THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
A resounding sound of a beating heart erupted as the Vampyre Prince shone with a red light, a circle of blood erupting with him at the very center as it went on to cover the surrounding two miles!
SHAA!
He wasted no time as in this expanded Blood World that covered four times the distance of the normal ones, his first target was the Lich holding a golden Skull Staff as ropes of bloody lines turned into sharp spears around the Blood World, piercing any Undead they came across as even more spears targeted the Lich standing above the Blue Phoenix.
"Constrain. Pierce. Absorb!"
Powerful words left his mouth as stupendous destruction began to occur in the Blood World, many of the lesser ranked Undead turning to nothing in a few seconds as only a few Bone Dragons and Blue Phoenixes were left, some being ground down to bones while the remaining few had each of their bodies holding serious injuries, but not yet dead.
The Vampyre Prince sighed at this as he placed his hand near his chest again, knowing he would have to go all out if he wanted the events in this place to never be known by anyone.
"The more curious thing is that the Underworld should be aligned with the Celestials, thus your participation in this Infernal Hunt. Which makes these set of events so interesting, don't you say?"
The Vampyre Prince's face turned ugly for the first time as he heard this voice again, and it was not anywhere in the two miles where he had expanded his Blood World, but somewhere outside of it.
His impossibly gorgeous face twisted slightly before it regained its composure, and he breathed out slowly as he pulled his hands down and recalled the Blood World. The silver hairs on his head looked slightly dimmer as he turned towards the injured undead in the skies, and the many more Undead outside the two miles of his previously cast Blood World as he voiced out with a devilishly dangerous smile appearing on his face.
"Who are you, and what do you want?"
…
A simple meeting was taking place between two completely different beings in the First Realm of Hell.
At the same time, a Celestial Disciple had faced an untimely death.
Chapter 268 - The Pureblood Vampyre, Prince Cassius
In a Celestial Star quite a distance away from the First Realm of Hell, an old man was sitting down in the middle of a monastery as he enjoyed a cup of tea while looking at five golden glowing pieces of circular stones floating on top of a white board.
Some pieces were bigger than the others, with one being particularly large than the rest floating at the forefront.
The Celestial continued to drink from his cup as a few hours passed, when he finally observed a change as one of the golden pieces floating on the board...became dim and crumbled.
"Oh?"
His gaze seemed to contain interest and a hint of wrath as his fingers moved and collected the remains of the golden stone that were now grey. The remains became absorbed in his hands as he closed his eyes briefly and activated a particular skill, but he was soon disappointed as the results came to be nothing.
"Hmph."
The Celestial Grandmaster was annoyed that his tracing had not worked, his annoyance coming more from the fact that he had lost a piece, and yet he gained nothing from it.
A being had taken the life of one of the Celestial Disciples that he had sent, and this being was careful enough to first isolate the disciple in a different space before they killed them. Thus, the Celestial Grandmaster had lost one of his pieces that he sent forward to try and catch the worms trying to wiggle out of the Order and Balance that they had worked so hard to create.
His gaze became calm again as he looked at the remaining four golden stones floating on the board, quickly bringing the tea cup back in his mind as he fully turned his attention to these four stones, and simply observed once more.
It was only a matter of time before the fly was caught in his net.
---
A devilishly calm Vampyre floated in the azure skies of the First Realm of Hell as he was surrounded by droves of undead all around.
He watched as a single small Skeleton Knight moved out from the groups of undead as its empty sockets filled with golden flames looked up towards him. The Skeleton Knight opened its pristine jaws as it began speaking.
"I-"
BOOM.
Before a single second passed, the Vampyre Prince waved his hand as droplets of blood instantly appeared where the Skeleton Knight was, exploding the entire area as it cleared to reveal only broken bones.
Prince Cassius watched for a response from the surrounding undead as nothing happened, making him sigh as he turned his sight to another location and watched an identical Skeleton Knight move forward from the horde.
The golden flames dancing around the skeletons eye sockets seemed to be having fun as a voice rang out once again.
"As I was saying, I'm just a lowly passerby who happened to see something I wasn't supposed to see, and now I'm just curious as to the meaning behind it."
As the skeleton spoke, the destroyed bone Dragons and Blue Phoenixes that had been killed in the Blood World reappeared around them as good as new, with one bone Dragon coming to the Skeleton Knight as it lowered its large head and allowed the skeleton to climb on top, its bony wings flapping as it shot into the skies and came to the same eye level as the Vampyre Prince.
"Is it a personal vendetta? Or have I stumbled upon something entirely different?"
Prince Cassius could see the skeleton more clearly as he adopted a serene expression and thought of ways to contain this situation. He spoke languidly as he sorted the facts in his mind and replied.
"You mention the Celestials with disdain, and your first reaction to seeing one of them killed is not to leave instantly and report the killer to the Celestials to gain their favor, but to try and understand what happened."
An eerie devilish charm continued to be released from the Vampyre Prince as he snapped his fingers, the droplet of blood he was standing on quickly changing as it expanded and formed into a regal chair made of glistening blood.
Prince Cassius sat down domineeringly as he looked towards the skeleton and continued.
