Chapter 198: Havoc

In the dusky land of Twilight Continent, the battle beneath Middle Castle raged on. Although Qian Ye had led troops before, he was not well-versed in the war tactics of the Evernight races, so he turned to Nighteye for guidance.

Nighteye, who had been watching the battlefield, said, “Let’s go inside Middle Castle first and see how Howard is doing.”

“Alright.” Qian Ye leapt up with Nighteye, disappearing into the air in an instant.

Inside Middle Castle, chaos reigned as vampires scurried back and forth. At each important passageway, a noble kept order, preventing the castle from descending into total disarray.

Deep within the castle, near the center of the mountain, one could still feel the constant tremors. These were caused by the bombardment from the Parliament’s warships.

Outside the great hall deep within the mountain, a row of viscounts sat against the wall, their wrists bleeding, allowing drops of pure blood to flow into golden chalices.

As soon as the chalices filled a little, someone would come to take them and pour the blood into the central rock pool. The pool was now only half-filled with fresh blood, and in the center, a small cluster of essence blood glowed with a bloody light.

An elderly duke stood by the rock pool, his face etched with anxiety. He repeatedly exclaimed, “It’s not enough, it’s still not enough! We need to find more source blood! Without more, His Highness the Prince won’t be able to awaken fully!”

A baron next to him reminded, “My lord, all the strong members we can muster are here. The rest are fighting on the front lines. If we recall them, the enemy might break through immediately.”

“His Highness the Prince must awaken!” Gritting his teeth, the old duke drew his vampiric blade and stabbed himself in the chest.

From the deepest part of the hall, beyond the heavy iron doors, came the sounds of bestial breathing and low growls. It was clear that Dark Evangel Howard had already awakened and was recovering. But the outside attacks were growing fiercer, and if Howard did not fully recover, the last line of defense might be breached.

The old duke drew his vampiric blade, and a few drops of source blood fell into the rock pool. With the addition of the duke’s source blood, the essence blood in the center of the pool spewed out a fiery crimson flame, churning violently.

“We need more blood! Why haven’t the blood collectors returned yet?” the old duke roared.

At his roar, a count rushed in from outside. Seeing his empty hands, the old duke’s face darkened.

The count’s expression was somewhat dazed as he reported, “The blood in the reserve pools has been contaminated with blood poison.”

“What?!” The old duke could hardly believe his ears.

He grabbed the count by the collar and lifted him up, roaring in his face, “Only a few people had access to the reserve pools, all of them direct descendants of our lineage. Who would have poisoned the blood? Which pool was poisoned?”

The count gritted his teeth. “All of them!”

The old duke staggered, his breath faltering. He released the count, who quickly supported him and noticed the cut on the old duke’s blood core. The count hastily took out a handkerchief to stop the bleeding and then released his blood power to try and ease the wound.

The old duke, having just lost a large amount of source blood, was now extremely weak and could barely stand from the shock and anger. Struggling, he said, “So, it was our own direct descendants who poisoned the blood? Why would they do this? What benefit does the annihilation of our clan bring them?!”

“Perhaps it wasn’t them,” the count suggested.

“Hmm? Explain.”

“Half a month ago, the Marquis Honor Bernard of the Pasci clan visited. He said he wanted to build an ancient-style blood pool in his castle and wished to reference our design. He inspected our reserve pools at that time.”

“The Pasci clan? Are you certain?”

“It was indeed Marquis Honor Bernard. You know, his wife is a direct descendant of Emperor Medanzo. He only wanted to see the less important reserve pools, a request we couldn’t refuse.”

The old duke’s face grew grim, his hand trembling slightly as he muttered, “I hope it wasn’t him.”

The count dared not speak.

Gazing resolutely towards the depths of the hall, the old duke declared, “Take me to the ancient hall! I need to contact Her Majesty the Queen!”

Startled, the count replied, “His Highness is about to awaken. Is this necessary? And in your current condition, contacting the Queen might be difficult.”

“We can’t wait for His Highness to awaken. We must inform the Queen immediately of what’s happening here!” The old duke insisted. Seeing the count still hesitating, he added, “Even if Bernard was behind the poisoning, why isn’t there enough blood for His Highness if he’s only in a shallow slumber?”

The count shuddered. Prince Howard had recently awoken, and all the equipment should have been maintained. He looked at the old duke’s unsteady form and, with a sigh, supported him out of the great hall and towards the top floor of the castle.

Once outside, they immediately felt the continuous explosions. The ceiling of the corridor crumbled, and even the structure seemed on the verge of collapse. Through the windows, they could see countless giant warships in the sky, continuously pouring down streams of fire.

Within the castle, numerous force bolts and crossbow bolts flew into the night, occasionally lighting up as a floating ship crashed to the ground, but more kept arriving.

