Bathory, always full of confidence and dignity, lost focus in her pupils.
[Boss]
[Bathory (The Deceiving Ground Spider)]
The system window blinks, filling up the view.
[The enemy is too strong compared to the player’s level. Retreat is recommended.]
“No, this can’t be happening…!”
Exactly two hundred and four, including the soldiers.
It was shocking that Bathory, of all people, fell victim to brainwashing against such odds.
“Bathory? You should still be resting. Just lie down quietly.”
“Wait! Elizabeth!”
The moment she, still unaware of the situation, reaches out to Bathory.
“Kyaa!”
Flames sprouted from the tips of Bathory’s blonde hair, as if to ward off any approach.
Magic roamed beside its master, baring its teeth at Elizabeth as she drew near.
“Are you okay?”
“Uh, yes. Thanks to you.”
Fortunately, Elizabeth was caught just in time.
The undulating flames did not pursue those who fled.
“Why is she acting like that?”
“Didn’t Lady Elizabeth see the flow of magic? It’s the work of that doppelganger.”
The Deceiving Ground Spider, subdued by the soldiers while unconscious.
However, it was meaningless.
Its spirit now possesses the woman before us.
“A perfect body.”
After a long silence, Bathory finally spoke, no different than usual.
“Infinite mana, light and agile muscles. Hundreds of times better than the worthless original.”
Her voice was clear yet emotionless, mimicking her usual tone perfectly.
The only problem was that it was inhabited by a dark doppelganger.
“Don’t you think so?”
“Ha. Who’s trying to gain sympathy from whom? Would you mind getting out of Bathory’s body right away?”
“Have you grown attached? You seem to care greatly for this woman. Don’t worry. It’s just a temporary body for me.”
With a smirk, her smile bore not the dignity of a noble, but cruelty.
“After I kill you and obtain the king’s position, you’ll become
unnecessary anyway.”
Bathory extended her arm.
-Whoosh.
In response, some of the flames shifted from her hair to me, shooting like arrows.
-Boom!
It was not simple magic.
Magic within magic.
The flame magic was combined with an explosion, engulfing a wider area.
Enough to melt the snow hill right beside us.
I sighed, holding Elizabeth in my arms.
‘We were almost caught in that.’
The magic I had seen once before.
If I hadn’t witnessed her true intentions, I wouldn’t have been able to dodge it so easily.
“Ho, you dodged this as well. However, your stamina will eventually not be able to escape the doppelgänger’s limits.”
Watching her own subdued body, she tilted her head in confusion and soon let out a smirk.
“Indeed, how long can you last?”
“Lady Elizabeth! Lead the soldiers and retreat!”
“And what about you?!”
“…I’ll have to figure something out.”
Just as Luciana did a moment ago.
Now, it was my turn to hold Bathory at bay.
Somehow, a solution would come to mind.
Elizabeth, contemplating something, hesitated for a moment.
“What are you hesitating for?!”
“Wait, I’ll find someone who can help us soon.”
The soldiers were no match for Bathory’s power anyway.
A high demon, and having indirectly experienced Bathory’s power, her quick judgment was fitting.
“To think you’d chat leisurely, with me right in front of you. You’re quite at ease!”
Now, the magic didn’t stop at fire but attacked in all sorts of vibrant colors.
Despite Bathory having sustained considerable injuries.
The gimmick that a doppelganger, when possessing, temporarily heals the host’s condition, was perfectly replicated.
I ducked behind a large rock, lost in thought.
‘Subduing that guy is one thing…’
The problem was what to do afterward.
How to securely capture Bathory.
The easiest method was, of course, to kill her.
Not thinking about the aftermath, just cutting her down along with the doppelganger was simple yet brute.
Her body, carrying the blood of an ancient vampire clan, could withstand a fair amount of injury.
If I could avoid the eyes of the noble soldiers, I could just hide her and then go look for her.
“Where do you think you’re going? Don’t think you’re safe just because you’re hiding behind that.”
-Kwang!
But against a powerhouse who could shatter a massive rock with one punch, it might be too much.
Even if I manage to hit, would my teeth even penetrate?
“How dare you imitate Lord Bathory’s manner of speaking, you vulgar trash? I feel like I’m going to vomit.”
“Hmph. You wouldn’t understand. Without borrowing someone else’s mind, this unfortunate fate of mine to live only as a beast!”
