I Am The Game's Villain

In the Southern Gates of Valachia, chaos reigned.

A brutal battle unfolded between the Blood Elves of King Elashor Sarkian and the Valachian forces. The southern region of Valachia had been turned into a battleground, its streets drenched in blood and littered with bodies.

The Blood Elves had already penetrated Valachia's defenses, forcing the conflict into the heart of the kingdom. As swords clashed and mana circles erupted like fireworks in the night sky.

But amidst the widespread violence, the most violent fight raged between two figures: King Elashor Sarkian and the Valachian Royal Princess, Elizabeth Tepes.

For over an hour, their battle had ravaged the city. Though they fought just beyond the densest areas of habitation, the shockwaves from their clashes reached far and wide, leaving destruction in their wake.

-BOOM!

A thunderous explosion echoed as their weapons collided once more, sending both combatants hurtling backward. They landed atop the roofs of two opposing houses.

Elashor Sarkian stood on one side, his once neat white suit of armor now soaked in blood. Large punctures and gashes marred its surface, evidence of Elizabeth's assault. Yet, the wounds beneath had already begun to close, his innate regeneration knitting flesh back together at an astounding rate.

Opposite him, Elizabeth Tepes stood. Her black leather battle dress was in tatters, revealing a pale shoulder, a glimpse of her toned stomach, and the faint curve of her cleavage. Blood stained her armor and pale skin, but her crimson eyes glowed darker than they had ever been. Unlike Elashor, her wounds healed almost instantly.

She was healing each time she drew blood from Elashor.

Elashor wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to recover his breath. "Now I understand," he said with a chuckle. "Why my father and his army fell to you when you were barely twelve years old. You are indeed quite the monster."

The tale of an entire army, alongside their king, being obliterated by a mere child had long been dismissed as exaggeration—mere propaganda from the Tepes lineage. Even Elashor had once believed that Duncan, Elizabeth's grandfather, had been the true force behind the slaughter.

But now, facing Elizabeth's strength firsthand, he knew the truth.

"You flatter me, King Elashor," Elizabeth's lips curled up slightly at his words. "But flattery won't save you tonight. Blood Elves' blood isn't the tastiest, but with the army you brought us, we should have enough to last a good ten years. We can learn to live with it."

Elashor narrowed his eyes at the haughty sneer on Elizabeth's lips.

He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, his gaze locked onto Elizabeth and launched himself toward her. "I will show you the true might of a Blood Elf!"

In response, a flicker of crimson light erupted around Elizabeth as ten mana circles materialized, hovering ominously in the air. Each glowed with a red hue, pulsing with raw mana. The sheer control required to summon and sustain so many circles simultaneously was staggering, especially for a vampire.

But Elashor was no stranger to such feats. As a Blood Elf, his mastery over mana was unparalleled, and his affinity for blood was second nature. Drawing upon the residual mana within the blood of the deads, he funneled it into the spell. Rivers of blood rose from the battlefield, coalescing into streams that fed the glowing circles, amplifying their intensity.

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed as the mana surged around her. Without hesitation, she leapt from the rooftop. She darted toward the nearest mana circle with a speed that blurred her form.

-Crack!

Her rapier pierced the circle with surgical precision. The construct shattered into shimmering shards of mana and droplets of blood, the latter eagerly absorbed by her blade. The weapon pulsed hungrily, its glow intensifying.

Using the lingering mana from the destroyed circle, Elizabeth propelled herself toward the next one.

Elashor's expression hardened as he watched her dismantle his spell. "Impressive." But he didn't falter; instead, he focused his mana further, pouring even more power into his formation.

Elizabeth managed to dismantle four of the mana circles in quick succession, but her momentum faltered as the remaining six suddenly converged around her. The circles closed in with precision, forming a dome-like barrier of blood magic, cutting off any escape.

"You are the Tepes Princess, are you not?" Elashor muttered coldly. "Then it's only fitting you endure the same torment your kind has inflicted upon others."

He raised his hand, then let it fall in a decisive motion.

-BOOM!

The mana circles erupted, releasing a torrent of long, needle-like projectiles. Thousands of blood-forged spikes rained down on Elizabeth from all directions, the interior of the barrier consumed by a dense, blood-colored mist.

The sheer volume of mana condensed within the barrier caused it to tremble and crack under its own pressure.

Elashor's labored breaths could hardly hide his exhaustion, his once-flushed complexion now ghastly pale. He had pushed himself to his limits since the day's outset, expending vast reserves of his blood to unleash the devastating 6-Layered Spell that had obliterated the walls.

At least, he had managed to weaken Elizabeth. Surely, not even she could walk away unscathed from such an assault.

"She must've drained most of her blood," he murmured to himself, a thin, cruel smile tugging at his lips. "She'll be easy to kill now."

Or so he believed.

As the swirling blood mist dissipated, his eyes widened in disbelief. Elizabeth was still there, hovering amidst the dissipating crimson haze. Her posture was unsteady, her breaths labored, but she had managed to counter his attack.

Elashor was utterly shocked.

