บท 326: Chapter 46. The Night of Death
[Arc5] - 46. The Night of Death
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To this day, Cyd couldn't understand how Meliodas managed to create such terrifying food. He believed the vampire castle was alive because Meliodas had once cooked a dish that looked exactly like the castle before him. Most disturbingly, the dish actually squirmed!
The visuals alone were shocking, but Meliodas brushed it off with a casual "[Ah, it's just undercooked]." Since Meliodas looked so pitiful, saddened that no one would eat his food, Cyd took a bite, thinking his own resilience would be enough.
Curious about the food that even Cyd couldn't handle, Merlin tried a taste herself, only to pass out.
Escanor, in his "day mode," was angered by the fact that Meliodas's cooking managed to knock out Merlin. He attempted to finish off what was left, swallowing it all in one gulp, afraid someone else might take it first. The strongest man at noon then fell unconscious for three days straight.
"Ugh, not only did it make me lose face, but it also brings back such horrible memories," Merlin muttered, her eye twitching as she glanced at the mentally jarring castle before them. "But I must commend it – to have brought the night to Edinburgh Castle. Now, it doesn't matter whether it's day or night; Vice-Captain, you won't be able to use your daylight powers."
"Though I may lack weaknesses during the day, my night form is quite ferocious," Cyd said, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself.
"Death always comes with nightfall, and plague is its vessel."
The Moon Goddess Artemis had blessed Cyd with what she believed he needed – plague and death, just as her father gave her all he could.
"Vice-Captain, someone is watching us."
"I know."
Cyd and Merlin looked toward a specific direction. Though nothing was there, they sensed the prying eyes of certain presences in the dark.
"They come with hostile intent."
"This immense magical power… could it be the Goddess clan?"
"No, they likely perished alongside the Demon clan, losing their bodies."
"..."
"All this speculation is pointless; what's here is just a human (food)." A youthful-looking boy stood up, smiling innocently. "I love turning white things red."
Then he collapsed before Cyd, beginning to rot.
"Plague is caused by pathogenic microorganisms, specifically bacteria and viruses. It seems even vampire bodies can't withstand the whims of Lady Artemis."
Cyd looked down at the boastful vampire youth who had tried to drink his blood, watching as he decomposed and disappeared. Artemis' own disinfectant, erasing everything cleanly and pollution-free.
The virus, empowered by divine force, evolved at an astonishing rate. It only took the time needed for the vampire's arrogant threats for the disease to ravage every organ.
"A plague designed specifically for vampires. I may as well blow the plague into them like exterminating pests."
"Vice-Captain, this won't do. What if you accidentally kill an important 'hostage'?" Merlin shook her head, calling toward the castle, "I know you're watching us, Vampire King Izraf. What's wrong? Have you given up your old pride after surviving the seal a thousand years ago?"
Merlin had perfectly exploited the weakness of a once-arrogant but now broken race. With a little provocation, they'd lose their composure, like the Vampire King, who came charging out irrationally.
"You humans will pay for your arrogance!"
"Instead of clinging to life, don't you long to reclaim your pride? Yet you begin by targeting weak humans. It seems the Executioner not only shattered your race but your confidence."
"You could never comprehend the terror of the Executioner, a terrifying creature acting in the Demon King's stead." The Vampire King clutched his head, memories of that black shadow from a thousand years ago haunting him like a nightmare.
"Damn it, it made me recall such terror. You dare…"
Crack—! A hand crushed the Vampire King's shoulder.
"Those words should be mine – that horrific castle of yours dredged up terrifying memories for me." Cyd lifted his [Reforged Pandora], shifting from its Hades scythe form to Zeus' staff.
"It's been a while since I felt the pain of my stomach being torn out, so…"
Dark clouds veiled the sky, an overwhelming pressure rendering the Vampire King immobile.
"Be shattered by thunder!"
A colossal bolt of lightning struck, shattering the night that had cloaked the sky. Bathed in thick plasma, the Vampire King's body began disintegrating under the sunlight that returned after the night dispersed. He struggled, turning to see Cyd, hoping to witness the same fate befall his opponent.
But Cyd remained unscathed, the lightning that could tear him apart barely brushing him. It left behind thunderous marks on his body.
"You… who are you…?"
"I am the Vice-Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins!"
With a fierce sweep of his hand, Cyd turned the Vampire King to dust. Violent lightning crackled around them, burning dark marks into the lush grass.
"Phew, as if lightning could hurt someone blessed by Zeus." Cyd exhaled, wisps of white vapor with tiny crackling lightning floating from his breath.
"Vice-Captain, you never cease to surprise me." Merlin scribbled frantically on a sheet, "I've recorded a ton of interesting data. There are still three, wait, two more vampires in the castle, albeit weaker ones. Vice-Captain, please give it your all."
"Even though I'm the Vice-Captain, why are you the one giving orders?" Cyd complained, slinging his Zeus-form [Reforged Pandora] over his shoulder as he approached the psychologically scarring castle.
"One, two. Where's the third?"
With the Ten Commandments as his target, other enemies seemed fragile by comparison. The remaining vampires, weaker than the Vampire King, perished from the radiance Cyd emitted.
"Over there." Medusa emerged from the shadows, indicating a room not touched by sunlight.
"As reliable as ever, Medusa." Cyd hefted [Reforged Pandora] onto his shoulder, knocked on the door of the sealed room, and called out.
"I'm coming in."
Crack—!
The room was pitch black, as expected. Though Cyd stepped in, nothing attacked, revealing the occupant's reluctance to fight.
"It's you after all." Merlin lit up the room, and before them stood a beautiful woman with blonde hair.
"Gelda, the vampire loved by the Executioner."
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