Erin looked on helplessly at the boundless darkness shrouding the place. Then, she let out a powerless sigh.
“Looks like I can’t escape now.”
As she soliloquized, she turned to the surroundings. The spiritual flames meant to brighten the place were completely devoured by the darkness. At a glance, everything was in complete darkness. But Erin clearly knew that this wasn’t ordinary darkness, but the ultimate defense of the Darkness Capital activated by her big brother instead. This was the effects of the Dark Curtain, the ultimate defensive enchanted field set up during the establishment of the Darkness Capital. As soon as this enchanted field was activated, endless darkness would envelop the entire palace without any presence of light.
No one can enter or leave until the enchanted field is deactivated…
At this thought, Erin let out a subtle sigh. It seemed like her big brother had indeed sunk into insanity as he even activated the ultimate enchanted field. Of course, Erin knew that this was meant for him to capture her. But how could he act so recklessly just to capture her? If it weren’t for his mighty dragon’s prestige, Erin would have thought that he was a fake. If not, why would he do something so crazy?
But now, it was pointless to think about it any further. As a matter of fact, Erin also faintly realized why her big brother became like this because when facing the ambush of the undead creatures earlier, she sensed a familiar presence. It was something she had been facing throughout this time: the twisted Chaos that was born in the world named Earth.
It was due to this reason that upon realizing that something was wrong, Erin’s first reaction was to flee. She knew better than anyone the consequences of being contaminated by Chaos. That was why she decisively used her blood to activate the emergency escape route hidden inside the palace and hid into it. And now… she was inside it.
I wonder if this escape route is enough to hide away from Big Brother’s search…
At this thought, Erin stretched out her right arm and gestured with her hand. A bright radiance flashed beside her, turning into a dark, murky bracelet that fitted over her wrist. As soon as the bracelet appeared, Erin’s aura dwindled instantly. Erin had to resort to this since she was a twin of her big brother. If she didn’t do it to mask her aura, she would be tracked by him and captured in minutes. Although this ‘Forbidden Magic Bracelet’ would also suppress her spiritual powers while sealing off her aura, there wouldn’t be any issues with her battle strength… Yes… even though she now possessed the strength of her human form, she was still much more powerful than ordinary humans, so there shouldn’t be any issues.
Erin extended her arm, gripped the sword beside her, and trotted forward.
Although it was pitch-black ahead, when one was at her level, one could basically see without the presence of light. It was apparent that she was currently inside an old escape route. The escape routes in the Darkness Capital were different from the ones in other places. Back then, in order to prevent being wiped out entirely, the ancients opened up a teleportation channel that could send out one person at a time to one of the escape routes randomly. It was also meant to avoid being chased by pursuing troops. As all the escape routes were unlinked, there were no concerns about encountering them. This was also why Erin felt so assured. The escape routes extended in all directions, connecting the entire Darkness Capital. It was impossible for Ion to search for her even if he upturned the place. Unless he upturned the Darkness Capital, he could forget about finding her.
I wonder if the Dark Curtain enchanted field will stop my retreat.
Harboring some concerns in her mind, Erin sprinted ahead. Although she hadn’t been to any of the escape routes before, the escape routes were engraved with symbols and texts only recognizable by the dragon race. That was why Erin could effortlessly find the exit.
But this escape route sure is long…
As she proceeded, she became increasingly curious. The deeper she traveled, the more run-down the path was and the patterns on them gradually showed up in a more ancient and traditional style. Besides, she also found out that as she walked further, the path started to slant as though it was leading underground. But even so, she didn’t slow down her pace. Although she loved archeology, it wasn’t the right time for her to admire those ancient murals. If the pursuing troops sent by her big brother caught up with her, she would be in big trouble. The fact that even her big brother failed to resist the erosion of Chaos made her worry if she could withstand it. No matter what, there would be hope as long as she left this place.
Erin darted across the pitch-black tunnel. She was so quick that her footsteps couldn’t be heard. As the princess of the Country of Darkness, it went without saying that she knew how capable the pursuits of the undead creatures were. They never relied upon their eyes to lock onto their prey, but exploited the spiritual auras and sounds instead. Even though Erin was in the underground tunnel right now, the Darkness Capital had specialized facilities to monitor sounds in the underground. If she weren’t careful enough, she might be discovered easily.
Huh?
While Erin dashed across the tunnel, she suddenly slowed down her pace and came to a halt silently like a ghost. She knitted her brows and stared ahead alertly. She sensed a presence hiding in the corner ahead.
