Chapter 677 Second Plan
Thud! Meryem stomped forward, her body burning with Arad's void. "Nina told me about world powers," She said, glaring at Vlad. "The first requirement is being able to destroy the world, and the second is being strong enough to beat or match another world power,"
"What are you talking about?" Vlad stared at her.
Meryem clenched a fist, pointing it at Vlad's face, "I can fulfill the first. Now, I only need to prove my personal strength."
"The ants stampede, millions of your children infesting and consuming the world." He giggled, "You're similar to me, ant's queen," He waved his hand,?sucking the blood clubs into his veins and conjuring a massive scythe.
BAM! Meryem jumped forward, swinging her fist at Vlad's face.
"Slow!" With a grin, he swung the scythe at her neck.
ZON! Meryem teleported behind him with a void step. Just like her children, she also inherited Arad's void step. And then swung a kick toward Vlad's skull.
Vlad blocked the kick of the shaft of the scythe, but Meryem immediately turned her torso, kicking his hips with her other leg.
Vlad's body flew away, and he looked at her with a passive face, "Those moves..." He smiled.
BAM! Meryem lunged after him, teleporting left and right to hide her attack direction. Out of nowhere, she sent a punch toward his face, but he blocked it.
"Life is interesting. I never expected to meet a monster like you," Vlad smiled, "Nina taught you how to fight, right?"
CRACK! CRACK! Meryem unleashed a barrage of fists, forcing Vlad into the defensive.
"The void dragon's pet is a ferocious ant. I should've expected that a dragon that could blast a kingdom would have some powerful minions. How many people like you he has?" Vlad smiled, swinging his scythe at her.
Meryem dodged and kicked across the cavern, taking a stance and lifting her hand up. "You talk a lot," CRACKLE! With a burst of the void, a massive stone greatsword appeared in Meryem's hand. "This is Arad's gift to me. He got it from his father-in-law." That was the sword of Doma's father.
"A three-meter-long blade of stone, for a woman like you standing at two meters it still looks massive." Vlad smiled, "But taking your true form, I guess you weigh far more than your size making such a blade easy to use. I doubt that stone is something natural, I can smell a faint curse surging in it,"
Meryem took a deep breath, roaring as her muscles bulged, her honey-colored skin grew darker as red blood filled beneath her upper skin. The ground beneath her feet cracked and her eyes flashed with a red glow.
"Rage? So you're a barbarian," Vlad smiled, "Make sense since Nina trained you," He swung his scythe, taking a stance.
BA-BAM! Meryem disappeared from his vision, ^Fast!^ Vlad gasped, turning back and lifting his spear.
CLANG! He managed to block Meryem's swing, but it sent him flying back at a terrifying speed. ^But her attacks are simple and predictable, a prove she never had actual martial training like Berserker Nina. Monsters relying on raw strength and speed to overwhelm their opponent,^
Thud! He landed on his feet, turning to the side and swinging his scythe, ^You lack the regenerative ability needed to sustain such a violent fighting style,^ His scythe was around Meryem's neck, ^Blame your simple attack pattern,^
CREEK! Two mandibles emerged from Meryem's cheek as her mouth opened wide. SPKASH! A violent stream of acid gushed out of her mouth, forcing Vlad to jump back, his right arm melting.
Vlad opened his wings, flying as he looked down. The whole cavern floor filled with acid, and the air inside had started becoming acid, making his eyes burn and his skin itch.
"An acid breath akin to dragons, I would say it's around what black wyrm could unleash," He looked at Meryem standing in the acid unharmed. "I should've expected that from an ant,"
^I locked the cavern so I can't escape, and I don't have a way of getting rid of the acid. I can't land, and staying in the air won't help against the acidic vapor.^ CLACK! He regenerated his arm.
^The acid is interfering with my regeneration, I won't be able to regenerate in time from a severe head injury. The moment I lose consciousness, she'll rip me apart and melt me into nothing in her acid.^ He smiled, pointing at her with the scythe.
"Good move, Ant," He smiled, ^She's strong,^
BAM! Meryem jumped after him, swinging the stone greatsword with all of her might. FLAP! Vlad dodged, "You don't learn? Do you?" He smiled.
BAM! BAM! Meryem bounced off the wall back toward him, and he dodged again. She didn't stop, jumping from one wall to another like a ball, her speed increasing with each jump.
Vlad started flying everywhere, trying to dodge her relentless barrage of swings. The more he flew through the air, the faster the acid vapor ate at his wings.
CREEK! Vlad's left wing's membrane ripped apart, and he lost balance for a split second before his regeneration could kick in. CLANG! Meryem finally got him with a hit, splitting his torso in half.
GAH! He gasped, blood gushing out of his stomach as his body fell toward the ground.
CRACK! Meryem latched onto the ceiling, opening her mouth and breathing another stream of acid on top of him, drowning his body and filling the cavern to half.
^Is he dead?^ Meryem thought, looking down at the acid for any sign of movement while keeping her guard up. Any normal vampire would have melted beyond any regeneration point, but this is the vampire king. It wouldn't be strange for him to be able to survive this.
