Chapter Forty-Eight: The True Lilith

Transformed into a werewolf, Ang lunged at the Vampire King with astonishing speed. His movements were so swift that the eye could no longer follow; the afterimages he left in his wake had yet to fade, but his true form was already before the Vampire King. Two sharp claws collided fiercely.

Ignoring the constraints imposed by the Vampire King's domain, Ang continued to swing his powerful arms, clashing relentlessly with the Vampire King—collision upon collision. This was the werewolf clan's way of fighting, forsaking magic to pursue the purest form of strength, a style steeped in the aesthetics of violence.

"Damn it." The Vampire King cursed, struggling to suppress Liliel's domain with his own while fending off Ang's attacks, which proved nearly equal to his own. Even he found himself embroiled in a bitter battle.

As he barely blocked Ang's latest strike, before he could react further, a shadow emerged from his own, gripping a black dagger and thrusting it toward his heart. Ashius, who had been lurking in the shadows, finally made his move—a killing blow.

"How dare you, even the rabble joins the fray!" The Vampire King blocked Ashius's attack, his dignity affronted, and roared furiously, "Infernal Prison—Wailing of the Dead!"

With the Vampire King's roar, the spirits that had been drifting and shrieking within his domain seemed suddenly provoked; they wailed louder, their shrill cries piercing everyone's nerves, making all wish to cover their ears.

"Ah!" Ashius, closest to the Vampire King, was the first to succumb. The attack he had just delivered was neutralized, and his body seemed to suffer wave after wave of shock, forcing him from his shadowy form into corporeality. The Vampire King struck him, sending him flying; his newly regenerated arm was severed once more, right at the shoulder.

Liliel couldn't withstand the assault either. Clutching her ears in agony, she suffered as her domain, already at a disadvantage, collapsed completely.

Ang, though not visibly wounded, became noticeably sluggish, his movements dulled.

The previously beleaguered Vampire King instantly reversed the tide of battle.

Yet Ang, now at a disadvantage, made no attempt to defend himself, attacking ceaselessly, unrelenting. Even as fresh, bloody wounds appeared on his body, he paid them no mind. Unlike vampires and the blood clan, werewolves do not possess immortal life. No matter how powerful, a werewolf cannot live beyond five hundred years. However, they have other advantages. If the blood clan and vampires are defined by immortality, then werewolves are characterized by undying resilience. Even if their hearts are pierced, they can survive through sheer vitality, and with the transformation reversed, they may recover—only decapitation can truly end a werewolf's life.

Ang, relying on his tenacious vitality, cared nothing for the wounds left by the Vampire King, shielding only his vital spots. Though outmatched, he stubbornly held the Vampire King in check, drawing repeated furious roars but leaving him helpless.

"Princess Liliana, please take Princess Liliel and leave first," Ashius, injured, appeared beside us and addressed me. "His target is Princess Liliel. Let us hold him off; you two must depart."

"And what about you? The two of you alone can't defeat him. Ang might manage—at worst, he could escape. But you, I doubt you can use your secret arts to flee again," I asked Ashius, who looked resolute.

"Even if I die here, I will not let Princess Liliel come to harm. His goal is clearly Princess Liliel. If this continues, defeat is inevitable, and then she will be in danger. So, please, take her and go," Ashius pleaded again.

"Heh." I glanced at Liliel, whose face was twisted in pain from her broken domain. "These things are for you and Liliel to discuss. Your life belongs to Liliel; only she can decide your fate. So ask her yourself."

Turning to Ang, who was locked in fierce combat with the Vampire King, I drew a deep breath. "Ang is still fighting on the battlefield. How could I abandon him and leave?" My resolve hardened. "Mother, forgive me. I cannot keep my promise to you. Now, I have something more important than a peaceful life."

I gazed unwaveringly at the battlefield before me and began to pray. "O blood slumbering within me, by my name—Liliana Letis Dracula—I command you to awaken. I am a child of the night, a favored one of the moon, a wandering soul in darkness. Awaken, soul lonelier than loneliness; unleash, power darker than darkness." I closed my eyes, feeling the surge of power erupt from my icy heart, and declared firmly, "Bloodline, release!"

As I intoned the final words of my prayer, my appearance transformed instantly. My waist-length golden hair turned silvery, cascading to my ankles; black bat wings emerged, engraved with dark golden runes. Sharp fangs protruded from my mouth, not grotesque but strangely alluring. My cold, noble violet eyes became a vivid blood-red, radiating a thirst for blood.

