Reincarnated as the Vampire Princess' Familiar
Chapter 37 - 36 - The moon of death

Chapter 37: 36 - The moon of death

«L-Lyon... what is happening...?» Ginevra’s voice trembles with fear as she moves closer to me, her gaze following mine toward the window.

An eclipse.

Suspended perfectly between us and the Minus Moon, a celestial body never seen before—a perfect, pitch-black sphere, darker than the night itself. The darkness is overwhelming, engulfing not just my room but everything around us. Only the frail, pale light of the small moon struggles to pierce through, barely offering enough illumination to glimpse what is unfolding beyond the glass.

«But that is...» I can vividly recall the unease, the fear that flickered in Ayra’s eyes when she spoke to me about it. That single expression had been enough to carve a sense of dread into my memory. «...the Mons Moon—the moon of death...»

«Mons Moon...? And what is that supposed to be?» Ginevra asks, her voice filled with perplexity and confusion. «Neither my mistress nor any other familiar has ever mentioned anything like this! How do you even know such things?!»

I can only assume that Ayra accidentally let slip something I wasn’t meant to know. Not that it surprises me in the least...

«To put it briefly, when the Mons Moon rises—»

A dreadful, primal sound suddenly cuts through my words, sending a chilling wave through my entire body. My blood turns to ice, and Ginevra, just as petrified, instinctively grabs my arm, clinging to me.

Then, it comes—a howl. The most terrifying, feral roar I have ever heard, erupting from somewhere beyond the limits of my vision. And yet, despite the distance, it crashes against us with the force of a thunderclap.

Our unease grows exponentially as—following that lone howl—another one rises, then another, and another still.

Dozens.

Hundreds.

Thousands.

The howls intertwine, overlapping from every direction, creating a grotesque echo that spreads through the night like a dreadful omen.

«Wolves...?» Ginevra murmurs, her voice trembling, terror creeping into every syllable.

«Lycan. Werewolves,» I clarify, my gaze fixed on the horizon, bracing myself for the moment they emerge from the darkness.

«According to... uhm... my source told me, these creatures draw energy from the Mons Moon. Alone, their strength is far below that of a vampire, but in a pack, they become dangerous enemies, even for the strongest vampires. Their sheer numbers are what make them a real threat—there are dozens of times more Lycan than vampires. Anyway, from what my source said, the rise of the Mons Moon and the resulting Lycan attack happens with a certain frequency. Though, considering the lifespan of vampires, their idea of ’frequent’ is a bit different from ours. That said, their assaults have always been repelled without much trouble.»

«I see...» Ginevra sighs, seeming somewhat reassured by my words. «But then, why were we kept in the dark about this? In the end, all the familiars in the dormitory know about them now anyway.»

«I suppose it was to stop us from planning an escape in advance,» I speculate. It’s the only explanation that makes sense. Right now, caught off guard and overwhelmed, none of us could possibly organize a large-scale escape with a clear head. If we had known beforehand, things might have been different.

«Those damned mutts are advancing! Prepare for battle!»

The voice of one of the vampire soldiers cuts through the night, briefly overpowering the deafening howls.

At that command, the Scarlet Army’s forces swiftly form up in perfect order. A surge of crimson energy bursts from their bodies as they arm themselves using the Telum

I focus my gaze, sharpening my vision—and there they are. Small black silhouettes emerge in the distance, moving fast, relentless. A dark tide, surging forward, ready to engulf everything in its path.

With each passing moment, their terrifying shapes become clearer.

They are true werewolves, almost exactly as humans imagine them. Most of them are around three meters tall, their fur as black as pitch, moving swiftly on all fours. But among them, others stand out—taller, nearly twice as large, covered in silver fur, standing upright on two hind legs.

Their small, menacing yellow eyes gleam in the darkness, just like their razor-sharp claws of the same hue. A golden energy flickers around their bodies, though the silver-furred ones radiate a much stronger aura—proof of their superior strength compared to the black-furred ones.

That endless horde is made up mostly of Lycan, but they are not alone. As they approach, other equally fearsome creatures become distinguishable—giants with skin a mix of green and brown. They are tall, though not as much as the silver-furred werewolves, and their massive bodies are packed with muscle. Armed in a crude fashion, they wield clubs and other heavy weapons. These must be the orcs Daphne mentioned—the enslaved race forced into hard labor, like rebuilding the historic center of Noxscura. Then, above the monstrous army, small demon-like creatures hover in the air. Their bat-like wings flap rapidly, keeping their copper-colored bodies aloft as they clutch long, lightweight weapons—spears and javelins. At the forefront of the army, centaur-like creatures charge ahead.

