"..."
In the exquisite courtyard, the air grew increasingly hostile and heavy, and everyone on Riezel's side, except for Riezel himself, tensed up the moment their enemies appeared.
Lakyus glanced around, taking in the sight of enemies who sneered coldly and exuded an aura of danger before calling out their identities.
"All of you're Six Arms, aren't you?"
From their number alone, there was no doubt about it.
Not to mention that there were exactly six people appearing—not one more, not one less—the atmosphere they gave off and the deadly ambush from just moments ago made it clear to anyone with a shred of sense that these six weren't ordinary individuals but beings capable of threatening even the highest-ranked Adamantite Adventurers.
Naturally, among Eight Fingers, the ones who could rival Adamantite Adventurers, like the members of Blue Roses, were only the members of Six Arms.
Moreover, they had more or less revealed their abilities, confirming their identities.
Among them, the seductive woman dressed in sheer silk, with gold bangles on her wrists and ankles and six scimitars floating around her, was Dancing Scimitar Edstrom.
Beside Edstrom, the man dressed in luxurious clothes, styled like a matador, holding a rapier with a rose-shaped cross-guard, was Thousand Kills Malmvist.
Malmvist, another member of Six Arms, was a poison-user swordsman who specialized in thrust attacks. When he had launched a lightning-fast strike at Gagaran with his rose-adorned rapier earlier, his rapier's fragrant scent carried a faint but unmistakable trace of deadly poison, proving him to be Malmvist.
As for the armored warrior clad in steel full-body armor and wielding a whip-like sword, he was clearly Spatial Slash Peshurian.
Peshurian, known for his ability to strike enemies even from a distance, perfectly fit this description, as his weapon, a sword that could be used like a whip, matched this unique ability.
Another one was the pale, gaunt man in black, his skin tinged with an unnatural bluish-white hue as if he had never seen sunlight—unmistakably Phantom Devil Succulent.
Succulent was a master of illusions, so when he concealed himself using illusion magic and launched a sneak attack on Lakyus earlier, there was no one else it could have been but Succulent.
Meanwhile, the magic caster in a hooded robe, emitting an aura devoid of life, resembling a corpse, was Undead King Davernoch.
Davernoch wasn't human but undead—or more precisely, an elder lich born from the negative energy that emerged from the corpse of an evil magic caster after death. Unlike mindless, low-tier undead, however, he retained intelligence and could wield magic far beyond that of ordinary human magic casters.
Needless to say, the one who had just cast Fireball at Tia and Tina could only be Davernoch.
Finally, the bald, muscular man who emerged from the mansion last, having not participated in the earlier ambush, was unmistakably Zero, the leader of Six Arms.
Known as Battle Demon Zero, he was tasked with managing the illegal security business for Eight Fingers, renowned as the most powerful combatant within Eight Fingers.
As these six figures appeared, Lakyus's question had practically answered itself before she even asked it—no need for an answer.
Of course, the current Six Arms were not the same as before, so Lakyus's question wasn't entirely redundant.
"Hmph, they've shown up right in front of us, yet we can't feel even the slightest living aura from them..."
Evileye, glaring at the members of Six Arms, spoke in a tone dripping with contempt from behind her mask.
"Tch, these bastards are just as the intel suggested... they're no longer humans..."
Even though the fact was already in front of their eyes, Evileye and the other members of Blue Roses still found it hard to believe.
"...Looking at them, they seem like they can still talk normally, just like when they were humans. Are they really vampires turned through blood-draining?" Brain couldn't help but voice his doubt.
It was true that vampires could create others of their kind by draining their victims' blood completely, turning them into subservient vampires, but the ones created in this way were typically far less intelligent—mere Lesser Vampires, like the ones that had attacked Riezel and the others before.
Yet, aside from Davernoch, the five standing before them displayed intelligence and personalities no different from when they were humans, clearly indicating that they weren't Lesser Vampires but a completely different kind—vampires that had been born naturally.
