Chapter 211 (Will be posting extra chapters this weekend, sorry yet again for late posts - this week has been hell due to work and holiday related stuff! Hope y'all are doing well! (Patreon)

Chapter 211

(Will be posting extra chapters this weekend, sorry yet again for late posts - this week has been hell due to work and holiday related stuff!  Hope y'all are doing well!)

Allie was in trouble.  She was being attacked and her life was in danger.

And his reaction was instinctual.  Without any thought of his own safety, he would persevere for the woman who’d taken his heart with the kindness she’d shown him over these past few months - a kindness he’d only ever known from his mother prior to meeting her.

Lahn’s shriveled fingers on his left hand, still devoid of any real musculature despite the slow-going recovery process, flipped through the pages of the shimmering white book that oozed holy power on his lap.

He watched the vampire lord before him, the asshole who’d attacked Allie, lunge towards him at a speed Lahn couldn’t quite comprehend.  He knew his death was likely impending, and tears were already trickling down his face as he pushed through the mental blockade of fear to do what must be done.

But he was too slow, and even despite knowing what he was looking for - the vampire lord was just too fast.

“Hello, PIG!” The one eyed vampire hissed venomously, still holding Allie to the wall as the battle between her undead and vampire soldiers bearing the sigil of the green flame raged behind him.  The vampire’s shadow loomed over Lahn in his wheelchair, and he backhand slapped Lahn’s face so hard that spit and teeth flew out of his mouth.

Lahn spun around, flung from the chair but barely managing to keep hold of the holy book.  He landed in a crumpled heap, grunting a scream as his weaker arm snapped and his jaw unhinged.

The vampire lord began to laugh despite the wounds he had, which were slowly beginning to regenerate - though more slowly than they had earlier.  He turned and sneered Allie’s way.  “This?!  THIS creature, of all the people you could choose, is the one you prefer as your mate?  OVER ME!?  How ludicrous!”

Lahn’s fingers, despite the pain radiating across his broken body, continued to dig at the glowing pages of the book with frantic abandon.  In truth there was no way he could defeat this monster, there was no way to save Allie the way he was.

That’s why he needed to change, and though the sacrifice it would take to get there was steep - the words of power written into the pages of this text were as clear as day to him.

There was a path to save her.  A path that even the previous owner of this book hadn’t taken due to the detrimental cost.

The vampire lord shook his head, sending a bolt of flames tearing through two of the skeletal assassins that charged him - only to uncaringly glance at one of his soldiers who died at the hand of Fimrindle.  Pausing just a moment to make sure the iron scarecrow was preoccupied while more soldiers tried to hold him down with blurring movement abilities and exchanging lightning-quick attacks, the irregularly handsome man began walking towards Lahn with a malevolent grin.  An ebony dagger of intricate, jagged, evil design appeared in one of his hands, and he loomed over Lahn like the spirit of death when he raised it up high for a killing strike.  “ I will purge you of this world for tainting our royal bloodline with your filth, you disgusting pig!”

“YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM!!!!” A flash of teal and black roared to life and Allie’s scream echoed throughout the compound, causing the earth to quake amongst a sea of ghosts that tore from the air around her - launching themselves at the flaming chains binding her to the walls in a mad rage.

The dagger descended towards the vulnerable human man, Allie not having freed herself in time despite her herculean effort to interrupt the attack, but the blade was stopped short by none other than Kathrine in her stead.

Kathrine Vonsilla Crushada the 9th, eldest daughter to the Duke and Dutchess of House of Crushada, 107th in line for the vampiric throne - had stopped his attack with a thin rapier.  The silver blade’s tip was held just inches over Lahn’s face, flaring with ribbons of blood that lifted off the weapon like calm waves before the storm as it sparked against the black dagger that’d almost taken Lahn’s life.

***

Lord Justo Barimont was stunned, glaring in incomprehensible rage at Kathrine as the vampire royal held his blade at bay.  “What are you DOING, princess!?”

His eyes grew wide and he nearly tripped over his own legs when Kathrine’s arm shot out, collar in hand, to try and put it around his neck.  The runic enchantments Elder Thune had placed on it were more than recognizable to his eyes, he must have dropped it without realizing, but Kathrine’s moment of surprise went as quickly as it’d come.  He would not just sit there and let her don that damned, profane object around his neck if he could help it - and violently slapping it away and out of her hand was more than enough to keep himself out of harm’s way.  “You just expect me to sit there and let you nullify me like that?  Did you really think that would work?  You’d need to knock me out completely for that kind of plan.”

