Free Web NovelChapter 259: Lucien
Vikram didn’t say another word. Summoning energy slowly spread around him as three glowing summoning circles appeared beside him one after another.
Soon, three smaller plant entities emerged.
The Ice Mage Sprout. The Storm Mage Sprout. And the Earth Mage Sprout. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Unlike the evolved Druids, these three were still at Level 1. Until now, Vikram had never truly gotten a chance to use them properly in battle. Their growth depended mainly on combat experience rather than ordinary support work.
The moment the three Sprouts appeared, they immediately stood properly before Vikram and saluted seriously. Although they still couldn’t speak due to their undeveloped forms, their gestures and expressions were already extremely clear.
The surrounding Team Members looked curiously toward the new summons. Especially the smaller elemental sprouts. Compared to Shade or Feiry, these three looked much younger and less mature. They were still in plant-like shapes and roughly the size of 4–5-year-old children.
However, Vikram never cared whether they could speak or not. Somehow, he could naturally understand their emotions and intentions instinctively.
He looked toward the Earth Mage Sprout. "Earthy. Clear the surrounding ground beneath the gate."
The Earth Mage Sprout immediately nodded seriously. The next moment, earth-element energy spread outward beneath the road.
[Territory Reinforcement]
The surrounding soil instantly began shifting. Massive sections of earth around the underground entrance started moving apart forcefully. Instead of trying to destroy the gate, Earthy directly excavated around it.
Soon afterward, the gigantic underground structure became increasingly exposed.
Rohit muttered, "We bypass the gate entirely..."
Earthy continued expanding the underground tunnel area carefully. Large chunks of soil and broken concrete rapidly moved aside. Soon, a side section of the underground bunker structure itself became exposed. Unlike the main entrance gate, the surrounding underground walls were made from ordinary reinforced metal panels. Durable, but nowhere near as absurdly strong as the main sealed door.
At this moment, Vikram looked toward the Ice Mage Sprout. The small sprout immediately understood. Cold energy rapidly gathered around its body.
[Absolute Freeze]
Frost instantly spread across the exposed underground metal structure. Within seconds, the entire wall section became completely frozen solid. A thick layer of ice covered every inch.
Then, the Ice Mage Sprout lightly tapped the frozen metal surface.
Crack...
Tiny fractures instantly spread throughout the entire wall.
The next second, "SHATTER—!!"
The frozen metal panels completely exploded apart into countless sharp icy fragments. A dark underground passage immediately appeared before Team 11.
Team 11 immediately became alert and stepped into formation. Vikram, Isha, Rohit, James, and the others slowly entered through the newly opened passage while the Sprouts remained near the entrance to guard it.
The inside of the underground bunker was far larger than anyone expected. Metal corridors extended in multiple directions. Dim red emergency lights flickered overhead. The air carried a heavy smell of blood, sweat, and fear.
However, the moment they reached the central underground chamber, everyone’s expressions changed immediately.
Because inside, all the missing Federation personnel were there.
The escorts. The intelligence officers. The medical team. All twenty-eight people.
Every single one of them sat gathered near the center of the chamber. Some looked injured, while others appeared pale from fear and exhaustion. A few, however, seemed completely unworried, as if they could leave this place whenever they wanted. Their hands were restrained behind their backs with dark metallic chains.
Meanwhile, surrounding them completely, stood numerous Vampires. Some leaned casually against walls. Others held weapons while observing the prisoners with cold, mocking eyes.
---
At this moment, the loud shattering noise from the destroyed wall finally drew everyone’s attention.
Both the prisoners and the Vampires instantly turned toward the newly opened entrance. For a brief second, complete silence filled the underground chamber.
The Federation survivors widened their eyes in disbelief upon seeing the Hunter uniforms. Meanwhile, the surrounding Vampires slowly stood up one after another. The atmosphere instantly became tense.
One tall Vampire wearing black formal clothing narrowed his crimson eyes and stared at Team 11 coldly.
"...Hunters."
