Blood Battle

Blood Battle

Women often sensed danger more keenly than men, and a veteran powerhouse like Zheng Yutong, who had survived many dangerous missions, was even more sensitive to it.

The instant she sensed the crisis, she drew a silver dagger and slashed backward. Her high Agility made her movements incredibly fast, and the sharp blade sliced through the air with a shrill whistle.

Yet this sure-kill strike unexpectedly missed. Apparently, the attacker was no slowpoke either.

But when she saw what had attacked her, she frowned. Not far away, an ugly giant bat flapped its wings in midair, its blood-red eyes fixed tightly on Li Wei and the other two.

"What kind of monster is that?" The one who spoke was Bai Jie. Even she, the weakest among them, sensed that something was wrong.

As an experienced veteran, Zheng Yutong clearly knew what it was. She summoned the Yellow Paper and did something unknown, after which an exquisitely crafted suit of armor appeared on her body.

The dark-purple armor gave off faint traces of magical power, its surface carved with countless intricate magic patterns. It did not look cumbersome when worn; instead, it possessed a graceful beauty.

Besides the armor, Zheng Yutong now held a Longbow in her hand, likewise covered in complex magical patterns. It was clearly no ordinary item.

With the Eye of Perception, Li Wei naturally recognized that Zheng Yutong's equipment, both on her body and in her hands, were top-tier items of level 30 or higher. However, the giant bat opposite them drew even more of his attention.

"Level 4 Undead creature: Vampire Count. Attack: 40. Defense: 40. Damage: 50–80. Speed: 50. Special ability: Flight. Hidden attributes: Advanced Self-Healing Spell, Life Drain. Any contact will drain the target creature's life force. Ordinary attacks deal minimal damage to this creature. Upon death, there is a 5% chance of dropping [Vampire Cloak] and a 1% chance of dropping [Undead Shield]. Overall rating: B1-Rank!"

Judging from the basic attributes alone, Li Wei was not particularly impressed. But once the hidden attributes revealed by the Eye of Perception were included, it became terrifying. This bat-like monster actually had a B1-Rank rating. Didn't that mean it was even stronger than C3-Rank Zheng Yutong?

The bat's body shuddered, and with a whoosh, black mist seeped from its body. Only after the black fog completely enveloped it did it gradually take human form. When the mist dispersed, a man wearing a black-and-red cloak appeared before the three of them.

Its skin had a sickly grayish-white hue. Beneath the wide cloak, a pair of hands with sharp nails hung at its sides. Its pointed teeth protruded from its mouth, and beneath its blood-red gaze, Li Wei felt an intense pressure, as though he were facing a bloodthirsty lion.

No, it was even more terrifying than a lion!

This was getting increasingly dangerous. With Li Wei's E3-Rank strength, there was no way he could survive against a B1-Rank existence. Fortunately, he was not alone.

"Bai Jie, use Slow Spell immediately—" Before he finished speaking, Li Wei pulled out his USP Pistol and pulled the trigger.

Zheng Yutong beside him was even faster. An arrow imbued with magic had already flown toward the Vampire Count before Li Wei could fire.

Even the B1-Rank Vampire Count did not dare underestimate the power and magic contained within that arrow.

With a shrill hiss, the Undead creature instinctively sensed danger. However, since speed was its greatest strength, avoiding the attack should not have been difficult.

But it soon learned just how terribly wrong it was.

The surrounding air suddenly became viscous, as if it were trapped in mud. It could no longer freely control its movements, and the arrow struck its body directly.

The arrow had clearly been specially made. Even with the Vampire Count's astonishing defense, it pierced more than ten centimeters into its body, with half the long shaft embedded inside.

At that moment, Li Wei's shots arrived as well. At such close range, almost every bullet hit its target, and more than a dozen bloody blossoms burst across the Vampire Count's body.

