Valred didn't care about the broken sword. After it snapped, he flicked the remaining half, using it to kill another ghoul. Then, with a twist of his left hand, the adamantine dagger hidden in his sleeve slid into his grip. The dagger's razor-sharp edge, combined with Valred's ruthless swordsmanship, made short work of the lowly ghouls. Those that lunged to bite had their heads severed; those that reached to claw lost their limbs.
In the blink of an eye, Valred calmly dispatched several ghouls, breaking free from the encirclement. Meanwhile, his right hand was busy, swiftly completing over twenty magical gestures accompanied by a rapid, whispered incantation. A powerful offensive spell was ready.
Valred crouched, slamming his right hand onto the ground. A bone-chilling wind swept through the area, instantly dropping the temperature below freezing. Ice spread rapidly from his palm, freezing the feet of the ghouls, crypt horrors, and the Strigoi Ghoul King before they could react, encasing them in ice.
The surroundings transformed. The autumn scenery of the bridge and flowing river vanished, replaced by a frozen wasteland. The bridge, the water, even the fish beneath were all encased in ice. The ground around the bridge was covered in frost, as if winter had descended.
This was the Frostbound Domain, a spell that could freeze even souls, a testament to the power of magic. One of Valred's strongest techniques, it combined and amplified the effects of Frostbite and Deep Freeze, creating a wide-area control spell with freezing properties. Valred named it the Frostbloom Array.
The vampire knight on horseback shivered—the frost seemed to recognize her, sparing her from its effects. The battle had been so swift that she hadn't fully processed it. Now, with the situation seemingly under control, she was at a loss for words.
Valred snapped his fingers, and invisible air currents struck the ice sculptures. The currents themselves were harmless but caused the ice to fracture.
In the next moment, the dozens of frozen ghouls shattered into icy chunks, utterly destroyed. The battlefield was cleared, leaving only the four crypt horrors and their master, the Strigoi Ghoul King. The ice on them cracked but didn't shatter like the ghouls.
Valred raised an eyebrow, realizing these enemies weren't finished yet. Though the surface seemed controlled, the danger wasn't over. As the knight relaxed, Valred shot her a sharp look and said, "Don't let your guard down. It's not over yet!"
As if to prove his point, the crypt horror directly in front of Valred burst free from the ice. The magically reinforced ice, far stronger than natural ice, couldn't withstand the creature's monstrous strength.
Amidst the shards of ice and cold mist, the four crypt horrors, each over three meters tall, roared and charged at Valred and the knight like battering rams. These vile, semi-undead creatures possessed strength enough to shatter mountains. Even Valred didn't want to face them head-on.
"Fall back!" he shouted to the Abhorashin vampire knight, retreating swiftly. As he did, he flicked his sleeve, revealing a slender, wand-like device hidden within. His lips moved rapidly, uttering a series of complex, arcane syllables. Another spell was in the works.
However, instead of retreating, the vampire knight chose to fight. She bent low, hooking her fallen lance with her foot and returning it to her hand. Fully armed, she let out a battle cry, her nightmare steed neighing and spewing sulfurous smoke. In just two strides, it reached full speed, charging at the nearest crypt horror.
Though both the knight and her mount were smaller than typical vampire knights, the power of a lance charge was still terrifying. The nightmare's unique build allowed it to reach full speed in mere meters. The lance's tip glowed faintly red, indicating it was enchanted.
Crypt horrors were immensely strong, with skin tougher than steel, but their reactions were slow. The vampire knight adjusted her lance's angle at the last moment, aiming it perfectly.
With a dull thud, the lance pierced the crypt horror's skull, emerging from the back of its head. The creature didn't even have time to scream before its brain was destroyed. Its body seemed to burn from within, its blood boiling and bursting through its pores, turning into crimson steam. The creature shriveled into a desiccated husk.
"What kind of enchantment is this?!" Valred's mind raced, recalling the books he'd read over the years, but he couldn't identify any enchantment that could evaporate a target's blood so completely. Such a powerful effect should have been well-known. It seemed this, like his Frostbloom Array, was a newly developed spell.
But there was no time to dwell on it. After killing one crypt horror, the vampire knight found herself surrounded by the remaining three. They swung their clawed hands at her from all sides.
In the critical moment, the knight reacted swiftly. She yanked her lance free and thrust it at the crypt horror in front of her, while leaning to the right to shield herself with her black iron shield. She managed to fend off two of the horrors, but the third was beyond her reach. With only two hands, she couldn't cover all angles.
The crypt horrors' strength could shatter mountains. A single solid hit would reduce the knight to pulp. Though Valred thought she was reckless, vampires were bound by their sense of kinship. Even a reckless vampire was still family. Plus, in this battle, they had formed an unspoken alliance. Helping her was helping himself.
With that in mind, Valred redirected his wand from the seemingly dormant Strigoi Ghoul King to the crypt horror the knight couldn't handle. Purple lightning gathered at the wand's tip, a devastating spell ready to unleash.
In the blink of an eye, Valred, the vampire knight, and the three crypt horrors acted. Valred and the knight, one casting spells and the other fighting up close, coordinated surprisingly well for their first battle. The results were satisfying.
The knight's lance pierced the chest of the crypt horror in front of her. Though she lacked the momentum of a full charge, the lance's sharp tip still penetrated the creature's tough hide. The blood-evaporating enchantment ensured its death, leaving another desiccated corpse. The crypt horror to her left, before it could strike her shield, was hit by a powerful force that sent it tumbling into the river, its arm broken.
The crypt horror to her right was struck by Valred's Lightning Spear. The intense current surged through its body, frying its organs and cells. With a sizzling sound, it turned into a charred husk.
In just two exchanges, three of the four fearsome crypt horrors were dead. The remaining one, cradling its broken arm, dared not approach. This round belonged to Valred and the knight.
The knight turned to Valred, nodding in acknowledgment. They exchanged a glance, solidifying their alliance. Valred nodded back, then glanced at the crypt horror in the river, deeming it no longer a threat. He walked over to the knight, his wand pointing at the frozen Strigoi Ghoul King.
"If you don't move soon, this battle is ours," Valred said.
After a moment, the Ghoul King remained motionless—no attack, no retreat, no response. The knight beside Valred let out a puzzled "Huh?" and was about to investigate when she heard a sudden rush of wind. She tried to block with her shield but realized the magic imbued within it had vanished. A mere black iron shield was of little use in a high-stakes fight.