"Auntie, someone's coming," the Stone Descendant assassin on lookout duty reminded.
"They're really here?"
Nilly raised an eyebrow slightly and cautiously peeked half her head out from behind the broken wall to observe.
On the bumpy little path, a pitch-black carriage, hanging a single dim yellow coal lamp, was wobbling and swaying as it approached.
A blood thrall with a vacant, dull expression in its eyes cracked the whip, driving the carriage right past the corner where they were hiding, then slowly brought it to a stop.
The carriage door opened. Casimir, dressed in opulent dark red formal attire, elegantly bent at the waist and stepped out of the compartment.
He straightened a wrinkle on his collar, then bowed once more towards the direction of the shadows, saying respectfully:
"Your Majesty, your loyal follower has arrived as promised."
Hearing this, Nilly's face twisted into a strange expression.
Even if she racked her brains, she could only come up with the idea that this vampire must have some kind of leverage held over him by this little lord.
The group also emerged from the shadows.
Nilly, walking at the front, wasn't particularly tall, but with her arms crossed and her chin slightly raised, her presence was more than sufficient.
She had originally intended to throw out a few sarcastic, cold remarks, but before she could, Casimir had already taken a step forward. A smile on his face, he bowed again and said:
"I presume this is the renowned 'Lady of Shadows,' Ms. Nilly, famed throughout the Dark Realm. Casimir offers you his most sincere greetings here."
Nilly gave him a surprised glance and snorted. "Skip the pleasantries. Since you've appeared here, I assume you're prepared?"
Casimir nodded solemnly. "Everything is ready. Please, everyone, follow me to the inner wall of the Bulwark to completely open the gateway to the Evernight Domain."
As he spoke, he gracefully turned sideways and extended a hand, gesturing for them to board the carriage.
Nilly was somewhat wary. She lowered her voice and asked the slime on her shoulder, "Why isn't this guy following the plan? Wasn't the agreement that they would first stage a coup from within the Evernight Domain, create chaos, and then we would coordinate from inside and outside to seize the wall?"
Before Chen Yu could answer, Casimir let out a soft sigh and explained with a spread of his hands:
"Changing the plan was truly unavoidable. The number of vampire brethren willing to follow the new path is even fewer than we anticipated. Furthermore, the Goblin Army has dispatched a large number of additional personnel to the Ancient Castle tonight, strengthening their guard."
"With just the forces we currently control, launching a coup is almost impossible."
"The castle side will be tied up by my accomplices. To completely carry out the coup, we need the help of the Magical Creature Army."
The few Stone Descendants were uncertain and all looked towards Chen Yu.
"Listen to him," Chen Yu said.
Only after Chen Yu gave his nod of agreement did Nilly and the Stone Descendant assassins lower their guard slightly and board the pitch-black carriage one by one.
Driven by the blood thrall, the carriage soon smoothly arrived at the base of the towering, majestic inner wall of the Graystone Bulwark.
"Follow me," Casimir said, stepping down first, his tone confident. "With me here, those mercenaries won't question your identities."
The group followed Casimir, ascending the stone steps along the inner side of the city wall.
Just as he had said, the patrols of mercenaries they encountered on the way, seeing Casimir at the front, merely bowed hastily in greeting. They didn't even dare to take a second look at his entourage, let alone step forward to stop and question them.
They easily reached the mid-section of the wall, near the area housing the gate control hub.
"Lord Casimir."
A young vampire with a shifty gaze quickly emerged from the shadows, lowering his voice to report. "Baron Tim has left the wall and returned to the Ancient Castle to attend tonight's banquet."
"From now on, this section of the wall is manned only by our people."
Casimir placed his palm on his chest, his face taking on a solemn and reverent expression as he said softly, "Praise the great Slime Majesty."
The young vampire immediately responded with the same devout posture, "Praise His Majesty."
Witnessing this scene left Nilly utterly dumbfounded.
Had the world gone mad?
When exactly had this Slime faith infiltrated these vampires? Judging by the look of it, it seemed there really were quite a few vampires who believed in this so-called Great Slime Religion.
She couldn't help but turn her head and whisper to the slime on her shoulder, "Ahem, may I ask our great Slime Majesty, are there any benefits to be gained by joining your Great Slime Religion?"
Chen Yu thought for a moment. "If you want to collect eggs, Casimir probably wouldn't refuse your request."
"That's it?" Nilly's face was filled with disappointment.
She curled her lip, convinced that these vampires must have received some enormous, secret benefit. But since Chen Yu wasn't willing to elaborate, she couldn't be bothered to press further.
Led by that young vampire, the group soon entered the sturdy tower built into the city wall.
This place was heavily guarded. It was the core hub controlling the opening and closing of the key inner wall gates, typically managed by two Professionals whose strength reached Elite level.