Could it be that Big Brother’s pursuing troops have discovered and decided to surround me?
At this thought, Erin’s heart sank slightly. But she shook her head in denial. If they were the same undead creatures around her big brother, she would have been sure of that. In the battle earlier, this was the point that startled her. Although she was surrounded by so many undead creatures, she couldn’t detect their presence even if she closed her eyes. In a battle against such bothersome enemies, it was simply too dangerous for her. On the contrary, the undead creatures ahead seemed to be ordinary undead creatures. She also sensed the pure undead aura being released from them just like most undead creatures in the Country of Darkness.
Could it be there are secret guards even in these escape routes?
Erin pondered, but couldn’t reach a conclusion. She knew about the existence of the escape routes from reading the dragon race’s records. However, none of them wrote about guards defending the escape routes. If they were truly secret guards, they would be a beneficial force for her. But… safety was her top priority. Erin gripped the sword and proceeded ahead.
One step, two steps, and three steps. Erin held her breath and gazed vigilantly at the corner of the tunnel. The presence didn’t seem to notice her as it stood on the spot. Meanwhile, Erin continued to hold her breath and squinted at it like an elegant cheetah about to pounce on its prey. She stretched her body taut and padded forward. Then…
Shing———!
In an almost inaudible sound that broke the air barrier, Erin swung and repositioned her sword before dashing forward, stabbing at the corner toward the wall. Almost at the same time, she fused as one with the shimmering blade light. Before the target responded, the tip of her blade had arrived at its throat.
“Don’t move.”
Erin said softly, staring at the pair of shocked, wide-open scarlet eyes. After confirming the unknown presence’s identity, Erin became more nervous instead. Because the scarlet eyes only proved one thing. The unknown presence was…
“… Angelina?”
Erin widened her eyes, gazing at the terrified young lady who didn’t dare to budge. Erin couldn’t be more familiar with this young lady. After all, during her stay in the Void Territory, it was Angelina who attended and looked after her. It was due to this reason that when Erin saw Angelina, the first thought that came into her mind was whether she was struck by an illusionary spell.
“… Why are you here?”
“Y-Your Highness…”
Upon hearing Erin’s curious question, Angelina put up an awkward expression and her eyes wandered away. She was completely speechless. Looking at her reaction, Erin knew that something must be up. But now, having a familiar person accompanying her was much better than her being alone, which helped to relax her tension. More importantly, Erin didn’t sense the annoying presence of Chaos, which proved that this young lady was safe to be with.
(… Alright, stop talking.)
As Angelina was about to speak, Erin shook her finger and interrupted, staring at the pair of scarlet eyes. She waved her hand gently, put away her sword silently, and gestured to the surroundings. Angelina understood what she meant and nodded gently in response. Shortly after, Angelina’s voice rang inside Erin’s head.
(Your Highness, you’re back.)
(Yes, I just returned. His Majesty Rhode and the rest also came back in one piece.)
(His Majesty Rhode is back?)
(Yes, but come to think of it… What are you doing here?)
(…)
Facing Erin’s smiley gaze, Angelina pondered in silence before lowering her head awkwardly.
(I… followed Madam Marlene’s orders to scout out this place…)
Upon hearing her answer, Erin smiled and finally understood why Angelina felt so awkward upon meeting her. In the past, Angelina was a national of the Country of Darkness, But now, she had become the spy of the Void Territory and returned to the Country of Darkness to probe for intelligence, only to coincidentally meet the princess. It was impossible for her to not feel awkward in this situation. However, Erin wasn’t bothered at all. Instead, she happened to need Angelina’s assistance now.
(Angelina, can you tell me what happened recently?)
(Your Highness?)
Upon hearing Erin’s question, Angelina was wide-eyed as she gazed oddly at the young lady. It was apparent that Angelina was rather hesitant of whether she should reveal the intelligence she gathered. Facing Angelina’s gaze, Erin nodded with a heavy expression.
(Please. The Country of Darkness is in a terrible state right now. Besides, if I’m not wrong, Chaos is also involved. The situation is worsening by the minute now. I suspect Big Brother is also eroded by Chaos, which is why I need your help, Angelina.)
(… Alright then, Your Highness.)
As soon as Angelina heard that the situation might possibly be related to Chaos, her eyes glinted. Then, she hesitated for a moment and eventually nodded in agreement to tell everything she witnessed to Erin.
