230. Enemy at the Gate
Admiral's courtyard, H.A.R.M. Cascadia headquarters.
An eerie silence pervaded the courtyard.
Max Vierkant had moved out. His newly wedded wife was an Atzmon—deemed unsuitable to remain at the center of H.A.R.M.'s decision-making.
Chloe no longer came here to visit. After a brief rest, she once again left Cascadia, stepped into vampire territory, and continued the mission she had been pursuing for hundreds of years.
Without the Ascendant King, the Blood Moon Vampire King remained a threat.
The pressure had eased, but that didn't mean they were safe yet.
Albany Laurent had not yet returned.
Theodore Montgomery needed to watch over Surrey in his absence, so he sat upright at the stone table beneath the large tree, with only Alex Bai in attendance.
Seeing Senior Sister Patani and General Kane enter, Alex Bai first respectfully bowed, then formed hand seals to notify his master. Without keeping them waiting long, a sword returned from the horizon.
"You have returned quickly," Theodore Montgomery said as he opened his eyes.
Though I had seen it before, the sword's speed still amazed me—truly worthy of a Seeker of Redeemer whose Redeemed Spirit could travel at such astonishing velocity, setting them completely apart from anyone below their Realm.
Only with such traveling efficiency could one truly protect an entire State.
"I called you back primarily to discuss the Ascendant King situation. Its background is indeed formidable, but fortunately, luck was on our side."
Theodore took out a crystal, a faint smile crossing his face. "Forgive my verbosity—we elders tend to ramble. Though the Blood Transforming Vampire Emperor is currently distracted by the Mount Olympus disciple, it remains a Vampire Emperor nonetheless. The chances of killing it are slim, so unless absolutely necessary, avoid venturing beyond New Terra territory."
Within New Terra, they could still rely on the nominal alliance to deter vampire emperors.
Outside that territory, however, the Martial Orders would show no concern for their safety.
After his explanation, the Admiral lapsed into momentary silence.
"..."
I looked away, thinking this hardly warranted summoning us back. Such basic information could have been included in his letter.
After a long hesitation, Theodore Montgomery finally turned his gaze toward the cold young woman. "Do you plan to leave?" he asked.
"After I break through to Ward of Nature." Aisha Patani stood tall with shoulders squared, adding after a few breaths: "And after killing the Blood Moon Vampire King."
Hearing this, the Admiral froze momentarily, then slowly rose to his feet, his voice slightly hoarse: "Thank you."
While killing the Ascendant King was part of their original agreement, eliminating the Blood Moon Vampire King went far beyond that arrangement.
Clearly, this girl he had raised with his own hands was neither heartless nor irresponsible...
Reflecting on this, Theodore Montgomery laughed bitterly at himself. She had never been that kind of person—it was he who had created this situation.
He composed himself and solemnly bowed his head: "The path of training is treacherous and perilous. I wish you a bright future. Take care."
Aisha Patani lifted her gaze and nodded gently. "Take care."
Alex Bai stood beside them with a conflicted expression. Though Senior Sister wasn't leaving immediately, this farewell had effectively severed their relationship.
The original agreement had been fulfilled; from now on, she would no longer be the Admiral's disciple.
In both his words and manner, the Admiral was already treating Senior Sister as a Realm Breaker of equal standing.
CRACK—
I heard another faint breaking sound.
"I likely won't be able to follow you anymore," Aisha said softly, turning her head towards me.
"Understood." I nodded. That's how it was when the Infant of Love approached the threshold of breaking the core. She would need to enter seclusive training.
I didn't envy her situation; after all, she possessed only one Infant, while I had two in my sea of essence—capable of breaking the core whenever I desired.
Theodore Montgomery observed the two in silence.
Likely he had been spared from being cut into a thousand pieces by the Ice Dragon—as General Grant had predicted—partly thanks to General Kane, who had made this girl much gentler than before.
"..."
Just then, Theodore Montgomery seemed to sense something. His eyelids suddenly twitched, then he silently sat down and closed his eyes again.
The sword on the table, radiating intense killing intent, shot straight up toward the sky!
Alex Bai's expression changed drastically. Having served at his master's side for years, this was the first time he had witnessed him deploy his Redeemed Spirit with such urgency.
Aisha Patani's brows furrowed slightly.
Before the two could react, they saw a red cloud suddenly rising nearby, wrapped in overwhelming vampiric energy, chasing after the sword!
...
Yakutat, edge of Surrey, Cascadia.
A wolf-headed humanoid clad in armor strode slowly into the county town, observing the busy commoners with a hint of reminiscence.
Upon seeing this furry wolf-headed monster, two armed soldiers stood stunned for a moment. They had apparently never encountered such a brazen vampire before—one who not only walked in without any disguise but also loitered casually in place.
The next moment, the two soldiers shouted in unison: "Vampire attack! Notify H.A.R.M.!"
As if responding to their voices, a sword streaked across the sky like a meteor, stirring up endless sword intent and resembling a surging river of light!
The momentum was tremendous, yet its energy remained perfectly contained.
In the old wolf's eyes, white lights surged everywhere, so thick they formed a visible mist—Cascadia's power of faith now accompanied the sword, sweeping through the air like a wild dragon!
A ferocious expression contorted the Blood Moon Vampire King's face.
It was this sword that had blocked his path all these years.
CLANG!
Slightly hunched, it produced a crescent blade in its claw, viciously and accurately striking the sword.
There was no sky-piercing energy wave, no collapsing buildings.
It was as if two ordinary martial artists had merely clashed with blade and sword, producing nothing more than an unremarkable, crisp sound.
Only the two of them knew what terrifying energy was contained within their weapons.
"Look at you, still so petty," said the Blood Moon Vampire King.
The old wolf, having forcibly taken the sword strike, bared its fangs in a sinister grin.
Opposite it, the ethereal Redeemed Spirit held the sword with one hand, hovering in midair. Behind him, the faith power was almost tangible, like clustered white clouds, transforming the surroundings into what resembled a celestial sanctuary suspended between heaven and earth.
"Do you wish to die?" asked Theodore Montgomery. The Admiral's eyes held an icy coldness, his face devoid of emotion.
Beyond Cascadia lay Blood Moon's territory. But this was Cascadia—his Cascadia.
The Blood Moon Vampire King gently stroked the sparse fur on its head with its other hand. "Not at all. I just want to keep you occupied for a while, let my worthless subordinates have a nice time in Cascadia... Don't count on your generals; I've assigned three harmonizing vampire lords in Surrey alone."
"..."
A ferocious smile spread across Theodore Montgomery's face.
With his Redeemed Spirit's extraordinary speed, if the enemy dared to gather their vampire lords together, he could slaughter them all and still return in time to intercept this wolf vampire.
"Look at you," said the Blood Moon Vampire King. The old wolf's blood gift allowed him to clearly see spirits and collapse souls.
He swung his blade again to block the sword. "I told you I just came to have some fun. Why don't you understand?"
Before the wolf vampire could finish speaking, Theodore's steady hand holding the sword suddenly trembled slightly.
The already ethereal Redeemed Spirit suddenly became like a rootless duckweed drifting on water.
The sword tip slowly descended.
A trace of bewilderment appeared on the Redeemed Spirit's face as he looked at the wolf vampire before him, then turned to gaze toward a more distant direction.
"Tsk." The Blood Moon Vampire King shook his head: "It seems your Cascadia is about to be no more?"