Meanwhile, while the battle between Riezel and Shalltear intensified, the intense battle in the courtyard had reached its conclusion—or more precisely, an unexpected conclusion.
In the end, it turned out to be a complete victory for Blue Roses and Brain.
"How could this happen?!"
Zero, covered in wounds and kneeling on one knee, stared at the scene around him with a roar of disbelief.
Around the courtyard, aside from him, every member of Six Arms had fallen, their auras completely extinguished as their lives ended.
"Why?!"
"How did we lose?!"
"This isn't possible!"
Zero couldn't accept the outcome.
Edstrom, Malmvist, Peshurian, and Succulent hadn't stepped into the Realm of Heroes, but their strength had still increased dramatically. In terms of raw level, they were around Level 27 to 28, which was comparable to or even exceeded Gazef and Brain.
At least within Blue Roses, Gagaran, Tia, and Tina were definitely not on par with Edstrom, Malmvist, Peshurian, and Succulent, so the battle between Blue Roses and Six Arms should have ended with Six Arms achieving victory.
Even though Blue Roses had Lakyus, who had also stepped into the Realm of Heroes, and Brain, who had previously fought Gazef to a draw, Zero never believed they could lose.
In fact, at the start, Six Arms did have the upper hand.
Gagaran, facing Malmvist, was almost completely toyed with.
If not for her high-quality equipment and self-recovery abilities, given that Malmvist's rapier had left countless marks on her armor, she might have already fallen to the poison-user swordsman.
Brain, matched against Peshurian, was struggling as well.
He tried repeatedly to close the distance and drag Peshurian into his Field to execute God Flash and Wind of the Great Forest for a killing blow, but Peshurian always refused to close in, keeping his distance with his sword-whip attacks. Because of this, Brain was unable to finish the fight and was even forced into dangerous situations multiple times.
Tia and Tina, on the other hand, fared slightly better.
With a two-on-one advantage and their skills in stealth and assassination, they easily saw through Succulent's illusions and avoided being deceived. However, since Succulent's close-combat abilities had greatly improved after becoming a vampire, he forced the twin sisters into a prolonged struggle without a decisive victory.
Considering all of this, Brain, Gagaran, Tia, and Tina were bound to lose.
They were, after all, still humans, capable of growing tired, getting injured, and gradually weakening as the intensity of the battle wore on.
On the other hand, Malmvist, Peshurian, and Succulent, as vampires, felt no fatigue, healed their injuries rapidly, and could simply outlast their opponents until Brain and the others collapsed.
One could say that their situation was somewhat similar to the battles between humans and demons in the world of Demon Slayer.
Against demons with extraordinary regenerative abilities who couldn't be killed unless decapitated by Nichirin Swords, and who neither tired nor truly suffered injuries, Demon Slayers were at a constant disadvantage. If the fight dragged on too long, it was inevitable that the humans would lose.
Even the battle between Lakyus and Zero followed this pattern.
Both sides fought with all their might, but neither could overwhelm the other. As time passed, Lakyus gradually began to falter, nearly running out of magical energy, and could only rely on the dark energy drawn from Kilineiram to hold her ground against Zero, barely maintaining a stalemate.
Needless to say, the battle seemed entirely in favor of Six Arms.
However, Zero and his group underestimated one person—Evileye.
Evileye, the magic caster with a low presence among the members of Blue Roses, seen by many as less impressive than Lakyus, faced Edstrom and Davernoch alone.
What was the result?
She displayed overwhelming power, effortlessly destroying the two.
Yes, Evileye single-handedly took on the two and easily defeated them, taking down both Edstrom and Davernoch.
Naturally, that wasn't all.
Evileye even had enough strength left to help Gagaran, Tia, and Tina.
First, she assisted Gagaran in subduing Malmvist, allowing Gagaran to smash Malmvist's head with her war pick. Next, she used her magic to immobilize Succulent, who had been relying on illusions, allowing Tia and Tina to pierce his heart and throat, killing him instantly.
When Evileye, Gagaran, Tia, and Tina finished their fights and turned to help Brain against Peshurian, however, Brain surprisingly stopped them.
"I've got this!"
