Blood moon light flowed like liquid blood, saturating every inch of Crescent City's night sky.
All Saints Cathedral, this Gothic structure forgotten by the world and silent for nearly a century, seemed like a giant beast awakening from slumber tonight, radiating heart-stopping, evil yet powerful energy fluctuations.
The cathedral's perimeter was already surrounded iron-tight by Sacred Thorn Knights' elite guards. They wore silver-gleaming heavy armor, wielding halberds dipped in holy water, standing silent and solemn like ancient statues, forming an impassable mortal barrier.
However, in the cathedral's shadows, two figures darker than night were silently approaching this fortress of death at high speed.
"...Three, two, one."
Elian's ice-cold voice counted down through the communication channel.
The instant "one" fell, all lights in Crescent City were extinguished by an invisible hand, plunging the city into seven seconds of absolute darkness and silence.
This was Elian's "gift" to the city, and his "greeting" to the enemy.
Now!
Rafe's figure shot forward like a cannonball, using darkness as cover to cross nearly a hundred meters instantly. His massive battle axe cut a shrill wind-song through air, striking hard against the invisible energy barrier surrounding the cathedral!
"Hummmmm——!"
The barrier shook violently with a piercing shriek.
Simultaneously, Elian's figure appeared like a phantom at the barrier's weakest node. His fingertips extended five surgical-blade-sharp, black-gleaming claws, precisely piercing the barrier's energy circuits.
"Crackle——"
With violent electrical arcs, that impenetrable energy barrier collapsed like a punctured balloon.
Seven seconds, exactly right.
When city lights returned, two black death whirlwinds had successfully breached the cathedral's first line of defense.
"Enemy attack!"
Shrill alarms finally sounded.
The cathedral's main doors burst open. Dozens of heavy-shield Temple Guards poured out like a tide from the massive doorway.
"Excellent!"
Rafe let out a battle-hungry roar, charging toward that steel torrent rather than retreating!
His battle axe became a battering ram, smashing into the foremost heavy shield.
"CLANG——!!!"
A deafening crash. The special alloy shield that could withstand anti-material rifles was dented horribly. The shield-bearer was launched backward by irresistible force, bowling over three or four comrades.
The solid shield formation was torn open.
The instant the gap appeared, black lightning flashed behind Rafe.
It was Elian.
His figure left only afterimages. Like an artist dancing on blade-edges, he slipped gracefully through that narrow, fleeting gap. His black obsidian blade traced elegant yet deadly arcs under the blood moon's light.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
A series of muffled blade-in-flesh sounds.
When Rafe's axe sent another shield flying, nearly ten Temple Guards behind him had silently fallen, clutching their throats. Their armor showed no damage—only hair-thin, fatal red lines between helmet and neck guard.
Power and speed.
Fury and precision.
They needed no verbal communication. A glance, a sidestep was enough for each to understand the other's next move.
Rafe handled frontal breakthrough, using his nearly invincible brute force to draw attention and shatter all defenses.
Elian worked in the chaos Rafe created, like a supreme assassin precisely harvesting every exposed weakness.
They were a perfect war spear of hammer and blade combined!
Battle spread from the cathedral's outer plaza into the magnificent, spacious main hall.
Blood moon light streamed through massive stained glass in the dome, casting hellish, twisted shadows on the floor. Neat prayer pews had been torn to pieces by violent battle aftershocks.
Knights kept pouring in like fearless puppets.
Among them appeared several more powerful elite knights called "Arbiters." Their bodies radiated ominous energy from evil modifications. One had an arm mutated into a biological cannon firing ultraviolet beams.
"Watch out!"
Rafe roared, tackling Elian to the ground. A scorching, destructive ultraviolet beam passed inches over their heads, pulverizing a massive stone pillar behind them.
"Choir loft! Two o'clock!" Elian called out the sniper's position while rolling.
"Cover me!"