"Ang, stand down. Leave this to me." In a flash, I appeared beside Ang, halting his renewed charge at the Vampire King. My voice was cold and emotionless.

"Miss?" Ang cried out in surprise at my transformation.

"Did you not hear me? Withdraw!" I ignored his astonishment, repeating my command icily.

"Yes, Princess Liliana," he replied respectfully and swiftly vanished.

"Now, the irrelevant have departed. This is our war—yours and mine. Lowly vampire, prepare to witness the gulf between our bloodlines." My words to the Vampire King were frigid.

"Impossible!" The Vampire King stared at me in shock. "Why is my bloodline suppressed? This can't be! I am the Vampire King—the future Blood Clan King! How can I be suppressed by a half-breed?" He roared in fury.

"Can't comprehend? Then stop trying. The dead have no need for thoughts." I spoke coldly, raising my scythe and pointing its blade at the Vampire King. "Are you ready to die? Even if you're not, you will." My lips curled into a frosty smile. "Scythe of the Night—Judgment." My voice was as icy as a death sentence.

Within the Vampire King's domain, the sea of blood boiled. Endless blood transformed into a colossal crimson scythe, floating behind me. "Blood is the curse of the Blood Clan, blood is its sorrow. Tainted, sinful blood—I shall grant you judgment."

Witnessing the scene, Ang's voice was filled with resignation. "So, the seal is broken after all. I didn't expect this day to come. Miss, is this your choice?"

"Ang, what's happening?" Liliel asked in astonishment, staring at the battlefield. The Vampire King's domain had been shattered, freeing Liliel from her agony, though she remained weak. "Is that Sister Lilith? Why has she changed? Why do I feel such oppression?"

"It's bloodline suppression," Ang explained quietly.

"Impossible! I'm pure-blooded—the purest Blood Clan lineage. How can I be suppressed?" Liliel cried out in disbelief.

"Princess Liliel, you do possess the purest bloodline of the Blood Clan. But Miss has the bloodline closest to the progenitor—her blood is nearest to Cain, the progenitor of our kind. This is not the pressure of bloodline purity but the awe of the ancestral bloodline. All Blood Clan members are suppressed by her blood. That is why she is always the First Princess," Ang said, pride evident in his voice.

"Then why has Sister Lilith never made me feel this way before?" Lilith asked, stunned.

"Because it was sealed. She sealed her bloodline herself when she was very young. Even among the Blood Clan, few know that she possesses the ancestral blood. Only the Prince, the three Clan Elders, and her deceased mother are aware," Ang replied, his tone somber.

"Can she win? Even with her bloodline unsealed, that one is nearly a Prince. Can Sister Lilith defeat him?" Liliel looked at the battlefield with concern.

"No need to worry. With her seal broken, Miss is a force even the Prince must regard with caution. That one is not yet a Prince—she will be fine." Ang's voice was layered with complex emotions. "Still, I wish Miss would never break the seal. For her, it is far too cruel."

As Liliel and Ang spoke, I launched my attack.

"Well, what are your last words? I am merciful enough to let you utter them," I said coldly to the Vampire King.

"Damn you! Die!" The Vampire King roared and charged toward me.

"Hmph, ignorant of your fate," I said calmly. "I judge you. Repent of your sins, and atone in eternal death." I swung my scythe at him, the giant crimson blade floating behind me following its path.

The massive crimson scythe struck the Vampire King, sending him flying and crashing heavily to the ground. A bone-deep wound nearly split him in two, and torrents of vital blood gushed forth. He gasped for air, his face grotesque and bloodied.

"I won't let you go. One day, I will drain you dry," the Vampire King snarled, glaring at me. He roared in fury, and his body exploded into a cloud of blood mist. When the blood mist dissipated, his form was gone.

"Tch, escaped? No matter. Next time I see him, it will be his death." Watching his vanishing form, I made no attempt to pursue. There were other problems now that needed my attention.

"Who is there? Come out! You've watched long enough, haven't you?" I spoke coldly toward the woods nearby.

"Impressive, Princess Liliana. You could sense my presence," a figure emerged from the trees. "A pleasure to meet you. I am the thirteenth judge of the Blood Clan Council's Enforcement Squad, acting under the authority of the Blood Clan Council to arrest Liliana Letis Dracula."