Brocks projectile was an armor-piercing explosive bolt. It struck the Martyrs Palace square in the head, erupting in an earthshattering explosion. Bone shards flew in every direction as a shallow defect several meters in diameter appeared on the skull.

The blast from that duke-grade airships main cannon jolted the Martyrs Palace so badly that it veered to the side.

The Earth Dragons skull was thick enough to withstand several dozen such blasts, but Qianye staggered from the impact, his expression solemn.

Damage check! Qianyes voice echoed through the airship.

Main cannon normal!

Seven port cannons malfunctioning, twenty men lost.

Three starboard cannons damaged, fifteen men lost.

As the damage reports from various parts of the airship arrived, Qianye realized that his worries werent unfounded. This demonkin airship wasnt an opponent to be taken lightlyeven if the Earth Dragon could block its attacks, the impact would damage the crew and equipment within.

Brocks flagship brushed past the Martyrs Palace and returned with a lithe turn. The giant bolt in its hull apparently had no effect on its mobility and fighting power.

Whos that?

Brock is a demonkin expert best known for his skill in airship battles. The airforce under his command had faced few defeats. Hes best known for his ability, the Wall of Sighs, which possesses unimaginable defensive power. Rumor has it that the skill descended from a great dark monarch primogenitor. The Jeruson family experts are proficient in defense, to begin with. This skill of Brocks will make them even more difficult to tackle.

Qianye suddenly recalled the demonkin viscount he had encountered back in Blackflow City. That person was probably from the Jeruson Familyhe could use a skill called the Shield of Dark Glory, which caused a bit of trouble for Song Zining. How many times can he use the Wall of Sighs?

At most three times according to previous records.

Qianyes brows relaxed somewhat. Such a powerful defensive ability of course came at a great cost. Although it could only be used three times, those three times could easily decide the outcome of a battle. Not many grand-duke airsh.i.p.s could exchange three main-cannon blasts and survive.

Unfortunately, Brock was up against the Martyrs Palace. Qianye could calmly exchange half a dozen blasts if he was willing to pay the price.

The Martyrs Palace accelerated once more and made a pass above Brocks flagship. There, it swung its tail and lashed fiercely at the enemy vessel.

The Earth Dragons tail whip was one of its most powerful moves. Landsinker might be extraordinary, but it wasnt on the Earth Dragons level.

Just as the attack was about to land, the front of Brocks flagship came to a sudden halt and its rear end swung to the side. This momentum sent the entire airship flying off of its original trajectory, effectively evading the Martyrs Palace.

Qianye wasnt fl.u.s.tered by this. He adjusted the Martyrs Palace with a swing of its tail and once again fired the Landsinker. This attack was once again stopped by the Wall of Sighs, while the enemy counterattack struck the Earth Dragons skull. Even Qianye felt a bit dizzy from the impact.

The two airsh.i.p.s thus became tangled together. The head and tail portions of the Martyrs Palace were both danger zones with great destructive potential. Brocks airship displayed incomparable agility as it circled the Martyrs Palace like a fly, narrowly evading most of its attacks.

Even after a long while, Qianye and the Martyrs Palace failed to hit it even once. The Landsinkers attacks did reach the target but could do little damage after being weakened by the Wall of Sighs.

Qianye finally understood why Brock dared to meet him in battle with a single duke-grade airship. It would seem that this duke, in addition to the legendary mobility of his own airship, had studied the Martyrs Palace in great detail.

His most notable performance was the ability to anticipate attacks from the Martyrs Palace while it was charging up, evading the most lethal tail lashes.

Qianye would still emerge the final victor if this went on, but the demonkin possessed more than a single flagship. The majority of their fleet was made up of transports.

These carriers began landing while the Martyrs Palace was locked in battle, always pouring out the passengers and equipment down before leaving.

Tens of thousands of demonkin and council troops landed on Dawn Continent. After forming up, they began charging at the hurriedly constructed vampire base.

The fights in the air and on the ground were equally intense.

The Martyrs Palace couldnt leave the defensive zone, either, because it had to protect the vampires below. Otherwise, Brocks flagship could deal irreversible damage to the defensive lineup with a single volley.

Just like that, the situation in the air became a stalemate.

In the bridge, Brock was constantly pouring demonic energy into the control panel. Four other dukes, including Linken, were also doing the same.

