CHAPTER 660: [BLOOD MOON WAR] [5] COMMANDER OF THE WITCH

"Feeling any better now?" I asked, pushing myself to my feet. The world tilted slightly as dizziness washed over me

Alicia gave a small nod, her eyes fixed on the floor. "Yes..." She mumbled, still refusing to meet my gaze.

I didn’t press her. "Then we should get moving."

I killed people after all.

We couldn’t afford to linger. I reached into my ring and pulled out a dark, travel-worn cloak. With a flick of my wrist, I tossed it toward Alicia. "Cover your face. I’m not sure why, but people around here seem to treat vampires like they’re walking curses."

She caught it and nodded again, silently slipping it over her shoulders and drawing up the hood until her face was lost in its shadow.

"They fear us," she said softly. "During the Blood Moon War, almost all vampires were under the Vampire Witch’s control. She cast a spell—a powerful one—and it forced our kind to obey her every word. We became weapons. Tools of destruction. Even those who resisted or broke free were lumped in with the rest. The other races... they couldn’t tell the difference anymore. So they feared us. Hated us. To them, seeing a vampire meant the Witch’s army wasn’t far behind."

Her voice had the steady tone of someone who had indeed read every book there was on the subject. Well, I saw her reading only that at the academy after all.

"I see," I said with a short nod, absorbing her words but distracted.

Then I caught her looking at me—really looking—and noticed the furrow in her brow.

"You still don’t believe it, do you?" She asked. "That we’ve been thrown back five hundred years into the past, Senior."

I opened my mouth, then hesitated. "I don’t know... I want to say no. That it’s impossible. But..."

But part of me did believe it. The part that refused to speak up. The part still trying to reconcile the signs.

-BOOM!

A sudden explosion shattered the quiet moment. The ground trembled faintly beneath us, and an instant later, the rise of screams followed.

"What... what’s happening?" Alicia muttered as she looked toward the noise.

I was already on my feet, eyes narrowing, instincts kicking in.

Down below, chaos reigned. Civilians sprinted through the streets, panic etched on their faces. They weren’t just running aimlessly—they were running from something.

"The Witch’s army!!"

"Run! R–Run for your lives!"

From the smoke and flame emerged vampire knights clad in deep crimson armor, their helmets shaped like snarling beasts, marching in perfect formation. Hundreds of them. Maybe more.

They moved without hesitation. Anyone who dared to fight was cut down mercilessly. The rest—those who fled too slowly—were seized.

"We need to go. Now," I muttered, already backing away.

Alicia’s eyes stayed locked on the scene. "What about them?" She asked as she watched a mother scream for her child, who was being hauled away by armored gauntlets.

"We can’t save them," I said.

Her footsteps followed mine, but her words still rang. "I read that during the Blood Moon War, they captured the other races alive... drained their blood to feed the Witch’s army."

"I see," I replied as I leapt down from the rooftop into the alleyway below.

I looked around and saw a modest stable nestled between crumbling stone walls. Horses huh?

"Well, it beats walking," I said, approaching one of the horses and patting its flank. "We’ll take this one—"

"Senior," Alicia’s voice interrupted softly.

Her hand caught my arm.

I glanced at Alicia.

"We can save them," she said quietly.

I shook my head.

"You heard what Cain wants, didn’t you? Me dead. You alive—for reasons I’d rather not find out. The last thing we need is to draw more attention. Especially his if he did land also here."

"But..." Alicia’s voice trailed off. She turned away, her eyes drawn irresistibly toward the chaos we were leaving behind—the sounds of terrified civilians, desperate children, lives being torn apart.

"We can’t save everyone, Alicia," I said, reaching out a hand toward her. "Right now, survival comes first. Ours."

Her fists clenched at her sides at my words.

"They’re going to die," she whispered, and this time, I could hear the guilt in her voice to leave them.

"Alicia. You’re not a savior. You’re not some hero either. Those people?" I gestured vaguely in the direction of the destruction. "They would’ve killed you without blinking. They nearly did and the others wished your death as well."

Alicia looked at me then, really looked. Her eyes searched mine, as if confused by my words.

"I thought... I thought you would’ve saved them," she said.

I felt something twist inside me.

"I’ve already lost too much playing the hero," I replied. "Too many people I cared about. I’m not making that mistake again. I won’t lose more.

I offered my hand again.

She hesitated, eyes wide. Then slowly—reluctantly—she placed her hand in mine.

I helped her onto one of the horses, then mounted the other. Without wasting another second, we spurred them forward, racing toward the gate.

We passed through the crumbling archway and out into the open road beyond the town. The screams behind us faded slightly.

Then I felt it. That prickling dangerous sensation—like being watched. Hunted.

I turned my head.

