Episode 220
Once the decision was made, the troops moved swiftly, as if they had known all along this was how it would unfold.
“Lord John Lancaster’s forces have begun their march from his estate.”
“What about the movements of the Red Tower?”
“Officially, a unit of High Purifiers is on the move to support Ray Lancaster, but it’s difficult to ascertain the exact number of those operating covertly.”
The report came from the scout known as the Grave Walker, and Mistress Titania responded immediately.
“Between five hundred and a thousand light cavalry, disguised as squires of the Rose Cross Cavalry under John Lancaster’s command.”
“Did the Whisper of the Blue inform you?”
“No matter how much the Red Tower’s mages try to conceal their movements, they can’t hide the mobilization of such numbers from the Imperial Palace to here.”
Dale nodded silently at her words.
“A battle involving High Purifiers and a large Purifier unit is not something we can face with conventional tactics. It would be suicide.”
“As expected of you, Lord Dale.”
Mistress Titania, who prided herself as the strategist of the Shadow Lord, smiled at his words.
“But remember, the Red Tower is not the only one participating in this battle.”
”…”
“As a loyal servant of the Shadow Lord, may I propose a strategy?”
Dale remained silent at Titania’s words. After a moment of silence, he spoke.
“Please, go ahead.”
Wars don’t start overnight. But once they do, the outcome is often decided in a swift, decisive battle.
John Lancaster, along with his kin and the forces of the Red Tower supporting Ray Lancaster, began to gather and move.
An army of immeasurable size was on the move.
Under the tyranny of the Red Tower, there were many rumors about the silence of the Blue Tower.
Some said they were cowards, too afraid to speak out, while others believed they were plotting something in silence, or that they simply had no interest in worldly conflicts.
But the Blue Tower had never been silent from the start.
──As night deepened, John Lancaster’s forces set up camp near the Lancaster Duchy.
“Is there no movement from the Saxon side?”
In the tent where John, Ray, and other high-ranking officers were gathered.
“Reports indicate that York’s forces are moving towards Lancaster Castle and have issued a conscription order throughout the territory. However, since they have not made any further moves after gathering their forces at the castle, they might be planning a long-term defense strategy…”
“Hmph, to think they would adopt a defensive strategy against the Red Tower. Even the ‘Black Prince’ is just a naive child.”
John Lancaster scoffed at the notion. After all, Dale of Saxon was just a babe during the Empire’s continental unification war and couldn’t possibly understand the prowess the Red Tower displayed back then.
“No matter how much of a genius he is, he can’t overcome the wisdom of age.”
As a seasoned warrior from the unification war, John Lancaster spoke. Ray Lancaster remained silent.
“Underestimating the Black Prince might not be wise.”
After a pause, Ray Lancaster finally spoke.
“Don’t worry, Ray Lancaster. I’m no fool.”
John was about to continue when suddenly—
”…!”
An overwhelming pressure descended upon him, as if crushing his very consciousness.
“Be careful, Lord Ray!”
The High Purifiers by Ray’s side accelerated their circles, generating a crimson aura. As they rushed outside the tent, they were left speechless by the scene before them.
The landscape was no longer the Lancaster Duchy.
An endless expanse of crystalline ground stretched beyond the horizon.
A chilling cold swept across the land, and the soldiers, preparing to camp, were thrown into confusion.
“Don’t panic! Get out of the tents and move to your units! Form a defensive line!”
The officers’ voices echoed everywhere.
Yet, no enemies were in sight.
For a surprise attack, most of Saxon’s forces were already stationed at Lancaster Castle. Even with his strange powers, it was impossible for him to move his troops within seconds of receiving a report.
“Stay calm! The main enemy force is still stationed at the castle! Even if it’s an ambush, their numbers are few!”
And despite everything, this was a unit joined by the Rose Cross Knights, masters of aura, and the Purifier unit of the Red Tower. They weren’t a ragtag group to be easily defeated by a handful of elite enemy soldiers.
“There, over there!”
At that moment, he appeared from beyond the horizon. Even from a distance, recognizing him was not difficult.
Clad in garments marked with the symbol of a raven, the harbinger of death. Not even armor.
“The Black Prince…!”
“Stay calm.”
Ray responded quietly. The High Purifiers by his side condensed their crimson aura, awaiting the command to fire.
In the chaos, the enemy’s movements were invisible. The soldiers, once in disarray, had formed a defensive line, and even the knights had joined, armored and ready.
