To His Hell and Back
Chapter 55: Got You Hehe

Chapter 55: Got You Hehe

These creatures were once humans, but their movements were not humane any longer. They had moved so fast, quicker than eyes can follow. Yet despite their speed, their accuracy to kill Cassius was as steadfast as a practiced arrow.

Cassius barely had time to move his sword before the first creature lunged at him, its movements a blur of twisted limbs and unnatural speed. He sidestepped just in time, the wind of its attack slicing past his cheek like a phantom blade.

The creature giggled despite it not seemingly having any control on itself. It seems that they were having fun and giggles upon seeing that the vampire which had become their prey, was now pushed back by how quick they are.

Cassius could tell by their practiced movements that this wasn’t the first time they had been released so they could prey on vampires.

His answer was proven to be correct when he saw one of the creatures taking a bite off the head of a vampire, a familiar one. Familiar after all that man was once his coachman who had brought him and Arabella into the town. Now, he must have been mangled, being the first prey of these creatures.

He tched, annoyed that these creatures had laid a hand unnoticed.

His gaze moved around, knowing well that there must be someone controlling these unruly creatures, considering some humans are alive yet only vampires that are marked as "prey" had died.

Arabella gasped, stumbling back as another one skittered toward them on all fours, its body jerking unnaturally as if it had forgotten how to move like a human. But it had not forgotten how to kill.

Swiftly, Cassius’s blade met flesh... or what should have been flesh. The steel sliced through, but instead of blood, a thick, black ichor oozed from the wound. The creature did not flinch. It did not slow. It only turned its head, unnervingly slow, empty sockets where its eyes had once been staring straight at him.

"Persistent," Cassius muttered, shaking the ichor from his blade. He swiftly twirled his sword around, taking a calm step backward as he perfectly countered every attack coming from the four creatures that had attacked him altogether.

"They’re not stopping," Arabella said, voice strained, her fingers tightening around the back of his clothes as she was told to always stay behind him.

"No," Cassius agreed, sidestepping another attack with an almost lazy grace. "They won’t stop. Not until I’m dead, at least. This is fun."

"Fun?" she repeated, unamused. "How is this fun? They’re having an upper hand against you?"

"You wound me. This? Upper hand?"

The creatures moved again, faster, their bodies a blur in the dim torchlight. One launched itself at Cassius’s left shoulder, too fast, too precise. Arabella barely had time to shout his name before Cassius twisted, catching it mid-air by the throat.

For a moment, there was stillness.

Then, with a sickening crack, he crushed its neck with nothing but his grip.

The creature’s body convulsed violently before going limp. But even as it fell to the ground, its fingers still twitched, as if trying to claw toward him even in death.

Arabella swallowed, her heart hammering in her chest. "What... are they?"

Cassius exhaled slowly, his golden eyes glowing in the dark, not with fear, but with something far more dangerous.

"Something that should have stayed buried, tsk, hide around that house."

"Wait," she called him, but Cassius had moved forward, hitting the creatures all around. Clearly, in terms of power, he was much stronger than the rest of these creatures, able to hit them and wound them. He could also make sure to tear their bodies apart and squeeze the life out of their body.

Only if they hadn’t attached their own limbs together or twisted their necks back in place, he would have killed them the first five minutes since their first appearance.

He could tell almost instantly that even if he were able to go against these creatures, not every vampire would be able to do the same. Even his sister Marissa would have had a trouble against these creatures.

"Your Highness!" Arabella yelled, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw her who had tossed something on the air.

With precision, he flew from his toes, jumping to take what was thrown toward him. When he saw that it was a torch, an idea flickered in his head.

If he couldn’t tear or rip it apart, he could try burning it.

He held one of the creatures that was now holding his ankle, tearing it from the ground before pushing its head straight to the flame on the end of the torch. The creature’s body trembled, and it let out a ghastly cry of a human and a creature at the same time. The grating scream was just too painful to listen to and could make a human hesitate their next action.

But Cassius didn’t.

Upon seeing how effective it was, he had moved to the next prey. With one swift motion, he had taken a hold of another creature, slamming it across the ground with one hand before stabbing its throat straight with the flame, burning the house behind it in the process.

