When the pool calmed, the drenched lower-ranking vampire crawled out, his sanity seemingly restored, kneeling and thanking Knox profusely.
It seemed to have worked.
Ina had already stashed the paper with the potion's formula in her backpack, making sure it was out of reach.
Knox smiled slyly, "Miss Ina, do you suppose if the vampires knew their curse could be lifted, they would destroy the ingredients to make the antidote?"
Confronted by Ina's suddenly icy gaze, Knox said calmly, "The last known Pomping Grass on the continent is in my possession."
"Show me the Pomping Grass," Ina demanded, her voice catching slightly, "Or how can I be sure it's truly with you?"
For a fleeting second, Knox revealed the Pomping Grass in his palm, worried Ina might snatch it, he showed it for barely a moment.
"I won't give you my blood. Name another price," Ina said coldly.
Knox tilted his head slightly, "Is Elvys's life worth less to you than a few drops of blood?"
Ina shot back, "You dare challenge a Black Dragon. Do you value my blood more than your own life?"
Seeing that Ina rejected his terms, Knox didn't show the slightest hint of displeasure. After all, he wasn't really interested in just a bit of dragon's blood. What he truly desired was a boundless supply from a captive dragon.
A flurry of bats flew in through the ornate window, shifting into weapon-wielding high-ranking vampires before they could even land, charging at Ina.
With his intentions clear, Ina felt no need to negotiate with Knox. She ignored the attackers, considering them no more harmful than ants, and lunged straight for Knox.
However, the emerging vampires obstructed her path, diving in front of her one after another, separating her from Knox. The ground trembled, and where once stood a girl now overwhelmed by a crowd, a massive black dragon took her place. Its golden eyes locked onto Knox. With a powerful sweep of its wings, the dragon sent the surrounding vampires flying.
The relentless wave of vampires blocked her view, swarming over her, isolating Ina from Knox. With the ground shaking beneath her, the overwhelmed girl at the center of the castle hall vanished, replaced by a colossal black dragon. Her golden eyes fixed on Knox. With a powerful spread of her wings, she swept away the swarming vampires.
The decorations on the castle walls shattered, scattering wood and debris.
The few vampires who managed to regain their footing swiftly fired arrows at the black dragon. The arrows barely scratched the dragon's scales. Yet, Ina didn't let them land. Apart from having the formidable body of a black dragon, she was a top-tier mage. The majority of the arrows hit an invisible shield, some snapping upon impact, others rebounding to their senders.
Ina's focus was clear: she wanted Knox.
Knox, swift and showing no intent to attack, moved with a speed that vampires were famed for. In full flight, he was nearly impossible to chase. In a blink, he appeared atop the castle, gazing down at his injured kin, peppered with their own reflected arrows.
"I always knew you were useless," he said with a slight grin, almost delighting in the scene below, "but this level of incompetence surprises even me. However, you still have another use."
Before Knox could react, Ina's tail crashed through the wooden stairs he stood on. Yet, Knox reappeared instantly at the center of the grand hall.
Tilting his head slightly, in an instant, the vampires exploded like overfilled balloons, blood splattering everywhere. The pale carpet, before it could even soak up the blood, started to dissolve, revealing a sinister magical circle underneath.
A blinding red light emanated. The blood, which could have pooled to an inch high in the spacious hall, vanished as if poured onto a sandy beach. The magical circle was intricate to the point of inducing dizziness. At its nexus were inscriptions made of electrum and powdered rubies, and rarely seen magical gems. The lines of the circle pulsed slowly, making the entire formation resemble a bloodshot eye trying to open.
Ina wasn't foolish. The moment the vampires were chosen as sacrificial offerings, she planned her escape. Yet, even after breaking through a wall, the castle held her captive. The magic circle wasn't just in the center of the hall; it enveloped the entire castle. Ina felt a heaviness in her steps, drowsiness settling in. Even without checking her status, she knew she was under the effects of multiple debuffs.
At that moment, she looked at Knox and mocked, "Did you really think I came alone?"
Knox, sharp as ever, detected the slight noise behind him and rolled away just in time to avoid the spell orb thrown by Elvys.
A man with jet-black hair stood outside the castle gates. He'd been hidden in the shadows, watching, waiting for Knox to reveal his true intentions.
