "What does she mean by illusion, Cain?" Ercale proceeded to educate them. "It's another ability of the eye. Though you won't see it If its color shifts to amber, it will ensnare you in an illusion. Though it's clear you don't know how to harness its powers effectively, do you?" He commented, pointing directly at Eirisse.

Eirisse tilted her head and squinted at him, asking "What do you mean?" she inquired. Ercale elucidated, "If you had truly mastered its powers, you would understand that you don't need an evolution. The artifact you possess wields more power than any vampire ever could."

As Eirisse contemplated Ercale's words, Lennix couldn't help but interject, "But didn't Xain mention that you both didn't know much about artifacts, which is why you initially thought it was a device?"

Ercale, visibly irritated by Lennix's interruption, retorted, "Didn't I just tell you to keep your mouth shut a few moments ago?" Lennix promptly clamped his mouth shut, understanding that now was not the time for questions.

Eirisse, after some contemplation, responded with a sly smile, "Well, if what you're saying is accurate, wouldn't I be an evolved vampire with a remarkably powerful artifact?" She seemed to derive some satisfaction from her words.

Ercale nodded, conceding, "Well, obviously, but I just wanted you to know that you could have won if you were competent."

Before Eirisse could fully react, Ercale unleashed a bolt of lightning towards her, prompting her to swiftly evade. She was about to use the artifact when her concentration was disrupted by Clarissa, who expertly hurled a knife that struck the artifact, knocking the artifact out of the air and kicking off the battle.

As they engaged in the battle, Lennix made a beeline for the thralls, focusing on Almer, who was armed with a revolver. However, as Lennix closed in on Almer, Lennix was met with a deafening gunshot as Almer fired off a round. The revolver round found its mark, striking Lennix in the right shoulder. The impact was usually something Lennix wouldn't be too concerned about; he'd been shot before, and as a vampire, he could withstand gunshots as long as they weren't too excessive. But this time was different. The bullet caused an intense, searing pain that immediately halted his advance. Lennix, clutching his injured shoulder, gasped, "What the hell?"

To his relief, Almer responded, "It worked! The silver bullets worked!" Lennix's eyes widened as he realized what had just hit him. "Silver? Shit," he whispered as Almer leveled the revolver, towards Lennix's head.

Zee charged toward Sora and Jami, both of them armed for the confrontation. Sora wielded a rapier while Jami's gauntlets were his chosen weapons. Zee's speed caught Sora off guard as she attempted to block Zee's diagonal knife slash with her rapier. Meanwhile, Jami attempted to intervene by throwing a punch with his gauntlets to stop Zee.

However, Zee effortlessly caught Jami's gauntleted fist and continued her attack on Sora. Her knife sliced through Sora's shoulder and almost reached her abdomen, only stopped by the rapier. Sora cried out, "Do it!"

In response, Jami activated his gauntlet, releasing a surge of electricity into Zee's body, delivering a shocking 75,000 volts. Zee convulsed from the powerful electric jolt, but her grip on Jami's fist remained unbroken. Sora, now on the ground and gravely wounded, struggled to stay conscious. She whispered weakly, "I'm not going to make it."

Jami, consumed by anger, launched another punch at Zee, believing he could defeat her with the electrical attack. However, Zee stopped the punch just as effortlessly as the previous one.

Despite the intense voltage coursing through her body, Zee's determination and strength allowed her to power through the pain. She warned Jami, "Just give up, or else I'll have to kill you."

However, Jami stubbornly increased the voltage of his gauntlets to 100,000 volts, creating sparks that crackled around him. Zee clenched her fists with such force that she managed to crush the gauntlets and Jami's hands within them. Blood poured from the shattered gauntlets, and Jami screamed in agony. He could feel the bones in his hands poking through the skin, and he collapsed to his knees, writhing in pain.

Zee, showing no mercy, delivered a powerful kick to his face, rendering him unconscious. As Sora, barely holding on to consciousness, watched Zee, her vision fading, Zee said coldly, "If you had given up, this wouldn't have happened." She then turned her attention to the unfolding events with the others.

Zee observed the chaotic battle between Clarissa, Ercale, and Eirisse. Ercale was relentlessly attacking Eirisse with bolts of lightning, while Clarissa did her best to prevent Eirisse from using the artifact by hurling knives at it when it began to levitate. Zee was about to join the fray when she noticed the dire situation with Lennix.

"All of you stop moving!" shouted Almer, capturing the attention of the entire group. They turned to see Almer, his revolver aimed at Lennix's head, while Lennix was visibly bleeding from the shoulder wound.