Chapter Sixty-Four: Hanging by a Thread

“Lilith!” Xingyu, seeing the danger I was in, shouted anxiously.

“Noisy wretch.” Xingyu’s cry drew the Sword Duke’s ire; he cast a disdainful glance in Xingyu’s direction. To the Sword Duke, Xingyu was no different from an ant—a trivial creature who dared to stand before him, disrupting his mood. It was sheer folly, and the Sword Duke had no qualms about crushing him underfoot. With a casual flick, he hurled his heavy sword at Xingyu.

The Sword Duke’s effortless throw sent the heavy sword hurtling toward Xingyu at a terrifying speed. Xingyu could only sense the approach of death—there was no time to evade.

I watched, helpless, as the heavy sword shot toward Xingyu like a meteor, about to claim his life. My heart was gripped by helplessness and regret. Why must it be like this? Why do I bring him nothing but pain? Why have I dragged him into such danger again? In my heart, I screamed in defiance: “No, I refuse this. This is not the ending I want.” At that moment, a surge of powerful magic welled up from within me, as if from nowhere. My weakened body was once again suffused with energy, and I felt the blessing of regained strength—the power to protect those I cherished.

As the heavy sword was about to pierce Xingyu’s body and steal away his life, I activated teleportation. Suddenly, the battlefield fell into utter silence; everyone’s eyes widened at the scene before them, as though time itself had stopped for a moment.

“Young Lady!” After a brief, deathly hush, Ang’s voice rang out, trembling with terror. In that instant, Ang struggled free from the sword that had pinned him to the ground. A wound stretched from his chest to his right shoulder, nearly splitting him in two, and blood gushed forth in torrents. Yet Ang seemed oblivious to the pain, staggering toward me with unsteady steps.

“Liliana?” Xuelan, who had just returned, fell to her knees in shock, staring blankly at the scene before her. Her eyes lost their focus, and she no longer resembled the cold and noble image of the Second Judgement Blood Knight.

“Damn it!” Even the Sword Duke couldn’t help but curse at the sight. Although his words were harsh, in truth, he dared not truly kill Lilith—the wrath of the Vampire Prince was not something he could withstand easily, even with his own princely power. Among princes, there were still differences in strength. The Vampire Prince was the sole true sovereign, having reigned at the princely level for nearly a millennium, far beyond what a newcomer, barely a century into his power, could rival. Yet, this incident had placed him in direct opposition to the prince. The mere thought of the Vampire Prince’s fury made even the lawless Sword Duke shudder. For now, he could only pray that Lilith’s life force was tenacious enough to endure.

All eyes were fixed on Xingyu, whose figure was frozen in shock. Eyes wide with terror, he stared at the girl in his arms. “Lilith, Lilith, wake up! Don’t scare me,” he pleaded unconsciously.

Cradled in Xingyu’s embrace, I lay silent with my eyes closed. My face, already pale, was now drained of all color, and my breath was all but undetectable. A massive sword had pierced my chest, leaving a ghastly, gaping wound—yet not a drop of blood spilled forth. Xingyu could feel that the girl in his arms was as cold as ice, utterly devoid of warmth. As a vampire, my heart had never beaten, but now I was nothing more than a cold, lifeless corpse. With my heart impaled by the heavy sword, even a vampire’s chances of survival were all but nonexistent.

“Sword Duke!” A cry of despair and rage erupted in everyone’s ears—the blood-chilling lament of the Second Judgement Blood Knight.

“Hmph. And what can you do about it, defeated as you are?” Although the Sword Duke was filled with regret, he refused to back down. “Instead of troubling yourself with me, you’d better figure out how to save that little girl.” He snorted derisively.

“Liliana is still alive?” Xuelan asked in surprise, hope flickering in her eyes at the Sword Duke’s words.

“For now, yes. I can sense a faint magic still sustaining her life, but if that power is exhausted, no one will be able to save her.” With that, the Sword Duke turned away with deliberate nonchalance. “Dawn is coming. I’ll let you go this time, but you won’t be so lucky when next we meet.”