The opponent’s voice was filled with malice.
A murderous intent to definitely kill me was also present.
‘Of course, you wouldn’t know.’
I’m a doppelganger summoner, not a real doppelganger.
Ha. How should I cook this guy?
“To whine as if you’re the protagonist of a tragedy.”
Mocking, I completely erased the doppelganger strategy I had been developing so far from my mind.
‘I haven’t faced the sincere Bathory since our first meeting, but…?
-How dare you, a mere human riffraff, against me!
In games, haven’t I faced noble vampires, tired of them?
They’re strong, sure, but their arrogance makes them complacent as a habit.
The doppelganger, who swallowed her memories and mimicked everything from her speech to her behavior and personality, was no different.
“Hmph. Though you claim to be a king, your existence is pathetically insignificant and utterly arrogant. With this body, I shall personally take your life.”
Unable to hide her anger at my mocking, she immediately summoned her mana.
I looked straight at Bathory, her blonde hair fluttering in the wind pressure created by all sorts of magic.
“If you think you’re capable, then try to kill me. It won’t be easy, though.”
The start of phase three.
Before the fight, I swallowed a pill in preparation.
Seeing the ‘king’ swallow something and laugh confidently,
‘Freedman’, no, now ‘Bathory’, twisted his lips, mocking his opponent.
Maybe he had taken some elixir to temporarily enhance his physical abilities.
“How pathetic.”
Even if he claims to be a king, he’s just a doppelganger after all.
How could a mere human body, even with the help of an elixir, stand against a vampire?
-Kwang!
Truly, a body with satisfying performance.
As soon as mana is drawn, it can cast spells of tremendous power.
“…Ugh.”
In reality, he was only busy dodging throughout.
‘Hmm.’
Bathory’s brow furrowed slightly.
Whether it was the human’s skill he was imitating or the king’s inherent ability, it was unclear.
‘He’s quite good at dodging and hiding behind cover.’
But that was all.
‘So what. His stamina will soon run out.’
He acknowledged that his body was somewhat agile.
He had tried mimicking that body’s movements just before.
But no matter how much he dodged, he was gasping for breath as soon as he moved.
‘It was the same when I transformed, so it would be the same for the king.’
Bathory’s eyes narrowed.
Catching that exhausted nape wouldn’t be too difficult.
“Let’s see how far you can run. I’ll be watching.”
As expected.
His prediction was spot on.
“Huff huff…”
Hans, gasping for breath not long after.
“Already tired?”
“Hoo… I’m still spry. Unlike someone who collapses after being chased by soldiers for a few minutes, I’m not that frail.”
A mocking reference to his recent self.
Despite the king’s pathetic last struggle in front of him,
For some reason, Bathory felt a boiling heat rising from within.
“I’d rather not hear such words from someone as weak as you.”
Anger quickly translated into action.
A sharp pain felt in the chest area.
‘Ah. Is this magic using blood?’
A spell created by gathering the remaining blood from the blood bags after the recent battle with the warrior.
The cost was high, but the effect was undeniable.
-Fizz!
Before the opponent could even see it with his eyes,
The arrow of lightning made of blood reached him in an instant.
The king, unable to dodge in time, fell to the ground, trembling.
“Kraak!”
“It ended more anticlimactically than I thought.”
Even though his words were indifferent, Dusk could not hide his excitement inside.
“Soon, that throne will be mine!”
This vampire also has a useful, no, a top-quality body.
But above all, nothing could compare to the position freed from the curse of being a doppelgänger by nature.
As he was about to approach Hans, who had fallen, to finish him off,
A fragrant smell wafted into Dusk’s nostrils.
“Hmm…?”
The vampire’s tongue, and nose, are sensitive to the blood of strong and intelligent beings.
There was no need to guess otherwise.
It had brushed by his magic a moment ago, marking the snow with red.
“Ha. Even though you are a doppelgänger like me and I cannot taste your emotions, this will be possible.”
The appetite of a doppelgänger.
And the arrogance of a vampire.
Combining the two, Dusk stepped towards Hans, fangs bared, one step at a time.
-Crackle.
“Ugh.”
Of course, he fed him a bit of lightning magic first to ensure he couldn’t resist.
“Offer your blood to me.”
-Crunch.
Where in a creature does the freshest blood flow?
The place where blood just out of the heart is found.
Sharp fangs tore through Hans’s pale neck skin.