The acid started bubbling, shifting the color. Meryem lifted her sword. ^He's coming!^ The dark cavern flashed red as a red light flew toward Meryem, smacking into her sword, "HAHA!" Vlad laughed as his face regenerated. CRACK! Meryem's back got pushed into the ceiling and she felt her limbs growing numb, "The fight above is growing dire as well. You gathered a decent team to derail my plan, but no worry,"
The light coming from his body got stronger as he pushed Meryem with even greater strength, "I can shift the tides on my own!" CRACK! He pushed her through the stone and dirt, drilling his way to the surface with her. He already gave up on hiding and decided to take the front lines.
GAH! Meryem gasped, coughing blood as she felt her exoskeleton crack.
****
On the surface, Alcott swung his sword cutting two vampires at once, "Where did Meryem go?"
"I can't sense her anywhere," Merlin replied, "She dug underground, but her signal disappeared."
"Don't tell me they took her down," Alcott growled, cutting two more vampires as Merlin blasted them with a lightning bolt.
Eris flew between hordes of spawns, burning them with her plasma, "Meryem is strong. She won't that easily." She landed on her feet, "I doubt even a powerful vampire could take her silently like that,"
"The only one could," Alcott growled, "Vlad! He's hiding underground!" He growled, "Merlin, dig me a hole!"
"You can't face father on your own!" Ginger shouted, "Wait for me!" She waved her hand, forcing all the blood of the vampires to drain from their bodies and fly into her palm, condensing in a small ball that she swallowed.
The ground started violently shaking as if a powerful earthquake started. "Meryem's signal is back!" Merlin shouted, looking at the ground, "But,"
"Father's blood magic!" Ginger flew as fast as she could, snatching Alcott while Eris flew away on her own.
BOOM! The ground exploded, sending debris into the sky as Meryem's body got thrown out, bleeding as she fell back to the ground, landing on her legs with a dent in her torso, coughing blood.
"Meryem! Stay still!" Eris flew toward her as fast as she could to heal her, landing at her side, "Vlad did this? He was hiding underground?"
"I wasn't able to kill him," Meryem growled, "But, I dragged the leech out," She looked forward, and saw Vlad standing on a hill ahead of him. CLAP! CLAP! He started clapping, "Impressive, ant," He smiled, "Forcing me to use my blood magic and get out of the cavern is no small feat," He lifted his hand, and his eyes glowed red.
"But, this doesn't make your chances any better,"
BLUGH! Everyone fell on their knees, their skin turning red and they started bleeding from their ears and eyes, puking blood. Ginger tried to stand, but she fell like everyone else.
"How could it be," She growled, trying to use her blood magic to protect everyone but failing.
"My daughter," Vlad stared at her, "I know you were with them, of course, I would take measures so your blood magic won't stop mine,"
CRACKLE! Holy magic sparked from Eris's body as she tried to move, "This won't keep me down," She growled, her eyes burning with a golden light.
"Don't push yourself too hard," Vlad looked at her with a smile. "I'm using my blood control to force all of your muscles to contract at once, ripping them apart. Trying to heal through that and move would only earn you even more pain, having all of your muscles torn and healed over and over tens of times a second,"
"If it's pain alone," Eris growled, purple scales emerging on her skin as her nails grew longer. "I won't stop,"
Vlad giggled, "Regenerating over and over is allowing your body to shift more toward your draconic side. If you don't stop, you'll end stuck in a half-monster form for the rest of your life,"
BAM! Something fell from the sky, landing between everyone and Vlad. A man stood over seven feet tall.
"So you came," Vlad smiled, "Fall," He waved his hand as he saw Arad and hit him with blood magic.
"Nina is protecting the royal family alongside Gin. Sorry for being late," Arad looked back at them, smiling.
"Sorry. I wasn't able to kill him." Meryem growled.
"You don't need to feel sorry," Arad said, turning toward Vlad, "You've done well," His eyes flashed purple as he glared at Vlad, steam coming out of his back, "Where is Zephyr?"
"Mortals who can't stand in my presence don't deserve answers," Vlad smiled, "I'm taking that woman with me, and you'll all die here," He stared at Eris. "Just like you did," He then glared at Alcott.
Alcott tried to move, but Vlad's magic seemed to have grown even stronger since the last time.
Vlad shifted his attention back to Arad, "Time for you to fall, on your knees," He unleashed even more magic toward Arad as he was still standing.
CRACK! Arad took a step forward, his skin steaming and his foot burning the ground.
"How can you move?" Vlad gasped, seeing this seven-foot muscle monster approach him like it was nothing.
CRACK! CRACK! One step after another, Arad approached Vlad until he stood one foot ahead of him, glaring down at his face. "Why wouldn't I move? I already saw your magic before,"
"That doesn't make sense," Vlad stared at him, barely reaching Arad's shoulders in height.
"I've no obligation to explain to a rival," Arad said with a passive face. He already guessed that Vlad was going after his wife.
"I'll only rip your balls and feed them to you for laying an eye on my wife." A white light flew from Arad's chest. "She's mine alone, mosquito."
"I'll take her whether you like it or not. Arrogant dragon."
"I'm a dragon, after all," Arad stared at Vlad's eyes, "And this is my kingdom. Get out."
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