“Uncle Tilu… watch out for those scythes!”
Clinging to one of Tilu’s shoulders, You’er’s face was ashen.
“Dad…” Timobi clutched his father’s tunic, his small face etched with worry.
“Don’t worry, your old man will protect you.”
Tilu turned his head, offering his beloved son a smile imbued with a resolute determination.
“Dad…”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Timobi yearned to tell his father to protect himself as well, but at that moment, the ‘Reaper’ specters had already arrived, their presence triggering a chain reaction of danger.
“Hmph! Wind Dragon’s Roar!”
Tilu furiously channeled the magic within his body into his knight’s sword, unleashing it entirely as he swung the blade upwards; the wind elements generated on the sword’s edge abruptly transformed into a raging dragon, soaring and roaring, pulverizing all the incoming specters within its vortex.
Yet…
More ‘Reaper’ specters surged forth once again, and the wind dragon wailed, ultimately buried beneath the frigid tide of their scythes.
“Haaaaaah!!!”
Tilu roared, swung his sword, charged, and swept through the horde.
Still…
An increasing number of specters continued to howl around him.
Gradually, Tilu’s breathing grew heavy, and he found himself increasingly unsteady on his feet, yet he persisted in swinging his sword, fiercely battling the specters; he could not stop, nor could he falter, for on his back rested not only his son but also those he was bound to protect.
The specters seemed to possess a consciousness of their own, denying Tilu any opportunity to break through; for every step Tilu advanced, they forced him two steps back, steadily pushing him closer to the Holy Death Demon Pearl at the center.
Within the blood-ink light, the Holy Death Demon Pearl vibrated violently, aware that the two individuals on Tilu’s back were an absolute panacea for it; devouring them could potentially restore it to its original state.
“Uncle Tilu, please put me down; if this continues, we’ll all perish here!” Feeling some mobility return to his hands, You’er spoke with a grave tone.
Tilu offered no response, a silent affirmation of his resolve: he intended to save Timobi and would not abandon You’er here.
“Uncle Tilu, please put me down; I’ve thought of a way, a gamble we can take!”
You’er bit his lip, a flicker of madness glinting in his beautiful purple and red eyes; hearing his words, Tilu finally nodded, seized an opening, and set him down.
“Uncle Tilu, please hold on a little longer; you must wait for me to succeed!”
As soon as You’er finished speaking, he immediately turned, gazing at the blood-ink colored light pillar just inches away; he could perceive the blood-ink demon pearl, the orchestrator of all this, directly before him.
“Are you excited? Do you believe you’ve already devoured us?”
You’er’s face was devoid of emotion, yet his eyes alone betrayed the wild desperation of one pushed to their absolute limits.
Ethereal blue demonic ice crept up his entire arm, which he then resolutely plunged into the blood-ink light pillar.
Sizzle, sizzle!
Like the sound of fire consuming paper, the tyrannical power of the blood-ink light far surpassed imagination; the demonic ice You’er used for protection melted in an instant, followed by his skin being scorched, his blood incinerated, and his muscle fibers charred to death, leaving the exposed, stark white bones to blacken within moments, on the verge of turning to dust.
His sense of pain was magnified countless times, an indescribably intense agony that nearly caused You’er to collapse into unconsciousness.
Buzz, buzz~
The demon pearl within the blood-ink light quivered, as if mocking You’er’s overestimation of his own strength.
‘Could it be… that this truly won’t work…?’
The ceaseless, excruciating pain began to blur You’er’s senses; he knew his bones were on the verge of crumbling, and yet he was still at least halfway from the demon pearl!
‘My husband, please don’t give up… Noelle will protect you!’
In a daze, You’er felt such a sensation within him; at some unknown moment, the pendant on his chest had sprung from beneath his clothes, radiating an ethereal blue magical light.
Sizzle, sizzle~ Sizzle, sizzle~
The blood-ink light continued its relentless erosion of You’er’s body, yet from within You’er, a dazzling, glazed ethereal blue light simultaneously erupted, just barely countering it, ceaselessly and desperately working to repair You’er’s body, reconstructing carbonized bones, mending necrosed muscle fibers and skin.
