Danmachi: Echoes of a Vampire God

The silence was so deep that Kael could hear his own blood flowing through his body.

Only a couple of minutes had passed since he decided to separate from Marie. Although her singing was a powerful ability, she had a deep fear of the Moss Huge—so much so that the mere feeling of its presence would paralyze her. Kael couldn't risk that happening during the fight, not when he knew he wouldn't be able to protect her if she froze in front of a monster that almost completely outmatched him.

The path widened as Kael ventured deeper into the cave. The water, which at first had reached his waist, now barely covered his knees. That allowed him to move more freely. But something unsettled Kael...

The air here was different—denser, more humid, charged with a dormant energy that made his chest vibrate. Not from fear, but from recognition.

'This was its home before…'

He knew it instantly.

The cave opened before him like a cathedral forgotten by the gods. It was colossal. Natural stone arches framed every part of the ceiling. The light reflected from the moss in the place made everything look magical.

It was simply...

'Beautiful... very much its style.'

But Kael wasn't there to be amazed.

He was there to fulfill his promise —to defeat the monster that had been chasing her for months and had made her flee from her former hideout... the Moss Huge.

Although, it wasn't just about that anymore. It wasn't just for Marie. Not only to return her old home or ensure her safety. Kael also needed to prove something deeper, more intimate —that he could fight without collapsing, without resorting to those abilities that changed him inside, without relying on the dark power that dwelled within him and dragged him into the abyss every time he touched it.

He needed to prove he could face his enemies without losing himself. That he could keep his promises without having to become something else in the process.

After several minutes of walking, he reached the main chamber. And there it was. The most beautiful place he had seen since waking up in this world. Blue crystals shone with living magic from the ceiling, illuminating the entire cavern in shades of sky blue and violet. Arcs of light formed among the reflections in the water, giving the environment a divine appearance.

But his attention quickly focused on something else. At the back of the cave, he saw it.

The Moss Huge.

It wasn't like the ones seen on floor 24. This creature was something more. An aberration. An irregular version that had killed other monsters and consumed their magic cores, growing stronger. It had increased in size, and in power.

It was a colossal mass of living moss, black algae, eyes shining like burning coals, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Its body pulsed slowly, breathing heavily as it devoured one by one the magic stones around it. Every time it did, its body emitted a sickly green light, as if swelling with power.

Kael stopped.

The monster hadn't noticed him yet. Maybe it was too focused on eating. Or maybe it never imagined someone would dare enter its lair.

Kael closed his eyes for a moment.

'There's no turning back now.'

He activated his energy. The veins in his body tensed, and his aura turned a dark red. His hands turned into black claws with crimson edges. His wings rose in full splendor. His body became lighter, faster. The shadows behind him began to vibrate erratically, as if responding to his will.

He advanced slowly. In silence.

Since the monster seemed distracted, he wouldn't waste the opportunity.

Each step was a whisper in the water. And when he was close enough, he launched the first attack —a spear, a sharp projection of hardened blood, aimed at the monster's side.

CRACK.

The impact was dull, forceful. But not lethal. The moss covering the monster acted as a natural armor. It barely bled, only a few dark drops emerged before the creature slowly raised its head.

Two red eyes stared at him.

And it roared.

It wasn't a common roar. It was a deep vibration. The water on the floor rose in waves. The crystals vibrated. Kael felt his whole body shake.

The Moss Huge turned with monstrous speed and launched a charge with its enormous arm covered in algae and moss. Kael barely managed to jump backward thanks to his wings, which propelled him upward. The claw struck the ground, shattering it, leaving a deep trench where he had just been.

"Damn monster…"

Kael circled the colossus while staying in the air, shooting blood blades from different angles. Some pierced it, causing minor damage. But nothing that could stop that thing. The monster responded with brute force, destroying its surroundings with every movement. Kael was agile, but he knew he couldn't dodge its attacks forever.

