Chapter 14: Gungro, the Immortal Vampire (Part 1)

Looking back, the Empire once classified the magic spell [Werewolf Transformation] as something that must not be studied or explored. Even the procedures involved in casting the spell were not to be recorded; only a record was kept to inform future magicians that such a spell had existed.
But then again, is [Werewolf Transformation] really that terrifying?
No! Not at all!
Werewolves first appeared during the era when alchemy was prevalent. Back then, there was no such thing as magic, nor were there any magicians. Alchemists fought using potions and poisons they prepared, or various deceptions—precursors to illusions. In the eyes of those alchemists, werewolves were extremely mysterious!
According to historical records, Jean Connel was the first werewolf—fierce, cruel, and evil. He murdered tens of thousands of innocent civilians. At that time, three dukes and eleven counts led their armies to hunt down this werewolf.
Could the power of a single werewolf really threaten these noble lords?
Well, not necessarily!
The true terror of werewolf transformation lies not in how much threat one werewolf poses, but in the immense threat posed by hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of them! For they are far more powerful than armies!
In the pre-magic era, alchemists regarded werewolf transformation as a curse, believing it to be a tool used by demons to harm humanity. More terrifying than the werewolves’ brutality and bloodthirst on full moons was the contagious nature of their venom. Anyone bitten by a werewolf, as long as they were still physically intact and had a head, would become one of them. This virus, more terrifying than any infectious disease, once filled countless people with fear.
Such powerful and agile werewolves could not be killed with ordinary weapons, as they possessed demon-derived strength and exceptional physical recovery abilities. Thus, the nobles sought the help of alchemists.
The alchemists agreed to assist the nobles and devoted themselves to developing weapons against werewolves. In return, the nobles were required to hand over the first werewolf, Jean Connel, for study. The alchemists hoped to find a way to gain power through this werewolf.
Through repeated experiments, the alchemists discovered that the precious metal silver could cause severe damage to werewolves. They informed the nobles of this discovery.

The nobles, who feared werewolves greatly, raised funds to create a batch of silver weapons. Thus, the evil werewolf Jean Connel was finally locked up like a beast in a cage and handed over to the alchemists. However, during the campaign against werewolves, a strange incident occurred. At that time, the alchemists had not yet discovered silver weapons as the most effective means to combat werewolves, so the soldiers could only surround them first and then shoot them dead with crossbows. Although this method was very inefficient, many werewolves were still killed. Yet, from the corpses of these dead werewolves, another kind of life emerged. These creatures, born from the death of werewolves, were even more powerful—three to four times stronger in both speed and strength. What was even more terrifying was that no matter how many times they were killed, they could rise again. They were no longer werewolves, as their appearance no longer resembled that of wolves. Apart from their sharp teeth and claws, they looked almost identical to ordinary humans. To distinguish them from werewolves, the alchemists named these creatures Gargroths! According to legend, Gargroth vampires possessed power far surpassing that of werewolves. Not only did they retain the ability to transform into giant wolves, but they could also turn into countless bats. The most terrifying aspect was their immortality. Legend said Gargroths had no physical bodies; their forms were actually made of blood. When injured, they could turn every drop of blood into a bat. As long as one of those bats remained unkillable, they could regain their body and strength. Naturally, their source of strength came from sucking the blood of other creatures. Against such beings who surpassed humans, the alchemists had no other means but to drive them away using silver instruments. The appearance of a single Gargroth was enough to make a human principality regard it as a great threat—what about four or five hundred Gargroths? I think that would be enough to destroy an imperial army of ten thousand men! “Boom, boom, boom!” The blue flames bursting in the alchemy chamber never stopped, yet they failed to kill even one of those dozen Gargroths. “Damn it! How much damage do my attacks deal to these monsters? What about your dark magic?” Professor Hode shouted at Argus after using a teleportation spell to avoid an attack from a Gargroth.