Standing far behind us, among the wreckage and smoke, was a figure. One of the vampire knights—but different. His armor gleamed with a deeper, bloodier crimson than the rest. A matching cloak rippled behind him, untouched by the wind. His helmet, though featureless, exuded menace. And from behind its narrow slit, two glowing crimson eyes locked directly onto mine.

"Senior!" Alicia cried suddenly.

I whipped around just in time to see it—a wall of stone bursting up from the ground, slamming into place and cutting off our escape path.

Alicia immediately summoned her rapier. She lunged forward, stabbing straight into the obstruction with a sharp, precise thrust. The stone cracked, shattered, and exploded into a cloud of dust.

But as we burst through the cloud on horseback—

He was there.

Standing directly in our path.

"By order of the Vampire Witch," he spoke, his voice deep and cold. His eyes settled on Alicia ignoring me. "State your name and belonging."

"I have no belongings," Alicia replied calmly.

"..."

His gaze suddenly shifted—to me.

"Is this human your blood slave?"

I blinked at him, deadpan. "Can you kindly fuck off? You’re in our way."

His eyes narrowed. "No belongings, I see... The Witch is merciful. She will forgive you, if you accept her Blessing—and deliver that human."

"I don’t care about your Witch," Alicia snapped. "And he’s not my slave. We’re together. And we’re in a hurry."

She tugged the reins slightly, trying to steer around the knight.

But the crimson-armored man made no move to step aside. Instead he drew his sword. The metal hummed as it slid free, catching the eerie glow of the Blood Moon above.

"As a Commander of the Witch’s army," he said coldly, "I order you to get on your knees."

I raised an eyebrow. "And me? You’ve been doing a lot of talking to her, but I’m standing right here."

He didn’t even glance my way. I could’ve been furniture for all he cared.

The way he addressed Alicia and ignored me entirely... it reminded me of how Elves used to treat halves. Like we weren’t worth acknowledging.

So... in this era, the vampires were the racist ones?

Finally, he flicked his gaze in my direction. "Surrender."

Just that. No threats. No demands. Which only meant one thing.

He didn’t see me as an opponent.

Just a blood bank.

I smiled without humor. "Tell your Witch I’m not interested in chatting with her little puppets. I want to speak with the boss directly. Not her lapdogs."

That got his attention.

His crimson eyes narrowed, and without another word, he took a single step forward.

Fast.

Much faster than I expected.

Instinct screamed at me, and I launched myself from the saddle.

-Spurt!

The horse I’d been riding was split clean in half, its body collapsing with a heavy thud, lifeless before it hit the ground.

"What the hell did the horse ever do to you?" I muttered, already irritated.

The knight turned toward me now, surprise flickering in his expression for the first time. Clearly, he hadn’t expected me to dodge that. But the shock was fleeting. His face hardened again, and he lunged forward, sword swinging in a brutal arc.

-BOOOOM!

The blade crashed down, tearing a jagged trench in the earth. Dust and shattered stone exploded into the air.

I slid back a step, eyes narrowing as I looked at him more closely.

Eighth Ascension.

Seriously?

I thought he was just another glorified errand boy, but if Eighth Ascension warriors were this common in this era, I was going to have to seriously adjust my expectations.

Alicia moved to help, but I held out a hand without taking my eyes off the knight. "No, Alicia. Stay back. I’ve got this one."

He might’ve looked emotionless, but I could tell. A flicker of irritation had crept into his posture. His speed picked up, his strikes more aggressive now.

The next moment, he vanished—and reappeared inches in front of me, sword flashing toward my face.

But he missed.

That miss would cost him.

I slammed my knee directly into his solar plexus.

"Ugh!"

A sharp grunt escaped him and his grip on his sword faltered for a brief moment.

That moment was all I needed.

I surged forward, grabbing his wrist with one hand and locking the other around his throat. Lifting him off the ground I hardened my grup.

His eyes went wide. And then—

"AAARRGGHH!!" He screamed suddenly, lifting his gaze toward the Blood Moon hanging above us in the sky.

"Grant me..." He whispered something beneath his breath, too low to hear.

And then he exploded.

Blood erupted from his body like a geyser, drenching the ground, the air, everything around him.

"...!"

I dropped him instantly and leapt backward, skidding through the gravel, wiping blood from my eyes.

His body began to twist, engulfed in its own blood like a cocoon. Flesh warped unnaturally. Skin darkened to a shade that looked almost black, like charred obsidian. His eyes bulged and stretched wider, the pupils becoming narrow vertical slits that radiated raw malice.

He wasn’t the same anymore.

He wasn’t even... a Vampire.

If he ever had been.

What the hell just happened?

"A–Amael!"

