War and Rumors

Following the fall of Teluo City, an uproar swept through Anzeta, yet none were truly surprised. Having lost their most elite force, the Eagle's Claw, how could House Lakeman withstand the claws and fangs of those dragon-blooded monsters—to say nothing of that utterly terrifying red dragon dubbed the Purgatory Scourge? What they had not anticipated was that Teluo City—known as the "City of Grandeur," which had stood unbreached in the north of the Northern United Kingdom for a century—would fall so easily. It could hardly even be called a breach; rather, it was an effortless takeover, for Teluo City had failed to mount even a single decent attempt at resistance. As Count Dawson was blown apart by a mysterious weapon and the humiliating white flag fluttered over the city gates, Teluo City's centuries of glory vanished like smoke. Over the following months, the Cinder Nest did not rush to conquer Northwind Keep, the capital of the Principality of Lakeman. Instead, they patiently breached the remaining eleven cities in the principality one by one: Haftzburg, Tena City, Mex City... The Principality of Lakeman, one of the three most powerful realms in the Northern United Kingdom, was swallowed up piece by piece in this manner, leaving nobles across all the nations of Anzeta fearing for their own survival. Naturally, many bloody incidents occurred during this time, and rumors spread of ogres and chimeras devouring humans. Under Cassius's supervision, however, his dragon-blooded kin still maintained basic order. Compared to human soldiers of this era—who, in times of war, would pillage, burn, and indulge their every desire—and noble knights who regarded commoners like weeds and often slaughtered them for amusement, these monsters suppressed by the red dragon's "Dictatorial Law" were surprisingly disciplined. At least the ogres viewed humans merely as delicious snacks rather than objects to torment. Across the lands of Anzeta, deliberate propaganda had painted the kin of the Cinder Nest as no different from demons of legend. A bard had even penned an epic poem—the Song of Cinders. Their wicked tyrant, that "Purgatory Scourge" Cassius, was now portrayed as the very embodiment of original sin. Legends claimed he was a dragon of lust, wrath, and above all, pride. It was said he would transform into a grotesque human figure several meters tall to ravish beautiful young maidens, only to shift back into his true form and devour them in a single gulp. And Trump, the chief steward of the Cinder Nest and a dragon-blooded ogre wizard, was naturally depicted as the avatar of gluttony. He supposedly devoured everything in sight, and whenever someone trembled before him in an audience, the ogre would be chewing on severed human limbs. As for the military commander, the hobgoblin Duoluo, he was cast as the embodiment of envy—perhaps merely to complete the bards' parallel structure... Cassius neither confirmed nor denied any of it, caring little about such tales. Until he completely conquered the Northern Kingdom, rumors that twisted black into white were only to be expected. Once he swallowed up the remaining twelve nations, all the clamor would vanish like smoke, and he would become Anzeta's sole, supreme sovereign. "Soon." "Once I deal with this old vampire..." "You will be next, you decayed northern nobles." The red dragon exhaled a plume of sulfurous, scorching breath, muttering to himself. He was currently sprawled inside the council hall of Teluo City. Spacious and bright, the hall was just large enough to accommodate Cassius's colossal draconic frame. The council hall had once been where Teluo City's administrative affairs were decided. The noble councilors of the city would gather here to deliberate state matters—a glorious tradition handed down across generations, with soaring eagles carved upon towering stone pillars symbolizing courage and authority. It remained the place where everything in Teluo City was decided, except those soaring eagles no longer represented power; they were now symbols of the vanquished. Now, only the red dragon ruled and judged here. "Master, Mex City has fallen." Duoluo's projection appeared within the hall. Behind him, one could see a city veiled in smoke and powder, dragon-blooded monsters passing by constantly, and distant gunshots echoing in the background. The red dragon nodded slightly. "Very good." Delenna, who had been waiting in attendance at his side for some time, picked up a brush and drew an X over the words "Mex City" in the corner of the enormous map of the principality spread across the center of the hall. Aside from that, ten other cities had already been crossed out, including Teluo City, where they currently resided. Northwind Keep sat isolated, encircled by those conquered cities—the last city remaining under the control of the Principality of Lakeman. Delenna said flatteringly, "Congratulations, Master. House Lakeman's centuries of history are about to end, and their vast domain will be yours. Your monumental achievements will be inscribed into history, and the entire Northlands will tremble beneath your wings." "Now, only one remains—Northwind Keep." Cassius suddenly asked Trump, "When you breached Mex City, did you capture any of those vampire spawn?" He was referring to the scions of House Lakeman, the highest echelon among vampire spawn, who often styled themselves as purebloods, just like the former Baron Todd. Speaking of Todd, that wretched creature had lost his mind under Trump's myriad tortures and experiments, reduced to an utter beast. Embodying the scholarly spirit of a wizard, Trump had finally minced the vampire into fine paste once the rounds of testing concluded and he had outlived his usefulness. This time, he never regenerated—proving that the "immortal vampires" were not truly immortal after all. Through months of experimentation and all sorts of elaborate methods, Trump had mastered many of the traits of these vampire spawn, such as their vulnerability to running water. He was now far more interested in the old vampire lurking in Northwind Keep, Duke Brad Lakeman. Trump answered truthfully, "No." "Inside Count Ketley Lakeman's manor, we found only drained human corpses. That eldest legitimate son had already vanished. The same was true for the other cities governed by the Lakeman scions. I suspect they have all been summoned to Northwind Keep to carry out what they call the Ascension Ritual." "The Ascension Ritual..." Assuming Cassius was asking rather than musing aloud, Trump respectfully explained: "Yes, the Ascension Ritual. During our interrogation and torture of Todd Lakeman, we learned of this special rite—a kind of sacrificial ceremony. It is the ritual rumored to allow vampires to evolve into 'truly immortal beings.' "Once the ritual is complete, the vampire will no longer fear sunlight, will lose weaknesses such as running water, and will wield peerless necrotic power." The red dragon slowly rose to his feet and stretched his wings. "It is time. Time to bring this to an end. "Trump, notify all kin of the Cinder Nest. Have every city muster their most elite forces and prepare to lay siege to Northwind Keep. I have no desire to see a troublesome ascended vampire emerge. "That old fossil... it's time he went where he belongs." "Yes, Master," Trump eagerly replied.