Chapter : 652

"This is very annoying," Ken mumbled lazily to himself. "I just wanted to eat cake. Now I am trapped in a red bubble. The nobles are making way too much noise. They need to calm down. Panic is terrible for digestion."

Naomi crouched down next to the serving table. She wore a sleek, fierce red dress. She held her twin silver daggers. She looked under the tablecloth. She saw Ken eating cheese. She did not yell at him. She did not call him lazy. She smiled a very warm, bright smile. Her green eyes sparkled with genuine affection.

"Stay right there, Ken," Naomi whispered gently. She reached out and patted his arm. "Do not come out. The situation is dangerous. I will protect you. Just finish your snack."

"You are the best, Naomi," Ken smiled a goofy smile. He offered her a cheese cube. "Do you want some? It is very good."

Naomi chuckled softly. "No thank you. I have to guard the Princess."

Naomi stood back up. She joined the tight defensive circle. The 13th Unit stood right in the middle of the ballroom. Princess Iris held her silver rapier. She looked very determined. Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. Laxmi tossed a bright orange spark of fire between her fingers. Zinia cracked her knuckles. Ira stood perfectly still. Luna rubbed her sleepy eyes. Risa hugged her teddy bear tightly.

Suddenly, a strange noise echoed across the room. It sounded like bubbling water.

A large pool of dark red liquid materialized in the exact center of the marble floor. The liquid bubbled and boiled. It looked like thick blood. The panicked nobles backed away from the liquid. They screamed even louder.

"Look at the floor!" Laxmi shouted. She pointed a finger at the bubbling pool. "Someone is coming out of that mess!"

A figure slowly rose from the pool of red liquid.

It was a woman. She stepped onto the dry marble floor. The red liquid instantly absorbed into her boots. She looked terrifying.

She wore a sleek, dark crimson military uniform. The uniform had black armor plating on the shoulders. Her skin was pale. She had long, straight black hair. Her eyes burned with a bright, toxic red light. She held a strange, glowing glass flask in her right hand. The flask contained swirling red mist.

She smiled a cruel, wicked smile. She projected an aura of absolute, crushing malice.

"Greetings, Royal candidates," the woman announced. Her voice echoed loudly across the sealed ballroom. It sounded smooth and deadly. "Please forgive my dramatic entrance. The front door was locked."

Princess Iris stepped forward. She pointed her silver rapier at the woman. "Who are you? Remove this barrier immediately."

The woman laughed a cold, dry laugh. "You do not give me orders, little Princess. My name is General Vespera. I am the Blood Alchemist. I am a high-tier commander from the Netherworld."

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Sayma opened her neat notebook. She clicked her pen rapidly. She looked very shocked.

"The Netherworld?" Sayma asked politely but urgently. "That is a forbidden dimension. You are an ancient demonic entity. How did you enter our capital city?"

General Vespera smirked. She tapped the glass flask with her pale finger.

"I had some very generous help," Vespera explained smoothly. "The Black Magicians summoned me. They used a very special, very stolen artifact to open the gate. They brought me here for a very specific purpose."

Ken chewed another cheese cube under the table. He listened to the villain's speech. He slumped his shoulders.

"This is cliché," Ken analyzed casually in his mind. "The bad guys always summon a demon general. The demon general always wears a cool uniform. She is doing a villain monologue right now. I just know she is going to explain her entire evil plan. It is a massive anime trope. I should start taking notes. Maybe I can write a comic book later."

General Vespera walked slowly around the center of the room. She looked at the different Royal units. She looked at the 1st Prince. She looked at the 2nd Princess. She looked at the 4th Prince.

"My masters are preparing a massive ritual," Vespera declared proudly. "The ritual requires a massive amount of energy. It requires something rare. It requires Royal blood."

The entire ballroom went silent. The nobles gasped.

"I came here to harvest your blood," Vespera stated coldly. She raised the glass flask. "I am going to drain every single Prince and Princess in this room. I will take your royal life force. I will feed it to the artifact. Then, the true nightmare will begin."

Laxmi punched her open palm. Bright orange flames roared to life. "You are not taking anyone's blood! I am going to roast you right now! You are just a crazy vampire lady!"

Zinia crossed her muscular arms. "Laxmi is right. You are outnumbered. There are hundreds of elite guards in this room. You cannot fight all of us."

Vespera stopped walking. She looked at Zinia. She let out a loud, mocking laugh.

"You think your guards can stop me?" Vespera sneered. "You are foolish. I do not fight armies. I control them."

Ten elite Imperial Guards stepped forward. They wore shiny silver armor. They carried long, sharp metal spears. They were the Emperor's personal security detail. They looked brave. They surrounded General Vespera in a tight circle.

"Drop your weapon!" the lead guard commanded loudly. He pointed his spear directly at Vespera's chest. "You are under arrest for treason and dark magic! Surrender immediately!"

Vespera did not drop the glass flask. She did not raise her hands. She simply closed her glowing red eyes.

"Blood is a very beautiful thing," Vespera whispered softly. "It flows through every single person. It carries oxygen. It carries life. But it also carries commands."

Vespera opened her eyes. She snapped her fingers.

Snap.

A massive, blinding flash of red magic erupted from her body. The magic did not cause an explosion. It did not create fire. It shot out in ten thin, fast red beams. The red beams hit the ten Imperial Guards directly in their chests.

The magic passed right through their silver armor. It entered their bodies instantly.

The ten guards froze . Their spears stopped moving. Their bodies went rigid. They dropped their weapons. The metal spears clattered loudly on the marble floor.

Ken peeked his head out from under the tablecloth. He watched the guards.

"Oh no," Ken mumbled lazily. He shoved a piece of cheese into his mouth. "She just used blood manipulation magic. That is a banned technique in most magic tournaments. It is overpowered. You literally hijack the opponent's body. This is a massive cheat code. The game developers need to nerf her immediately."

The ten Imperial Guards stood perfectly still. Then, their bodies began to change.

Thick, dark red veins bulged across their necks. The veins crawled up their cheeks. Their eyes lost all normal color. Their pupils vanished. Their eyes turned a bright, solid, glowing red. Their muscles expanded violently. They grew much larger. They let out low, mindless, animal-like growls.

Vespera smiled a very wicked, satisfied smile.