EnCoffin Me Chapter 17
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 17
Alexio was undoubtedly furious at this moment. The goodwill he had shown had brought trouble upon Ellie, which was nothing short of an affront to his dignity. He had believed this world to be peaceful, but indeed, peace was only relative. There were still those lurking in the shadows who wanted to cause him trouble.
The griffin's white-gold flames rushed towards him. The hot wind stirred the vampire's fringe, yet his expression remained cold and composed. His gaze had already pierced through the flames, landing on the griffin behind them. His ears twitched slightly, sensing several more griffins approaching from above. As expected, even after ten thousand years, griffins still adhered to their ancient pack-hunting tactics. This was the very foundation of the griffin legion's strength.
Yet the flames of mere griffins…
A hemispherical barrier suddenly rose in front of Alexio. The searing heat split in two, and the white-gold flame burst in every direction, but it could not penetrate the radiant shield. Alexio, who had been ready to strike back, paused in surprise and looked toward the saint. The saint stood sideways, his left eye closed, his expression still indifferent even after casting a high-level defensive spell.
“You—”
“You were set up,” the saint said calmly. “The substance that enrages the griffin must have been on your coat. Perhaps it uses components from this current world, something you and I aren't sensitive to.”
He looked up, watching the hemispherical barrier make sounds under the sharp claws of the griffins, yet it remained indestructible.
“A swarm of griffins will form a battle formation. There are dozens here, probably a medium-sized one. Waiting for outside help will take at least—”
“…Who needs to wait for rescue?”
The vampire bared his fangs.
“Just a few dozen griffins? Who are they looking down on?”
It seemed that a few dozen griffins weren't even an appetizer for the vampire, but rather an insult to his abilities. Lucius mused silently. He could have wiped out the griffins himself, of course, but this was a rare opportunity. He was more interested in seeing the vampire take action, and it would be even better if he could draw out a few of the vampire's innate abilities in the process.
Conveniently, the vampire before him was eager to prove that his powers were different from the other dark creatures of this world.
Lucius cast a subtle glance at the floating comment assistant near Ellie. The sudden turn of events had made the viewers nervous. His timely deployment of the barrier had drawn a wave of praise, though many were still confused about how Alexio, who had been farther away just moments ago, had ended up in front of Ellie. Now that the vampire had made such a bold declaration, the comment feed was flooded with people saying “Xixi is cute and deserves praise, but this time we have to stop him.”
Too dangerous!
“Thanks to you, Mr. Lucius!” the adjutant said gratefully. The trainer beside him wore a grim expression. None of his issued commands had taken effect, but fortunately, communication with the outside world hadn't been cut off. As it was another livestream incident, the military responded immediately. Personnel were already entering the training ground.
The adjutant looked at the sturdy barrier, certain that as long as no one inside tried to run out, it would hold until all the griffins could be brought back under control…
“Alexi!” Ellie suddenly cried out in alarm. The adjutant turned at the sound. At some point, the vampire had appeared outside the barrier. He had the coat he'd taken back from Ellie draped over his arm and was casually tilting his head, observing the griffins above.
Five… ten… thirty…
Alexio counted the griffins silently. A few suddenly lunged at him, disrupting his counting. Annoyed, he licked his fangs and teleported away. When he reappeared, he was shocked to find that he had drawn full aggro! Something had clearly been smeared on the coat he'd taken back, and now that they had caught the scent, they were all going berserk, rallying one another and gaining a significant power boost.
Alexio tilted his head, finding the situation increasingly interesting. He even smiled.
“Lun… Lucius, weaken me,” he said, not paying the slightest attention to the griffins swooping down at him. His teleportation had almost no cooldown. As long as the space was under his control, he could reach any point in an instant.
“After ten thousand years, these things seem to have gotten slower…” he muttered, dodging a burst of searing flames as if he had eyes in the back of his head. His deep rose-colored eyes glinted faintly in anticipation of the coming fight. “I might go too hard on the first few. They might not survive.”
Although he might eventually adjust and hold back, he could very well kill a few at the start.
No sooner had he spoken than a string of dull, shimmering circles exploded over him, as if the saint had long been waiting for this moment. Calmly withdrawing his hand, he slightly opened his left eye. Whatever lurked within that eye had tormented Lucius ever since he raised the barrier. But now, as if detecting the magic he cast upon the vampire, the pain finally began to ease.
Alexio shot him a glare, feeling his speed slowing and his strength draining with every passing second. At this rate, he probably wouldn't accidentally kill too many. He raised his head again, his gaze slowly sweeping across the flock of griffins, finally settling on the one flying highest.
Alexio had always preferred to start with his favorite dish.
He thought about how this live stream would transmit his overwhelming strength to the world. Those people would no longer just praise him for being cute, but would respect him more, recognizing that dark creatures were actually incredibly powerful, that the vampire race was nothing to be taken lightly. Some might even come to fear him. But for Alexio, that was just returning things to their proper order.
He had said it before that, for him, the world after ten thousand years felt like a dream.
Inside the barrier, Lucius stopped Ellie, who had nearly rushed out in panic. The adjutant's face was tense, and upon closer inspection, one could see that this well-trained soldier's hands were trembling slightly.
“Sir!”
The adjutant was completely at a loss. The rare and fragile dark creature was now outside their protection, about to face off against a swarm of fierce griffins. Just the thought of it made his heart seize with fear.
“What do you mean by this?!”
Lucius felt a familiar pain flare up in his left eye. He hated the sensation, and hated that he was now, once again, speaking up in defense of a vampire. But the impulse was hard to control. He could only force himself to feel better by thinking he might gain some intelligence about the vampire.
