The First Vampire

“I… am here… to kill you!”

The Armor-man spoke in a strange way, as if he hadn’t spoken for a long time, with difficulty and sluggishness.

However, the killing intent embedded in his words was palpable, impossible to ignore.

Capen was on high alert. Even though the Armor-man hadn’t made a move yet, and his capabilities were unknown, just the fact that he could appear behind him unnoticed was enough for Capen to know that the Armor-man’s strength was not beneath his own!

When did such a master appear in Alfalfa City?

“Sir, how have I offended you to the point of wanting my life?” Capen asked tentatively.

At the same time, from the corner of his eye, he saw Orlando, who was previously in despair, showing a grin of schadenfreude.

This grin made Capen’s heart skip a beat, he was starting to realize he was being baited!

Orlando was a decoy!

The Armor-man did not answer Capen’s question, perhaps because he was too lazy to explain.

He slowly drew the sword from his waist. The sound of its sheath breaking shattered Capen’s last glimmer of hope.

Whoosh!

The sword swung out.

In an instant, countless images flooded into Capen’s mind.

He seemed to see the flow of lava, volcanic eruptions, cliffs collapsing. A massive rock pounded the ground, with flames and meteors blasting in all directions.

“Ahh!!!”

Capen screamed, suddenly breaking free from the illusion. When he opened his eyes, he was startled to find the Armor-man’s sword almost touching his forehead.

Boom!

At this critical moment, all Capen could do was to raise his sword and swing upwards.

A great explosion occurred. The broadsword in Capen’s hand shattered, piece by piece, like glass.

Countless fragments fell on the ground, hissing, and smoke rose from them, as if they had just been forged in a boiling furnace.

The terrifying force of the impact sent Capen flying, and he fell onto his knees.

The Armor-man slowly approached, his indifferent eyes filled with hair-raising killing intent.

“It’s over.” Orlando said gleefully from the side, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.

But at that moment, Capen, whose head was bowed, suddenly raised it. His arms crossed in front of him and he bellowed:

“I want you dead!”

Clang, clang, clang!

As Capen swung his arms, a series of black cold lights, like scissors, cut through the air in front of him.

The two figures crossed paths and moved apart again.

The Armor-man seemed to be unaware of the sudden and strange attack of Capen, and two deep cracks immediately appeared on his chest armor.

Capen stopped across from the Armor-man, bent forward slightly with his knees flexed, two blue-glowing daggers in his hands, his crazy and hideous smile surfacing. He roared in a strange tone:

“Boy, I’m going to rip your chest apart, crack open your skull, peel off your skin, and bring all your organs back as my collection!”

The Armor-man was gazing at Capen. He said in a stiff tone: “You… are also rank six.”

Capen chuckled knowingly, said: “Indeed, I’ve concealed my strength for many years. You were the one who has pushed it out!

Who are you, boy?

As a rank six warrior, there’s no way you are nameless.”

Indeed, rank six, while not as scarce as Holy Field’s (rank seven) warriors, was still among the top tiers, with only a handful existing in the entire Empire.

The Armor-man still did not reveal his identity, just looked at Capen coldly, seemingly unworried about Capen’s hidden strength.

For Capen, this indifference seemed like an explicit dismissal, which deeply hurt his pride.

“You sneaky bastard, to hell with you!”

Without hesitation, Capen activated his most powerful state. His hands suddenly burst with a dark blue light, which crawled upwards like flowing water and formed a weird symbol on his chest.

In an instant, his speed greatly increased.

Whoosh!

The entire man abruptly transformed into a blue blur, charging towards the armored man.

The armored man neither dodged nor avoided, still holding an aloof and indifferent posture. He only clenched his sword, raising it high.

Whoosh!

The long sword twisted fiercely, drawing a semicircular arc in the air.

In an instant, countless strands of congealed battle-aura, like a densely packed rain of arrows, poured from the sky, wildly shot towards Capen’s position.