His voice echoed calmly through the bunker. However, unlike normal hostile Vampires, his expression didn’t show panic. Instead, it looked almost annoyed, as though Team 11’s arrival had interrupted something important.
Several Federation survivors became emotional after realizing rescue had arrived.
"Hunters!" "Thank God!" "They came—!"
However, before they could continue, a nearby Vampire violently kicked one of the prisoners to silence him.
"Quiet."
The surrounding Team 11 members instantly turned colder after witnessing the scene, especially Raghav and Imran.
Vikram silently observed the entire underground bunker. His eyes narrowed slightly. Something felt wrong again. The situation was too organized. Too calm. These Vampires didn’t look like random ambushers. They looked like they were conducting some kind of planned operation.
Without wasting words, Vikram raised his hand slightly toward the three elemental Sprouts beside him. The three immediately understood his intention.
However, before launching any large-scale attacks, the Earth Mage Sprout slammed both hands onto the underground floor.
[Earth Wall Fortress]
Massive stone walls instantly erupted around the captured Federation personnel, completely isolating them from the battlefield. At the same time, thick stone pillars rose upward, separating the prisoners from the metal floor to prevent lightning from reaching them.
Only after ensuring the prisoners were fully protected did Vikram calmly nod.
The next second, battle erupted.
[Thunder Field]
The Storm Mage Sprout reacted first. Violent lightning exploded throughout the underground bunker. Blue electrical currents surged across the surrounding metal structures, turning huge sections of the chamber into an electrified killing zone.
"AAAAARGH—!!"
Several low-level Vampires screamed as electricity tore through their bodies. Many collapsed onto the ground, twitching uncontrollably.
The sudden attack instantly disrupted the Vampires’ formation around the prisoners.
At the same moment, the Ice Mage Sprout raised both arms.
[Ice Vine Bind]
Dozens of frost-covered vines erupted from beneath the ground and instantly wrapped around multiple Vampires. Ice rapidly spread across their bodies, freezing several enemies in place before they could even react.
Meanwhile, the Earth Mage Sprout struck the floor once again.
[Stone Pulse]
A violent earth shockwave surged throughout the bunker.
"BOOOOM—!!"
The impact sent multiple Vampires flying backward while cracking nearby metal structures.
The underground chamber rapidly descended into chaos.
"Hunters!!" "Kill them!" "Protect the prisoners!"
The Vampires roared angrily and charged toward Team 11.
Before they could close in, Pooja stepped forward. Flames exploded around her as waves of fire surged through the corridor. James continuously fired from the rear, his bullets piercing through charging Vampires one after another. Raghav rushed aggressively into close combat, smashing one Vampire’s skull with a single punch. Imran blocked another attempting to flank Sana and violently threw it into a metal wall.
The underground bunker had completely transformed into a battlefield.
The Federation prisoners watched the scene in complete shock, especially the three elemental Sprouts. Despite their small, child-like forms, their battlefield control was overwhelmingly effective against the low-level Vampires.
At this moment, the tall Vampire in black formal clothing finally moved. His crimson eyes narrowed as he observed the three Sprouts carefully.
"...Interesting."
The next second, his body suddenly blurred.
"SWISH—!"
In almost an instant, Lucien appeared directly in front of the Storm Mage Sprout. His clawed hand shot forward toward its head at terrifying speed.
However, before the attack could land,
"CLANG!"
A metallic collision echoed throughout the underground bunker. Lucien’s claws were blocked mid-air.
Isha had already positioned herself in front of the Sprout. A reinforced metallic shield created through her Materialized Creation ability had perfectly stopped the strike. The impact sent a violent shockwave across the floor.
For the first time, the tall Vampire’s expression changed slightly. He clearly hadn’t expected anyone to react to his speed.
Isha’s eyes remained ice-cold. "You think you can touch our teammates that easily?"
The next second, her Strength Enhancement ability activated. Muscles tightened violently across her arm as explosive power gathered into her fist. She punched forward directly into Lucien’s chest.
"BOOOOM—!!"
The tall Vampire was blasted backward like a cannonball. His body smashed through a nearby metal pillar before crashing heavily into the wall.
