Clash between knights 2

Marcus couldn't help but smile as he observed Albert's state. If this were like the game, Albert would soon enter the second phase of their fight. He was the first boss faced by players who chose not to join the vampiric faction.

He was a relatively easy boss, but still challenging for new players. In the first phase, his attack patterns were simple: heavy strikes with his cane, which was heavier than a warhammer. However, the real challenge emerged in the second phase.

Noticing the confidence in Marcus's eyes, Albert grew extremely irritated. The ghouls were almost done with their fight, and Albert knew he needed to finish this battle as quickly as possible.

With a heavy sigh, Albert gripped the cane with both hands and made a pulling motion. The cane split into a sheath and a sword. He held the blade in his left hand and the sheath in his right, adjusting his footwork and resetting his posture. Despite the weakness caused by blood loss, Albert showed no hesitation. A reddish mist emanated from his body.

The bullet holes caused by Marcus expelled the projectiles as if an invisible force pulled them out. Bartolomeu's vampiric sword was also expelled, but unlike the wounds caused by the ghouls' bites and the bullets, the cut from the sword continued to bleed. Albert couldn't help but curse as he felt fresh blood running down his back.

Marcus analyzed Albert carefully. The old man's stance radiated menace. Although Marcus wasn't knowledgeable about martial arts, he knew that advancing blindly would be suicidal.

The two stared at each other for ten seconds before Marcus flashed a mocking smile. Albert, in turn, launched himself at Marcus with incredible speed.

Marcus quickly removed the rifle from his back. At that distance, shooting was unfeasible, but that wasn't his intention. He gripped the weapon by the barrel and used it as an improvised club. The sound of the bones in his left arm, previously broken by Albert, cracking during the motion was horrifying, but he ignored the pain and delivered a powerful strike.

Albert didn't try to dodge. Using the sheath, he parried the blow with tremendous force. Marcus felt the bones in his arms vibrate from the impact as pieces of the shattered rifle flew in all directions.

Albert countered quickly with a horizontal sword slash that cut through the air with a whistle. Marcus, in a desperate move, threw himself backward, narrowly escaping. Frustration was evident on Albert's face. Without wasting time, he advanced again, delivering a vertical thrust aimed at Marcus's heart as he lay on the ground.

Marcus barely had time to roll to the right, dodging the blade. However, he couldn't avoid the subsequent attack: a devastating blow from the sheath struck his back. The pain of his organs being pierced by his own fractured bones was unbearable. Albert didn't relent. With a powerful kick to Marcus's abdomen, he sent him flying two meters away.

Now the roles were reversed. Albert wore a mocking smile as he watched Marcus, bloodied and fallen. Albert adjusted his stance to end the fight once and for all. However, before he could advance, he felt danger coming from behind. The ghouls had finally finished their bloody dispute.

Albert quickly turned, spinning his sword horizontally and slicing in half a ghoul that attempted to attack him from behind. Seven. That was the number of enemies he managed to count. They were closing in fast, and Albert knew they would be a significant challenge.

In an instant, the battle resumed. Albert decapitated the first ghoul with a clean strike and hit the second in the eye with the sheath, whose impact was so forceful it pierced the skull. Two other ghouls tried to flank him, but Albert jumped back, causing them to collide violently with each other. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he eliminated them with precise thrusts to their hearts.

The last three ghouls moved together. Albert adjusted his stance to face them but felt something approaching from behind. Before he could react, he saw several black spots flying toward him. He tried to cut them with his sword but only managed to hit a portion of them. The others swarmed him, biting ferociously.

"Damn, cursed bats!" he growled.

The bats' bites weren't fatal, but the distraction was enough for one of the ghouls to bite his calf with devastating force. Albert retaliated, driving his sword into the ghoul's back, but another yanked his leg violently, knocking him down. The third ghoul leaped on top of him, tearing at his back with claws and teeth.

Marcus watched the scene in horror. He wanted to command the ghouls to stop, but the words refused to leave his mouth. All he could do was cough up a torrent of dark blood. Albert was essential to the game's storyline. He couldn't die here.

When all seemed lost, a sweet voice echoed beside Marcus.

"You are truly fascinating, little dog."

Marcus turned his head to the right and was shocked to see an incredibly beautiful woman standing beside him. She wore an elegant black dress, like something a mourning princess would choose. Her yellow eyes gleamed with curiosity, and her blood-red hair billowed in the wind.

"Hahaha..."

Marcus snapped out of his daze at the sound of Albert's agonized screams. The woman looked at the scene with an irritated expression, as if something had interrupted her fun. With a simple gesture of her hand, the ghouls exploded into a cloud of blood and flesh.

That was the last thing Marcus saw before his vision darkened.