Chapter 144 The Awakening.
Chapter 144 The Awakening.
Vanila continued to fight one of the Knights of the Cross, determined to protect her Emperor and Lady Orla. She deftly evaded every strike from the four clay-formed dragons, slicing off their heads with ease.
"This is becoming incredibly annoying," she muttered. "I have no choice but to use Blood Magic."
She bit her finger, drawing blood, and let the droplets fall onto the magic circle at her feet. "Blood Scythe."
A crimson scythe enveloped in a dark red aura materialized, which Vanila immediately grasped. Wasting no time, she lunged forward. "Blood Slash!"
In a swift, sweeping motion, she tore Kael’s body into nearly ten pieces. Since his body was made of clay, no blood was shed. However, the clay began to stir, swirling back together to reform his body. Before Kael could fully reconstitute himself, Vanila cast another spell.
"Blood Spike!"
Giant blood spikes, nearly three meters tall, erupted from the ground and pierced through the clay. Yet, the substance acted like mud, sliding right off the spikes and pulling away to safety. Kael’s clay form proved resistant to such physical attacks.
"Hahaha! Your attacks are strong, but they are ineffective against my clay," Kael boasted.
The clay leapt away and reformed into Kael, who was now holding a massive clay cleaver. "You know, the special thing about my weapon is that I can soften it to shape it into various forms, or harden it until it’s as tough as steel."
Wielding the massive cleaver, he charged at Vanila and engaged her in a fierce exchange. "Yahhh!"
Each swing of his weapon unleashed a powerful force that shook the ground. The immense impact forced Vanila to retreat with every parry.
"He’s not just fast; he’s incredibly strong, too, "she thought.
Vanila was pushed back until they neared the building where Daniel and Orla were hiding. "No, I cannot lose. I cannot let the Emperor’s plan be ruined," she told herself.
A red magic circle appeared before her. "Blood Strike!"
The blood unleashed a devastating force that obliterated everything in its path. Kael attempted to create a shield to parry, but the strike pierced through it, hitting him directly. The force continued onward, blowing through two consecutive walls. Vanila immediately grew anxious about the potential punishment for the destruction.
"Oh no, am I going to be punished for destroying this place?"
She sighed, knowing the battle wasn't over. She watched as the clay began to move again, reforming Kael’s body as if nothing had happened.
"My speed and strength are useless, and now my magic spells are meaningless against him," she lamented.
"Hahaha! Perhaps you’ve done enough to show your power, but I’m done playing with you," Kael sneered.
Four dragon heads began to form again from the tentacles behind Kael’s back. "Let's finish this."
The four dragons gathered a powerful energy ball in their maws, preparing to strike simultaneously.
"What? No, this can't be. "
Vanila knew she couldn't move to dodge; if she did, the blast would hit the building housing the Emperor and Orla. " I have to protect them, no matter what, " she whispered internally, letting out a surge of powerful aura.
She broke into a sweat, hesitant about whether she could successfully block the attack to protect the Emperor, or if she would even survive the impact.
"Say your goodbyes!"
Before Kael could fire, he suddenly stopped. A powerful, overwhelming presence surged throughout the area.
"What?"
Dark energy engulfed the surroundings, and a chilling aura emanated from inside the building. "What kind of presence is this?"
Vanila’s knees shook as she felt the overflowing power. "I’ve never felt such immense energy before. Could this be the Emperor?"
Orla stepped out of the building, draped in dark energy. Vanila stared in shock, noticing the drastic change in Orla’s appearance. She now had two horns on her forehead, her body was covered in markings, and her eyes had turned pitch black.
"What happened to Lady Orla?"
Even Kael was shocked, unable to believe his eyes. "Impossible! Only one in ten million orcs has the potential to become a Prime Orc. How could you transform in just a few minutes?"
Vanila was stunned. "What? A Prime Orc? Wait—is this because of the Emperor’s dark energy?"
In a blink of an eye, Orla teleported to Vanila’s side. "So fast... I almost didn't see her move."
"Lady Vanila, thank you for protecting us. I will handle this from here," Orla said.