Alicia’s voice rang out quite panicked. My body moved, throwing myself sideways just in time. A split-second later, the knight’s jagged clawed hand swiped through the space where I’d just been, grazing my skin.

A sharp sting bloomed across my ribs. I reached down, fingers brushing warm blood. But something felt off. A sick, crawling sensation crept up my spine.

The knight’s lips curled into something twisted and monstrous, more snarl than smile. Slowly, mockingly, he lifted his blood-stained fingers to his mouth and licked them clean—like a wolf savoring its prey.

Then a violent wave of crimson mana exploded from his body. The sheer force of it made the ground tremble beneath my feet.

His aura spiked—raw, unstable power thrashing around him. Then he moved.

Even faster than before.

"Reflect," I muttered, snapping a mirror into existence right in front of me.

-BOOM!

The knight was hurled backward by the backlash. My boots slammed into the dirt as I lunged after him, the earth cracking beneath each step.

He recovered quicker than I liked. With a hiss, he snapped his head up. His hand shot out, conjuring a blood-red mana circle in the air. From it, razor-sharp spikes forged from pure blood magic erupted toward me.

"Reflect," I said again, summoning another mirror to intercept the attack.

The spikes shattered against the barrier in a cascade of crimson splinters. The knight visibly irritated, launched himself at me again. This time, he didn’t hold back. His hand slammed into the mirrors, shattering them on contact.

But as he raised his arm for another strike, I grabbed his face with my hand and hurled him down.

-BOOM!

The earth cratered beneath the force of the impact.

He let out a strangled gurgle, but I didn’t stop.

"Burn."

A purple flame ignited in the palm of my hand, flickering to life with a quiet hiss before exploding into a raging inferno. The fire engulfed his body in an instant. He screamed full of rage and pain—but it was already too late.

I took a single step back, watching as he writhed and twisted in agony, his armor melting into slag.

Then I turned away.

A quick swipe of my bloodied cheek with the back of my hand, and I frowned.

What did he do to himself?

I found Alicia a few steps away, her eyes still locked on the scene behind me.

"Do you have any idea what just happened to him?" I asked, stepping up beside her.

She shook her head, slow and unsure. "I’m... not really sure. I’ve never seen anything like that."

"Yeah, same." I sighed and glanced around, only now realizing the absence of hooves behind me. "Anyway. Can you head back a bit? I kinda lost my horse in the middle of all that."

Alicia blinked, then looked down at me with one brow raised. "Why should I get back? That’s my horse, Senior."

"Alright, alright." I sighed before vaulting up behind her in one smooth motion. My arms wrapped lightly around her waist. "Then I’m in your care, Junior."

Alicia’s entire body went rigid at my touch.

"F-Fine! Y-You can take the reins!" She stuttered, her cheeks burning as she shot a glare over her shoulder.

I blinked, surprised, then chuckled as we awkwardly swapped places on the saddle. I took the reins and guided the horse forward, trying—and failing—not to smile too much.

"By the way, you called me by my name earlier. Were you that worried about me?"

Alicia didn’t so much as blink. "It was because you were acting too cocky, Senior."

"Alright, alright. How about we drop the whole ’Senior’ thing then? Just call me by my name, Alicia."

She hesitated. I caught the tiny twitch in her fingers holding the reins on the sides. Her eyes flicked away, then back. A faint pink crept across her cheeks before she gave a reluctant nod.

"A–Amael," she muttered.

I blinked, caught off guard. That... sounded weird. And not because she said it all shyly. No, it felt strange for another reason entirely.

That name... It didn’t feel like mine anymore.

I grimaced, turning my gaze ahead. "Actually, maybe just call me Edward. That might be better."

"Edward?" She repeated, brows knitting together in confusion.

"Yeah," I nodded. "It’s my other name, you know. My real first name—given to me by my aunt."

"I see..." Her voice trailed off thoughtfully.

There was a pause.

"Should I call you Angelica then?" I asked, suddenly remembering. "That’s your second name, right?"

Her lips twitched at the corner. "No, I’ll just call you Amael, Senior."

"What? Come on," I said, half-laughing. "You should know why I suggested Edward. If we really are in the past, it’s safer to use different names. Less risk, you know?"

"You’re smarter than you seem, Senior Amael," she replied with a flat stare.

I narrowed my eyes.

Without thinking too hard about it, I reached one hand behind me and gave her waist a light pinch.

"Hyaa!"

A sound—not a scream, not quite a squeal—escaped her lips.

"Huh?" I turned to look at her, stunned.

Her face was full crimson. She wasn’t just blushing—she looked like someone had lit a fire under her skin. She lowered her gaze instantly, clutching the reins on the sides a little too tightly, like she didn’t trust herself to make eye contact.

I quickly turned my attention back to the road ahead, pretending nothing had happened before she could start throwing me some blood attacks.