In the first exchange, Li Wei's group had clearly gained the upper hand. Bai Jie's Slow Spell had undoubtedly contributed the most. Even Zheng Yutong was now deeply interested in this woman called Bai Jie. She knew very well how important support magic like this was to a team.

"Did we kill it?" Bai Jie cried excitedly as she looked at the fallen Vampire Count, completely failing to notice how Li Wei knew about her special ability.

"No!" Li Wei swiftly ejected the empty magazine and loaded a new one. Zheng Yutong beside him wore a grave expression and could not even be bothered to reply.

She was hesitating. This was the best moment to withdraw. Given her speed, escaping should not be difficult. The pressure this Vampire brought was too overwhelming. If they continued fighting, they might very well be killed.

As for Li Wei and that woman, both had great potential, but she had no obligation to protect them. Perhaps she could do so when her life was not at risk, but certainly not now!

"Bai Jie, how many more times can you cast Slow Spell?" Li Wei's voice did not waver in the slightest, and his tone remained calm. Though Bai Jie had just heard that the blood-sucking monster was still alive, somehow her tense mood eased considerably under his steady voice.

"Once!" Bai Jie's face was pale, though much better than before.

Zheng Yutong found Li Wei's calmness baffling. If her estimate was correct, Li Wei's current rating was at most D1-Rank, perhaps even lower. Facing a Vampire Count stronger than herself, where did that calmness and composure come from?

Wait, how did he know that woman's special ability? Zheng Yutong stared at Li Wei, her eyes filled with confusion.

They should have been meeting for the first time, shouldn't they?

"Miss Zheng, once Bai Jie casts her spell, please attack it with your strongest special ability. If you feel threatened afterward, you do not need to worry about us. Just leave. With your speed, that should not be difficult, right?" Li Wei did not notice Zheng Yutong's gaze.

In truth, all his attention was focused on the Vampire that had risen to its feet once more.

He must have something to rely on. Otherwise, he was an idiot!

Zheng Yutong stared at Li Wei, then nodded. She did not voice her doubts. Instead, her slender fingers drew an arrow from her quiver and nocked it on the Longbow.

I'll trust him for now. Even if something happens, I still have Wind Walk. With a skill that can move me hundreds of meters in an instant, surely nothing can threaten me!

With that thought, Zheng Yutong focused fully on the Vampire Count rising again. Half an arrow was still stuck in its body, while the places struck by bullets had torn open, exposing bloody flesh and making it look utterly savage.

Of course Li Wei had something to rely on. His ultimate skill, Cloud Piercing Palm, was a C-Rank attack skill. Back on Shadow Street, he had discovered that attack skills were extremely rare throughout the market. Most were E-Rank, while the occasional D-Rank skill was priced outrageously high.

As for C-Rank attack skills, there had not been a single one in all of Shadow Street. Li Wei even suspected that the Cloud Piercing Palm in his possession was the only C-Rank attack skill. Its power surely would not be inferior to Zheng Yutong's Magic Arrow—perhaps it was even stronger.

With such a powerful skill in hand, he naturally had nothing to fear. Moreover, Li Wei possessed an advantage no one else could match: the Eye of Perception.

"Vampire Count. HP: 230/300..." Such information appeared beneath his crimson eyes.

Displaying a target's health was also one of the Eye of Perception's effects.

Among D-Rank support skills, the Eye of Perception was absolutely an anomaly. It could simulate an opponent's life force as a health display. In battle, its usefulness even surpassed offensive skills like Cloud Piercing Palm.

In other words, aside from himself, no one knew how much life force the Vampire Count possessed, nor did anyone know how many more attacks it would take to kill it. This Level 4 Undead creature inspired only fear because of the unknown. People feared and hesitated because they did not know, but once they understood their opponent's true strength, there was nothing left to worry about.

This battle was extremely dangerous, but victory was not impossible. In fact, if they fled out of fear, one of the three would inevitably be pursued by the Vampire. No matter who faced a B1-Rank creature alone, the result would be death.

That was everything Li Wei had considered.