"This means that you are either a being from the long-forgotten Ancient Races that still holds a grudge against Celestials, or a little disciple from the Alliance, which means this is as much fun as you're going to have. So once more, what do you want?."
Calm, collected, and domineering.
Prince Cassius said these words imposingly, purposefully revealing some information that served as bait and to answer this being in front of him, yet wasn't too revealing of his own position.
His red eyes gazed calmly towards the skeleton that held dancing golden flames in its eye sockets, the only thing giving away its emotion being the happily dancing flames that seemed to have found something interesting to play with.
The skeleton in front of the Vampyre Prince's eyes was just a random Skeleton Knight chosen by Noah, with him transferring his voice as he was safely hidden miles away within the Undead Legion. His location was not even in the outside world, but in a luxurious house in the miniaturized Spiritual Land that was the size of a grain of sand as he relaxed on a fluffy couch next to a snuggling Barbatos.
The curvaceous woman had eaten too much and now rested her head in Noah's thigh as she let out cute breaths while napping. She had been training hard in the Time Space as her skills continued to increase in proficiency, and her rank was already at Transcendent as she enjoyed [Core]s from Noah first hand. All she had left to do was bring her skills to the same rank, a task that was much more time consuming for anyone that wasn't Noah.
His mind stopped focusing on Barbatos's cute face as he concentrated on his connection with the Abhorred Lich Emperor, sending commands on what to make the Skeleton say on his behalf.
He was happy as he got a chance to witness something stupendous on top of his already ecstatic mood as he farmed Infernal Skill Points and simply watched the power
of the Lich he continued to dump the points into climb to insane degrees.
He had come across the first ever being that seemed to belong to a force that actually stood against the Celestials, and this being was expertly hidden in the Underworld, a world known to be an ally of the Celestials.
His smile continued to deepen as he wanted to find out more information, the moment he heard about Ancient Races and the 'Alliance', his ears perked up even more as his mind worked rapidly.
The memories of the Celestial Disciple Drax were abundant, but they did not have all the knowledge and intricacies of the enemies that stood against the Celestials.
From Drax, Noah was only able to know that there were other powers in the Universe that were not aligned with the Celestials, with some of them even being their enemies, but he did not know who these hidden powers were.
Yet now, he seemed to have stumbled upon a being that most likely came from one of these powers, and this...brought about a few possibilities. He looked at the Vampyre that had his body leaking an oppressive aura. This was a being at the Void Rank, and a powerful one at that. He did not have to move against them, and could perhaps make use of them if he played things correctly.
"We actually seem to have aligned goals, which creates new possibilities. Why don't we talk for a bit and share some information with each other?"
A skeleton with dancing golden flames observed a regal Pureblood Vampyre Prince seated on a throne of blood as a conversation that would flip the Infernal Hunt into untold chaos began.
Chapter 269 - The Pureblood Vampyre, Prince Cassius II
A skeleton with blazing golden flames in its eye sockets and a devilishly handsome Vampyre stared at each other for a long time before the Vampyre spoke again.
"Even more Celestial Disciples are in this Infernal Hunt?"
Noah nodded as he thought back to the vigorous back and forth conversation he had been on with this Prince, finally making way after he mentioned his knowledge of the Celestial Disciples that came in through Profound Astral Sect.
"And you won't tell me which organization you come from?"
Noah shook his head as he replied.
"No, I don't see a need for that right now. Though I do have gaps of knowledge on the Celestials that I would love for you to fill in. How did you attack and kill one so confidently without any worry that your identity would not be known with the Celestial's mysterious means?"
Yes! This was one of the reasons why Noah wanted to talk with this being belonging from a power standing against the Celestials. Because not too long ago, while he was watching for the many possible routes his new path would lead, he found himself coming face to face with Celestial Disciples, and he successfully killed them!
Yet, the moment he did, a golden light descended from the skies the moment the disciples lost their life and bound itself to him, a circular golden marking appearing above his head that he would have no way of removing. This golden circle made him believe that it acted as some sort of a marking that was forced onto him the moment the Celestial Disciple faced her death.
He could only make the assumption that the arrival of this many Celestial Disciples into the Infernal Hunt had many underlying reasons, and that unlike the time when he killed Drax, there was somebody scheming behind the scenes. Either they were planning something else and he would unwittingly fall in their plot, or they were more terrifying than he thought and had somehow already begun aiming for him personally.
Thus, he needed more information about the Celestials that even a disciple like Drax would not be privy to. Unless he got his hands on a high ranking Celestial, which was only a pipe dream as they were all insanely powerful, he had to make do with other means. And who else would know more about the Celestials if not their enemies?
The Vampyre Prince looked at Noah briefly before he replied.
"For you to ask me that, you must know the information that Celestials are capable of tracking who they are connected to through fate. My technique, 'Blood World', breaks those types of connections for all that are in it, and I can do whatever I wish without peering eyes. Though it is not as useful if someone is physically near and snooping around."
His last words were directed more towards Noah as a brief silence occurred between them. Noah always kept his unique skill, {Observant}, active at all times. Thus he was privy to many of the things occurring for miles around him. Observing a Vampyre shoot down like a missile and envelop a Celestial Disciple in a bloody world just happened to be one of the things he saw.
