My Horny Stepmom Turns Me into Her Vampire Slave-Chapter 9: The hunt at the abandoned mall

"Leviantis, do you read me?"

A woman’s voice reaches Brianne through her earpiece.

Time passes in the abandoned mall with the steady drip of water from rusted pipes. The air is damp and thick with the nauseating stench of rotting carcasses.

"I read you loud and clear."

"Stay sharp. If I’m right, you’re dealing with something big."

"I know."

"How’s the inspection going?"

"I just finished the three upper floors. I’m heading down to the underground parking now..."

As she descends the stairs, the stagnant stench of rot filling the building grows even stronger.

"...and I have a feeling that thing is down here."

She keeps her fists clenched and shifts lightly on the balls of her feet, ready to spring at the slightest sign of danger.

At the bottom of the stairs, Brianne steps into a vast underground parking lot.

Her flashlight beam catches the mutilated corpse of a man.

When she shines the light on his face, she recognizes him as one of the people who went missing near this mall.

Tok. Tok. Tok.

Brianne hears slow, sinister footsteps coming from the center of the parking lot.

She points her flashlight toward the sound and spots a pale, inhuman figure behind a column.

Long, sharp claws extend from its hands, and its gleaming scarlet eyes stare at her with a ferocity that freezes her blood.

"I found it."

"So I was right?"

"Yes. It’s a primordial vampire."

Primordial vampires are the ancestors of modern vampires — an earlier stage of their evolution. In other words, they are to modern vampires what apes are to humans.

But being less evolved does not mean they are weaker.

Primordial vampires are far stronger than their evolved descendants, though they cannot use magic and are much less intelligent.

Even so, they can speak and think, though their vocabulary and reasoning are very limited.

These traits make them monstrously violent, bloodthirsty creatures driven only by hunger.

The vampire steps out of its hiding place. Animalistic growls spill from its mouth, mixed with broken words that leave no doubt about its intent.

"Hungry... Grrr... blood..."

The creature suddenly charges and leaps toward Brianne.

The primordial vampire’s clawed hand is about to strike when a long sword of solid light suddenly materializes in Brianne’s fist. Her body glows with the same radiant light.

It is a hereditary power called Sacred Light, wielded by only a handful of humans — the Monster Slayers, agents who protect Earth and eliminate threats from other worlds.

They operate under a global organization called HESPARC, and the woman Brianne is speaking with is a high-ranking officer in the U.S. division.

The sudden radiance forces the creature to retreat and hide again in the shadows.

Suddenly, the vampire’s claws shoot out of the darkness, slashing Brianne’s weapon arm before vanishing back into the shadows.

The strike was meant for the Monster Slayer’s throat, but she dodged at the last moment, taking only a shallow cut.

Brianne presses a hand to the wound to stop the bleeding, but the vampire’s claws strike again, tearing into her right thigh.

"D-Damn coward..."

Brianne raises her sword, and an overwhelming wave of light bursts from the blade, spreading in all directions.

The vampire is hurled against the parking garage wall with such force that it cracks.

It falls to its knees, its body covered in blood and burns.

A long, furious wail bursts from its jaws.

Brianne wastes no time and rushes at the creature.

But before she can reach it, the primordial vampire rises again and charges her in a frenzy.

When they are only a few meters apart, the vampire raises its claw, wreathed in a crude blood-red aura.

For a primordial vampire, concentrating Sanguis energy into a single point to increase strength is the peak of its magical ability.

That brutal strike — powerful enough to pulverize a reinforced concrete wall — is about to hit Brianne.

But she moves first.

With a lightning-fast horizontal slash, she cuts the creature clean in half.

"T-The target has been eliminated. I’m... heading back."

Brianne is panting, exhausted from the massive energy drain and the blood she lost during the fight.

"Excellent work, Leviantis. Are you alright?"

"Just a few scratches. Nothing serious."

"I expected nothing less from a Monster Slayer of your caliber."

"Thanks. Still, I don’t like this. That’s already the third primordial vampire I’ve taken down in two months, and they were supposed to be extinct for millennia. What the hell is going on?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"We have no idea either. What I can tell you is that no other city in the world has reported primordial vampire sightings. I doubt that’s a coincidence."

"You think it has something to do with Princess Mia Valakis being in New York?"

"It’s possible. For now, keep monitoring her as you’ve been doing. We need to know her movements at all times. She fled a war, and our primary duty is to make sure it doesn’t follow her here. If it does, you know what to do — the safety of humans takes priority over a vampire’s life, even if that vampire is a princess. Never forget that."

"I know — you don’t need to remind me."

"Good. Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow at headquarters for your report on tonight’s mission. See you tomorrow, Leviantis."

"See you tomorrow, General Lance."

As soon as the call ends, Brianne slides down the wall and sits on the ground.

Easy for her to say... eliminate Princess Mia. As if killing someone protected by the Platinum Death herself were that simple.

Brianne lets out a long, tired sigh.

Chris, you idiot... why did you have to become one of them? You have no idea what kind of trouble you’re in...