Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Chapter 709 Vampires

Kaizen slung the King's Sword over his shoulder, and the blade, glowing with a golden radiance, turned into a kind of glowing aura around him.

Zylok, the vampire leader, smiled at the sight of the sword, but not in the bizarre way he had before, but in a resigned way, as if he had been beaten by Kaizen.

Then the wave of vampires passed through his data, avoiding attacking their leader even though he had betrayed them, because they know they can't kill him, but they at least want to be able to tear Kaizen into thousands of pieces. Then, with one swift movement, Kaizen launched himself towards the nearest vampires. The blade of the King's Sword sliced through the air in a lethal arc, hitting one of the vampires hard and burning him with the light of the sword. The vampire writhed in agony, its pale skin being torn by the sharp blade as it petrified, preventing regeneration.

[You have killed a Vampire. You have gained +100000 XP.]

[Congratulations! You've just risen to level 143]. 

Vampires were strong and fast, more so than most creatures Kaizen had ever faced, but Kaizen normally already had the physical attributes equivalent to that of a level 240 player, twice his current level, and these base attributes were doubled when he activated the <Giant's Lungs> ability, putting him at a strength level close to the power ceiling for an un-evolved player. What's more, he was in possession of a Divine Rank weapon, so if even Dragons couldn't be a challenge, dealing with vampires was like dealing with goblins.

Despite the extremely powerful aura emanating from Kaizen at that moment, several vampires launched themselves at Kaizen, trying to strike him with their sharp claws. However, Kaizen moved with such astonishing speed that even Zylok and Fryft, two evolved vampires, were surprised.

The way Kaizen moved, dodging attacks with quick, simple movements, was magnificent. He spun, jumped and dived, his sword protecting him on all sides.

Fryft watched with wide eyes, unable to look away from the battle unfolding in front of her. Kaizen was not the man she had imagined, he was beyond. His strength, his techniques, were pure power, and he didn't even seem to be exerting himself because in her eyes he wasn't using any skills. At that moment, she understood the reason behind all the hype behind the scenes surrounding this man.

Suddenly, Kaizen slashed through the vampires and made his attacks look like a storm of blades.

[You have killed a Vampire. You have gained +100000 XP.]

[You have killed a Vampire. You have gained +100000 XP].

[You have killed a Vampire. You have gained +100000 XP].

[You have killed a Vampire. You have gained +100000 XP].

[Congratulations! You've just risen to level 147!] 

He seemed to be in several places at once, his supernatural agility leaving the vampires dazed and unable to keep up with him.

While Kaizen defended himself against the vampires' numerous attacks, Zylok watched with growing admiration and also a shiver down his spine. Unconsciously, his eyes were wide and his eyebrows high. He could see the focus in the young Psyker's eyes, a flame that burned brightly, but in a controlled manner. Kaizen wasn't a skill spammer, he was calm, concentrated and that made it seem as if each of his actions was thought out in those milliseconds he had between one action and the next.

'They're as strong as I thought, but where's that guy?' Kaizen thought, looking for Thenomor in the crowd.

Kaizen saw that some vampires retreated and others tried to flee under cover of the vampires advancing towards him, but he hadn't seen Thenomor among the fugitives.

The blade of the King's Sword glowed with a golden intensity, cutting through the darkness, and with every movement of it a sound like thunder echoed through the hall.

As Kaizen scanned the hall with his eyes, a vampire with wings attempted a surprise attack from the ceiling, aiming his sword at Kaizen's neck, but before he could even swing his sword, he was cut in half by Kaizen, who was on his back, and one piece fell to Kaizen's left and the other to his right.

[You have killed a Vampire. You have gained +100000 XP].

[Congratulations! You've just risen to level 148]. 

Then, with a bold move, Kaizen leapt into the air, spinning like a dervish, to get a better view of the place, but he didn't find Thenomor that way. So he took a deep breath and his sword described a deadly arc as he landed in the middle of the vampires. One, two, three of them fell before his fury.

[You have killed a Vampire. You have gained +100000 XP.]

[You have killed a Vampire. You have gained +100000 XP].

[You have killed a Vampire. You have gained +100000 XP].

[Congratulations! You've just risen to level 151!] 

Unfortunately, Kaizen didn't have time to think about where Thenomor had gone, because there were too many enemies to deal with.

The battle intensified, with the vampires fighting with desperate ferocity. However, Kaizen was determined to prevail. Of course, he couldn't come out of this unscathed and what started as a few scratches on his body slowly turned into some deeper wounds. Despite this, his sword cut through the vampires' defenses.

