Chapter 1076 MK7

While Dorian was busy performing his role to gain access to the fortress, the Blood Keep received a different kind of visitor. These individuals did not hide their intentions as they stormed into the camp and began slaughtering people left and right.

The soldiers initially believed the invaders were as terrifying as demons before realizing that they were, in fact, demons. As the blood scythes sliced their bodies in two, the corpses lay on the ground, lifeless.

"What do you want from us?" asked the man wearing red robes, who proclaimed himself to be the Lord of Blood Keep. He stared at the blood mist around the demon, his frown deepening. "We, of all people, should not fight, as we follow the same path!"

"A cannibal proclaiming we're the same?" asked the demon with disgust as she turned to the tall Waiga. "You still want me to spare someone who eats his own kind for power?"

"Those are baseless lies!" said the Lord of Blood Keep as a torrent of blood exploded from his fingers, rushing toward the two invaders. With a single flick of her wrist, Seraphine froze the blood.

"If you were wise enough, you wouldn't brandish a needle against someone with a sword," said Seraphine as she raised her hand, turning her blood mist into a giant sword. "Do you have any last words, cannibal?"

"Thighs are the juiciest part!"

"...die," said Seraphine with disgust as she brought down her blood sword, but Sarohan managed to grab her hand in time. The demon turned toward him with a questioning gaze.

"We are supposed to take their artifact, not end this war," said Sarohan with a frown. "Instead of wasting their lives, we can use them to follow our orders. Can you turn them into blood dolls or something?"

"Do you expect me to be capable of everything?" asked Seraphine with a frown before it turned into a smirk. "You are smart enough to see that, it seems. I can indeed turn this prick into..."

Before she could finish her words, the Lord of Blood Keep suddenly fled, dashing with madness far away from the two. As the two turned toward him, Seraphine brought down her giant sword and vertically cleaved the man in half. His right foot slammed to the ground as it left his left body behind before the two parts fell to opposite sides.

"I guess no blood dolls," said Sarohan with a blank face. "You just became the Lord of Blood Keep, Seraphine. You can order the rest to stop fighting."

"...I received no notification from the tower," said Seraphine with a frown as she stared at the corpse on the ground. "It seems this self-proclaimed lord is not a lord at all. However, he does possess one of the artifacts that we need."

A red gem floated above the corpse they had just slain. The soldiers watched the scene with fear as the two picked up the gem and examined it.

[Blood Gem]

[Category: Event Item]

[Level: Max]

[Usages: 9999/10000]

[Skills: Infinite Replication – Regeneration – Merging]

"This explains it," said the demon as she raised the gem with a grin. "Instead of using this item for war, the lord has replicated himself and hidden in a safe place. Ironically, this item might be the strongest of them all since it can replicate soldiers."

"What if a lord replicates himself ten thousand times?" asked Sarohan with fear at the prospect. "If it fell into the wrong hands, it would have been a disaster."

"There has to be a catch," said Seraphine as she activated the gem, replicating herself. The soldiers almost wet themselves when they saw another demon appear, from a single droplet of blood to becoming an entire creature. "I understand how it is now. This replication process weakens individuals but divides their strength."

"The strength is divided among replicas?" muttered Sarohan with relief as he patted his chest. "If that's the case, the lord will lose his mind trying to gain it back."

"Have you heard that, lowlifes?" asked Seraphine as she addressed the rest of the soldiers. Her replica dissolved into a pool of goo as she put the gem away. "We have your artifact now, but your lord is hiding somewhere. Once he resurfaces, tell him that he can find the artifact in Final Valley."

The soldiers did not process the words before the two invaders hopped on the pool of blood that soared toward the sky. As they looked at the barbaric scene they left behind, they had no idea what they had done to deserve this.

As they soared above the countless empty plains, Seraphine examined the gem again. Sarohan noticed that she seemed to resonate with this gem, which had a similar function to her powers. As Sarohan was about to voice his opinion, a loud cry echoed in the distance.

"The battle is still ongoing," muttered the demon as she put away the gem with a grim expression. "It's only a matter of time before Artemis turns her attention toward us. We don't have much time left."

"What are the odds of winning against the Goddess of Hunt?" asked Sarohan, staring into the distance as he hugged his shoulders. "Watchman was scary even though he was a minion god, and now we have to deal with a real one?"

"Our odds depend on Alexie," said Seraphine with a frown. "Even as a demon, I cannot handle a goddess alone. My powers are too limited in this realm."

"You call this limited?"

"My blood mist flattened mountains in an instant outside this tower," said Seraphine as she glanced at him. "How do you think I earned the title of Blood Queen?"

"By killing too many?"

"The path to greatness is always a bloody one," shrugged the demon as she lay down on the blood platform she created. "In any case, if the goddess reaches us before Alexie finishes his training, we are doomed."

"You are rather casual about the prospect of death," said Sarohan with a sneer as he looked away. "I still have many dreams I want to accomplish!"

"Enlighten me with them."

"First, I want a wife! A man needs a wife to be happy. Second, I want kids! A man needs kids to be happy. Lastly, I want a dragon! A man needs a companion to be happy! These are the humble dreams of Sarohan the Waiga!"

"...the last one will never happen. Dragon riders have gone extinct in the battle against Devaheim."

"Then it would be a dream for the sake of dreaming!" said Sarohan with pride as he stood facing the world. The breeze brushed past his fur as he seemed to embrace the scenery with open arms. "I will accomplish all those three, Little Sera!"

"How would you accomplish them without a neck?" asked Seraphine as her blood sword rose, making the Waiga laugh and dodge its attack. Without warning, the demon canceled her blood art, sending the two falling through the air.

"It was just a joke!" shouted Sarohan with disbelief as he descended, but the demon kicked him to the ground. As he plummeted toward the empty plains, he turned toward her with shock.

Sarohan couldn't say anything before blue flames exploded around the demon. If she hadn't kicked him down, he would have been caught in the explosion. The Waiga frowned as he took a deep breath while pounding his chest.

"Frozen Breath!" shouted Sarohan as he blew toward the blue flames burning the demon, extinguishing most of them as the two fell to the ground. Their landing created a crater, shaking the entire plains and sending dust into the air.

"A pleasure to meet you, demon!" said a laughing voice from above them as they rose from the ground. Seraphine's skin had turned black, but she sloughed it off like a snake. "My name is MK7, Captain of the Newbies Division of Xeloria!"

A man appeared from within the flames, wearing translucent armor. His hair was as blue as his eyes, and he had a prominent jaw full of arrogance. MK7 unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the two.

"Our lord, Marshal Stormblade, has uncovered your little plan to steal the artifacts! Although we don't know your motive, it just so happens that we want these artifacts for ourselves!"

"Captain of the Newbies Division, huh?" coughed Seraphine as she smirked at the man. "I guess the other lords are also using their artifacts. This means there is another artifact in your possession, the one that erases your presence!"

"Indeed so, demon!" said MK7 as he descended toward the ground. "I am against violence, but my lord has strict orders to bring back the artifact you stole from Blood Keep. How about we play a game?"

Sarohan managed to rise as he hurried to grab his sword. The knight above them took out a golden coin from his pocket and raised it toward the two, then flicked it into the sky, sending it soaring through the clouds.

"This coin will land in two minutes! If you can survive until then, I will let you leave this place alive!" said the arrogant man as he gripped his sword. Sarohan found it amusing for a man to speak with such confidence before Seraphine, but the next scene shocked him.