Chapter 166

Chapter 166

The three-story mansion stood tall without even a fence. Originally, it must have been surrounded by a garden, but now it looked as if it stood alone, quite some distance from the greenery. Moreover, all the windows and the main gate were wide open, as if inviting visitors inside. Red petals swirled and floated around the mansion, drifting naturally in and out of the open windows.

It looked like a monster's face surrounded by thousands of butterflies.

Ian thought, How disgusting.

Yet, he kept moving forward. Memories from the game overlapped in his mind. Back then, the mansion had an underground space as large as the mansion itself. Like many corrupted beings and demons, vampires had built their base underground, away from the gaze of the gods.

There were laboratories, torture chambers, and secret passages leading to other underground caves. This makeshift underground palace even had an audience chamber for the Empress. Unlike in the game, the real Empress would be waiting there, fully prepared to receive him.

“....”

Just then, someone appeared in front of the wide-open main gate. It was an elderly man, neatly dressed in imperial attire. A quest window appeared before Ian's eyes.

[The Empress's Consort.]

...Consort?

Just as Ian's lips were about to curl into a smirk, the old man, Count Nigriante, spoke.

"You look tired, Sir Ian," he said in a polite yet calm voice. "Rest assured, I am merely here as your guide. Please, follow me. The Empress is waiting."

As the Count continued speaking, Ian quickened his pace, breaking into a run. Drawing his sword from his waist, he finally saw the Count smile.

"I told you, I have no intention of fighting. I know you have already expended much of your strength. So save your energy—"

"Then just stick your neck out. I'll handle it cleanly," Ian said, running.

The Count's smile deepened.

"Without my guidance, it will be difficult to find the Empress."

"Well, isn't she underground?" Ian replied.

"...!" The Count's eyes widened slightly as if he hadn't expected the correct answer so soon. Without another word, Ian continued running. The Count let out a small laugh and extended his hand.

"It can't be helped."

The petals fluttering around him shot toward the Count, each one turning into a drop of blood. With a flick of his hand, the drops of blood sprayed out like a shotgun, except instead of a narrow spread, they covered a wide area.

Isn’t this more like a claymore mine? Ian thought, but he didn't stop.

A gust of wind scattered the incoming blood droplets. While not all were deflected, he blocked the remaining drops with his sword and forearm, enduring the impact with his body.

"As expected, there's no chance," the Count said, not showing any surprise.

Slowing Ian's pace seemed to be enough for him. His body was now enveloped in black smoke. In the next moment, the Count, now a mass of black smoke, darted into the mansion. The petals he passed formed small whirlwinds in his wake.

These mosquitoes love to flee, Ian thought, annoyed.

Despite his frustration, he followed the Count into the mansion. It wasn't hard to track him; the path was marked by the rapidly spinning petals.

Ian ran past the empty corridor and quickly ascended the stairs. When he reached the next corridor, the Count, now black mist, was already turning a distant corner. Ian chased him, the petals turning into sticky drops of blood as they struck his body.

The smell of blood lingered, but Ian's eyes took on a peculiar look as he realized the Count wasn't just running away.

A guide, huh?

In the game, the entrance to the underground was located on the third floor, behind the Empress's office. Even though the mansion had grown larger, such fundamental elements likely hadn't changed.

As expected, following the winding corridor, the Count’s trail led Ian to the third floor. He glanced out a large window, taking in the red-dyed greenery and the maze garden below. There was no sign of his group, but the crimson crescent moon was vividly etched into his memory. The swirling dark clouds at the edge of the night sky resembled the eyes of a cephalopod, gazing down at the mansion.

Click. Rumble—

At that moment, the sound of machinery echoed from afar. Ian followed the swirling petals into an open room at the end of the corridor and smiled faintly. Beyond the richly decorated office, a section of the wall had turned to reveal the entrance to a hidden spiral staircase. The Count was nowhere to be seen, likely waiting for him underground.

So damn kind, Ian thought, flicking the fluttering petals with his hand as he descended the stairs.

"Don't worry. I'll make you hate me enough," he replied.

"That's unfortunate. If we fight to the end, others will benefit—those who covet my position and my clan, those who want to use us, and those who see you as a thorn in their side... But if you change your mind, or better yet, take my hand, everything will be different. What do you say?"

The Empress extended her long, pale hand with a smile, causing Ian's gaze to waver momentarily.

"As it happens, I'm recently single," she added.

Ian mixed the chaos power he had drawn with his divine power and said, "Your husband, who just killed himself for you, would be disappointed."

"Of course, it's heartbreaking... but he knew this would happen someday."

"I refuse. I'm not interested in great love. What I'm more interested in is..."

"...?"

"The experience points you'll give me."

With that, Ian began to run. Almost simultaneously, the concentrated magic in the bathtub dissipated. The Empress watched him charge with a faint smile.

"What a pity. Or perhaps it's for the best. I don't like being forced into things... but it can't be helped."

She flicked her fingers. Instantly, the blood that had overflowed from the bathtub rose up, transforming into arrow-sized spikes that shot out. Red divine power flared around Ian's body as he held his greatsword diagonally in front of him, shielding himself.

Clang-clang-clang—

The blood spikes pounded against the sword, but they couldn't stop Ian's advance.

The Empress flicked her fingers again. The blood droplets that had scattered reformed into spikes. Simultaneously, a massive shadow blade surged up from beneath her feet like a tidal wave.

Ian found himself surrounded by blades and spikes.

Swish—

He leaped immediately after, propelled by the wind swirling around him. Soaring near the ceiling, Ian lunged at the Empress, the greatsword in his right hand carving a red arc through the air. Petals darted toward the Empress, forming a large, hard mass resembling ice crystals.

Crack!

Ian's greatsword struck the center of the shield, sending cracks spreading across it, but it didn't shatter. The repelling force of the condensed magic halted Ian in mid-air. However, there was no sign of disappointment in Ian's red, swirling eyes.

Swoosh—

In that brief moment of ascent, Ian had already completed his spell. He extended his left hand, the center of his clenched fist glowing with a fierce, rotating core.

The Empress smiled just as a dragon's breath-like flame erupted, engulfing the blood shield and consuming her entirely.

The chamber was filled with blinding light and heat. Even as Ian was flung backward, he kept the flames on the Empress. The burning petals and blood turned into red steam, thickening the air.

Fwoosh—

Eventually, the flames died down. As Ian descended to the blood-soaked floor, he never took his eyes off the charred remains of the Empress.

Splat.

The moment he landed, her body crumbled to ash. The red steam whirled violently in the air immediately after.

Swoosh—

Inside the massive red barrier, the Empress's body began regenerating rapidly. Smiling with exposed red flesh, she spoke.

"Impressive, Ian. I've always wanted to experience it firsthand. It exceeded my expectations."

Of course, she wouldn't die so easily.

Ian let out a bitter laugh.

"Try as many times as you like. I'll die over and over until you feel satisfied," she added.