Why can't humans do it too?

The only echo remaining in the world was the thud of a head, now without support, falling to the ground, rolling until it came to rest against a dent in the rock.

"Beast! Beast! Beast!" the vampire, whose hair had turned gray, howled in agony, cursing incessantly with his limited and monotonous vocabulary. It was both a genuine expression of his feelings and a release of his pain. Blood kept gushing from his mouth with each curse, but he instinctively and ugly sucked it back in.

At this moment, every drop of blood is incredibly precious to the vampires.

Unlike goblins, even though most of their bodies had been evaporated and vaporized into nothingness, vampires, by their very nature, could still be considered to have survived.

The scattered blood mist gathered in the air like threads until it reformed into the shape of a vampire. His broken body kept changing and twisting, and the missing parts seemed to be healed and reappeared in the air. However, the next moment he realized something was wrong and transformed back into blood-red mist.

No, it's even changing further. The vampire's remaining flesh seems to be constantly adapting to its current state. The blood-red mist shifts between intangible and tangible forms, sometimes appearing as hands and feet, and sometimes transforming into bizarre shapes resembling the limbs of beasts and insects.

"Illusion?" Suer knelt on the ground, staring in astonishment at the scene. After that attack, Xin Ke had completely lost her last resort and could only stay on the ground watching the vampire twist itself, with not much she could do.

“No, it can no longer be simply called an illusion. This is real magic. It directly disguises its own existence on a physical level. In other words, it is as if it is in this state as it always is, without any injuries,” Xin Ke easily identified the vampire’s magic.

WTF? !

Before Suer could react to the absurd magic Xinke had described, the twisted, blood-red object screamed and flew away from the battlefield as if fleeing for its life, without even daring to look back.

There was no way to keep him here permanently, so Suer could only silently hope that the vampire would be terrified and never dare to approach him and Xin Ke again... or that it would be killed by a demon or other race during its escape.

This is the only thing he and Xin Ke can do right now.

The crisis is not completely over, but to be honest, the current situation can no longer be called a crisis.

After placing Xinke on the ground beside him, Suer gently pulled out his dagger and looked at the last remaining goblin on the other side—the goblin that had shaved its own fur at the beginning and stepped forward as bait.

Chapter 105 Remnants

With the appearance of a middle-aged man, his ordinary face showed nothing special. He had neither the arrogance and domineering air of Ronnie nor the contempt for everything of Xinke. This goblin was ordinary from head to toe, just an ordinary member of this great battle.

He was now sitting on the ground, exhausted and panting heavily. His spirit armor was scattered in front of him—the spirit armor that used to protect him, but now it was broken and scattered around him after blocking Xin Ke's attack that had just pierced through the three of them.

Seeing Sul approaching him with a dagger in his hand, the goblin struggled to stand up, but his physical condition no longer allowed him to do so. He could only grit his teeth in vain and pick up a fragment of spirit equipment with a relatively sharp edge.

"..."

"..."

They exchanged a silent glance, without saying a word. With a nimble dodge, Suer dodged the attacking goblin. Behind him, the goblin's still-unshaved gray fur shimmered, the light of the elf within it being enhanced. The immense heat that would burst forth under overload was compressing within its body. It wanted to cast a spell, whether it succeeded or failed, but it was too late.

Without hesitation, with agility akin to dancing, Suer swiftly turned and plunged his dagger deep into the goblin's eye socket. The silver-glowing sensor steel, after a brief, sudden burst of light, dimmed like a lantern losing its power. To prevent any mishaps, Suer even twisted the dagger a few times…

It is dangerous for a goblin to cast a spell after losing its spirit armor. Over-amplified elves will turn their bodies into terrifying bombs. Only superb elf control skills and a small number of elves can avoid this... But unfortunately, this goblin does not meet one of these requirements.

After pulling out the dagger and wiping it clean, Suer re-secured it to his side and walked back to Xinke, who had witnessed the scene.

"Let's go," Suer said simply, as before, turning around and squatting down with his arms hanging behind him.

Congratulations on your victory!

"No, it's mainly because the magic you reserved is powerful; it has little to do with me."

She lay back on his back, seemingly sensing that Suer wasn't in a good mood, and Xinke twirled her index finger in the air.

Alert to their surroundings and having determined their direction, the two felt little joy at having temporarily escaped trouble and life-threatening danger. They moved forward like ants on the barren land.

