Chapter Thirty-One: A Ray of Hope Amid Despair (Part Two)

All the vampires in the hall were drawn to us, shrieking and rushing forward in a frenzy. On average, each of us faced about five opponents of equal strength simultaneously. Had our equipment been even slightly inferior, we would have long since fallen, our bodies strewn across the floor. Even with Changjiang Delta and Longbow Shooting the Sun relying desperately on their newly acquired, exceptional weapons, it was barely enough to stave off our looming annihilation.

"Come here, hurry up! Everyone, gather over, quickly..." Krado stood in a corner to the right, fighting off the surrounding vampires with all his might, gesticulating wildly as he shouted.

"Quick, we need to get to him, move!" As I wondered whether the Minotaur Shaman was invoking some special ritual to pray for his soul, Changjiang Delta pointed in Krado's direction and translated loudly, snapping me out of my confusion.

Black Aurora was the first to get over. Using his unique hybrid spellcasting technique, he combined a basic Flame Shield and Wind Surge, wrapping himself in a rotating wall of protective fire. Not only did this firewall grant him formidable defense, it inflicted significant burns on nearby enemies. Vampires, innately fearful of fire, kept their distance, allowing him to pass unimpeded.

Changjiang Delta's transition was even smoother. In the midst of battle, he suddenly tossed out a bottle of Refraction Potion, vanishing amid a shimmer of flashes. The vampires surrounding him lost their target instantly, looking about in agitation and confusion.

Compared to them, Longbow Shooting the Sun was in real trouble.

As in all our previous fights, our dwarf priest had charged straight into the densest cluster of enemies, wielding his twin-section staff to perform his bold, signature magic—"Intercepting Fist." His short hands moved in a blur, in time with the rhythmic chant of "hm-hm-ha-hay," turning his skeletal staff into a whirling sphere of magical force.

At first, his bravado dealt heavy blows to the vampires; several vampire lords suffered under his rapid pummeling, unable to react. But soon, he was surrounded at the center of a ring of vampires. Though his magic shielded him from immediate death, and he managed to hold his own against the multitude of foes, such a fighting style could not last. His mana hovered precariously between depletion and renewal, and if he had not been gulping mana potions ceaselessly, he would have been reduced to a pile of mangled flesh by the ravenous vampires.

Despite the peril, our dwarf priest showed no awareness of impending doom. Quite the opposite—he seemed rather exhilarated.

Due to his dwarven stature, he stood just at the vampires' chest level. The scantily clad female vampires, wild and exposed, were clawing at him furiously, their deep, canyon-like cleavages aimed squarely at his rugged, broad nose. It must have been a condition for some wicked spell, for I saw a stream of nosebleed shoot from Longbow Shooting the Sun’s nose. Oddly enough, his vitality was not diminished by this.

"Longbow Shooting the Sun, can you get out?" I shouted to him, dodging pursuers.

"Even if I could escape, I wouldn't! This is paradise! Wow, so big—32D... no, 32E! Guys, leave me be, let me die happily beneath these vampire sisters' bosoms..." Even amidst the cacophony of vampire shrieks, his voice was equally loud and wicked.

One thing was clear from his answer: he could not break out by himself. Among the vampires besieging him, I spotted a female whose life was nearly spent and cut her down from behind, opening a gap in the circle.

Within the ring, I saw Longbow Shooting the Sun had completely abandoned resistance, half-closing his lustful eyes and grinning as he reached for my chest.

"Move!" I grabbed him by the belt and dragged him toward Krado.

"Jeff? Is that you?" His hands touched the armor on my chest and his eyes shot open in surprise, then he wailed in disappointment, "What did you do to my vampire sisters? Do you know how rare this chance is? My broad, warm, passionate death embrace! You ruined everything, damn you. Let me go, return to me the blossoming flower of dreams..."

How strange, that such a depraved, lecherous maniac and killer could have won the favor of the Supreme God Darimos, becoming a priest spreading the gospel of goodness beneath the divine seat. Perhaps, when he enrolled, the Supreme God happened to be in a hormonal mood swing—though I mean no disrespect or slander; given His omnipotence, surely He can also be affected by such things.

Dragging Longbow Shooting the Sun with me to the corner, I saw Krado had already planted totems for restoring health and mana. Within the reach of their magic, a coolness swept over me, wounds closed, and my life force, more than half spent, began to recover.

The vampires quickly pursued us, forcing us back into battle.

In the corner, it seemed at first we’d lost our mobility, but in truth, the terrain now favored us.

The Hall of Death was open and spacious, with nowhere to hide amidst the vampires, and they could attack us with ranged spells. We had no chance for hit-and-run tactics.

But by huddling in the corner, the walls blocked attacks from behind and the sides, freeing us from being surrounded. Now we only had to face enemies in front. Only Changjiang Delta and I needed to fully hold the line; Black Aurora, the elven mage, stayed behind us, saving his mana shield and not risking interruption during spellcasting; Krado the Minotaur Shaman and Longbow Shooting the Sun, the dwarf priest, struck at enemies while casting restoration spells to keep our defenses intact. Although our victory seemed improbable, at least we had gained precious time.

"What now?" My shield rattled under the vampires’ blows, and I asked Changjiang Delta anxiously.

"What else? Take it step by step, improvise. If it comes to it, we all die and run as ghosts!" Forced by the situation, Changjiang Delta abandoned his specialty of stealth and assassination, fighting head-on. With his thin armor, he became Longbow Shooting the Sun’s priority for healing.

"If we’re all going to die, you might as well let me cop a feel before the end—can’t even respect this tiny wish, and now I’m stuck in a corner drawing circles with you lot..." Changjiang Delta muttered as he sent a healing wave to Longbow Shooting the Sun.

"Shut up!" Changjiang Delta and I said in unison.

"Hold out a bit longer, I’ve got a plan, but I need some time..." At the height of our argument, Black Aurora, huddled at the back, suddenly remembered something and spoke urgently. He then began reciting a spell loudly.

"What’s he saying?" Changjiang Delta swung and missed, taking a heavy hit to the shoulder, grimacing as he asked.

"Who knows, probably something about how glad he is to know us, how dying together is an honor, and he hopes to be friends in the next life..." I viewed Longbow Shooting the Sun’s translation with skepticism.

"That sappy?" Changjiang Delta looked doubtful.

"Then maybe, knowing us was bad luck, dying because of us makes him a wronged ghost, and he’ll seek revenge in the underworld?" Longbow Shooting the Sun changed his tune quickly.

"Can you be any less unreliable? Those two versions are worlds apart!" Changjiang Delta wisely abandoned the unfit translator.

No one knew what Black Aurora was intending. All I knew was that since uttering that mysterious phrase, he had been chanting incessantly. The spell was as long as the river at Dawn River, flowing on and on, never stopping. The only thing I’d seen to compare was my friend, the Minotaur Warrior Niu Million’s outrageously long name. By the time Changjiang Delta and my health was nearly gone, and Krado and Longbow Shooting the Sun’s recovery spells could no longer keep pace, Black Aurora was still reciting.

"I finally get it..." Changjiang Delta said in despair, "He’s singing a lullaby, an endless one. I’m about to fall asleep..."

Just as he finished speaking, Black Aurora achieved a breakthrough. His voice stopped abruptly, and with a gesture, a miniature volcano erupted from the midst of the vampire horde. This was not all—true to his style, he gulped down a mana potion, barely restoring a sliver of his mana, then cast Wind Surge on the volcano. The spiral of wind caught at the crater, spinning faster and faster...