The crowd stood frozen, their eyes wide with shock at the horrifying Tai Chi diagram. Yet amidst the stunned silence, Howard and Alia remained unfazed, their minds already calculating the next move.
On the opposite side, Charles performed a simple healing spell on Green, carefully picking up her severed right hand. He studied it closely, noticing how it had almost dried up completely. The hand, once full of life and strength, now lay limp and drained. Charles frowned as he inspected it, realizing it still held a faint trace of blood.
"Here, let me see that," Howard said as he stepped forward, taking the hand from Charles. He pressed it against the water droplet at the center of the diagram. The droplet shimmered but remained unchanged, not absorbing the blood as he had expected. Howard then tried pressing the hand against the small circle on the opposite side. For a brief moment, the hand seemed to stick to the circle before being repelled with a force, as though the circle rejected it. The severed hand fell to the ground, now completely withered, devoid of any life.
Alia, who had been watching closely, approached Howard and spoke in a low voice. "It seems we need vampire blood to fill the small circle. As for the water droplet on the other side…" she trailed off, hesitating.
"Human blood," Howard replied bluntly, understanding her implication. "Don't worry, I won't use yours. There are plenty of humans around here." His tone was casual, almost indifferent as he glanced at the scattered adventurers who had not yet left the area after their earlier provocation.
Howard signaled to Charles, who immediately sprang into action. With lightning speed, Charles flew toward a small group of adventurers, grabbing two of them without warning. Ignoring their terrified cries, he flew back to the front of the Moon Palace gate, his face impassive as he cut two deep wounds into their hands.
Without hesitation, Charles pressed one adventurer's hand against the water droplet on one side of the diagram and the other adventurer's hand against the small circle on the opposite side. The adventurers' faces twisted in pain, their bodies trembling as the blood drained from their wounds.
"You!" Alia's voice was sharp with surprise and anger as she looked at Charles, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Charles sneered, a twisted smirk playing on his lips. "What? You expect only us vampires to make sacrifices?" His voice was cold, laced with sarcasm.
Standing beside the two adventurers, Charles continued with an air of menace, "If anyone dares to interfere, I'll kill these two right here and now. Stay back, and they might survive, though not without losing a bit of blood." His threat hung heavy in the air, and the crowd of onlookers, though furious, knew they had no choice but to comply. They stood frozen, forced to watch as Charles continued his brutal work.
As the blood filled the water droplet and the small circle, the adventurers gasped for breath, their faces pale. In one swift motion, Charles severed their arms, tossing their limp bodies back toward their camp. The remaining adventurers rushed to their aid, but there was no confrontation. They tended to their wounded comrades and quickly left the area, recognizing the futility of challenging the vampires any further.
The crowd dispersed, leaving only the strongest factions behind. Smaller groups and adventuring teams, realizing the danger that now surrounded the Moon Palace, abandoned their hopes of scavenging for treasure and slipped away into the shadows.
"Go ahead if you must," Alia said, her voice filled with sarcasm as she turned to Howard. "You need one more vampire's blood, right? Let's see who you'll sacrifice next."
Howard smirked, shaking his head. "There's no need. Now that I understand how it works, I don't need a living sacrifice." He calmly sliced his left palm open with a sharp flick of his wrist. Holding out his right hand, he directed the blood to the Tai Chi diagram without touching it directly. The blood floated through the air, moving toward the symbols on the diagram.
"Damn it," Alia muttered under her breath. But she quickly pushed the thought aside, refocusing on the task at hand. "Everyone, be ready," she called out to her companions. "Once this door opens, we'll be entering the real Moon Palace. Stick together, stay alert. We'll need to watch not just the vampires but also whatever is waiting for us inside."
At the same time, Peter turned to the other two werewolves standing beside Emma. "You two stay outside," he instructed. "If anything happens inside, head back to the clan and report to them immediately."
Mike, the leader of the Imperial soldiers, similarly directed his remaining forces to stand guard on the outskirts, coordinating with the Empire's reinforcements.
Alia continued her orders, addressing Talon directly. "Talon, we don't know if there are any werewolf relics inside, but this place feels like a trap. Leona and I need to go in, to make sure nothing here can harm Joy City."
Talon nodded, his face grim. He exchanged a glance with Leona. "Stay sharp," he said quietly. "We're walking into unknown territory."
Leona smiled, her sword already drawn. "Don't worry. Just don't make me have to rescue you later," she teased.
Meanwhile, Howard had finished manipulating the blood. He healed his palm with a quick gesture, and the entire Tai Chi diagram began to rotate slowly beneath their feet. As the pace quickened, a low hum filled the air, growing louder with each turn.
"Let's move!" Alia shouted, leading her team toward the Moon Palace. The vampire camp positioned in front of the palace gate braced for battle, while the Dragon Squad and White Cloak Team rushed forward from other directions.
Suddenly, the Tai Chi diagram spun faster, a white light flashed, and the ground beneath the Moon Palace cracked open. In an instant, the entire structure began to collapse. Before anyone could react, the land beneath them split apart, and the massive Tai Chi diagram swallowed them whole. The Moon Palace, along with everyone standing near it, disappeared in a flash, leaving only the faint outline of the diagram on the ground.
Beneath the surface, hidden in the darkness, something ancient stirred. Eyes glowing with a green light flickered open.