"The power of resurrection? No, this is the Lich King's Elixir of Life." Ryan remained on one knee, closely observing the changes happening to Matthew Bard: "I see, it's a shoddy imitation of the immortality elixir created by the original Lord of the Undead. You've turned into a vampire!"
Thousands of years ago, when the Lord of the Undead, Nagash, was still alive, he devoted himself to studying the ways of undeath and necromancy, creating the famous Elixir of Life. However, this elixir had a side effect: although it granted longevity and eternal youth, it caused an insatiable thirst for blood, turning humans into bloodthirsty monsters devoid of reason.
In short, they became vampires.
The stories of several blood ancestors and their families have been told before and will not be repeated here.
Generally, the method to create a new vampire is through a blood kiss, where a higher-ranked vampire grants their own blood to a human, transforming them into a new vampire.
Matthew Bard, however, did not undergo this process. He chose to drink the counterfeit elixir given by Arkhan, an imitation of Nagash's Elixir of Life. While it did not grant him the immense power of the blood ancestors, it was enough to heal his wounds and transform him into a vampire.
The spectators of this champion duel were astonished.
"All undead deserve to die!" Orion, King of the Forest, roared angrily, continuing to watch the duel.
"He really became a vampire!" Bohemond sighed. "Laune had only one son, who betrayed, fell, killed his own father, and became an undead puppet. I wonder what Carriode would think seeing this."
"This is troubling." François frowned deeply. The father-in-law watched the duel between Ryan and Matthew Bard with concern, murmuring, "Vampires are far stronger and faster than mortals. And with the current physical condition of this serpent, his power will increase several times after becoming a vampire."
"Then... what should we do, Lord François?" Theresa anxiously asked, unable to take her eyes off the fight.
"There's nothing we can do. This is a sacred champion duel." The Lake Witch Morgiana also looked grim.
"Now, it all depends on Ryan himself."
Matthew Bard panted heavily as he transformed from a living being to a half-dead, undead creature.
"Dead men can't be knight kings, serpent," Ryan tried to delay Matthew Bard's actions through conversation, speaking mockingly: "Or has your brain stopped working?"
"I must have revenge," Matthew Bard murmured, "I will use everything I have."
"Everything you have?" Ryan continued to use sharp words to provoke Matthew Bard. His words cut through Matthew Bard's mind like the sharpest blade: "You are no longer human. Is this the price you are willing to pay? From today, you will forever be with the dead and blood. Do you think it's worth it?"
"I must have revenge!" Matthew Bard gradually recovered from the terrifying transformation, repeatedly chanting the same phrase. When he looked up, he seemed to have adapted to the change: "Everything I do is to save this country, to pull it out from lies. I am willing to pay any price."
Ryan laughed bitterly at his words, knowing further dialogue was pointless.
However, it didn't matter. Using the opportunity of their conversation, he had expelled the poison. The chosen champion of the Lady of the Lake stood up, gripping the Sword of Vengeance again: "It seems our fight won't stop here."
"Do you have a name, Ryan-Malcador? What is your full name?" Matthew Bard pulled out his heart from his chest and crushed it. The wound caused by the Sword of Vengeance was severe, forcing him to destroy his heart. The elixir's extraordinary effects helped him grow a new one. The Serpent of Mousilon stared at Ryan, a strange expression in his eyes: "Tell me your full name. I want to know."
"My full name is Ryan-Malcador," Ryan replied disdainfully, finding it odd to be recognized by a vampire.
"Too bad. Let me tell you my full name. I am just Matthew Bard," he said, his words disjointed. "If I die... well, I am already dead."
Both fell silent after this exchange.
The river beside them continued its flow, and the grass and wildflowers on the field were destroyed in their previous battle. The two champions, separated by about ten meters, faced each other in silence.
The flames on the Sword of Vengeance still burned. As Ryan looked out, he saw the beautiful knightly kingdom still standing. This country, since its establishment, had resisted foreign invaders for a thousand years. The breeze fluttered his cloak and hair, and Ryan suddenly recalled the amazement of the high elves. When "Sea King" Finnubar sailed to Le-Angoulême, he expected to find a muddy, primitive human tribe.
