Vampire's Slice Of Life Chapter 1208: Prison (2)

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Previously on Vampire's Slice Of Life...
Lith navigated a series of underground prison cells, finding prisoners being drained of blood through arrays. He descended further, facing increasing suppression, until he broke through a metallic gate into a misty chamber. Inside, Lith was attacked by unseen assailants and transported to a vast, battle-filled grassy field where his powers were suppressed. He fought his way through a deceptive crowd towards a large tree, only to be confronted by a swift swordsman.

Lith felt a headache. He really did not wish to fight because he was looking for something.

That something was the key to this prison. Something he could use to set all the criminals free and give the Evure God Clan a massive headache.

Roy’s sister was one of the Three Greats of the Evure God Clan. They had a close relationship and naturally, she told him about this prison, and that the key to its gate actually lay inside it.

This was done so that it did not fall into the wrong hands.

To place someone inside did not require a key. Only to get someone out would a key be needed and usually, the Evure God Clan members were not magnanimous to set someone free.

In their opinion, if someone was sent to their prison then that person did not deserve the right to reincarnation either, let alone being set free. He was a prisoner for eternity, no atonement unless he was on his best behavior and showed them something exceptional which could convince them of his freedom.

Such instances were rare, of course.

The whistling voice was the only hint he had, and was thus following it.

Lith defended against another attack. The sword strikes were smooth and perfect, close to nothing he could do other than block or attack. If he tried to run, he’d die.

He felt annoyed and decided to finish this up as fast as possible.

"If you so wish to die, then be my guest." Lith commented and sidestepped, hacking his sword inside the man’s abdomen.

The man blocked it and slightly staggered.

Lith did not stop. He went on a strong offensive, and kept attacking.

As the swords kept clashing, Lith was starting to get in the zone. The surroundings were fading and only the enemy and his weapon were things he could see.

Suddenly, as everything was almost about to fade into darkness, Lith blinked.

He blinked for the first time since he started attacking his enemy.

"Huh? How are you still aware?" The attacker paused momentarily, in shock.

The sudden change even took Lith by surprise.

The man immediately collected himself and did not waste the opportunity, attacking Lith.

Almost instinctively, Lith blocked it.

There really was nothing one could do in front of Lith if it was a battle of pure swordsmanship or any other weapon’s challenge.

In this place, cultivation was sealed. Bloodline powers did not work. Not even race specific powers like regeneration worked.

Lith was highly trained and highly skilled. Despite his usual spoiled princely self, he was a tough combatant through and through.

Even if there was a swordsman with perfect skills, he would have an upper hand because he did not wield a sword purely. He could use his body as a weapon too!

Lith continued to block the man’s attack and stared at him, waiting for him to speak.

The man had a deep frown on his face and said, "I don’t know how you retain your sense of self, but I will say this quick and you better not forget."

Swords clashed and the man said, "This floor breaks people. Fight long enough and you’ll lose yourself. The reason it’s like this is because..."

The man’s eyes started turning hazy and his words trailed off.

He began attacking in a crazed state, almost like a machine. His attacks weren’t as perfect as before.

A few seconds later, clarity returned to his eyes.

"Ahhh... I hate this!" The man cursed and turned to stare straight at Lith. "Look, I don’t have a lot of time and there are some things I can’t tell you. But know this, I can tell you how to get out of this place. This can be said. But I will only say it for something in exchange."

"What didn’t you leave if you knew how to?" Lith asked in a casual tone. He was a cautious person and quickly pointed out the flaw in the man’s words.

The man spat and answered, "Do you think I wish to stay in this shithole? If it wasn’t for my sis—fuck!"

The man’s eyes lost clarity and he went into a frenzy for a few seconds, before returning back to normal and continuing to fake attack Lith.

"Look man, don’t waste my time. If you don’t wish to know how to leave, then you go your way and I’ll go mine. We won’t see each other again. The choice is yours."

Lith was more amused than feeling cautious now. This man wasn’t trying to convince him to make a deal with him. Usually, such things were a good sign and meant no danger.

"Okay, let’s say I accept it. What do you want in exchange?"

Lith decided to play along for now.

The man’s attacks slowed, as if relieved. "I will tell you the way, but in exchange, I want you to save my sister and get her out too. She is somewhere in the deeper layers, I don’t know exactly so you’ll have to find her yourself. Are you willing?"

Something felt off and Lith asked with the tilt of his head, "Why can’t you save her on your own and get out? Your swordsmanship tells me that you are at least a Supreme Rank. Can a Supreme Rank not devise a plan to save their sibling?"

The man gritted his teeth and said, "I am not a Supreme Rank, I am a Legendary Rank. And yes, there are things even Legendary Ranks cannot do here. I am bound by something and my sister’s taken as hostage. If I do something out of the norm, she will be killed. What point is my life if I can’t even save hers? I’d rather die."

The words felt sincere but Lith was still a bit skeptical.

Nevertheless, he nodded and said, "Alright I promise to get your sister out of here."

"Words don’t mean anything. Form a soul contract with me." The man urged.

Lith could only sigh at this. He knew the method to leave this place. In fact he knew the workings of this prison better than anyone. It’s just, he didn’t know the intricate details of the insides or the prisoners because Roy never asked his sister regarding it and his sister never mentioned it either.

It wasn’t like Roy knew he would be tamed by Lith in future and that his new master would require such information when he was casually talking to his sister in the past, would he?

Even his sister would be dumbfounded if she saw him so interested in their prison. She might get suspicious too and Roy would be under surveillance.

In any case, Lith sighed and shook his head. "I am not forming a soul contract because I am not confident in leaving this place, let alone leaving with your sister. If I have a contract that restricts me, I’d have a much lower chance of surviving."

The man was in a dilemma. He thought about it and felt it made sense.

"Okay, how about this? We can add a clause that helps with your odds of surviving?"

The two went back and forth between clashing their swords and writing a contract.

The man went into a mad frenzy three times, and each time the duration was longer than the one prior. A few more turns and he might really go crazy.

Eventually, Lith was successful in drawing a contract, and changing the terms slightly so it suited him better.

"You better leave now. There’s no saying who else could be a conscious person here."

Lith nodded. "I’ll get going. But before my departure, I have a question to ask. Have you seen the prison guards? Do you know about them?"

"Yes. Those guards used to come here periodically to relieve their stress on us. But, somewhere something went wrong as they were seen by someone whose gaze should never even be near you. Needless to say, they all died."

Lith shook his head and thought,

Before Lith asked any more questions, the man pushed him closer to the edge of the mad battle folks.

The man began attacking a random person and said, "Leave quickly lest you get into another battle. It might turn ugly so better not fight."

They were all normal right now. So, if someone’s arrow struck their body, they might start bleeding and die from excess blood loss. This was just one of the cases. There were multiple more reasons.

Lith bid the man farewell and left for the bottom layers of the prison.

He was still barely scratching the surface despite having traversed a few floors. This prison was far bigger than anyone could ever imagine, and it was all hand carved.

After admiring the place’s beauty for a minute, Lith stepped out of the mad folk zone, and reached a new zone where flowers grew everywhere.

This place brought a serene and calm vibe, but the very thing in front of Lith made him feel a lot less happy.