“To face this war alone, what is he thinking?”
They knew of Dale of Saxon, the Black Prince’s power. But no matter how strong Dale was, it was impossible for him to overwhelm such a force alone. Especially with Ray and the High Purifiers present.
Then it happened.
The crimson aura of one High Purifier by Ray’s side suddenly dissipated.
”…?”
After dissipating, his circle began to accelerate again.
Generating a chilling blue aura beneath his feet.
”!”
Ray didn’t hesitate. The being who couldn’t be called human, the young vampire, surged forward, his hand plunging towards the High Purifier’s heart.
Thud!
“Gah, ugh…!”
But that was only the beginning.
The High Purifiers, who should have been the most reliable, began to show vacant eyes, as if entranced.
Blue butterflies took flight.
“What, what is this…!”
Simultaneously, shadows emerged beside the Black Prince.
Mages clad in blue robes.
The Sorceress Council, rulers of the Blue Tower of intrigue and deceit.
They weren’t physically present to wage this war. Their bodies remained in their respective places, fulfilling their roles.
But when needed, uniting their consciousnesses in one place was not difficult.
As the pinnacle of the Five Towers, Marquis Yuris of the Blood could rewrite the world’s history through the Book of Blood.
Dale’s father, the Black Duke, could manipulate death itself.
So what of the master of intrigue and deceit, the Blue Tower’s leader?
Ultimately, her power meant this.
Mind Snatch.
It wasn’t just about uniting the consciousnesses of the Sorceress Council members. She could do more if needed. No matter the distance, she could manipulate and toy with a person’s mind as if they were a fly caught in a spider’s web.
“A spider!”
A scream erupted among the soldiers.
“A spider is crawling all over me! Aaaah!”
Hundreds, thousands of tiny spiders began to cover their bodies, crawling into their throats, ears, even their eyes. Soldiers writhed in agony, and with each movement, hundreds of tiny spiders fell away.
But Ray Yuris knew.
There were no spiders.
It was merely the cruel illusion cast by the sorceresses.
The full force of the Blue Tower was united to eliminate the enemies of the Shadow Lord they served.
The five mages at the continent’s pinnacle, the masters of the Five Towers.
The fact that a tower master was directly influencing the war was not lost on Ray. He vividly remembered the power his father, the Blood Duke, had displayed.
“The Blue’s shadow…”
In shock, his heart froze.
Simultaneously, the ‘Black Prince’ began to walk among them.
In the midst of the Blue’s champions’ exploits, he moved forward alone, leaving his subordinates’ efforts behind.
“Ah, ah…”
John Lancaster, unable to hide his terror, was there.
“Ray Yuris.”
There, Dale spoke. The High Purifiers, their consciousnesses snatched and scattered, could not protect him.
“Regrettably, I have no intention of losing to you.”
”…”
“But at least, our duel deserves to be fought honorably, without the Blue’s power.”
At Dale’s words, Ray quietly smiled.
At that moment, in the highest chamber of the Blue Tower.
A dimly lit room, shrouded in dark webs.
“Ah, the poor mayflies.”
There, the Blue’s shadow, Arachne, smiled softly. Just then—
Her senses, realizing something, came to a halt.
Realizing the presence of an unwelcome guest making their way across the tower to her chamber, she spoke calmly.
“Do not resist. Let him into my room.”
The blue curtain parted, and soon the commotion from downstairs subsided. The intruder emerged, heading straight for her web.
“Arachne, my old love.”
The intruder spoke.
“Yuris…”
Few could deceive the web and senses she had spread across the continent.
For instance, the continent’s greatest dark sorcerer, the Crimson Duke.
“Why have you broken the pact?” he asked, standing before the blue curtain. Arachne laughed, as if amused.
“Wasn’t it the red and gold who first broke the agreement?”
“Withdraw the Sorceress Council and step back from this battle,” the Crimson Duke demanded, his voice informal and direct.
“I cannot allow harm to come to my son.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Even I am not so unreasonable,” Arachne replied.
“However, we of the blue have already broken the silence, and there’s no turning back now.”
”…”
At her words, flames began to flicker at the Crimson Duke’s feet.
“Have you forgotten this is my web? Even the great Crimson Duke cannot guarantee his safety if he fights here,” Arachne said with a delighted laugh.
“At the very least, I can focus your consciousness here,” he replied.
As a father protecting his son, it was a risk worth taking.