Several low-level Vampires looked stunned.
The Storm Mage Sprout turned toward Isha and gave a small, serious nod, as if thanking her. Seeing the gesture, Isha smiled faintly for a brief moment.
However, the fight was far from over.
Lucien slowly stood up from the rubble. Although his chest was visibly caved in, his expression only grew colder. Dark crimson aura began leaking from his body as the surrounding temperature dropped sharply. Blood-like veins spread across his pale skin, his fingernails elongated into sharp black claws, and his pupils transformed into vertical blood-red slits.
Behind him, a mass of dark blood mist gathered, forming several floating spear-like tendrils.
The surrounding low-level Vampires grew excited upon seeing his transformation.
Lucien straightened his body and spoke coldly, "My name... is Lucien."
The moment the name was spoken, Sana’s expression changed slightly. "He has a proper Vampire name... That means he’s associated with a Baron faction."
Kavya nodded seriously. "And the missing supplies too. This operation probably wasn’t random. There’s definitely a Baron involved behind this."
Bushra calmly added, "Don’t kill him immediately. We should interrogate him first."
At that moment, Lucien moved again. His transformed body became noticeably faster as blood mist surged violently around him. Several blood spears shot toward Isha from different angles.
However, Isha didn’t even retreat. Metallic weapons instantly materialized around her through Materialized Creation.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
The blood spears were shattered apart effortlessly.
The next second, Isha appeared directly in front of Lucien. Her speed was so fast that even several Team 11 members barely caught the movement.
Lucien’s expression finally changed completely. The pressure difference between them was overwhelming.
Before he could react, Isha grabbed his face and slammed him violently into the underground floor.
"BOOOOM—!!"
The entire bunker trembled as cracks spread throughout the metal structure. Lucien tried to struggle desperately, blood aura erupting wildly around him. But Isha simply tightened her grip and continuously punched him in the chest and abdomen.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
Each strike shattered bones with brutal force.
Meanwhile, behind her, the three elemental Sprouts had completely suppressed the remaining low-level Vampires. Lightning, ice, and earth worked in perfect harmony, turning the battlefield into a one-sided massacre.
Within barely a few minutes, most of the surrounding Vampires were dead.
Lucien himself had become a miserable sight. Both arms were broken, several ribs had collapsed inward, and half his face was covered in blood. Yet Isha deliberately stopped before killing him.
She casually threw his half-dead body toward the team.
"Done."
Lucien crashed heavily across the floor, coughing blood continuously. At this point, he no longer had the strength to stand.
However, despite his miserable state, Lucien was still smiling. That strange, unsettling smile immediately made several Team Members uncomfortable.
Vikram slowly walked forward and crouched in front of him. His eyes calmly studied Lucien’s expression.
"Where are the stolen supplies?"
No answer.
Vikram continued calmly, "Who ordered this operation? Which Baron are you working for? What were you planning to do with the Federation personnel? Why kidnap them alive instead of killing them?"
One question after another echoed through the underground bunker.
However, Lucien never answered even once. He simply kept smiling while looking at them, not with fear, nor mockery, but with an almost amused expression, as though he were watching something entertaining.
At this moment, Sana suddenly frowned. "...Something’s wrong."
Bushra immediately stepped closer. "Hold him properly. I think he’s trying something."
But before anyone could react, Lucien suddenly let out a weak laugh.
"Heh..."
"You Hunters... are already too late."
The next second, his remaining hand moved with surprising speed. Before anyone could stop him, he violently grabbed his own jaw.
"CRACK—!!"
Several Team Members’ expressions changed instantly.
Lucien forcefully tore apart his own throat and lower jaw. Blood exploded across the floor as his neck twisted unnaturally. His body collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
A heavy silence filled the underground bunker. Even the rescued Federation personnel looked horrified by the brutal suicide.
Vikram’s eyes narrowed slightly. From beginning to end, Lucien had never shown any fear of death. It was almost as if he had already expected, and accepted, this outcome from the very start.