The bloodline of the Ice Spirit King was re-activated at this very moment.
Buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz!!
The blood-ink demon pearl continued to tremble, but this time, the emotions it conveyed carried a hint of apprehension, alarm, and terror.
For in You’er’s outstretched palm, two immensely potent and mysterious forces simultaneously emanated: Divine Soul Power and Dark Seed Origin Energy!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!
The blood-ink pearl grew anxious, unleashing its will to conjure an ever-increasing number of specters, driving them into a frenzy, intent on annihilating You’er then and there.
“Never~~ dream~~ of it~~”
“So long as I still breathe~~ you will not harm a single hair on her head~~”
Suddenly, a brilliant azure light burst forth from Tilu’s body, and immensely volatile wind elements converged above his head, forming an image: a grand knight clad in heavy armor, standing proudly with his sword at the ready, his gaze disdainful.
“Sword Aura Manifestation?! How is that possible? Isn’t that a unique ability of Sword Sect masters?!”
Outside the demonic altar array, all who witnessed this scene, including Antos, gasped in utter horror.
The heavily armored knight stood there, unmoving as a mountain, impervious to the relentless assaults of the ‘Reaper’ specters, who threw themselves at him like moths to a flame.
“You’ve laughed long enough; it’s time… to cry!”
Radiant with ethereal blue light, You’er exerted a sudden force, seizing the blood-ink pearl into his palm.
The blood-ink pearl trembled violently, attempting to break free, but the two mysterious forces that suddenly assailed it dragged it into You’er’s body as if through quicksand.
Crack!
Crack!
…
The blood-ink light pillar dimmed, and the blood-ink demonic array, along with the endless ‘Reaper’ specters within it, vanished into thin air.
“Damn it… This is impossible, impossible! You wretched thing, give me back the Holy Death Demon Pearl, give it back to me now!!”
Antos, shedding his previous composure, flapped his bat wings, roared, and lunged toward You’er.
Clang!
“Strike!”
With Tilu’s single, low growl, the heavily armored knight drew his sword, and in a dazzling flash of lightning speed, Antos’s body was cleaved in two, then, along with his contorted face, dissolved into nothingness.
Thus, the ambitious high-ranking vampire exited the stage of history.
Thud!
The heavily armored knight faded into the wind, and Tilu’s once-erect body finally toppled.
“Dad!!… Don’t scare me, Dad, wake up, Dad! Speak to me, Dad!”
Kneeling beside Tilu, Timobi cried out loudly, calling to his father whose eyes were tightly shut.
“I’m sorry… Dad, I’m sorry… Little Ti won’t be naughty anymore, never again… Please open your eyes… Dad!”
“Remember, you said that yourself, you know.” Perhaps Timobi’s desperate pleas had an effect, for Tilu truly opened his eyes, a smile of mischievous triumph gracing his lips.
“Stinky Dad, silly Dad… you nearly scared Little Ti to death, you know! Waaahhh~~”
Timobi clung tightly to his father’s neck, scolding him, yet tears streamed down his face as he did so.
“Little Ti, promise your old man one thing,” Tilu suddenly spoke.
“Mm, Little Ti is listening, Dad, tell me.” Little Ti straightened his back, nodding earnestly.
“From now on, don’t cry, no matter what happens, don’t cry. You must learn to be strong, learn to protect…”
For some reason, Tilu’s gaze grew increasingly unfocused, yet his smile remained. “Your old man is a knight, and as your knight, to die on the battlefield for you is precisely the destiny your old man has always dreamed of… So, don’t cry, be happy for your old man, okay?”
“Dad… don’t go, Dad…” As if realizing something profound, a deep fear welled up on Timobi’s delicate young face.
Tilu lifted a hand, gently tidying Timobi’s slightly disheveled bangs.
Whoosh, whoosh~
A gust of wind swept in, disarranging Timobi’s hair once more.
“Ah, well, that’s why I despise this foolish wind…”
Tilu offered a bitter smile, and finally, cast a lingering, affectionate glance at his beloved son.
“May the mists of Eternal Night never obscure your sight… My beloved, Your Royal Highness…”
Tilu’s eyes slowly closed, and at last, did not open again.