The enemies were none other than the Blood Armor Knights.
To be precise, they were Blood Armor Knights who had stumbled upon Belis’s whereabouts by chance.
When Belis forcibly yanked Lilina to her feet, the entire cave was already a mess. The surroundings were riddled with the wreckage from magical bombardment, as if a rabid giant beast had taken a bite out of it. It could collapse at any moment and bury them alive.
Belis grabbed her wrist and dragged her out onto the snow. The blizzard outside had stopped, and the sun was blinding. But the man standing before Belis was even more piercing.
A Blood Armor Knight—the strongest existence in the Blood Clan, comparable to the Moon Heaven Kings.
However, these guys had now been coerced by Savassen and sent to hunt for the Demon King’s Seals. The once-glorious warriors had become Pomistan’s dogs.
Lilina had some impression of the Blood Armor Knight before her.
Before Belis had led a group of Blood Armor Knights to negotiate with Pomistan’s people, this guy and another skinnier knight had endlessly mocked Pomistan. But when they returned, one of his arms was gone, and the sarcasm and smiles on his face had been replaced by despair.
It was obvious they had encountered some formidable enemy.
He was even more burly, with an ostentatious overcoat billowing like a cape in the wind. Beneath it, he wore a suit and tie, with several honor badges on his shoulders gleaming gold in the sunlight.
His red hair spiked upward like a little porcupine. In Lilina’s eyes, this was utterly tasteless, having nothing to do with the Blood Clan’s elegance.
He wore a mocking smile, and his gaze toward Belis held ill intentions.
“Queen Belis, long time no see.”
“Blood Demon Void, Zaron.”
Belis was also probing.
Roughly a minute earlier, she had jolted awake from sleep, sensing a massive surge of magic power. Then the cave had exploded.
Belis had held her own for a bit before pulling Lilina out, only to discover that it was a Blood Clan general who had ambushed her.
This news hit her like a bolt from the blue, striking her heart painfully.
The atmosphere grew extremely awkward, so Belis spoke first. “Zaron, have you all arrived? Why are you so fast?”
Zaron chuckled in response. “I was about to ask you the same thing, Lady Belis. Weren’t you holing up in the Royal Palace to recover? What are you doing here?”
“…”
Before Belis could figure out an explanation, Zaron said helplessly, “Savassen ordered us to kill every Blood Clan member we find here to prevent the news from spreading. Blood Clan Queen, he’s making us turn on each other, you know?”
“Turn on each other…” Belis gritted her teeth.
Snake-like magic coiled around Zaron’s wrist, crawling up to his palm, gradually forming the shape of a greatsword. His smile shifted from concern to a terrifying bloodlust. He crouched down, poised like a wild wolf ready to pounce on its prey.
Belis sensed the killing intent at the same moment and prepared for battle.
“Savassen told me that killing a Blood Clan member gets me a promotion. Sorry about this, Lady Belis—I’m joining the personal guard now.”
“What did you say?”
Whoosh— Zaron struck first. His snarling expression made the spectating Lilina plop down onto the ground.
Bang—!
Belis’s blood magic from her wrist clashed with the crimson blade at the same instant, producing a teeth-grating metallic screech.
Zaron roared, “In other words, I’ve already killed four Blood Armor Knights! They were calling your name with their dying breaths!”
The next second, Belis was blasted back by the explosive force. She flipped in midair and landed steadily, right in front of Lilina.
Belis asked in a low voice, “Lilina, tell me this guy’s magic power level.”
“Just reached B-Rank?” Lilina wasn’t entirely sure, but that was her perception. Yet Belis, even with her wings pierced, should have A-Rank strength. How could she be suppressed by a mere Blood Armor Knight?
“That’s impossible. I clearly sense he has A-Rank. Damn it…” Belis gritted her teeth, her eyes sharp. She seemed utterly unaffected by the terrifying aura—that was the bearing of a queen.
Belis sat on the ground.
“Belis, do you remember the Magic Stones? The ones targeted at the Blood Clan!”
“What?”
Belis suddenly recalled that Pomistan did possess technology targeting the Blood Clan. Without those weapons, mere cannons couldn’t have conquered them. If this guy who had killed several of her confidants had something like Magic Stone bullets…
Belis’s eyes dimmed for an instant at the thought, then quickly returned to normal.
“I understand.”
The Blood Clan Queen pulled a blood-red box from her waist pouch.
Blood Contract
The blood box dropped to the ground and unfurled instantly, spreading across the surface like a tide.
Zaron’s pupils contracted, and the corners of his mouth curved up. “Heh, Your Majesty, that trick won’t work on me!”
With his other hand, he drew a flintlock pistol and fired a red bullet at the box. The shot hit precisely, and the blood-like red liquid halted its spread, beginning to dissipate.
But Belis still declared, “Let’s have a fair game—with our lives as the wager. First to the finish line wins!”
Another red box had appeared in her hand unbeknownst to him.
Zaron clicked his tongue and muttered, “You’re serious?”
Between Belis and him, a glowing crimson dot appeared—the so-called “finish line.”
The Blood Contract was absolutely fair. Whoever reached it first…
Zaron charged at full speed toward the blood origin point. He fired three shots from his modified flintlock toward Belis, preventing her from closing in and ensuring his victory.
Belis’s Blood Contract had limitations; over the years, she’d probably only saved up a few uses as trump cards.
But then Zaron realized something was gravely wrong.
He hadn’t reached the red dot yet, and Belis hadn’t moved an inch. She just watched him with a cold smile.
The next second, the red dot came alive, projecting like a spike that pierced through Zaron’s chest and arm. His flintlock clattered to the ground.
“What…!”
That box had been a decoy!
But such a minor wound meant nothing to him. He yanked out the spike impaling his chest, gathered his magic power, and charged straight at Belis.
And the next second, Belis sneered, “Blood Contract.”
The box in her hand was no decoy!
