Both Nan Gong Jiao Shou and his wife shouted in panic, but I reacted by flicking the vampire's forehead with my finger.

Bam!

Icy mana coated the vampire's face and his grip loosened. Thanks to the physical reinforcement spells I learned from Teacher Ruff Fielding and the martial arts that Dad taught me, even a single flick contained enough power to send the vampire flying into the trees beyond. As for me, I clutched my finger and winced. Whoops, it looked like I overestimated myself.

"T…thank you."

"Don't thank me yet."

I glanced at the front. The vampires had gathered and were unleas.h.i.+ng powerful blood spells to impale the car. Both Nan Gong Jiao Shou and his wife ducked as crimson spikes lanced toward the winds.h.i.+elds, but before they could shatter the reinforced gla.s.s and puncture the vehicle, a glacial wall materialized in front to block the blood spikes. The wheels squealed and spun helplessly when the car was lifted off the ground from the sudden impact, but thankfully my reflexive ice spell mitigated most of the damage.

"…!"

"Aaaaah!"

Both Yue Jian and her mother screamed while Nan Gong Jiao Shou gnashed his teeth and struck the dashboard in frustration. The professor wanted to throw the gear into reverse and go back the way we came, but he spotted more vampires approaching us from behind, which rendered that plan impractical. He cursed as he struck the steering wheel this time. As for me, however…

"Stay in the car, everyone."

I kicked the door open and strode out, freezing the blood spikes that sought to pierce through the ice barrier I had conjured earlier. With a force of will, I broke them apart. Stepping through the crumbling ice, I approached the vampires in what seemed like a confident manner. Inwardly, however, my heart was thumping really quickly and I prayed there wouldn't be veteran vampires or high-level adults amongst them. The hooded vampires glared glared at me, half out of curiosity and half out of annoyance, but it was clear they didn't recognize me.

All the better for me because it meant they would be underestimating me.

"You guys really suck," I complained as I strolled toward them. They stared at me, not comprehending my insult at all. Well, I knew they sucked blood, but I didn't think they would take my provocation literally. Sighing, I pushed up my gla.s.ses and readied a spell.

"Kill him."

The person who seemed to be the leader of the vampires gave an order, and as one the group threw themselves at me. I c.o.c.ked my head at their suicidal charge, but then remembered that they did possess the advantage in terms of numbers.

Not that it would do them any good. That was why I was so pleased that they were underestimating me. By not evaluating the strength of their opponent correctly, they had slipped up and made a terrible mistake.

And I was going to capitalize on their mistake.

In a swift motion, I drew both Hei Yue and Bai Ri before slas.h.i.+ng them in a series of swift, precise strikes. The vampires barreled past me, almost as if unaffected, and then they all stopped behind me.

"…who the h.e.l.l are you?"

I pushed my gla.s.ses up my nose, my lenses gleaming to conceal my eyes temporarily, while taking care not to accidentally cut my face with my black sword. Smiling brightly, I shrugged.

"Just an ordinary friend of the Nan Gong family."

"…"

For a moment, the vampires were silent.

And then, almost the entire group toppled over, blood spurting from their wounds as they literally fell apart. Arms, legs and heads – anything that could come off slid off, separated by a hissing geyser of blood. Even for vampires, their deaths were spectacularly b.l.o.o.d.y.

Only one of them survived. The leader.

"…you…!"

His voice sounded horrified while he stumbled back, clutching the stump that remained of his dismembered arm. Ah…unlike the rest, I failed to kill him. I was only able to disarm him. Oh well.

"Yeah?"

At a loss for words, probably because he was too terrified, he turned to flee. But suddenly I appeared right in front of him, raising Hei Yue and pointing my black sword at him.

"Do you think I'll allow you to escape?"

"…!"

I didn't even wait for him to answer. I beheaded him with a single stroke. Before his head even hit the ground, I was already approaching the stationary car. Sheathing both of my swords, I kicked at the frozen blood that continued to sprout from the ground, not entirely destroyed despite my efforts from earlier. Trampling through shattered crimson frost, I reached the car but stopped by the side instead of embarking within it.

"You…"

"You're really Zhao Yan's friend, aren't you?"

In contrast to his wife, who was utterly stupefied, Nan Gong Jiao Shou was shaking his head, impressed. He smiled and bowed his head gratefully.

"Thank you. If it weren't for you, I have no idea what would happen to us."

"Well, don't celebrate too soon." Lowering my sword, I c.o.c.ked my head toward the road ahead of us. In the distance, I could see a gathering crowd of vampires. They were easily several dozen times the size of the force I had just eliminated. "We still have company."

The main force of the Crimson Blood Demonic Night clan charged.

"Professor Nan Gong, earlier you said you taught your daughters holy magic or purifying magic, right? Can you use them? Are you able to cast them on the vampires?"

"I'm afraid not." Nan Gong Jiao Shou looked apologetic. "I am a researcher, not a Paladin. The only holy and purifying spells I know are blessings and healing. Nothing that is useful for combat."

"Well, you had better find a holy spell that can be used for attacks soon, or we might all die here."

Unlike the five small fries that I had just taken care of, the main force of vampires was even more terrifying. There was no way I could fight that many of them, even though I was already drawing both Hei Yue and Bai Ri and casting whatever spells I could.

However, I stood my ground and lowered my swords. I suffused my black and white blades with icy mana, getting ready to unleash a major blizzard spell. I could maybe freeze ten of them with that spell before I got overwhelmed. If I was going to die, I was going out with a bang.

"Watch out!"