Their status was special. In the Dark Realm, they even had the authority to refuse direct orders from most vampires. They were also the biggest obstacle to Casimir and his group's control of the wall.
The interior of the tower was structurally complex, with winding, twisting corridors illuminated only by faintly glowing fluorescent stones embedded in the walls.
The most important control room was located deep within the tower. Inside were massive winches, thick iron chains, and glowing magic formations.
Theoretically, with Nilly and several Stone Descendant assassins accompanying them, subduing these two Elite Professionals shouldn't have been difficult.
However, when Casimir pushed open the iron door to the control room with the others and saw the situation inside, his expression changed instantly.
Damn it! He cursed inwardly.
That bastard Tim hadn't left the wall at all.
The intelligence was wrong!
Inside the control room, a figure was sitting leisurely at a wooden table covered with maps and reports.
Hearing the door open, he slowly turned his head, a look of puzzlement on his face. "Oh? Isn't this our busy Viscount Casimir?"
"Instead of attending that rare grand occasion at the Ancient Castle, what brings you to this dull place on the wall?"
The Elite Warrior and Ranger sitting beside him also turned their heads, casually greeting Casimir. They seemed to be on fairly good terms with him.
Casimir forced himself to remain calm, explaining with a smile, "It's nothing. I was just a bit worried that those Magical Creatures might go back on their word and launch a sudden attack, so I came to check."
"As for you, why aren't you attending the banquet?"
"I was going to, but I forgot something here."
Tim smiled, about to casually compliment him with "how meticulous," when his gaze inadvertently swept over the cloaked figures behind Casimir.
He froze for a moment, then, as if remembering something, his face abruptly changed.
"Casimir! You... you're actually walking with Stone Descendants..."
"Whoosh!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Nilly's figure vanished from her spot. The next instant, she had appeared beside Tim.
A cold glint of light flashed. Tim grunted, a thin, long line of blood appearing on his neck, from which blood began to gush out.
"Why be polite with them? Take action!" Nilly snorted coldly, her wrist flicking as she prepared to stab down with her dagger again.
"Damn it! Casimir is a traitor!"
"Protect Mr. Tim!"
The two Elite Professionals reacted extremely quickly. The warrior roared, drawing the greatsword from his waist and swinging it fiercely towards Nilly.
Meanwhile, the ranger leaped backward, simultaneously drawing his bow and nocking an arrow. An arrow entwined with wind elements instantly locked onto Nilly.
In the cramped confines of the control room, the Stone Descendant assassins' agile movements were restricted, forcing them to retreat repeatedly.
Fortunately, they had the advantage in numbers, and each was quite skilled. After a brief but intense struggle, they finally subdued the two Elite Professionals, binding them tightly with iron chains.
However, the commotion from the control room had been too loud, alerting the other mercenaries on the wall.
"Enemy attack!"
"There's a situation in the control room, hurry over!"
The sounds of chaotic footsteps and shouts came from outside the tower.
"Rore, do your best to control the mercenaries outside!"
After giving the order to that vampire, Casimir, abandoning all noble decorum, rushed over to the terrified mercenaries, drawing a small knife and threatening them. "Quickly, open the city gate immediately! Now!"
"Yes, yes! Please don't be rash!"
The mercenaries trembled as they began to strenuously turn the heavy winch.
"Creak, creak..."
"Rumble..."
Accompanied by the rumbling sound of the winch turning, the massive stone gate began to slowly swing inward.
This action threw the mercenaries on the wall into complete chaos.
"Your vampire lot really can't do anything reliably, can you?" Nilly couldn't help but complain at Casimir while keeping a wary eye on the door.
"This isn't the time for that. Hurry, follow me." Casimir's face was grim as he charged out of the control room first, with Nilly and the Stone Descendant assassins close behind.
By now, the entire wall section had descended into utter chaos. Running figures, swaying torches, and panicked shouts were everywhere.
"My Majesty, what should we do now?" Nilly asked.
The commotion was too great. The vampires at the Ancient Castle would likely be alerted soon.
Chen Yu opened his eyes, his round body giving a little bounce.
"We have already arrived."
As soon as he finished speaking, a dense, buzzing hum, like a tidal wave, came from the pitch-black night sky.
Everyone looked up to see the Poison-stinger Wasp legion had already flown over the wall and appeared in the sky above the inner wall.
"The Magical Creature Legion has arrived?"
Seeing this, Casimir hurriedly looked out through the tower's arrow slit towards the deep darkness beyond the wall.
Ten Arcane Ancient Trees, like moving war fortresses, appeared on the dark wilderness with earth-shaking steps.
And in the very center of the ancient tree legion, a slime wearing a crown and draped in a cloak stood quietly upon the Wild Boar King's throne.
That round, plump body seemed insignificant, yet set against the backdrop of the Magical Creature legion, it appeared majestic and awe-inspiring.
