Chapter 188: The Longing For Selene
Soon.
The ten dopplegängers began the interrogation. Luke deliberately separated the two prisoners.
Neither knew what the other had already confessed.
Hours passed.
One by one.
Their psychological defenses crumbled.
Faced with relentless questioning. And a level of torture that made even seasoned assassins shiver.
Both men eventually broke.
In the end Luke obtained everything he wanted.
Their identities. The Viscount House they secretly served.
Their hidden scouting routes. Their communication methods.
The locations of several concealed observation posts.
Even more importantly.
They revealed the names of the Viscounts who had already begun treating Blackstone as an enemy.
However out of everything they confessed. One piece of information worried Luke the most.
It wasn’t the neighboring Viscounts. Nor the Hidden Hand.
It was a single name.
"The Vampires." Luke quietly repeated those words.
His expression gradually became solemn.
According to the two prisoners. News of his astonishing growth. And the disappearance of his "talentless" reputation.
Had already reached the Vampire’s.
More specifically...
It had reached the ears of Selene’s stepbrothers and stepsisters.
After learning that the man once dismissed as worthless had suddenly begun rising at a terrifying pace.
They had become uneasy.
Very uneasy.
As a result they had already begun making preparations.
"Selene."
The moment he whispered her name. His cold expression unconsciously softened.
Her beautiful smile appeared in his mind. Her playful teasing. Her enchanting laughter.
The way she loved clinging to him whenever no one was watching.
The sweet conversations they shared late into the night.
The little memories they had created together.
One scene after another. Quietly surfaced inside his heart.
Luke slowly lowered his gaze.
He didn’t know when it had happened.
But...
A dull ache suddenly spread through his chest.
It wasn’t pain.
It was...
Longing.
He missed her. Far more than he had realized.
At this very moment. He wanted nothing more than to fly straight to her.
To see her smile again. To hear her teasing voice.
Even if it was only for a few minutes. Luke unconsciously clenched his fist.
Then Luke slowly exhaled.
"I’ll go." His voice was quiet.
"But not now."
Not while he was still too weak. Not while Blackstone still needed him.
One day, he would go to her. Not merely to visit Selene. But to truly free her.
So that no one from the Vampire Royal Family could ever threaten or control her again.
Only when he possessed enough strength. Would he able to bring her home openly.
Luke slowly pushed those thoughts aside.
His expression gradually returned to normal.
Then he focused once more on the information the two spies had revealed.
"Whether the Vampire reason for targetting me is true or not."
He narrowed his eyes. "It doesn’t matter."
Perhaps Selene’s stepbrothers and stepsisters truly feared his rapid growth.
Perhaps they had entirely different motives.
Luke couldn’t determine that with certainty.
But one thing was beyond doubt.
"The Vampires are coming after me."
He quietly muttered. That fact alone was enough to make him raise his guard.
Fortunately.
The interrogation had also yielded another extremely important piece of information.
It concerned the true powerhouses of this world.
According to the spies. Those who had reached the Platinum Knight Realm.
And every realm above it.
Could rarely move about freely. Not because they lacked freedom.
But because. Their existence was simply overwhelming.
The energy constantly radiating from their bodies was terrifying.
Even without intentionally releasing their aura.
Higher-realm experts could sense one another from astonishing distances.
Unless.
They cultivated an exceptional concealment technique.
Or possessed a rare treasure capable of completely suppressing their presence.
Otherwise their mere existence was like a blazing sun in the darkness.
Impossible to hide.
Luke listened carefully. The spies had also mentioned another method.
The Mage Association had developed specialized detection instruments.
Artifacts capable of sensing the energy signatures of high-level cultivators.
Their purpose was simple. Monitoring walking catastrophes.
Because a Platinum Knight and above wasn’t merely a powerful individual.
They were a living natural disaster.
If such a being fought without restraint. Then entire cities could be reduced to ruins.
Countless lives could disappear in moments.
Even more frightening. They didn’t necessarily need to attack.
According to the spies.
If a Platinum Knight completely released their aura.
Ordinary mortals who had never begun cultivation.
Could die from the pressure alone.
That was precisely why. These detection devices had been installed throughout the continent.
Learning this.
Luke finally felt a little relieved.
He silently let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
"Good."
At least.
He currently had no means of dealing with beings at the Platinum Knight Realm.
If one truly descended upon Blackstone.
There would be little he could do.
Fortunately.
The world itself seemed to possess restraints against such monsters.
However.
That relief only lasted for a moment.
Luke’s expression soon became serious again.
"Though."
"They can still send Peak Golden Knights." His brows slowly furrowed.
That possibility was far more realistic.
According to the information he had gathered.
Peak Golden Knights stood at the very limit of the Golden Realm.
They had already begun touching. The properties of the Platinum Realm.
Although they hadn’t truly stepped across that threshold.
Their strength was still terrifying beyond imagination.
Even Aurielle had known very little about that level.
Whenever the conversation reached the Platinum Realm and beyond.
The available knowledge abruptly stopped.
As if someone had deliberately restricted its spread.
Even she had been confused by it.
Luke also had found that strange at the time.
After thinking for a while.
Luke slowly looked toward the endless sky.
A helpless smile appeared beneath his helmet.
"Still."
"I sincerely hope."
"No Peak Golden Knight comes at all."
Luke silently offered a prayer.
"Goddess of Luck."
"Please let me stay lucky a little longer."
The forest remained silent.
No miracle occurred.
No divine voice answered him.
Only a gentle breeze drifted past.
Carrying away his quiet prayer into the endless sky.
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Author Note: Everyone thank you so much. For showing your support and love for this novel.
That’s why, I have released this 19 Chapter as bonus, with cheap price. For this month. July, 2026.
Please keep supporting, this novel. With your precious golden tickets and power stones.
-EternalVoidRuler.