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"Oh, I can smell it."
Gentle footsteps crunched softly over the fresh snow covering the third floor of the dungeon. Sharp crimson eyes pierced the distance with unnatural clarity, easily spotting something fascinating and wonderful far ahead. The eyes widened with pure delight.
"Hahaha!"
He licked his lips with eager hunger as his stomach rumbled loudly. The disgusting purple blood of those lesser monsters had not been enough to satisfy him. He now craved the fresh, warm blood of real human beings.
Especially these ones. Their potent, awakened bloodlines carried a scent so strong and alluring that he could detect it from an incredible distance.
"It's like… like…!"
He smiled widely and spread his arms, revealing his tall, slender frame wrapped in black belts. A coat trimmed with white fur covered his upper body, paired with black pants, while he walked completely barefoot across the snow. His long black nails resembled those of a feral beast, and his flowing white hair danced in the cold wind. His sharp crimson eyes glowed with intense excitement.
"A full course gourmet meal!!!"
He laughed with unrestrained joy, drooling as his pale face flushed red from overwhelming excitement. A visible bulge even poked against his pants from the sheer anticipation.
"How many women are there? Hmm?! Ooouuugh! Three?! No… five!!! And three of them are young ones! I am so lucky! The other two… an old man… meh. I'll let the thralls have him. As for that young man? Hmm… well, with five women, why even bother? He'll make a good meal for the dhampirs. Hehehe… but I am eating all five women myself. I'm greedy after all."
As he licked his lips again, several figures moved through the forest under his command. They exuded blood auras directly connected to him. With simple gestures of his hands, blood threads formed from his aura controlled these beings like puppets, directing their every movement.
"Ah, how wonderful. They even built themselves a little house and everything? That's way too fast though. How?" he wondered, rubbing his chin as he tried to think.
However, Alistair was not the thinking type.
"Meh! Who cares!" he declared with a happy-go-lucky smile, revealing his sharp teeth. "Time to feast! Time to feast! Time to feast, tralalala!"
He began jumping around like an overjoyed child, each hop growing more bloodthirsty than the last.
"Tra la la la~!"
♢♢♢♢
Brunhild could feel it clearly. The bloodlust in the air was overwhelming. Her eyes darted around as she moved quickly through the house, placing special refined crystals she had recently created using alchemy and her soul forge.
By mixing mana and spirit crystals with monster cores and inscribing them with barrier spell runes, she had formed special wall stones. She planted them around the house and connected them through a network of magical threads forged from her own blood, rapidly creating a complete magic circle.
"They're here!" she called out.
Everyone immediately emerged from the house. Ulf and Kara took positions on the rooftop while Ragnar, Astrid, and Magnus stepped outside. Sigrid stood right beside Brunhild, helping her set up the special magic stones.
"Brunhild, they're coming!" Sigrid said, her voice filled with panic. She raised her bow and fired an arrow that struck something rushing toward them directly between the eyes.
It was an Ice Elf.
However, this one appeared strangely feral, far more twisted than the originals. It roared loudly before the arrow exploded, blowing its entire head into pieces.
BOOOM!
The monster collapsed to the ground, revealing a dried-out body completely unlike the pristine blue skin of the Ice Elves they had fought before. It slowly rose again despite the missing head. Its regeneration was much slower. Tendrils with eyes sprouted from its neck, and a massive vertical jaw opened across its entire torso.
"GYAAAAAH!"
It let out a ferocious monstrous cry and charged at Sigrid on all fours. Sigrid panicked, her arrows slipping from her fingers. She clenched her teeth, conjured magic, and fired a massive icicle spear.
CLASH!
The icicle spear narrowly missed as the monster leaped at her, opening its entire torso into a gigantic jaw filled with thousands of jagged teeth and long, drooling tongues.
"Eeeh?!"
Sigrid froze in terror, her eyes wide with fear and her body paralyzed.
CRAAASH!
A blazing strike from a gigantic axe cleaved the creature apart, instantly shattering the blood core inside it and leaving a burning corpse behind.
"Sigrid! I told you not to hesitate!" Brunhild said firmly. "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah, sorry!" Sigrid apologized quickly. "I don't know what got into me all of a sudden. I promise it won't happen again!"
