Chapter 126: War and Rumors
After the fall of Trow City, all of Anzeta was in an uproar, though it was hardly unexpected.
Without their elite "Eagle's Talon," how could the Lackman family possibly fend off the dragon-blooded monsters' onslaught, especially with a terrifying red dragon, hailed as the Scourge of the Inferno, leading them?
What they didn't expect, however, was that Trow City, known as the "City of Valor" and standing unconquered for a century in the Northern United Kingdom, would fall so easily. This wasn't even a proper siege; it was a casual takeover, with Trow unable to mount any meaningful resistance.
After Count Dawson was killed by a mysterious weapon, the humiliating white flag waved over the city gates, and Trow's centuries of glory vanished like smoke.
In the months that followed, Ember Nest didn't rush to capture the Lackman Duchy's capital, Northwind Fortress, instead methodically conquering the eleven remaining cities in the duchy—Havertzburg, Turner City, Mexis City…
One of the three most powerful duchies in the Northern United Kingdom—Lackman Duchy—was slowly devoured, sending shivers through the nobles of Anzeta.
Naturally, many bloody incidents occurred during this period, with rumors of ogres and chimeras devouring people. Yet, under Cassius's supervision, the dragon-blooded Scions managed to maintain a basic level of order.
Compared to the human soldiers of this era who resorted to looting and violence in wartime, or the noble knights who treated commoners as fodder, these monsters under the "Law of Dictatorship" had become almost disciplined—even the ogres saw humans more as tasty snacks than targets for bullying.
However, throughout Anzeta, the Scions of Ember Nest were painted as demonic figures through deliberate propaganda, and bards even composed a long poem titled The Song of Ember.
Their tyrant, that "Hellish calamity" Cassius, had become a symbol of sin. Legends told that he was the Dragon of Lust, the Dragon of Wrath, the Dragon of Pride, transforming into a massive, terrifying human form to ravish beautiful maidens, only to revert to his true form and devour them whole.
Meanwhile, Ember Nest's steward, the dragon-blooded ogre mage Langpu, was portrayed as the embodiment of gluttony, devouring anything in sight. Each time someone appeared before him trembling, his mouth would be full of human remains.
As for the military commander, the hobgoblin Dolo, he became the figure of envy, likely just to suit the poets' sense of balance…
Cassius was indifferent to it all, even unconcerned.
Before he conquered the entire Northern Kingdom, such distorted rumors were only to be expected.
Once he swallowed the remaining twelve nations, all the noise would fade, and he would become the sole, supreme king of Anzeta.
"It's close now."
"Once I deal with that old vampire..."
"The next targets will be you, the decaying Northern nobility."
The red dragon breathed a sulfurous heat, muttering to himself.
He was now lying in the council hall of Trow City, a spacious, well-lit place barely large enough to accommodate his enormous body.
The council hall had once been the place where Trow's affairs were decided, where noble councilors would gather to discuss governance, an honored tradition passed down for generations. The soaring eagle on the tall stone pillars symbolized courage and authority.
Now, it still served as the decision-making center, though those eagles no longer represented power but rather the mark of defeat.
Now, only the red dragon's judgment held sway.
"Master, Mexis City has fallen."
Dolo's image appeared within the hall.
Smoke billowed behind him, indicating the captured city, as dragon-blooded monsters moved about, and gunshots rang out in the distance.
The red dragon nodded slightly, "Good."
Darina, who had been standing by, picked up a brush and drew an X over the "Mexis City" label on the large map of the duchy in the center of the hall.
Ten other cities had already been marked off, including Trow City, where they now stood.
Northwind Fortress stood alone, surrounded by those cities—it was the last remaining city under Lackman control.
Darina flattered him, "Congratulations, Master, the Lackman Duchy's centuries-old history is about to end. Their vast lands will be yours, and your mighty deeds will be recorded in history; the entire North will tremble beneath your wings."
"Now, only—Northwind Fortress—remains."
Cassius suddenly turned to Langpu, asking, "Did you capture those vampire progeny when you took Mexis City?"
He referred to the Lackman family scions, the highest-ranking vampire progeny who often called themselves the bloodline; Baron Todd had been one of them.
Speaking of Todd, the poor fellow had lost his mind under Langpu's endless tortures and experiments, reduced to a mindless beast.
Embracing his scholarly spirit, Langpu had eventually ground Todd into fine paste after countless tests, proving that even so-called "immortal bloodlines" weren't entirely unkillable.
After months of experiments and various techniques, Langpu had mastered numerous characteristics of these vampire progeny, such as their vulnerability to running water.
Now he was even more intrigued by the old vampire, Duke Brad Lackman, lurking in Northwind Fortress.
Langpu answered honestly, "No."
"In Count Caitley Lackman's mansion, we found only drained human corpses. The eldest son had long since vanished. In all the cities governed by Lackman scions, the same pattern was found—I suspect they've all gathered at Northwind Fortress for that so-called Ascension Ritual."
"The Ascension Ritual."
Langpu assumed Cassius was inquiring, not stating, so he respectfully explained:
"Yes, the Ascension Ritual. Through interrogating Todd Lackman, we learned of this ritual, a form of sacrifice supposedly allowing vampires to evolve into 'truly immortal beings.'"
"Once complete, vampires would no longer fear sunlight or water and would wield formidable shadow powers."
The red dragon slowly rose, stretching his wings.
"It's time to end this."
"Langpu, inform all Ember Nest Scions to draw their best troops from each city. We're preparing to besiege Northwind Fortress—I don't want a troublesome ascendant vampire to emerge."
"That old fiend... it's time he went to his rightful place."
"Yes, Master," Langpu eagerly responded.