Battle Comes To An End

Feeling the projectiles hurtling toward them from all directions, Alvin's breath hitched. His instincts screamed at him to move. Without thinking, he lunged, grabbing Elara's wrist in an attempt to pull her down to safety. But to his surprise, the woman did not budge from her position a bit.

Alvin hastily turned to look at her. She was smiling warmly, almost amused at his attempts.

There was no fear in her expression, only quiet confidence. But Alvin had no time to focus on that sweet smile of hers as the glinting silver projectiles rushed toward them, cutting through the air like falling stars.

In the span of a heartbeat, Elara released his grip and raised both hands. She looked at the incoming senbons, and her fingers flickered—each one moving differently, like a puppeteer controlling invisible strings.

Woosh!

What happened next drained blood from Wang Chen's face. The sound of the bullets cutting through the air vanished without a trace.

They were now hovering in the air, a few inches away from their targets, defying all common sense Wang Chen knew of.

"What—" He took a step back, eyes wide with disbelief. "How… How is that possible?! Vampires can't use spells!"

Elara's eyes sharpened, but she still replied with a happy smile on her face, Didn't you ask me earlier if I had ever met a hunter before?" she mused. "Now tell me, hunter, have you ever met a real vampire before?"

"Someone who is capable of doing something like this?" she added, and on her cue, the senbons danced in the air in an orderly manner as if performing a skit for her. 

The air around her and Alvin shimmered in a silver glow under the rays of the moonlight. The senbons revolved around the two of them before gathering before Elara, all of them now pointed directly toward the hunter.

This… this isn't possible.

Beads of sweat rolled down Wang Chen's face; he took a step back in fear without even realizing. He still could not grasp what he was seeing. His hands trembled, gripping his guns tighter, but the sheer unnaturalness of the sight before him rooted him in place.

'This has to be a nightmare.' The man mumbled to himself in his mind, unable to think of any reasonable explanation for what he was seeing.

Elara tilted her head. "Never mind. I don't actually care about your answer. You can die now." Seeing the lost and scared look on the hunter's face, she lost all interest in him and flicked her fingers towards him.

Woosh!

Thud!

Like arrows released from a crossbow, all the needles shot towards Wang Chen at once at a tremendous speed. He tried to run away for his life.

But the needles were faster than he was; they closed the distance between them almost instantly.

The first needle struck him in the shoulder and the second one in the back. Then the third—

With a thud, Wang Chen stumbled forward and collapsed on the ground.

Alvin exhaled, realizing only now that he had been holding his breath. "Is he dead?" his heart still beating hard from the thrill of battle still racing through his veins—even though he hadn't even participated.

Before Elara could respond—

A flash of golden light lightened up the area; the two of them turned their heads to the source of the light and saw Vanessa stepping out of the magic circle.

Vanessa raised her head and froze. She blinked, glancing around at the destruction.

She smoothed down her pristine dress and folded her hands before her. "My lady, I must inquire… Has a calamity passed through this place in my absence, or is this merely your idea of an evening's entertainment? I almost thought that I was in the wrong place."

Facing the emotionless stare of her maid, Elara tried her best to maintain her smile, but it faltered within a fraction of a second.

Vanessa swept a perfectly measured curtsy before Elara, then turned to Alvin with a poised expression. "I must say, young master, your disheveled state is rather unbecoming. Might I presume you were also involved in the mess?"

Alvin stiffened. Something about her overly refined manner of speaking and the twinkling in her eyes as she spoke to him put him on edge. 'Not a single one of them is normal.' He thought

Elara groaned in annoyance but knew better than to argue. "It was him. Are the preparations done?"

Elara had the elegance of a noblewoman, but in battle, she transformed into a cold-blooded monster. And Vanessa… 'Only God knows what is right with her.'

He swallowed and rubbed his temples slightly.

"Hmm, are you badmouthing me in your mind?" Elara suddenly glared at Alvin sharply as if she could hear his thoughts. 

Alvin didn't miss a beat. "Nope. I was badmouthing her." He pointed at Vanessa with a straight face, completely void of guilt.

"Well… that's fine." Elara's smile resurfaced, as long as it was not her. The maid deserved to be badmouthed anyway.

Vanessa arched a delicate brow, her lips curving into an expression of mock offense. "Ah, what a grievous slight upon my person! Is this truly how one truly treats their maid?" She wiped the corner of her eyes in exaggerated sorrow, "I believe I must complain to the authorities!" 

Elara smirked. "Dear, I am the authorities."

Vanessa pressed a hand to her chest, exhaling a theatrical sigh. "Alas, I am done for. The world is unjust, and I am but a humble maid caught in the crossfire of cruel atrocities."

Seeing the smug look on Elara's face, Vanessa's knowing smile did not fade. Instead, she turned on her heel with effortless grace. "My lady, shall we depart? The preparations have been completed, as per your request."

Elara's amusement softened into something more unreadable. She glanced back at Wang Chen's body, her gaze lingering for just a moment before she nodded. "We've wasted enough time here. There is nothing worth my time here."

Vanessa inclined her head slightly, intrigued to know what had happened upon sensing the mocking tone in her voice, but she chose to complete the task she was given first. "Please come close to me."