Truly the excellency of the heretics is not something to be underestimated. Even with all the efforts she put into defending her base, it was still infiltrated without so much as an indicator. It was done so well, that frankly, just standing in front of them gave her the shivers.

There were only four of them, and about forty of us, but even then she didn’t feel confident. Even if half of enemy were children. In fact, if anything, she should be wary of the children the most. After all, she employed the same tactic of shoving aberrations into the skin of lolis.

Which was quite very sick. The Narrator is mildly disturbed.

At any rate, if that was all, she might be able to push them back, but they even managed to cut off the grace of the blood god that she so painstakingly acquired.

What a disgrace she was!

But maybe not so much considering the enemy she faced. After all, in this whole realm, it was probably only the heretics who could do such a thing.

She wanted to run, but it was too late for that, she could still pull through with her plans!

“Débuter,” She muttered, linking herself to her drudges. That was the signal.

However, it garnered no response. What happened? She gave the message to start their conversion of multiple residential districts within the city but none of her units were giving any feedback. The plan was that they would hold fort on several key locations and on her command begin the ritual to convert all residents in range of the ritual into manic blood cadavers. Giving a massive boost in the cult’s immediate combat ability, they would hopefully exhaust the heretics here at the cost of everything.

That was the plan.

However, it was clear as night that the heretics did something. Her actions were calculated, but it seemed that she was not as good at arithmetic as she previously thought.

“Even going so far as to take out every single one of my correspondents before coming here. Truly, as expected,” She couldn’t help but extol their praises. It was well deserved.

And not at all some strange coincidence where her transmission failed to poke through. Not at all.

“I’m sure that isn’t the case. How about you try again?” One of them spoke up, unable to keep quiet any longer. He was mocking her, inexplicitly telling her that she would need multiple redoes and countless more preparations to be able to stand up to them.

And it wasn’t in arrogance that he said this. No, it was because they were that strong. Not only that, this was a declaration that she better focus on the enemy at hand rather than external matters which are no longer variables in this battle. Truly, the heretics not only excelled in combat, but also the art of wordplay as well.

The heretic, herding the children, raises his rifle up, it seems to be of an Empire make, short and stubby.

Anticipating a steel bullet, she positions an blood red orb in front of its trajectory, but what comes is nothing that she could every have possibly anticipated.

However, it was only to be expected that any attack conducted by a heretic would be folds more inventive and clever than even that of famous sword saints.

Indeed, the heretic yeeted his rifle, with an absolutely perfect posture right at the blood matre, diving straight over her hastily set shield. The attack was swift and unexpected, but it was slow.

Very slow.

Grabbing it en route, she clenched it in her right hand, her claws digging into the chamber of the rifle, depressing its steel chamber with an unfortunate, mighty bang. The stored rounds detonate, dishing a flurry of metal scrap and debris, at point blank range to boot.

“WWRRYYYYY!”

Her howl was ear splitting and mind splitting as well. Imbued with a psychic attribute, it probably affected her kin more than it did the heretics. It was the cry of the vampires, the leaders of the blood race.

Inciting the blood aberrations to move, the cultists slaughtered them. The ashen wing launched an array of moon soaked blades into a sizeable chunk of her force. Though this dazed her, why was there an avian race among their ranks? It was well known that the heretics harboured a deep grudge for the demi human races.

It was surprising, but the heretics were known for going against the norm, even if it were the norms the heretics themselves established. That was just how they were. If it was something widely accepted then they would break it.

She tried moving, but her body stiffened, gathering her orbs of blood she replenished her gashes and punctures but she was unable to get the debris out. Just what kind of metal was this? It was strange, but she didn’t want to worry about it, or more accurately she couldn’t worry about it.

How shrewd!

Even though the heretics in front of her were mostly silver ranked, to judge a heretic merely on their rank was the epitome of naïvity. But at this rate how could she win? Just two of the heretics managed to push her forces this far and that wasn’t taking into account that the Steel ranked heretic stood stock still, as if observing the situation and deciphering the quickest way to take the blood cult down.

His countenance was mute, she could glean nothing from his person.

She wanted to keep her eye on the Steel ranked heretic as she made distance, but that was mere idyllic thought as a sudden crossbow bolt pierced deep into her ribs. The heavy thunk made her stance falter. And she realised. They were using blessed silver!

No wonder her movements were dulled to this extent. It was a lesser known fact of the realm that members of the blood race, vampires more specifically, were weak to a metal known as blessed silver. It was not to the extent of dying in contact with it, but exposure to blessed silver would burn and slowly poison a vampire, along with producing an anaphylactic reflex. Precisely what was happening now. Not to mention, that it was even coated in rose water, another allergen component against the vampires that muddled the mind with intense pounding.

It was so long. She couldn’t even remember the last time blessed silver or rose water was used against her that she overlooked such a weakness.

Naïve!

She was dealing with the renowned heretics! The ones who ruined the Republic of Lasta and raised the great Imperial Fortress Firma. They were the same ones who ignited the flames of conflagration on the Sacred Blood State, the home of the vampires! It was obvious that they would easily grasp their weakness and prepare countermeasures.

She was fighting against people who opposed the whole realm and still stood victorious…

Actually… Thinking back on this point, she wasn’t too bad was she? After all, no matter how much she agonised and prepared, she was still fighting those same heretics. She was being too harsh on herself. In fact, she felt quite honoured. To make the heretics seriously consider subjugating her, and even sending out three Silver ranks, alongside a Steel ranked, she should be proud.

The forlorn thought spread and a satisfied smile spread across her face, but it felt empty. So very devoid.

“Mmm, this wouldn’t be a bad way to go out,”

But despite saying those words, she felt hollow. So very hollow. Was it really alright for her to pass like this? Her mind lapsed over certain memories. Memories of her time when she was still a little youngling.

‘I’ll crush the heretics!’ She declared to her matre in a time long forgotten. The recollection was foggy but the words still lingered deeply. Her childish innocence had long washed away such that the purity of that statement struck her heart all the more.

Her matre gave her a lachrymose smile hearing such a hopeless dream. But it was a warm smile nevertheless. This matre wasn’t her original kin. Her original kin was staked and crucified in a raid conducted by the heretics when she was naught but a babe. It seems they took pity on her, or they didn’t feel the need to crucify a little baby.

In any case, she was the only survivor.

‘Then I’ll be waiting for that day,’ Her matre whispered, her eyes damp.

It looks like she won’t be able to fulfil her promises. That same matre was later tracked and assailed, dying with a smile even as a stake was driven through her.

She still remembered that matre's smile, devoid of everything that it once was.

So can it end like this?

No! It can’t!

She won’t let it. She was a proud matre of the cult of blood.

Glazing her vision across the visage of her kin fighting a desperate battle, she could only feel disappointed. She prided herself on her austerity, so how could she harbour such thoughts?

That’s right. She remembered now. The reason why she was so harsh to not only her kin, but markedly on herself. The reason she struggled so hard to obtain the rank of Gold…

She remembered.

It was all to crush the heretics.