"Hey, kid. I thought you'd run for your life. Didn't expect you to come back."
The one speaking in such a mocking tone was, of course, that smug Auror.
"Oh? And am I not supposed to run for my life? Or is it common practice for Aurors to send a kid to deal with vampires while they hang back and watch?"
Allen shot him a glance, throwing the question right back at him.
The Auror gave a sheepish laugh and dodged the comment, quickly switching topics.
"So tell me, kid, how come it took you so long to deal with a few dimwits?"
Before Allen could reply, the man continued talking to himself.
"Actually, now that I think about it, those vampires were nothing like the ones I've fought before. Clumsy, riddled with openings... I could've taken on ten of them at once."
"Ten? Wow, you're really that strong, huh? Then how about we take it up a notch?"
"Take what up a notch? You think I'll let a brat like you outdo me?"
Allen flashed his usual "innocent" smile, the one he used to look sweet and harmless, and softly said just one word:
"Assassination."
"...Assassination?" The Auror froze. Then his voice rose in alarm.
"You're insane! Assassination? Are you serious?!"
"Come on, that's nearly two hundred vampires out there! You're talking about assassination? We'd be lucky to not get ripped to shreds!"
"No, no, you've got it wrong, old man. It's not two hundred vampires." Allen's voice was calm
"It's a horde of vampires being dragged around by werewolves. In other words, they're not much of a threat."
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
Several minutes later, the tall-and-short duo moved forward, the Auror grumbling all the way.
"I must be crazy to agree to this damned assassination plan! And to top it off, I had to spend three full Galleons on a box of chocolate frogs! You lunatic!"
But despite his complaining, his steps didn't slow down in the slightest.
Soon, they reached the edge of the battlefield. Allen's shoulder was suddenly grabbed by the Auror.
"Forget it. This is too dangerous. Let's play it safe and work from the edges first."
"Old man, I should be the one worried about you. Just keep yourself safe, alright?"
Allen smiled as he stepped into the shadow of a nearby tree. The next moment, before the stunned eyes of the Auror, his figure gradually melted into the darkness, vanishing entirely.
A chill ran down the Auror's spine.
Even though Allen had disappeared right before his eyes, and even though he knew it was just stealth magic, he couldn't see or sense the boy at all anymore. Not even a hint of where he might've gone.
But there was no time to stand around shocked.
According to the plan he and Allen had devised, his role now was to draw the attention of as many bloodsuckers as possible, and do it fast.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
The battlefield was in chaos.
At the heart of the werewolf village, bodies littered the ground. Most were furry corpses of werewolves; the remains of vampires were scattered here and there, but far fewer in number.
What pained the werewolf commanders the most, though, was how many of their own had begun losing control.
Many of the fallen were barely more than pups, young ones who hadn't yet learned to restrain themselves. Before they could be moved to the center of the defensive formation, they'd been slaughtered by the vampires like lambs to the slaughter.
Even worse were the non-combat casualties. In trying to protect the maddened younglings, many werewolves had been forced to multitask, fighting on one side while desperately dragging the little berserkers to safety. Some of the cubs, in their frenzy, had even turned on their would-be protectors. Over a dozen warriors were injured by their own charges and rendered unable to fight.
The balance of the battle had begun to tilt, just slightly, in the vampires' favor. And worse yet, the trend showed no sign of reversing. In fact, things were only getting more dire.
After witnessing his own child break free due to a handler's mistake, one werewolf warrior dashed out of formation in a desperate bid to save them.
Too late.
He watched helplessly as three vampires twisted the pup's neck right in front of him.
"Awooooo!!" His howl of grief pierced the night.
But instead of returning to the ranks, the father went berserk, charging straight at the vampires who had just killed his child. They had been trained in evasive tactics by their leader, and his wild attack was easily parried.
Grief hadn't granted him power, only a quicker death.
Even worse, a dozen other werewolves who had lost their children were driven mad by his actions. One after another, they too broke rank and launched suicidal charges, trying to trade their lives for vampire blood.
The result?
One dead vampire. A few were injured. And over a dozen more werewolf warriors lost.
With their numbers now depleted, the werewolf formation began to weaken. If not for the quick thinking of their commander, the vampires would've already turned the battlefield into a slaughterhouse.
The night was long.
Though the moonlight bathed the sky in silver, the heart of the young werewolf girl commanding the defense was shrouded in darkness. She didn't know how many more of her people would be lost before dawn.
She wasn't even sure if any of them would live to see the dawn.
But just as despair took hold, a sudden ring of fire exploded among the vampires, drawing everyone's attention.
No one ever watches their back in a sneak attack.
That ring of fire, bursting to life in the middle of the vampire horde, caught them completely off guard. Nine vampires were instantly incinerated. Over twenty others were wounded to various degrees.
And just as the enraged vampires turned to retaliate, the Auror who had cast the spell was already sprinting away at full speed.
Their furious screams rang out behind him.
Before the vampire leader could issue a single command, the Auror spun around from a safe distance and fired off a curse aimed straight at him.
The vampire dodged it with ease.
But that didn't matter.
The hornet's nest had been kicked. Half the vampires on the battlefield broke away to give chase.
And that was when the vampire leader noticed something wrong.
He had been left completely exposed.
But by the time he realized the danger, it was too late.
A silver flash streaked toward his heart.
In that final moment, he tried to raise a hand, to resist, but a cursed incantation struck him first.
"Fear."
From the deepest part of his soul, a tidal wave of terror surged up. He couldn't even twitch a finger. Frozen in place, he could only watch the blade pierce his heart.
Allen immediately retreated. A pierced heart was a fatal blow, yes, but not an instant death. Never underestimate a vampire's last stand.
But the vampire didn't counterattack.
Instead, he exploded into a cloud of blood and bats, his emergency escape.
Too bad for him, Allen didn't panic at all.
From the tip of his wand, a dark-purple raven burst forth.
Dark Wind.
The cursed bird tore into the swarm of bats, its magical energy lashing at their very souls. The vampire felt them drop, one after another, as searing pain wracked his spirit.
But in the end, one bat managed to escape.
He glanced back, memorizing the assassin's face, burning it into his soul.
As he flapped his wings to flee, a familiar, soul-deep fear surged through him again.
The last thing he ever saw,
was a raven flying straight toward him.
==========
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