The words hissed out of him like a snake, and he bloomed with fire - exploding backwards to barely avoid a death ball by mere centimeters with Allie’s wand pointed his way after she’d finally broken free to shatter his chains.

He literally shook in rage, eyes open wide and becoming bloodshot while glaring at the two princesses - Allie coming to stand beside Kathrine who was obviously rather shaken despite her quick intervention to save Lahn’s life.  “You do know what this means, don’t you?  The slight you have just committed is akin to a blood feud by interfering.”

The man’s words were deep, malevolent, and his red eyes narrowed while staring directly at Kathrine’s nervous figure twenty yards away.

Kathrine hesitantly nodded, keeping his gaze and still pointing her rapier towards him in a stance that was meant more to ward him off rather than a threat.  “Yes.  I know what this means.”

Barimont’s face turned into that of a sinister smile.  “Your house is not a match for mine without the crown protecting you, even if yours is of a higher status.  I hope what you just did by interfering is worth it.”

Kathrine shuddered, but stood her ground as Allie helped Lahn sit up against the near wall.  “You forget yourself.  I will have house Wraithtide’s forces to aid my family.  Your house, though known for its conquests, will not be able to stand up to the might of our combined forces if a blood feud is put forth.”

Allie stood up from where she’d been helping Lahn, then walked over and put a shaking hand on Kathrine’s shoulder before giving the other woman a firm squeeze and a nod.

Barimont spit, then flung the dagger off to the side and summoned a long whip with flaming blades protruding from the long body of the object.  “We will see.  But truthfully, it won’t even matter if I’m able to capture both of you.  Your house will not dare to attack mine if I have you as a hostage.”

“To what end?” Kathrine quipped back, anger in her words now as an aura of red spread around her - flaring to life with a whirlwind of blood.  “Even if you did manage it, you’d still have to deal with Riven after this is over!  What are you even thinking!?  He’ll just kill you when he gets back!  Nobody you can bring is over level 90, you’ll be slaughtered for this!”

Lord Barimont rolled his eyes, but then smirked victoriously when the sparking clashes of the battle nearby was joined by the sound of marching feet.  From the interior catacombs of the fortress came two dozen more vampires in two columns, each bearing the sigil of a blazing red phoenix.  They were dressed very similarly to the other soldiers originally stationed here with Kathrine, wearing black and red plate armor and using either halberds or longswords, but at the front of their ranks was a man with a very distinct look to him.

His hair was a shiny silver, his features were thin but toned under an exquisitely made battle robe of satin.  His jaw was locked and clenched, and he looked around the ripped apart room before his eyes landed on Lord Barimont.  “Where is he?”

“Not here.” Lord Barimont said with a sideways glance at Allie and Kathrine.  “This battle is just for us now present.”

Kathrine in the meantime was blinking rapidly, and she maintained the flickering sword in her right hand while her left came to rub her temple in disbelief.  “Jalel?  Jalel is that you?  What are you doing here??  You’re too high level to even be here!  How did you get through the portal?”

Jalel remained stone-faced, while Barimont began to laugh.

“I would have been too high level if High Queen Nephridi hadn’t punished my scheme to claim the shard, and now shards-plural, of Gluttony for myself.” Jalel said flatly, his men spreading out in the room to halfway encircle the two princesses.  He came to stand next to Lord Barimont, not even looking at the other vampire lord even once.  “I was given the choice of death, or allowed to eat demotion pills to reduce my level hundreds of times over.  Now that my cultivation and level gains have been completely demolished, I am barely level 87.  The amount of money that spiteful queen spends just to make a point is truly absurd.  The level cap for invaders is 80, but the cap here for trading communes is 90.  I am here on behalf of Elder Thune to make sure that Riven behaves himself when he gets back, as though Riven is currently higher level than I am after such a steep loss of power - I am more than capable of subduing him even in my currently reduced state, due to my skills and knowledge of countless battles of centuries of life.  It will be me, Kathrine, that keeps your fiance in check.  I have been given permission to put you down if need be, because unlike the two lost royals here - you’re expendable.”

Allie snarled.  “ENOUGH TALK!”

*CRACK*

Her hand whipped forward and smashed tendrils of death into Lord Borimont with rapid speed, propelling the distracted man through two walls and causing him to scream as the mana ate away at his flesh and regeneration.  It was an absolutely thunderous strike, and Jalel’s eyes widened before he sprinted forward to intercept the channeling power.

