[This Chapter Is Sponsored by Shin! Everyone, please thank him in the comment!] (1/14)
"Wow, look who it is? The renowned Daywalker, Blade, caught in such a sorry state."
In the Blood Grinding Chamber, one of Deacon's minions, a male vampire with golden hair, dramatically gazes at Blade, who is stripped to the waist, revealing his muscular torso.
Blade's limbs have been severed, and he is half-embedded in the grinding device, his gaze icy and disdainful as he stares at the vampire with contempt and indifference.
The sight ignites fury in the male vampire.
He reaches out, his sharp nails poised in front of Blade's chest, gently pressing and sliding down, leaving five bloody marks on the strong, dark muscles.
Blade remains expressionless, quietly watching.
This bores the vampire, who loses interest in tormenting him and leaves only with the words: "I look forward to the sight of you dying in agony."
After these words, he exits the stone chamber.
Blade closes his eyes, knowing all his efforts have been in vain, now uncertain whether the old man Whistler is still alive.
Meanwhile, in the underground passages, Bi Xiao carries a cross-sword down the stairs into the depths. With the memory of an insider elder, he navigates the labyrinthine corridors as if they were nothing, boldly heading towards the Temple of Eternal Night.
On his way, he encounters no vampires; they had all gone to the Temple of Eternal Night for the crucial moment of the Blood God's descent.
Upon reaching the Temple of Eternal Night and seeing the dense crowd of vampires, Bi Xiao simply walks through them.
Without even pushing, his mental power controls the scene, parting the vampires before him, allowing him to stand at the forefront. He casually thrusts his sword into the ground, standing out like a lion among sheep, eagerly watching the main event, or prey, on the altar below.
His presence, an anomaly among the keenly blood-scented vampires, would typically be detected immediately. Given his life force and the potent energy within his blood, it's akin to a starved wolf spotting fresh, bleeding meat.
However, Bi Xiao's group mental suggestion makes everyone, including Deacon Frost awaiting on the altar, unconsciously treat him as one of their own, ignoring him.
This is how he manipulates the nervous system through mental power, forcefully suppressing his own capabilities.
This ability, Bi Xiao thinks, is too useful not to develop further.
The wolf in sheep's clothing almost grabs a stool and some sunflower seeds. From his vantage point, he glances towards the wall behind which, in a specially constructed stone chamber, Blade resides, presumably brooding over his capture.
The enemy is still unaware of how easily he was captured.
Bi Xiao won't tell him that at the moment he met Blade, he had already infused him with a mental suggestion, which should have allowed Blade to remain calm and composed in crisis, delaying the inevitable.
But ultimately, under Bi Xiao's influence, Blade becomes a mere jest.
He won't apologize; after all, as long as he keeps silent, no one will know.
As night falls and the commotion subsides, the grinding device finally covers the last half of Blade's body. Only his hands are visible as the device's spikes penetrate his body, and with a dull thud, blood flows from his wounds to the ground.
Daywalker's special blood contains tremendous power, something other vampires do not possess.
Because he has qualities only the ancestral vampires possess, he is unafraid of sunlight.
Alone on the altar, Deacon stands as the ceiling patterns gather Blade's blood, compressing it into a drop of purest essence.
Suddenly, terrifying thunder and lightning strike.
Above ground, under a shrouded night sky, ominous clouds swirl and lightning explodes, signaling impending disaster.
Inside the Temple of Eternal Night, the drop of blood slowly falls as Deacon tilts his head back and opens his mouth. The moment the blood hits his palate, the mysterious patterns on the altar floor emit a fierce glow.
The patterns on the twelve stone pillars around the walls do the same.
Lightning strikes from the sky, penetrating the earth and striking the twelve pureblood vampires standing at the pillars. Their bodies explode under the lightning, their blood transforming into bats that flutter excitedly into Deacon's body.
Boom!
Under Bi Xiao's increasingly excited gaze, he feels the terrifying energy erupting from Deacon's body, sweeping through the Temple of Eternal Night like a storm.
The overwhelming presence, like the rebirth of an ancient vampire ancestor, compels all vampires to kneel submissively, their faces filled with reverence.
Bi Xiao's eyes brighten, his joy increasing.
Meanwhile, in the stone chamber, the terrible storm also reaches Blade, filling his eyes with bitterness. He feels powerless, hating his own weakness. Now trapped and losing much blood, his life is slowly ebbing away.
Is this where his fate ends?
No.
Outside the chamber, Blade suddenly hears clear footsteps. Although slow, they approach the chamber. After so many years together, though invisible, Blade immediately recognizes the footsteps as belonging to Whistler.
As the sounds grow louder, with a dull thud, the grinding device opens automatically. Blade is still embedded in the other half of the device, but Whistler's figure also appears in front of him.
Looking somewhat disheveled and dirty, Whistler limps on an injured right leg, but he holds two blood bags in his hand.
"Happy to see me, you little brat?"
"Every critical moment, you always need me."
"Well said, old man. I've always needed you." For the first time in his life, Blade reveals a bright smile.
Whistler rolls his eyes, unfazed by the terrifying pressure of the storm, and struggles forward. Following Blade's indication, he finds the mechanism to release Blade from the grinding device.
As soon as he is freed, Blade collapses to the ground, weakened from the loss of much blood. Whistler quickly stuffs the blood bags into Blade's mouth.
"We haven't completely failed yet, Blade."