The vampire lord sat motionless in his grand chair, legs crossed, hands resting lazily on the golden arms of his throne. Beyond the shattered windows, the courtyard burned with fire and screams. He didn't turn.
"Let's see how well you bleed," he said calmly.
In the same breath, Thierry attacked.
His twin short blades flashed like lightning, slicing forward with a violent roar. In an instant, the vampire lord was gone—the chair, however, wasn't. Thierry's blades tore through it like it was paper, sending wooden splinters into the air.
"Feisty, are w—"
The vampire lord reappeared mid-sentence, but his words were cut off as Thierry was already at his throat. He dodged just in time, leaning back as steel scraped a thin line across his cheek.
"Persistent, aren't y—"
Another slash.
He ducked.
Then another.
And another.
Thierry gave no space. Every step forward was a blur of steel, a whirl of deadly movement. The vampire lord's smile faded as he moved purely on instinct, evading with inches to spare, backpedaling through the lavish, blood-soaked room.
A misstep.
A flicker too slow.
The right blade slashed across his face.
The vampire stumbled back with a snarl of agony, clutching the side of his face. Blood poured from his ruined eye.
Thierry leapt back, chest heaving, blades low in a ready stance.
"You just earned a slower death," the vampire lord growled, voice deep and guttural. "Your blood will pay for every drop I lost!"
The pressure in the room shifted. Something dark spread through the air—a wave of choking bloodlust. Thierry's hands trembled for half a second before he gritted his teeth and planted his feet.
The vampire lord lunged.
This time he didn't dodge. He drove a fist into Thierry's gut, sending him crashing across the room like a ragdoll. Thierry smashed into the stone wall with a thunderous crack, groaning as he collapsed in a heap of broken rubble.
The vampire chuckled as he approached slowly, licking blood from his fingers.
"You're strong," he said softly, voice low and satisfied. "But still very… human."
Before he could reach Thierry—
The door burst open.
Four revolutionaries charged in, blades drawn, eyes blazing with fury.
"Get away from our captain, you foul beast!"
The vampire lord turned, golden eye narrowing. His lips curled into a grin.
"Oh… the food's arrived."
He vanished.
A scream echoed.
One of the soldiers was yanked off the ground and had his neck twisted backward with a sickening snap. Another swung a sword but was caught mid-swing and slammed against a pillar so hard his ribs caved in.
The last two tried to flee.
One was run through the back, impaled and flung across the room.
The final one made it to the door—
—before the vampire lord ripped him apart, limbs slashing through the air in a blur of red.
Then silence.
The vampire raised his hand and drank directly from a gushing wound, letting the blood splash across his face, dripping down his pale chest like war paint.
He moaned in delight. "Still warm…"
Then he turned.
Thierry stood again, wobbling slightly, but eyes burning with pure, unfiltered rage.
"You monster," he hissed, teeth clenched.
"You think this ends with you killing me? No. I will butcher you so slowly, you'll wish you were never born."
The vampire lord wiped blood from his lips and grinned.
"Let's find out."
End of Chapter 5