Brain spoke simply, urging them to assist Lakyus in dealing with Zero instead.
With that, Lakyus's battle outcome was practically decided.
Facing the combined assault from all the members of Blue Roses, especially with Evileye, a being far beyond human, joining, even someone like Zero, a vampire who had stepped into the Realm of Heroes, stood no chance.
Against such a lineup, perhaps only player descendants like the god-kins from the Slane Theocracy could stand a chance, while someone merely in the Realm of Heroes would find victory impossible.
In the end, Zero fell as well.
In the end, Brain eventually found an opportunity in his duel with Peshurian, closing the distance between them and severing Peshurian's head with a single strike using Wind of the Great Forest.
As a result, all the members of Six Arms, except for Zero, were dead, while all the members of Blue Roses remained unscathed, completely surrounding Zero.
"It's over, Zero. You've lost."
Lakyus spoke calmly, stepping forward toward Zero with Kilineiram in hand.
Zero, however, reacted violently to her words.
"NO! We haven't lost yet! My master is still here! She's inside!"
"As long as she's here, no matter how many of you come, it's all meaningless!"
"Do you even know how strong my master is?! She's a monster! Even if all of us attacked her together, we couldn't even scratch her fingernail or make her take a single step back! One casual strike from her could take off the heads of dozens of people!"
"Forget about a few adventurers like you! Even if this kingdom sent its entire army against her, they wouldn't stand a chance!"
Zero's face twisted into a crazed grin.
"It's such a shame... If you'd died by our hands, that would've been a mercy, but you chose the worst possible fate instead!"
"What's coming next will be the greatest terror, the deepest despair this world has ever seen!"
"Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHA—!"
As Zero's maniacal laughter echoed in the courtyard, the members of Blue Roses and Brain exchanged grim looks.
Just then, a massive sound suddenly shattered the tense atmosphere.
*BOOM!*
Amid the sudden explosion-like sound, the mansion at the front of the courtyard suddenly collapsed, sending clouds of dust and debris into the air as it crumbled into ruins.
*Whoosh!*
*BOOM—!*
A figure was flung from the mansion ruins as if thrown by an immense force, smashing through ornamental shrubs and rock gardens, scattering rubble in every direction as they flew past Lakyus and the others before crashing into the outer wall, which shattered on impact, leaving only destruction in their wake.
""?!!!""
Lakyus and the others froze in shock, immediately spinning around and turning their attention away from Zero, now on high alert.
Zero was equally frozen in shock, but in the next moment, his eyes widened in disbelief.
No choice.
His disbelief stemmed simply from the identity of the figure who had just smashed through the mansion, torn apart the ornamental shrubs and rock gardens, and even broken through the outer wall with overwhelming force.
*BOOM!*
With a booming sound, the figure, with white swan-like wings flapping behind them, emerged from the rubble, clad in a tattered, crimson full-body suit of armor.
Despite their battered state, however, the figure radiated an overwhelming presence that couldn't be ignored.
In the figure's hand was a bizarre, tube-shaped lance, a weapon Zero had never seen before, and the crimson armor they wore was also something he had never seen before.
However, while Zero didn't recognize the weapon and armor, he recognized the face beneath the swan-like helmet—the stunningly beautiful face that revealed the identity of the wearer.
"L-Lady Shalltear?!"
Zero yelled stutteringly as the words escaped his lips involuntarily.
Lakyus and the others didn't respond to Zero—no, they were far too overwhelmed to even bother with him, for at this moment, all their gazes were fixed on the figure of a beautiful girl hovering in midair, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
As they gazed at the girl, an icy chill crept up from their feet, spreading through their entire beings and filling them with uncontrollable fear.
"Seriously... this is really bad..."
Even Evileye, who had just demonstrated incredible prowess moments ago, was now breaking into a cold sweat and speaking with a stiff, tense tone.
It was an inevitable reaction.
From the very first glance, everyone, including Evileye, knew exactly how terrifying this fully armored, unbelievably beautiful girl clad in crimson armor truly was.
Perhaps it was because the girl had entered combat mode that she made no effort to conceal the negative energy emanating from her undead nature, as her ominous, evil aura swept through the area like a storm, sending shivers down Lakyus and the others.
