Chapter 80—The Blood Archduke.
Chapter 80—The Blood Archduke.
The obsidian gates of the Castle of Sanguis did not yield to a key; they shattered under the sheer weight of Kaelen’s approaching domain.
The central citadel of the Eastern Territory stood as a towering monument to Gothic arrogance. Spikes of black iron and stained glass rose thousands of feet into the blood-red sky, supported by massive flying buttresses that wept rivers of condensed crimson mana. Inside the grand throne room, colossal chandeliers forged from bone and dark crystal cast long, flickering shadows across a floor of polished red marble.
At the far end of the hall, resting upon a throne carved from the skull of an ancient blood dragon, sat Archduke Valerius.
The Vampire Lord was clad in immaculate, gold-trimmed obsidian armor, a long mantle of crimson silk flowing down his shoulders. In his right hand, he held a grand rapier that hummed with a Level 160 Tier-EX blood-spatial aura. Standing beside his throne were his four remaining Blood Generals—each a Level 155 elite warrior armed with legendary vampiric weaponry.
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[HOSTILE ENTITIES SPOTTED!]
TARGET: Archduke Valerius—Lord of the Eastern Territory (Level 162 Tier-EX)
SUB-TARGETS: 4 Blood Generals (Level 155 Elite)
RELIQUE DETECTED: 3rd Heavenly Seal Fragment (Resonating!)
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"You walked through my fortress gates as if entering your court, Kaelen," Valerius spoke, his voice a low, resonant baritone that echoed off the high marble arches.
"Marquis Malakor was a fool who relied on weak thralls. But here, inside the heart of my blood nexus, my power is absolute."
Valerius stood up from his throne, his crimson eyes burning with ancient, aristocratic disdain. The four Blood Generals stepped forward in unison, drawing their blades as a heavy, suffocating wave of crimson pressure washed across the room.
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[TERRITORY DOMAIN ACTIVE!]
FIELD EFFECT: [Sanguine Nexus]
EFFECT: Archduke Valerius & generals gain 100% health regeneration!
ENEMY MANA COST: Doubled!
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"A domain built on stolen blood," Lyra said softly, stepping up beside Kaelen with her golden staff held firm.
The twin-sun crest on her hand erupted into a brilliant aura of divine solar light, instantly neutralizing the double mana cost penalty for the squad. Her bright blue eyes locked onto Valerius with unwavering resolve.
"Your nexus has no authority over pure light.""Ignis, Tsubaki, Ren," Kaelen commanded smoothly, his dark coat rustling gently in the heavy draft of the throne room. "Handle the generals. Leave the archduke to me."
"Consider it done, My Lord!" Tsubaki’s voice whispered from the darkness cast by a marble pillar.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
Before the four Blood Generals could form a defensive line around their master, Tsubaki, Ignis, and Ren struck simultaneously!
"Dragon Fire Art: Infernal Cleave!" Ignis roared, his claymore erupting into white-hot dragon flames that slammed into two generals, blasting them backward through the stained-glass windows!
"Shadow Style: Phantom Decapitation!" Tsubaki materialized behind the third general, his black katana severing the vampire’s mana conduits quickly with crescent steel!
"System Override: Target Lock!" Ren shouted, releasing a barrage of anti-mana missiles from his gauntlet drones that suppressed the fourth general’s regeneration cycle!
𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Within seconds, the four generals were completely separated from Valerius, leaving the archduke standing alone before Kaelen!
Valerius’s eyes narrowed sharply. A dark, furious sneer contorted his regal features as his rapier ignited with a roaring pillar of crimson bloodlight."You dare dismiss me?!" Valerius bellowed, launching himself forward at blinding, light-speed momentum. "Sanguine Secret Art: Crimson Piercing Flash!"
BOOOOOOM!
A hundred thrusts of razor-sharp blood-spatial energy converged on Kaelen’s chest simultaneously, traveling fast enough to tear through an entire legion of paladins!
Kaelen didn’t take a single step back.
He simply raised his right hand, his slender dark-gloved fingers opening loose in the air before his chest.