Ina had always been wary of Knox, while Elvys kept a close eye on Safi's movements. But given that this castle was a stronghold held by vampires for years and Elvys had no vampire lineage, their information was always limited.
Things changed when Ina learned that Knox had handed over two Dragon Blood mages, escapees from Neranka, to Lady Lowen, a council elder of the Silver Empire. Knox had tampered with them, turning them into humanoid spies. Coincidentally, Ina had left her mark on these two, enabling her to uncover this secret.
Elvys disclosed this to Lady Lowen. Despite Lady Lowen's disinterested demeanor in the political affairs of the Silver Empire, often maintaining neutrality to strengthen her position, she felt slighted by this.
In the spirit of reciprocity, Lady Lowen informed Elvys of Knox's recent activities, collecting various rare materials, all strangely specific to dragons.
So, after much contemplation, Ina decided it was better to walk into the feast than wait for a possible future ambush.
Elvys's mission was to dismantle the magic circle set against Ina. It wasn't easy. A slight misalignment during the circle's formation could ruin it. But an activated circle was robust, almost indestructible. Even damaging a part of such a vast circle wouldn't render it entirely ineffective.
Ina had transformed back into her human form, feeling an invisible force pressing down on her, immobilizing her. In her smaller human form, perhaps due to the reduced size or some other unknown reason, she felt this pressure lessen, allowing her at least to raise her arm and cast spells.
A barrage of spells rained down on Knox, who skillfully dodged them. Yet he still had enough dexterity to sneak an attack on Elvys, who was intent on disrupting the magic circle. Under the circumstances, Ina did her best, merely holding Knox back.
As the gems on the magic circle dimmed, Ina felt her strength trickle back. Now two against one, Knox seemed cornered. With much of the castle already in ruins, no more magic circles could pose a threat.
Yet Knox remained unflustered.
He gazed at Ina with a hint of regret. "Miss Ina, do you know what prompted my decision to capture a dragon?"
He continued, "You deceived a silver dragon."
Austin emerged from behind Knox, his face contorted with rage, eyes red with bloodshot veins. "You drugged me, and dispelled the mist while I was incapacitated! And you dared to lie, saying you were unaware!"
Ina and Elvys remained silent, weighed down by guilt. They had indeed deceived Austin.
But with the silver dragon now in the fray, escape was impossible for Ina and Elvys. Austin had sealed the space. Defeating them was Ina's only option.
Vampires against vampires, dragons against dragons, the factions clashed.
Dust rose from the castle ruins. As Elvys lured Knox further away, Austin whispered urgently, "What does that herb look like?"
Ina responded softly, "It's like dry yellow grass with light green fuzz balls. Easy to spot, unless Knox has a habit of stashing hay in his space ring."
Austin feigned a punch. "You're sure it's in his space ring?"
Ina countered, "I saw it."
"We need to get closer," urged Austin.
The two dragons rolled toward where Elvys and Knox were.
"Ina, are you alright?" Elvys's voice rang with concern. This was their pre-arranged signal. Now Elvys needed to draw Knox's full attention, allowing Austin to tap into Knox's space ring using his spatial ability.
Elvys, catching the hint, nodded at Ina, his palm emanating a blinding glow.
Austin immediately focused, scouring for the PongZi herb. To keep Knox unsuspecting, massive destructive spells grazed past Austin, while Ina shouted, "Impressive, Silver Dragon, dodging my spells! But you still can't hurt me!"
Acting the part had drained Ina, but finally, Austin's exclamation of success came as a relief. "Found it!"
Ina hurriedly grasped the Pomping Grass, confirming it was the one taken from Knox before tucking it into her backpack. Her backpack was unique, not something any space ring could compare to. Even a silver dragon more powerful than Austin wouldn't be able to pilfer its contents.
The moment Austin declared his success, Knox swiveled around, realizing the herb was gone. In a split second, he transformed into a red-eyed bat, trying to make his escape.
Seizing the opportunity, Elvys damaged Knox's wings. However, this didn't seem to slow Knox's flight. Austin tried to intercept, but to his astonishment, Knox vanished, leaving no trace behind, even to Austin's keen senses.
"He's one of the oldest vampires alive. He surely has many ways to escape," Elvys remarked, standing next to Ina.
"At least we have what we came for," Ina said without much regret.
"Thanks to me," Austin added.
When did Austin become a double agent?
