Chapter 26: The Trap

Everything went quiet. The maid and the short man were highly skilled; the red dots in the darkness vanished, and both returned to Elise’s side.

Seeing their posture, the short man wore a look of shock, then quickly lowered his head, not daring to look further. The maid acted as if she had seen nothing at all. At Elise’s command, they continued forward.

As they pushed open the villa’s main doors, they were greeted by a dense mass of red dots. The number of monsters hiding here was even greater than outside. But these were merely cannon fodder—weak and insignificant. The maid and the short man slaughtered them with ease; they posed no threat to Elise whatsoever. It was a one-sided massacre.

Ten minutes later, Elise grew tired of the endless stream of minions. She called the maid and the short man back and unleashed her ultimate move. Blood-red thorns surged from the front entrance, extending and strangling everything in their path like giant pythons. In just over ten seconds, the three-story villa was completely filled with these thorns, which burst through the windows.

As the blood-red thorns dissipated, Elise directed their path forward. Mo Yu followed behind, stepping into the villa. He felt a sticky sensation under his feet and was hit by the overwhelming stench of blood; it was a truly wretched experience.

The group arrived before a massive door leading to the basement. Elise made no elaborate gesture; a single blood-red thorn, thick as a barrel, pierced the alloy door and tore it to shreds. There was light behind the door—very bright light. As fragments of the alloy door crashed onto the ground, the floor shuddered. By the light from within, Mo Yu realized the door was at least 20 centimeters thick and made of solid metal. It was his first true realization of Elise’s power. A casual strike had ripped through a door comparable to tank armor.

Mo Yu suddenly felt a sense of dread. Could he really kill such a powerful vampire? Even a truckload of C4 might not be enough to finish her off. He pondered this as he followed Elise deeper inside.

The group continued their descent through a sloping corridor and entered a spacious underground hall. The area was brightly lit, and Mo Yu clearly saw a group of monsters: humanoid rabbits about a meter tall, furry and stout, dressed in clothes, wielding various weapons in their thick, dexterous palms.

This time, the interface provided a prompt:
【These are 14 Rabbit-Beast Chimeras. They are very dangerous; retreat is advised.】

"Oh, look, uninvited guests." "Big bat! Big bat!" "Kill, kill, kill!"...

The Rabbit-Beast Chimeras spoke in strange, distorted voices, like clowns performing a mockery. Their intelligence was clearly high. Both sides engaged immediately. Under the bright lights, Mo Yu observed the battle clearly.

The maid condensed two short blades from blood, her attacks swift as the wind, and she also employed thin, lethal wires for slicing. The short man manifested blood claws, tearing wildly at their foes. The Rabbit-Beast Chimeras utilized various cold weapons, coordinating their movements.

The two sides were evenly matched, locked in a fierce struggle, though the maid’s side held a slight advantage. After killing one of the chimeras, they successfully tore through the formation and gained the upper hand. Elise had no intention of intervening, and Mo Yu watched the entire spectacle from the sidelines.

The battle ended quickly. The Rabbit-Beast Chimeras were reduced to scattered remains. The group pressed on. While they continued to encounter attacks from more chimeras, there was no real threat; they pushed through everything.

The place resembled a biological research lab. One could see strange instruments, various equipment, and monsters kept in cages. There were devices similar to petri dishes, inside which bizarre creatures were submerged. Mo Yu scanned the room. Every single one triggered a red warning prompt, but they were too few in number and too weak to even be worth adding to his bestiary.

After clearing another room, they stepped into a hallway. Mo Yu spoke up: "Do you not find... that this has been far too easy?"

The three vampires stopped and turned to look at him. The maid replied arrogantly, "It is simply because these things are too weak."

Mo Yu smiled without a word. He knew perfectly well that Alice was on the same level as Elise; how could her lair be so poorly defended? Something was definitely wrong. There was a strong chance this place was a hollow shell. They might come away with nothing tonight.

Mo Yu made his assessment. He would have to rewind later and offer Elise a prophecy to solidify her impression of his abilities. Just as he thought this, the four of them entered a strange room.

The room was empty, its floor and walls a stark, pure white. The ceiling was over eight meters high, and the room was at least twenty meters long and wide—like a large stage. Mo Yu twitched his nose. He smelled a peculiar fragrance, like some kind of incense—it was quite pleasant.

The floor vibrated slightly. A platform rose slowly from the center of the room, and two humanoid creatures emerged from beneath.

Mo Yu found these two monsters hard to describe. They were humanoid, their bodies composed of a white, metal-like substance. They stood over two meters tall with slender limbs, spikes at their joints, and sharp blades instead of feet. Their bodies were covered in metallic armor, with iron plates encircling their waists like ballet skirts.

【This is a Metal Monstrosity. Extremely dangerous; retreat is advised.】

There were two of them, but only one prompt appeared. Their strength was greater than that of a Knight-level vampire, though still below Elise’s. With Elise present, these things posed no threat. Mo Yu concluded.

Elise spoke: "You are no match for them. Stand back."

"Understood." The maid and the short man immediately retreated.

The Metal Monstrosities reacted. They crouched, moving in perfect symmetry—one foot tilted and lifted. From the front, they looked like butterflies unfolding their wings, strangely elegant.

Elise let out a huff and took a step forward. Blood began to spread from beneath her feet, and blood-red thorns began to weave. Just as Mo Yu expected Elise to raise her hand and annihilate them, the blood-red thorns collapsed, turning into a rain of blood that splattered across the floor. Elise’s body swayed, and she slumped to her knees.

The change was sudden. The Metal Monstrosities launched their attack, erupting with terrifying speed. Sliding along the floor, they moved in two arcs, swinging their leg-blades toward Elise.

"My Lady!"

The maid noticed the anomaly and rushed forward instantly, condensing two blood blades to block the leg-blades before they could strike Elise.

*Thud! Thud!*

Two muffled sounds echoed. The maid’s blood blades and forearms were severed. The short man also reacted, roaring as he charged in with a flurry of blood-claw strikes, forcing the Metal Monstrosities back.

The maid knelt on the ground, dragging her severed hands back with blood and stitching them together; in a single breath, she was restored to normal. Elise clutched her chest, gasping for air, her pupils constricting violently. She was in a terrible state, unable to even speak.

Mo Yu’s first thought was: *She’s been poisoned.*

But... she was a vampire!

"Take the Young Lady and go!"

The maid reacted quickly. She scooped up Elise and threw her toward Mo Yu.

Mo Yu caught Elise. He could feel that she was in agony, completely unable to control herself. As she gripped his arm, her sharp nails tore his skin, sending blood spraying. Mo Yu winced in pain, immediately rising to carry Elise to safety, but the Metal Monstrosities were already attacking again.

When he turned to flee, he found the entrance gone. Behind them was only a smooth wall. Relying on his memory, he kicked the wall with all his might, but with a deafening boom, the force of the rebound threw him backward. His current strength was unable to break the wall.

He tried to find another exit, circling the room, but found nothing. By then, the battle was over. The maid and the short man had been shredded by the leg-blades, turning into ash and dissipating. The two Metal Monstrosities glided across the floor toward the center of the room.

Mo Yu knelt on the ground, his attention drawn to Elise in his arms. He was shocked to discover that the interface’s mark on Elise had vanished. Her complexion was regaining a hint of color; she had a heartbeat, she was breathing, she had body heat, and she was even sweating.

This was... she had turned into a human?!