It was the power of these top experts that afforded the massive airship its incredible mobility, bringing about a small miracle that was facing off against the Martyrs Palace on its own.

Linken was the first to falter among the dukes. After all, she had just advanced to the rank and by special means, no less. This unstabilized strength made her much weaker than her peers.

She had just left the control desk when her body was dragged forward by an invisible force, landing in Brocks grasp.

The grand duke grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up like a small chicken. Is this the Landsinker you claim no one can modify!? Look at that firepower! Its vastly different from the numbers you gave us!

Drained of all demonic energy, Linken could hardly breathe at the moment, let alone speak.

Brock wasnt expecting her to reply, eitherall he wanted was somewhere to vent his anger. He tossed Linken to the ground and said coldly, Dont think you can do whatever you want just because youve latched onto that old thing. I could kill you anytime if it weren't for what little use you have. Scram!

At the Martyrs Palace, Qianye was controlling the Earth Dragon as it chased after the flagship. The opponent would make a mistake sooner or later as long as he could sustain this kind of attack.

The battle on the ground was growing fiercer every moment. The demonkin vanguard suffered grave losses in the first charge. They hadnt yet adapted to the new environment after landing and were thus unable to suppress the vampires defensive fire.

Even so, these men were still elites of the council. They quickly recovered from the setback and made for the cliffs on either side in search of cover. Their central command set up some barriers out of the vampires firing range, hoping to use it as their forward base.

The defenders were well-prepared as well. Those who had followed the Martyrs Palace here were all direct descendants of the major clans. Their strength might not be remarkable, but they had ample combat experience and had undergone strict training. This became evident since the first volleythey were much more accurate than an ordinary unit of mixed soldiers. The first hailstorm of bullets dealt significant damage to the demonkin.

The demonkin and council elites were also powerful with their assault after finding cover nearby. The problem was that the area leading to the corner fortress was an open space with no obstructions. Unable to charge through the hail of bullets and without a slave army to exhaust the enemy, the council forces could only exchange fire from a distance.

In the blink of an eye, the battle quickly entered a trajectory Qianye had expected. The vampires and demonkin were now in a stalemate of long-range battles. The invaders boasted skilled snipers among their ranks while the vampires had constructed defenses at an advantageous position.

The ratio of casualties was a bit better than Qianye had expected; these major clan vampires were indeed outstanding in combat. Of course, the councils side would be reinforced periodically while every dead vampire was one less ally.

With the war on the ground entering a phase of attrition, the contest was now about willpower. The vampires would not fail in this aspect since they had no way out. The council forces, on the other hand, were an allied army. Morale would become a problem once casualties reached a certain point.

On the flagship, Brocks expression was grim. It was as though a storm were brewing around him. The frequency with which he had to inject demonic energy was increasing but the effects didnt improve.

In fact, the Landsinkers power level didnt affect the outcome all that much. Brock had studied the Martyrs Palace beforehand, but he quickly found that reality was vastly different from paper. What he thought was an overestimation turned out to be an underestimation instead.

Brock was under great pressure at the moment. He was rather confident of victory at first, and the four dukes were just a backup plan for emergencies. Now it would seem that his lineup was far from enough.

He blamed Linken simply because he was furious.

Qianye wasnt having an easy time, either. In addition to stabilizing the internal environment of the airship, he had to pay attention to the battle on the ground. The Dark Gospels expression was dark, his face twitching every time a vampire descendant bit the dust.

Moments later, he let out a long sigh, Some of the children down there are descendants of my enemies, but my blood core aches every time one of them perishes.

Nighteye said, We were all born from the River of Blood, were all a part of it. The loss of each blood seal is a loss for the river.

Howard shook his head. Its easy to see that the Demon King wants to remove these families seals from the River of Blood. Whats his objective, I wonder? If he wanted to destroy the entire race, he should have started from the Perth and Monroe clans.

To all the vampires, the Queen of the Night was the foundation of the entire race, and the twelve major clans were the core pillars. The leaders were the Perth and Monroe clans, which ranked first and second respectively. These two clans were prosperous with many branch families in addition to their main clan.

However, the trio found that the truth was somewhat different from their expectations. These two families hadnt suffered nearly as much damage as some of the lower-ranked clans. It made no sense to say that the demonkin were afraid of the Queens wrath.

Brocks airship was like an agile hunter, rendering the massive creature that was the Martyrs Palace helpless. The end result was within expectations, but no one knew how long it would take.