But humanity had created such a splendid civilization.
"You have something to protect, and I have my revenge. Ryan, I said we are alike," Matthew Bard muttered. "If... I mean if..."
"There are no ifs in life." Ryan raised the Sword of Vengeance. His expression indifferent, he nodded slightly at Matthew Bard out of basic respect. He could feel Matthew Bard's determination.
They both began to move, charging at each other!
Matthew Bard roared in anger, his mouth wide open, the Serpent Sword dancing faster and faster in the air, scattering sword flowers everywhere.
As a vampire, his strength and speed increased several times. The Serpent Sword's immense power made it almost impossible for Ryan to defend. The champion of the Lady of the Lake gritted his teeth, retreating continuously, searching for a flaw in Matthew Bard's attack.
But Matthew Bard's offense had no flaws.
"This will never stop until my revenge is complete. I will not stop!" Matthew Bard's face showed extreme enjoyment: "Now, let me kill you!"
"I won't allow it!" Ryan struggled to fend off Matthew Bard's powerful attacks. Clutching the Sword of Vengeance tightly, he finally found an opening after being pushed back seven or eight steps with a sideways dodge.
So, this is the power of a vampire? No wonder it's the ultimate creature created by the Lord of the Undead! Ryan felt his wrist strength and speed were being suppressed by Matthew Bard, with the damage from the psychic flames and lightning greatly reduced.
His blood boiled with excitement!
"For the Lady! For Brettonia! For Landuin! Haa!" Ryan roared, stomping the ground, causing an earthquake that forced the Serpent of Mousilon back. Then, a nearly four-meter-long lance appeared in his hand. Ryan held the Unyielding Lake Light in one hand and the Sword of Vengeance in the other: "The living and the dead cannot coexist, and I will not fail here!"
The lance swept across, tearing through space, with airwaves flying. A white, pure moonlight arc formed in the air.
The Lunar Radiance surrounded Ryan, forming a light pillar over ten meters long and nearly a meter wide.
"Reaching the end, surpassing limits, witness this light, serpent!"
"Overweight Lake Light!"
Ryan swung the Unyielding Lake Light, sweeping it horizontally towards Matthew Bard. The terrifying power made the river tremble. Amid the burning air, the Unyielding Lake Light aimed directly at Matthew Bard's body!
"You are quite a worthy opponent, Ryan-Malcador!" Matthew Bard faced the light pillar proudly and arrogantly. He chose to confront it head-on.
The Serpent Sword clashed with the light pillar, sparks flying.
"Arghhhh!" Ryan increased his strength, channeling all his power into the lance and pressing down hard.
"Landuin's legacy... is just so!" The vampire sneered, his features twisted, the Serpent Sword holding off the light pillar's power. His hands were burnt to a bloody mess by the Overweight Lake Light, his body sinking into the ground from the strain.
But he held off the attack, suddenly turning his sword to grip the lance, then pulled it back forcefully!
Ryan lunged forward to regain control, but the lance slipped from his grasp. The Serpent Sword slashed down along the lance, forcing Ryan to let go. When the Sword of Vengeance clashed with the Serpent Sword again, Matthew Bard had already stepped on the Unyielding Lake Light, advancing towards his prey with terrifying delight in his unwavering eyes.
The attack was interrupted. Ryan, in pain, tried to counterattack, but the vampire's speed was overwhelming. His arm gripped Ryan's neck, five fingers encased in a gauntlet, squeezing tightly. Ryan was slammed to the ground, repeatedly.
The sound of crushing blows echoed, Ryan's cries of pain and the snapping of his spine.
"Die! Die!" Matthew Bard, equally mad, tightened his grip, trying to choke Ryan to death, even as the psychic lightning and flames from Ryan's body scorched his arm to a charred bone.
In the continuous pounding, Ryan finally broke free from Matthew Bard's arm, but as he focused on this, the vampire's blade slid through his ribs, with a hissing sound slicing through his flesh.
