“Bullshit! Another Warlock, you say? Prove it!” Zamira bellows, veins popping on her forehead as she slams her palm on the armrest of her chair.
“I’ll gladly prove it…” Bryce says, his smile widening.
“Hector!” Bryce calls out, his face brimming with delight.
Suddenly, a tall man wearing a night-black cloak emerges and stands beside Bryce, pulling off the hood on the cloak.
There’s a black mask on his face, with a sword strapped to his waist. Judging from the peculiar auras emanating from him, he seems to be a vampire subclass. Moreover, a familiar energy radiates from within his cloak.
This person… Why does he look familiar? I’ve seen him before, but I can’t remember where exactly. That mask…
In an instant, a heavy aura explodes from the man, causing everyone except Zamira and me to take a deep breath.
I can tell that he hasn’t released all of his aura yet he manages to make most of the vampire lords cower. What is his motive…?
“No way…” Zamira mutters, unable to believe her eyes.
“My name is Hector Sanguine, popularly known as Zero,” the masked man introduces himself.
Upon hearing his words, chaos ensues in the hall as everyone starts talking among themselves. Even Zamira looks extremely surprised.
On the other hand, I rummage through my memory. Zero… ah!
[Master! I think I remember now! He’s the guy from the Haweks mansion!]
Yes, I remember too. That guy gave me an unpleasant feeling back then. I’m glad he wasn’t against me that day because I would have lost since my skills were still subpar.
I believe Alphonso also mentioned him as his former student who went rogue and became a popular assassin. He carries a galaxy-level bounty on his head.
“Your Highness, we meet once again…” Hector says audibly.
Upon hearing his words, everyone looks surprised, including Bryce and my mom.
“J-Jake, how do you know this man?” Mom asks in a low voice, displaying her astonishment.
“I met him a few months ago when I took on a dirty job,” I reply with a small smile as I rise from my seat.
I take a few steps forward, stopping at the edge of the platform.
“I’m surprised to see you too, Zero. I’m grateful for what you did the other day; I would have been in big trouble if it weren’t for you. However, it’s disheartening to see you switch sides,” I say with a faint smile.
Hearing my words, Hector bursts into boisterous laughter, resembling a maniac. If his true face were visible, it would likely be adorned with a dirty grin.
“I’m still me; I haven’t switched sides. Oh, and about that day, I didn’t want to work for those people anymore. All I did was stand around all night and get paid a hefty sum. But that’s not my thing because I enjoy spilling blood. I was going to kill them anyway, contract or no contract,” Hector says, laughing again.
Ah… This guy certainly doesn’t hold back. Besides, he’s just a selfish bastard after all.
“So, you’ve come to challenge me, right?” I inquire, maintaining a small smile.
“I’m not actually challenging you, Your Highness. As we all know, only the strongest is fit to be king. The king is growing old and can no longer use much aura. To choose a new ruler, we must select the strongest. That’s why I’m telling you to participate in the tournament, Your Highness,” Hector proclaims loudly.
I take a deep breath…
“I refuse,” I declare, my expression serious.
“You have to join!”
“We need to see your abilities!”
“We can’t accept a weakling as king!”
“If you can’t participate in the tournament, how will you lead us to conquer the fucking Dhampirs!?”
“Your evolution stage is pathetic…”
“The Mystro family has always been overrated, and now with another Warlock, Princess Zamira is no longer relevant! It’s time to leave the throne for other families.”
All the vampires in the hall start ranting…
Throughout, my eyes remain tightly shut as I ponder my next move. In this situation, I strive to remain as calm as possible and refrain from sending a few heads rolling.
“Silence!!!” A thunderous voice suddenly erupts.
“You are all ungrateful pieces of shit! If the king were here, would any of you dare to raise your voices!? Have you forgotten that most of you owe your positions to His Majesty? And yet, you have the audacity to speak ill of him behind his back. Your tongues will be slit a thousand times so you can never regenerate them again!” Edward bellows, his voice resonating through the hall. Veins bulge on his forehead, revealing his extreme anger.
Following his outburst, the hall falls quiet, even Hector and Bryce stand without saying a word. Edward was right; if the king were alive, most of those voicing their opinions wouldn’t dare to speak out. By the king’s side always stands a formidable monster, one that not even Zamira, a Warlock, can contend with.
That monster is none other than Alphonso, the strongest vampire knight in history. No knight has ever come close to achieving twenty percent of Alphonso’s power.
Glancing back, I notice tears welling up in my mom’s eyes, which she hastily tries to wipe away as she catches my gaze. Meanwhile, Zamira grips the armrest of her chair tightly.
Sigh… I suppose I have to do this…
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