Suddenly, a shadow fell from the sky, and the old duke’s face changed as he stepped back. A steel troop transport cabin plummeted from the heavens, crashing into the corridor. As the door opened, a dozen elite Parliament soldiers poured out, attacking the old duke.

“How dare you!” The old duke, enraged, pushed aside the count, who was drawing his sword, and confronted the soldiers.

These Parliament soldiers, though equipped with fine gear and specialized combat skills, could hold their own against a baron, but in front of a true duke, even a weakened one, knights and viscounts were no match. With a single swipe of his vampiric blade, the old duke sliced through the bodies of the Parliament soldiers, severing them into pieces.

Pushing past the corpses, the old duke reached the transport cabin, lifted it with great effort, revealing the passage. He quickened his pace, racing through the corridor and reaching the top floor.

The battle on the top floor was even more intense. Transport cabins rained down, collapsing the spires of the castle. Fights erupted everywhere, with vampire warriors holding their ground. The count, seeing that the old duke no longer needed support, joined the battle, clearing a path for him.

The old duke rushed through the battlefield, passing through a calm corridor, and reached the entrance of a great hall. Shocked to see the door half-open, he burst in.

Inside, a man and a woman stood before the altar used to contact the Queen’s hall. Enraged, the old duke lunged at the man, his vampiric blade aimed at his heart. But the man vanished, reappearing beside the old duke, gripping his wrist. The old duke hadn’t even seen it happen!

Struggling, the old duke found his hand holding the blade immobile. The other’s strength far surpassed his. Even at his peak, he knew he was no match.

The woman turned, and the old duke, first shocked, then overjoyed, cried, “Empress Nighteye!”

Nighteye glanced at him. “Qian Ye, let go. This is Duke Roland, a direct descendant of Howard. He manages the daily affairs of the Beyn clan.”

Nodding, Qian Ye released his grip, and the old duke was free. Looking at Qian Ye, he was both terrified and delighted. “It’s Qian Ye… Your Highness.”

Addressing Qian Ye was tricky. Though clearly not a Grand Lord, Qian Ye had just displayed terrifying strength far beyond an ordinary duke. And the old duke had heard of the Black Sun Valley battle; calling him “Your Highness” was not inappropriate.

“Why was the contact altar destroyed here?” Nighteye asked.

The old duke, startled, exclaimed, “What? This is the most heavily guarded place on the top floor. The Parliament never breached it. How could this be?”

Stepping aside, Nighteye allowed the old duke to rush to the altar, where his heart sank.

On the control panel, the stone basin holding the blood had several subtle cracks. Though small, these cracks had completely ruined the force array within the basin.

The basin was the core of the contact facility, capable of detecting bloodline compatibility, absorbing blood energy, and communicating with the Queen’s hall. Destroying the basin rendered the entire facility useless. Repairing it would be difficult.

Rage engulfed the old duke. “Who did this?!”

His roar echoed through the upper levels of the castle, drowning out the sounds of explosions and battle cries. But his fury did not deter the enemy; instead, it drew their attention. Several Parliament elites shook off the vampire warriors and began searching for a path to the hall.

Nighteye quickly said, “It seems the demonic race wants to keep this a secret from Lilith. The destruction here doesn’t matter; Howard can contact her directly.”

The old duke added, “His Highness hasn’t fully recovered. Our reserve blood pools have been contaminated, and we don’t have enough blood for his swift recovery. Since it’s destroyed, I must return and buy some time for His Highness.”

“Very well, go,” Qian Ye said. He took Nighteye’s hand, and they faded away.

“You…” The old duke, surprised that Qian Ye and Nighteye left without staying to fight, quickly composed himself. “Of course, no one would stay for a fight they couldn’t win.”

Looking outside, he saw more floating ships in the air, and the ground forces’ retaliation was weakening. Large transport ships dropped more and more transport cabins, and wherever they landed, fierce battles erupted.

There was no need to keep any special passages secret anymore. The old duke ran down the side of the castle, piercing through the floor of a grand hall, and returned to the mountain hall. He ordered a full set of armor and a cup of blood wine, placed a chair at the entrance, and sat, slowly sipping the wine, waiting for the inevitable enemy.

Battles raged in every corner of the castle, and it seemed it would take some time before they reached the mountain hall. But the old duke suddenly felt the hall darken. Rubbing his eyes, he saw a dark mass appear before him.

It was an impenetrable darkness, emitting a deep, terrifying aura. Even the old duke, whose hand holding the cup began to tremble.

“Roland, the last time we met was eighty years ago. How could you become so weak in such a short time?”

The old duke stood, his face a mix of bitterness and despair. The golden cup slipped from his hand, spilling blood wine onto the floor. He said, “Palacia, it’s you! For you to personally come, you truly honor the Beyn clan.”