Lord Leo’s face brightened with satisfaction as he said, “Kainan, you truly are an excellent soldier. I will overlook your earlier mistake. My two attendants and I have traveled far and need rest. You’ll keep watch for me.”
Charlot led Lord Leo into the adventurers’ camp. The middle-aged vampire selected a large tree, leaned against its trunk, and pretended to doze. His two attendants stood guard by his side in shifts, clearly mistrusting the adventurers.
Charlot wiped the sweat from his brow and slipped away from Lord Leo, finding a secluded spot to sit down heavily.
After a full day of travel and a fierce battle, the unexpected incident earlier had been a harrowing ordeal, pushing his adrenaline to its limits. Now, with the tension ebbing away, fatigue struck him twice as hard. His entire body ached, and even moving a finger felt like a monumental task.
Although his quick thinking had allowed him to temporarily evade the crisis, it was inevitable that Lord Leo would eventually realize he was not an ally.
When Lord Leo discovered Charlot was not a member of the Adonis clan but instead practiced Blood Glory, a technique despised by vampires, how could he possibly survive the wrath of a high-ranking Transcendent?
Charlot had no answer yet.
He knew that, despite the surface calm, the situation was fraught with danger. Any misstep could cost him his life. Forcing himself to recover some stamina, he tried to suppress his exhaustion and concentrated on practicing the Protagoras Breathing Technique to quickly absorb Winterburn’s life force.
Lord Leo’s lance had pierced Winterburn’s body, but he had not consumed his life force. High-ranking vampires valued the purity of their blood energy. Wanton consumption of life force often led to corruption and degeneration into monstrous forms, so they avoided feeding on prey of lower Transcendent rank unless it was necessary.
For Charlot, however, the life force of a fourth-rank knight was an invaluable resource. He had not yet reached the stage where he could afford to be “selective,” which was why he had delivered the final blow.
...
After over a hundred breaths, all the life force had been transformed into Blood Glory. Instead of opening a fifth Blood Vortex, Charlot chose to condense a Blood Rune—Angel’s Thorn.
His decision was driven by Blood Rose.
Angel’s Thorn was one of the Thirteen Miraculous Techniques within Blood Glory, and it was also the foundational secret art of the Arsilo Family.
The Arsilo Family was one of the three vampire royal clans, known for their mastery of martial skills. Their swordsmanship was unparalleled among the thirty-seven vampire clans. As the cornerstone of the Arsilo Family’s secret arts, Angel’s Thorn was not only an extraordinary technique but also a legendary swordsmanship method, renowned throughout the Old Continent.
The records of Angel’s Thorn within the Blood Glory manuscripts were sparse and cryptic. No one knew how the philosopher Protagoras had learned this secret art or how he had integrated it into Blood Glory.
Among the four imperial universities, few students practiced Blood Glory. Since the death of Protagoras, all the other Miraculous Techniques within Blood Glory had been successfully cultivated by someone, but Angel’s Thorn remained unattainable.
Many scholars, after studying Protagoras’ manuscripts and the customs of the Arsilo Family, concluded that mastering Angel’s Thorn required a vampire’s “inheritance.”
The elders of the Arsilo Family would condense their lifetime cultivation into a special “seed.” Only those who obtained this seed could master Angel’s Thorn and begin training in the Arsilo Family’s secret arts.
Although Protagoras had gifted his manuscripts to the four universities, he had never accepted any disciples. Later, when the Fars Empire and Byron declared a ban on humans practicing Blood Glory, no human could ever again obtain the inheritance of Angel’s Thorn.
The Blood Rose’s ability to forcibly break through the fourth Blood Vortex suggested it contained the insights of its previous owner into the Arsilo Family’s secret arts. Charlot had no intention of letting this opportunity go to waste.
Reaching out, he touched the Blood Rose, which grew warm and transformed into a stream of blood-red light, merging into his left arm.
Within the Blood Vortex in his left arm, the magical rapier became a sword-shaped rune, constantly trembling and stabbing in elegant movements.
Closing his eyes, Charlot’s mind filled with countless strange and brutal sword techniques. Each strike was unfathomable, as swift as lightning and thunder.
Fortunately, his prior two encounters with the Foreign Gods of Chaos had greatly enhanced his spiritual resilience. Now comparable to a high-ranking Transcendent, he could fully imprint these sword techniques in his mind, accepting the Arsilo Family’s legacy in its entirety.
...
Several hours later, as dawn approached, Charlot opened his eyes. A faint blood-red light flickered in his gaze. Exhaling deeply, he gave his wrist a casual flick, and the Blood Rose materialized out of thin air.
Cradling the vampiric rapier in his hands, Charlot stroked it thoughtfully, musing to himself, “This extraordinary weapon gifted by Louis Simy must have a significant history. Obtaining Shanlens’ Spear might be attributed to sheer luck, but to also possess this vampiric rapier suggests there’s more to the story.”
“Louis likely doesn’t know the origins of these two weapons, or he wouldn’t have given one to me.”
“I have a feeling this will lead to trouble…”
Hearing someone call out Kainan’s name, Charlot had no time to delve deeper into his newfound ability. He stood up hurriedly and made his way to Lord Leo.
The Byron vampire lord had already awakened. Upon seeing Charlot, he smiled faintly and said, “I’ve brought some blood bait. Care for a few pieces?”
Blood bait was a magically crafted food made entirely from human blood. It was a favorite delicacy of vampires, portable and long-lasting.
As a human, Charlot was revolted by the thought. Even in this life, he could not overcome his psychological aversion.
Charlot smiled and replied, “I have blood thralls with me.”
Lord Leo nodded slightly, refraining from insisting. Under the care of his two attendants, he enjoyed a simple yet luxurious breakfast.
The attendants spread a picnic cloth on the ground, arranged fine cutlery, and served blood bait alongside pastries on tin plates. They even poured wine from an ornate flask into matching tin goblets.
After finishing his meal, Lord Leo wiped his mouth with a red napkin and declared, “We can continue on our way.”
His attendants swiftly packed up the picnic setup and followed him silently, guarding him closely without uttering a word.
Charlot instructed the adventurers to prepare for departure. The female adventurers gathered, broke camp, and clustered around Lord Leo as they set out for Machubi.
...
By midday, after a grueling trek, Charlot was inwardly cursing his situation. He was unaccustomed to such hardship.
The adventurers he had gathered were too poor to own mounts. Lord Leo, as a high-ranking vampire, was faster than any ordinary steed, rendering a mount unnecessary for his covert operations in foreign lands.
Charlot couldn’t very well demand a horse for himself.
Moreover, they hadn’t passed any major towns where mounts could be purchased.
Charlot couldn’t help but long for the agility rune he had yet to master.