After several minutes of attacking while dodging the best he could, Kael managed to open a deeper wound in one of its shoulders, undoing a portion of the protective moss. But then, the monster did something he didn't expect—at least not to that extent.

It regenerated.

New roots sprouted from the broken flesh, intertwining until covering the wound in seconds. As if it had never existed.

'Advanced regeneration... I need to find its core if I want to finish it.'

He knew it had to be somewhere in the center of its torso. But the monster wouldn't allow that.

Suddenly, the Moss Huge stabbed its claws into the ground. Black algae shot out like living spears, firing in all directions. Kael dodged as best he could —one of them hit his side, knocking the air from his lungs as his body slammed into a wall.

He coughed blood.

But he stood up.

'Shit… this is going to be harder than I thought.'

To make matters worse, he noticed that the intense light from the crystals eliminated almost all the shadows. The only dark area was the entrance, far from where the monster was.

'I can't use my shadows well… I'm at a disadvantage.'

He focused more energy into his claws. Two orbs of pure blood began to orbit him, vibrating with a wild pulse. He ran toward the monster, dodging all the algae he could along the way. Some managed to make small cuts, and although his regeneration could heal them in seconds, Kael knew—he felt—how his energy was being drained more and more to keep up with the pace of the fight.

'I didn't want to do this… but seeing how things are going, it's the only way to get through its defenses.'

Kael had discovered that he could form small blood bombs that exploded on contact. They were powerful and potent, but had several drawbacks—they were very hard to control even for him, and consumed large amounts of energy. So he couldn't make many, or he'd deplete all his energy, which now would be a death sentence.

When he was close enough, he launched the orbs like missiles. They exploded with surprising force on impact with the monster's chest, opening a wound deep enough to reveal a glowing purple crystal—its core.

'I found it!'

Kael charged a blood spear, thinner and sharper, aimed at the core. Just as he was about to throw it, one of the Moss Huge's algae emerged behind him and wrapped one of his arms with overwhelming strength.

But it was too late.

The spear was already in motion.

It embedded in the monster's core... but didn't destroy it.

It only left a small crack.

The monster let out a loud roar. Of pain. Of fury. Of outrage.

It was angry. Very angry.

Kael felt the algae gripping his arm lift him and slam him against the floor with force. Broken ribs. Damaged wings. He barely managed to pierce through the algae with his free claw and escape using a blood platform.

'Shit... my regeneration is getting slower, I don't have much energy left.'

He kept fighting, dodging as best he could. His regeneration could no longer keep up with the damage he was taking.

His blood boiled from the constant activation of his energy.

His body screamed to stop.

Kael was at his limit.

His attacks just weren't strong enough to pierce the monster's defenses. And when he managed to make a significant wound...

'Too resilient. No matter how many times I hit it, it always regenerates.'

Its regeneration was insane —the wounds disappeared before Kael could take advantage of them.

Suddenly the colossus rose again. Its eyes glowed with a dim tone... and then, it did something different.

It stabbed both claws into the ground again with force, but this time no algae appeared to attack from all sides.

A green pulse spread under the water, like an invisible shockwave.

Kael barely had time to raise a blood barrier.

'What the hell is it doing?'

The answer came quickly.

From the ground, right where the monster had stabbed its claws, dark moss masses began to sprout, forming figures similar to it, smaller and weaker—but that wasn't the problem.

Four, five… eight. And more kept appearing.

Each one had a vaguely humanoid body, made of moss and hardened mud fragments. They had no shape, no defined face. But they moved with perfect synchrony.

'Clones…? Shit, how could I forget about this!'

Kael retreated. He launched three blood blades at the first one that approached. It tore off half its torso, but the creature kept moving, staggering, until it lunged at him with sharp moss claws.

"Tch…!"

He managed to summon his blood just in time to defend himself. Then he brought out his wings, which had already regenerated, and rose above them as two of the spawns clashed trying to catch him.

From above, Kael saw the pattern—the Moss Huge remained in the center, immobile... but directly controlled its clones. Every time one fell, another was born seconds later.

