Battle with the Vampire

Author: Unicoon
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8138gc/32/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

“Vampire! Prepare yourself!!”

Charlotte leveled her staff at Bram.
Bram, for his part, slowly got up and recovered his stance.

“Hihihih! You’re the ones who should prepare!!”

Changed to black mist, Bram melted thickly into the night dark.
Behind the wary Charlotte, black mist began to swirl.

“A royal life, I’ll take it!”

Bram took physical form and lunged at Charlotte.
Natasha noticed first and drew her sword in a flash.

“I won’t let you!”

A sharp sound cutting the wind. Then one of Bram’s arms spun through the air.
Natasha’s sword, faster than the eye, had cleanly struck the arm off.

“Hoh… not bad…”

Even with an arm cut away, Bram’s manner was easy.
He changed his body to mist and restored the severed arm as it had been.

“Hihihih. I’ll show you a little of my real strength.”

Dense mana gathered in Bram’s restored hand.
The mana at his fingertips formed long black claws.

“Take this! Demon Claw!!”

A combat technique unique to vampires, called Demon Claw.
The thrust claws came at Natasha, sharp as spears.

“Teiyaaa!”

Natasha, however, would not lose.
She turned every repeating Demon Claw strike aside with precise swordwork.

“Tch… strange…”

Every attack blocked, a look of doubt rose on Bram’s face.

“It’s as if you’re predicting my movements… why can you read me?”

“I’m not predicting anything. Your movements are simply too slow.”

“What? Too slow!?”

“Compared to Ulrika, you look like you’re standing still.”

A whoosh, and Natasha raised her sword.
Lit by moonlight, the blade shone silver-white.

“Guh… that glare is blinding. What is that sword…”

“A sword I received from Ulrika. Yogsword!”

A beautiful sword dyed silver-white from blade to hilt.
Lady Ulrika’s gift to Natasha: the silver-white sword, Yogsword.

“I was told it will never break. With this I can take your attacks without worry!”

“Little girl… don’t get cocky!”

Bram changed his whole body to mist again.
The mist spread over the area and swirled, surrounding the three of them.

“How’s that? You can’t take aim now!”

“No. You’re full of openings!”

Olivia, staff raised, chanted magic at the mist.
Golden light shot from the tip.

“Healing magic, Demoheal!!”

“Gugyaaaa!?”

Bram screamed and returned to physical form.
His one arm, however, stayed mist and would not come back.
Olivia’s healing magic had erased it.

“Guoh… what was that fierce magic!?”

“Healing magic taught straight from Lady Ulrika. Demoheal!”

“Demoheal!? I don’t know any such magic! And why can a little girl like you use magic this powerful!?”

“Thanks to the staff I received from Lady Ulrika!”

In Olivia’s hand was a one-handed staff of blue-purple.
A mysterious staff that kept glittering from the tip.

This staff was Lady Ulrika’s gift to Olivia: Star Staff Ouranos.
A special staff that amplified the power of magic.

“Kh… damn you! How dare you take my arm!!”

“Both of you, please fall back behind me!”

Natasha, the vanguard, met Bram as he came on.
Yogsword and Demon Claw crashed hard.

An exchange that went back and forth.

With exquisite swordwork, Natasha showed the fruit of special training.
But Bram’s all-out onslaught slowly pushed her back.

“Kh”

“What’s wrong? You’re full of openings!!”

“Oh no!”

Taking a gap of an instant, Bram circled behind Natasha.
He started to raise Demon Claw, but the attack was stopped midway.

“Flame!!”

“Wha—guaah!?”

Fierce fire struck Bram as he took physical form.
Charlotte’s fire magic.

His body burned, Bram staggered back.
Charlotte did not miss the opening.

“Olivia! Now!!”

“Leave it to me! Demoheal!!”

“Igyaaa!!”

Golden light of healing magic wrapped Bram.
Taking heavy damage, his body melted into mist, crumbling.

“Hahh… hahh… why would a mere princess… read my movements…”

“It isn’t your movements I read. It’s Natasha’s and Olivia’s.”

“What…?”

“I read the two of them and predicted where an opening would form. Then I loosed magic at that place… fufu. A foolish vampire came flying in.”

During special training, Charlotte had spent the whole time observing Olivia and Natasha.
As a result she had grasped their movements perfectly—and could even predict them.

With the three’s splendid coordinated attack, Bram’s body was on the verge of vanishing.
The match seemed decided. Then—

“Dammit! Don’t get cocky!!”

Huge mana rose from Bram, who should have been weakened.
Swirling black mist hid his whole body.

“Wha—what in the world!?”

“Hihihih… to think I’d be pushed this far…”

An unpleasant laugh echoed through the mist.
The air vibrated, crackling, with the mana he released.

“It can’t be helped… I’ll show you true terror…”

And, parting the black mist, true terror took form.