He took a couple more creatures, ripping them apart by holding one hand on its mouth and its jaw and then tearing it to halves before throwing it to the flame.

Bella’s mouth was agape, seeing everything that had happened- and how easy Cassius had taken care of them.

"Are you still going to hide?" Cassius then taunted as he stomped on the last creature, crushing its skull under his boots. Bella quickly ran toward him, scared, as she held onto his tunic.

"W-Who are you talking to?"

"The one controlling these," he said, spatting out in disgust at the new creatures.

Suddenly, someone slipped out from the darkness, giggling, following the person’s appearance. Cloaked from head to toe, the person didn’t let out much of their identity except the fact that their voice was very womanly.

The demure woman whispered, "You are strong. So much stronger than the rest of the vampires that had come here. You’re different."

"Of course," Cassius sighed, rolling his eyes in disinterest. "No one could ever come above me in this entire land- or maybe world?"

The demure woman giggled and let out a loud laugh until it came to a deadly silence.

"How confident."

"I know," he remarked with ease, which ticked off the woman. "But I wonder. What’s your reason for this?" He kicked one of the creature’s head that rolled toward the fire. "And what do you call these?"

"I call them revenants. Cute, aren’t they? So obedient and smart as long as you fill their bellys well." The cloaked woman mused, raising her arms, "I have so many of them, so, so many that not even you, a lone vampire, could take care of them alone. Now it’s my turn to question." She pointed her finger sharp at him, showcasing her nails that were shaped like a claw, bloody red across her black fingers, "What are you, vampire? A pureblood, sure, but something is still off about you?"

"Hm," Cassius looked at the cloaked woman. "How about you show me your face first? I know it must be ugly, but don’t be shy; I don’t discriminate. I won’t look at you in disgust... or maybe I will, but I will try my best to hide it."

The cloaked woman’s laughter echoed through the empty street, a chilling sound that seemed to vibrate against the very walls. "You think yourself clever, don’t you?" She took a step closer, her silhouette framed by the dying light of the torches. "But you underestimate the power of my revenants. They are merely a taste of what I can command."

Cassius smirked, his grip on his sword tightening. "Power is impressive, but it’s not all that matters. Style, charm, and the ability to strike fear into your enemies- those are the real traits to admire." He tilted his head, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "And I must say, hiding behind that cloak? Not very stylish."

"Enough!" she snapped, her voice a blend of irritation and amusement. "You think you can charm your way out of this? My revenants have seen to the downfall of many like you. I could fill this street with their kind and watch as they tear you apart."

"Sounds delightful." Cassius stepped forward, his presence commanding even amidst the gathering shadows. "But first, I’d like to see the face of the woman who sends her pets to do her dirty work. Surely, you wouldn’t let your minions do all the talking for you, would you?"

Her eyes narrowed, a flicker of annoyance crossing her features. "You really don’t know when to quit, do you? Perhaps it’s your arrogance that will be your undoing."

"Perhaps." He shrugged, the light of the torches casting shifting shadows across his face. "But I’m curious about what drives you to this. Do you hide behind a mask because of your beauty or your cowardice?"

Chuckling aloud, the woman placed her hand in front of her lips, "I don’t have to do anything, vampire. You see, I don’t even have to lift a finger to go against you-"

Cassius felt a sudden dull pain that had hit him.

When he looked down at his chest, he saw a wooden stake that had pierced him through, leaving a large, gaping hole on his chest as blood spilled continuously from the cut then dripped out from his mouth.

Unfortunately, there had only been one person who had stood behind him.

She looked as Cassius turned his head toward her, staring at Arabella who was holding to the brown wood that seemed to be broken from the nearby house, its length thick enough for a large hole to be crafted across his chest, straight to crush his heart.

"Got you," Arabella sang, her lips widening as she let out a bright chuckle. "Hehe, did you enjoy that, Your Highness?"

"Do you see that vampire?" The cloaked woman taunted, "Not every vampire is bright, and that includes you. For your kind, I don’t even have to lift my finger to be able to take your life."

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