Chapter 132: Solo Speedrun
As Jasmine’s voice echoed through the chamber, she tightened her grip on the threads, shattering the thirteen coffins. A swarm of bats erupted from within. Jasmine almost laughed in disbelief. They’re trying to escape before even fighting? Truly a cowardly bunch.
She didn’t know how long these vampires had lived, but they were surely older than the oldest recorded vampire, who had lived for twenty-eight hundred years. After all, even the puppets they had put in their place were two-thousand-year-old geezers.
But transforming into bats wouldn’t save them. Jasmine had already figured out this trick. She quickly ensnared the bats with her threads. Realizing that this wouldn’t work, the bats coalesced, reforming into their human forms, then they unleashed flames, incinerating Jasmine’s threads.
Despite their cowardice, they were skilled fighters. They had immediately discovered that Jasmine’s threads were vulnerable to fire. The air filled with the smell of burning protein as the threads turned to ash.
One of the vampires smirked at Jasmine, his expression mocking. Is that all you’ve got?
Of course, Jasmine had more tricks up her sleeve. Although threads were convenient and one of her most frequently used weapons, her true strength lay in her own body. And she had brought something special for these ancient beings.
As the threads burned, two pistols slid out from beneath her maid skirt. She caught them, then, without hesitation, she fired at the vampires, who were hovering in the air, their bat wings flapping. They really do have a lot of abilities, Jasmine thought. Even bat wings. They resembled the vampires she had seen in movies and TV shows from her previous world, both in appearance and abilities.
Sparks flew as the bullets left the barrels, their trajectories clearly visible in the darkness. Most of the vampires dodged the bullets, but one foolishly tried to catch a bullet with his hand.
It was a terrible decision. Although the bullet didn’t penetrate his hand, the sunflower extract burned his flesh, adding the smell of burnt flesh to the air, mingling with the scent of burning threads and gunpowder.
The vampire screamed in pain, his words unintelligible to Jasmine. She guessed it was an ancient vampire language. She didn’t understand it, but she had heard Adele mention it occasionally. The intonation was similar.
So they really are ancient beings, survivors from a bygone era.
Realizing that the bullets were a threat, they no longer tried to catch them. They simply dodged, avoiding any contact. Jasmine’s pistols roared, the chamber emptying quickly.
Although the researchers at the institute had developed automatic firearms, the magazine capacity was limited. She had to reload. She dropped the suitcase she had been carrying, kicking it open. With agile movements, she grabbed a new magazine and reloaded, then she closed the suitcase with a swift kick and slung it over her shoulder.
Her movements were impressive, but the Elders weren’t fools. They realized that the suitcase, filled with bullets, was the true threat, so they focused their attacks on it.
Jasmine dodged their magic, while they dodged her bullets. She held her own against the thirteen Elders, sparks flying as bullets ricocheted off the walls, their magic illuminating the chamber in a dazzling display of light and sound.
But her ammunition was finite. And when she stumbled, one of the Elders seized the opportunity, blasting her suitcase apart. She had managed to toss it away just in time, avoiding the explosion.
She landed on the floor, her movements momentarily halted.
The thirteen Elders were still unharmed, their wings beating, their expressions mocking. “You’re quite skilled, human,” one of them said. “You managed to find us and even injure us.” Jasmine’s speed and accuracy had forced them to take risks to destroy her suitcase. Although they weren’t seriously injured, they had sustained several minor wounds.
The bullets themselves hadn’t caused much damage, but the sunflower extract had burned their flesh. If the firearms were this effective against the Elders, imagine their power against other vampires.
To Jasmine’s surprise, they were speaking modern vampire language.
But it made sense. If they couldn’t understand it, they wouldn’t even know when someone was insulting them. How embarrassing would that be?
Jasmine didn’t reply. She simply dropped the two pistols. Her gunslinger act was over. Now it was time for her One-Punch Man routine. She cracked her neck, the sound echoing through the chamber.
