Chapter 38: Judgment
"The first attack tests you. The second studies you. The third ends you."
— Niccolo Machiavelli
Chris stood at Haven City's borders, blade drawn, its edge catching the faint glow of the fractured sky. Above, winged vampires descended in tightening spirals.
"This time… I won't hesitate," he murmured, lowering his stance.
"Good," Herla replied, stepping forward beside him. "Because they won't."
The air shifted.
Then—impact.
_Screech_
The first wave dove.
Chris moved.
No wasted motion—his blade arced upward, cleaving through the lead vampire before it could fully descend. The body split mid-air, dissolving into ash before it touched the ground.
He didn't pause.
Step. Pivot. Cut.
Another fell.
Herla followed through the opening, her movements sharper, faster—less controlled, more aggressive. Where Chris minimized effort, she overwhelmed.
"Left!" she snapped.
Chris ducked instantly.
A wing sliced through the space his head had occupied.
He countered without looking—thrusting backward. The blade pierced clean through bone and chest. A brief resistance.
Then nothing.
"More incoming," Herla said.
Chris glanced up.
Not dozens.
Hundreds.
"…So they've stopped pretending."
The sky flickered again.
Another portal tore open above Haven's outer wall—larger than the rest.
And something stepped through.
"Hmm." The vampire smiled. He wasn't like the rest, he looked more beast than gyn.
He had red slits for pupils, behind him were 2 giant outstretched wings.
"Heard you guys were part of the group that has thwarted our plans several times." He said.
"I shall deliver my master's judgment." Chris said, sheathing one sword and lifting the other high, all the mana in a 3 mile radius converging towards the tip of his blade.
_Judgment_
He struck swung his blade at the vampire.
_Swoosh_
The vampire dashed forward, claws outstretched.
The air tore as both attacks met.
_Impact_
For a fraction of a second—silence.
Then—
_BOOM_
The shockwave detonated outward, ripping through the battlefield. The ground fractured beneath Chris' feet, while the sky itself seemed to split along the path of his strike.
Herla braced, skidding back. "Tch—!"
Dust and ash swallowed everything.
Then—
a figure stepped through it.
"…Not enough," the vampire said calmly, rolling his shoulder as if loosening tension. "So this is the 'judgment' that stopped the others?"
Chris didn't answer.
His eyes narrowed.
The vampire vanished.
_Snap_
Chris tilted his head just in time—claws grazed past his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.
"Slow."
Chris pivoted, slashing horizontally—
Nothing.
A blur.
Then—
Slam.
A kick crashed into his ribs, sending him skidding across the ground. He dug his blade into the earth, forcing himself to stop.
Herla was already moving.
"You're not the only one here."
She appeared behind the vampire, her strike aimed cleanly at the neck.
Slice.
It connected.
For a moment.
Then the body dissolved—
After-image.
"Too reckless," the voice echoed.
Herla's eyes widened—
_Slam_
She was driven into the ground, the impact cracking stone beneath her.
Chris was already back on his feet.
"Get up."
"I'm fine," she muttered, coughing, forcing herself upright.
The vampire hovered again, wings beating slowly now.
"You're coordinated," he admitted. "Better than others."
His red-slit pupils sharpened.
"But still beneath him."
Chris stepped forward again, adjusting his grip.
"…Your master."
A faint smile.
"A marvel you can never contend with."
The air thickened.
Pressure.
Heavy. Crushing.
Even the remaining vampires pulled back slightly.
Chris exhaled once.
Steady.
Then—
his stance changed.
Herla noticed immediately.
"…So you're finally serious."
"Stay alive," he said flatly.
Then he disappeared.
The vampire's expression shifted for the first time.
Confusion.
A flicker—
He was too late.
_Slice_
A clean line appeared across his chest.
The vampire staggered back slightly, eyes narrowing.
"…Interesting."
Blood—dark and thick—began to drip.
Then he smiled again.
Wider.
"Good."
His wings spread fully now, eclipsing what little light remained.
"Now I can start trying."