OJTTEG-Chapter 22: A Gentleman Never Kicks a Lady

"Can you let me explain a bit more?" Haunter asks.

"Your death is the best explanation," An replies with a smile, extending her sharp claws. The smile is nice, but her eyes widen with a murderous intent.

Negotiations have broken down. Haunter slips his right hand into his pocket, pressing down hard on a syringe. St. Delrick University had a joint experiment with another university, and this adrenaline shot was acquired from there. It's not really stealing, right?

Whatever, I call this an emergency measure, Haunter thinks, squinting his eyes.

Let's begin.

"With traps all over the floor, you don't have time to test each one. You'll choose to jump using the nearby pillars," Haunter predicts.

Just as he thought, the girl vanishes from sight, moving with incredible speed. But with adrenaline coursing through him, he should be able to keep up.

He remembers that An is afraid of ultraviolet light. While it won't kill her, it will cause extreme discomfort. Her constant long sleeves under the sun are proof of that.

As she approaches, Haunter suddenly loosens his belt, revealing the big weapon strapped to his waist.

Bet you didn't see that coming!

"Taste the 200-watt UV spotlight I spent a fortune on!" Haunter shouts, pressing the switch on the light strapped to his waist. A purple, slightly translucent beam shoots out, catching An's face as she tries to dodge.

UV light can cause serious damage if it hits someone's eyes, let alone a vampire who fears it. The spotlight is a bit bulky, so Haunter had to find a suitable place to store it. Tying it to his waist seemed the best option; pulling his pants up hides it, and loosening the belt allows immediate use.

It might look a bit odd—a somewhat handsome guy suddenly undoing his pants in front of his distant cousin—but at least it's not his underwear.

The positioning of the light is a bit awkward, but who cares? If not for this, he might be taken down in the next second.

Honestly, it's pretty handy. By moving his waist, he can direct the beam wherever he wants within its range.

An never expected that the seemingly harmless guy in front of her would have a spotlight hidden beneath his pants. Is he insane? This is truly bizarre. Who would have thought? This guy will stop at nothing to gain an advantage.

With these thoughts racing through her mind, An covers her eyes. The beam causes her eyes to heat up, as if molten lava is pouring into them. Her vision goes black, and she smells something burning. Cool liquid trickles down her face.

"Ugh..."

It's blood mixed with vitreous fluid from her eyes. The UV light has destroyed her eyeballs, and the pain from the damaged iris and vitreous body makes her let out a soft moan.

No, there's something more important than screaming.

An suddenly drops to the ground. Though uninjured, she panics and stands up quickly, her hands reaching out to feel her surroundings. She soon realizes she is temporarily blinded.

Is it over?

No way.

"You think I'm unprepared?" An says, her mouth moving quickly.

As a vampire, her strong physique allows her to perform actions impossible for ordinary humans, like extending her tongue back into her throat. This could cause choking, something no sane person would do.

Where is it? That thing...

"Found it."

Her nimble tongue retrieves a blood capsule from her mouth. She bites it open, releasing the sweet blood inside. For her, it's like a shot of adrenaline.

An's vision clears rapidly, but the strange sensation of quick growth makes her involuntarily close her eyes. The regenerative abilities of a royal vampire are exceptionally strong; even if her eyes are completely destroyed by UV light, they can be swiftly repaired. However, "swiftly" is relative, as the battle could be over before self-repair completes. That's why An chooses to consume blood to accelerate the process.

2... 1... Open eyes.

An spends only two seconds on the ground. Her eyes fully recover, and she quickly moves to the side of a pillar to avoid the light.

Damn antique, she thinks, turning her head to see Haunter's face.

"What the..."

Before she can say anything, a sharp pain strikes her face and eyes.

"Surprise!" Haunter exclaims, grinning as he raises his left hand, holding a plastic spray bottle like those used for perfume. The liquid inside splashes onto An's face, while the spotlight on his waist continues to shine into her eyes.

"You thought I'd run away? Nope! I'm going to explode with you!"

Haunter swiftly dodges An's reflexive attack. Her claws are sharp, but they need to hit their target to be effective.

"You think that'll work?" An retorts, swiftly leaping up, her slender yet powerful legs kicking the ceiling with a deafening sound. She lands in a nearby open space, kicking up dust that partially obscures Haunter's view.

Buying time for her eyes to recover is crucial. Once they're healed, she'll be unstoppable... But to her surprise, a teasing voice reaches her as she lands.

So fast!

"Did you forget? My nickname is the ‘Testicular Fighter’!"

Below!

An quickly raises her hand to block, hoping to fend off the attack just long enough for her eyes to regenerate. The blood she drank should be enough for her eyes to be reborn.

But she blocks nothing, instead feeling a hard object enter her mouth—a metallic taste.

"Bang!" ×N

"Just kidding." Haunter pulls the trigger without hesitation, firing several shots. "I wouldn't do such a thing to a girl."

"Jingle!" "Jingle!"

The sound of bullet casings hitting the ground echoes for several seconds.

Bullets pierce through the back of the girl's head, taking fragments of bone with them, momentarily revealing the scene behind her through the hole.

Those fragments are bone.

Her resilience is remarkable; the initial bullets didn't penetrate her body. In a Resident Evil scenario, she'd be at least a tyrant-level character.