Rafe roared, grabbing a huge stone slab as a shield, then charged like a mad rhinoceros toward the "Arbiter," weathering continuous ultraviolet bombardment.
Behind him, Elian's figure climbed the side wall like a gecko. He moved at high speed between ancient reliefs and statues, leaving only afterimage trails as he flanked toward the loft.
A three-dimensional, divided yet tightly coordinated battle unfolded.
Rafe's charge drew all enemy attention. The stone slab under ultraviolet bombardment continuously cracked and crumbled. Several times beam edges grazed his body, leaving painful burn marks.
But he didn't stop. His eyes held only that enemy firing deadly beams.
Closer! Even closer!
Just as he was about to reach his target, the stone floor beneath his feet suddenly lit with a complex magic circle drawn in silver powder.
"Silver Binding!"
Pure silver energy chains erupted from the formation, wrapping around Rafe's limbs like vipers, locking him in place.
"Damn!"
Rafe struggled frantically, but the silver chains tightened, burning black marks into his skin.
The "Arbiter" smiled cruelly. His arm cannon began gathering more terrible energy than before. He would completely incinerate this stubborn wolf.
However, he failed to notice a black figure descending from overhead shadows like an inverted bat.
Elian's eyes blazed with cold killing intent.
His black obsidian blade traced a perfect, beautiful arc as it fell.
"Slash——"
The "Arbiter's" smile froze. He looked down in disbelief at his charging arm, severed cleanly at the shoulder and fallen to the floor.
Then cold, bloody breath whispered in his ear.
"Repent for your sins."
The obsidian blade silently pierced his heart like death's kiss.
With the "Arbiter's" fall, the silver chains binding Rafe dissipated.
Rafe leaned on his axe, breathing heavily. He looked up to see Elian descending gracefully from midair like a feather, blood moon light outlining his cold, perfect profile like a walking god of slaughter from hell.
They stood back-to-back again in the center of carnage.
The main hall's enemies were cleared.
Before them was the massive oak door leading to the cathedral's deepest sanctuary—where the ritual was being held.
The door was carved with angels and saints, but now oozed nauseating blood-stench and evil energy.
Behind that door lay the final battlefield.
Rafe and Elian exchanged glances, seeing identical resolve in each other's eyes.
Rafe took a deep breath, raising his axe high.
Elian gripped his blade in reverse, body lowering slightly.
"CRASH——!!!"
With a tremendous impact, the heavy oak door was violently smashed open by their combined force.
The scene beyond made even these veterans of bloodshed feel soul-deep chill.
In the vast sanctuary, blood moon light poured down from a hole in the dome like a waterfall, dyeing everything an eerie crimson.
The ritual had indeed reached its climax.
At the sanctuary's center, on an evil altar built of bone and obsidian, a middle-aged man bound with runic chains hung suspended, covered in wounds. Though his consciousness was fading, Rafe would never forget that face.
His father.
Around the altar, three vampire elders were imprisoned in cages of holy light. Their power was being continuously drained by invisible force, flowing into the moonstone hovering above the altar's center, radiating ominous red light.
The entire space filled with rampaging arcane energy on the verge of explosion.
Before the altar stood a figure with his back to them.
He wore a perfectly tailored black prince's formal wear symbolizing supreme power. Silver hair reflected cold light under blood moon glow. Just standing there, the ancient, terrible aura he radiated was enough to suffocate any intruder.
He slowly turned around.
That face resembled Elian's by seven parts, yet was more mature, more evil, more... mad. His eyes held no emotion whatsoever—only godlike coldness that saw all beings as expendable.
It was Caspian. Elian's sire.
He looked at the intruders—blood-covered Rafe and ice-cold Elian—and slowly curved his lips in an elegant yet cruel smile.
"Ah..."
His voice was quiet yet clearly echoed in every corner, seeming to carry soul-striking magic.
"My son, Elian."
"You came after all."
"And brought a guest... How very... disappointing."