'In the story, the protagonist hadn't given it enough time to summon many clones, but I don't have the strength to do that. The good thing is it seems weaker than in the canon, probably because I'm fighting it earlier before its main appearance.'

Kael and the Moss Huge stared at each other, studying, analyzing, preparing their next moves.

'…But even so, it's draining magic from the surroundings and multiplying with it. I can't stay still and let an army of those things attack me.'

He moved quickly through the air, landing behind one of the small clones to cut off its legs with a hardened blood scythe. The moss detached, but the creature's torso tried to crawl toward him anyway.

'They don't even have cores…'

That confirmed it. These weren't real monsters. They were extensions. Living sprouts born from the Moss Huge's body. They couldn't be eliminated with his abilities, and their numbers were growing more and more.

And there were already too many.

The closest ones to Kael began to surround him, forming a semicircle. By reflex, he used the spilled blood to summon a cutting sphere that spun around him and destroyed two enemies. But two others rammed him from behind. One tore his back, the other slammed his shoulder with a blunt strike.

Kael fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

'Suddenly this turned into a war of attrition… and I'm losing.'

He clenched his teeth. He decided to sacrifice part of his energy by unleashing a stream of blood blades that exploded on the ground, wiping out all the clones around him. The Moss Huge still didn't move. It just watched. Waited.

Like a monstrous tree surrounded by its devouring roots.

And then he understood.

'It doesn't want to kill me directly. It's waiting for me to exhaust all my energy fighting its clones. Then it'll crush me without mercy.'

A brutal tactic… but effective. Far from the usual tactics of the monsters he used to fight. This was strategy, cunning—it showed the intelligence it gained after defeating so many monsters and absorbing their magic stones.

Kael was cornered, fighting the small army of clones that didn't stop appearing. He didn't have much energy left after his continuous explosive attacks.

And as if that wasn't enough...

From his chest, he felt it—the dark energy pulsed inside him, as if calling him, whispering to let it out, to transform, to end this.

'Do I really have to use that… again?'

The temptation was strong. By simply unleashing that energy, he could clear the cave in minutes. But the consequences… no. Not yet. Not while he had another option.

Then, the Moss Huge roared. This time, without warning, it ran.

It didn't walk. It ran.

Despite its size and previous slowness, now it lunged like a train of moss and algae, crushing its own clones in the process. A living wall that bulldozed everything in its path.

Kael barely had time to dodge to the side.

CRACK!

The blow caught him. The Moss Huge's fist, loaded with all its weight and strength, crashed into the ground where Kael had been just seconds ago.

The explosion was brutal.

The air shook. Water splashed. A wall of rock collapsed.

Kael's body was thrown like a projectile, crashing into one of the crystal-covered walls. The pain took his breath away. His left arm hung limp at his side—he had used it as a shield at the last second. His vision was blurry, the world swayed around him.

Blood dripped from his mouth.

Darkness swirled in his mind.

It was a devastating blow—direct, without technique, without control. Just raw power from a monster comparable to a level 4 adventurer.

The pain pierced him as if thousands of ants were stinging him at the same time. Kael fell to the ground. He tried to stand but failed miserably. He had no choice but to crawl across the floor, gasping, as the colossus advanced toward him.

Slowly. As if mocking him. Just like before. Just like... Dix.

'…you'll never be better than this.'

Kael remembered his words at the worst possible moment.

His mind already in chaos from the intense pain, now felt those emotions he had buried deep inside—the ones that tormented him every time he remembered that scene.

But he knew it wasn't the time for regrets.

With all the strength he had left, he managed to stand—barely. He placed his right arm over his chest. There, beneath the skin, his energy pulsed erratically, as if begging to be released.

It was calling him.

A transformation that granted him overwhelming power… but at a price. Using it didn't mean ending up in a terrible state—no, using it meant abandoning the part of humanity that still remained inside him, ceasing to be himself. And it also… meant he had lost. That he had chosen the easy way out. That he couldn't win unless he used it.

