I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 135

The shattered corpses of ghouls were scattered across the field like weeds.

Fires blazed in the areas ravaged by the bombardment, sending acrid smoke billowing into the sky.

And over this devastated battlefield.

The ten vampires strolled as if they were out for a walk.

They were still far off, but clearly visible to the naked eye.

‘They’re laughing.’

Those monster bastards, walking through the corpses of our allies scattered everywhere, they’re laughing.

Having learned that ordinary shelling and sniping were meaningless against them, I didn’t order any firing.

The vampires closed in rapidly.

When they were close enough to hear each other’s voices, I shouted.

“May I ask you something, Vampire King?”

At that, the vampires stopped in unison.

Selendion, sitting on the palanquin, looked up at me and smiled.

The smile on his innocent, boyish face reeked of blood.

《Of course. Ash.》

“Why did you send the ghouls first, just to let them die?”

At my words, Selendion tilted his head.

《I don’t know what you’re talking about.》

“While your ghouls and Fallen Blood subordinates were being annihilated, why were you vampires just watching from behind?”

Even if the bosses, Selendion and Alpha Beta, were exceptions.

Surely, they could have mixed in some ordinary vampires with the wave.

I asked because it didn’t make any tactical sense. However.

《You’re talking nonsense, human.》

His answer to my question was truly unexpected.

《Do you dine at the same table as the dogs you raise?》

“What…?”

What is he talking about?

《My ghoul subordinates who were annihilated earlier, to us vampires… they’re similar to hunting dogs we raise.》

Selendion explained calmly.

《Of course, I cherish and love them. To the point where I’d give up my own life for them. They are my loyal and brave army, fighting alongside me. But, they are dogs.》

“……”

《It’s not possible to have a meal together at the same table, is it?》

Clack!

My teeth clenched.

“…What you call ‘meal’ is.”

《You know, don’t you?》

Selendion reached out and pointed towards us.

《It’s you.》

“……”

《You humans are our meal, Ash.》

I clenched my fist tightly. Selendion continued to babble at me.

《First, we release the hunting dogs. Humans weak enough to die to the dogs are dog food. But if they survive my dogs, they can be said to have proven their minimum qualifications.》

“Qualifications… you say?”

《That’s right. The qualification to be eaten by us vampires.》

Selendion smiled gently as he surveyed us on the ramparts.

《I don’t particularly want to eat humans who are dog food. So, I release the dogs first to ‘select’ them.》

“……”

《Isn’t it the same for you? You choose to eat the tastier cuts of meat from quality livestock. What about the leftovers? You give them to dogs and pigs, don’t you? It’s the same principle.》

Such nonsense, spoken so confidently.

This vampire bastard was spouting.

《I am a vampire. Strong, with will. Able to fight. I desire the blood of noble humans. It’s much tastier that way.》

“……”

《You, who have endured my dogs’ attacks, have also proven that qualification.》

The corners of Selendion’s mouth curled up in a sinister way.

The other vampires also wore the same gruesome smiles.

《Now then—rejoice, humans.》

They scanned us with eyes that seemed to savor us, as if we were cuts of meat displayed in a butcher shop.

《You all have earned the chance to become our nourishment.》

Selendion said that.

“Kuh……”

“You crazy bastard……”

The soldiers, their faces pale, staggered back.

The vampires, except for Selendion, chuckled.

Staring at us with the clear gaze of predators.

“…Damian.”

I looked to my side, grinding my teeth.

“Wipe that smile off those bastards’ faces.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Damian raised his crossbow in front of his chest.

“As you command.”

Damian took a holy silver arrow from the quiver in front of him and loaded it into the crossbow.

He took a breath, aimed, and then—

Fwoosh!

He shot it lightly.

***

Whoosh-!

An arrow shot from the ramparts flew through the air.

The arrow pierced the sky in an instant and hurtled towards the vampires.

《Oh, my.》

Alpha, who had blocked hundreds of silver arrows just a moment ago and sent them back to the ramparts, sneered.

《You’re doing something that won’t work again.》

How foolish humans are.

They are already prey caught in a spiderweb.

No matter how much they shake and resist, they can’t escape. Why don’t they realize that until the very last moment?

《I wish you’d stop this pathetic resistance already.》

Saying that, Alpha waved his hand.

Vast magic surged through the blood vessels in his body. Alpha reached out to grab the arrow with that magic.

《…?》

But.

《Huh?》

Something was strange.

Every time he tried to snatch it with magic, the arrow strangely changed its trajectory. As if it had a will of its own.

‘What is this…?’

Alpha, flustered, eventually gathered his magic to create a barrier, but,

Clang-!

Penetration.

The arrow pierced the barrier in an instant and surged between Alpha’s neck and chest.

Alpha realized that he would not be able to block this attack.

《Kuh?!》

At that moment,

Clang-!

Beta, who had rushed in, swung his axe and struck the center of the arrow shaft. The arrow shattered just before reaching Alpha.

The strange power carried by the arrow disappeared at that moment, and the arrow shattered into pieces on the ground.

《Hah, hah…》

Alpha, his spine chilled, looked down at the arrowheads rolling on the ground.