Kael unleashed a powerful aura, trying to belittle Orla’s capabilities. "Ha? You’ll handle it? Even if you become a Prime Orc, someone like you—"
Before he could finish, Orla moved like the wind, reappearing right in front of him. She cocked her fist to strike, and Kael was left completely unable to react.
"What? She’s too fast, " Kael thought, overcome with terror.
"Power Blow!"
Orla punched Kael, sending him flying into the sky like a rocket. The sheer force of her punch shattered the ground beneath her feet.
"No, that was more than just a standard Power Blow used by normal orcs," Orla whispered to herself.
She coiled her muscles, crushing the ground beneath her as she jumped upward to pursue her enemy.
"Her strength didn't just double. Is this the effect of the dark energy?"
Vanila was surprised when Daniel touched her shoulder. "No, the dark energy unlocked her hidden power, leading her to become a Prime Orc. Due to this awakening, her strength has increased tenfold compared to before."
"Awakening? Her power increased tenfold?" Vanila gasped, stunned.
Daniel explained that the dark energy doesn't just strengthen their bodies; it draws out the full potential of their being, triggering an awakening. He noted that Empress Azula possessed such immense power precisely because of this awakening.
However, he remained worried. As long as Orla held that dark energy, there was a risk it could influence her mind. Daniel sighed, praying that everything would turn out well.
"For now, she is definitely stronger than her opponent, so don't worry," Daniel added.
Suddenly, Daniel took Vanila’s hand. "There is a great potential for you to trigger your own awakening and become a Superior Vampire."
Vanila’s cheeks flushed with shyness. "Me? Become a Superior in our race?"
"W-wait, if that’s the case... are we going to do what you did with Lady Orla?" she asked, her voice trembling with embarrassment.
"Wait, do you not want to? Are you not comfortable doing this with me? If you don't want to, you can refuse," Daniel said.
Vanila immediately shook her head, explaining frantically, "No, Your Majesty! It’s not that I don’t want to do it with you; I’m just not used to it. This is my first time."
Daniel sighed, understanding her feelings. He explained that he wasn't entirely comfortable doing this in the middle of a battle either, especially with the empire under attack, but they had to win.
He held her shoulders, telling her they needed to defend their home and help the people who depended on them. "Many people in the Dark City are frightened and crying out for help. So please, Lady Vanila, help me save them."
Vanila bowed her head, then slapped her own cheeks to snap herself into focus. "I’m sorry for acting like a child, Your Majesty. Please, make me the strongest vampire."
Daniel smiled, gently cupping her cheeks as he thanked her. He leaned in and kissed her, and his body released dark energy that began to flow into hers. He pulled her into a tight embrace, and Vanila felt a surge of temptation, beginning to fall under the succubus's power.
As the dark energy flooded her system, Vanila felt an intense heat.
"Ah... Uhmm..."
She couldn't help but moan, her knees going weak, forcing her to lose her grip on the Emperor and collapse to the floor.
"Are you alright, Lady Vanila?" Daniel asked.
"Your Majesty, my body is burning up. There is a powerful energy tickling me from the inside," she gasped, out of breath.
"That is the effect of the dark energy entering your body. Please, bear with it until I have transferred all of my energy to you."
She nodded and closed her eyes. Daniel kissed her again to continue the transfer, but Vanila let out a loud moan.
"Ahh!!"
"Wait, Your Majesty..." Her cheeks were flushed, mortified because she couldn't stop herself from moaning due to the intense, pleasurable sensation of the energy transfer.
" It feels so good, my mind is going blank as the energy enters my body. I can't resist this. I have no control over my body’s reaction. It’s so embarrassing—what if someone hears me moaning this loudly? " Vanila thought to herself.
"Your Majesty, could we move to another place? Somewhere inside the building where no one can see or hear me?" she asked shyly.
Vanila knew this was essential to trigger her awakening, but she didn't want anyone else to hear her reactions. Daniel understood; just like with Lea, Azula, and Orla, Vanila couldn't help but react when the energy hit her sensitive spots.
"Okay, no problem."
Daniel immediately lifted Vanila and carried her inside the building to continue the energy transfer.