201. Not Playing Fair
I remained still, waiting quietly in place.
Earlier, at H.A.R.M., I had received a very important piece of information.
The Ascendant Vampire King's red flying artifact was faster than my fully powered Whispering Gale Technique.
This was based on Aisha Patani's assessment.
Even after experiencing the technique firsthand, she maintained this conclusion.
Two days later, Chloe and Samir Jabal finally arrived. Unable to use teleportation techniques, they had to travel through mountains and forests, using concealment and illusion techniques to avoid attracting attentions of other vampires.
"We will set up the Sunweaver's Trap in advance. Once the setup is complete, we will send you a message through the bell," Chloe said.
The two Gold Bell Vampire Hunters had mastered their concealment techniques well and were clearly experienced. Despite their emotional turmoil, not a trace of their auras leaked out.
I watched as the two made their way toward the distant mountain.
This concealment technique was obviously more advanced than my own. I made a mental note to inquire about it upon our return.
For now, I closed my eyes and readied myself for the imminent battle.
"..."
Aisha Patani sat cross-legged, silently focusing on regulating the baleful energy within her core.
The brilliant sunlight gradually softened, transforming into a crimson haze along the mountain's edge.
Without warning, the silver bell at my waist gave a subtle tremor.
"Attack!"
In an instant, a colossal ice dragon, hundreds of feet long, roared into existence. Its presence brought boundless cold, freezing everything in its path. The dragon's body was formed of countless ice longswords, spiraling together. Like scales, the sharp blades overlapped in layers, resonating with metallic tremors.
ROAR!
A piercing cry of swords echoed through the surroundings as devastating energy surged outward.
The Profound Ice Dragon streaked toward the mountain, its momentum unstoppable!
At the same time, a crimson greatsword—accompanied by the roars of dragons and tigers and wrapped in monstrous demonic power—shot towards the same direction.
In an instant, I vanished from where I stood.
When I reappeared, I was already above the waterfall cliff. Beneath my chilling black armor, the Hidden Abyss saber slid silently from its sheath. I gripped its hilt firmly as thick black mist coiled along the armguard.
Gripping the saber with both hands, I held the blade horizontally before me, my eyes fixed calmly on the valley below.
In the next instant, the Profound Ice Dragon and crimson greatsword crashed down with devastating force, threatening to split the valley apart.
BOOM!
Dust and smoke billowed through the air as shattered stones scattered everywhere.
A thunderous roar erupted from within: "AISHA PATANI!"
A massive figure, towering eighty feet tall, suddenly rose into the air. Below his sharp bull horns, a terrifying face twisted in rage, his large eyes blazing with fury.
His tremendous frame towered like a building, with broad shoulders and knotted muscles. Blood dripped from flesh-tearing gashes that covered its entire body, now coated in frost from the Ice Dragon's fierce cold.
In the distance, Chloe and Samir Jabal's pupils contracted as they maintained their hand seals beneath this majestic figure.
Their impression of the Ascendant King was frozen in time, dating back to their last ambush.
How many years has passed? Its aura had grown several times more fierce since then. What extraordinary talent and bloodline allowed it to make such a terrifying leap in Realm and power!
The Ascendant King gripped a ring-pommel saber, threw back his head, and roared again!
A black shadow flashed across his vision.
Dense black mist descended from above as the blade whistled past its head, and a dazzling green light bloomed in the air!
A thin line of blood traced down from its brow. Then it quietly burst open.
A huge gash opened from the Ascendant King's face all the way to his chest.
The bull vampire raised its ring-pommel saber and slashed forward with all its might!
As the saber slashed downward, I gripped my long sword vertically—one hand on the hilt, the other supporting the blade. The vampire power of seven transformations of Sanguine Resurrection surged through both palms simultaneously.
CLANG!
Feeling the immense force through the saber, the Ascendant King could no longer afford to be complacent. He quickly gripped the saber with both hands, gritted his teeth, and pressed down toward me.