‘…Ah.’
The moment the blood from the wound touched his tongue,
Dusk forgot all the tastes of emotions he had eaten until now.
Orcs, worms, levains, humans…
Even the vampire’s, which had its own pleasure in eating, wasn’t like this.
It was pure concentrated sweetness.
Each time the blood slid over his tongue and down his throat, the pleasure doubled, making him crave more.
“Your blood is truly a supreme delicacy!”
He couldn’t help but exclaim his critique aloud.
Moreover,
Not just the blood, but his face also brought considerable pleasure.
His complexion, now pallid from being drained of blood.
He would probably die soon.
“As a courtesy to my predecessor king, I’ll grant your last words. Do you have anything you want to say?”
Smirk.
The doppelgänger felt a moment of ‘curiosity.’
The king, even while bleeding from the neck, managed to smile with all his might.
“I’m honored that you enjoyed my blood so much. Why don’t you wake up now?”
Attempting to appeal to the emotions of this unconscious vampire at this point was foolish.
“A futile hope. There’s nothing more to see. Now die…?!”
But at that moment,
‘Bathory’ collapsed onto the snow.
“What, what is this sorcery…?”
“Pant, pant… You should have eaten verified blood. Drinking from just anyone, how would you know if there were parasites?”
A man whose mouth was still alive, even in a dying state.
He must have played some trick.
As ‘Bathory’ reached out to conjure magic,
“Do you know? If you mix frostleaf with the northern specialty, cronberry, it becomes a poison effective against doppelgängers.”
Hahaha.
Hans Byron, the king’s laughter echoed.
“That means?”
“Well, it seems… I, being the king, am immune. But you, having drunk the mixed blood, are not.”
-Swish.
While he was helpless with a headache,
The king managed to stand up with difficulty.
“So, are you prepared now?”
Burnt by fire,
Pierced by ice spears,
Smelling of seared meat from the lightning,
He strode towards him with large steps.
Between squinted eyes, the pupils flashed with murderous intent.
For the execution of a traitor.
Even as his vision wavered uncontrollably, he staggered back.
“Ah, how can this be! How can you move with that battered body!”
It’s poison, let’s assume.
But he is a special doppelganger.
However, the sight of him approaching unfazed in a near-death state was truly terrifying.
He could feel his body, having expended quite a bit of energy, growing cold.
“Well, doesn’t everyone have at least one trick up their sleeve? Just like you took Lady Bathory’s body.”
‘Bathory’ clenched her fist, staggering to her feet.
It’s okay.
This body is, after all, of vampire nobility.
‘Try attacking me. If my life hangs in the balance this year, I’ll instinctively respond.’
However, Dusk continued to underestimate.
That all his thoughts were being read by the king.
“What?! Uh.”
‘Bathory’ closed her mouth with a flustered face.
Her arms were emaciated, just like her pale, blood-deficient face.
She didn’t expect it to be thrust into her own mouth.
But the king, who approached in an instant, easily brushed off her hand.
“Now, now. The fruit that bears poison is all the sweeter. Just drink up.”
“Ah, no…!”
His warm temperature was so close that he could feel his pale, soft skin.
How could he let prey that came directly to his fangs escape?
Instinctively.
Bathory’s body, even rejecting the control of the ‘earth spider’, bit into his forearm.
“Kyaaah!!”
At the same time, Bathory immediately stepped back, clutching her head.
-Kr, aaaa!
A desperate scream came from the ‘earth spider,’ who had been subdued by the soldiers.
***
[Quest Completed]
[Boss ‘Deceiving Earth Spider’ Defeated]
[Objective Exceeded: Boss ‘Bathory Erzsebet’ Subdued]
[Additional rewards will be calculated.]
“It was troublesome.”
Only after seeing the status window’s messages popping up could I finally breathe a sigh of relief.
However, there was no leisure to check the rewards.
[The duration of ‘Essence of the Extreme’ (Rank: A) has ended.]
[Stats will slightly decrease.]
The minimum strength to support my legs had just been cut off.
‘So, sleepy…’
Maybe it’s because I lost too much blood.
My eyelids were too heavy.
There’s still work to be done.
Bathory’s escape and dealing with the situation ahead…
“…Rip it up! Snap out of it! If this goes on…”
As someone’s voice faded, I immediately closed my eyes.
Cliche Novel 