The Villainous Son Loves His Mother - Chapter 81

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The throne room had transformed into a crucible of chaos.
Vampires under Elizabeth’s command were locked in fierce combat with the relentless waves of Undead pouring into the chamber.
Normally, lower-tier Undead like Zombies and Skeletons would pose little threat to the higher-tier Vampires, who had lived for centuries and wielded advanced magic and supernatural power.
A single sweep of their claws could reduce dozens of Undead to dust, and a mere glare could paralyze them—such was their established dominance.

Yet the scene unfolding before them defied all expectations.
The Vampires’ claws, fangs, and magic undeniably destroyed the Undead.
But the Undead showed no fear. They fell only to rise again, surging forward in endless waves as if springing from an inexhaustible source.
Completely stopping their movements required more than one strike.
Such resilient foes, attacking in relentless waves, gradually wore down even the elite Vampires.

“Tch, these weaklings… how annoying!”

An Elder Vampire slashed through a group of Skeletons with bl00d blades erupting from his arms, but new Skeletons immediately filled the gaps.
The eerie light burning in their eye sockets showed no fear or hesitation.
Alphonse glared sharply at a Dullahan, the suspected mastermind behind this unnatural phenomenon.

(That Headless Knight must be commanding them.)

Without hesitation, Alphonse sliced open the palm of his right hand with a knife.
Fresh bl00d flowed freely.
The bl00d didn’t drip onto the floor. Alphonse’s magic power instantly coagulated it, transforming it into a crimson sword that radiated a sinister glow.
This was a combat technique unique to vampires, who wield the power of bl00d.
Grasping the bl00d sword tightly, Alphonse kicked off the floor and charged at the Dullahan.

“Get out of my way, you failure!”

Alphonse’s sword flashed, clashing violently against the Dullahan’s rusted greatsword.
Sparks flew, and the metallic clang echoed sharply through the air.
Their strength was nearly equal.
Alphonse, a Noble Vampire—a superior individual among Elder Vampires—possessed the power to fell even a Dullahan with a single strike.
But reality defied expectations.
With each clash of their blades, the crushing weight transmitted through the Dullahan’s greatsword far exceeded Alphonse’s calculations.

“Damn it…!”

Panic surged through Alphonse’s chest.
He swung his sword even more fiercely, trying to overwhelm the Dullahan.
In terms of skill, Alphonse clearly had the upper hand.
Shallow cuts gradually accumulated on the Dullahan’s black armor.

Yet none proved decisive.

The Dullahan skillfully evaded fatal blows, countering with uncanny precision, as if reading Alphonse’s attack patterns.
Though Alphonse felt he was gaining ground, he gritted his teeth in frustration, unable to land the final blow.
Why were these Undead, who should have been inferior in rank, fighting so fiercely?

The answer lay in their absolute loyalty to their new master, Hein Sera Aster.
Hein had rewritten the very essence of their souls.
Once, they had been mere aimless wanderers, existing only to prey on the living.
Or perhaps they had been pawns, bound by the dominion of higher-ranking Undead, their sole purpose to spread pain and hatred.
But Hein showed them a new horizon:
It was Devotion to absolute power.
It was the joy of having their very existence affirmed.
It was the fulfillment of functioning as part of a greater will.

The moment Hein’s Magic Power touched them, their corrupted souls were burned away and reborn.
To move according to their new master’s will was now their sole reason for being, their ultimate joy.
This loyalty had awakened dormant potential within them, transcending their limitations as mere Undead.
The Dullahan’s greatsword suddenly began to radiate a malevolent purple aura.

Alphonse’s skin prickled at the sight.
Alphonse instinctively knew he couldn’t withstand the attack. In that moment, he braced himself for death.
A dull, crushing sound echoed through the hall.
The Dullahan’s black armor, which had been radiating a violet aura, shattered as easily as an overripe fruit.

“What are you struggling for, you idiot!”

A high-pitched, but intimidating voice.
Elizabeth stood there, her delicate foot planted firmly on the Dullahan’s remains. Her beautiful face was twisted with displeasure and fury.

“You’re all utterly useless!”

As Elizabeth spat out the words, a tempest of raw Magic Power erupted from her body. It was a simple, untamed release of magical energy, yet the torrent swept through the throne room in an instant, obliterating every Undead that dared defy her will.
Zombies crumbled to dust in an instant, while skeletons vanished without leaving a single bone fragment behind.
Elizabeth gasped for breath, her shoulders heaving. Even for her, eradicating the Undead—who had been wielding extraordinary power fueled by their fanatical loyalty—had required a considerable expenditure of energy.
Pearls of sweat glistened on her forehead, while her bl00d-red eyes still burned with fury.

“Forgive me, Lady Elizabeth…!”

Alphonse knelt before Elizabeth, bowing his head deeply alongside the few surviving Elder Vampires. His voice was thick with shame for his own inadequacy.
Elizabeth glanced at Alphonse, her beautiful face twisting further into a scowl.

“Useless…! I have no need for incompetent subordinates!”

Elizabeth’s murderous intent turned toward Alphonse.
But then, her movements froze.
Her sharp gaze snapped toward the direction where the throne room doors had been shattered moments earlier.
Confused by Elizabeth’s sudden shift, Alphonse cautiously asked,

“Lady Elizabeth…? What’s wrong…?”

Elizabeth didn’t answer. Her expression was rapidly changing.
At first, she clenched her teeth, her eyes blazing with murderous intent.
But gradually, the tension drained from her face, and beads of cold sweat began to seep through her skin.
Then her eyes widened, and her slender body began to tremble violently.

(This…)

Alphonse recognized the reaction well.
It was strikingly similar to the expressions humans had shown countless times when confronting vampires.
An emotion he understood intellectually but had never experienced firsthand:
Fear.
After a moment, Alphonse began to grasp why Elizabeth was so terrified.

(S-something’s coming…)

The sensation was profoundly eerie and overwhelming.
It felt as if the full moon, which had been shining serenely in the night sky, was rapidly growing larger before her eyes, hurtling toward her at a terrifying speed…
Her instincts screamed of the approach of something absolute and inescapable.