Further back, probably slowed by their pace, even more creatures march forward. However, they are still too distant to distinguish clearly.

It looks like a full-scale uprising of the races subjugated by the vampires. They must have waited for the rise of the Mons Moon—the moment of greatest power for the strongest among them, the Lycan—to unite and launch an assault against their oppressors.

Their numbers are overwhelming, and their march makes the ground tremble—even the walls of the dormitory shake under its force. No matter how far I strain my eyes, that monstrous army seems endless, stretching beyond sight. Meanwhile, the soldiers defending the dormitory number only a few hundred.

«I’m scared...» Ginevra murmurs, clinging to me even tighter.

It’s only a matter of moments before uncontrollable panic spreads through the dormitory. I hear the frantic, hurried footsteps of the other familiars echoing through the corridors of the thirty-plus floors, accompanied by their desperate cries of fear and resignation.

«What the hell are those creatures?!»

«We’re all going to die! We’re all going to die!»

I want to tell them they’re wrong, that there’s nothing to fear, that the overwhelming power of the vampires will wipe out this massive assault in an instant. But as I glance out the window, I see something unsettling—astonishment, almost panic, spreading among our defenders.

They probably didn’t expect other races to fight alongside the Lycan. And that realization shakes my confidence.

Finally, as the enemy army moves within range of the vampires’ magic, a soldier gives the signal.

In an instant, a dense barrage of crimson energy erupts from the rear ranks—a rain of thousands of thin, razor-sharp spikes. They shoot forward at blinding speed, crashing down onto the enemy’s frontline before detonating in a series of deafening explosions.

The darkness that looms over the battlefield is torn apart by a rapid, blinding sequence of red flashes. Immediately after, bodies and body parts are hurled into the air, only to rain down onto the ground in a grotesque downpour.

After the first barrage, a second follows immediately, then a third, each one delivering the same devastating destruction.

The corpses of countless Lycan, orcs, and centaurs begin to pile up, forming heaps of entrails, severed limbs, and torn carcasses. Beneath them, a pool of blood in various shades spreads across the battlefield.

The enormous silver-furred Lycan, however, have emerged almost unscathed. Despite taking direct hits from the vampires’ offensive, they continue their relentless advance, protected by that mysterious golden aura, which must have softened the impact.

Not only that, but the small winged demons—taking advantage of their incredible speed and ability to fly—manage to escape the massacre. They rise just high enough to get out of the spell’s range and... they’re heading straight for the dormitory!

Damn it! They’re trying to get in through the windows!

Without hesitation, I grab Ginevra by the arm—she’s completely frozen in horror from the carnage—pulling her away from the window before the small demons can reach us.

We have to escape... but where? Running out of the dormitory isn’t even an option—outside is undoubtedly more dangerous than staying within these walls. But locking ourselves in this small room isn’t much better; we’d be completely trapped, unable to move freely.

The only option right now is to regroup with the other familiars as quickly as possible and hope that these small demons aren’t any stronger than they look.

Still gripping Ginevra’s wrist tightly, I’m about to dash out of the room when a series of sharp, shrill, and agonized screams from outside the window suddenly grab my attention.

As they get closer to the window, the nearest winged demons suddenly start dropping like flies—one after another, their bodies consumed by terrible scarlet flames—before crashing against a semi-transparent red wall that only now becomes visible.

In fact, when the demons see their comrades roasted, they stop their assault, flying near the windows but not advancing any further.

I let out a deep sigh of relief—it seems that, thanks to the vampires’ effective countermeasures, we’re safe in here—but my relief is short-lived. The swarm of demons splits, creating a path among them, and from the farthest edge of the endless horde, intense and devastating beams of red energy explode, striking the barrier.

Hit again and again, the outer surface of the semi-transparent wall starts to crack in a worrying manner, until... CRASH! It shatters into a thousand pieces, like a glass pane struck by a stone, right before my eyes, my heart pounding with terror and dismay.

Those crimson-colored energy beams that destroyed the barrier around the dormitory... yes, this is undoubtedly Sanguis magic—the magic of the vampires!

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.