"Did I say that the fur and eyes of gophers are very useful spiritual substances?"

"...They're all dead already, let them go...Besides, wasn't it said that only Okan's flames could melt them?"

A male voice sighed.

"That's generally true, but there are exceptions. At least those Skywing species really like using the ores from the ground squirrels as decorations. They're popular whether used for decoration or for making items."

"Do the Forest Elves have intelligence sources within the Skywing race?"

"Rather than intelligence, it's more accurate to say that those flying monsters have never hidden their desires, have they? Hunting heads is the most widespread custom among the Skywing race~"

"...Really? What African customs? Isn't that a bit too much...? I thought that as beings composed of elves, they would be more elegant and beautiful..."

"Pfft, hahaha, such a description is truly a perfect irony for monsters, hahaha. Mr. Monkey is surprisingly talented, isn't he? Speaking of which, a head like Mr. Monkey's, brimming with otherworldly knowledge, would probably be an excellent collectible in the eyes of the Skywing race, wouldn't it?"

"...Then please spare me..."

"..."

They chatted quietly from time to time, and the overlapping figures of Suer and Xinke gradually disappeared into the distance, leaving only the battlefield behind them, which was littered with the blood of vampires and the corpses of goblins. The sky gradually darkened, and black ash emitting a glowing green light swirled and fell in the air, covering the surface of the corpses until it was covered with a thin layer.

Everything will be forgotten.

--------------

There was a rustling sound, as if countless snakes and insects were lurking in the dark shadows, intertwining and rubbing against each other, their limbs colliding with the bristles on their carapaces.

"...Are we really not going to do anything about it?" Su'er's uneasy gaze fell into the dark void. As his gaze moved, the pair of red lights that had been flickering in the darkness suddenly disappeared, as did the unsettling noises, as if there was nothing there. But Su'er knew clearly that something did exist there.

“What can you do to him?” Unlike the flustered Suer, Xinke was quite relaxed. The woman casually said this while turning the small fish on the makeshift grill that Suer had set up.

“...That’s true,” Sur sighed, unable to deny it, and sat back down. As he looked away, the rustling sounds returned from the darkness behind him.

Whether driven by hatred or instinct, after Suer and Xinke had been traveling westward for about two days, they found themselves once again entangled with a familiar guest.

It was the vampire that screamed and fled. Of course, it's also possible that it didn't go far at all, but stayed around Suer and Xinke.

Communication was no longer possible. With most of its body mutilated and the effects of the magic combined, this vampire seemed to have truly degenerated into the lowest level of demonic species. No matter how Sur tried to communicate with it, there was no other response; it acted solely on instinct.

His greed and desire remained, and even intensified by his repeated failures to obtain them. Yet, he trusted his instincts even more—he feared Suer, feared the warning signs brought about by his instincts.

"Have you noticed? He seems to be able to get closer to us now," Su'er whispered, chewing on a small fish in his mouth.

The fact that the rustling sounds grew louder and louder over time, compared to the initial distant spying, is the best evidence of this.

Unsure if this was a sign of the vampires regaining their rationality, Sull was once again frustrated by the forced interruption of his planned operation. If he continued in this direction, there would be a small human settlement that was not under Riku's leadership, but Sull could still exchange information there for some supplies.

If this mutated vampire hadn't been with them.

Chapter 106 Monster

Even in an environment where the entire continent is engulfed in war, there are still many human settlements scattered throughout. The number of people in each settlement varies, but among all the settlements, the one led by Riku can be considered to have a large population.

Although many people had mentioned merging the two entities in the past, after Riku and Suer patiently explained the situation, they abandoned the idea and simply maintained the principle of sharing and optimizing the use of resources in all aspects to the greatest extent possible.

Therefore, Suer was not unfamiliar with the small settlement in front of him, and he could even call out the names of many people in that settlement.

The thought of insisting on visiting a vampire-mutated monster while being followed behind would undoubtedly bring great danger to those vulnerable people. After only a few swirling thoughts in Suer's mind, he gave up with a sigh.

Even in this miserable state, this vampire still instinctively craved blood and souls, becoming even less picky than before. In the darkness surrounding him and Xinke, Suer could hear the screams of wild beasts dying, as well as the constant sucking sounds—if he still possessed his senses, the blood of mere wild beasts would not have been a concern for this vampire.

