Chapter : 653

"I am the Blood Alchemist," Vespera announced proudly. "I do not need an army. I can simply take yours."

She pointed her pale finger directly at the gathered Royal units.

"Kill the servants," Vespera ordered coldly. "Capture the Royals. Bring me their blood."

The ten hijacked guards turned around. They did not look human anymore. They looked like terrifying, mindless physical puppets. They picked their silver spears back up. They gripped the weapons with immense, unnatural strength.

They charged directly toward the Princes and Princesses. The chaotic, terrifying defensive battle officially began.

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The hijacked guards sprinted across the polished marble floor. They moved with blistering, unnatural speed. They did not run like normal soldiers. Their movements were jerky and mechanical. They looked like broken toys pulled by invisible red strings. Their red eyes glowed brightly in the dim light.

"Defensive formation!" Princess Iris shouted clearly. She pointed her silver rapier forward. "Do not let them break the circle! Protect the civilians!"

The 13th Unit snapped into action instantly.

Naomi dashed forward. Green wind magic swirled around her boots. She moved like a red-haired blur. She intercepted the first charging guard. She spun her twin silver daggers. She aimed a flawless, non-lethal strike at the guard's legs. She wanted to trip him.

The silver dagger hit the guard's leg.

CLANG!

The dagger sparked against the silver armor. The guard did not stumble. He did not even flinch. He ignored the attack. He swung his long spear in a massive, horizontal arc.

Naomi gasped. She jumped backward just in time. The spear tip missed her nose by a fraction of an inch.

"They do not feel pain!" Naomi warned loudly. She landed gracefully on her feet. She breathed very fast. "The blood magic deactivated their nervous systems! They are numb! My quick strikes do not stop them!"

Laxmi roared in anger. She slammed her fists together. Bright orange flames erupted around her hands. "I will stop them! Fire stops everything!"

Laxmi threw a gigantic fireball. The bright orange flames zoomed across the room. The fireball hit the second guard directly in the chest. The fire exploded loudly. Thick smoke filled the air.

The smoke cleared. The guard kept running. His silver armor was scorched black. His uniform was burning. But he did not scream. He did not drop his spear. He just charged straight through the flames. He swung his weapon at Laxmi.

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"Whoa!" Laxmi yelled. She dodged to the side. The spear smashed into a wooden chair. The chair splintered into pieces. "He just walked right through my fire! That is unfair!"

Zinia stomped her heavy boots on the floor. The strong earth mage crossed her muscular arms. "Stone Barricade!" Zinia roared deeply.

Thick slabs of solid rock ripped out of the marble floor. The rocks formed a tall wall in front of the 13th Unit. The third guard ran straight into the stone wall. The impact was massive. The guard did not stop. He punched the solid rock with his bare hand.

The rock cracked. The guard punched it again. His knuckles bled. He did not care. He smashed the stone barricade into gravel with pure, enhanced physical strength.

"Their muscle density is multiplied!" Zinia yelled. She took a step back. "The blood magic is forcing their bodies past normal human limits! They are going to break their own bones just to reach us!"

Sayma pushed her glasses up. She opened her notebook. She clicked her pen. "This is a massive tactical nightmare. We cannot use lethal force against our own Imperial Guards. But we cannot disable them with normal attacks. We are trapped on the defensive."

Ira stood perfectly still near the wall. Her pale face showed zero emotion. She summoned two long, high-pressure water whips. She lashed the whips forward. The water wrapped tightly around a guard's waist. She pulled backward.

The guard did not fall over. He grabbed the water whip with his hands. He pulled back. His enhanced strength overpowered Ira. Ira stumbled forward. She had to release the spell.

"Statistically speaking," Ira stated in her robotic voice. "Our current offensive capability is zero. The enemy possesses physical superiority."

Luna sat on a small velvet stool. The lightning user rubbed her sleepy eyes. She let out a massive, dramatic yawn. A knitted blanket covered her shoulders. "They are very loud. I do not want to zap them. They are good guys. This is very confusing. I am just going to take a nap."

Risa hid behind Sayma. The sweet pink-haired healer hugged her stuffed teddy bear. She looked terrified. "Please do not hurt them. They are just sick. The scary lady made them sick."

Underneath the serving table, Ken Eliot watched the entire chaotic fight.

He wore his wrinkled navy blue suit. His white shirt hung untucked. He drooped his shoulders. He reached into his pocket. He pulled out a large bag of sour cream and onion potato chips. He opened the bag. He grabbed a chip. He popped it into his mouth. Crunch. Crunch.

"This is classic mind control logic," Ken analyzed lazily in his mind. He leaned back against a wooden table leg. "The villain turns the good guys into puppets. The heroes refuse to kill the puppets. The heroes just dodge and block. It drags the fight out for three entire episodes. It is boring. The writers just want to save animation budget."

Ken looked around the massive ballroom. The other Royal units were also struggling.

The 4th Prince, Ares Belmontia, roared loudly. He punched a puppet guard in the face. The guard flew backward. But the guard instantly stood back up. The guard’s nose was broken. He just charged again. Ares looked frustrated.

The 2nd Princess, Hera Belmontia, stood in the corner. She wore her pristine white dress. She raised her hand. She used her Regal Gravity magic. She pinned two guards flat against the floor. But the guards kept crawling forward. They dragged their bodies across the marble. They refused to stop moving.

"The blood magic overrides their survival instincts," Ken noted casually. He ate another potato chip. "They will literally fight until their bodies fall apart. This is a very massive cheat code. Vespera is spamming her ultimate move."

Ken felt a drop of red wine drip onto his sleeve. He looked up. The table above him was covered in food and drinks. The chaotic fighting shook the table.

"Oh, come on," Ken complained quietly. He brushed the red wine off his suit. "This is a disaster. My brand new suit is getting stained. Wine stains are impossible to wash out. I need a napkin. Why are there no napkins under this table?"

He slipped his hand into the chip bag again. He pulled out a large, salty chip.

He watched Naomi dash across the room. She blocked a spear thrust with her daggers. She looked very tired. Sweat rolled down her face. She was using all her energy just to dodge.