HUMMMMMMMM—
A pitch-black sphere of absolute void origin materialized in his palm. The hundred light-speed thrusts fired by Valerius struck the black sphere—and were instantly absorbed down to raw, harmless mana particles!
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[PASSIVE EFFECT: Void Singular Absorption]
DAMAGE RECEIVED: 0!
Valerius’s attack: erased!
---
Valerius froze mid-air, his eyes wide with absolute, terrifying shock as he felt his blood-spatial aura completely neutralized upon contact.
"What... what kind of magic is this?!" Valerius gasped, his breath hitching in his throat. "My blood-spatial arts are supreme on Floor 4!"
"Your arts are borrowed from spatial rules," Kaelen purred softly, his low velvet voice carrying a cold, god-like condescension that chilled Valerius’s very soul. "I am the Void that rules space itself."
Kaelen slowly reached down to his waist, his fingers wrapping around the hilt of the Void Blade.
He didn’t draw the blade to engage in a sword duel. He simply drew it by three inches.
SHING.
A razor-thin line of pitch-black spatial deletion expanded horizontally across the entire throne room.
SKRRRRRRRAASH!
"AAARRRRRGH!"
Valerius let out a bloodcurdling shriek as his Level 162 Tier-EX armor caved in. The pitch-black spatial line severed his blood core instantly, bypassing his 100% health regeneration and high-tier defensive wards as if they were made of dry parchment!
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[CRITICAL HIT!]
DAMAGE DEALT: 18,500,000 (Pure Spatial Eradication)
TARGET STATUS: Core Obliterated!
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BOOOM!
The great Archduke Valerius collapsed onto his knees on the red marble floor, his gold-trimmed armor shattering into dust as his body turned into glowing crimson experience particles.
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[BOSS ELIMINATED!]
TARGET: Archduke Valerius—Lord of the Eastern Territory
EXP RECEIVED: 6,200,000 Points!
Party level up!
---
As Valerius dissolved, the skull throne behind him cracked wide open. Floating out from the center of the shattered stone was a golden, teardrop-shaped emblem etched with ancient, glowing runic script—the 3rd Heavenly Seal.
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[HEAVENLY SEAL ACQUIRED!]
ITEM: Heavenly Seal Fragment—The Key of Blood
PROGRESS: [3 / 7 Heavenly Seals Acquired]
RELIQUE STATUS: LOCKED (The Holy Grail)
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The golden seal drifted smoothly through the air, automatically drawn to Kaelen’s palm. The moment it touched his skin, it absorbed smoothly beneath his flesh, merging with the 1st and 2nd seals deep within his soul.
HUMMMMMMMM
A massive, golden wave of spatial authority rippled outward from Kaelen’s body, illuminating his dark violet eyes with a brilliant, double-ringed golden glow. His maximum stats and mana capacity spiked by another sixty percent instantly.
For a fleeting millisecond, another sharp vision flashed across his mind—the sterile, rhythmic pulse of a heart monitor (beep... beep... beep...), the faint smell of cold glass, and five remaining golden locks securing a grand cosmic door.
Kaelen smoothly closed his hand, sealing the newly acquired power deep into his mana core.
’Three seals acquired,’ Kaelen thought, a cold, dark smile curving his lips as the vision vanished. ’Four remain.’
Lyra stepped up to his side, gently wrapping her hand around his arm and looking up into his face with a triumphant, warm smile. "Three seals down, Kaelen. The Sanguine Court’s eastern sector is completely yours."
"It is merely a stepping stone, my light," Kaelen whispered smoothly, pulling her close against his chest as he turned his gaze toward the central portal leading to the upper floors.
Behind them, Ren, Tsubaki, and Ignis finished securing the massive pile of mythic drops left by the Archduke and his generals, their faces brimming with absolute, unshakeable loyalty to their Sovereign.
"Rest up, everyone," Kaelen commanded, his commanding velvet voice echoing through the quiet, ruined throne room. "Tomorrow, we march for the 4th Seal."