He nodded his head as the skeleton facing the Vampyre Prince opened its skeletal jaws.
"Ok, how about we move together? I want to make a move against the Celestial Disciples, but I do not have a way to stop anyone watching from identifying me once any of them fall."
Prince Cassius looked at this skeleton standing atop a humongous bone dragon as his silver hair regained most of its shine.
"What do I have to gain? It doesn't look like you are providing anything for me."
The Prince replied while closely watching this eerie skeleton in front of him. The skeleton tilted its head as it replied.
"Oh did I not mention it? I have seen glimpses of the future, and they do not end so well for you."
What!
A tremor passed through Prince Cassius as he listened to the explosive words, he was about to refute them as he knew of his own power when the skeleton continued speaking.
"You are lucky enough, or in this case unlucky enough to actually run into the most powerful Celestial Disciple in this Infernal Hunt, someone that you might know as Athena."
…!
Prince Cassius's eyes squinted as he stood up from his regal chair made of blood.
"The War Princess is here?!"
"Not just here, you die from her hands as well."
Noah replied curtly as his eyes bore into the devilishly handsome face of the Vampyre Prince. His last words were actually all bullshit, with him having no knowledge of whether the Vampyre Prince would meet Athena or not. The [Insight] ability was powerful, but it did not show him the possibilities of others that he had not even met yet, with most of its focus placed on himself.
Through it, he had been able to see the positions of the Celestial Disciple, as well as the position of Athena. But the terrifying thing was that when it came to Athena, besides her general location, everything involving her was a huge engulfing darkness of nothingness.
This made him extremely careful as he moved with even more scrutiny across the First Realm of Hell, removing himself completely from even the undead legion as he went into the Spiritual Land and later miniaturized it to the size of a grain of sand that an inconspicuous undead was carrying.
He had been sending commands and watching his summon continue to rip apart Infernals as he gained more and more Skill Points that he went on to add to the [Abhorred Lich Emperor] Skill Tree, continuing to reinforce the strength of the Lich as its Undead Legion became more and more powerful, with more variations as now even Undead Blue Phoenixes could be summoned.
He had been moving like this for the past hour, using the Dagger of Time to make more plans for the future when he coincidentally came across the Vampyre Prince who was now looking at him with an interested gaze.
"The War Princess…"
Prince Cassius said the name with an indiscernible meaning as his eyes gained an even bloodier shade, his devilishly handsome face turning towards the skeleton representing Noah as he reached out his pale hands.
"Very few techniques exist that can foretell the future, and even less organizations are privy to them. You have my attention, Little Skeleton. I'll move with you for a bit."
The Skeleton Knight with golden flames in its eye sockets reached out as a handshake was exchanged, confirming the agreement between these two beings as they began to move out.
Noah exchanged more words with the Vampyre Prince as they began moving forward in a particular direction, officially beginning a hunt that was not just
aimed at the Infernals.
Chapter 270 - Unceasing Growth, An Aberration
In the safety of the Frozen Plateau Spiritual Land, Noah was only expanding his mental energies as he followed the onslaught of the forces of his summoned Lich that continued forward tirelessly. The creatures in the Undead legion had continued to grow even stronger as the Lich Lord received more and more boosts from the [Abhorrent Lich Emperor] Skill Tree, where Noah had now added even more Skill Points to the abilities that improved their power the most.
[Lich Lord of Abomination] (15/15):: Abilities- Summon Poison Totem(0/5), Summon Undead(5/5), Noxious Outburst(0/5), and Dereliction of the Saintly Poison Lord(3/5) >> [Abhorred Lich Emperor](11/30) :: Additional Abilities- Undead Legion(2/5), Will of the Undead Emperor(5/5), and Delay Death(2/5)
The one that he made sure to max first with skill points was the ability that added huge percentage modifiers to damage and resistances, as well as how many high ranking undead that the Lich could summon. It was the ability called [Will of the Undead Emperor] that brought a significant change into the Undead Legion the moment it was maxed.
[Will of the Undead Emperor](Passive) (5/5) :: +300% to all damage. +300% Death Damage. +300% Poison Damage. +300% Death and Poison Resistance. +6 Summon Limit to all High Level Undead. -90% Skill Energy Cost.
When this skill, along with [Summon Undead], reached the cap of 5/5, a huge change occurred within the undead legion as on the powerful exterior of the summoned undead, terribly powerful armor and weapons had appeared. The tails of the Bone Dragons held golden spikes that oozed a fiery aura, while the flames of the Undead Blue Phoenix spread out to form the beautiful outline of shining blue wings that blinded those looking directly at them.
The rest of the Undead Legion gained striking similarities as thousands of undead adorned in golden armor traversed through the First Realm of Hell and rained destruction on the maddened Infernals.
At the forefront of the army, a Lich holding a flaming Skull Staff rode on an Undead Blue Phoenix as it seemed to breathe in the flames to rejuvenate itself, its gaze voracious and hungry as it sought for more things to kill.
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