At this moment, Howard donned a hooded cloak, his face hidden in the shadows beneath the hood, making it impossible to discern his expression. Yet, from the unnatural pulsing of his blood core, one could sense the tumultuous emotions within him.
“This is not a war! It’s extermination!” Howard suddenly roared.
Among the corpses thrown into the fire were many children, even infants. Any vampires that appeared before the warriors of the Assembly were slaughtered without discrimination. Palochia, having chosen the ancient castle as the battlefield, intended to annihilate the main branch of the Baine clan outright. He was even willing to sacrifice some of the Assembly’s warriors as collateral.
This conflict was never meant to leave any survivors. The demonic intent was to permanently erase the Baine bloodline.
If not for Night and Qian Ye’s appearance, Howard would have perished, and the beleaguered Baine clan, facing both internal and external threats, would have been wiped out.
Night said, “There are still many traitors in your clan. Do you need to take more time to deal with them?”
Had it not been for these traitors, there wouldn’t have been a shortage of blood for the coffin, nor would the prepared blood have been rendered unusable. Howard would have recovered fully much sooner. Additionally, the communication device would not have been destroyed, preventing the transmission of the dire situation at the Baine clan’s castle to the Queen of Night.
While Night could not yet fully grasp the situation when she saw the Assembly’s troops at the Morla family castle of the Cardon clan, Palochia’s attack on the Baine clan’s castle clearly exceeded the bounds of the Holy War. Such brutality was a hallmark of the wars between the dark races in ancient times.
Howard, suddenly seeming to age by centuries, wearily said, “No need. After this battle, if those people are still alive, they should understand that the demons never intended to let them live. Rather than waste time hunting them down, I should ponder why there are so many traitors.”
The sun once again descended upon Twilight, its strong rays softened by the eternal thin clouds, casting a gentle light upon the land.
Though the Middle Castle was far behind, the billowing smoke columns remained conspicuous. Howard, running through the mountains, slowed for a moment, unable to resist a final glance before speeding up to catch up with Night and Qian Ye.
Hubert walked into the City of Emma without so much as glancing at the lofty city walls and the ancient ramparts full of history.
As he stepped onto the street, old and tinged with a sandy hue, Hubert felt a slight difference in the world’s rules around him, a characteristic of all demi-planes and small worlds.
Despite being a mere prince and quite young, Hubert had considerable experience in such matters. The changes in the environmental rules had little effect on him, and he still had the presence of mind to observe the war city before him.
This city was in the typical style of an ancient Apennine city-state. Behind the gate lay a flat, small square originally used for travelers to park their carriages, now entirely occupied by a flat, black airship shaped like a sole.
The airship, with its strange design, had a surprisingly smooth and pleasant streamline body, sealed shut, with no apparent weapons, as if it were a civilian vessel not yet armed.
Yet, Hubert’s pupils narrowed slightly; this shape was that of the legendary void beast, the Golden Sole. However, he could not determine whether the airship merely resembled it or was truly constructed from the bones of such a beast.
Two dukes stood at the foot of the airship’s gangway. Hubert recognized the demon one as George from the Abyss of Darkness. The other, a spider demon, was a woman whose name Hubert had never heard.
The two dukes, upon seeing Hubert, first bowed in greeting. Hubert returned the bow, but internally, he was puzzled by their respectful attitude.
After George introduced himself, the spider demon duke, introducing herself as Melina, one of the vice-commanders of the Spider Queen’s Crystal Spiders, left Hubert less surprised when he met the Assembly’s war observer, Pradettic of the Duskless Nightmare, in the cabin. The atmosphere was calm, and they greeted each other with formal respect.
Subsequently, the two dukes provided a brief report.
When Hubert heard that the commander of the advance force was Duke Dol of the Peak of Peaks, he felt a stir. The strength of the current lineup was formidable, and even without the presence of a grand duke, the power of the City of Emma, though still unclear, was sufficient for a localized war.
The previous mention of limited forces by the Speaker must have referred to the absence of cannon fodder. Reflecting on the briefing, Hubert found that his mission seemed normal on the surface. But the fact that the Demon Emperor personally requested his services for the Assembly was unusual.
Pradettic, after listening, nodded and turned to Hubert, “The half-plane jump will be completed in fifteen minutes. Would you like to take a look around the city?”
Hubert shook his head, “No need.” His posture was very relaxed, leaning back in his chair, though not impolite, it was not entirely fitting for a semi-formal occasion.
Pradettic glanced at him, exchanged a few more words with the two dukes, and then they left the room.
“Are you really not going to check out the operation and control of the City of Emma?”
