Chapter 310 - 231: Moon Shadow Hunters and Silver Moon Knights Unleash Divine Power; Blood Moon Ceremony and the Vampire Count’s Wrath
Chapter 310: Chapter 231: Moon Shadow Hunters and Silver Moon Knights Unleash Divine Power; Blood Moon Ceremony and the Vampire Count’s Wrath
Because he was currently pinned down by Aria, commander of the Moon Shadow Hunter Cavalry Corps, he had no way to restrain the Blood Beasts.
The Moon Shadow Hunter and Silver Moon Knight cavalry corps completely avoided a direct confrontation with the organized Vampire Soldiers. They exploited their mobility, sticking to the flat terrain on the outskirts. At the same time, employing tactical flanking maneuvers, they set fire to all the crucial supplies within the vampire camp.
They threw the vampire camp into widespread chaos and destruction in a mere five minutes. Then, upon a single command from Kael, the Silver Moon Knight Captain, the two cavalry corps immediately retreated like a receding tide. The Moon Shadow Hunters used the shadows to teleport short distances, while the Silver Moon Knights used the moon in the sky to conceal their presence.
Just like that, after the great upheaval, all that was left for Vampire Viscount Hercules was a burning camp, the scattered remains of Vampire Soldiers, and a legion with shattered morale.
Standing amidst the ruins of the camp, Vampire Viscount Hercules was pale. He could already imagine the severe punishments he would face once news of this traveled through the Teleportation Gate back to his home plane. The Vampire Viscount’s arrogance was shattered.
...
「In the Dark Plane, within the Ancient Castle of Vampire Count Yin Hai.」
A bloody stench, so thick it was almost tangible, permeated the entire Ancient Castle. Blue phantom flames burned in the sconces.
Vampire Count Yin Hai, dressed in a magnificent red tailcoat, lightly tapped his pale fingers on the armrest of his throne, which was forged from Black Obsidian. His blood-red eyes were a deep abyss, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
Flanking him sat a dozen or so other powerful vampires. Their auras were chilling or sinister, but each one was undeniably a powerhouse among their kind. A few of them even emanated a power that seemed to rival that of Vampire Count Yin Hai himself, who sat upon the main throne. These were, in fact, the three other Vampire Counts besides Yin Hai.
In the front of the great hall, Vampire Viscount Hercules knelt on the floor, his face pale. His tunic had been stripped off, revealing his back, which was covered in dark, blood-sucking thorn vines full of barbs. But even as he knelt there, the cold stone floor was no match for the iciness in his heart.
He could feel the undisguised gazes from the two rows of seats beside him—gazes filled with contempt, greed, and schadenfreude. In this Ancient Castle, losers had no place!
"Hercules...!"
Vampire Count Yin Hai finally spoke from his Black Obsidian throne. His voice was not loud, yet it was cold enough to chill the bone. The harshest winter chill could not compare to a fraction of the cold that gripped Vampire Viscount Hercules’s heart at that moment.
"Tell me, my dear Viscount," he began. "You swore to me that you had discovered a rich new plane, one you could conquer and present to me. But now, what have you brought back to me?"
Hearing the Vampire Count’s words, Vampire Viscount Hercules lowered his already bowed head even further, wishing he could simply meld it into the floor beneath him. After a few moments, his dry, fear-filled voice croaked out, "My apologies, Lord Count! It is because the resistance from that plane’s Clan was too fierce. Their power has a unique countering effect against the power of Darkness. That is why my Vampire Army was temporarily unable to break through their lines of defense. Furthermore, they are exceptionally cunning. They even used the terrain..."
"BANG!"
"Enough!" Vampire Count Yin Hai slammed his hand down on the armrest of his throne.
Without even moving from his seat, he unleashed an invisible pressure that slammed the Vampire Viscount’s body into the stone floor, creating a depression. Hercules’s body was pressed deep into the stone, his cheek scraping against the rubble, making it difficult to even breathe.
"I don’t want to hear your excuses, Hercules!" Vampire Count Yin Hai’s voice remained even, yet it carried an undeniable authority. "On the first day, you discovered that plane and stepped through the Teleportation Gate. You returned gravely wounded.
"I did not hold it against you. I gave you a second chance.
"And the second time, you borrowed the Blood Beasts from me. Yet now you come back to tell me that the Blood Beasts were completely useless, and that the enemy launched a surprise attack on your camp at night!
"Are you the fool, or am I?!"
Undisguised laughter and whispers erupted from the other vampires seated along the sides of the hall, their contempt and schadenfreude echoing throughout the Ancient Castle.
"This is a complete embarrassment for Vampire Count Yin Hai!"
"Since when has one of Vampire Count Yin Hai’s top lieutenants been reduced to a child, toyed with at will by some planar Clan!"
A female vampire in a long, scarlet gown toyed with a crystal goblet filled with a viscous red liquid, as if slowly savoring it.
"It seems Hercules’s capabilities are insufficient for him to serve as the lead Conductor for this plane’s exploration," said Vampire Count Elvin, who was seated in one of the four great chairs nearest to Vampire Count Yin Hai. "So, why not entrust this important task to me instead?"
The immense benefits of exploring and conquering a new plane were self-evident, and the implications of Vampire Count Elvin’s words needed no further explanation.
Vampire Viscount Hercules felt the undisguised malice and greed in the eyes of his fellow vampires.