*BOOM*

Kathrine’s rapier sliced down, sending a solid wave of rippling red blood mana tearing through the air - making impact with Jalel’s summoned barriers that sprang to life immediately before they hit.

Power boomed in an echo resounding for miles.

The fortress compound shook.

Kathrine screamed in horrified pain as a dagger sank deep into the back of her left lung, and she fell to the ground wide-eyed when looking over her shoulder only to see her romantic rival - Lady Muren.  Lady Muren’s orange hair whipped about in the wind with a venomous smile on her rosy lips, and she twisted the blade while pouring unholy poisons into Kathrine’s body.

“Riven’s name is mine to claim!” Lady Muren hissed, only to have Allie’s foot crash into her face - sending the other vampire careening into a far wall.

Jalel’s men leapt into action, flashing forward as two dozen blades sought to kill Kathrine or Maim Allie - but the sound of more unsheathing weapons rang through the air when even more vampires joined the fray.

“Let’s see if you really add up to all that bluster!”  Captain Rusof’s longsword flashed forward decapitating one of Jalel’s men before he met Jalel himself in battle with a flaring smile on his lips - soon vanishing in movements so fast that normal mortals wouldn’t be able to follow the blows.  Metal struck metal and screams echoed through the compound as vampire fought vampire when Captain Rusof’s men immediately followed his lead - having made their choice to take a side in the political feud when the man they respected most had set his example.

The battle was on.

***

Lahn’s jaw was broken, his arm was broken, and he’d probably snapped a few ribs. His face was beginning to swell and the fingers of his hand trembled while flipping through the pages.  Why couldn’t he find that damn page?

Why of all times was he having an issue finding the single page that could help him here?

A fire-laden, bladed whip lashed out and struck at Allie as she blasted it away, sending Lord Barimont’s attack to the side before retaliating with numerous skulls blazing with neon teal mana.  She dodged and vanished out of sight while more of the dead began to rise, fighting alongside her as new corpses that screamed and roared towards her enemies with wild abandon.  Blades clashed and magics flew, and all Lahn could do was helplessly turn the book - page by page - trying to find the passage he’d read all those weeks ago when he’d first been given the item as a gift.

His eyes sped down the walls of text, complex runes rearranging themselves to create words of gold across glistening white pages.  He winced as he saw Allie’s body skip across the ground; only for her to rebound, spit blood and send waves of death mana spiraling in a tornado of  screeching skulls, ghosts and black-teal flames into a trio of enemy vampires.  The battlefield was quickly being widened as more walls and ceilings fell, and combatants pressed one another into the surrounding fortress.

Why was he so useless!?

Why could he not do this one thing to help her!?

He tried not to cry, praying silently to the gods that she would win - that she and her allies would prevail and that they’d not even need him.  But even now, he could see that they were losing.

Kathrine was being pushed back, severely injured by Lady Muren’s initial attack and had spreading lines of poison seeping through her veins across pale skin - while the two vampire women flashed back and forth with blood magics in elegant attack patterns.  Captain Rusof was exchanging blow for blow with Jalel, but it was apparent that Jalel was slightly more skilled than he - scoring hits when Captain Rusof left openings time and time again.  Fimrindle was in a stalemate with five elite vampiric knights from House Barimont that’d locked him down, and the skeletons were mostly gone by now - though they’d certainly taken a number of the vampires with them.

That left Allie and Lord Barimont, who were locked in a back and forth duel of flame and death.  Allie’s strikes were more powerful and packed more punch, but Lord Barimont was obviously well trained and the skill gap was obvious by the way he manipulated his magics to push aside and divert Allie’s own while opening up opportunities for counters.

Then, after two entire minutes of flipping pages and feeling absolutely useless, having bene completely forgotten by the rest of the combatants in the room as vampiric soldiers on both sides continued to die, his eyes finally rested on the passage of the book he’d been looking for.

Lahn’s shriveled, trembling fingers touched the page, and slowly trailed the golden words that began to sing to him in his mind’s eye.  His soul resonated with the book he held in his hands, and taking the plunge - he began to initiate the price while reading out from the tome in frenzied whispers that hurt like hell to speak due to his dislocated jaw.  Simultaneously, his good hand started undergoing the motions required of this act in bizarre and intricate patterns in front of him.