Once alone, Hubert leaned his head back and closed his eyes. To Pradettic’s question, he replied indifferently, “The Speaker said I can command everything?”
“Yes!”
“Then I’ll command when the time comes.”
Pradettic was at a loss, but he noticed the unmasked fatigue on Hubert’s face and a hint of worry crossed his brow, “Is your injury from the New World not healed yet?”
“The injury is nothing, just a bit tired.”
Pradettic fell silent, knowing Hubert had been called in early and spent three days on the nearby Sepulchre Island, assisting the Speaker with the recent influx of military affairs from the New World.
However, this place, known as the Miracle Land, was not easy to stay in.
The Eternal Great Hall and the surrounding islands were already in the upper echelons of the world, with the original force environment, void pressure, and the influence of the Holy Mountain making it impossible for anyone below the rank of Earl to function normally. Therefore, the Assembly placed special buildings and high-level institutions here.
Hubert had not left the island for a single step in these three days. Normally, his rank should not have been so affected, but the injuries from the New World were hard to heal, and his campaign in the Sacred Forest had also left some marks.
After a moment of silence, Pradettic noticed Hubert’s breathing had become steady, and his aura had weakened; he had fallen asleep.
Pradettic stared in disbelief, then smiled bitterly. Should he interpret this as Hubert still trusting him, or as a silent protest and indifference? Pradettic faded away, leaving the space to Hubert.
Shortly after, the entire city shuddered, and the City of Emma began its transition.
On the edge of the Flame Continent, over a dozen dark race warships hovered silently in the void.
The flagship of this fleet was a ducal ship, its wolf-like exterior indicating its owner. Half of the remaining ships bore the crossed blood-stained swords symbol of the Assembly’s direct forces, while the other half, with their diverse styles, clearly belonged to a coalition fleet of various races.
On the flagship, Wolf Duke Dol was leisurely maintaining a force pistol, its barrel as thick as a fist. He seemed to be enjoying a rare vacation rather than being in the midst of a battlefield.
The door was knocked, and an officer entered with a stack of reports, reading them out loud without handing them over.
Dol listened quietly, and the officer continued until the end.
Dol nodded, “Good, they handled it efficiently this time.”
The officer, a Wolf Earl, agreed, “There weren’t any notable strong ones in those two provinces. If Johnny and the others couldn’t manage this, they should retire back home. However, Lord, the Jade Pass of the Zhao Clan of Qin is too close. Shouldn’t we set up a defensive line first?”
Dol looked at the force sundial on his desk and smiled, “No need. According to the plan, regardless of the outcome, the forces will be recalled in fifteen minutes. Remember my order, all recalled. The adults will arrive soon.”
The Wolf Earl did not fully understand Dol’s words but knew how to obey. He repeated Dol’s order loudly, received a nod, and left.
Dol then lowered his head, continuing to polish the pistol.
On a blood-race-style warship near the fleet’s outer perimeter, in the first officer’s cabin, a Blood Count, appearing more relaxed than Dol, was reading an ancient parchment book.
He suddenly looked up, sensing someone had silently appeared in the room.
Count Linard, surprised but composed, carefully straightened and stood up, bowing deeply to the elder of his bloodline, or perhaps an image of the elder.
Linard then produced a hybrid of blood and crystal, creating a simple, short-term isolation array.
Hubert, satisfied with his reaction, nodded, “What has happened in the clan recently?”
Linard replied, “After you and the Speaker left, we were also summoned to the Black Sun Swordbearer base the next day.”
Hubert, thinking, asked a unrelated question, “Can you see the Holy River in your recent cultivation?”
Linard honestly answered, “Apart from the time when a great one ascended, the Holy River has not appeared since. When with you, I occasionally glimpse its shadow, but I cannot touch it or receive a response.”
Hubert nodded, “When you get the chance for a ground mission, leave the team and find a neutral place to stay.”
Linard’s face changed, but he did not question further, only asking, “You won’t go with me?”
Hubert hesitated, “I can’t.”
Linard said, “You, like me, do not belong there.”
“But they are all descendants of Samael,” Hubert gently said, looking at the still-youthful vampire with a stubborn, childlike expression reminiscent of when he first found him.
Linard asked, “Does the Assembly, or the demons, know about the Lost Paradise Laboratory?”
Hubert replied, “Forget it. It has nothing to do with you.”
Linard fell silent, and after a while, he said, “Very well, Father, as you wish.” Then, disregarding the noise, he knelt before Hubert, as if for a final farewell.
Hubert’s hand brushed over the young count’s forehead, accompanied by a soft sigh. As Hubert’s projection faded, Linard raised his head, staring at the drop of ancestral blood left in his palm.
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