Understanding this very fact, everyone present, including Evileye, was astonished.
Among them, only Riezel understood the truth.
Shalltear Bloodfallen, the highest-tier vampire known so far, was an anomaly.
Even though the number of vampire servants she could create was limited, she could create them with intelligence nearly equivalent to that of humans, producing vampire servants entirely different from the usual Lesser Vampires, with their minds, memories, and personalities intact, as if they had never stopped being humans.
Evidently, the five vampires before them had received this privilege, as rather than being reduced to mere Lesser Vampires, they had been transformed into regular vampires.
Zero's next words confirmed this.
"Do you really think my master's power is something weak little humans like you could comprehend?"
Zero sneered, his mouth curling into a grin as his eyes gleamed red, while sharp fangs emerged from his mouth, revealing his vampire characteristics.
In the next moment, the rest of Six Arms followed suit.
Aside from Davernoch, who was an elder lich, the other four also showed their red eyes and sharp fangs like Zero.
Seeing their transformation, Lakyus and the others wore grim expressions.
With their keen senses, they could clearly feel the sinister aura and oppressive presence emanating from the members of Six Arms as they revealed their inhuman forms—their strength and danger were unmistakably greater than before.
It went without saying that these individuals, who could already rival Adamantite Adventurers as humans, had gained even stronger bodies and greater power after becoming vampires.
Zero, in particular, stood out from the rest.
As the leader of Six Arms, he already possessed the strongest combat abilities within Eight Fingers, combat abilities that even the other members of Six Arms couldn't compare to. Now, as a vampire with inhuman strength, his aura surpassed that of many in Blue Roses—he even seemed to outclass Lakyus by a margin.
What did this mean?
It meant that this man might now possess power capable of challenging, or even defeating, those within the Realm of Heroes.
Naturally, the other members of Six Arms weren't far behind either, since their power had also risen significantly. Even though Davernoch was an exception, the remaining four were nearly at the Realm of Heroes—even the weakest among them likely surpassed Brain, which left him with a heavy expression as he understood this fact.
Perhaps only Riezel and Evileye could maintain their composure in the face of such overwhelming power.
No, Evileye, upon seeing Zero and the others reveal their vampire forms, seemed even more annoyed and disdainful than before.
"Hmph, it looks like you all have completely abandoned your humanity, huh? Truly disgraceful."
Evileye's mock was met with Zero's utter disdain.
"Hmph, you know nothing. Humans are such a weak race. Even if we didn't abandon it, what good would it do?"
Zero spread his arms, as if relishing his current state, and spoke in a tone of intoxication.
"I once thought that being human was at least better than being undead, but after becoming an undead and not losing my intelligence, I realized something—only by shedding one's humanity could one attain true power!"
"Do you know that the strength I used to toil and struggle for came so easily like this?! Can you even begin to comprehend how that feels?!"
Zero squinted his eyes, his expression radiating utter disdain as he gazed at Evileye.
"Of course, you can't. Humans are such an arrogant race, always believing that even without power, being human is still better than becoming monsters."
"Such a mindset is just self-comfort, a crutch to survive in this world where the strong prey on the weak! If humans didn't keep telling themselves it's better to stay human, they wouldn't survive in this world!"
"Now I understand that! Yes, I'm not like you weaklings!"
Zero's intoxicated and self-satisfied speech was met only with Evileye's scornful attitude.
"Hmph, funny."
Evileye snorted, her voice filled with disdain.
"It seems that after becoming a vampire, your mind gets twisted too. Physical changes can influence the mind, turning someone into a horrifying monster, and you're the perfect example of that."
"Not just your body, but even your mind is drifting toward something inhuman. Someone like you has no right to lecture me on how great it is to abandon one's humanity."
As Evileye spoke, her tone inexplicably shifted, as though old, painful memories were resurfacing, dragging her into some unspoken torment, which made her gaze toward Zero and the others grow increasingly cold.