Capen’s eyes became focused, yet he did not dodge, his eyes lit up with a dazzling blue light, and for a split second, it seemed as if all things between heaven and earth paused momentarily.

Boom!

Both men clashed without any flair, a wave of invisible ripples suddenly exploded and spread out, rippling towards all directions like an expanding ripple on a lake.

Orlando watched the two combatants in the battlefield with a horrified expression and completely dispelled the idea of helping. He hastily retreated, fearing being caught in the afterwave of the fight.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Both men were equally matched, and in an instant, countless moves had been exchanged.

After separating once more, Capen suddenly burst out laughing, “Lucien of the North Territory, so it was you!”

Obviously, after this round of fighting, Capen had recognized the true identity of the armored man.

However, the armored man did not react to this at all, neither admitting nor denying it.

Orlando was slightly taken aback at the side. Of course, he had heard of Lucien’s reputation. He knew that this 6th-rank warrior from the North Territory once married Count Schultz, who had a glorious life, envied by countless warriors.

However, he was suddenly exposed a month ago for conspiring to assassinate the Archbishop John of Swan City. He immediately fell into disrepute, and even his alliance with Count Schultz was severed.

Unexpectedly, he appeared in Alfalfa City, and…

While Orlando was lost in thoughts, Lucien and Capen were once again entangled in their fight.

Perhaps because his true identity was revealed, Lucien’s attacks became even more fierce, taking on a crazy, life-for-a-life momentum.

Splat!

Capen firmly grasped the longsword piercing his right shoulder, sneered while driving a dagger into Lucien’s left chest, and licked his lips, growling with a cold and berserk glare:

“You want to fight me to the death? Hahaha… I’ve been through countless battles in my life, and the one thing I’m least afraid of is fighting for my life!”

Lucien remained silent, not retreating by half a step, his right hand sinking down and slashing the longsword along Capen’s shoulder!

Crack! Crack! Crack! A bone-chilling noise of bones cracking.

Capen did not retreat either. The craze on his face intensified, turning rapidly the dagger in his hand, grinding it within Lucien’s chest like a drill.

These two pinnacle warriors were like desperate wild beasts on a dead-end street, throwing behind all tricks, strategies, and glory, left with only the last thought—killing the opponent.

Streams of fresh blood continued to drip down, blossoming one after another into eerie blood blooms on the ravaged ground.

The atmosphere of brutality circulated in the air, as if the Grim Reaper had quietly descended, silently waiting for the moment to swing his scythe.

Capen stared fiercely into the eyes of the armored man, trying to find a hint of hesitation or retreat.

As a warrior who climbed up from the very bottom like him, he had long been accustomed to this feeling of teetering at the edge of life and death.

He knew very well that during the process of continuously sinking into the bottomless abyss, whoever showed the first hint of hesitation would lose.

Capen had wagered his life with his opponents countless times, and every time, he was the winner.

So, he still firmly believed that he would win this time too!

Gradually, Capen’s body began to sway. The loss of too much blood made his brain begin to lack oxygen. In a daze, he seemed to smell the scent of death.

But Capen did not retreat. He knew that as long as he held on through this period, his opponent would definitely collapse!

Every time, it had been like this!

And this time would be no exception!

However, as time passed, Capen’s confidence began to wane rapidly.

Because to his horror, he found that his opponent’s determination was even stronger than his, and his strength showed no signs of weakening. His body did not tremble, as if what he had inserted into his opponent’s chest was not a deadly dagger, but a negligible needle.

However, at this point, even if Capen wanted to retreat, it would be impossible.

The process of falling towards the cliff of death is a one-way street, and the Grim Reaper waiting at the valley bottom was sure to reap a soul.

“Why … aren’t … you … afraid …” Capen asked in a breathless voice.

The armored man opposite him did not answer, only the mockery in his eyes was so thick that it was about to overflow.

Thump!

Finally, Capen completely lost his strength and kneeled before the armored man.