Chapter 31: Battle in the Dark (Part V)

After this, Lynn’s subordinates swept through the entire underground palace like a hot knife through butter. The vampires could no longer organize any meaningful resistance; after all, they had already committed their main fighting force to the second line of defense. As the seal on the third gate dissipated after consuming the lives of three vampires, Lynn finally arrived near Brutus’s throne.

The massive hall was empty, illuminated only by the light of decorative candles and the fixtures on the ceiling. It seemed the vampires had completely abandoned the defense of this area. According to intelligence obtained from Zoya, Lynn knew there were no escape tunnels here.

"Though she claims to be at odds with the Nosferatu, the information she gave me clearly contained some half-truths," Lynn mused.

He approached the throne of Brutus. The seat, carved from obsidian and covered in soft red wool, was adorned with the bones of various primates. Its primary red hue, accented by intricate black and white carvings, made it a clear work of art.

"Kara, have the others support the offensive elsewhere. Try to leave a few survivors."

"Do you no longer require support, Doctor?"

"What lies beyond this passage is something I must retrieve myself. They wouldn't be of much help. Go, destroy the Nosferatu’s defenses as soon as possible. Once they are all dealt with, we will withdraw from here."

"Understood, Doctor."

With Kara’s order, the combatants who had been standing by in the hall began to retreat. Lynn turned the most ornate skull on the throne. Crafted from jade with a brilliant sapphire embedded in its brow, it was positioned in the center of the throne's backrest. As the skull turned, a door beneath the throne slowly opened. Lynn, however, did not believe this was an escape route; on the contrary, he suspected it might lead to a dead end.

"Now, let me see just how strong you are after obtaining the Darkhold—even if it is just a single page."

Crossing the dark, deep passage, Lynn brushed his hand against the walls. They appeared to be made of obsidian and were etched with magical inscriptions. These were clearly intended to construct a secret chamber designed to isolate it from outside detection. Lynn’s psionic tentacles probed the walls, but he felt no magical energy; it seemed the energy here had been completely drained.

Passing through the short corridor, Lynn finally reached the secret chamber at the end. Brutus stood there, holding a thick, heavy book, his three eyes staring intensely at Lynn.

"Who are you?"

"You didn't attack me immediately. That actually surprises me." Lynn easily found a seat in the chamber and sat down.

"Was it Elaine or Saurus who sent you?"

Clearly, the vampire still believed one of his rivals had launched the attack. After all, the vampires had maintained a decent relationship with the authorities in recent years, even engaging in secret transactions. He did not believe humans would turn on them overnight. Although humans were never known for their commitment to contracts, the unspoken agreement of non-interference had lasted fifty years. He had expected it to continue until he mastered enough magic to overthrow Dracula’s rule.

"If I had to say, it would be Elaine. After all, your commander betrayed you; she seems to have no psychological burden when it comes to selling someone out."

"I knew it was Zoya. That orphan never knew the meaning of gratitude. So, what is your relationship with Elaine? Is she your new lover, or just another poor sap who fell for her charms? What did Elaine promise you? I can give you more than that witch ever could. Ten times, or even twenty."

Lynn watched Brutus’s performance with interest, saying with a touch of curiosity, "Do you really think about persuading others even when you are in such a completely disadvantageous position? Why wouldn't I just take it from your corpse?"

Before he could finish, Lynn’s mockery clearly enraged Brutus. The vampire flew into a fury, the heavy book in his hands flipped rapidly, and scarlet magical energy surged around him.

He appeared to be a relatively seasoned mage, capable of drawing power from the Darkhold to energize himself, while seemingly remaining unaffected by it.

"You will only find your own corpse here, intruder."

With that, Brutus’s magical energy surged, gathering in his hands. Violent, chaotic crimson lightning and fire poured out, shattering all his collections in the basement along the way. Brutus was intoxicated by this power; the immense magical energy was incomparable to his previous petty methods of stealing power from the Dark Dimension—it was like the difference between a stream and a river.

In Brutus’s view, Lynn was doomed. No one could withstand this attack. He had painstakingly studied black magic for so long, and with a page of the Darkhold, this audacious human was the perfect whetstone for him.

"It’s a good thing you’re not very skilled; you almost managed to pierce my defense. Perhaps next time you can try selling your soul; you might gain even greater power. Many Dimension Lords prefer lackeys over thieves."