Oblivious to this shift, the members of Six Arms sneered at Evileye's words.
"If that's what you think, then you have no right to lecture us on the benefits of being human."
"Besides, being human isn't all that great to begin with."
"No powerful racial abilities like other races, not even innate talents unless luck decides otherwise. What's there to cling to in being human?"
"Only strength matters in this world! Shedding our humanity was nothing but salvation for us!"
Edstrom, Malmvist, Peshurian, and Succulent spoke one after another.
Only Davernoch, reborn as an elder lich and having lost most of his memories from his human life, remained silent. Even so, his expression clearly showed that he shared the same disdain for the human race.
Seeing them like this, Brain couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.
'So, this is what it's like to become a monster for power, huh...'
Brain, who had previously doubted the worth of the human race and believed it to be an utterly weak and disgraceful race, suddenly felt relief as he saw how the members of Six Arms behaved.
'Staying human is better...'
Power was something that could be earned through effort, but once one's humanity was lost, it was truly gone—something that could never be reclaimed.
"Tch, talking to you bastards is just a waste of time." Evileye said coldly. "Get your master out here already. Let's settle this once and for all."
Upon hearing this, the members of Six Arms glanced at each other before bursting into laughter.
"Our master isn't someone you can meet just because you want to!"
"Dealing with trash like you lot is our job—no need for our master to step in."
"Humans like you? Our master wouldn't waste her time."
"You'll die here. Someone like you doesn't even deserve to see our master."
"Indeed."
Edstrom, Malmvist, Peshurian, Succulent, and Davernoch mocked one after another, but instead of angering Lakyus and the others, their mocking brought a sense of relief.
"Seems like that powerful vampire won't be showing up then? Honestly, that's good news." Lakyus said, a small smile forming on her lips.
Tia and Tina, on the other hand, began exchanging signals using their specialized hand signs.
"Let's focus our strength and take out Six Arms while the vampire controlling Eight Fingers is still nowhere to be seen."
"If that vampire shows up, we'll be screwed."
Saying these words, Gagaran and Brain shared the same thought, keeping a wary eye on their enemies.
Lakyus and Evileye exchanged a glance and gave each other a subtle nod.
Just then, Riezel, who had remained silent the entire time, spoke up in an indifferent tone.
"In that case, all of you can deal with them. I'll go inside and find that vampire myself."
Such sudden words left Lakyus and the others momentarily stunned.
"Are you sure?" Lakyus couldn't help but ask.
Instead of answering, Riezel shot back with a question of his own.
"Can you handle them?"
Before Lakyus could respond, Evileye spoke up first.
"Even though I don't want to use the same excuse they do, handling bastards like them will totally be fine as long as I'm here."
Evileye's cold tone brimmed with confidence.
"Good, that's what I wanted to hear." Riezel said with a faint smile. "Then, I'll leave them to you guys."
Not waiting for Lakyus and the others to respond, Riezel immediately turned and walked straight toward the mansion.
"Wait—"
Lakyus wanted to speak but was stopped by Brain.
"Alright, this is for the best." Brain shook his head. "Like I said before, if it's really that vampire, she can only be handled by Lord Brynhart. If we go, we'll just get in his way. Let's leave her to him and take care of these Six Arms scum here."
Lakyus froze for a moment, considered his words, and finally nodded in agreement.
However, while Lakyus and the others had agreed, their enemies clearly had other ideas.
"Oy, brat, who said you could go?"
Zero's cold gaze locked onto Riezel, who walked in his direction without sparing him a glance.
Being ignored, Zero's eyes narrowed, and his canine teeth grew longer.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! DON'T IGNORE ME!"
*BOOM!*
Roaring angrily, Zero stomped down, shattering the ground beneath his feet. In the next second, he shot forward like a bullet, carrying with him the scent of blood and a roaring gust of wind.
In an instant, Zero closed the distance with Riezel.
"DIE!"
Zero swung his fist, aiming straight at Riezel's head.