“Hah!” Argus smiled, his gaze turning sharp. Wherever his eyes fell, a twisted black hole appeared, devouring everything—including half of a Gorgon’s body.
Unfortunately, that creature, whose right chest, right arm, right shoulder, and even half of its head had been consumed, quickly reshaped itself into a human form once again and continued to attack the two of them frantically.
“I’m the same!” Argus roared in frustration.
“Hahaha!” Evo Beric, hiding under the protection of two Gorgons, shouted madly, “An immortal body, immense power—what a wonderful invention…”
“Shut up!” Professor Hode yelled angrily, pointing at Evo Beric with his right hand.
“Boom!” After the blue flames dissipated, Evo Beric remained unharmed, while the two Gorgons protecting him were shattered to pieces—one of them even lost its head.
Yet, within just three seconds, those two Gorgons reshaped themselves into human forms, showing no signs of having just “died.”
“It’s useless, esteemed mage!” Evo Beric glanced at the two people surrounded by over a dozen Gorgons and laughed wildly in excitement. “Yes! That’s it! Tear apart their bodies, drain their blood… Go! My lovely children!”
“Hmph!” Professor Hode was clearly enraged. Tattooed runes appeared on his face and the backs of his hands. Instantly, the blue flames turned white, vaporizing one of the Gorgons completely—never to reappear…
“It works!” Argus was stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening. “I see! I understand now!” He raised his hand and pointed ahead. A black hole twice as large as before appeared, engulfing and devouring another Gorgon.
“…” Watching that immense power, and realizing that two of his Gorgons had been lost, Evo Beric’s face turned pale with anger, yet his eyes held a hint of envy and desire.
Perhaps Evo Beric was just unlucky. The two mages he encountered—one skilled in fire magic, the other in dark magic—effectively neutralized those Gorgons. Worse still, both of them possessed strength on par with great mages!
If it had been ordinary mages of earth, water, or wind magic, those Gorgons might have become truly immortal…

“Damn it! Damn it!” Ivan Beric was furious as he watched those dozen or so Gargoyles dying one by one.
“The next is you!” Professor Hode said in a deep voice after taking down another Gargoyle.
“…” Facing those angry eyes, Ivan Beric felt a hint of fear, but soon that fear turned into madness again—another Gargoyle emerged from the door behind him, then yet another…
It was time for transformation…
Watching the Gargoyles keep pouring out from behind the door of the alchemy room, Argus shook his head with a bitter smile. “This is trouble now…”
Professor Hode naturally understood what he meant by trouble—referring to the remaining magic power of the two of them…
“Struggle in fear and helplessness!” Ivan Beric laughed madly. Perhaps for him, killing two powerful magicians was the greatest honor for his “great invention.”
“You cowardly rat hiding in the shadows, shut up!” Argus sneered. Turning around, he used a blast of dark energy to push back the Gargoyles attacking him, then added a spell that distorted space.
“Hmph! I wonder how long you can keep talking tough!” Ivan Beric screamed hysterically. Suddenly, his expression froze, and he murmured in surprise, “Huh? Are those little rats still alive?” Shaking his head, he sighed with feigned pity, “They’re going to be wolf food… Such poor little brats…”
“What did you say?” Professor Hode was shocked. His focus was distracted, and a Gargoyle slashed a bloody wound across his right shoulder. Fortunately, Argus noticed something was wrong and sent a dark blast that sent the Gargoyle flying into the wall.
Brats… Could they be them?
Even when surrounded by a group of legendary vampires, Professor Hode hadn’t shown any panic or fear. But now, his eyes clearly showed confusion.
“Oh? You know them?” Ivan Beric asked in surprise.
Professor Hode remained silent for a moment before saying in a cold tone, “If they suffer even the slightest injury, I swear by the honor of a magician that I’ll burn you to ashes, along with your soul!”
“Guh…” Facing those murderous eyes, Ivan Beric stepped back two steps. Then, his face turned red as he snapped angrily, “You… Who are you trying to scare with that? Do you… think you can survive?” He stammered as he spoke.

“You must believe what he says,” Agus said with a hint of mockery, “It’s best not to anger a powerful mage to the point of losing his sanity, because no one can bear the consequences… from Mage Bernardin Aman!”
“…” Ivo Beric was terrified by those angry eyes. He understood the meaning of those words and knew about Bernardin Aman—a dark mage from decades ago who, after saying those words, destroyed himself along with his opponent…
A mage’s self-destruction was extremely terrifying. If given enough time to prepare, its power could destroy half a city—it was a force almost on par with forbidden spells.
“You… you can’t scare me… There’s no time for you to prepare in this situation!” Though he said that, cold sweat beaded on Ivo Beric’s forehead as he forced himself to continue, “How dare those brats expect me to deal with them personally… Maybe they’ll be killed by the newly transformed Gungro soon…” He paused for a moment before roaring fiercely, “You better take care of yourselves and tear them apart!”
As his words faded, Professor Hodde and Agus found themselves in immediate danger…
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhe, who had been chatting with Lavia as they moved forward, suddenly stopped.
“Lavia, do you hear any noises…”
“Noises? What noises?”
“I mean… behind us…”