Vampire of Crown Mountain

148 Vampire of Crown Mountain

Looking at that knight sword... no, that evil sword!

Moonfeather's mind trembled again. Though strange in appearance, it bore an unmistakable resemblance to the Will Embodiment of Sword from the Sanctum of Cloud Citadel.

The solidity of this evil sword even far surpassed that of the Cloud Citadel's master.

How many years had it been since a Templar from Cloud Citadel had trained the Will Embodiment of Sword to perfection?

Moreover, the young man's aura clearly hadn't reached full crystallization. How had he managed to condense this sword? Could he perhaps control his inner core freely, unbound by the constraints of veins and major chambers?

Moonfeather didn't have a chance to ponder.

I hovered in mid-air, my black jacket billowing in the wind.

My eyelids twitched, a red mist filled my eyes, and a sinister smile appeared on my lips. I quietly looked down at the vampire below.

The next moment, the crimson knight sword turned into a streak of light and slashed down!

Puft! Before Moonfeather could react, the blade pierced through its thigh. The will-embodied sword hung suspended in the air, pivoted, and plunged back for another strike!

I took out the final Crystal Realm peacock core, placed it in my mouth, and casually wiped the blood from the corner of my lips.

The empty Vampire Devouring External Crystal was replenished, returning to about fifty percent of its capacity.

In a flash, I vanished from my position, synchronizing with the will-embodied sword to launch a coordinated attack from both front and back.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

I unleashed a whip kick to Moonfeather's head, then slammed my fist into its body with the force of a collapsing mountain.

The will embodied sword seized the opportunity to pierce through its body.

Each punch unleashed the deadly poison, corroding Moonfeather's flesh on impact. Its once handsome and vigorous, snow white body was now pitted with wounds and drenched in blood.

Its counterattacks struck with equal ferocity, shattering my bones with each blow.

Such devastating injuries would have killed an ordinary martial artist ten times over.

But under the nourishment of the red glow, I seemed to feel no pain, an eternally tireless killing machine that filled Moonfeather's heart with growing dread and despair.

Finally, with a thunderous boom, I seized the moment when it was distracted. I stepped on it and stomped it viciously into the ground. The will-embodied sword followed, piercing its back.

The Sun-Shattering Bow reappeared in my hand.

This was one of the few weapons that could truly threaten a harmonizing vampire lord.

I suddenly drew the bow, as if holding a dazzling sun.

Moonfeather was almost blinded. It was the first time it knew that a longbow could be used at such close range.

Then, a blinding white light erupted from Mount Strachan!

Boom!

Most of the creatures on the mountain were temporarily deafened, as if they had fallen into a dead zone.

The aftershock sent me flying back thirty yards. The red light could only heal half my injuries this time—I had depleted its power and needed time to recover.

The white light dissipated. I stared at the mangled carcass of the snow owl vampire in the distance and waved my hand to withdraw the Knight Sword as a wave of emotional and physical exhaustion washed over me.

[Slain a harmonizing snow owl vampire, total lifespan 8,756 years, remaining lifespan 2,436 years, absorption complete]

I glanced at the figure standing near the carcass with her hands clasped behind her back. The Sun-Shattering arrow's explosion seemed to have no effect on her whatsoever.

After a moment's consideration, I walked over, picked up the ceremonial blade, bent down, and extracted the vampire crystal core that emitted a brilliant golden light.

Fortunately, the silver bell was spacious enough for Moonfeather's entire body. No need to cut or process it—I simply placed the whole corpse into the bell.

By the time I made my final lunge at Moonfeather, Aisha Patani was already there.

Then she just stood quietly by the side, watching.

It was also her appearance that caused the Moonfeather to panic momentarily, giving me the perfect opening to strike.

Aisha Patani's expression remained unchanged, though a hint of reminiscence flickered in her eyes.

It was like seeing an old friend who had grown to be able to stand on his own.

After a long silence, she smiled and nodded. "You're very strong."

"I'm alright," I answered, sheathing my blade as I turned back toward the mountaintop, fatigue evident in my steps.

She said it would take ten minutes—it took me not much longer.

Aisha followed unhurriedly behind, observing the young man's peculiar tactics and enigmatic aura, but didn't say anything.

… …

The entire Chuckanut Mountains had been transformed beyond recognition by the battle. Only the ruined church on the mountaintop, shielded by the single silver needle, stood unscathed.

Aisha withdrew the needle but didn't put it back into her body.

She rekindled the bonfire and sat quietly beside it, then retrieved a large whiskey flask from her storage instrument and set it on the ground next to her.

She glanced at me as I leaned against the wall with closed eyes and said softly, "Come over here for a moment."

With a slight frown, I stood up and sat beside the bonfire, feeling indebted after all she had given me.

Yet, I averted my gaze quietly. In my dark blue eyes, the condensed red mist lingered.

Aisha transformed the silver needle into a long ice sword, held it in her palm, and extended it toward me. "Touch it."

I raised an eyebrow, pondered for a long moment, then cautiously reached out my index finger to touch it.

Instantly, an unbearable chill shot through my fingertip and coursed through my entire body. My mouth twitched, a ferocious expression flashing across my face before quickly fading away.

The chill instantly dispersed the vampiric resentment and violent tendencies that had built up in my mind. My eyes regained their clarity.

Aisha transformed the longsword back into a silver needle and pierced it into her palm, her expression without the slightest change. "The capital has a crystallization technique called the Heaven Devouring Crystal. Unlike other techniques, the inner core crystallized by this method can be fed with a variety of essence sources during harmonizion. This is what I recommend for you."

My heart skipped a beat as our eyes met—she had discovered my Vampire Devouring External Crystal.

Calmly, she continued, "The Melting Sun Furnace can connect with three hundred and fifty orifices, which greatly benefits those practicing the Heaven Devouring Crystal." Her words carried such conviction that they inspired immediate trust.

She pushed the whiskey flask towards me. "Drink some to dispel the cold. Help yourself."

With that, Aisha fell silent again. She produced a fresh flask, deftly broke its seal, and drank the strong liquor one mouthful after another.

I only just now realized that the lingering chill from touching the ice sword was slowly freezing my body. I abandoned all formality, uncorked the flask and took a swig, the spicy liquid making me frown.

This stuff was clearly not meant to be enjoyed. It offered no pleasure to the taste bud whatsoever.

However, after swallowing, a comforting warmth spread through my body—an almost magical sensation.

The two of us sat by the bonfire, both dressed in black, both silent.

Under the altar, Rose Hightower opened her eyes silently, glanced sideways, clenched her fist ever so slightly, then closed her eyes again. "..."

Once the whiskey flask was empty, Aisha rose to her feet. "I'm heading back to Sacramento. Will you join me?"

After last night, I felt I had probably decoded her social cues.

Her question was just a polite formality—like saying "goodbye" when leaving. She probably didn't actually want me to come along.

"No, I have to send Sister Rose back to Surrey first," I said, making up a casual excuse. If Aisha was going to hunt vampires, I would definitely follow her. But returning to Sacramento? No thanks.

"Would you do me a favor then?" Aisha asked, walking to the entrance of the ruined church.

"What?" I looked up.

A teasing glint flickered in Aisha Patani's eyes. "Please go to Vancouver and tell General Skyler Grant that the vampire of Crown Mountain has been eliminated."

"..."