"I-Is that the vampire who's been secretly controlling Eight Fingers...?"
"You gotta be kidding me... How can that vampire be this terrifying?!"
Tia and Tina's faces twisted into expressions of disbelief as if they wanted to scream.
"Fucking hell, this isn't funny..."
Gagaran's face had already gone pale.
"A monster..."
Even Lakyus muttered in fear, her hand gripping Kilineiram, trembling uncontrollably, making her no longer resemble a hero who had stepped into the Realm of Heroes but instead seem like a helpless little girl.
As for Brain, his breathing had become rapid, his pupils dilated, and his face had drained of all color.
"I-IT'S HER!"
Brain shouted frantically, his face adorned with a terrified expression.
"She's the vampire who appeared in the northern forests of E-Rantel before!"
Even though Brain had never seen the vampire's true face, since the battle between Riezel and Shalltear back then had been far beyond his comprehension, leaving him unable to even track their movements, the aura of the vampire was unforgettable.
Unlike Riezel, who had mastered the Selfless State and concealed all traces of his fighting spirit and aura, Shalltear had fully unleashed her power during that battle, just as she was now.
As a result, Shalltear's overwhelming presence had left a deep impression on Brain, making him still remember the intensity of that moment—the aura, the pressure, the sheer terror she brought.
Now, seeing Shalltear again, there was no doubt in Brain's mind anymore—Shalltear was truly the same vampire from back then.
""It's her?!""
As Lakyus and the others heard Brain's words, they finally understood why, after that incident, he had completely lost his spirit and turned into the pathetic state he was in.
After experiencing Shalltear's terrifying power firsthand, they no longer doubted it—existences like Shalltear were definitely capable of turning someone like Brain into such a state.
"So, that rumor about Dark Hero Momon and Beautiful Princess Nabe taking down that vampire is just bullshit."
"A monster like that? How could some shady adventurers who just showed up outta nowhere have taken her down?"
Tia and Tina's voices were filled with despair.
"Yeah... she's way more terrifying than Landfall. Don't you think so, Evileye?"
Gagaran asked with a bit of dark humor as she turned to Evileye.
"Tch!"
Evileye didn't reply and only clicked her tongue in frustration.
Whether it was because she was unwilling to accept it or felt doomed, she didn't have the energy to banter with Gagaran.
While the members of Blue Roses and Brain were all stunned into silence by her presence, Shalltear didn't even glance at them.
"Maximize Magic - Greater Lethal."
Shalltear suddenly cast a magic spell, causing a surge of terrifying negative energy to erupt and settle around her.
Greater Lethal was a magic spell capable of releasing massive amounts of negative energy, which harmed the living but had the opposite effect on undead beings, healing them by restoring their health and vitality.
It was clear that Shalltear had cast this magic to heal herself.
"Thunder Breathing - Fourth Form - Distant Thunder."
*BOOM!*
Just then, another figure shot out from the collapsed mansion.
He was surrounded by lightning, moving at lightning-fast speed as he charged toward Shalltear like a bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of her, unleashing a super-fast lightning slash at the unprepared Shalltear.
*DING!*
Shalltear raised her lance just in time, blocking the lightning-charged slash, causing a loud, metallic collision that rang out like the sound of a bell.
However, the attacker didn't stop there and suddenly unleashed a punch, landing a direct hit on Shalltear's abdomen.
*BOOM!*
With a deafening crash, Shalltear was sent plummeting from the air, crashing into the ground and sending rocks and dust flying everywhere.
In the next second, Riezel's figure appeared from the lightning bolt, surrounded by glowing magical energy and floating in mid-air, his body crackling with electricity.
"S-Sir Brynhart!"
"Lord Brynhart!"
Seeing Riezel emerge and punch the terrifying vampire out of the air, Lakyus and Brain were both shocked and overjoyed.
"N-No way..."
Zero's eyes bulged in disbelief as she looked at Shalltear, who was shakily getting up from the crater while letting out a painful groan, and then at the figure of the young man who had punched her so hard that she had been sent flying, standing in the sky and looking down at her.
It was clear that in the battle between Riezel and Shalltear, Riezel had won the first round and gained the upper hand.