“It's been ten thousand years,” he said flatly. “I've read the current research reports. Scholars admit the world before the firestorm was different. Light and darkness may have been divided and opposed, with the two great forces splitting dominion over day and night, waging endless war against each other.
“Yet you still lack a sense of reality, even instinctively trying to protect Alexio by today's standards.”
He raised his clear, sky-blue eyes, though something far more complicated was hidden in their depths.
“But he is, after all, a third-generation vampire who sits at the apex of power, the sovereign of the eternal night.”
For people like the adjutant and Ellie, born ten thousand years later, they knew that there had indeed been a history of opposition, but it felt too far removed from the cheerful and harmless dark creatures they knew today. While they were still struggling to process his words, Lucius noticed something off to the side. The camera drone, which had been hovering in place, had quietly fallen to the ground. It didn't seem to be recording anymore.
“…Has the livestream stopped?”
Ellie jolted, her mind still processing Lucius' words even as her body reacted on instinct. She scooped up her camera and adjusted the settings. After a few quick checks, she looked up in a daze.
“It was forcibly overridden… the system shut down on its own…”
In the entire Federation, only one being possessed such supreme authority—
Pupil!
“Have our people entered the grounds yet? Good. Make sure everyone is brought back unharmed!”
“Tranquilizers ready! Medical team, stand by to move in as soon as the situation allows!”
The old marshal issued his commands calmly and efficiently. He had just learned about the incident and hurried over as fast as he could. Only after his subordinates begged him repeatedly did he hold back from entering the now chaotic training ground himself. He suspected that this incident might be part of a larger scheme orchestrated by factions within the military. Still, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the conservation center had also been infiltrated. That would drastically widen the scope of the investigation.
Those people! What was the point in harming an innocent dark creature?
The old marshal had been watching the training ground's surveillance footage intently when, all of a sudden, the screens flickered. A massive eye appeared on every monitor, with the same pupil that had become perfectly round since Alexio's resurrection. It looked almost gentle, full of warmth.
【External data breach detected. Initiating protective countermeasures.】
【Unauthorized operation rejected. Beginning reverse trace…】
【Suspicious area narrowing…】
【Connection severed by intruder. Protection successful!】
It was actually Pupil who counterattacked personally! Lately, Pupil had been unbelievably active. In the past, it usually remained in a long standby mode, showing no hint of its historical role as the savior of various races.
Now, in the digital void, Pupil lashed out wildly with its tentacles. If the infiltrating party hadn't cut off their connection in desperation, Pupil would have been more than capable of tracing them straight to their hideout. But even after the link was severed, Pupil didn't give up. Instead, it redirected its efforts and highlighted two rooms in the military compound with pinpoint accuracy.
The infiltrators realized too late that they had been exposed. Heavily armed soldiers had already entered through the doors Pupil had opened with its highest authority and apprehended the two individuals.
One of the traitors was dragged before the old marshal. The giant image of Pupil still loomed on the screen behind him. The marshal stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the young man, someone he had once considered full of promise. He let out a long, heavy sigh.
The soldiers tore off the man's uniform jacket. A special solution was poured over his back, and as it soaked into his skin, a twisted thorny vine emblem emerged on his shoulder blade.
“This is a newly developed reagent, specifically designed to counter your increasingly advanced methods of concealment,” the old marshal said gravely.
“Take him away. Get a full confession.”
Even in the world ten thousand years later, there wasn't just one voice. The mainstream revered the principle of balance between light and darkness, treating dark creatures with great care. However, there were also opposing forces lurking in the shadows, intending to exploit dark creatures to seek a different path.
The old marshal turned back toward the screen behind him.
“The members of the Thorn Society had hidden themselves this deeply… Is that why you took command on such short notice, to protect Alexi?”
Pupil gazed at everyone gently, its massive eye slowly dimming. Due to the abrupt interruption of the livestream, the accounts of Ellie, the conservation center, and the military were all flooded with messages. People were demanding to know what had happened. Was Alexio safe? What on earth was going on?
Pupil's reply was unconditionally pinned to the top.
Pupil:【Video】
In the brief clip, the platinum-blonde saint manifested a bow adorned with white wings. His left eye remained half-shut as he drew back a glowing arrow of pure light. In a swift, precise motion, he released it toward the griffin flying at the second highest altitude.
The griffin dropped instantly. The golden arrow transformed into a net of light that captured and bound it, without harming the griffin's life.
【Aaaaah protect Xixi waaah thank you thank you!!】
The comments section exploded with joyful cries. A few confused voices tried to speak up but were immediately drowned out by an overwhelming flood of gratitude.
【Why does it look like the griffin started falling before the arrow even hit?】
The video ended, greatly reassuring the viewers. But inside the training ground, Alexio was on the verge of exploding with rage!
“You bastard! Why are you stealing my kill?!”
Fortunately, he was fast!
Apparently, even without spreading his bat wings, a vampire could still maneuver rapidly in the air… Lucius lightly pinched the shaft of a second golden arrow. This time, he took aim at a griffin on the outer edge, but before it was loosed, the arrow split into three, intending to increase the difficulty.
He hadn't intended to interfere. If possible, he would've much preferred to stand off to the side, notebook in hand, watching the vampire show off his strength. But when the camera had been forcefully shut down, a sharp pain surged again through his left eye, and something reached out and brushed against his mind with its tentacle.
【Hide Alexi.】
That was Pupil's quiet request.