Upon seeing the five turn their heads, the Ghoul instantly erupted in rage.
"ROAR!!!"
Letting out a furious roar at the five, it lunged at them with claws bared.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the five were unprepared.
They hastily responded, brandishing the short weapons in their hands.
Squelch—!
"ROAR—!!!"
The dagger blades cut into the Ghoul's flesh but failed to inflict substantial damage.
Because these creatures were like zombies, devoid of any sense of pain.
They only reacted to living flesh and blood.
The Ghoul kept roaring, ignoring their attacks, and directly bit down on the nearest man.
"AAAAAH!!! Save me!"
Blood spurted like a fountain from the man's bitten neck.
Seeing this, the remaining companions lost all will to fight.
They even ignored Yuki and the others, abandoning their companion as they tried to flee.
However, before they could leave the alley, a figure blocked their path.
A man with a deathly pale face, dressed in elegant gentleman's attire, appeared before them.
His tone was flat as he glanced coldly at the men.
"You can't run away, you know... food."
The man spoke slowly, a slight smirk curling his lips as he revealed a particularly prominent fang hidden within his mouth.
Seeing the fang in his mouth, they quickly guessed his identity.
"You... you're a vampire?!"
That's right. Blocking the path of the thugs was one of the city's most feared creatures—a vampire.
They often fed on human flesh and blood, and because their strength surpassed that of ordinary mercenaries or adventurers, people in this city would usually turn and run upon seeing a vampire.
These thugs were no exception.
But now they had nowhere to run. A vampire in front, a Ghoul behind.
This plunged their hearts into utter despair.
"Please, don't drink from us!"
"Y-yes! Our flesh isn't tasty! Theirs is much better!"
One of the thugs, desperate to survive, tried to divert the vampire's attention to Yuki and Akane, who were watching from the side.
By now, Akane was already terrified by the sight of the Ghoul biting the thug's neck.
She could only cover her eyes, hiding behind Yuki.
Carefully peeking out, she slowly tried to adjust to the gruesome scene of a Ghoul eating a human.
Nevertheless, she still felt a wave of nausea and the urge to vomit.
Hearing the thug's words, the vampire looked over at Yuki and Akane, his eyes instantly lighting up.
"Excellent! Truly excellent flesh!"
"But before that... you'll serve as the appetizer!"
The vampire said excitedly, but then, contrary to the thugs' expectations, turned his target back towards them.
"No, please!!"
"AAAAAH! HELP!!!"
Amidst their wails, the remaining four thugs became the vampire's bloody feast.
In less than two minutes, the four thugs stopped breathing. The vampire even licked the remaining blood from the corner of his mouth.
"A bit mediocre. The flavor isn't very refined."
He didn't forget to offer a critique, then turned his gaze towards Yuki's side.
"But you two... are my main course!"
"Slurp! I hope your flavor brings me some pleasant surprises!"
The vampire looked at Yuki and Akane with an expectant gaze.
"Oh! And don't think about running!"
The vampire then gave a faint smile, pointing towards the four men whose blood he had just consumed.
The four men stood up as if mechanically, their eyes turning blood-red, their expressions vacant as they roared loudly at Yuki and Akane.
"I can't help but think these Ghouls are a lot like zombies from movies!"
Seeing the corpse people, Akane was reminded of the zombies from movies she usually watched.
Even Saeko Busujima in the chat group found it familiar.
[Saeko Busujima]: They do look similar, quite like the "them" from my previous world.
[Seitenshi]: But these corpse people seem to be controlled by that vampire. So there is a difference.
As the vampire closed in on the two of them, Yuki and Akane remained as calm and composed as ever.
The vampire, seeing this, thought they had completely given up struggling and showed a satisfied expression.
"Good, it seems you understand struggle is futile."
"Don't worry. Since that's the case, I can grant you the gift of a painless end."
The vampire framed the act of consuming their flesh and blood as a "gift," as if bestowing a great reward upon them.
Hearing this, Yuki shook his head, a mocking smile appearing on his face.
"I think before you boast, you should take a look at the situation."
"See who's behind you?"
Yuki pointed behind the vampire.
Hearing this, the vampire's expression froze for a moment before he whirled around.
What greeted him was a flash of silver light, a sharp blade slashing towards him.
The vampire was shocked, reacting quickly by pushing a nearby Ghoul in front of him to block the sword.
Squelch!
The Ghoul was instantly cleaved in two.
However, the attacker didn't linger. Their figure flashed and instantly appeared beside the vampire.
Swinging the sword once more.
The vampire's pupils contracted. In a panic, he raised his arm to block the blade.
Swish!
The blade's light fell, slicing through like a knife through vegetables. The vampire's arm was severed.
Seizing the moment, the vampire retreated several steps, finally getting a clear look at his assailant.
A woman dressed in Gothic style appeared there. Her hair, as crimson as fresh blood, was adorned with a tricorn hat. In her hands was a silver-white longsword.
The vampire caught sight of the bright red streak on the silver blade—clearly blood from his severed arm.
And strangely, the blood seemed to be evaporating, sizzling and smoking on the blade's edge.
"Sil... silver?!"
The vampire paled in shock.
The weapon his opponent used was clearly silverware—one of the weaknesses of their vampire race.
Even if a silver weapon didn't kill them, it would make their lives extremely uncomfortable.
"You're... the rumored Vampire Hunter?!"
The vampire suddenly came to his senses, looking at the woman before him as if facing a formidable enemy.
In this city, rumors spoke of an active Vampire Hunter.
True to the name, she was a ruthless individual specializing in hunting their kind.
That's why vampires, even when hunting, had to be extremely cautious.
"Less talk."
"Die!"
The woman looked coldly at the vampire before her, raising her sword to attack directly.
Seeing she couldn't even be bothered to exchange words, the vampire's face darkened like coal.
He hastily commanded the Ghouls to intercept, then tried to flee.
However, his path forward was blocked by the Vampire Hunter. The only remaining option was Yuki's side.
"I'll take you two as hostages first!"
The vampire suddenly charged towards Yuki. Seeing this, the Vampire Hunter's pupils trembled slightly, a flash of anger crossing her face.
She quickly dispatched the few Ghouls and lunged at the vampire.
Unfortunately, the vampire was faster. He was almost upon Yuki and the other.
At that moment, Yuki leisurely raised a hand.
Slap!
A crisp slapping sound rang out, followed by the vampire being sent flying like a kite with its string cut.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
The vampire shot out like a cannonball, directly piercing through numerous buildings on the left side, eventually vanishing into a tiny speck on the horizon.
No one knew exactly how far he had been sent flying. But they did know that everything along that straight line—buildings, forests, mountains—had been pierced through by him.