Chapter 57: Chimera
Iradace, after being escorted away from Bai, was left in a small, simple room, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and anticipation.
If Bai was exposed as an imposter, she would also be hunted down—or rather, not even hunted. A single Vampire Knight of captain rank or higher could kill her a hundred times over.
Iradace wasn’t a skilled fighter. Her unique physique granted her a variety of strange abilities, but in terms of pure combat strength, she was no different from an ordinary Destruction Class being.
And in such a situation, even her master, the Ghost, couldn’t help her.
The Vampires, even without Queen Shaya, were still one of the most powerful races in the Abyss.
Elthorp might be wary of the Ghost, but the Vampires would not.
Just as she was about to despair, a figure entered the room. Not Bai, as she had hoped, but also not a Vampire Knight with a drawn sword.
It was a young woman in a simple white dress, her appearance delicate, almost frail.
“You must be Iradace,” she said softly, her voice a soothing balm.
“Yes, yes, I am…” Iradace said, a forced smile on her face.
“I am Vivian,” she said, nodding. She had heard of Iradace.
Although her true master was a well-known secret among the high command of the Abyss, to the outside world, she was just a mysterious, all-knowing figure in the Frigid Lands.
Any faction wishing to enter the Frigid Lands had to go through her, this weak, yet incredibly well-informed, woman.
No one knew what race she belonged to. Like Bai, she could use the abilities of various races.
Although not a master of any, her abilities were real.
A hybrid demon could perhaps do the same, but only with two or three races, at most.
And so, Iradace was a well-known figure, and because of this, no one dared to kill her.
She knew too much. Anyone who tried would have to consider the consequences.
And besides, there was no real benefit in killing her. It was better to just… make a deal.
So, Iradace had thrived, partly due to the Ghost’s help, and partly due to her own cunning.
Of course… all this was useless before the Vampires. With Queen Shaya’s influence, they were a special case, a race apart.
“Vivian… hmm? The Knight Commander of the Vampire Legion!” Iradace gasped, her heart pounding.
Was Bai an imposter? But why would the Knight Commander herself come to execute her…?
But then Vivian’s next words calmed her. “Do not be alarmed. Since you are now with the Princess, the Vampires will not harm you. Here, you are a guest.”
Vivian’s demeanor was gentle, her voice soft.
But Iradace was no fool. She knew that for Vivian to be the Knight Commander, she couldn’t have just been Shaya’s long-time companion.
Her strength, her abilities, had to be worthy of the position.
In the war that had unified the Abyss, a war where the Vampire’s iron hoof had trampled all opposition, Vivian had always been at the forefront, her kill count second only to Shaya’s.
Her delicate appearance belied her ruthless nature. Those who died by her hand were not just killed, but their very souls were evaporated, their existence erased from the world.
If she had not held back in her duel with Bai, if she had used her full power, Bai’s only hope would have been [Rebirth from Death].
She had lost to Bai because her mind had been in turmoil, and because, in a pure battle of skill, she was slightly inferior.
But that didn’t mean she was weak. Her true strength was only slightly less than Elthorp’s, one of the most powerful beings in the Abyss.
Before meeting Shaya, she had been the leader of her own Vampire unit, with her own unique combat style.
But she had been captivated by Shaya, had seen in her the future of the Vampire race, and had pledged her loyalty, her life, to her.
And her unit had become the foundation of the Vampire Knights, their unique combat style and philosophy later known as “chivalry”… in fact, the Vampire Knights were more like the ideal knights than the knights of the human Empire.
Iradace had grown up with the stories of Shaya and Vivian, ancient legends of the Abyss…
But that was all in the past. To meet a living legend, as long as she wasn’t here to kill her, was an honor.
“Hmm… after seeing you, I understand now. You are one of her people,” Vivian said softly. “If you weren’t with the Princess, even outside of Vampire territory, I would have considered taking your life.”
“…Do the Vampires have a grudge against the Ghost?” Iradace asked, her legs trembling.
“The Ghost? It seems he hasn’t told you his true identity. Perhaps he doesn’t trust you. Or perhaps he just doesn’t want to be associated with you. After all, you are…”
Vivian’s gaze pierced through her, as if seeing all her secrets.
Including the most important one.
“Knight Commander, you… you know me?” Iradace asked, her voice a low whisper.
“I’ve met your kind before, but it was a long, long time ago,” Vivian said, a flicker of memory in her eyes. “Perhaps before I even met Her Majesty. If I hadn’t seen you today, those memories would have remained forgotten.”
No one knew what race Iradace belonged to, because she wasn’t a demon. And she wasn’t from the Abyss.
Like Queen Shaya, she was from the destroyed Place of Divine Advent, one of the many demons who had fled the collapsing Promised Land.
“I remember it clearly. They called themselves—”
“Chimera.”
