Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 592: Ball-tossing Vampire

One thing about Carriages;

While the Magic Circle of the driver often determines a carriage’s top speed, how strong the carriage is and how well it will do in collisions is completely dependent on its build and the driver takes no responsibility for its sturdiness.

As such, the fact that Caius was at the Fifth Circle and slammed into the Border Guard carriage with a Seventh or maybe even Eighth Circle Mage/Mage-Knight at the wheel, didn’t mean he was at a disadvantage.

They had chosen this carriage for a reason; it was large, it was bulky and looked decrepit but it was a unit that would win in most collisions. And that was the case here.

*BANG!*

The Border Carriage was knocked out of the way and went careening off to the side where many of the border Guards who were on foot had to act quickly so they weren’t crippled.

There were about three more carriages right behind the first so Caius kept going, knocking into them in turn until the way was clear and he could essentially ’gun’ it for the border.

There was about a split-second where the Border Guards marveled at his audacity and then spells were being cast. The number of Border Guards present wasn’t negligible but their main tool to stop the Leopolds’ Carriage seemed to be a blockade of Carriages. Compared to how many carriages were here, the number of Border Guards was considerably limited.

While there might be thousands of Mages/Mage-Knights at the Fortification they had come from, it was clear that this particular squad had been told their target was a single Carriage and thus didn’t feel they needed a larger group. They just needed a lot of Carriages to block the way while the pursuers herded the target over to them.

”Cast!” Yelled the squad leader to prompt his men to unleash their spells but his yell didn’t seem needed because the border Guards were already attacking before he spoke.

Every Basic Element was represented as the spells struck the Carriage. The turtle Formation deflected most of the damage but the carriage was still forced to turn away from the border as Caius struggled to retain control of it.

The Bounty Hunter carriages—the ones that hadn’t been destroyed during the combo attack of Meline and Nadine—drew close now and came in for a collision. One from each side.

At the very last second, Caius stopped the Carriage, causing the two carriages to outstrip him and slam into one another in a very loud and impactful clash.

*BANG!!!*

Caius didn’t get to celebrate his gambit though because his stopping had allowed not only the bounty hunters but also the Border Guard carriages to catch up to him. One of them struck the back of the turtle shell around the carriage and Caius didn’t care to know whether it was a bounty hunter or a Border Guard as it didn’t matter anyway.

He just steered the carriage to turn toward the side so he could drive past the two carriages that he had caused to collide and keep heading for the border but then, his path was blocked by Border Guard Carriages who pressed against the front of the turtle shell.

More Carriages came now and they also pressed up against the turtle shell, essentially immobilizing the Leopolds’ carriage and ensuring Caius could not even garner enough momentum to slam his way through them.

Caius most certainly tried but the wheels just turned and the carriage stayed in place. Like it was stuck in mud.

”Nowhere to go!” The Squad Leader said with a smile in his voice and then he gestured at his standing squad members who all had spell circles active.

”Cast!”

The spells struck the turtle shell and even with the shielding, the Leopold Carriage shook violently. Again and again, they were stuck by barrages that made Caius feel as though his brain was being knocked loose in his brain and would soon start rattling about.

”How long before they get through?” Caius asked with gritted teeth.

”The Formation isn’t very subtle. It’s a very obvious one, displaying its center for all to see. They’ve struck that center a few times already so I say a few more barrages should do it,” Roxanne said in a regrettable voice.

”I suppose we shouldn’t let that happen then,” Nadine said, ”We should fight our way out before they get through.”

”We should,” Caius agreed.

But then, Roxanne got a gleam in her red eyes.

”Or maybe we should destroy the shell before they do,” she said.

”What are you—?” Caius started but was interrupted when another barrage made the Carriage tremble more violently than it had so far.

Roxanne seemed the least affected though because she had launched into an entire conversation with herself.

”Yes, tweak a few symbols... this one here... that one there... a loop to turn the current of Mana back into itself...”

She blinked and seemed to come back to herself as she said.

”I think it could work.”

Without explaining what she meant, Roxanne retrieved her inscription pen and began to work on the Formation she had drawn all over the inside of the Carriage— the one responsible for the Turtle shell still around them.

”What could work?” Caius asked.

”Let’s just say there’ll be a supercharge... and then a super boom!”

”Super boom?” Caius said, ”I do like the sound of that.”

Another barrage rocked the carriage.

Roxanne groaned.

”Fuck! Inscribing symbols in this situation is hell.”

”Can you do it?” Meline asked.

”Of course,” Roxanne said confidently despite her complaint.

”In the meantime, we can’t just turtle in here,” Caius said.

”On it,” Hugo said in his deep timbre and calming voice.

”Your powers are physical, Hugo,” Caius reminded him.

Hugo laughed.

”Even a physical Mage can be effective at a distance, My Lord,” Hugo said, ”It’s all about having the right kind of ammo.”

Hugo was already pulling out of the Carriage until he was standing on top of it. Despite the next barrage rocking the Carriage, Hugo planted himself and wasn’t shaken in the slightest. He was like a rock and even with his mask on and only his eyes visible, he looked so threatening that a few of those attacking the carriage did a double take.

And then, with a flick of his wrist, Hugo retrieved a metal ball from his storage ring— it looked like a cannonball. Gripping the ball hard and taking the stance of a baseball pitcher, Hugo drew back, his eyes locked on one of the Border Guards— his target.

And then he threw the metal ball.

It whizzed through the air, faster than the eyes of anyone on the scene could follow and then, it struck the target, smashing through his sternum so hard that the metal ball practically vanished into the target’s chest. The force of the throw also sent the target flying a few feet away.

There was a single sound of a pained groan that escaped the target’s throat before he hit the ground and stopped moving. If he wasn’t dead already, then he would be soon, most definitely.

Hugo already had another ball in his hand. Taking a pitching stance, he took a deep breath like he was steadying his aim which was ridiculous because it had been eerily accurate so far.

Another ball whizzed through the air, out of the turtle shell, and struck another target. This one seemed to be of a weaker disposition because the ball tore through his chest and came out the other side so he just fell to his knees and keeled over dead.

Another ball flew right after that and another fell.

And then another.

”Can none of you defend yourselves?!” The squad leader asked angrily.

As Hugo drew back to throw another metal ball, the barrage of attacks that had been about to be unleashed stopped short as the Border Guards erected shields to deflect the ball.

”No! Not all of you need to raise shields!” The squad leader yelled.

The shields came down and the barrage was about to resume when Hugo let the ball loose and struck another down, causing the rest of the border Guards to again raise their shields and abandon attacking the title shell around the Carriage.

”Eh, how about that,” Hugo mumbled.

He had just intended to take down a few of them but this additional effect of making them too fearful to let down their shields and attack the carriage was very welcome.

Hugo could hear the steady scratching of Roxanne’s inscription pen across the inside of the carriage and could tell the recent pause in the carriage-rocking had let her work faster.

”You fucking idiots!” The Squad Leader yelled, ”Attack!”

The Mages cast their spells to unleash barrages but once Hugo drew back like he was about to throw, they once again stopped short and erected shields.

”The next person to disobey my order in favor of self-protection will feel my wrath!” the Squad leader snarled,

”NOW CAST OR THAT BALL-TOSSING VAMPIRE WILL BE THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES!!!”