“Next time we meet, I will kill you,” Xuelan vowed through gritted teeth, watching the Sword Duke’s retreating figure.

The five judges of the Vampire Council vanished after the Sword Duke departed, slipping away in silence. Lacking his overwhelming strength, they could never withstand the Vampire Prince’s wrath. At this moment, their hearts were filled with dread.

The rest of the group gathered around Xingyu and Lilith.

“Lilith…” Xingyu held Lilith tightly, still murmuring her name unconsciously, his eyes vacant and unfocused.

“Move aside!” Xuelan’s sharp command rang in Xingyu’s ears. To her, this human—who had brought Lilith to the brink of death—was someone she held no affection for, wishing she could kill him herself. But more important than vengeance was saving Lilith, and that could not wait.

“What?” Xuelan’s shout jolted Xingyu from his daze. “I won’t hand Lilith over to anyone, not ever again!” He clung to Lilith even more tightly, shouting at those around him.

“Get out of the way, wretched human! If not for you, how could Liliana have ended up like this? What right do you have to stay by her side?” Xuelan’s fury blazed as she yelled at Xingyu. “Move, or I’ll kill you myself!” Lilith’s dire condition had all but driven Xuelan to madness, and Xingyu’s interference only fueled her rage. If not for her concern for Lilith’s safety, she would have killed him on the spot.

“What did you say? Lilith can still be saved? She’s not dead?” Xingyu’s voice brimmed with hope at Xuelan’s words.

“Move! If Lilith truly dies, I’ll make you pay with your life,” Xuelan roared at him again.

But Xingyu was unfazed by her anger. Overcome with relief, tears of joy streamed down his face as he quickly handed Lilith to Xuelan, pleading, “I’ll go, I’ll go. Please, you must save Lilith. I beg you, save her.”

Xuelan threw him a hateful glare, then lifted Lilith’s icy body, carefully sensing the last faint thread of magic within her. Like Xingyu, tears of joy—tinged with blood—slid down her cheeks. “Thank goodness, Lilith is alive, she’s really alive.”

“Young Lady!” “Princess Liliana!” At Xuelan’s words, Ang and the Duke of Wind cried out in joy.

“Damn it!” Though Xuelan could feel a sliver of lingering magic tenuously sustaining Lilith’s fragile life, she felt no relief. The power was so faint it was almost undetectable, yet she could sense its steady ebb. If they didn’t find a way to replenish her magic soon, Lilith might truly die in the next moment. Xuelan couldn’t help but curse.

“What’s wrong, Second Judge? How is the Young Lady?” Ang asked anxiously.

Hearing his question, Xuelan gritted her teeth and shook her head slightly. “It’s bad. Lilith’s life now depends entirely on a faint trace of magic, and even that is fading. Unless we find a way to restore her magic…” She trailed off, but the unspoken words struck all their hearts with dread.

“What should we do? Is there any way to restore Princess Liliana’s magic?” the Duke of Wind asked in alarm.

But at that moment, everyone was at a loss, their minds a tangled mess. No one had a solution.

In that desperate silence, Xingyu’s voice sounded: “Blood—could fresh blood save Lilith?”

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then expressions of hope spread across their faces. “Yes, blood! If we can get enough blood, we can save Liliana,” Xuelan exclaimed, excitement in her voice. “But we must hurry. We need to restore her magic before dawn and move her away. Her body won’t survive even a touch of sunlight now. Quickly!” Her words were urgent.

“Use my blood!” Xingyu said resolutely.

“Hmph, spare me your grandstanding. Your blood is the quickest and only source here, and even if you hadn’t volunteered, I wouldn’t have let you go,” Xuelan replied coldly, showing no mercy. To her, Xingyu was the main reason Lilith was in this state.

“Don’t worry, I will save Lilith. Even if she drains me dry, I’ll have no regrets,” Xingyu said, then drew his sword and, without hesitation, cut open his own wrist. Blood gushed forth like a spring, pouring into Lilith’s mouth.