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Solar Blood Masters (65)
🕑 Added 2024-10-29 17:01:01 +0000 UTCChapter 65 - Cornered
"We have to keep moving! Every second counts!”
“But senior… my essences! It’s depleted already!”
The three Blood Knights dashed through the dark forest, leaving behind a trail of crimson streaks as they flew low, twisting and turning, weaving through trees.
A pack of Basalt Back Jaguars growled as their blurs whizzed past. A lone Tianguin Gatoroid hissed in annoyance. But they didn't pause.
Escape was paramount!
“Those damned Vampsquitoes…”
"They're relentless," Lorial muttered as she glanced behind. There were no signs of pursuit yet, but she couldn’t shake the chilling premonition that their ordeal was far from over.
"H-how far are we going? Senior Lorial!" Handerson shouted. "My Blood Pool is almost completely depleted. I can't… maintain this speed much longer!”
“Right, why are we still pushing ourselves so hard?!” Fenriss shouted her own fear, “Haven't we already lost them?”
It was a valid question. They’d been flying for several minutes now, her ‘Sanguinary Moon’ had masked their essence, surely…
But then they heard it. A familiar, horrifying sound coming from the sky above.
BZZZZZ!
"NOOOO!" Lorial screamed in horror. She’d hoped their escape would have taken them further from the dangers of the swamp.
"They're back! Those bloodsuckers are back!" Henderson cried as a wave of those grotesque insects buzzed into view.
This third wave seemed to effortlessly materialized out of nowhere and surrounded them instantly!
It was terrifyingly fast!
They were trapped once again!
"This is… impossible! They weren't this fast earlier!" Even Lorial’s composure cracked as despair gripped her, those chains of crimson now felt useless against these numbers.
She glance at her comrades who had their sword raised. She shook her head in resignation and uttered, "We've exhausted our options. There are no more trump cards. This time…"
She glanced towards the heavens in silent prayer. It seemed this would be their final stand.
“What the hell… these humans are juicy?!”
The newly arrived Vampsquitoes leader hissed in amusement while observing these fools.
“They smell different. Tainted with a potent metallic essence. I’ve never tasted blood like this before!”
"Right! Right! Humans that drink too much blood? Such a rare and delicious meal!"
“You damn tasty vermin! Thought you could escape us?!” another one with a fat red belly yelled. “Your blood already belongs to US!”
"We will DEVOUR you!" Their commander screech with such dreadful, horrifying intention that a shiver raced through Lorial’s very spine as she drew her dagger.
“They’re going to attack!” She cried.
WHOOSH! CRACK!
And with a chorus of hungry hisses, the Vampsquitoes swooped down upon their prey.
“FOR OUR QUEEN!”
“Sanguine Shield!”
The two Golden Blood Knights, despite their depletion of essence, tried to repel their attackers with a valiant fervor.
However, these monsters were relentless!
“They’re breaking through, senior!” Henderson yelled as he tried his best to hold the empowerment of their shield.
“GET THEM!”
“That human in platinum armor… It smells so different…!”
“It must be stronger, I WANT ITS HEART! GET OUT OF MY WAYYYY!”
“No, no, no…! Its mine!”
“MINE! MINE! MINE!”
They swarmed toward Lorial. They were driven mad by her scent and in a heartbeat, their leader was already upon her. Its massive body buzzed and its mandibles clicked menacingly.
Just as its serrated blades were inches away from piercing into her flesh…
“ROOOOAAAAR!”
The terrifying bellow ripped through and stopped everything in that area instantly!
They all covered their ears. Even the Blood Knights felt their very core shatter beneath the sonic waves that reverberate through the very air itself.
“What was that?” Fenriss shrieked. “That sound?!”
While those who could still fly struggled to regain their bearings, a giant shadow descended.
THUD!
Its impact shook the ground, and when the Vampsquitoes buzzed in confusion while scanning the area for the source of that thunderous landing and that fear they now all felt… they witnessed their nightmare standing before those humans who smelled so divine!
A gigantic golden bull, radiating potent energies, and upon its massive back, he bore two wings of utter blackness that were now flapping.
“What the… It’s a bull! What’s a bull doing here? In our territory?”
“He’s far from the meadows!”
They were bewildered. Never in their collective memories had such a powerful entity dared to enter the swamp at night time, but before their questions of “What the hell is that?” could fully form into the thoughts they used to rationalized, something else occurred.
Those golden hooves began to move.
“KILL! KILL! KILL!”
Raphael wasn’t wasting his time trying to comprehend their stupidity or the Blood Knight’s fear, for those buzzing, bloodthirsty insects were now swarming in his direction as if they’d never tasted death.
They were coming!
And he was hungry!
"Wing Slashnado!"
He didn’t even bother conjuring his mighty ‘Golden Press Blizzard’ or a fiery ‘Heliosphere Hazard’. This simple but incredibly efficient technique was more than enough, for there were just far too many for even him to crush with his hooves or incinerate in a blast.
WHOOSH!
“ARGH!”
The sky erupted in a crimson shower of blood and buzzing wings that shredded those foolhardy attackers.
Those that were lucky enough to be at the back of the swarm witnessed something that made them re-evaluate their desire to be a Blood Sucking Vampsquitoe, for on those crimson splattered ground was evidence of true power. They had never seen such efficiency in killing their kind.
The stench of blood permeated those murky waters!
“He’s…”
“Impossible?!”
They scurried back into the swamp depths, buzzing their farewells.
“Next time we’ll be better prepared!”
“That bull… IT… IT devoured a hundred of our brethren with a single swipe!” Those words carried the terror and fear they’d tasted.
They wouldn't forget it. Not today, nor a thousand years from now!
…
Raphael watched them disappear into the shadowy forest before returning his attention to the stunned humans who now gazed upon him as if they’d witnessed the sun rising at night time.
"Unbelievable." Fenris could only utter.
“That power…” Handerson was flabbergasted.
Their desperate attempt to protect their little senior had drained them entirely, but this bull had just obliterated that swarm as if it were nothing.
Handerson shivered as the memories of his dead comrades came flashing into his mind. This beast is a Calamity. The realization hit him like a thunderclap.
“That bull is BIG trouble for us!” He turned towards Lorial who seemed surprisingly calm, gathering what little strength she had left to appear dignified in front of the one who would soon be their doom.
"That’s… a Golden Bull Thork!"
They had to flee, but even that thought, it was laughable in their depleted states.
“Why did that bull rescue us just now? Could it also wants to devour us?” Lorial’s suspicions were confirmed when that imposing golden form started approaching. They attempted to run but with a stomp,
BOOM!
They found themselves trapped in a barrier. It was a spherical prison crafted from razor-sharp bronze scales, each one radiating electric yellow.
They tried to break free, but it was futile.
"H-huh?! It’s… A prison?!”
“This is hopeless. That bull trapped us!”
Before their fears could turn to those pathetic screams of a cornered rabbit begging a hunting hound to simply devour its soul quickly, they saw an opening.
“What is… he?!”
Raphael entered the cage and looked down upon them.
The Platinum Blood Saint and the two weak Golden Blood Knights. They now resembled those little ants he used to play with back in the Bloodthorne Empire before his new reality came knocking.
What would become of them now?