The ring-pommel blade—massive as a cliff face—collided with the Hidden Abyss, which was merely three feet long.
Crimson demonic power erupted from the Ascendant King's body, fierce and boundless, illuminating the sky!
In an instant, crimson demonic power also soared from within my body, surging through my black armor that shimmered with dark light!
The once-peaceful valley had transformed into a hellish realm of demons.
"It's you!" The Bull Vampire's thunderous voice boomed as recognition dawned in its eyes.
After a slight moment of astonishment, it realized that it had seen me before.
Back then, I had stood behind Aisha. The moment the snow owl chased after me, I vanished using some kind of teleportation technique.
And now, despite using all his strength, he couldn't force down his saber an inch.
In this split second, the Frozen Resolve within Aisha Patani manifested once again as an ice dragon, lunging at the Ascendant King from behind!
The ice dragon's attack instantly tore through the Bull Vampire's broad, iron-like back, ripping away layers of flesh and drawing blood.
"ARGH!" The Ascendant King bellowed in agony.
He was bewildered at how they had managed to find him—Aisha Patani and this young man of extraordinary strength.
"Attacking me from ambush—how shameless!" A thick red mist emerged from its body, forming a cluster of red clouds beneath it.
The Ascendant King realized this was a carefully orchestrated sneak attack.
Mounting the cloud, it attempted to escape. But before it could ascend, a massive golden net plummeted from above, completely encasing its body.
Chloe and Samir Jabal swiftly formed hand seals. Grasping the ends of the golden net, they channeled the Embryos of Harmony within their cores. As their auras flared, they yanked downward, forcing the Bull Vampire to descend.
"Let go of me!" The Ascendant King finally fell into a momentary panic and thrashed wildly with its long saber in a desperate attempt to sever the golden threads.
Though the golden threads appeared ordinary, the golden light enveloping them proved remarkably effective. Even the ring-pommel saber, which had matched Hidden Abyss in sharpness and hardness, failed to sever these delicate strands.
The golden light only dimmed slightly, but at a cost—Chloe's face turned pale, and Samir Jabal coughed up a mouthful of blood.
No wonder it called itself the Ascendant King—its strength far exceeded what any Spiritualizing vampire should possess.
The Profound Ice Dragon pounced for the third time.
Before it struck, I made my move. My figure soared through the air as I brought my right leg down with crushing force. I channeled both the Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection and Leviasaur Power, along with green light and vampiric essence from my embryo, to enhance the strike.
My long leg, like a saber or hammer, struck with a crack, snapping the thick bull horn before crashing down onto the Ascendant King's skull.
A dull, thunderous thud echoed through the valley!
The Ascendant King's hand, still gripping the saber, suddenly went limp as his eyes lost focus. His massive, majestic body staggered backward.
Without hesitation, the Profound Ice Dragon surged forward, ripping through its abdomen.
With an earth-shaking boom, the Bull Vampire crashed to the ground, sending tremors throughout the valley.
It widened its eyes, staring fixedly at the woman walking from afar: "Aisha Patani... Aisha Patani..."
Never before had the Ascendant King felt such rage.
Above all else, it prized fairness. Though it could have ascended to a higher Realm long ago, it had deliberately held back, determined to defeat Aisha in honorable combat while they were in equal Realms.
But now, she had brought others to ambush him while he was weakened.
Chloe stared at the Vampire with unwavering resolve.
He claimed to be honorable, yet when he devoured an entire city of Cascadia's people, he showed not a shred of mercy.
For fifty years, across seventeen counties and one city, millions of lives were lost. Justice must be served!
Just then, the Vampire, still sprawled on the ground, twisted his lips into a sinister smile. "Since we're not playing fair—well, my family is quite powerful, and my mother bestowed upon me several treasured artifacts before I departed."
As the words left its mouth, a bronze mirror suddenly burst through the golden net.
The mirror expanded against the wind, hanging in the sky like a blazing sun!