The battle roared around Kaizen like a hurricane of claws and teeth, with vampires closing ranks in a desperate attempt to take down the formidable Psyker. Every blow Kaizen landed resulted in gushing XP, his level continuing its meteoric rise.

[Congratulations! You've just risen to level 152!] 

[Congratulations! You've just risen to level 154!]

[Congratulations! You've just risen to level 156!] 

The vampires, however, were resilient creatures, and even with Kaizen's mastery of his sword and superhuman agility, they continued to press him relentlessly. Their sharp claws scratched his skin, and their teeth came closer, hungry for his blood. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins, and Kaizen felt the burning of his wounds as he advanced even deeper into the vampire horde.

A cry of fury escaped Kaizen's lips as he delivered an arcing blow, his sword slicing another vampire in half. Another, with empty, hungry eyes, leapt towards him, but was intercepted by a lunge from Kaizen, who threw him against the wall with the supernatural force of <Psychokinesis>.

However, the battle continued to take its toll. Kaizen's body was marked by scratches and deep wounds, but for that he had a healing ability that allowed him to heal himself once a day, so he had a will that seemed unshakeable and his inexhaustible determination kept him moving forward. The feeling of XP flowing to him with every vampire he defeated was like a drug that drove him on even more.

[Congratulations! You've just risen to level 177!] 

It wasn't long before the whole environment around Kaizen was covered in blood, and seeing all this scenery, most of the vampires retreated a little, tense at this being's strength.

Kaizen then slung the King's Sword over his shoulder once more, pointed it at the vampires and asked:

"What is it? Are immortal beings afraid of death? Isn't that a bit hypocritical?"

However, while Kaizen was concentrating on provoking the vampires, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, a man emerged from the shadows, literally stepping out of Kaizen's own shadow. He was tall and slender, dressed head to toe in black, with short hair that was wet with a little blood. Kaizen barely had time to notice the man's presence before he plunged a sword through the middle of his chest.

A scream echoed in the hall, a mixture of pain and surprise, as Kaizen felt the sword pierce himself, with blood gushing from the wound in his chest. However, the scream was not Kaizen's but that of the man in black.

"DEAD!"

Everyone watched in astonishment, including the other vampires, Fryft and Zylok.

"Thenomor!!!" Zylok shouted, rising from the throne he had retreated to in order to watch the battle.

Kaizen's blood stained the ground, dripping down the blade of his sword, forming a dark puddle beneath him as he struggled to breathe. His vision blurred and his life bar began to drop rapidly.

Thenomor held the sword that ran through Kaizen, a powerful blade. Thenomor's mere presence transformed the atmosphere in the room, and the vampires began to laugh.

Thenomor laughed, a sound full of malice. "I did it! I can't believe I managed to surprise you! That's because you're a little prick who only gets in the way of other people's plans! You even managed to corrupt our master! What did you do to him? What mind trick did you use? Speak now before I rip that sword out of your chest and let you bleed to death!" he shouted.

A moment of silence followed Thenomor's order, everyone staring at Kaizen.

Fryft wanted to interfere, but when she looked at Zylok, the man was standing still and shook his head negatively, as if telling her not to. For this reason, she took a step back.

Finally, with an unexpected reaction, Kaizen gave a tight smile, blood trickling down the sides of her lips. "So, you were just here the whole time?"

"Of course I was, I would never run away with a disgusting lower vampire! I want to free my master from the word spell you cast on him!"

"Word spell? Is there a magic or skill like that? If you know anyone with it, please introduce me to them. It would make things a lot easier." Kaizen said, still smiling, but with a slightly tired voice.

Kaizen's reaction irritated Thenomor, who turned his sword a little on Kaizen's chest, making him groan a little in pain. "Do you think I'm joking?! Release him now!"

"Pay attention to what you're saying, you idiot. If I had a magical ability with the power to force people to do what I want, why wouldn't I use it on you now?"

Thenomor looked confused for a moment. "I-I don't know... maybe I can only activate it once!"

Kaizen took a deep, disappointed breath. "Really, you seemed to be smarter when you were on Niah's side." He said and then grabbed the blade of the sword that was passing through him, cutting his own right palm. "Listen to me, Thenomor. If you wanted to kill me, you should have aimed for my neck, so run, run as fast as you can, because when I catch up with you, I'm really going to KILL you."

At that moment, Thenomor, a vampire who considered himself superior to most of his peers, both in terms of his abilities, influence and years of life, felt for the first time after 500 years what it was like to be as fragile as an ant.