'How could this be?'

That spell was designed specifically to annihilate vampires, to strip them of their power and vitality. It should have reduced her to nothing but a half dead vampire.

Then his gaze shifted upward, and his stomach dropped.

Above Elizabeth, blood coalesced into an orb of roiling crimson, a sphere that pulsed with an ominous rhythm. The mana emanating from it was suffocating, something that made even Elashor shudder.

'I can't let her finish this!'

Without hesitation, he surged forward. Elizabeth met him mid-flight, parrying his blows, but the strain was evident. Each deflection pushed her back, her arms trembling under the force. She was flagging, the fatigue written across her pale, sweat-slicked face.

Elashor's strikes found their mark, carving wounds into her flesh. Yet, to his mounting frustration, the injuries knit themselves closed almost instantly, the blood returning to her body as if summoned by an unseen force.

"You still have blood left?!" Elashor growled, impatiently. Without choices, he plunged deeper into his reserves, tapping into the last dregs of his mana. Even as his vision swam and a lethargic fog threatened to engulf him, he drew upon his own blood to amplify his strength.

With a swirl, he landed a devastating kick to Elizabeth's midsection, sending her plummeting to the ground. Dust and debris exploded around her impact, but when the cloud cleared, she was already standing again.

Elizabeth tilted her head up, her crimson eyes locking onto his with an eerie calm. A faint smile graced her bloodied lips.

"..." Elashor's fist trembled as he pointed his sword at her.

Mana and blood swirled around his sword even stronger and denser than before.

Before him, a 7-Layered Mana Circle materialized, its patterns glowing with a blinding intensity. His body started breaking, every fiber of his being drained to its core. His vision darkened at the edges, and his grip faltered.

Yet he stood his ground.

"I'll end this," he rasped barely audibly. "Right here. Right now—"

–SPURT!

Before Elashor could release his spell, a sickening pain pierced through his stomach.

"U–Urghahh!" He gasped, blood spilling from his lips as his voice cracked with disbelief. His gaze dropped downward, trembling as he saw her.

Elizabeth stood inches away, her crimson eyes alight. Her right hand was buried deep inside his torso, her fingers dripping with blood that pooled beneath them. She had punctured a gaping hole clean through him, her fist emerging from his back.

Blood dripped from her sharp nailed fingers as she slowly withdrew her hand, the sickening squelch of tearing flesh reverberating in the air.

Elashor staggered, his body shuddering uncontrollably. The vibrant glow of his 7-Layered Mana Circle flickered and disappeared, crumbling into nothingness.

–Thud!

He plummeted onto the ground, his limbs awkwardly contorting to prop himself up despite the mortal wound. Even now, he managed to move. The hole in his stomach should have ended him outright, but he wasn't a normal opponent to begin with.

If she had taken the 7-Layered Mana Circle, she might have really died.

Elizabeth descended gracefully to the ground, landing before him. Her chest heaved, blood dribbling from the corners of her lips, yet her expression remained calm.

"Ah... even in the end, you got the better of me," Elashor choked out. A bitter, bloodied smile curled his lips.

"You should thank me, King Elashor," Elizabeth replied as she raised her rapier. She licked the blood staining the blade, her tongue dragging languidly over the crimson streaks. "You'll be reunited with your father soon enough."

Elashor didn't even have the strength to muster anger. He laughed weakly, accompanied by gurgling coughs.

"S—Selene Tepes…the supposed reincarnation of the Vampire-Witch," he wheezed, lifting his gaze to meet Elizabeth's. "It's a lie, isn't it? She's just a vessel... but her essence, her power—it lives in you."

Elizabeth tilted her head, her fingers trailing up to her blood-soaked lips. She tasted the life still clinging to her fingertips, savoring it.

"King Elashor," she whispered. "Do you honestly think that if I were the Vampire-Witch, you would've lasted more than five seconds against me?"

Elashor's gaze faltered. A hint of a smile passed over his face as his strength gave way.

"T–That... might be true," he whispered hoarsely, his voice trailing off. His body collapsed, lifeless, at her feet.

–Thud!

Elizabeth gazed down at his still form. Then, without hesitation, she raised her hand, her fingers spreading wide.

The massive sphere of crimson blood hovering above her pulsed violently, like the rhythm of a colossal heartbeat.

"Kill them," she muttered.

The sphere quivered before erupting.

–BOOM!

With each pulse, dozens of crimson spears shot forth, streaking across the sky. They hurtled toward the Southern Gates, unleashing a barrage of death.

Her enhanced senses caught the distant, chaotic cries of the Blood Elves as they fell one by one, skewered by spears they couldn't see or comprehend. Their screams only brought a smile to Elizabeth's lips.

Her gaze drifted back to Elashor's corpse. She crouched, her bloodstained hand reaching toward his chest, her eyes gleaming red.

But suddenly, her fingers froze mid-air.

"Oh?" Her head tilting as she turned sharply toward the Eastern Gates, her gaze narrowing on something far in the distance.

Her smile widened and without hesitation, she kicked off the ground.