Nan Gong Jiao Shou jumped to my side and struck a vampire who had attempted to flank me. Surprised, I spun around and stared at the struggling vampire, who the professor finished off with a chop to the neck. It took me a few seconds before I recognized my a.s.sailant as the guy whose forehead I had flicked earlier.

"Stay sharp!" Nan Gong Jiao Shou snapped at me.

I gaped at him, amazed that he was actually quite the strong warrior. He was clearly more skilled and experienced than I was. Even though I theoretically should have detected the vampire's presence with my sixth sense, I had been so focused on the incoming group of Crimson Blood Demonic Night clan members that I had completely overlooked him.

"I thought you said the only holy spells you know can't be used for combat?"

"Yeah, they can't. But I can still fight. Even though it's been years since I've partic.i.p.ated in actual combat, I was a Priest once, you know. A support caster, if you don't know what that is."

Oh. Saint Teresa Academy and their d.a.m.ned cla.s.ses. I didn't know that they actually had Priests.

"Well, thanks. That really helped me out."

The vampires had skidded to a stop and hung back cautiously when they saw Nan Gong Jiao Shou step out to fight me. In a way, the professor had bought me enough time to switch spells. Even though I thought ice magic was cool, it wasn't my forte. I was better at summoming. What, you think the t.i.tle of this story was for show?

"Canis Minor, Canis Major!"

At my command, my hunting hounds materialized all around me. So did Canis Major, who loomed over the Nan Gong family protectively. Not that Nan Gong Jiao Shou required my protection. The guy was perfectly capable of looking after himself. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up guarding me instead.

Nan Gong Jiao Shou's eyes widened when he saw my summoned Constellation spirits, but he didn't miss a beat and issued a single request.

"Please send some of your soul beasts to protect my daughter and wife."

"I understand."

"I…I want to stand and fight!"

Nan Gong Yue Jian stood beside us, trembling violently. She was holding a shovel in her hands of all things, raising it as if to use it as a weapon.

"What are you doing?" I scowled.

"I'll stand and fight with Dad and you!"

"With a shovel?"

"That's the only weapon I can find!"

"You'll only be digging your own grave. Besides, where the h.e.l.l did you find a shovel in the first place?" I asked, feeling a headache build up in my temples. Yue Jian gestured toward the battered car where her mother continued to huddle fearfully.

"It was in the car trunk."

"Why the h.e.l.l is there a shovel in your car trunk?" I almost exploded. Nan Gong Jiao Shou shrugged.

"Why don't you ask a certain manhua artist? Maybe as a convenient plot device to show Yue Jian doing something."

Already Yue Jian was waving the shovel about, shouting at the vampires and not paying any attention to us.

"Come and get me!"

The vampires growled and charged, and she swung her shovel clumsily…only to complete miss them.

I glanced at Nan Gong Jiao Shou while I ducked under a Demonic Blood Claw Strike and retaliated with a slash from my dual swords.

"Did you really train her in the Nan Gong clan techniques?"

"Yeah, but as I said, our holy and purification spells are non-combat magic only. Just the blood and mana purifying ones. It's a bit embarra.s.sing, but Yue Jian isn't good at fighting. Those had always been Zhao Yan and Ji Yan's specialties. That's why I sent those two to Saint Teresa Acaemy while Yue Jian remained homeschooled. She's not cut out for learning combat magic. Still, Yue Jian is better than Ji Yan at purification spells, which was why I taught those to her instead of Ji Yan. She's actually better at them than Zhao Yan too. All my daughters have different talents."

Nan Gong Jiao Shou sounded proud even as he dodged, ducked and countered the vampires' attacks. I couldn't help but admire his elegant moves as he tore through the pack of vampires with his bare hands. Our opponents thus far had been small fries, kids my age or slightly older, and there were thankfully no masters or elders on the level of You Shou or Fan Fu Qing in sight. Nan Gong Jiao Shou was just ma.s.sacring them with swift, brutal moves.

Unfortunately, I wasn't a master like him so I found myself slowly being overwhelmed. Fortunately, I was a summoner.

"Taurus!"

The great bull materialized and headb.u.t.ted a vampire away before trampling on another. He snorted and kicked a vampire who was attacking Yue Jian, and imposed himself between her and the horde. I nodded in approval and issued an order.

"Alebaran!"

Taurus unleashed a torrent of flames that incinerated a bunch of vampires in front of him, turning them into ash. While he guarded Yue Jian, I found myself in a lot of trouble, bereft of the protection my Constellation spirits usually provided me now that I sent them to guard someone else.

"Whoa!"

I found myself pushed back when one of the stronger vampires struck, his claws clanging against my black and white blades. I tried to freeze him, but he retreated immediately upon sensing the danger. Dropping to a crouch, he lashed out with a roundhouse kick that sent me skidding backward. Huffing, I tried to right my balance but a few b.l.o.o.d.y spears lanced out to pierce me.

"Guh!"

I grunted as I parried the blood spears, only for the vampire to kick me and send me flying. Even though I managed to somehow stop myself, his comrades came at me from both sides.

"!!!"

Unfortunately, I was only able to block one of them, but the other managed to cut me with his Demonic Blood Claws.

Crying out in pain, I dropped to the ground and sought to avenge myself with a desperate icy slash from one of my swords that loped off his arm. The vampire staggered back with a hiss, but he didn't fall. Before I could finish the job with my other sword, his comrade slashed me from behind and would have killed me if I hadn't instinctively dodged. Still, the tips of his claws grazed my shoulder and sent out a spray of blood.

That b.a.s.t.a.r.d…!

I turned to face him, but the strongest vampire of the trio kicked me in the chest, sending me staggering backward. When they saw the opening, both vampires lunged at me from opposite sides. I saw them coming, but I knew I wasn't able to evade in time.

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