Chapter 19
"You killed my sister!" the tallest one roared, her voice shaking the very walls of the lodge. Levi sighed, rubbing his temple as if their anger were an inconvenience rather than a threat. "Carmilla… again," he muttered, his voice dripping with disinterest. "She's still causing me trouble beyond the grave."
The words struck the three women like a physical blow. The red-haired one's face twisted with fury, her refined mask slipping to reveal the hatred simmering beneath. The warrior's knuckles whitened as she tightened her grip on her greatsword, her body trembling with the effort to hold back the storm of violence she was barely containing. The third woman's golden eyes narrowed to slits, her calculated exterior cracking as her fingers curled with restrained power. Their rage reached a boiling point, and with a wordless snarl, they attacked. Levi's calm vanished. He knew underestimating them would be his downfall — they were as powerful as Carmilla, and the tallest one was likely even stronger. Without hesitation, he teleported, his form flickering as he reappeared a short distance away from the ruins of his lodge. "Oh magic," he began, his voice steady despite the bloodlust rushing toward him. "Bring forth the weight of the earth, the crushing force of inevitability — Gravity Well!"
The air rippled as an invisible force descended upon the battlefield. The ground buckled, stones cracked, and trees groaned under the pressure. The red-haired woman was the first to react, her agility allowing her to leap backward in a blur of motion, avoiding the densest pull of the well. The tallest one, however, charged straight through it, her sheer strength allowing her to push against the gravity's force, each step leaving deep imprints in the earth. The robed strategist flicked her hands, casting a protective barrier around herself as she skirted the edge of the well, her golden eyes locked on Levi.
Levi barely had a moment to breathe before the warrior was upon him. She swung her greatsword with the speed and force of a hurricane, and only a hastily conjured shield of stone saved him from being cleaved in half. The impact shattered the barrier, sending shards of rock in every direction. Levi staggered back, already preparing his next spell. "Oh magic, call forth the grasping roots of the ancient woods " Thick, thorned vines erupted from the earth, lashing toward the warrior with terrifying speed. She dodged the first strike, severed the second with her blade, and spun aside as the third whipped past her face — but the fourth caught her ankle. With a snarl, she wrenched herself free, but the distraction was enough. Levi thrust his hand forward. "Oh magic, bring forth the cleansing tide"
A spear of water, pressurized to the point of lethality, streaked toward the warrior. She barely managed to twist aside, the lance grazing her shoulder and drawing a line of dark blood. But there was no time for triumph — the red-haired woman was already behind him. Moving faster than the human eye could track, she slashed at his back with razor-sharp claws. Levi teleported again, but not fast enough — pain flared across his side as her strike connected, blood soaking his robe. He reappeared several feet away, breathing heavily. "Persistent," he muttered. The robed woman seized the opening. Her hands wove intricate patterns through the air. "Now!" she barked, and the air rippled with shadow.
Levi's instincts screamed. He dove aside just as spikes of dark energy erupted from the ground, missing him by inches. The red-haired woman was on him again, her movements a blur. Levi conjured a wall of ice, but she shattered it with a single strike, her claws tearing through the freezing barrier like paper. The warrior came next, her greatsword crashing down, and Levi only barely managed to dodge. The ground where he had stood exploded, sending debris flying. "Oh magic," Levi growled, his patience fraying. "Bring forth the storm's fury"
Lightning crackled from the sky, slamming into the battlefield with deafening force. The red-haired woman shrieked as a bolt grazed her, sending her skidding across the ground. The robed woman raised a shield just in time to deflect another strike, but the force still drove her back. The tallest one… she didn't flinch. She walked through the storm, eyes locked on Levi, her greatsword raised high. "I'm getting really tired of you," Levi muttered. The warrior lunged, and the fight raged on.
The tallest vampire closed the distance with terrifying speed, her greatsword a blur of deadly steel. Levi barely had time to react, conjuring a wall of stone with a snap of his fingers. The sword cleaved through it like paper, shards of rock spraying in every direction. Levi dodged to the side, but she was already on him — a downward strike that cracked the earth where he had stood a second earlier. He teleported again, appearing several meters away, but the red-haired vampire was waiting. She lunged, claws flashing, and Levi twisted just enough to avoid a killing blow, though her nails tore through his robe and raked his side again.
Gritting his teeth, Levi retaliated. "Oh magic, let the winds howl and cut" Blades of wind erupted around him, slashing outward in every direction. The red-haired vampire leaped back with inhuman agility, landing gracefully despite the storm of slicing air. The strategist wasn't so lucky — though she raised her cloak as a shield, the wind tore through parts of it, drawing shallow cuts along her arms and legs. The tallest one simply charged through, her armor deflecting most of the blades, but Levi noticed thin lines of blood streaking across her exposed face. It didn't slow her down.
Before he could cast again, the warrior was on him. She swung her greatsword in a wide arc, and Levi barely managed to dive under it, feeling the wind of the strike brush his hair. He retaliated immediately. "Oh magic, bring forth the fire that devours" Flames roared to life, rolling toward the warrior in a searing wave. She didn't retreat. Instead, she braced herself and ran straight through the fire, emerging with her cloak ablaze but otherwise unharmed. Levi's eyes widened, but before he could react, she slammed into him with monstrous strength, sending him skidding backward across the dirt.
As he struggled to rise, the red-haired vampire pressed the attack. She appeared before him in a blink, her claws aiming for his throat. Levi raised his arm just in time, her nails biting into his forearm instead. Pain flared, but he didn't let it slow him. "Oh magic, freeze the world in your grasp" Ice erupted from the ground, jagged and sharp. The red-haired woman flipped backward, avoiding the rising frost, but the strategist wasn't so lucky — one spike caught the edge of her robe, pinning her briefly before she tore herself free with a snarl.