Chapter 89: Ownership of the staff of Estelle 10

"Hello, vampires. Do you know what's going on here?"

"Who are you?" Peter questioned, a hint of suspicion in his tone, as he attempted to raise his mana.

"Stop! Do you want to die, idiot?" Charlotte's sharp warning cut through the tension, jolting Peter to a sudden halt. The reminder snapped him back to the reality of the barrier's effects, momentarily forgotten in the urgency of the situation.

Even as they faced this mysterious hooded figure, Charlotte couldn't ignore the nagging discomfort that pulsed through her hands.

'Even though I'm using little to no mana on my claws right now, my hands still hurt. I'm sure Peter is feeling the same pain as me right now, but we can't let our guard down'

'The barrier's effect is annoying. Now I can't fight at full strength. I don't know who this hooded figure is, but he's dangerous. Even right now, my blood is telling me not to face him'

Charlotte thought, her senses on high alert as she continued to scan the hooded figure, whose face remained concealed beneath the ominous hood.

The air thickened with uncertainty as the vampires cautiously confronted the mysterious figure, their instincts warning them of potential danger lurking in the shadows.

Suddenly, the hooded figure revealed his face, unveiling a shock of black hair and piercing grey eyes that met the intense, bloody red gaze of the two vampires. A gentle smile played across his lips as he addressed them.

"I guess it was rude of me sneaking up behind you guys like that. Haha, my name is Adrian Vulter Tellus. You can call me Adrian or Ian if you like" he introduced himself with a warm tone. Adrian extended a greeting, placing his right hand on his forehead before descending into his chest as he made a slight bow.

As the vampires processed the unexpected revelation, a wave of surprise washed over them.

'He even knows vampire etiquette?'

Charlotte thought, her mind grappling with the intricacies of this encounter.

The unexpected politeness and the revelation of the hooded figure's identity added yet another layer of complexity to the situation, leaving Charlotte and Peter momentarily taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

"A Tellus?" Peter remarked, confusion etched across his features. The revelation that the hooded figure before them belonged to one of the most prestigious duke families in the empire left him puzzled.

"Why is a Tellus like you here?" Charlotte questioned, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Is the empire making their move?" Peter added, echoing the skepticism that lingered in the air.

"Empire? Oh, although I'm a Tellus, I'm not exactly associated with the empire. I came here for personal reasons," Adrian responded sincerely, his words carrying a genuine tone.

Peter and Charlotte exchanged skeptical glances. The notion of a random Tellus, a member of the family considered the emperor's sword, roaming around in this forest seemed improbable.

The empire's tendrils reached far and wide, and it made little sense for a Tellus to be present without some form of imperial agenda. Yet, what puzzled them even more was the genuine air that surrounded Adrian's response.

"But enough about that. Don't you think it's a bit rude for you guys not to introduce yourselves?" Adrian remarked, his gaze shifting between Charlotte and Peter, prompting them to consider the propriety of the situation.

Charlotte and Peter exchanged a glance, a silent agreement passing between them. They made a slight nod in acknowledgment, deciding to extend a cautious gesture of trust.

With a shared understanding, they retracted their claws, a symbolic act that acknowledged Adrian's presence without fully surrendering their guard. In their world, the law dictated that might made right, and though Adrian spoke amiably, they couldn't ignore the inherent dangers that lurked beneath the surface.

"My name is Charlotte Tuesday, and this one here is Peter Gavialis," Charlotte introduced, mirroring Adrian's earlier greeting.

She chose to withhold further information about their identities, safeguarding the secrets that bound them—such as their roles as the queen of vampires 9 Shades—from this enigmatic newcomer.

"So, vampire greeting is the same for this world and back in my own, huh?" Adrian mused, his words a random soft murmur that hung in the air.

"What are you talking about?" Peter inquired, confusion wrinkling his brow.

"Nothing, just talking to myself," Adrian dismissed with a casual wave of his hand.

"Now then, do you guys know what happened here?"

"No, we also just came here for personal reasons" Peter replied, echoing Adrian's earlier explanation.

"Hmm? Is that so?" Adrian's curiosity lingered in the air; a gentle probing of the information shared. The vampires' responses seemed to amuse him, a glint of amusement dancing in his eyes.

He found it amusing how Peter was blatantly copying his excuse, and a slight giggle escaped Adrian's lips. He couldn't exactly blame the man; their encounter had indeed been suspicious, and the layers of secrecy

Yet, their menacing claws reappeared, a visual indication of their wariness. Adrian, despite not relishing the prospect of facing high-ranking vampires, evaluated his current situation.

The odds were in his favor, armed with a repertoire of the goddess's authority.

The Sword of Light and Stellar Solaris, each a formidable force, held the potential to dispatch the vampires with ease. The divine energy coursing through him promised a swift end to any confrontation.

'I don't want to kill these two' Adrian contemplated; a sense of conflict apparent in his thoughts. Their resemblance to his friend invoked a reluctance to resort to lethal measures.

However, if pushed to the brink, he vowed to give his all, deploying the goddess's authority without reservation.

After all, protracted battles played to the strengths of vampires, and Adrian was well aware of the urgency to conclude any potential conflict swiftly.

....

As I took a step forward, intending to join forces with them to unravel the mysteries of the forest, the barrier abruptly shattered and disintegrated.

'What happened?' The question echoed in my mind, but before I could comprehend the situation, a crimson red energy crescent hurtled towards me.

Boom!

The deafening explosion that followed masked any subsequent thoughts, and dust enveloped the space where I once stood.

"He's gone?" Peter's puzzled voice resonated through the aftermath of the blast. My absence from the initial point of impact left him perplexed.

Reappearing behind Peter, my purple aura blade found its mark, piercing through his heart.

"Aghh!"

A sharp gasp escaped him as the blade lodged into his chest.

"Attacking me all of a sudden is quite scummy, you know?" I whispered behind him

"You would've done the same thing in my situation" he calmly replied, acknowledging the ruthless nature of our predicament.

His response came in the form of a sudden concentration of mana within his body, culminating in a colossal explosion of blood and energy.

Swiftly, I leaped to evade the area-of-effect attack, but then I noticed that Charlotte was gone. scanning my surroundings, I tried to locate Charlotte. However, she had vanished without a trace, leaving me unable to sense her presence.

Suddenly, an orb of red blood exploded at my left side, its force sending me sprawling and causing me to roll across the ground.

Coughing up blood, I struggled to rise and peered upwards. There, I witnessed Charlotte floating in the sky, her bat-like wings now enveloped in a sinister red hue.

Strangely, although I could see her, my ability to sense her presence eluded me. It was as if my mind automatically disregarded her existence, akin to how a person subconsciously ignores a pebble on the side of the road.

"What's going on? Is this an authority or something else?"

Charlotte pointed her index finger at me, and another orb of blood began to charge, poised to unleash its destructive force upon me. The ominous energy crackled in the air.

As I prepared to cleave through the charging orb of blood, my focus shattered as Peter retaliated with a blood spear.

"Shit!"

"Did we get him?" Peter queried, uncertainty clouding the aftermath of the assault.

"No..." Charlotte's replied as she charged up another two blood orbs.

'Ahh, that was quite painful. No matter how many times I use this authority, it's still really painful.' Grappling with the searing sensation, I swiftly deactivated the white veil before the settling dust revealed the battlefield.

"Aghh! Damnit, I seriously don't want to kill you guys, but you forced me, okay?" I declared to them, a tinge of regret lacing my words.

As I accelerated towards Peter, a golden light enveloped my hands, materializing the Sword of Light.

Peter's expression morphed into a blend of shock and fear.