"You're just a kid…" Brunhild thought to herself, choosing not to say it aloud since it would not make much sense coming from someone who appeared close to Sigrid's age. After all, Sigrid did not know Brunhild's mental age was much older.
"It's fine," Brunhild said out loud. "Stay behind us. Attack from a distance. Just make your walls and use your magic for support, alright? That is what we need most from you as our strongest spell caster."
"You're a great mage too…" Sigrid replied, fidgeting with her hair in embarrassment at being so close to Brunhild.
"I know, but I cannot fulfill both roles at the same time," Brunhild explained. "The reason I do not spam magic is because it is better for me to stay on the frontlines and make full use of this tough body. My magic still supports me, but I will continue specializing in physical fighting or a balanced mix. I cannot match your talent in magic. Just keep your head calm and focused. Remember to drink the mana potions."
"Got it, Brunhild!" Sigrid nodded eagerly. "I will protect your back…!"
"And the house," Brunhild added.
"And the house, yeah!" Sigrid nodded again with determination.
Brunhild let out a small sigh and gently patted her head. She wanted to tell the girl to hide or run away, but it was too late for that now. They needed every bit of help they could get. Besides, Sigrid had also awakened a powerful bloodline. It was better for her to put it to good use.
Aside from Ulf and Kara watching from the rooftop, Krarlak remained inside with Frigga. His Guardian Spirit protected both of them after agreeing with Brunhild once it had been fed enough spirit stones.
"More are coming!" Ragnar roared.
The entire family spread out around the house, each taking responsibility for one side.
RUMBLE!
The ground trembled as Ragnar charged toward the red eyes drawing closer. Brunhild nodded, tossed the burning corpse into the face of an approaching Blood Thrall Ice Elf, and placed her hand firmly on the ground.
"Holy Barrier Formation – Activate!"
FLAAASH!
The ten stones buried underground activated at once. Interconnected by her powerful divine energy-infused blood, the spells inscribed into the stones wove together and formed a single, beautiful dome-like barrier around the house.
The thralls that leaped over the dome like wild beasts received a harsh surprise. They instantly burned in agony as loud zapping sounds echoed through the snow-covered forest. The monsters dropped to the ground, rolling desperately in the snow or casting ice magic in vain attempts to cool themselves.
"Gyaaaaaaeegghh!"
As they screamed, Ragnar roared loudly.
"Now, while they're weak!"
The whole family sprang into action. Ulf and Kara began with a blazing arrow volley that descended like burning rain upon the struggling thralls. The fiery arrows pierced their bodies and exploded, spreading small flames across their forms. Several cores became exposed, giving Sigrid, Brunhild, and Magnus the perfect chance to finish them off.
Sigrid's ice arrows cut through the air at incredible speeds. Magnus's beast spirit energy-infused arrows transformed into creatures of the forest, piercing and shattering many cores at once. Brunhild's night arrows exploded into shadows and darkness, spreading cursed energies that weakened the approaching swarm of Blood Thralls. This was part of her War Saintess of the Umbral Hunt skill, which she had discovered could also conjure clouds of black shadows to hide herself and her allies while temporarily cursing her foes.
"Tsk, damn things, die!"
"They're weaker than the other guy!"
Ragnar and Astrid roared as they crushed skulls, shattered cores, and cleaved through the swarming thralls with ease. They unleashed their bloodlines and spirit beast tattoos to gain maximum power, even as it rapidly consumed their stamina.
"It's because these are just Blood Thralls, basically zombies!" Brunhild shouted. "Don't lower your guard. The Dhampirs must be hiding behind—"
Her eyes widened as a figure suddenly appeared directly behind her, wrapped in shadows. Bright red eyes gleamed with malicious intent. The arrival was so fast that she barely had time to react.
"Wha…?!"
As the shadows faded, a tall, handsome, and slender man emerged. His white hair flowed in the wind as a wide grin spread across his face, revealing sharp fangs.
"Greetings, my love. I must say, you are the most captivating one here tonight. Shall I feast on you first?"
In that instant, a massive pressure crushed down on Brunhild. She vomited blood and fell to her knees.
"Ngh?!"
She was completely stunned and paralyzed, unable to move.
"Now… stay right there… I promise it won't hurt~"
His jaws opened wide as his fangs sank deep into her neck in a single swift motion.
"BRUNHILD!!!"
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