A swarm of crows, their eyes glowing with a blood-red light, massed together into a black waterfall and surged toward the twisted, blood-drenched cross, instantly engulfing it.

The crows flapped their wings, letting out hoarse, bizarre caws that made one’s skin crawl and sent a chill down the spine.

"Is Chu He dead?"

Vishnu asked as he landed in front of Brooks.

He glanced at Brooks from the corner of his eye, a wary look churning within his gaze.

He had to admit, the Magic this Prince of the Vampire Clan wielded was formidable.

Even someone as self-assured as Vishnu found it extremely troublesome. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The main issue was how the Magic was cast.

That twisted, blood-oozing Cross appeared far too suddenly.

It materialized right behind its target, then unleashed a mass of barbed vines,

which coiled around the target like vipers and pythons.

The speed was incredible, making it utterly impossible to defend against.

Having fought Chu He before, Vishnu knew exactly how terrifying his strength was.

’It’s been a long time,’ he mused. ’My own power has grown, so Chu He has likely reached a whole new level as well.’

And yet, even at that level, he had still failed to defend against Brooks, who cast such terrifying Magic without even moving from his spot.

"The Judgment Domain," Brooks said. "Throughout the entire, vast Blood Race, only a Prince is qualified to practice it."

"The Blood Race currently has twelve Princes, but the number who have truly mastered the Judgment Domain can be counted on one hand."

As he said this, a look of distinct pride appeared on Brooks’s face.

’This so-called strongest expert on Blue Star, brought under my control with overwhelming force...’

’...and left to die amidst that swarm of crows.’

During this battle, mysterious aerial vehicles from many other Empires were carrying broadcast equipment, streaming the entire event live.

They would also preserve the raw footage from the scene.

Then,

he was sure every Empire would study him—Brooks, a Prince of the Blood Race—very carefully.

When it was exposed that the Blood Race were the ones truly pulling the strings behind the Lighthouse Empire,

Brooks had seen all sorts of ridicule, mockery, condemnation, and insults on countless social media platforms.

Brooks was a Prince of the Riemoer Clan within the Hidden Alliance.

The Secret Faction originated in the thirteenth century, born from the frenzied inquisitions and witch hunts that swept the Western world.

Many elder members of the Blood Race did not escape being burned at the stake.

The younger Blood Race seized the opportunity to rise up, slaying their elders and shattering the old rules. This was what became known as the Great Revolt.

By enacting the Precept of Secrecy, the Blood Race was able to evade the Judgment.

The Judgment referred to the Holy See’s all-out hunt for heretical beings who wielded supernatural power.

The Hidden Alliance was massive, with over half of the Clans joining of their own accord.

Brooks, despite abiding by the Precept of Secrecy, could no longer tolerate the mockery and insults,

which was why he had personally led a team here.

’Publicly killing this man, hailed as the strongest human on Blue Star, will undoubtedly restore the glory of the Blood Race.’

’It will make those humans once again remember the terror of being dominated by Evil Spirits,’

’and force them to recognize that the Blood Race is something far beyond their comprehension.’

A faint smile appeared on Brooks’s face at the thought.

"Do you really think you can kill me like this?"

The next second, Brooks’s smile froze. A voice that was both startling and unexpected came from right behind him.

The voice belonged to Chu He.

Vishnu reacted fastest. Weapon in hand, he flashed away in an instant, creating a distance of several hundred meters.

"How are you unharmed!?"

Brooks whipped around. Sure enough, Chu He was standing right behind him.

He stood there with an air of casual indifference, his eyes filled with mockery.

WHOOSH!

The surrounding members of the Blood Race instantly encircled Chu He.

With their level of power, they were completely incapable of casting the kind of Forbidden Curse Magic Brooks had just used.

Two Forbidden Curse Magics in a row had failed against Chu He.

’Could this human truly have broken through the limits of a mortal?’

Chu He’s hand shot out like lightning, reaching for Brooks.

However, the White Bone Armor covering Brooks’s body seemed to sense the attack and actively converged,

forming a protective barrier of silvery-white light.

Chu He curled his fingers, his palm forming a claw.

Yet, he only managed to leave a shallow scratch on the surface of the White Bone Armor.

Even so, despite being protected by the White Bone Armor, Brooks was far from unscathed.

The terrifying force penetrated the armor and slammed into his body, causing the Mysterious Power within him to begin to dissipate.

Brooks tried to use the force of the blow to retreat.

But Chu He gave him no such opportunity. He closed the distance again and threw a powered-up punch,

smashing it heavily against the White Bone Armor.

This punch harnessed the very power of heaven and earth.

With a sharp CRACK,

cracks began to spiderweb across the White Bone Armor’s surface.

A mournful wail even echoed from within the White Bone Armor.

This time, Brooks’s face truly turned pale with shock.

This White Bone Armor was formed from the Bone Zither, a Holy Artifact of the Blood Race, yet it couldn’t even withstand two of Chu He’s attacks.

’This thing’s defense is actually pretty good.’

Even Chu He couldn’t help but offer a silent word of praise.

’It seems this branch of the Vampire Clan, the one Brooks belongs to,’

’specializes in applying buffs to allies and debuffs to enemies in combat,’

’as well as ranged attacks.’

’This would explain why the physical bodies of this branch of the Vampire Clan are relatively frail.’

’That must be why Brooks took out the Bone Zither and turned it into armor to bolster his own defenses before the real fight began.’

Chu He closed in for a third time, a blinding light of electricity crackling around his right fist.

He threw the third punch, accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder.

The other Vampire Clan members who were about to intercept Chu He suddenly felt the oppressive power of the celestial thunder.

All impure things in the world fear the might of celestial thunder, and the Thunder Skill that Chu He cultivated was its very embodiment.

’So fast!’

Brooks continuously stacked buffs on himself, his movement speed growing ever faster,

while simultaneously conjuring one black shield after another in front of himself.

Ghastly faces continuously appeared on these black shields, roaring ferociously at Chu He

and emitting sonic waves capable of affecting one’s mind.

But none of this had any effect on Chu He whatsoever.

His fist, wreathed in the might of celestial thunder, swept out, leaving only a blinding white light in its wake, like the slash of a keen sword.

BOOM!

Chu He burst out from the encirclement of the Vampire Clan members,

and shot straight toward the fleeing Brooks.

Each of the conjured black shields shattered instantly.

Chu He’s speed remained completely unaffected.

In the blink of an eye, the punch landed squarely on Brooks’s chest.

The White Bone Armor instantly disintegrated into white powder that scattered on the wind,

and the evil will that filled it was utterly annihilated by the crushing force of the thunder.