Chapter 75

Xain remained adrift in the void, devoid of sight or sound. *I wonder what happened to Ercale,* he pondered, Ercale and Xain shared a magical connection, and if Xain had indeed perished, he speculated that Ercale might be sharing the same fate. Though not desiring harm for Ercale, Xain couldn't help but be curious about the intricacies of their mysterious connection.

*I wonder if Mari's alive,* crossed his mind momentarily, but Xain swiftly pushed the thought away. *No, don't even think that. Someone surely saved her; she's important,* he reassured himself. In the silent expanse, an unfamiliar sensation disrupted the stillness.

*What the!* Xain thought, feeling a presence he couldn't quite grasp. Despite sensing something, its nature eluded him. *What was that?* he questioned, attempting to move within the void. Uncertain if he truly moved or merely perceived the motion without physical sensation, Xain grappled with the unknown.

As hunger gnawed at him, his stomach grumbled, prompting Xain to think, *Ugh, I'm hungry.* A sudden realization struck him. *Wait, if I'm dead, how could I feel hungry?* he pondered, coming to the revelation, *I'm not dead! I'm somewhere else, but where!?*

**Back to the town central**

Larkin spotted someone with his temporarily enhanced vision, and even though it wasn't one of the people he actually wanted to save, he believed that Kaden, the man everyone had been praising, could still offer assistance against the vampire. *I saw one more,* Larkin thought to himself, shifting his focus to another pile of rubble within the sinkhole. He had noticed another person trapped beneath the debris. As soon as he caught his breath from the physically demanding task of clearing heavy rubble without magical assistance at his age, he planned to rescue whoever was under there. This time, he hoped to save someone he actually knew.

Meanwhile, Kaden maintained his control over Eirisse with the weight of his gravity magic, making it difficult for her to move. Eirisse struggled under the oppressive force, feeling as if several tons were pushing her down. Victoria, relieved to see Kaden, quickly seized the opportunity. She aimed her staff directly at Eirisse's face, mentally invoking *DS Module 1*. Another symbol at the bottom of her staff vanished, leaving only one remaining.

From the top of her staff, a fiery bolt shot out and struck Eirisse directly on the face, burning away a substantial portion of it. Bits of muscle tissue and bone were exposed as Eirisse glared menacingly at Victoria, her fangs bared, seemingly eager to extract her blood. Unfazed, Victoria invoked *DS Module 1* once more. The final symbol disappeared, and another fire bolt struck Eirisse, this time targeting her torso. A significant part of her body burned away, revealing Eirisse's exposed ribcage.

However, Victoria was unaware that this was precisely the opportunity Eirisse was looking for. As pools of Eirisse's blood fell from her body, a sinister smirk crept across her face. The crimson droplets, bursted into red-hot flames.

Reacting swiftly, Victoria mentally invoked *DS Module 4!* The symbol closer to the top of her staff vanished, leaving no more of the same symbol remaining. Both Victoria and her staff were enveloped in a fiery aura. As the red-hot flames touched her, they seemed to have no effect, thanks to Victoria's temporary immunity.

Fueled by anger, Victoria swung her staff once again, targeting Eirisse's exposed ribs. The force of the blow launched Eirisse into the air briefly, only to be slammed back down on the cobbled ground due to the unrelenting force of Kaden's gravity magic, now crushing her as she lay flat on her stomach.

Victoria, determined to end the threat of Eirisse, aimed her staff at the struggling vampire once more, declaring, "We win." She mentally invoked *DS Module 3*, causing another symbol from the middle of the staff to vanish. Only one more symbol remained. A torrent of flames, resembling the breath of a dragon, erupted from the top of her staff, engulfing Eirisse and ending her existence right then and there. The vampire turned to ashes, the nightmare had finally come to an end. They had won, and the vampire lay dead as a pile of ash, never to harm anyone again.

If only that were the case.

Before the flames could even touch Eirisse, she vanished. The fiery torrent did nothing other than destroy the space where Eirisse was being crushed. Victoria turned to see Eirisse grabbing one of the fleeing militia members. In an instant, Eirisse sank her fangs into the man's neck, draining him of both blood and soul. Not only did Eirisse fully heal all her wounds, but she also grew stronger. Victoria could do nothing but watch, knowing that getting in close range now would mean certain death, as Dragon's Might would wear off before she could do much. The nightmare continued.

Victoria observed Kaden as he climbed out of the sinkhole, appearing utterly exhausted. His body was covered in sweat, and his complexion had turned pale. *Mana exhaustion,* Victoria thought. Mana exhaustion happens when a magic user expends too much mana too quickly, not allowing their body to rest. It's akin to donating blood— one cannot continually give blood without getting weaker, sick, or risking death. The body needs time to rest and replenish its resources. Victoria briefly considered Kaden's condition but redirected her focus to the immediate threat—Eirisse. She couldn't assist Kaden right now; there was a vampire to deal with.

Victoria stood as the best line of defense against Eirisse; vampires, like most undead, were vulnerable to fire, and Victoria's Dragon Staff exclusively wielded dragon-based fire magic. After Eirisse finished her drink, licking the remaining blood off her lips, she turned around to face Victoria. Without hesitation, Victoria mentally invoked *DS Module 2 Dragon's Bullet!* A symbol near the bottom of her staff vanished, and three small fiery bullets shot out from the top, hurtling towards Eirisse at blinding speeds.

Eirisse, quick on her feet, vanished from her spot and appeared in front of Victoria, ready to strike. However, she felt heat emanating from behind her. Reacting swiftly, Eirisse vanished again, dodging the fiery bullets. Yet, the bullets persisted, changing their trajectory and speeding up. Eirisse continued to dodge, but the relentless bullets closed in, eventually striking her torso and burning enough to expose muscle tissue, though not as severely as Victoria's first Module had done.

Just as Victoria prepared to unleash more magic and Eirisse readied herself for another attack, a fireball came hurtling towards Eirisse. She saw the fiery projectile moving in slow motion and managed to dodge it. However, as she evaded, the ground beneath her erupted in flames from another source she hadn't anticipated. Eirisse barely dodged the secondary eruption, and the initial fireball exploded right where she had stood, knocking her back.

As both Victoria and Eirisse turned their attention to the source of this new threat, they beheld a figure better equipped to handle Eirisse than Victoria with her dragon staff. Amidst the night wind, Amara, her blond hair dirty from emerging from under rubble, stood with flames in her hands. Beside her was a terrified and tired Larkin, who just stood there panting.