Just like Angelina mentioned, she came to the Darkness Capital following Marlene’s orders. After the Country of Darkness invaded the Void Territory’s border again, Marlene and Alice believed that it was necessary to send someone to gather information about the Country of Darkness and find out what exactly was going on. As Angelina was the highest-ranked and most experienced undead creature in the Void Territory, she naturally became the best candidate for the job and was selected. Of course, Angelina didn’t mind at all. After all, Ashvril was already dead, while the vampire forces went different ways. She also possessed the power for self-defense and was familiar with the rules of the undead creatures. Sneaking into the Darkness Capital wasn’t a challenge for her, which was why she arrived at the Darkness Capital and began to collect intelligence.
It was due to this that she witnessed all of Ion’s actions, which gave her a huge fright. Just like Erin, Angelina didn’t expect the Dark Dragon to have this crazy side of him. Not only that, but Angelina also discovered something stranger as a vampire: Ion had uncharacteristically promoted the vampires and made them his personal guards!
Of course, Angelina knew that vampires held a low status in the Dark Dragon’s perspective, which was why this unusual move piqued her curiosity. If another race were chosen to become the Dark Dragon’s personal guards, perhaps Angelina would have a harder time sneaking into the palace. As a descendant of the most ancient vampires, Angelina’s ability to sneak into enemy grounds was simply at too high of a level to be spotted.
Shortly after, Angelina discovered the secrets within.
(You’re saying that Big Brother is creating vampires on a large-scale?!)
Erin couldn’t help but widen her eyes in astonishment, gazing at Angelina. Meanwhile, Angelina nodded with a dark expression.
(That’s right, Your Highness. It isn’t easy to produce descendants of vampires. It isn’t as simple as a vampire sucking the blood of a victim and the victim turning into a vampire. The victim with their blood sucked will turn into a ghoul after death. Unless the victim possesses unique skills that allows them to be awakened after their blood is sucked, they will just turn into ghouls. In order to create vampire descendants, our life essence needs to be coalesced and concentrated, before placing it into one’s body like growing a plant, and only then will one turn into a vampire. But I don’t know what method His Majesty Ion used to change everything. He injected a mysterious black blood into the vampires and as soon as the vampires bit one in the neck, one turned into a vampire completely!)
The situation became much simpler later. Angelina yearned to find out the secret about the black blood and hard work came to those who waited. She eventually found some clues, but was also discovered as a result. Upon realizing that she raised some suspicions, she sneaked away quickly. However, the other party carried out a seizing operation. Angelina, with her back against the wall, had no choice but to flee into an abandoned well inside the palace. In the end, she was washed away by the watercourse and for an unknown period of time. When she came to, she found herself in this run-down underground path. Angelina thought of leaving this place, but it was a pity that she couldn’t understand the text and symbols of the dragons along the walls. As a result, she spent half a day running about and couldn’t find the exit. Not only that, but she was also caught in several traps and almost lost her life. As a last resort, she chose to deploy the silliest and simplest solution: wait for Rhode’s return to summon her back to safety. Since she was a vampire, she could go without food for a year and a half. But if she were captured by those dark, mysterious fellows, she would surely be facing an imminent catastrophe.
(Black, mysterious fellows?)
(Yes, Your Highness. They have been by His Majesty Ion’s side and are wrapped in black robes from top to bottom. I don’t know who exactly they were, but I think they are definitely not living beings or undeads… All in all, they are responsible for the modification of vampires. I saw it for myself…) Angelina couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine. She couldn’t forget that scene. The majestic vampires were hung on the metal hooks with their mouth wide-open like lambs waiting to be slaughtered. The black-robed beings held a bottle of strange potion in their hands and forced the liquid down the throat of the vampires. After consuming the potion, the vampires howled in anguish and their entire body twitched violently. Then, they turned into even more dangerous and berserk beings.
(Aren’t they undead creatures?)
(I don’t think they are. At least from what I remember, I have never seen anything like them in the Country of Darkness, ever.)
Angelina was certain about that. Upon hearing her words, Erin nodded slightly.
It seems like Big Brother is undoubtedly in trouble.
(Alright, let’s proceed first. I more or less understand the symbols here. If I’m not wrong, as long as we head straight, we will reach the exit.)
“… There?”
Erin pointed her finger forward, but Angelina was taken aback. The latter wore a troubled look.
(Your Highness, are you sure?)
(… Is anything the problem?)
(There isn’t a problem for me, but…)
Angelina said, but gazed hesitantly at the pitch-black tunnel ahead.
(… A lunatic’s over there…)
