The sound of the blast is enough to disorient my senses. A wave of pure light scorches the scene and my vision. I don't know what it is, but it's about to reach me.

In instinct, I close my eyes. No matter how much I try, its radiance forces them to shut. I wait for something, but nothing comes. Odd. There is no pain beyond the initial reaction. Curious as to why I then open my eyes.

A cloak of black blocks out whatever one should normally see—the cloak of the vampire before me. In tatters, small gaps of light shine through the cloak, revealing his destroyed body. His left arm hangs by loose sinew. Even his bones, which once were covered by skin, reveal themselves from the countless holes in his body.

"Landidus," I say. There is no response. The man who shielded me with his own body is unresponsive. For no reason other than his own will, he has protected one such as myself.

Before long, yells and screams emerge from every spot in the building.

Gently, I shift Landidus to the side so that I may see for myself.

"..."

The same building that was once a pristine white filled with life at each corner is now a wasteland. A wasteland tainted by the sight of gore and blood, the majority of its inhabitants did not survive the explosion.

Death has struck. If there is one thing I understand, it is that we are under attack. With a clean scoop, I pick the unconscious body into my arms. There is only one objective from here on out. For the one known as Mayevil, there is no such thing as healing. If I am to save this person, then I must find others who can.

My eyes dart from side to side. Most, if not everyone, are not in a good state of mind.

Without much else to do, I give those people to think. In the meanwhile, I begin my inspection of those less disturbed. Out of the few of them, I see one stands straight and firm. Her face, completely devoid of any temperament or fear, instead shows a minute of anger.

For one such as her, this assault must have been an attack on her honour.

An attack made from a hidden opponent and against civilians, no less, I can tell that she expects better.

With a flourish of her hand, she clears her hair from her face.

Even with the senseless slaughter that envelops her, she does not let it cloud her judgement. Devoid of any great emotional reaction, the only great indication that she even understands what is going on is in her ability. Protected by an aura of purple light, a magical spell, large enough to protect the six people around her, emanates from her hand.

For reasons unknown, she then walks away.

A notification for me to shift my attention, I turn it to my environment.

I don't know why but. The interior of this area, although tainted, is still undamaged. Free from any holes, misplaced blocks, or shards of marble, I formulate why this is the case. If the origin of the explosion is not scientific, then... Then, it must be magical. One designed on a conceptual level to target living things or vampires, perhaps.

In short, my enemies are mages, and their targets are vampires.

Then something shifts. The usual sound of distress and anguish is punctuated by something. At first, I am unable to figure out where they are. Then, I understand. The sound is coming from the walls—a repetitive series of what sounds like doors being built.

One, two, three, then countless more; in time, the whole building is taken over by these noises. While I hear none come from behind me, I do notice some in other places. Just at the opposite end of the room, for example, there are at least a dozen.

Initially, they are only sounds. Then, they transform into faint shapes. Turning into shadows, then silhouettes, then concrete objects. In an instant, uncountable doors take form on the walls. All within the span of ten seconds at most, the doors then open.

There's nothing inside them. Shadows. All that I can see inside the doors are shadows. As if it is a door to a void, nothing shows itself.

As long as I can't see it, I can't confront it. So I wait. Then, as if attempting to answer my question, something emerges from the darkness.

An impact with the force of a bullet strikes someone in front of me.

A lone vampire who does not see what comes next. Their fate is inevitable.

Before she knows it, her throat is ripped open by a green wind.

"Ha-gragh!" She groans in agony. Her life which now hangs by its last

At the bare minimum, her death is swift. With a thud, she drops like a wayward branch in winter.

So that is the nature of the attacks.

Projectiles. Countless projectiles. Borne of fire, ice, wind, and earth, they are the weapons of our unknown enemy. I take a moment to assess the situation, but the situation does not wait for me. A shower of the same projectiles flares out again.

I can't deflect them. With a person in my arms, the best thing I can do is run. Momentum guides my legs and arms as I run.

"Hah." No matter where I go, there's not a single-blind spot. Unless the body or magic of another shields me, there is no escape. Dodging is not something I am allowed to do.

"Tch." A word of unconscious pain leaves my throat. Up until now, the aura of my body had prevented any of the missiles from damaging me. Weak as they are, they each hold the same strength of a dogs bite at best.

But given time, even a hundred of those same bites could cause damage.

Several objects burrow into my skin. It burns of a concoction of ice and fire, simultaneously freezing and setting my skin ablaze at the same time. I know what I must do now. In order to end the threat, I must confront my enemy directly.

I eliminate all thoughts of pain. What I will do next seems ignorant. Without knowledge of my enemy, their prowess, or ability, it's practically suicide. I know that. But that's also irrelevant. Even if it is suicide for me, it is also the most direct path. The most direct path to prevent further blood-shed, I ready myself.

Twenty metres stands before me and my exit. I can reach that in less than a second. As long as nothing else interferes, then I will succeed.

My body darts. In an instant, I reenact a scene of a person before they jump. Pushing through piles of inanimate flesh and magic alike, I cross the distance. The closer I get, the more stings I feel upon my flesh and body. All the more reason to hurry, I am nearly at my destination. Soon, I arrive. I redirect all the remaining energy to my legs. Double my height; my aim is to jump through the door of blackness. I tighten my grip on Landidus, and I execute my motion.

A smouldering fire whizzes past my cheek. In the next instant, my feet touch the firm ground. In a room that bears similarities to that of Vela, a multitude of people stand. Seven total, the same door which I stepped through lay before each of them.

Before they can perceive my existence, I drop Landidus down.

There is no need to show mercy. Within seconds they will all be dead.