Chapter 1413: The Crimson Cane
Rounder had been one of the stronger members of the Dark Guild, a man known to take down Altered, even though he wasn’t one himself. His reputation had spread far beyond the cities where the Guild operated.
But now, that same man’s head was rolling across the floor, lifeless.
And standing before his crumpled body was the one responsible.
Even without the gruesome display, Marcus could tell, this man was dangerous.
“So they’ve finally sent one of the big ones after me?” Marcus muttered, eyes narrowing. “And here I thought I’d been doing a pretty good job keeping my strength under wraps. So who are you, then, the king of the vampires?”
The words were bold, but Marcus needed to say them. He needed something to fill the silence, to delay what might come next.
To his surprise, the man chuckled.
“The king?” he repeated, a thin smile curling on his face. “If the king stood before you now, you’d be in far less pain. No… I am Bryce Cain, the leader of the First Vampire Family. And that surname, Cain, that’s the last one you’ll ever remember.”
The name alone carried a weight Marcus could feel deep in his chest.
Marcus wasn’t interested in theatrics or taunts. While Bryce was still speaking, he flung his hand forward, lightning sparking from his fingertips. Several crackling strands burst through the air, aimed directly at the vampire.
Cheap shot or not, this was a fight for survival.
But Bryce didn’t flinch.
With a single, practiced tap of his cane on the floor, a wall of blood surged up in front of him like a living barrier. The lightning bolts struck the blood aura, but not a single spark pierced through. It absorbed the magic like a sponge, undisturbed.
Then, raising his cane with a single hand, Bryce began gathering energy at the base. Blood twisted and coiled along the flat edge until, with a small thrust forward, it launched forward like a compressed wave of force.
The attack shattered through his own shield and hurtled toward Marcus.
Instinct kicking in, Marcus pushed off the ground. Using every bit of Qi and lightning he could summon, he surged to the side, narrowly avoiding the crimson strike. Sparks trailed behind his limbs as he moved with unnatural speed.
Turning back, he saw what the blast had done.
The hallway behind him had a small hole, at first. But his enhanced vision, fueled by Qi, allowed him to see the path it had torn through. The blast hadn’t just pierced one wall. It had continued, through the next, and the one after that. A straight tunnel of destruction had been carved through the building.
And if Marcus had been even a second slower…
‘I thought that cane was just for walking…’ Marcus thought, swallowing hard. ‘But he’s standing just fine. I need to close the distance. These vampires and their mid-range attacks, they’re always the most trouble.’
He couldn’t waste time. He couldn’t afford hesitation. He didn’t have full control over his lightning powers, and worse, he could only use them for short bursts.
With his sword now in hand, Marcus charged forward. His movement was direct and aggressive, propelled by Qi and electricity. He swung his weapon in a heavy arc, aiming to land a decisive blow.
But the wooden cane blocked the blade with ease. Bryce met his eyes and smiled.
“You’re not Altered,” Bryce said calmly. “But this other energy, this power you’re using, it disrupts mine. I can see how you managed to beat the others.”
The smile faded slightly. “But this will not be the same.”
Marcus didn’t retreat. Even though his first attack had failed, he continued his assault, darting left, spinning right, slashing from above and below. Strike after strike, he pressed in, his movements sharp and precise.
But Bryce blocked every one.
The vampire’s cane met each blow, no matter the angle, as if he could read Marcus’s mind. He was matching Marcus step for step, deflecting his strikes with minimal movement.
Then, with a single wide sweep of his cane, Bryce released a wave of red aura. The energy blasted out behind his weapon, slamming into Marcus and launching him backward. He skidded across the floor, crashing to a halt, coughing and gasping for breath.
“What… is happening to me?” Marcus muttered, sweat pouring down his face.
He’d been the one on the offensive. He’d thrown every bit of energy into his attacks. And yet, his arms were shredded, blood dripping onto the marble floor.
Cuts covered his body.
‘He never even hit me,’ Marcus realized. ‘But every time I struck, it was like invisible blades were tearing into me…’
Then, without warning, Bryce moved.
He blurred forward, the blood aura flaring violently behind him. His movement was terrifying, fast and explosive. Marcus barely had time to react, twisting to the side just in time to avoid a direct hit from the cane.
Even still, he felt a stinging slice across his cheek.
‘He didn’t hit me directly again! What is he doing?!’
There was no time to process it.
Bryce’s cane swung again, this time colliding cleanly with Marcus’s stomach. The impact sent him flying like a ragdoll. He crashed into the staircase at the side of the theatre. Rubble collapsed from above, dust and broken concrete falling around him.
Bryce turned his body slightly, adjusting his posture with a casual grace. He hadn’t broken a sweat. He walked slowly toward Marcus, unhurried, as if enjoying a stroll through a garden.
“You lack swordsmanship,” Bryce said coldly. “You lack experience with your powers. And more than anything… you lack resolve.”
His words echoed through the ruined hallway.
“Even still… you fought well. Better than I expected, given your limitations. For that, ”
He stopped, pulling at his cane.
“, I’ll give you a quick death.”
With one hand, Bryce slid a hidden blade from inside the wooden cane. The sword gleamed, not with silver, but with a deep crimson shine, like a weapon carved from ruby.
He attached the wooden portion of the cane to his back, leaving the sword fully exposed.
“A weapon,” Bryce said, “forged from the blood of my own family. Created during the Vampire Civil War. This blade was born from a conflict your kind helped ignite…”
He stepped forward, lifting the blade toward Marcus.
“…so it feels fitting that it ends your life as well.”
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