“A shield of light in the darkest night, standing before a shade of woe that never has seen the dawn, I mark my soul as a vessel of the heavens and beseech you - oh heavenly warriors - to aid me in my time of need so that you may smite the evil before me!  Banish the blight from these tainted lands, and hold my heart in your hands, so that I may find the path to heaven and tread lightly upon its sands!  Glory to the pantheons of light!”

He held up his hands, emitting a small spark of golden energy from his outstretched palm, but nothing happened.

He waited through the chaos of battle, hoping beyond hope that they would hear him.  Hoping that he’d undertaken the ritual correctly.  Hoping that his voice would be heard.

Lahn’s eyes lit up in excitement and relief when he felt something tug at the edge of his consciousness, the feeling of angelic beings on the other side of the veil, but they quickly left just as fast as they’d come.  Hope turned into worry, and worry turned into despair when he heard a faint feminine whisper that echoed directly into his brain:

“Your soul is pure, young one, but we do not help the children of the dark.  Your wish is selfish and misguided.  The taint of the Blood God is upon the one you seek to protect.  She is a creature of evil, in both deed and origin.  We will not intervene.”

Lahn’s face paled, and despair turned to rage as he screamed and tried to rip the page of the book out so that he may crumple it in his hands and tear it apart.  He slammed the book against the ground, not caring about the pain radiating up from his broken arm as he began to violently cry in frustration and anger.  “YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO HELP!  THIS IS NOT HOW THINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO GO!”

Allie’s scream brought Lahn about, and he stared wide-eyed when he saw the flaming whip tear off one of her legs.  The vampire lord who was fighting her merely laughed and mocked her, telling her that if need be he’d take all her limbs before locking her away.

The idea of this unknown man putting his hands on Allie again made Lahn’s stomach churn and his mind roil like a hot metal poker.  He looked at the book again, then slammed a small, wiry fist into it.  “HELP ME DAMN YOU!”

The angelic creatures were receding.  Their energies, once drawn to him by the book, were quickly fading away.  All except for one, however, who made its presence known to him with a faint touch of mana.

Golden energy gently crept out of the pages of the book, tethering itself to Lahn’s wet face while tears dripped down his puffy cheeks.

An exchange of feelings and thoughts flashed through Lahn’s mind, and slowly he began to calm.  He nodded, acknowledging what the being on the other end of the mana tether was telling him.  “Yes.  I know what will happen to me if I choose to do this, and I am willing to pay that price.  Please, help her.  If you do not, I fear that terrible things will happen to her - and that I may die as well.”

Another pulse and exchange of thoughts flashed between them, and then Lahn shuddered involuntarily.  He took in a deep breath, steadied himself, and lifted up the book into the sky.  Smiling with quivering lips, he nodded one last time as the book began to disintegrate - using its energies in lieu of his own lifeforce to extend the duration of what they were about to do.  “Thank you, Denaskus.  I will never forget this.”

The angelic being on the other side of the veil sent him a warm pulse of acknowledgement, and then the transformation began to take place.

Lahn’s skin began to burn with a blinding white light, and his clothes lit aflame - burning away as golden, feathered wings ripped out of his back.  A halo formed over his head, and his eyes completely burned away - only golden flames being present where his eyeballs used to be.  His shriveled arm completely withered and fell off, but his shriveled left leg became just as strong and sturdy as his other side was.  A spear of light formed in his one remaining hand, and sculpted musculature began to build along his abdomen, chest, arm and legs - making him look like he’d been carved out of marble in the image of a Greek god.

The resonating boom of the Holy Foundational Pillar and the Judgement Subpillar roared around him, tearing apart two of the enemy vampires that’d been close enough to the transformation to take an immediate hit.  Lahn’s body flexed, and he felt the angelic spirit possessing him take control as it turned his head to stare down at Lord Barimont’s gaping gaze from where Lahn floated majestically in the air dozens of meters above the hole in the compound’s torn roof.

The resulting voice was a deep and resounding boom.

“I, Denaskus, Arbiter of the Celestial Prax, have been summoned onto this pitiful world to smite the unworthy into damnation.”  Lahn’s body shifted his spear of white light; golden wings, eyes and halo flaring with the fires of judgement as the radiant aura around him intensified.  The ground shook with power, and the entire battle temporarily stopped while all combatants stared upwards at the new display of prowess.

Lahn’s body shifted his spear of solidified holy light, pointing it directly at Lord Barimont.  Lahn’s eyes were gone, but the flaming eyes of Denaskus - the angel possessing his body - narrowed into slits.  “Prepare yourself, vampire, for I will be the last thing you ever see.”