On that day at the Emerald Dragon Island, as Ina put down the yellowed document, a hint of suspicion flashed in her eyes. Had Austin genuinely let her stumble upon this page detailing how to break Elvys's curse unintentionally?
Looking calmly into Austin's eyes, Ina remarked, "I've been to the Old God Ruins."
Austin blinked, then returned her gaze sharply. "You're a black dragon. How could you cross the spatial barrier?"
"Well, I did. I met Luciano, Ahti, and Claire. He's a silver dragon too. Are you related?"
Austin was torn between belief and doubt. Ina mentioned many dragon names and their precise species, as though she had seen them. Yet, he suspected that during his unconscious state in Mist Town, Ina might have used some nefarious means to peek into his memories.
He wasn't going to be deceived by Ina again.
"All right, it seems you don't believe me," Ina shrugged. "Then I'll just..."
She scanned the area, a vast open space. Pulling out the skeletal remains of the [Dragon King Lyssalian] from her backpack, she said, "I brought back this skeleton from the Ghost Thorn Forest in the ruins."
Austin stared in shock at the remains of Dragon King Lyssalian. There was no mistaking it; Ina had indeed been to the Old God Ruins. And she accomplished what they had wanted all along bringing Lyssalian back.
Ina patiently clarified, "After discussing with the erudite professors of the Star Academy, we've concluded that transforming the white mist into black and then igniting it all at once cannot open the passage between the Moro Continent and the Old God Ruins. Such an explosion would shatter the spatial barrier of Moro, exposing the entire continent to the chaos of the spatial currents. Given that the Old God Ruins are tightly linked to Moro, they too would be affected."
Austin's hope waned, his eyes drooping. "Then, is there any other way to open the passage? We just wish to return to where we once lived."
Ina comforted him, "I'll find a way. Just give me some time."
Austin remained silent for a moment. Left with no other options, he had no choice but to trust Ina. The spatial barrier of the Old God Ruins was fragile and chaotic. Austin couldn't pinpoint its coordinates. He could jump to Moro, but returning was impossible.
Only Ina could traverse between these two planes. Moreover, she accomplished something other dragons had long regretted failing at—bestowing Lyssalian with the dignity he deserved, ensuring he no longer served as a breeding ground for the Ghost Thorns.
They laid Dragon King Lyssalian to rest in the Dragon Tomb of Emerald Dragon Island. Even as mere bones, Lyssalian's eyes still shimmered with a gentle glow.
Austin removed the two orbs, entrusting them to Ina to hand over to the succeeding Dragon King. A departed dragon would leave its eyes to its kin. Gazing upon these gem-like orbs, one would feel as if looking into the eyes of their lost loved one.
---
Upon returning, to avoid complications, Ina and Elvys deduced the ingredients in the formula. They consulted numerous potion professors and, after discarding a few toxic ingredients that had no purpose other than causing severe side effects, they finally validated the new potion's recipe.
They immediately prepared the concoction.
"…lastly, add the fresh blood of the head of the same bloodline." Ina frowned, "The Duke of Night Tomb has turned to ashes…"
Elvys set down what he was holding, realizing Ina's exhaustion was muddling her thoughts. "Currently, the head of that bloodline is me."
"Ah!" Ina exclaimed, slapping her forehead. "I forgot."
Elvys looked at her with concern. "You've been so busy lately and with all that's happened, perhaps you should rest."
Ina indeed had a lot on her plate lately: the Old God Ruins, the Ghost Thorn powder, spatial fissures. However, she insisted, "I can only rest easy once I see your curse lifted."
Respecting her wishes, Elvys took the potion and retreated to another room.
Ina pondered whether she should distance herself. The screams of the bloodsucker being tested under Knox were heart-wrenching, a clear sign of immense pain. Would Elvys suppress his own pain and stay silent because she was nearby?
She waited outside the door for a while. Inside, all was quiet, as if nothing was amiss.
Gradually, Ina's focus drifted while staring at the door. Had Professor Derick managed to find buyers interested in the Ghost Thorn powder? How far had Vilanthe's army advanced? Was the spatial rift outside the village of Gama still there?
Why did she carry so many things in her heart?
Before long, Elvys emerged. He appeared as composed and dignified as when he entered, though now in different attire. However, his movements betrayed an inner excitement.
Elvys and Ina embraced tightly.
"I can finally stay by your side, always."