The silver, tinged with a red aura, emitted an eerie light.

《What are you doing, Alpha?》

Selendion asked with a hint of amusement.

《You can’t even block a single arrow.》

It wasn’t a reprimand, but rather he seemed to be enjoying Alpha’s flustered appearance. But Alpha was serious.

《No, that, Lord. This is… different!》

《Oh, what’s different?》

《This arrow… it’s not an ordinary silver arrow.》

His blood magic had been broken through in an instant. Alpha sensed it.

《This arrow is dangerous!》

At the same time as Alpha’s warning,

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh-!

Arrows were fired in succession from the ramparts.

The long-range snipes, flying in parabolas, were aimed at the ordinary vampires.

《What, arrows?》

《How pathetic…》

《This is nothing!》

The vampires, like Alpha, sneered at the snipes and tried to block them lightly.

But.

Thud! Thwack! Thud!

《Kuh?!》

《Kehk?!》

《What-》

They couldn’t block them.

The first vampire had his neck pierced after his shield, which he tried to block the arrow with, was shattered.

The second vampire had his palm and neck pierced together while trying to block it with magic gathered in his hand.

The third vampire tried to turn into mist to avoid it, but the arrow still pierced his neck.

The three vampires with arrows in their necks coughed up blood. A strange light flickered in Selendion’s eyes.

《It’s not an ordinary silver arrow. Could it be… otherworldly silver?》

Alpha, examining the arrow fragments on the ground, broke out in a cold sweat.

《Yes. It’s holy silver. But that’s not all. It seems they’ve also alchemized it with devil’s mistletoe.》

《Using that precious holy silver and even mistletoe to make arrows? That’s quite something. It seems they’ve prepared diligently to kill us.》

Selendion scoffed.

《But this alone is not enough…》

At that moment.

Thwack-!

A firing sound was heard from the ramparts.

Why was it? The moment he heard that sound, the world-renowned Vampire King Selendion’s neck… broke out in goosebumps.

《What is it?》

Selendion’s blood-red eyes followed the trajectory of the projectile fired from the ramparts. Selendion soon recognized its identity.

《A magic bullet?》

Whoosh!

The magic bullet that flew in accurately struck the head of the first vampire whose neck had been pierced,

Thud…!

And blew his head off.

The vampire’s body, which had caused a shower of blood, collapsed powerlessly to the ground. And he could no longer regenerate or resurrect.

His core had been destroyed.

But Selendion didn’t care about the death of his subordinate.

《…This is.》

Selendion, looking down at his subordinate’s exploded head, hurriedly raised his head.

Thwack-!

The second shot.

The magic bullet flew towards the vampire who was gasping for breath with an arrow piercing his neck and hand. He couldn’t avoid it either.

Thud-!

Instant death.

Watching his subordinate’s head explode, Selendion smiled.

《This magic bullet is…!》

Thwack!

The third shot.

The third vampire, who was trying to escape by turning into mist again, realized that evasion was impossible.

He closed his eyes tightly, sensing death.

Thud-!

Chiiiiiik…!

But, he didn’t die.

Selendion, who had leaped from the palanquin, reached out and grabbed the magic bullet.

Selendion’s fist was torn and blood splattered everywhere as he took the magic bullet of tremendous power.

But, unconcerned, Selendion looked down at his blood-soaked hand.

《The magic power of this magic bullet… is it Oloop’s!》

If so, the magic gun that fired this magic bullet must have been forged with Oloop’s magic core.

《A weapon made from the essence of the Nightmare Legion Commander—the Nightmare Slayer.》

Joy filled Selendion’s face.

《It’s truly a weapon that can kill me!》

***

Strike with silver, finish with magic.

That is the basis of the anti-bloodline tactics we established.

Damian was doing it alone against the vampires. He was embedding holy silver arrows and sniping with a magic gun.

He had sent two vampires to the underworld in an instant, and Selendion interfered just as he was about to finish the third.

But, it’s good that he got two.

“Haa, haa, whew!”

Damian, who had fired holy silver arrows and the Black Queen [a magic gun] in rapid succession, was breathing heavily.

He had to concentrate more than usual to aim for the core, so it seemed his stamina consumption was not ordinary.

Even so, he was about to shoot another shot, so I quickly grabbed Damian’s shoulder.

“Stop, Damian!”

“Yes? Haa, haa, but! Still!”

“You’ve done well enough. You’ve properly crushed the arrogance of those bastards.”

I also want to let him keep shooting, but.

Selendion has already started blocking them. Shooting more would just be a waste of ammo and stamina.

“Rest a bit and recover. We still have things to do.”

“Yes…”

Damian leaned against the ramparts and began to catch his breath. I looked south.

When our attacks stopped, the vampires began to advance again.

Leaving the corpses of their dead comrades behind, still walking with light steps.

Now they were really close. Close enough to see the fine wrinkles on their faces.

And, Selendion was smiling.

《Now, now, now! Fight, humans! Prove your worth!》

With a more ferocious smile than any he had shown so far. As if he was enjoying it to death.

《Whether you become livestock feed, a meal for us vampires, or—kill me and survive! Now! Fight! You must fight!》