'Do I really have to…?'

The Moss Huge was already in front of him, raising both arms. It was preparing. A final blow. He would die if he did nothing.

Kael closed his eyes.

'I have no choice.'

But then...

A voice.

A pure melody. Beautiful. Celestial. Unexpected. It echoed through the cave.

The air vibrated.

The crystals responded, glowing softly as if recognizing the presence of that voice. The Moss Huge froze, confused. Kael opened his eyes with difficulty.

"…that voice… Marie…?"

From the tunnel he had come through, shadows began to appear.

Not enemies.

Allies.

Monsters from floor 27—dozens, maybe more. Creatures of different shapes and sizes, all marching under the influence of a song that seemed to wrap reality itself.

And behind them...

Marie.

Kael felt something break inside him. It wasn't weakness. It was relief. It was strength.

He ran. Though it hurt. Though his body barely responded. While the monsters placed themselves between him and the Moss Huge.

They began to fight, but the number and strength of the monsters Marie brought were much greater than that of the Moss Huge's clones. They were quickly overwhelmed—but next to the real one, they could only buy time for Kael.

But it was enough.

Kael took the opportunity.

He ran. Though it hurt. Though his body barely responded.

The monsters enchanted by Marie fought fiercely against the Moss Huge. Climbing its limbs, sinking their fangs and claws into its thick skin of moss and algae. The giant shook them off like an enraged bull, but every time it killed one, two more jumped to replace it.

Marie sang louder. Her voice wasn't just beautiful. It was powerful. Unnatural. As if the essence of the world swirled in her words. The blue crystals began to vibrate with each note, generating waves of energy that empowered the enchanted monsters.

'She's not just controlling them... she's making them stronger.'

But Kael noticed—her body trembled violently, and her eyes—now glowing a strong red—seemed exhausted. She wouldn't last much longer.

Kael gritted his teeth, feeling his vision blur. But knowing he wouldn't have a better chance, he gathered all the blood and energy he had left. He began to form one last blood sphere between his claws.

Erratic. Unpredictable. Pulsing with every surge of his energy. It grew bigger, harder to control, more powerful. Until it compressed into a small sphere, barely the size of a marble.

Every second he kept it active drained what little remained of his consciousness.

"Come on… just a little more."

He took a running start. The muscles in his legs tensed—aching, but still enough for one last push, one last sprint.

The world slowed down. The air seemed to compress around him as he ran with all his strength. He made a desperate leap—straight toward the Moss Huge's back.

He no longer had the energy to summon his wings, and his claws had long since disappeared.

But it didn't matter.

He was already several meters above the Moss Huge. He didn't know where he'd found the strength for that final jump. But his thoughts weren't focused on that.

No, he only saw the horrible monster made of moss and algae.

For an instant, the world seemed to stop.

From above, Kael saw the full scene—the enchanted monsters fighting and distracting the Moss Huge. Marie standing farther back in the cave, eyes closed and body trembling from the effort, still singing.

At that moment, the Moss Huge slowly turned its head toward him, its red, evil eyes full of deep hatred.

Kael, seeing its gaze, muttered one last phrase.

"See you, bastard."

He launched the crimson sphere.

A line of light followed it.

And then, silence.

For one eternal second, there was no sound. The marble embedded itself right in the monster's chest. The exact spot where its core was. The creature tried to step back, but it was already too late.

The blood bomb began to distort.

Kael, still in the air, barely managed to form a faint smile before his body fell like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

He had used all the blood and energy he had left. His vision turned white.

He only saw the beginning of the explosion.

BOOM!

Light filled the entire place, sweeping through everything and reflecting off every crystal in the surroundings. The Moss Huge's roar was lost in the deafening sound of the blast. The cave shook as if the entire 27th floor was about to collapse.

Marie screamed his name. But Kael could no longer hear her.

He could no longer hear anything.

His mind was already somewhere else.

The cave shook. Rocks fell. The water evaporated.

And then… darkness.