“Rather than saying that reason is returning, it’s more accurate to say that instinctive desires are gradually overpowering fear,” Xin Ke said, picking up a small stone and throwing it into the darkness. “It’s become even more primitive.”

The rustling sounds disappeared again in an instant, leaving only the crisp sound of small stones bouncing and hitting the ground. It wasn't until a long time after it quieted down again that those faint sounds amplified once more.

This situation, reminiscent of a ghost story he had heard before, sent shivers down Su's spine every time he recalled the invisible darkness. He curled up beside the campfire, trying to hide as close to the flames as possible without getting burned.

How far is the nearest forest elf city?

"I don't know~, judging distances on the ground like this is something my race, who usually travels by flying, could never have imagined in the past~, and we can't use magic to calculate it either~"

"..."

Very well, it seems that our exchange will end here for today.

As agreed upon by Suer and Xinke, they would take turns keeping watch during their rest time to prevent any accidents. With her eyes closed, Suer quickly fell asleep.

He didn't sleep deeply. Even with someone on watch, resting in the wild still made him instinctively on high alert. In a thick dream, Suer struggled to breathe like a drowning man. The chirping of insects mingled in his dream, making him even more irritable... It felt like needles were pricking his back, making him restless.

Stabbing?

The phantom pain is like a real, sharp blade floating on the surface of the skin.

Suer suddenly opened his eyes and sat up abruptly from the ground. His back was covered in cold sweat. However, Xin Ke, who was opposite him, put her index finger to her lips to signal him to be quiet, and then pointed to his back.

Turning around cautiously, afraid that his movements might inadvertently awaken the sleeping being or be perceived as aggressive, Suer tiptoed behind him—as if an invisible hand had gripped his heart and lifted it up abruptly, stopping its beating.

His breathing suddenly became heavy, and Suer stared intently at the twisted object that was not far from him.

The long, scorpion-like tail was curled up and covered with snake scales. However, four spider-like limbs extended from the body that followed the tail, with even the bristles standing up clearly visible. But compared to these chilling limbs, the supporting structure on the other side of the body was two ordinary hands, resembling human hands.

Its entire body was about the size of a washbasin, and directly in front of it, for seeing, was an enlarged bat head. Between the four exposed sharp teeth were densely packed tiny teeth that gleamed coldly in the light of the campfire. But what made Suer frown even more than the bat head was a face floating on the surface of the body next to the head—the face of the vampire.

It's like a species created by roughly crushing several different organisms in a machine and then wildly kneading them into a ball; it's reached a point where just looking at it makes people feel nauseous and uncomfortable.

"Is this the consequence of a failed spell?" Suppressing the urge to vomit, Suer watched the unidentified creature's every move and cautiously backed up to Xinke's side, asking.

“No, it should be a success… He’s still alive, isn’t he?” Unlike Suer, Xin Ke’s gaze toward the disgusting creature was genuinely filled with interest and curiosity.

"...Can this even be called living?"

Sul suppressed his discomfort and looked at the vampire's face. Both the eyes and lips were tightly closed, as if the vampire was asleep, and surprisingly, there was no sign of pain.

“Of course,” Xin Ke’s curiosity grew even stronger. If it weren’t for the fact that the conditions were really not right, she would have loved to take this vampire, who was in a strange state, back to her workshop to study it properly.

"His magic still deceives his own existence in the physical world, allowing him to live in this incomplete and distorted state. His current bizarre and disgusting appearance is nothing more than a form pieced together by instinctively preying on some miscellaneous objects during the recovery process. Once his sanity can regain control of his body, he will return to normal."

Although she had not yet regained her ability to use the spirit, Xin Ke's eyesight had not diminished. She accurately judged that the vampire's current condition was far better than it appeared.

The vampire didn't react to Xin Ke's words. Su Er suddenly realized that from the moment he woke up until he carefully retreated back to Xin Ke's side, the twisted monster had been completely still, staring blankly at Su Er as if its soul had left its body.

Beside the sharp teeth protruding from the bat's exposed lips, a crystalline, viscous liquid was slowly dripping down, making a hissing sound as it landed on the rock beneath it, corroding a small pit into the hard rock.

Sul silently raised the danger level of this monster transformed from a vampire to another level in his mind; there was one more thing he needed to guard against.

"How long has he been there?" Suddenly remembering something, Suer turned to Xinke and asked.