The news hit everyone like a bolt from the blue, a cold sense of suffocation tightening around their hearts.
‘Is Yize dead?’
‘That black-haired youth who always brought surprises in desperate situations, who seemed like a bottomless abyss… has he just vanished?’
‘Has he really been declared dead?’
The impact of this news was more violent than the pressure of the impending Vampire Army.
It struck the secret dependence and confidence that had recently taken root in everyone’s hearts, born from Yize’s unfathomable performance.
Tears instantly welled in Emma’s eyes. She clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms, her voice trembling with a sob:
“Luke! You said… you said Junior Ize would definitely be fine!”
“He’s so powerful… how could he — “
Luke’s large head was buzzing. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
‘Is Senior dead?’
‘The Senior Ize who always seemed helpless but actually had everything under control, who could solve trouble in the most ridiculous ways?’
‘The Senior he blindly worshipped and believed was omnipotent?’
“No… impossible!”
Luke shook his head violently as if trying to toss the absurd thought away. His eyes were bloodshot as he hissed and roared at the calm No.3:
“You’re full of shit! My Senior couldn’t have died!”
“What ‘Lord’ bullshit?”
“If he’s alive, I want to see him; if he’s dead, I want to see a body! Stop talking nonsense to destroy our morale!”
His roar sounded a bit thin on the battlefield, yet it possessed an unquestionable stubbornness.
No.3 enjoyed the low, desperate mood within the human camp. This emotion gave him immense pleasure. He lightly licked the corner of his mouth, his smile mocking.
“Whether I’m talking nonsense or not is something you won’t have to worry about for long.”
“Because… you’re all going to die here. You should worry about your own lives instead.”
The moment his voice fell, he gave an unquestionable command to Bart and Chise behind him:
“What are you standing around for? Attack!”
He glanced at Bart, his face full of ridicule. “You Fool, can you still fight? If you can’t, get out of the way and stop being a nuisance. As for your No.4 position, it should have been replaced by someone else long ago.”
Bart curled his lip. A crazy thought flashed through his mind. ‘Why didn’t Yize kill this disgusting bastard too?’
It was a pity. A great pity.
“Handle the blue-haired woman you originally set your sights on before you worry about my business,” Bart countered. “After all this time, you haven’t even taken down one woman. Is your No.3 position even stable?”
Chise had already made her move. She hovered in mid-air, her arms gracefully extended.
The dark red Blood Qi around her body flowed more surges toward the Blood Moon in the sky, as if it had a life of its own.
With the boost of her full power, the light of the Blood Moon suddenly became thicker and more piercing, resembling a literal bleeding eyeball looking down upon the entire battlefield.
Whir — !
Under the radiance of this enhanced Blood Moon, all the Low-level Vampires seemed to expand in size.
The crimson light in their eyes grew intense, and they let out irrational, frantic roars. Their charging Speed and frenzied momentum soared once again.
Feeling the faint boost the Blood Moon gave his own power, No.3 hummed in satisfaction. He stopped looking at that “Fool” Bart and focused entirely on the blue-haired Sword Saint in front of him.
Dark red Blood Qi erupted from his body, no longer in the relatively restrained state it was in before.
His figure expanded slightly within the mist, and more complex blood-colored patterns surfaced under his skin. An aura far stronger than before shot into the sky!
“Blood Awakening… it really is extraordinary.”
Laura’s deep blue eyes narrowed slightly. Her hand holding the sword was as steady as a rock, but her internal vigilance had reached its peak.
She could clearly perceive that the opponent hadn’t just increased in Strength and Speed; the nature of the Blood Qi itself seemed to have undergone a transformation.
Without further words, the battle instantly reached a fever pitch.
Sword light and blood shadows intertwined once more, but the explosions from their collisions were several times heavier than before!
With every exchange, Laura could feel the counter-shock transmitted through her blade. It was incredibly heavy.
More troublesome was No.3’s evolved Blood Qi, which constantly tried to crawl up the blade and penetrate her protective Aura, bringing waves of cold numbness and erosion.
She had to continuously increase her Aura output. Brilliant blue light enveloped her body, and her sword strikes became increasingly sharp and swift.
Every swing carried a piercing howl that tore through the air, clashing violently against No.3’s condensed blood armor.
The two figures moved so fast they were nearly afterimages. Everywhere they passed, the solid fortress ground exploded into deep pits as if trampled by giant beasts.
However, Laura’s heart was slowly sinking. She found herself caught in a truly bitter struggle.
Even at full strength, she could only barely maintain a stalemate, and was even faintly being suppressed!
The magnitude of the increase the opponent gained from Blood Awakening, especially the tenacity of that eerie Blood Qi, far exceeded her initial estimates.
