The Night is Trembling

The vampires froze, and the silence fell like a funeral shroud.

The air had grown heavy, almost oppressive, as if the night itself had stopped breathing.

Azrael Noctis' eyes glowed with an unnatural blue light, piercing through the darkness, but here was no fear or rage in his gaze.

Only a glacial calm... a harbinger of death.

Lord Gudras maintained his composure, but his once elegant smile had stiffened, while his group of vampires stood still, waiting for his command.

He was still thinking about who this man was until something snapped inside his head.

The vampire lord had finally remembered where he had heard that name.

Gravil, still trembling, swallowed hard. "Impossible…" he whispered, with a drop of sweat falling from his face.

His followers looked at their leader in almost shock as they saw that he was trembling.

Azrael lowered his gaze to the hunter lying on the ground.

The poor man, still under the effects of vampiric compulsion, could not move, but in his eyes, a desperate glimmer of hope flickered as he moved his eyes towards his savior.

Gudras was the first to speak, his voice steady, but laced with caution.

"Azrael Noctis…" he repeated, savoring the name. "A living legend. Or perhaps… just a legend? My Lord said your name multiple times... he said to be careful towards you... but I thought it was a lie..."

Azrael took a single step forward, and the ground beneath him cracked.

It was just a step, a simple shift in weight, and yet, all the vampires felt something stir deep within them as they instinctively moved on guards.

Instinct, or rather an ancient, primal terror.

Gudras clenched his teeth. "Tell me, human. What are you really?"

Azrael lifted his gaze, and for the first time, a faint smirk appeared on his lips.

"Didn't you already say it?" he replied coldly. "I'm just a man. A human. A miserable, lower and insignificant waste of air..." Azrael added, while holding his immense sword with only one hand.

Gudras' smile widened, almost amused.

"A man, you say? And yet your presence… is no different from that of the Angel of Death itself." He said, trying to regain his composure.

Azrael did not respond immediately, he just took a rapid look around him and slowly inhaled and exhaled some air.

"I am not a God. I'm your ruin." Azrael whispered in a low growl while tightening the grip on his sword.

You could feel a glimpse of disgust when he spoke to the vampires in front of him.

The hatred he held for those creatures was palpable, and yet, his face didn't show any kind of emotion.

He was cold, almost neutral.

Even a single movement of air brought a shiver of fear into the immobile hearts of the monsters in front of him.

Gudras then flicked his fingers in panic, and one of his men immediately dashed forward, moving faster than the sound.

A vampire with a slender body and sharp eyes, wielding a long, thin dagger made of blood magic.

An assassin, and he was also a very skilled one. Nobody noticed his movements, nobody could.

Not a single sound, not a single move of air.

Perfect precision, like someone who was used to do these kind of things.

He moved with supernatural speed, a silver flash in the darkness, and in the blink of an eye—he was already behind Azrael.

A hiss. A flash.

"Die, you insolent human-" The monster said, the blood dagger sank straight into the back of his neck.

Silence...

The vampire was smiling...

"Has he won...? No... not at all..." Gudras muttered.

The assassin's eyes suddenly widened as he couldn't remove the dagger.

His dagger, embedded in Azrael's flesh, had not pierced anything.

Not even a single drop of blood came out from his neck.

'W-What is this...?!?' The vampire thought.

Azrael had not moved an inch, and then, slowly, he turned his head.

His glowing blue eyes flared like fire in the darkness.

A demonic smile appeared on his face.

"I told you... I'm a human... with no magic... And your tricks have no effect on real monsters..." He whispered with a malicious voice.

The assassin tried to pull out the blade again, but something held it in place.

His arm… trembled, his breath quickened, and he could not move.

Azrael calmly raised his hand and grasped the vampire's wrist with an immense speed.

Not even the skilled assassin could react to his power.

The hunter then looked into the vampire's eyes for a moment, staring deep into his rotten soul.

His crimson eyes met the glowing blue flame of Azrael.

And in that moment...

...A crack.

Then, a sickening snap—like bones shattering.

The assassin screamed in agony as his arm was crushed like glass.

"WHY AM I FEELING PAIN?!?!?" That was the only thought racing through the vampire’s mind.

Yes, because those creatures couldn't feel pain.

Only holy weapons could harm them... but Azrael was different, because he was a very special human.

Without even looking at him, Azrael lifted him with one hand and hurled him into a tree.

The impact echoed through the forest.

The vampire's body slammed against the trunk and collapsed onto the ground, motionless.

Silence.

Gudras' smile vanished.

His men… hesitated.

Azrael lowered his gaze to his hand, now smeared with rotten blood.

"If you are truly the leader of this pack…" he muttered, shaking the blood off his fingers, "you should have already known."

He lifted his eyes and locked onto Gudras with a piercing stare.

"A hunter does not get caught off guard by dogs." He said.

Gudras bared his fangs. "You…!"

But there was no time for more words.

Azrael moved with a dash at an immense speed towards the vampire laying down on the ground.

The air exploded, the ground beneath him shattered, and the wind roared through the forest.

The vampires instinctively recoiled, their survival instincts screaming at them to run away and take advantage of their member's sacrifice.

Azrael stood in front of the vampire in front of him.

The monster, who was crawling and screaming in pain, moved his last gaze towards the hunter.

His vision blurred... most of his bones were broken beyond recovery. The last thing he saw was Azrael’s silhouette against the moonlight, with his hair swinging along with the air.

"You... You are... a.. you are born to destroy us... You're the real monster... Humans have always be-" The vampire couldn't even finish his sentence.

Azrael grabbed the vampire and launched him into the air, then, with an immense force, he jumped to reach him.

And in that moment, the vampire smiled.

"It's finally over..." He said, as last words.

Then, Azrael's massive black greatsword swung in a single motion. A flash of darkness, and in an instant… the first vampire was cleaved in two.

In a short time, his body and blood both fell to the ground, followed by Azrael, who immediately turned his head towards the rest of the vampires.

The other creatures did not even have the courage to scream. They just couldn't move.

They were... terrified... except a vampire woman.

She had tears in her eyes as she looked at the death of her companion.

"My love... no..." That's what she said, but Azrael didn't care about it...

Lord Gudras watched the scene with his eyes open wide while the other vampires hid behind him.

Azrael's lips then curled into a small, malicious smile as he whispered only a few words.

"Who's next...?" He said...