Thin mist swept across the city streets. The streetlights flickered on,
"Hmph... these humans. Hiding like rats." The figure walking was a female vampire, clad in a black cloak similar to the one Aliff encountered.
The vampire continued walking past the houses, with two-story homes on either side, their windows dark as if no one were inside.
"The people in these houses are so weak; I need a human who is intriguing tonight."
Vampires seek humans strong enough to be transformed into vampires. If a weak human becomes a vampire, they will also become a weak vampire. Therefore, vampires search for those strong enough so that the new vampire will be twice as powerful; the essence of the human also changes into that of a vampire.
"Hehehehe! This is what I've been searching for!"
She stopped in front of a large market with two floors. The building was massive, its windows tightly boarded. But from the cracks, candlelight flickered.
"Tch... how unsubtle."
Her pale lips curled into a smile, revealing sharp fangs.
"Kekeke..."
"How many are hiding in there? Five? Ten? Their blood... must be warm. And how many of them would be suitable for me to turn into vampires?"
Her pale tongue licked her upper lip slowly.
Creak...
A sound scraped from the roof of the market, making her pointed ears perk up.
"…Oh?"
She looked up slowly. On the roof sat a young woman with one leg bent. She had long black hair and ice-blue eyes—cold as ice—staring directly at her.
"Ah... I think I recognize her."
"So it's just you who showed up?" The young woman's voice was flat, but there was a sharpness behind it.
The vampire raised an eyebrow and smiled widely. "Ah~ Aina, right? The newly appointed S-rank hero?" She tilted her head, "Your king really has no sense of respect, sending just a child to face me."
Aina sighed deeply, like a weary teacher dealing with a mischievous student. "Listen, I don't understand your dramatic vampire language."
"Hah... humans are always so rude."
The vampire Aina encountered could understand human language because she had been pretending to be human and learning it. Vampires can also change their appearance into that of a human, which is why no human knows there are vampires in this city. Vampires in this world are very resistant to sunlight, allowing them to do anything freely.
Without warning—
Whoosh!
Aina shot down, her gleaming longsword appearing from thin air as if peeled from another dimension. The blade howled as it cut through the air—
Shiiing!
—but it only struck a shadow.
"Fufu... so fast~" The voice echoed from behind her, sweet yet piercing.
"Since you cannot understand my language, I will speak in human now, even if it's not perfect."
Aina turned around swiftly. The vampire was now standing on the roof, her cloak billowing like bat wings.
*Her movements... not bad.* Aina tightened her grip on her sword.
*And why can this vampire speak human language! How did she learn it?!...*
"Why so silent?" the vampire complained, twirling a strand of her hair. "I thought heroes were supposed to be more spirited. Or are you perhaps scared?"
Aina scrunched her nose. "You talk too much. If you want to fight, fight. If you want to run, then run."
"Impertinent!"
The vampire's face twisted for a moment before she smiled again. "Very well~ If that's the case, I will make you a vampire tonight too!!!..."
Bam!
The rooftop beneath her feet shattered as she lunged forward—
"Speaking as if you can win against me?!"
___
In the command room of City Palace 1, filled with the shimmering blue light of spy crystals reflecting faint images from all corners of the city, four men stood in the center, their eyes fixed on one crystal displaying the scene in front of the market.
"Aina has encountered the target, but why is there only one vampire?!," Naim exclaimed.
"Should we assist?" Bima asked.
Liu shook his head, arms crossed in front of his chest. "She doesn't need our help. She is strong enough to defeat it on her own."
Ravi sighed deeply, leaning his back against the cold wall. "I hope she succeeds."
Actually, the four of them—Naim, Liu, Ravi, and Bima—had decided to split up to search for vampires. But their King of City 1 ordered them to stay together and monitor the situation from this command room.
"This king really won't let us go," Ravi thought, narrowing his eyes. *"Does he not trust our strength?!*"
Bima scratched his head. "I'm not sure, but that vampire seems really strong. Is Aina going to be alright? For some reason, I feel like I've fought a vampire before, but where was that?!"
"Yes, you're right. I feel the same," Naim replied, echoed by Ravi and Liu.
___
Back at the Market
In front of the huge market, Aina and the vampire faced each other on a wide street, their eyes locking like two predators ready to pounce. The vampire's claws suddenly elongated, sharp and glistening like knives, becoming deadly weapons ready to tear apart.
*This vampire is really fast,* Aina thought, her eyes carefully tracking her opponent's every move. *But I've fought people faster than her before.* At that moment, her lips curled slightly, forming a thin smile.
*Why is she suddenly smiling?!* The vampire felt uncomfortable, her gaze growing more vigilant.
Whoosh!
Aina suddenly dashed forward, her speed increasing dramatically like lightning striking. The sword in her hand swung with deadly precision, aimed directly at the vampire's neck.
"WHAT?!!" the vampire screamed, her eyes wide. She tried to dodge, but Aina's attack was too quick.
Swish!
The sword cleanly sliced through her neck, the vampire's head separating from her body and falling to the ground.
"Wow!!! It seems the newly appointed S-rank hero has managed to defeat her," said a market guard peeking from behind a glass window. His voice was a whisper but full of awe.
Aina let out a sigh of relief, her gaze still on the motionless body of the vampire. *It seems it's over,* she thought. As she was about to return her sword to its storage dimension, suddenly…
"Kekekehehehehe!!!
A cold, terrifying laugh echoed from below. Aina furrowed her brow, her eyes staring at the source of the sound. The vampire's head, which should have been dead, began to move. The headless body slowly rose, while the head lying on the ground started to vanish, as if merging back with its body.
"Hehehehe! Did you think that was enough to kill me?" the vampire taunted, her voice filled with arrogance. "I am now an immortal being; nothing can kill me now, heheheh!!!"
Aina took a deep breath, her eyes narrowing. *An immortal being, huh? It seems I really have to fight seriously this time.*