"Look! There's an Undead over there! Oh my God... it's a Vampire!" At last, someone spotted the people among the ruins.

A man dressed like a town resident appeared nearby. The moment he saw the Vampire Count, he began shouting in panic.

Li Wei silently cursed. Sure enough, the Vampire Count darted before the unlucky man like lightning, seized his neck with its sharp claws, and sank its fangs into him.

Screams and the sound of blood being swallowed mixed together. To Li Wei's surprise, the Vampire Count's health began recovering rapidly.

"Attack!"

They could not wait any longer. The Vampire's recovery ability was too powerful. As long as they had fresh blood, no matter how badly injured they were, they could quickly regain their fighting strength.

The instant Bai Jie cast Slow Spell, Zheng Yutong's Magic Arrow whistled through the air.

Li Wei, meanwhile, gave up using his pistol and charged forward with all his inner energy gathered. Cloud Piercing Palm was a close-combat technique. To unleash its greatest power, he had to fight at close range.

Slow Spell took effect first. Just as before, this nearly unavoidable magic slowed the Vampire's movements. The next second, the Magic Arrow, crackling with electricity, pierced through the Vampire Count's defense. Under the force of the powerful magic, its left shoulder exploded with a boom. Wild currents raced through its body from the wound, producing sharp crackling sounds.

What devastating power. This Magic Arrow had definitely reached the level of a D-Rank attack skill. The lingering current could paralyze the body and inflict continuous damage.

-78

-10

-8

Under the Eye of Perception's effect, the Vampire Count's health continued to drop.

Remaining HP: 134/300. Just a few more attacks, and it would certainly die.

The heavily wounded Vampire Count bared its fangs. Veins bulged beneath every inch of its skin. Seeing Li Wei charging toward it, its eyes filled with hatred as it opened its massive, blood-filled mouth toward him.

Almost instantly, Li Wei sensed danger. A powerful suction force came from the air, and countless visible wisps of blood seeped from his skin and flew into the Vampire Count's mouth.

This is bad!

It had activated its special ability, [Life Drain].

Its health, which had been steadily dropping due to the Magic Arrow, gradually began to recover. This was the most powerful ability of the Vampire race: nearly monstrous self-healing on the battlefield.

Feeling his own life force draining away, Li Wei went all out. He poured all his inner energy into his palm and used the C-Rank attack skill [Cloud Piercing Palm] for the first time.

At such close range, coupled with the effects of Slow Spell, Li Wei's palm strike landed squarely on the Vampire Count's chest.

"Cloud Piercing Palm, break!"

His powerful inner energy transformed into countless needles of qi, bursting from his palm and forming a powerful Qi Blast within the Vampire Count's body. A phantom imprint several times larger than his hand erupted from its back like an invisible wave of force, slamming into a broken wall nearby. The enormous impact smashed the wall into pieces, scattering fragments of stone everywhere. The might of that palm strike was terrifying.

-110

The damage value appeared. With only a sliver of health remaining, the Vampire Count looked utterly miserable. There was almost no intact flesh left on its body, and copious blood seeped through its skin, making for a horrifying sight.

Even so, it still did not die.

"Roar!"

A thunderous shriek erupted from its fang-filled mouth. Despite suffering such severe injuries, the Vampire Count was far faster than before. Perhaps it had sensed the threat of death and finally unleashed all its strength.

Its claws howled through the air, aimed directly at Li Wei, who was closest to it. In the Vampire's bloodthirsty eyes, the man before it was the finest "medicine."

Though his previous strike had hit and gravely wounded it, the moment Li Wei heard the Vampire Count's roar, he knew he had made a fatal mistake. At such close range, with his E3-Rank strength against a B1-Rank Vampire, if he failed to kill it in one blow, the consequences were obvious.

It was already impossible to dodge those claws. The opponent was too fast. Before he could react, he was firmly seized, and that blood-filled mouth packed with fangs bit down toward Li Wei's throat.