"Ugh!" The Serpent Sword pierced Ryan's chest. Matthew Bard lifted Ryan off the ground, showing his power as Ryan struggled.
The vampire smirked coldly: "Our battle is over! Ryan, you lost!"
The long, resilient Serpent Sword embedded deeply in Ryan's chest brought excruciating pain, twisting his senses. Ryan's body convulsed: "Not yet!"
"Lance, come!" Ryan suddenly reached out towards Matthew Bard's back.
"What?" Matthew Bard instinctively looked behind him.
The Unyielding Lake Light, lying behind the vampire, suddenly rose and shot through Matthew Bard's chest from behind!
"Damn it!" Matthew Bard felt the pure energy of the Unyielding Lake Light purifying his body. He kicked Ryan away, then pulled the lance out of his chest with a roar, using his blood power to counter the purification of the Lady of the Lake.
Ryan staggered back, forced to kneel, clutching his chest with one hand while the other held the Sword of Vengeance for support.
"So strong! Is this the power of a Saint transformed into a vampire? Ugh~" Ryan panted heavily, his blood soaking his armor: "Other than the Green Knight, no one in this country can probably face him."
"Damn it! This little divine power… can't stop me!" Matthew Bard screamed as he fought off the purification from the Unyielding Lake Light. He pulled out the lance and used his blood power to resist the divine energy.
If Ryan could attack now, he might have a chance to win by combining his power with the Sword of Vengeance. But he couldn't; the poison was still ravaging his body. He had to purge it, just as Matthew Bard had to purge the Lady's purification.
Wait... poison? A thought suddenly struck Ryan.
The champion duel continued. It took Matthew Bard more than ten seconds to free himself from the divine power of the Lady of the Lake. His strength recovered quickly. He roared and charged at Ryan: "This is your curtain call, bitch's champion!"
The blood-red shadow rushed at Ryan with incredible speed.
Ryan was still expelling the poison. The serpent reached him, raising the Serpent Sword for the final blow!
"Haa!" Ryan raised the Sword of Vengeance to block, his movements seemingly at their limit, with blood spilling from his chest as he moved.
The fresh blood splattered on Matthew Bard's face.
The scent of the fresh blood awakened Matthew Bard's thirst. The vampire had consumed a lot of energy in battle and needed to replenish it. The smell of blood made him instinctively lick his lips and swallow Ryan's blood.
Ah, so fresh, so delicious...
The next second, Matthew Bard's eyes widened. He dropped his sword, clutching his throat: "What?! What is this???"
"Drinking my blood?" Ryan laughed at the vampire's foolishness. Now, silver lines began to spread from the vampire's neck, covering his body: "Does it taste good? Want some more?"
"Ugh! Ugh!" Matthew Bard clutched his throat, staggering back, vomiting black undead blood and yellow bile: "What are you...?"
"I am a pure human!" Ryan had expelled the poison. He stood up, enduring the pain, and grinned.
"You…" The young vampire shook his head desperately. He suddenly realized that Ryan's blood contained something—a primal, pure power of psychic energy, now rampaging inside him, destroying everything.
"Aaaah!" Matthew Bard screamed in agony, rolling on the ground, trying to fight off the power.
"It's over, serpent." Ryan panted heavily, raising the Sword of Vengeance, aiming at his target: "Take your ambition, your schemes, your absurd ideals, and your persistence, and disappear from this world!"
"Ugh! Ugh!" Matthew Bard's eyes widened. He suddenly shouted: "The true nature of the Lady of the Lake..."
"Die!" Ryan didn't give him a chance to finish. The Sword of Vengeance came down.
Black blood splattered.
Three seconds later, a staggering, unsteady Ryan stood by the banks of the Sanneth River, holding a severed head high, roaring.
"In the name of the Lady! The Serpent of Mousilon, Matthew Bard, is dead!!!"
"In the name of the Lady! The Serpent of Mousilon, Matthew Bard, is dead!!!"
"In the name of the Lady! The Serpent of Mousilon, Matthew Bard, is dead!!!"
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