204. The Ascendant King is Dead
Outside of Cascadia, inside a spacious cave dwelling.
Twelve ferocious-looking vampires sat in a half circle on both sides, all emitting domineering vampiric auras. Their expressions were dark, and their eyes flickered with savage hatred.
In the main seat next to the elephant vampire, the Blood Moon Vampire King sat cross-legged, with a seriously injured dog vampire lying prone in front of him.
At this moment, his palms were gently placed above the dog vampire's back, and wisps of blood energy, condensed as if tangible, surged back and forth between the two.
The chaotic aura on the dog vampire's body was gradually returning to normal. Most of the Frozen Resolve on the wounds had been dispelled, and they were slowly healing.
The dog vampire had never imagined that Blood Moon truly intended to heal its wounds.
To be honest, after leaving the waterfall that day, the dog vampire didn't even think it could leave that mountain range alive.
It looked silently ahead.
The twelve vampire lords simultaneously cast fierce gazes at it, as if they wanted to devour it alive.
"Tsk!"
The Blood Moon Vampire King's eyes snapped open. He bared his fangs and swept an icy gaze across the vampire lords. "Calm down." he barked.
At his cold command, the vampire lords reluctantly averted their gazes.
Fear ebbed from the dog vampire's eyes.
It knew where the hatred of these vampires came from. There were originally seventeen Vampire Lords under Blood Moon, but now there were clearly five fewer, even his wife, the Red Mane Snow Rabbit was missing.
They had likely perished in Cascadia while helping the Ascendant King maintain his cover.
Such a devastating loss was almost unbearable, even for the King himself.
The old wolf showed remarkable composure. Despite his seething rage at the situation, he maintained a calm demeanor toward the dog vampire.
"I hope this is the last nourishment you'll need," the Blood Moon Vampire King said, his eyes growing heavier with weariness. The effort of healing the dog vampire had clearly drained much of his accumulated essence.
"No more is needed." The dog vampire rose slowly to its feet. Though its demeanor remained rigid, some of its earlier defiance had faded.
"The Ascendant King has exceptional talent. It's only a matter of course for him to break through." Blood Moon said encouragingly.
"Thank you." The dog vampire nodded.
The ancient wolf gazed at the empty seats and sighed. His eyes grew clouded, and he sighed once more, his voice turning hoarse as though he had aged years in mere moments.
"..."
A flicker of guilt crossed the dog vampire's mind, but it swiftly pushed the feeling aside.
Getting on the good side of the Ascendant King had been worth the sacrifice for this old wolf.
The dog vampire picked up its long spear and returned to its previous arrogant appearance: "You rest assured, my king always keeps his word... Farewell."
"Stay a few more days." Blood Moon glanced at it and spoke softly. "You and I are of the same lineage—there's no need to be so distant. If you don't heal your injuries properly, you'll never break through to the next realm."
A wolf, claiming to be of the same lineage as a dog. The dog vampire clenched the spear, hesitating in place.
Just then.
It suddenly felt a surge of fear in its heart, as if it had sensed something terrible happened to the Ascendant King.
"My King!" the dog vampire cried out in panic.
The Blood Moon Vampire King's fatigue was swept away. He instantly stood up and roared, "What happened?"
Before the dog vampire could respond, Blood Moon seized it and bolted from the cave, racing toward the waterfall.
Having expended too much essence and energy, Blood Moon walked forward unsteadily, moving much slower than his usual pace. Still, they soon arrived at the familiar valley.
Looking at the devastated scene before its eyes, the dog vampire's expression went numb, its entire body seeming to lose all strength.
Blood Moon's face was ferocious, his entire body trembling, and he even let out a piercing roar: "Cascadia! Cascadia!"
"How the fuck did you find this place? How could the people of H.A.R.M. find your king?! Answer me! Where is the Ascendant King?"
The Blood Moon Vampire King grabbed the dog vampire, his eyes bloodshot, saliva dripping from his mouth.
"I... I..."
The dog vampire was distraught, its eyes unfocused. Feeling the empty connection in his heart, he couldn't even hold his long spear steadily: "Dead... the Ascendant King is dead..."
At this confirmation, Blood Moon's face contorted in shock and horror, his ancient features twisting as the devastating news crashed over him. His body shook violently, overwhelmed by the revelation.
His clawed hands trembled as he yanked the dog vampire upward, who shrunk under the weight of the realization.
"Get up! Follow me! We march into Cascadia right now. Kill every human. I'll reduce this place to ruins!"
The dog vampire understood the ancient wolf's fear all too well. With the Ascendant King dead, Blood Moon's fate would be sealed once Aisha Patani achieved her breakthrough.
It wrenched itself free from the Vampire King's grip, crumpling to the ground as it shouted, "That's ridiculous! You can't give me orders! I have to go back... I must report to Madam and Master."
With the Ascendant King dead, the dog vampire knew what awaited it at home—the Madame would surely give it a cruel death.
Even so, it dared not let the Ascendant King die in silence, forgotten and unnoticed!
"You!"
The dog vampire stumbled forward, then remembered the Vampire King's earlier kindness. Gritting its teeth and gasping for breath, it said, "You don't need to rush..."
The Master could not easily leave home, but the Madame would never let her son's death go unavenged.
It turned and bolted northward, fleeing like a stray dog.
Only after the dog vampire's figure vanished into the distance did the Blood Moon Vampire King's expression change. His lips curved into a smile—he really couldn't contain himself any longer.
Who would willingly serve as a pawn for such an arrogant brat? One who planned to devour all of Cascadia, then "graciously" reward him with land that was already his.
"Listen to his generosity," he sneered.
Fortunately, he had learned the brat was an only child. Only in such circumstances could he be certain the family would send someone for revenge. Due to their special status, they wouldn't be able to remain in Cascadia.
The human elixirs of an entire State would be his to freely enjoy. Then, he could conveniently use this connection to cosy up with the Vampire Valley and leave this place for good and seek opportunities to break through to a higher realm.
Whether Aisha Patani or the Ascendant King died here today, it was a deal with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
"Five of them..."
With another sigh, the Blood Moon Vampire King turned and ambled back toward his cave mansion.
It seemed Cascadia had gained yet another unfathomable existence—this place wasn't somewhere to linger. Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, he would need to leave as soon as possible.
That damned Theodore Montgomery had really left him starving for far too long.
… …
Five days later, near the border of Cascadia, Granny Chloe suddenly raised her hand.
"Wait!" she said to Aisha Patani. "He has stopped. He might be preparing an ambush."
They had been tracking John Kane using Chloe's gold bell. His movements had been erratic—sometimes swift and purposeful, other times slow and seemingly aimless.
In the last day and a half, however, he seemed to have made up his mind, moving quickly toward Vancouver.
Aisha furrowed her brows, her sculptured bone structure strikingly beautiful even as she fell into solemn contemplation.
"How far?" she asked.
"Ten, fifteen miles ahead."
"Maybe he's been surrounded by vampires. Let's catch up with him."
Chloe shook her head. Isn't it obvious? John Kane himself is a vampire?
But she acquiesced, and followed along.