Chapter 127: Fengyun Within the City
The Duchy of Lakanman’s final stronghold—Northwind Keep.
Inside the fortress, panic gripped the populace. Though the “Eagle’s Shield” had strictly sealed off news of the fall of Ashen Hollow, whispers still spread like wildfire. Rumors, half-drunk confessions, and fragmented truths crept through the shadows of taverns and alleyways.
“I… I’ll tell you a secret…” a drunken man slurred in a dimly lit tavern. “Mesk City… Telo City… Akan… All of them… fallen.”
Before he could say more, he was dragged away by plainclothes spies. Silence followed—thick, suffocating, and absolute. No one dared speak again.
The air inside the city was heavy, tense, as if the very atmosphere held its breath. Guards patrolled every vital point, with multiple “Eagle’s Shield” members checking identities at every entrance. Any sign of suspicion was enough to brand one a traitor—snatched away without trial.
Households sealed their doors tight, yet gray-robed spies still broke in, ransacking homes, searching for anything out of place. Anyone found with even the slightest irregularity faced harsh interrogation—or worse, sudden disappearance.
No one knew where the so-called traitors went. Rumors spread: they were executed. Or worse—erased.
Fear had taken root. Not just fear of Ashen Hollow’s advancing forces, but dread of the city’s own guards, and an unshakable terror of what the future might hold.
“Damned—where did he go?!”
“Should be that way—go after him!”
“Capture him—alive or dead!”
In a shadowed alley, Langli BaiTiao pressed against the wall, heart pounding, barely breathing. He’d evaded another sweep.
He wiped his forehead—though there was no sweat. As a Vampire Offspring, he didn’t sweat. It was just a habit, a reflex born of centuries of fear.
“That old bastard’s gone mad… arresting people like this?”
“But he’s finished. Once Ashen Hollow’s legions arrive, that bloodsucking old freak will finally be brought to justice.”
The thought of Ashen Hollow’s overwhelming military might sent a thrill through every grassroots player. Pride swelled in their chests. They were ready. The end was near.
Yeno Lakanman crouched beside a trash bin, his posture now as furtive and low as the shadows themselves. Once a noble Baron, he’d long abandoned dignity, shaped by years spent in the company of Langli BaiTiao—becoming a master of stealth, a ghost in the night.
Curious, he asked, “You’ve been holed up in the Underground Bastion all this time… how do you even know what’s happening out here?”
Langli BaiTiao smirked. “Mountain man’s got his ways.”
“I also know the old man’s entire Allied Forces were wiped out—three thousand souls turned into barbecue.”
The memory of the Battle of Tiriel stabbed at him. A massive faction battlefield event—one he’d missed. While others forged armor, led troops, and earned thousands of Faction Contributions, he’d been stuck in a dungeon, grinding forums in the dark.
“This time… I’m gonna make my mark,” he vowed silently.
Yeno snapped, “Don’t just stand there. They’ll find us soon. We won’t escape if we stay.”
“And if what you say is true… Father wouldn’t just surrender. Not him. I know him.”
He paused, voice low. “He’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goal. He’s obsessed—fanatical. He’s been planning this for a hundred years. Thousands have died in his name.”
Langli BaiTiao froze. Then slowly, realization dawned.
“You’re saying… he’s trying to do the whole thing?”
“Exactly.”
“I suspect the so-called traitors were taken to the Underground Bastion… turned into Blood Slaves. He knows time is running out. So he’s no longer hiding. He’s openly mobilizing the entire city’s strength—willing to burn it all to achieve his so-called Ascension.”
Langli BaiTiao’s eyes sparkled. “Then I’ll be the one to stop him. The hero of this city.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Yeno said, voice hollow. “You’ve faced him before—but you don’t understand his power.”
A flicker of memory passed over his pale face, and for a moment, fear crept into his eyes.
Langli BaiTiao waved it off. “You’re scared again? PTSD kicking in? We’ve already escaped. What’s he gonna do—catch you from the shadows?”
He grinned, pulling out a finely crafted metal emblem from his pocket—its surface stained with old, dried blood.
[Rebel Sigil]
Quality: Unique
Once wielded by a mage who turned into a Vampire Offspring. He attempted to rebel against his Master, pouring his soul into crafting this sigil. Failed. Died screaming, his body dissolving into boiling blood. The sigil remained—preserved in the Duke’s Collection Chamber, waiting for the next rebel.
Effect: Temporarily grants immunity to a Vampire Offspring’s Master’s control.
He’d found it with Yeno deep in the Duke’s private vaults. It had given him confidence—steel in his spine.
Yeno shook his head, his face as pale as death. “Do you really think you’ll succeed?”
“I knew the maker,” he whispered. “Tris. The most gifted mage I’ve ever met. He never gave up—even after being turned. He searched for every way to break the Duke’s hold. Even in darkness, he burned with hope.”
He paused, eyes distant.
“But he failed.”
A flicker of sorrow crossed Yeno’s face—then, beneath it, a shadow of despair.
“Not him,” Langli BaiTiao shot back, “doesn’t mean I can’t. I’m Langli BaiTiao!”
He was mid-sentence when his voice cut off.
“…I fucking—”
Yeno’s eyes had gone dark, crimson red. No trace of reason remained. Cold, dead energy radiated from him.
“Ascension.”
“For the Great Ascension.”
“Every sacrifice… worth it.”
“Give everything…”
He spoke in a hollow whisper, his face twisted into a rapturous grin—like a devotee about to receive divine grace.
He stood rigid, unnatural, walking slowly into the shadows—toward the Duke’s castle.
The sky above turned blood-red.
Langli BaiTiao stared, stunned. The Rebel Sigil in his pocket pulsed faintly—straining, resisting some invisible force.
“The old bastard just activated his ultimate?”
“But… maybe that’s my chance.”
He hesitated for only a second—then slipped the sigil into his pocket.
“Ah… for the Great Ascension…”
He mimicked Yeno’s stiff posture, his voice low and hollow, pretending to be under the Duke’s control.
And with that, he followed—step by step—into the heart of darkness.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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