Her proud sword techniques and condensed Aura could only manage to defend for now. It was difficult to find an effective opening for a counterattack, let alone a quick victory.
‘To think such a monster was lurking on the Empire Border…’ A sense of grimness crossed Laura’s mind.
She couldn’t help but recall her boast to Sara not long ago about “clearing all vampires from the border at maximum speed.”
Now, facing a Third Seat of the Blood Pillar using his full power, she found it so difficult. Recalling those words brought a faint, unnoticeable weight to her heart.
But she was, after all, a Sword Saint who had weathered countless life-and-death trials.
That trace of distraction was instantly replaced by fighting spirit — the stronger the opponent, the sharper her sword had to be!
On the other side, Sara suppressed the overwhelming shock and pain caused by Yize’s “death.”
Now was not the time for sorrow. She was the Princess, the Starry Chief, and a crucial pillar of this defense line.
She raised her staff high and chanted again. Light elements converged, and a torrent of holy light swept out, attempting to purify the surging Low-level Vampires.
However, the Blood Moon that Chise was maintaining with all her might amplified the darkness and suppressed the light to a terrifying degree.
Where the holy light met the Blood Moon’s radiance, a dense and ear-piercing sizzle rang out as they frantically canceled each other out.
The purification effect of the holy light was greatly weakened, only serving as a fragile wall of light that barely slowed the charge of the Vampire Army.
Beads of sweat quickly covered Sara’s forehead. She could feel the Mana in her body draining rapidly, yet the results were minimal.
‘I must hold on…’
She gritted her teeth, but Yize’s figure involuntarily appeared in her mind.
‘If he were here… at least the pressure wouldn’t all be on me and Teacher…’
“Miss Sara! Watch your left!”
Just as a group of vampires was about to reach Sara, a figure cut in at incredible speed, instantly dismembering them.
Sara panted heavily and turned to look. She saw Li En standing beside her, sword in hand.
On his normally ordinary skin, patches of non-human Scales had appeared, mostly concentrated on his arms, neck, the sides of his face, and his lower legs.
His aura had also become quite different from usual, carrying a hint of wildness and pressure.
He turned his head and gave Sara a concern-filled smile that he thought looked steady and gallant.
“Don’t worry. With me here, you’ll all be fine.”
Sara’s pupils constricted slightly.
‘This form… is definitely not something that can be explained by human Martial Arts or ordinary bloodline talents!’
But right now, she had no time to dig deeper. she simply pulled back her surprise and nodded with polite detachment.
“Thank you for the help. Please focus on dealing with the enemy.”
Her tone was calm, showing little gratitude.
Li En paused slightly, feeling that Sara’s reaction was a bit too flat, but he didn’t think much of it. He let out a long howl and proactively charged into a nearby fray.
There, Emma was pale, supporting a healing halo while using low-level attack Magic to drive away approaching vampires.
Swan was also near her, releasing Wind Blades and earth spikes, but their defense was crumbling under the enhanced vampire assault.
“Miss Emma! Classmate Swan! Leave this side to me!”
Li En’s voice was full of confidence. His Strength, Speed, and Defense had all increased significantly after his Dragonification.
He swung his long sword with high efficiency, quickly clearing out the vampires surrounding the two of them.
Emma let out a long sigh of relief, her pale face showing sincere gratitude. “Thank you so much, Li En! You came just in time!”
Her Mana was almost exhausted; she really couldn’t have held on much longer.
Swan also whispered her thanks, but her delicate brow remained furrowed. Her face was pale, and her eyes occasionally flickered toward the distance. She was clearly unsettled.
The “death” of Senior Ize weighed on her heart like a giant stone, making it impossible to concentrate.
Li En’s appearance had cleared the immediate danger, but it couldn’t dispel the worry in her heart.
“Swan, pull yourself together!”
Iguneel barked in her consciousness, his voice carrying a hint of impatience and… faint envy?
“Look at that kid who stole my bloodline power. He’s certainly showing off now!”
“If you’re going to keep being so distracted, give your body to me! I’ll show you what true power is! I’ll tear these filthy vampire bugs to pieces!”
“No… no need!”
Swan was startled back to reality. She hurriedly put more effort into her magic, though her cheeks flushed slightly.
‘Let Iguneel control my body? In front of everyone?’
Thinking back to those previous “head-biting” actions, Swan would rather die in battle than experience that kind of “social death” ever again!
Li En didn’t notice Swan’s complicated thoughts. He was immersed in the pleasure of controlling the situation and playing the hero saving the beauty.
‘See? At the critical moment, you still have to rely on me, Li En!’
‘Yize is already dead. His era is over!’
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