She focused on one of the Elders, who suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He felt like he was being hunted, and he was the prey. Before he could react, Jasmine lunged forward, her strength so great that she created a large hole in the floor. Before the other Elders could react, she had grabbed the vampire she had targeted, one hand gripping the magic stones embedded in the ceiling, the other hand clutching his head.
She smiled, a predatory grin. She twisted his head, ignoring his screams, until it detached from his body. A moment later, he turned to ash, scattering on the floor.
With a graceful flip, she landed beside the ashes. She looked at the remaining twelve Elders. “You’re not that strong,” she said, her voice mocking.
Her words enraged them. They realized that this human was different from the challengers they had faced before. They attacked her simultaneously. Jasmine smiled, a true warrior’s grin. She had been holding back earlier, testing the firearms’ effectiveness in combat. Now that she knew their power, there was no need to restrain herself.
She easily defeated the twelve Elders. They turned to ash, and she landed on the floor, the chamber now in ruins. She clenched her fists, stretching her muscles. She had to admit, those twelve Elders had been somewhat challenging. She had even sustained a minor injury during their final attack.
A few strands of her hair had been singed.
After defeating them, she felt a sense of emptiness. She was too strong, her power surpassing anything in this world. She felt a fleeting moment of loneliness, like the countless protagonists in stories who had become invincible, only to find themselves without worthy opponents.
But then she thought of Adele. Having no opponents was a good thing. What if those thirteen Elders had been incredibly powerful, forcing her into a life-or-death battle? What if she had died?
How would Adele survive without her? She might even choose to die with Jasmine. Or she might spend her long life searching for Jasmine, becoming a lonely, ancient widow.
Jasmine couldn’t bear to imagine such a scenario.
She searched the ruined chamber, even using her pistols to knock on the walls, but she couldn’t find a way out. There was only one solution, just like she had imagined: punch her way out.
She took a deep breath, focusing all her strength into her fist. She had never used her full power before. Her fight with the Elders had been just a warm-up. The ground beneath her feet cracked under the immense pressure, debris floating in the air.
Then she launched herself upwards, her fist slamming into the ceiling. Countless magic stones shattered, their fragments raining down, their sound drowned out by a deafening roar.
The next moment, she felt the earth above her give way. Soil and rocks rained down on her, but they felt soft and yielding, like clouds, as her fist shattered them.
She burst through the surface, soaring into the air. It was still daytime, the stars twinkling in the dark blue sky.
She saw the vampire capital below her, shaking violently, buildings collapsing. Unprepared vampires and otherworldly beings were crushed beneath the rubble.
—Perhaps… I went a bit overboard.
She felt a twinge of guilt, but then she thought, The innermost walls are off-limits to humans. And the tremors wouldn’t be as strong further out. The human servants should be fine. And as for the vampires… well, it doesn’t really matter if they’re injured, does it? Besides, they’re strong. They should be able to handle it.
She spotted a swarm of bats emerging from the bunker, coalescing into human forms as they reached the surface. She saw a pale figure with long silver hair, now tangled and covered in dirt. That must be Adele’s grandmother, she thought.
There were also several other vampires she didn’t recognize, but their green and gold hair revealed their identities. Jasmine landed gracefully, then, without hesitation, she sent them to join the Elders, leaving only Adele’s grandmother.
She approached Lady Blake, stepping over the rubble. It didn’t really matter if she killed Lady Blake or not. For Adele’s sake, she could spare her. Lady Blake, facing Jasmine, seemed surprisingly calm.
She stood up and looked at Jasmine, her voice steady. “Is White… still alive?”
Jasmine shook her head. Lady Blake’s expression turned sorrowful. “Is that so…” She smiled at Jasmine. “Then what are you waiting for? Take my life as well.” Jasmine, looking at her, knew that even if she spared her, she wouldn’t live much longer.
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