The bone eagle screeched in the sky, and the death knight swept low across the ground in a blur.
Countless beads of hellfire spewed from the bone eagle's beak, triggering explosion after explosion across the dirt. All-consuming, eerie green ghost flames spread over the terrain, radiating dense necrotic power. A mere brush with those flames was enough to devour a creature's life, turning the earth into an inferno.
"This place... is forbidden to the living!"
Old Ward circled in the air, brandishing the Eagle Screech Silver Sword in his grip. Rotting skeletons clawed their way out of the dirt one after another. Answering the call of this undead commander, they surged from all directions, encircling the uninvited intruders.
Seeing this, Mezrolash raised his bloodstained greatsword high, an eerie light flickering within his pitch-black eyes.
Oathbreaker Channel Divinity: Control Undead
A dense surge of dark mist erupted outward from the greatsword. Every skeleton within range fell under his sway, turning on their former master.
Meanwhile, the players unleashed an array of radiant and fire spells, easily shattering the fragile skeletal undead to pieces.
Alger glared fixedly at the death knight circling above.
Those movements and techniques were simply too familiar. Even though Old Ward had become a death knight, Alger could still recognize the hallmarks of his mentor's living days at a single glance.
A crimson tether materialized in his hand.
With a piercing eagle's cry, Igor, the dragon-blooded giant eagle, manifested out of thin air.
This was the new feature a Redscale Conqueror gained upon reaching level ten—Dragon Bond. Through the mystical tether tied to the magical essence of dragon blood, he could summon his mount anytime, anywhere.
Alger swung onto the giant eagle's back and murmured, "Come on... Ward Chris, my old drillmaster."
"Let's see if those skills of yours have faded after turning into such a monstrosity."
*Skreee—*
Another clarion cry rang out as the dragon-blooded giant eagle spread its wings and surged skyward in a rapid climb, its momentum not yielding in the slightest to the horrifying bone eagle cloaked in ghost flame.
Circling high above, the death knight naturally noticed this rapidly approaching foe and swooped forward to meet him without hesitation.
"Vile living filth..."
His bones rattled with crisp, grating crunches.
Alger and Ward wheeled through the air, testing each other in pass after pass.
Banking, rolling, sharp climbs, steep dives—their handling of the giant eagles had long become instinct, as if cast from the very same mold. Yet Alger's maneuvers were clearly more aggressive, punctuated by flashes of breathtaking, perilous daring.
Blazing bright flames and eerie green ghost fire entwined and clashed. The two knights moved so fast it dazzled the eye, leaving only fleeting silhouettes and bursts of fire in their wake.
"Not bad."
Panting for breath, Alger wiped the sweat from his brow, his tone edged with excitement. "Old Ward, you've still got it."
Numerous wounds marred his half-dragon body, and dark necrotic mist was slowly eating at the lacerations.
"Despicable mortal... Die—"
Death Knight Ward fared no better. His plate armor hung in shattered ruin, fractures webbed across his bones, and ghost fire burned as it struggled to mend his injuries.
They climbed slowly, then simultaneously broke into a dive toward one another.
This was their final head-on charge.
Both gripped their blades tightly and leaned forward low, their diving postures practically identical.
Yet the moment they were less than ten meters apart, Alger and the dragon-blooded giant eagle unleashed a fearsome roar in unison.
Dragon Roar Charge!
The roar carried a magical essence that struck terror even into the hearts of the undead.
A colossal phantom of a red dragon seemed to loom in the sky above them.
"A dragon...?"
The death knight froze for a split second.
The bone eagle beneath him stiffened in sheer fright.
Alger seized that fleeting opening with absolute precision.
"Cleave!"
Harnessing the immense momentum of his dive, the half-dragon knight struck with devastating force.
With a sharp snap, the Everburning Greatsword sliced cleanly through the bone of the death knight's neck. The skull, blazing with malicious light, soared high into the air before dimming into darkness.
The bone eagle beneath him lost its undead essence as well. The ghost flames cloaking its body went out, its form collapsed into an ordinary skeleton, and scattered bones rained down from the sky.
Alger guided the giant eagle down to a light landing.
He casually dug a shallow pit in the dirt, placed the cracked skull inside, filled it with earth, and stomped it down twice to pack it firm.
"Rest in peace, you miserable old fellow."
"I'll kill that old vampire."
Alger muttered the vow under his breath, his eyes fixed on the massive, intricately carved doors of Lakeman Castle.
...
Beneath Lakeman Castle.
The underground space was astonishingly vast. Rather than the interior of a building, it felt like an expansive subterranean world.
Bats darted through the gloom, rats scurried in dark corners, and blood thralls moaned in agony from iron cages.
At the center of this underworld stood a massive stone dais spanning a hundred meters across. Twisted, grotesque runes were carved into its surface, surrounded on all sides by a bottomless abyss.
Seven towering stone pillars ringed the platform, each carved with demonic imagery. Bound to nearly every pillar by blood-soaked chains was a vampire spawn.
Like sinners from religious myth, they were chained naked to the stone columns, their backs etched with bizarre tattoos.
Every face wore an expression of wild fanaticism as they chanted a sinister hymn.
Even the eldest daughter of House Lakeman, Alexia, was bound to one of the pillars. Stripped of her heavy gowns, her pale, beautiful body was laid bare.
Yet the sight offered no allure whatsoever, exuding only a bloody, eerie dread.
She whispered softly, "On the night of the full moon..."
"Bats rejoice, and plagued rats sing."
"Blood mist veils the heavens, shadows overflow."
"The dread of daylight nears, eternal night descends."
"He shall become the immortal sovereign of the night!"
"He shall become the eternal master of the dark!"
"Let our blood boil within His flesh, and let us embrace the glorious Ascension!"
The fluttering of bat wings echoed through the chamber.
Brad Lakeman emerged from the far end of the passage. Instead of taking the stairs, he hovered through the air, slowly rising onto the stone dais.
His crimson eyes were brimming with boundless greed and anticipation, and he savored the moment as if reciting poetry.
"At last..."
"After slinking in the dark for a hundred and seventy-two long years, my suffering is finally bearing fruit."
"Ascension... So long as the great Ascension is complete, I will have nothing left to fear. Not even a true dragon will be able to halt my advance."
"My children..."
Duke Brad gazed obsessively at the naked vampire spawn bound to the pillars, his eyes filled with an overt, twisted tenderness. In a certain sense, he loved them with genuine sincerity.
They were his scions.
And they were the fuel for his ascension.
A thought seemed to cross Duke Brad's mind, and his brow furrowed slightly.
"What a pity... that child Todd never returned."
Chapter 133