Digging her claws through the mud, Valentine picked herself up while her body still burned under the sun. The skin on her face was set ablaze, and her skull was protruding in parts. Though the sight was overwhelming, Glyea focused on the power of the ring and used it as a conduit to channel a mix of holy and light magic through her fencer blade.
"YOU LITTLE!" Holding her ground as the vampiress drew near, she readied her fencer and cast a blinding light spell. "ARGHH! Fuc-FUCKING BRIGHT!"
"Take this!" Aiming right at the heart, the knight staked her fine blade through Valentine's chest. Twisting it while the vampire's eyes widened in shock, she channeled a burst of holy magic along the spine of the blade. "AHHHH!"
Kicking the vampire queen in the chest as a burst of light shredded part of her chest, Glyea took a step back and watched her body smolder with a sacred flame. The queen's voice was gone, and in the small crater left by the impact, she lay, reaching for the sky, but not for long, as her hand eventually fell.
"Did I…" Frozen with disbelief, Glyea looked at her hands. "Did I just kill her?"
Burning with the after effects of channeling such condensed form of mana, her gloves had slightly melted, and her fingers ached as if they'd been hauling weights all day.
"No way," lifting her chin, she looked at the vampire's corpse. While doing so, the zombies surrounding them began to fall like wilted leaves. Walking towards the vampire queen, Glyea could feel her heart pounding in her chest–praying that this wasn't some trick. "Ash…"
The ashen remains of the vampiress and her clothes were all that was left behind. Her heart lifted in a flit, and with a cheerful smile, she turned around with her weapons held high.
"SHE'S DEAD! I KILLED HER!" Her voice echoed in the clearing, surrounded by the silence of the soldiers. Baffled by what they'd seen, they didn't know what to believe until one amongst them let out a crazed cheer.
"FUCK YEAH!" The trepidant voice of the soldier echoed with a quiver; however, joining in not a second after the scream of the soldiers grew into triumphant cheers. "WE DID IT! WE KILLED THE BASTARDS!"
"Thank god I thought I was gonna die here!"
"I promised my family that I will be back, for a moment I thought…"
"Ahaha~! FUCKING HELL I'M HITTING THE PUB AFTER THIS!"
"Gods above! I wanna go home now…"
A wave of relief washed over the men; some wished to abandon post and go home already, others fell to their knees as they'd finally gotten a chance to rest their bodies. The remaining stood quiet or cheering, yet both were in utter disbelief at what they'd achieved. And in their celebration, the one thing that they failed to notice was the fact that none of them had an ounce of experience from defeating an entire army.
Glyea, on the other hand, was brimming with power, so much so that the burns barely hurt her. The zombies, the vampire queen, as well as the monsters that they'd killed, were just enough to push her to her human limit at the moment, level ninety-nine. To reach beyond, some sacrifices were required. But alas, right now wasn't the time to worry about such things, as the celebration for defeating the army took precedence.
"WE HEAD HOME AND CELEBRATE! THAT IS MY LAST ORDER!"
"You don't have to say that twice!"
"Someone pinch me, this doesn't feel real…"
While the others were busy relishing the exhilarating feeling of victory, Zephyr rode his horse next to Glyea and offered her a hand.
"Lead them back as you led them here." Stretching his arm further in her direction, he waited for her to take it. "As for those who died, we will hold a vigil for them alongside the celebration of victory."
"Ohh…" Taking his hand, she pulled herself up on the disguised bicorn. "You're right. We need to collect them from the marsh; that's the least we can do for them now."
Nodding back, Zephyr led the charge back towards home with Glyea riding on the back. The soldiers followed with great enthusiasm, and while they eventually turned busy with picking up the corpses of their comrades, Aura remained behind to talk with Valentine before heading back as well.
Rising from the ash, the vampire queen dusted her body and stared at the succubus. A lick of scorn and frustration was apparent on her face.
"The sun, really? I'm not a mere vampling to need an umbrella to walk under the sun," folding her hands, she pushed Aura's shoulder. "And what's with these weaklings? They couldn't have chipped my nail if I didn't put up that show. If you want me to die, at least try to bring someone who can be a greater challenge!"
"Oi~ Don't take your anger out on me," narrowing her eyes to the nudge on her shoulder, Aura pushed Valentine back. "And if you're so hungry for defeat, why don't you fight me instead? I'll sate your appetite for battle."
"Hghn, whatever. Just tell me when I can meet him?" Valentine replied with a shrug.
"Give it a few days, and you can join us as a slave associate, catching up with us now that the shop is all set up."
"Don't keep me waiting," turning around, Valentine sprouted dark, pointy wings. "Or else I might just dry that city of all its blood."
Rolling her eyes, Aura gestured for her to fly away.
"Sure~ Sure~ Now go play mommy again!"
"At least someone does," glancing back at Aura one last time, Valentine added with a smirk. "Unlike miss absent parent over here~ Anyways, ta~ta~ ahaha~!."
Flying away, Valentine left with a sour taste in Aura's mouth. So what if she'd accidentally killed a few of the vampire queen's pets? It wasn't her fault if she couldn't remember! Or so she thought, and that line of thought was the very reason why Aura, despite being a mother, wasn't allowed near her own flesh and blood.