...
Evernight Domain, the vampire Ancient Castle.
In the banquet hall where the feast was being held, the crystal chandelier overhead emitted a hazy light, reflecting off the smooth marble floor.
A cloaked bard was plucking a lute, singing an ancient vampire melody that praised the glorious past of the vampire clan.
Elegantly dressed vampire nobles gathered in small groups, holding goblets filled with crimson liquid. They moved between long tables laden with silverware and pastries, chatting and laughing in low tones.
The air was thick with the aroma of wine and the scent of blood.
"For another victory of the vampire clan!" a drunken vampire elder proclaimed, raising his glass high.
"We are the eternal masters of the Evernight Domain! Those lowly Magical Creatures and filthy Stone Descendants will never set foot in our territory!"
"For victory!" the other vampires echoed with smiles.
"For eternal life!"
The clinking of glasses rose and fell.
In a corner of the ballroom, Dunlan merely glanced over at the scene before returning to his solitary drinking, not participating in the boisterous celebration.
Soon, a vampire noble sitting by the window narrowed his eyes, looking out at the pitch-black night sky. With a hint of drunken amusement, he chuckled, "Heh, the weather tonight has even arranged a fireworks display. Quite novel."
"Fireworks?"
Several nearby vampires, hearing this, also curiously gathered by the window.
Sure enough, on the distant horizon, flickering lights lit up patches of the dark night sky, and faint, dull rumbles could be heard.
But soon, a few more sober vampires realized something, their faces changing drastically.
"That's not right. That's the direction of the Graystone Bulwark!"
"Those aren't fireworks;
that's the afterglow of magic!"
"Not good! Someone is attacking the Bulwark!"
"Those slimes have gone back on their word, violating the agreement!"
These voices exploded in the banquet hall. The vampires, who had been immersed in the joy of victory, instantly turned deathly pale. Their elegant, composed demeanor vanished, replaced by uncontrollable panic.
Soon, a vampire received a magical communication from the front lines.
"There is a traitor among us. It's Casimir. He has opened the Bulwark gates!"
"The Magical Creature legion... the Magical Creature legion has already advanced unimpeded and is heading straight for the castle!"
After speaking, that vampire seemed to have all his strength drained from him, collapsing to the floor, his face left with nothing but a look of despair and ashen defeat.
"Run!" someone screamed hoarsely.
"Take the things from the treasury and leave the castle immediately!"
"Go where?!"
"Seek the protection of the Goblin Army! They're at the camp to the west!"
Panic spread like a plague in an instant. The elegant banquet instantly transformed into a scene of chaotic flight.
Vampire nobles scattered in panic, knocking over long tables laden with exquisite food and wine. Crimson liquid and shattered glassware spilled across the floor. The pristine white tablecloths were trampled and soiled by countless frantic footsteps.
Dunlan merely watched this scene quietly before slowly standing up and following the fleeing vampires as they headed outside.
They had just reached the outer corridor when vampire figures emerged from behind the heavy, hanging drapes, slowly revealing themselves and blocking the path to freedom.
"Regrettably, esteemed elders. By order of Bishop Casimir, none of you may go anywhere tonight."
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Damn it, there are traitors among us."
The vampire elders' faces turned ashen as they finally understood everything.
The ceasefire was a lie. Casimir had betrayed the vampire clan. He had betrayed them.
"Step aside."
A calm voice suddenly rang out. Dunlan stepped forward, not even glancing at the vampires blocking the way. He merely gently raised the staff in his hand.
[Fear Spell]
A thick, ink-black mist instantly gushed from the tip of the staff, like living tentacles, rapidly coiling around those blocking the path.
"Ugh... ah!"
"No... don't come near me!"
Their faces instantly contorted with fear. They involuntarily backed away, their formation collapsing instantly and clearing a path.
The surviving vampire elders, no longer concerned with decorum, immediately dispersed into swarms of blood bats. They smashed through the castle's stained-glass windows, flapping their wings as they scattered and fled in all directions.
But before the bat swarms could fly far, thousands of dark red blood orbs shot towards them from the darkness.
"Pfft!"
"Ah!"
The blood bats struck let out shrill screams, corrosive wounds appearing on their bodies as they plummeted from the sky onto the castle grounds.
The surviving vampires looked down at the castle grounds in despair. The originally silent cemetery was now completely occupied by the Magical Creature Army. Arcane Ancient Trees stood at the forefront, with buzzing Poison-stinger Wasps visible everywhere.
The Magical Creature legion had indeed arrived.
Within the Magical Creature legion, Chen Yu raised his head. His gaze pierced through the chaotic night sky, landing on Dunlan, who had just walked out of the castle's main door and now stood on the steps.
They looked at each other across the distance. The air seemed to freeze in that moment.