In total, there were thirteen casualties during the reclamation, and all of them were Gold-Rank Adventurers who were too confident for their own good.
The Diamond and Platinum Rank Adventurers assumed that there would be hundreds of casualties, that's why they were surprised that the reclamation ended with only thirteen deaths.
If it were any other regular battle against a horde of monsters, it wouldn't have ended like this.
Albrecht withdrew the scythe he was pointing at Claude, giving it back to him since there was no need for it. Because the Sariel Death Scythe was a skill, it disappeared the moment Claude grabbed it back from Albrecht.
Defeated, he respectfully bowed his head down in front of Albrecht. He had killed thousands of people and had exterminated a kingdom in a single day, and yet Albrecht was merciful enough to spare his life. The only thing he could do was return that sentiment by pledging allegiance to him and offering his life.
Deep within, Claude wanted to get revenge since Albrecht took his sister. However, when he sensed that his sister took a liking to Albrecht, he realized that his anger was unfounded.
Besides, the Whitelock Tribe lived heavily under a code. Emotions and thoughts were biased, but the code is truth, and Claude wouldn't dare go against the code.
(This code is different from the Ironclad Rule which applied to all the other guardians, beasts, and monsters in Ground Zero. This code is exclusive to the Whitelock Tribe, just like human rules applied to humans.)
"And don't think about awakening the Mythical Blood Dragon. I'm sure you don't have enough blood to awaken it. And you don't have to worry about your mother. I know how to cure her. Give me time to gather the ingredients and I'll heal her." Albrecht continued.
Albrecht was well aware of their plans since the System gave him enough information about them. That's why he knew about the Mythical Blood Dragon, as well as their mother who was suffering from illness.
"Do you really know how to... heal our mother?" Claude asked. He had no idea how Albrecht knew his mother and at this point, he didn't want to ask. After all, only those in the Whitelock Tribe were aware of it, and a hint of Whitelock's Bloodline was present in Albrecht's aura.
"Yes, she's suffering from the sleeping sickness, right?" Albrecht continued.
Everyone started murmuring amongst themselves. The sleeping sickness was a common sickness that appeared when the Great Meteor Fall transpired. To think that a vampire, a race hailing from Ground Zero, was also affected by the sleeping sickness... it was beyond the group's understanding.
"I can cure her, but I will need some time. For now, you should be taking care of important political matters in your tribe rather than trying to expand your territory and destroy kingdoms in our world." Albrecht advised.
A coup was brewing in the tribe, and it was only a matter of time before the Whitelock Tribe falls into the hands of another more powerful vampire tribe.
Just like the relationship between Ground Zero and the Earth, there was also an inner clash between different races and tribes in Ground Zero. Albrecht was aware of the majority of it.
Claude's eyes widened in surprise as he intently listened to Albrecht. Not only did he provide him with great advice, but he also gave him a valid reason to stop the invasion altogether.
'The solution was so simple and yet... it didn't even occur in my mind. I'm sure the High Elders would understand if I told them about the unrest within our tribe.' Claude said to himself as he stole a glance at his sister. She was also thinking the same thing.
Albrecht just gave them a way out of their current predicament, and he couldn't thank him enough.
"I will withdraw the army. Since I'm an enemy of mankind, it would cause a great misunderstanding if I stayed here and help with the rebuilding of the kingdom. Furthermore, I was the one who destroyed the kingdom and took countless lives as a sacrifice." Claude went on, pursing his lips as he felt mixed emotions towards Albrecht.
More than anything, he was grateful. To him, it felt like Albrecht was the sole savior of his Tribe. "I will heed your words, and I will help in any way I can. My sister will accompany you in your search for the cure, and as proof of my apology... I'll pass on the mantle of the Second Outerlayer's Guardian to you." Claude continued.
"Once I've dealt with everything, and once our mother is cured, I will take my life as atonement for my sins. Please take care of my younger sister." Claude bowed towards Albrecht and he walked away, signaling for the horde to retreat to the portal which leads to the Second Outerlayer of Ground Zero.
Silence filled the entire area as Claude walked away. They didn't dare attack him because they knew how powerful he was. Also, they knew what the repercussions were should they kill the ex-guardian of the Second Outerlayer—
As Claude exited, everyone stared at Albrecht who was just standing there with Anastasia beside him. He was the new Guardian of the Second Outerlayer... which meant that technically, the Second Outerlayer had been conquered!
Kiahk~!
Fwoom~
A sudden intense pressure was felt, and everyone fell on their knees as blood spurted out of their mouth. Albrecht was the only one who remained standing, and even then, he felt all his organs tightening up due to the pressure.
[Unrelenting pressure detected]
[Bestowing a powerful aura shield to user]
[Only 70% of the pressure could be blocked]
[%&(&#$ Powerful entity @#$&% detected]
[^%$&#!]
Albrecht briefly saw a couple of system windows appearing in front of him before they disappeared completely. It's as if the System glitched out. He could still feel its presence, but it stopped conversing with him.
From afar, a masked man appeared, wearing armor that looked like thick bandages. His mask covered the lower part of his face, and his eyes were clear white. A pure white aura seeped out from his body, and he wielded a broad blade.
Skill, Holy Verdict, activated.
Stab!
Although Claude detected his presence, he couldn't fight off the masked man and he was stabbed through the heart. Some sort of holy aura penetrated his entire being, and he slowly vanished in the air. In his final second, he turned towards Albrecht and mouthed out the words.
'Mother, sister, take care of them.'
Shiiing~
The masked man turned to Albrecht, surprised that he was still standing even though he flooded the entire place with his aura. As for Albrecht, he was calm enough to hide Anastasia in the ring where Yukina was. The masked man didn't detect her.
Before anyone could understand what was going on, the masked man wore his hood and flew away.
And just like that, Claude was killed, and the Second Outerlayer was officially conquered.
From afar, a figure watched the entire event unfold. A smirk appeared on his face before he, too, retreated. "The heir to the Whitelock Tribe... has been killed. This is great news. The chief will be pleased." The figure muttered to himself as he licked his lips.
Unbeknownst to all the adventurers present, this was the start of a new age. The appearance of an entirely higher rank had appeared, and new threats loomed on both sides of beasts and mankind.