Lynn sat unscathed in the distance. Even though most of the surrounding items had been reduced to ashes, Lynn and the intricately carved wooden chair he sat on remained untouched. A deep purple psionic barrier had blocked the magical attack, and the entire room was now filled with the phantoms of psionic tentacles.

Having absorbed the chaotic magical energy, Lynn’s tentacles were noticeably more active, even though some had collapsed due to the chaotic nature of the magic. However, the energy Lynn had absorbed far outweighed what he had lost.

"You can try again next time, really."

Brutus stared at Lynn in disbelief. He had felt no fluctuation of magical energy, meaning the man before him was not a mage, yet he possessed similar capabilities. Just as Brutus prepared to launch a second attack, he suddenly noticed something appearing in front of him.

"What the..."

Blue light gave him no time to react. A high-frequency blade severed one of his arms, and the Guyver prototype’s armored form finally appeared in the small chamber. Brutus hurriedly initiated defensive magic, but a beam shot from the control metal on the Guyver’s head, instantly piercing his shield and striking his remaining hand, interrupting his spellcasting.

"Nice work, Jessica. Give me that book."

"You got it!" Jessica moved her leg slightly, kicking the book Brutus prized so dearly toward Lynn.

"Lynn, do you want him alive? Or should I just dispose of him?" Jessica’s voice came from within the Guyver prototype; she seemed to be in excellent condition.

Lynn picked up the Darkhold that Jessica had kicked over, brushed the dust off, and examined the heavy pages. "You’ve had this page for so long, and you didn't even realize its true nature? Did all your magic go into your fangs? You second-rate mage."

Psionic flames rapidly incinerated the unimportant parts. The ancient, heavy paper turned to ash, the metal brackets scattered on the floor, and the ornate decorations lay in disarray. The large book vanished from the world, replaced by a single pitch-black page.

Brutus looked on in shock, while Lynn wore a look of disappointment.

"Whatever. Looking through your brain will be enough. Just leave his body intact, Jessica. Don't turn him to ash; his knowledge is quite important."

"I'll try!"

The dismissive tone clearly infuriated Brutus. Neither Lynn nor Jessica seemed to view him as a threat, which deeply shamed the Blood Covenant Lord. He instantly revealed his true form. His missing arms erupted with red light, regenerating rapidly amidst lightning and fire. He had apparently been hiding his vampire form until now. He roared and charged at Jessica. In the narrow space, there was almost no room to maneuver, turning the fight into a pure test of strength.

The two collided, and the outcome was decided in the next second. Brutus let out a painful howl. The chaotic magic had strengthened his power, but it also seemed to have restored his senses. The agony of his forearm fracture was so intense that the vampire, who hadn't felt pain in decades, almost wanted to shatter his own brain.

Brutus rapidly lost his strength. Not only did his arms fail, but the obsidian floor supporting him caved in, followed by a sound from his thick legs. His entire body flickered with red light. The chaotic magic was repairing his body while inflicting excruciating pain, but it did not increase his physical durability.

Clearly, this transformation was unstable. Brutus was an unfortunate case; in his true form, his combat prowess was even inferior to Sanguis, whom Lynn had encountered earlier.

No longer wanting to waste words on the vampire, Lynn’s psionic tentacles quickly wrapped around his body, probing his brain. Brutus felt his strength and life force rapidly draining away, followed by his memories.

This time, Lynn held nothing back. His tentacles ruthlessly extracted the chaotic magic the vampire had plundered from the Darkhold, along with his own dark energy. As for his memories, they were merely a convenient byproduct for Lynn.

Within a few seconds, Lynn finished his extraction, leaving only a withered, bat-like corpse lying on the ground. Its shrunken eyes stared at Lynn in terror. Even though its consciousness had been completely destroyed, the instinct of fear remained embedded in its withered, fading body, lingering endlessly.

Jessica extended the high-frequency blade on her forearm and stabbed it into the wretch’s heart. Her blade design was slightly different, extending forward like a claw rather than emerging from the wrist as in the original Guyver. She reduced him to dust without even igniting a flame.

"Is it over, Lynn?"

Putting the page of the Darkhold into his pocket, Lynn said to Jessica, "Did you feel any discomfort during the Guyver prototype synchronization?"

"Not at all! If anything, it feels too good."

"Then let's go. We're going home."

Minutes later, Lynn fully withdrew from the Nosferatu’s palace, leaving behind nothing but ashes, ownerless weapons, and an empty, silent underground tomb.